Preferential looking acuity and novelty preference (a test of recognition memory) were determined by using Teller Acuity Cards and the Fagan Test of Infant Intelligence, respectively, for 399-433 healthy full-term infants at 39 +/- 1 wk of age. Duration of breast-feeding and age of infant at introduction and amount and type of formula were determined by questionnaire. Seventy-four infants (17%) were never breast-fed; another 92 infants (21%) were still receiving breast milk as the milk source at 39 wk of age. There were no differences in visual acuity or novelty preference among the infants when they were stratified by incidence or duration of breast-feeding. The formulas met current Canadian guidelines with > or = 0.7% of energy as linolenic acid, but had no docosahexaenoic or arachidonic acid. The studies indicate that formulas containing adequate linoleic and linolenic acids, without arachidonic or docosahexaenoic acid, impose no measurable deficits in performance in these visual and cognitive developmental tests at 9 mo of age in healthy full-term infants.

BackgroundCanadian penitentiaries have recently been shown to be obesogenic. However, little is known about the eating habits of inmates who gained weight while living in the prison environment.MethodsThis retrospective cohort study examined the reported food intake of inmates during incarceration in federal penitentiaries. During a face to face interview, anthropometric measures (2016–2017) were taken and compared to anthropometric data at the beginning of incarceration (mean follow-up of 5.0 ± 8.3 years). Self-reported data on food intake were collected via a food frequency questionnaire.ResultsInmates who gained the most weight (15.7 kg) during incarceration reported not eating vegetables. They were followed by inmates who gained 14.3 kg and reported not eating fruit. Other inmates who gained a significant amount of weight reported not eating cereal, dairy or legumes. Moreover, inmates’ weight gain was also assessed by special diets: inmates following a religious diet (4.5 kg) or a diet of conscience (-0.3 kg) gained less weight than inmates not following a diet (5.8 kg). In comparison to other types of diets, inmates on a medical diet gained the most weight (7.5 kg). Furthermore, inmates who gained significant weight (8.0 kg) also reported not purchasing healthy foods from the commissary store (or “canteen”), whereas inmates who gained less weight (4.8 kg) reported purchasing healthy foods from the commissary store (or “canteen”). The observed weight gain was positively associated with food purchased from the commissary store (or “canteen”), but was not associated with the feeding system of the penitentiary (tray, cafeteria or meal plan).DiscussionFood intake during incarceration is a modifiable risk factor that could be the target of weight management interventions with inmates. Our findings suggest that inmates who gained the most weight also reported having low intake of foods deemed healthy (vegetables, fruit, cereal, dairy and legumes) from food services and from the commissary store (or “canteen”) purchases.

In this small group of infants born to mothers with relatively good feeding practices and a privileged socioeconomic background, cognitive testing with the instruments above was not associated with maternal iron and DHA levels at age six months.

The fatty acid composition of plasma phospholipids differs between infants fed formula and infants fed human milk, but the extent to which this is accompanied by differences in tissue phospholipid fatty acids is unclear. This paper describes analysis of plasma, liver and brain fatty acids from piglets fed one of seven formulas, varying in saturated, monounsaturated, (n-6) and (n-3) fatty acids or sow milk from birth for 18 d. Bile fatty acids were analyzed because they are secreted from liver and may be an important source of fatty acids for intestinal lipoprotein synthesis. The results were used to determine the relation between diet-related differences in plasma phospholipid fatty acids and those in brain, liver and bile. Where significant associations were found, prediction limits were constructed to assess the usefulness of analysis of plasma phospholipid fatty acids to predict diet-induced changes in tissue fatty acids. The proportions (g/100 g fatty acids) of 16:0, 18:0, 18:1, 18:2(n-6) and 20:4(n-6) in plasma phospholipids were significantly associated with the proportions of the same fatty acids in liver and bile, but not brain. The results show a reasonably precise, predictable association between plasma and liver, and plasma and bile fatty acids. Brain 20:4(n-6) and 22:6(n-3), in contrast, were not reliably associated with plasma phospholipid 20:4(n-6) and 22:6(n-3) for piglets fed milk or formula providing about 1.5% energy as 18:3(n-3).

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