Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Author Podcast

Lead investigator Marie-Pierre St-Onge, PhD, Columbia University, talks about a novel large-scale analysis of dietary intake of ultra-processed foods (UPF) and sleep patterns. The results showed a statistically significant association between consumption of UPF and chronic insomnia independent of sociodemographic, lifestyle, diet quality, and mental health status characteristics. The researchers advise that individuals with sleep difficulties may consider examining their diet to determine whether UPF could be contributing to their sleep issues.

JAND Editor-in-Chief Linda Snetselaar, PhD, RDN, LD, FAND and Armen Ghazaryan, PhD, MS, and Stephen Onufrak, MPH, PhD, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, discuss new research on sugar sweetened beverage and water consumption in the United States. (10.1016/j.jand.2023.08.128)

Lead author Stephanie Ettinger de Cuba, PhD, MPH, recaps study results: kids with child care-provided meals were 30% less likely to live in food-insecure households, 39% less likely to be in fair or poor health, and 41% less likely to be admitted to the hospital from the ED, compared to those with parent-provided meals and snacks. The study also bolsters evidence of the benefits of child care feeding programs, specifically CACFP. (10.1016/j.jand.2023.06.003)

Senior author Elizabeth K. Dunford, PhD, presents results of the first study to examine what US consumers are purchasing (Nielsen Homescan Consumer Panel data from 2001 and 2019), rather than relying on reported food and beverage intake, to evaluate exposure to food additives in ultra-processed foods and associated adverse health risks. (10.1016/j.jand.2022.11.007)

Lead author Yangbo Sun, MBBS, PhD, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, shares the results of a large prospective study of American adults 40 years old and older (NHANES). This research contributes much-needed evidence about the association between eating behaviors and mortality in the context of meal timing and duration of the daily prandial period. (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2022.08.119)

Lead author Lindsey Parnarouskis, MS, reviews a secondary analysis of data collected in two earlier studies: Maternal Adiposity, Metabolism and Stress (MAMAS) the Family Food Study (FFS). This new study found that women experiencing food insecurity and greater access to highly processed foods more frequently report symptoms of food addiction, such as compulsive eating of certain types of food, unsuccessful attempts to cut down and withdrawal symptoms. (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2022.05.017)

Annie Yu-An Chen, DDS, MS, Assistant Policy Researcher at RAND Corporation, discusses a new study that examined cyclical changes in American diet quality related to macroeconomic conditions. She and co-author Roland Sturm, PhD, Senior Economist at RAND Corporation, found that the American diet improved when unemployment peaked after the Great Recession, and then declined significantly. This was particularly true in 2011and 2012, a period with historically high unemployment rates in the United States. However, since recovery began in 2013, the quality of the American diet has declined and is now at a 20-year low. (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2021.09.019)

Lead author Michelle Barrack and principal investigator Adam S. Tenforde discuss the first investigation into the prevalence of dietary supplement and sport food use in male and female middle school-aged runners. Researchers found that almost half the study participants used these products on two or more days a week during the prior year. Characteristics associated with supplement use included a prior bone stress injury, following a vegetarian diet and behaviors suggesting dietary restrictions such as losing weight and skipping meals.

(https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2021.07.013)

Study lead Nicole Larson, PhD, MPH, RDN, talks about a University of Minnesota School of Public Health study that found one-third of emerging adults (18-29 years of age) surveyed experienced food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic and a disproportionately high prevalence of food insecurity and food insufficiency among those living with children and who identified as Black, Indigenous, or a person of color. The findings show an urgent need for research to address how the processes of racism that are embedded in the policies and practices of society and institutions are directly contributing to food insecurity. (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2021.05.018)

Authors: by Kelsey A. Vercammen, MSc, Alyssa J. Moran, ScD, RD, Mark J. Soto, MA, Lee Kennedy-Shaffer, PhD, and Sara N. Bleich, PhD

Podcast: Lead author Kelsey A. Vercammen (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health) talks about a new Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics study that shows the percentage of heavy sugar-sweetened beverage drinkers trended downwards in most demographic categories, but attention should be paid to several subgroups with high intake for whom trends are not decreasing.

September 24, 2020 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2020.07.012)