Objective: To determine the proportion of energy from foods prepared outside the home (FPOH) and the relationships with energy and nutrient intakes and body mass index (BMI). Design: A nutrition survey of a representative sample of the Australian population aged 18 years and over ðn ¼ 10 863Þ: Measure used was a 24-hour dietary recall. Underreporters (energy intake/estimated basal metabolic rate (EI/BMR) ,0.9) were excluded from analysis. Daily energy and selected nutrient intakes were calculated using a 1996 nutrient composition database for all foods/beverages during the 24-hour period. Results: On average FPOH contributed a significant 13% to total energy intake. About a third of the sample had consumed FPOH in the last 24 hours and on average this group consumed a third of their total energy as FPOH. The relative contributions of fat (for men and women) and alcohol (for women) were significantly higher for those in the top tertile of FPOH consumers. The intakes of fibre and selected micronutrients (calcium, iron, zinc, folate and vitamin C) were significantly lower in this group. After adjustment for age and income no relationship between FPOH and BMI was observed. Conclusions: FPOH make a significant contribution to the energy intake of a third of the Australian population. FPOH contribute to poor nutritional intakes. Altering the supply of FPOH may be an effective means of improving diets at a population level.

If postprandial fat oxidation rates are higher after high MUFA, rather than SFA meals, then a simple change to the type of dietary fat consumed might have beneficial effects in curbing weight gain in men consuming a relatively high-fat diet. This may be particularly evident in men with a large waist circumference.

A randomised crossover study of eight overweight or obese men (aged 24 -49 years, BMI 25·5-31·3 kg/m 2 ), who followed two diets for 4 weeks each, was performed to determine whether substitution of saturated fat with monounsaturated fat affects body weight and composition. Subjects were provided with all food and beverages as modules (selected ad libitum) of constant macronutrient composition, but differing energy content. The % total energy from saturated fat, monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat was 24, 13 and 3 % respectively on the saturated fatty acid (SFA)-rich diet and 11, 22 and 7 % respectively on the monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA)-rich diet. MUFA accounted for about 80 % of the unsaturated fats consumed on both diets. Body composition, blood pressure, energy expenditure (resting and postprandial metabolic rates, substrate oxidation rate, physical activity), serum lipids, the fatty acid profile of serum cholesteryl esters and plasma glucose and insulin concentrations were measured before and after each diet period. Significant (P#0·05) differences in total cholesterol and the fatty acid composition of serum cholesteryl esters provided evidence of dietary adherence. The men had a lower weight (22·1 (SE 0·4) kg, P¼ 0·0015) and fat mass (2 2·6 (SE 0·6) kg, P¼0·0034) at the end of the MUFA-rich diet as compared with values at the end of the SFA-rich diet. No significant differences were detected in energy or fat intake, energy expenditure, substrate oxidation rates or self-reported physical activity. Substituting dietary saturated with unsaturated fat, predominantly MUFA, can induce a small but significant loss of body weight and fat mass without a significant change in total energy or fat intake. Despite their established health benefits, diets with a high monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) content are often not promoted due to concerns that their relatively high dietary total fat content might promote obesity (Garg, 1994;deLorgeril & Salen, 2000), as fat per se not only forms highly palatable and energy-rich foods (Blundell & MacDiarmid, 1997), but is also efficiently stored in the body (Stubbs, 1998). Although population and intervention studies have suggested the importance of high-fat diets in the promotion of obesity (Lissner & Heitmann, 1995), a consensus establishing the relationship between a high fat intake and obesity has not yet been established (Bray & Popkin, 1998;Willet, 2002). Recent evidence implicates saturated fatty acids (SFA), rather than the unsaturated fats, in the development of obesity, due to the greater propensity for SFA to be stored in adipose tissue rather than being oxidised (Storlien et al. 1998(Storlien et al. , 2001. Studies using indirect calorimetry in human volunteers have indicated that polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are better oxidised than SFA in both normal weight (Jones & Schoeller, 1988) and obese men (Jones et al. 1992). Fewer studies, however, examine the fate of the nutritionally important MUFA. Jones et al. (1985), using stable isotope-labelled fat...

Objective: To determine the extent to which perceived adverse food reactions were associated with IgE mediated food allergy, as defined by skin prick testing (SPT). Design: A cohort epidemiological study. Participants underwent SPT to five common food allergens (cow's milk, peanut mix, egg white, shrimp and whole grain wheat mix) and were asked whether they had ever suffered any food 'illness=trouble', and if so to list such food(s). A positive SPT was defined as wheal diameter of 3 mm. Cohen's kappa (k) was used to assess the agreement between SPT and self-reported reactions to food(s) which contained the allergen of interest. Setting: Randomly selected adults who took part in the follow-up of the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) in 1998. Subjects: The subjects were 457 adults aged 26 -50 y. Results: Fifty-eight (13%) adults were sensitised to at least one food allergen whilst 99 adults (22%) reported illness to food(s) nearly always. However, only seven subjects who reported illness to a food also had a positive SPT to the same food. The prevalence of adverse food reactions associated with IgE mediated allergy in the adult general population would be less than 1.5% (7=457). The agreement between SPT and self-reported illness to food(s) was poor for cow's milk (k ¼ 0) and wheat (k ¼ 0), slight for shrimp (k ¼ 0.16) and egg white (k ¼ 0.09) and fair for peanut mix (k ¼ 0.37). Conclusions: There was little agreement between self-reported perceived illness to food(s) known to contain the food allergen of interest, and positive SPT, suggesting that most reactions are not due to IgE mediated food allergy.

Higher n-3 FA levels in the colostrum do not appear to confer protection against, but may be a risk factor for, the eventual development of atopy in high-risk breastfed infants.