Associated British Foods plc (ABF) is a British multinational food processing and retailing company headquartered in London, England. Its ingredients division is the world's second-largest producer of both sugar and baker's yeast and a major producer of other ingredients including emulsifiers, enzymes and lactose. Its grocery division is a major manufacturer of both branded and private label grocery products and includes the brands Mazola, Ovaltine, Ryvita, Jordans and Twinings. Its retail division, Primark, has some 384 stores across several countries, predominantly Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Spain, and the UK. ACH Food Companies is an American subsidiary.Associated British Foods is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.
BACKGROUND:High-quality diets reduce the risk of cardiometabolic and other chronic diseases. The dietary components that distinguish higher from lower quality diets, and their associations with health, have not been fully investigated. OBJECTIVES:This study aimed to assess the component scores that underlie differences in total Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2015 scores, quantify fatty acid (saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated) intakes that comprise Fatty Acids component scores, and assess associations between component scores and cardiometabolic risk factors. METHODS:A cross-sectional analysis of data from the NHANES (2001-2016) was conducted. Total and component HEI-2015 scores were assessed in adult (≥19 y) participants who provided one 24-h dietary recall (n = 39,799). Survey-weighted mean component scores by quartile of total HEI-2015 score were determined. Regression analyses were conducted to assess fatty acid intakes across quartiles of Fatty Acids component scores. Separate regression analyses were conducted to assess associations between component scores and cardiometabolic risk factors, after adjusting for demographic characteristics and health behaviors. RESULTS:Scores for components related to dietary fat (Fatty Acids, Saturated Fats) and grain quality (Whole Grains, Refined Grains) accounted for the greatest differences in HEI-2015 scores. Higher Fatty Acids scores were primarily composed of lower saturated and greater polyunsaturated fat intakes. Whole Fruits, and Seafood and Plant Proteins, were most favorably associated with cardiometabolic risk factors including anthropometric measures (P < 0.001), systolic blood pressure (P < 0.01), glycemic markers (Whole Fruits only, P < 0.01), and HDL cholesterol and triglycerides (Seafood and Plant Proteins only, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS:Average diet quality in US adults is suboptimal. Higher quality diets are primarily distinguished by the types of fats and grain-based foods that are consumed. Interventions targeting dietary components that are most favorably associated with cardiometabolic risk factors-whole fruits, seafood, and plant proteins-may have the greatest impact on disease risk.
Introduction: The Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2015 quantifies alignment with the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans by scoring and totaling 13 components. Higher scores have been associated with lower all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. The contributions of individual components toward total diet quality and associations with health in American adults have not been determined. Hypothesis: It was hypothesized that the individual HEI-2015 components would differentially contribute to total diet quality and correlate with CVD risk factors in U.S. adults. Methods: Non-pregnant, non-lactating adult participants (age 19+ years) in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2001-2016 with at least one reliable 24-hour dietary recall were included in the analysis (n=39,799). Total and component HEI-2015 scores were calculated per person using a single recall. Linear regression models accounting for the complex sampling design were used to assess associations between total and component HEI-2015 scores and CVD risk factors after adjustment for potential confounders. Significance of beta coefficients was defined by p<0.01. Results: Total HEI-2015 score was positively associated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C; ß±SE, 0.10±0.01 mg/dL) and inversely associated with BMI (-0.05±0 kg/m 2 ), waist circumference (WC; -0.13±0.01 cm), systolic blood pressure (SBP; -0.04±0.01 mmHg), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C; -0.09±0.03 mg/dL), triglycerides (-0.20±0.08 mg/dL), fasting glucose (-0.05±0.02 mg/dL), and insulin (-0.03±0.01 μU/mL). All component scores increased with total score. The Whole Grains and Fatty Acid Ratio components made the greatest contributions (both +0.12 points or 12%) to each one-unit increase in HEI-2015, followed by moderation components Refined Grains and Saturated Fat (both +0.11 or 11%). Increases in the Fatty Acid Ratio score were explained by decreasing saturated fat (-1.67 g/unit, 95% CI: -1.73 to -1.61) and increasing polyunsaturated fat (PUFA; 1.17 g/unit, 95% CI: 1.12, 1.22); increases in monounsaturated fats were relatively small (0.18 g/unit, 95% CI: 0.11 to 0.25). The predominant PUFA was linoleic acid, which increased 1.06 g/unit (95% CI: 1.02 to 1.11). Scores for grain-related components were favorably associated with BMI, WC, SBP and HDL-C; fat quality components were inversely associated with BMI, WC, HDL-C, LDL-C, and triglycerides. Conclusion: Diet quality is favorably associated with several CVD risk factors. Approximately 50% of each 1-point increase in HEI-2015 is related to the quality of grain-based products and fat sources. Choosing whole grains instead of refined grains, and PUFA in place of saturated fats, is associated with improvements in diet quality and cardiovascular health.
To examine relationships between plasma fatty acids, dietary intake of fatty acids, adiposity and risk of metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) dataset. Plasma fatty acids levels (n = 24) measured in NHANES 2001–2003 (n = 1674) and dietary intake of fatty acids (n = 19) from NHANES 2001–2014 (n = 9108) were used for these analyses. The association between plasma fatty acid levels, intake of fatty acids and body weight, BMI, waist circumference, and number of criteria for MetSyn was assessed. Backwards stepwise multiple regression analyses adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, prescription of anti-hypertensive, lipid-lowering of anti-diabetic medication, modified Health Eating Index-2015 score, physical activity, poverty to income ratio, smoking, and calorie intake were conducted to identify fatty acids that were predictive of the outcomes of interest. Logistic regression analysis, adjusted for the aforementioned covariates, was used to assess the odds of MetSyn, and overweight/obesity associated with each fatty acid. Higher levels of the plasma saturated fatty acids myristic acid (14:0), stearic acid (18:0), and docosanoic acid (22:0) were associated with greater BMI, waist circumference, and number of MetSyn criteria (P < 0.01). Arachidic acid (20:0) and lignoceric acid (24:0) were inversely associated with BMI, waist circumference, and number of MetSyn criteria. Plasma linoleic acid (18:2) was the only PUFA inversely associated with BMI (β = −0.002), waist circumference (β = −0.005), and number of MetSyn criteria (β −0.0003) (all P < 0.01). Plasma linoleic acid was also correlated with lower risk of being overweight or obese (odds ratio (OR) 0.9995; P < 0.03) and having an elevated waist circumference (OR 0.9992; P < 0.01). These results were not supported by the dietary fatty acid intake data. These data from a representative U.S. cohort indicate that plasma medium and longer chain saturated fats were generally associated with greater adiposity and more criteria for MetSyn, whereas these relationships were not detected for MUFA. Linoleic acid was the only PUFA associated with less adiposity and lower risk of MetSyn and, thus also lower risk of cardiometabolic disease. ACH Food Companies, Inc.
This pooled analysis of data from two clinical trials was designed to evaluate potential predictors of lipid responses to corn oil consumption. Free-living subjects in two clinical feeding trials consumed study products made with corn oil (each 4 tablespoons per day) as part of their habitual diets for four weeks. Subjects were required to have fasting low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C) levels ≥115 and < 190 mg/dL and triglycerides (TG) < 375 mg/dL. Baseline, end of treatment and % changes from baseline in fasting LDL-C and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) levels were analyzed in the per protocol samples for all subjects and according to the following subgroups: tertile of baseline LDL-C (< 122.5, 122.5–135.25 or > 135.25 mg/dL), median baseline saturated fatty acid intake (< or ≥ 11.9% of energy), median body mass index (BMI; < or ≥ 21.35 kg/m2), median age (< or ≥ 51 y), male or female and non-Hispanic white or other race/ethnicity. Within group p-values were generated using paired t-tests or, when the values were non-normally distributed, the Wilcoxon test. Overall (n = 42 subjects) median baseline LDL-C, non-HDL-C, total-C, HDL-C and TG concentrations were 139, 158, 208, 47 and 101 mg/dL, respectively, and the total-C: HDL-C ratio was 4.3. Changes from baseline in LDL-C and non-HDL-C levels during corn oil consumption in the overall sample were −4.3% and −3.5%, respectively. LDL-C and non-HDL-C responses were statistically significant for subjects in the highest baseline LDL-C tertile (−8.3%, P = 0.017 and −5.5%, P = 0.025, respectively) and for subjects with BMI below the median (−5.6%, P = 0.013 and −4.5%, P = 0.009, respectively). LDL-C and non-HDL-C responses did not reach statistical significance in any other subgroup. Higher baseline LDL-C and lower BMI were predictive of larger reductions in LDL-C and non-HDL-C, two major risk factors for cardiovascular disease, during corn oil consumption in a pooled analysis from two feeding studies. ACH Food Companies, Inc.
The 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting the intake of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) to <10% of energy/d and replacing dietary SFAs with unsaturated fatty acids. A Presidential Advisory from the American Heart Association recently released its evaluation of the relation between dietary fats and cardiovascular disease (CVD), and also recommended a shift from SFAs to unsaturated fatty acids, especially polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), in conjunction with a healthy dietary pattern. However, the suggestion to increase the intake of PUFAs in general, and omega-6 (n-6) PUFAs in particular, continues to be controversial. This review was undertaken to provide an overview of the evidence and controversies regarding the effects of ω-6 PUFAs on cardiometabolic health, with emphasis on risks and risk factors for CVD (coronary heart disease and stroke) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D). Results from observational studies show that higher intake of ω-6 PUFAs, when compared with SFAs or carbohydrate, is associated with lower risks for CVD events (10-30%), CVD and total mortality (10-40%), and T2D (20-50%). Findings from intervention studies on cardiometabolic risk factors suggest that ω-6 PUFAs reduce concentrations of LDL cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol in a dose-dependent manner compared with dietary carbohydrate, and have a neutral effect on blood pressure. Despite the concern that ω-6 fatty acids increase inflammation, current evidence from studies in humans does not support this view. In conclusion, these findings support current recommendations to emphasize consumption of ω-6 PUFAs as a replacement of SFAs; additional randomized controlled trials with cardiometabolic disease outcomes will help to more clearly define the benefits and risks of this policy.
