Childhood obesity is prevalent among ethnic minorities in the UK but little is known about parent feeding practices in these populations. We administered questionnaires assessing parental feeding behaviors and perceptions and concerns relating to child weight to White British (n=271), South Asian (n=59), and Black Afro-Caribbean (n=42) parents of UK 3–5 year-olds. Child BMI z-scores were determined from measured heights and weights. South Asian and Black Afro-Caribbean parents exhibited greater pressure to eat than White British parents. Black Afro-Caribbean parents additionally scored higher on instrumental feeding and lower on monitoring, while South Asian parents scored higher on emotional feeding. Black Afro-Caribbean parents reported the greatest concern about both child overweight and underweight. Ethnic differences were unchanged by controlling for perceptions and concerns relating to child weight, or for actual BMI z, parent education, or household income. Exploratory analyses suggested some evidence for sex differences within ethnic groups. For example, South Asian parents of daughters scored higher than White British parents of daughters on emotional feeding, with no ethnic differences apparent for parents of sons. Our findings support considering variation in parent feeding behaviors and weight-related attitudes by parental ethnicity and child sex when developing obesity interventions.

INTRODUCTION: This is the first randomized controlled diet intervention trial to investigate both the amount and type of carbohydrate on symptomatic gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). METHODS:Ninety-eight veterans with symptomatic GERD were randomly assigned to high total/high simple, high total/ low simple, low total/high simple, or low total/low simple carbohydrate diet for 9 weeks. The primary outcomes were esophageal acid exposure time (AET) and total number of reflux episodes derived from 24hour ambulatory pH monitoring. Secondary outcomes were esophageal reflux symptoms rated using the Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Questionnaire (GERDQ) and GERD Symptom Assessment Scale (GSAS).

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Background: Rising prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in US Veterans is concurrent with increasing excess body weight. Objective: The objective of this cross-sectional study is to examine relationships between dietary macronutrients, gastrointestinal hormones, and GERD status. Methods: Ninety-eight veterans with overweight/obesity and empiric proton pump inhibitor (PPI) treatment were enrolled from the Tennessee Valley Healthcare System. Subjects had esophageal manometry and 24-h pH monitoring. Subjective symptoms were assessed with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Questionnaire (GERDQ) and Symptom Assessment Scale (GSAS). The primary outcomes, total acid exposure time (AET) and number of reflux episodes, enabled categorizing subjects as either pathologic GERD or inconclusive GERD. Data analysis included independent T-tests, Spearman Rho correlations, and multivariable linear regression modeling. Results: Higher intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (sugar-sweetened tea, soda, and fruit juice) associated with higher AET. Higher saturated-to-unsaturated fat intake is associated with higher AET and number of reflux episodes. Overall, sugar-sweetened beverage intake, saturated-to-unsaturated fat ratio, tomato-based food items, glucagon-like polypeptide 1 (GLP-1) level, time of first meal, and education status accounted for a significant amount of the variability in AET. Pathologic GERD subjects reported more heartburn ( p = 0.006), regurgitation ( p = 0.01), acid taste (0.001), and nausea severity ( p = 0.04). GERDQ score associated with AET ( r = 0.31, p = 0.005), but GSAS did not ( r = 0.12, p = 0.28). Conclusion: Of the many foods and nutrients tested, the type (not amount) of carbohydrate (simple sugars) and the type (not amount) of fat (saturated vs unsaturated fat) consumed associated with objective and/or subjective GERD testing. These novel findings contribute to the evidence base guiding specific dietary recommendations in the clinical management of GERD.