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Gastric emptying (GE) is the process of food being processed by the stomach and delivered to the small intestine where nutrients such as lipids are absorbed into the blood circulation. The combination of an easy and inexpensive method to measure GE such as the CO2 breath test using the stable isotope [13C]octanoic acid with semi‐mechanistic modeling could foster a wider application in nutritional studies to further understand the metabolic response to food. Here, we discuss the use of the [13C]octanoic acid breath test to label the solid phase of a meal, and the factors that influence GE to support mechanistic studies. Furthermore, we give an overview of existing mathematical models for the interpretation of the breath test data and how much nutritional studies could benefit from a physiological based pharmacokinetic model approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Swallowing disorders, or dysphagia, require an intake of texture‐modified foods progressively softer, smoother, and moister depending on the severity of the disorder. Bolus rheology was determined for five healthy subjects for a set of such solid foods regularly given to dysphagia patients. The softest class was gel food, then a smooth timbale which both were compared to the corresponding regular, un‐modified food. The foods investigated were bread, cheese, tomato, and the combination as a sandwich, all for the respective texture class: gel, timbale, and regular food. The subjects chewed until ready to swallow and the expectorated bolus was immediately measured for complex shear modulus and viscosity, and moisture and saliva content were determined. Rheology show that texture‐modification influenced bolus rheology with decreased viscosity and modulus for increased degree of modification. Also saliva content as well as chews‐to‐swallow decreased with degree of modification. Overall, the bolus saliva content was lower for the combination (sandwich) than for the individual components. Saliva content was fairly constant irrespective of food moisture content. The phase angle for all boluses was also relatively constant, indicating a similar bolus structure. All boluses of the texture‐modified foods showed high extensional viscosity, which is important for bolus cohesiveness. Bolus rheology rather than food texture determines if a food is safe to swallow and the results show that the intended texture‐modification is reflected in the flow properties of the respective boluses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Those suffering from swallowing disorders, or dysphagia, require texture‐modified foods for safe swallowing. The texture is modified according to the severity of the disorder, as maintained by the guidelines outlining classes of texture‐modified foods, ranging from viscous soups to soft, solid foods. As a basis for studies of bolus rheology and oral response of solid texture‐modified foods, a set of well‐defined, solid foods has been identified and characterized regarding texture and physical properties. Gelled food is compared to both the firmer timbale class and to the corresponding regular food. Foods eaten at room temperature were chosen to avoid temperature effects: bread, cheese, tomato, and the combination into a sandwich. All foods were tested as gel, timbale, and regular food. The texture was determined by compression and penetration tests, thereby showing a decrease in strength (compression stress), stiffness (modulus), and penetration force for increased degree of modification. The moisture content increased with increased degree of modification. The structural change from room to oral temperature was monitored by the complex shear modulus that showed a decrease with increasing temperature. Cheese and the gelatine‐based tomato gel showed a distinct melting when the temperature was increased to 37°C. The texture‐modified foods were softer and moister in all aspects as compared to the regular foods, which follows the intended modification. The classes for the texture‐modified foods were qualitatively comparable to other national classification systems with regard to solid foods, but there is a lack of objective, physics‐based classification of texture, especially for solid, texture‐modified foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Introduction: Eczema is a common childhood ailment responsible for a considerable disease burden. Both timing of introduction to solid food and allergenic food are believed to be related to childhood eczema. Despite the growing body of evidence, the relationship between timing of any solid food introduction (allergenic and/or non‐allergenic) and development of eczema has not previously been systematically reviewed. Methods: PubMed and EMBASE databases were searched using food and eczema terms. Two authors selected papers according to the inclusion criteria and extracted information on study characteristics and measures of association. Meta‐analyses were performed after grouping studies according to the age and type of exposure. Results: A total of 17 papers met the inclusion criteria, reporting results from 16 study populations. Of these, 11 were cohort studies, 2 case‐controls, 1 cross‐sectional study and 2 randomized controlled trials. Limited meta‐analyses were performed due to heterogeneity between studies. Timing of solid food introduction was not associated with eczema. One randomized controlled trial provided weak evidence of an association between early allergenic (around 4 months) food introduction and reduced risk of eczema. Conclusions: The available evidence is currently insufficient to determine whether the timing of introduction of any solid food influences the risk of eczema. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Food protein-induced enterocolitis ( FPIES) is an uncommon, non-IgE-mediated food allergy that usually debuts in infancy with profuse vomiting, lethargy, and pallor 2-4 h following ingestion of the offending food. Its immune mechanism is not known. We aimed to describe the clinical features and outcome of children with fish- FPIES as well as to investigate on cellular immune response implicated. Methods Prospective and follow-up clinical study of children with FPIES by fish over a period between 2004 and 2013 was conducted. Measurement in vitro of both cytokine production in peripheral blood mononuclear cells ( PBMCs) and expression of HLA- DR in monocyte-derived dendritic cells stimulated with fish extracts. Results Sixteen children (seven male and nine female) were included, with a mean age of onset at 10 months. Diagnosis was established after a median of 4 reactions. Twelve patients were treated in emergency room, and two were admitted in intensive care. Patch tests were positive in six patients. Skin prick tests ( SPTs) and specific IgE to all fish tested were negative. Only three children reached tolerance at a mean age of 4.5 years. Eight children avoided fish because of positive oral food challenge ( OFC) after 6 years of age. Other patients have not been challenged because of parent refusal to OFC or a recent diagnosis. TNF-α was increased in patients, and a significant elevation of the HLA- DR marker was also observed in these patients vs. control donors. Conclusions FPIES caused by fish in many cases presents with severe clinical manifestations. Patch test has poor diagnostic value, and OFC is the gold standard to test tolerance. The cytokine TNF-α may be implicated in the clinical symptoms. Higher expression of HLA- DR in dendritic cells has also been detected in our patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is common to recommend breastfeeding and a delayed introduction of solids to prevent atopic dermatitis (AD). However, the scientific evidence for this is inconclusive. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of breastfeeding and solids on AD, when taking account of reverse causality. This on-going birth cohort study was designed to sample 24,200 representative post-partum women and their babies from the Taiwan National Birth Registration database. Using two home interviews at 6 and 18 months after birth, with structured questionnaires about diet and physician's diagnosis of AD by parental reports, a total of 20,172 pairs (83.4%) were reviewed completely. Considering reverse causality, we excluded 2399 children with AD in the first 6 months of life and 18,733 were finally recruited. All study participants provided informed consent as approved by the Ethics Review Board of the National Taiwan College of Public Health. After adjustment for potential confounders, the overall results showed that the increased duration of breastfeeding seemed to increase the risk of AD at 18 months in children. However, no significant effect was found for the delayed introduction of solids on the risk of AD. There is no evidence of a protective effect of prolonged breastfeeding and a delayed introduction of solids against AD among children at age 18 months, and may even be a risk factor of AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To document the introduction of complementary food and factors influencing the decision to feed infants with solid food within 6 mo postpartum in rural Vietnam.Methods: A longitudinal study of 463 women who gave birth during August-October 2002 was conducted.Results: An early introduction of complementary food was found, which increased from 16.4% at week 1 to 56.5% at week 16 and nearly 100% at week 24. Home-cooked solid food was introduced by 4.8%, 40.9% and 74.3% of women at weeks 1, 16 and 24, respectively. Logistic regression analysis found that at week 24 postpartum, it was less likely for the infant to be fed with solid food if the mother was a farmer (OR 0.52, 95% CI: 0.18-0.95) and passed secondary school (OR 0.28, 95% CI: 0.10-0.54), whose husband was satisfied with the infant's sex (OR 0.30, 95% CI: 0.17-0.53), her mother-in-law preferred exclusive breastfeeding (OR 0.18, 95% CI: 0.04-0.75), or her friends practised exclusive breastfeeding (OR 0.41, 95% CI: 0.16-1.10). However, infants were likely to be fed with solid food when their parents had higher income and lived independently (OR 1.76, 95% CI: 1.01-3.06).Conclusion: Community mobilization for sharing the workload with women could help them to cope with employment and breastfeeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to assess the preventive effect of exclusive breast-feeding and early solid food avoidance on atopic dermatitis (AD) in infancy. This study is part of a dietary clinical trial in a prospective cohort of healthy term newborns at risk of atopy. It was recommended to breast-feed for at least 4 months and to avoid solid food in the same time-period. Eight hundred and sixty-five infants exclusively breast-fed, and 256 infants partially or exclusively formula-fed, were followed-up until the end of the first year following birth. AD and sensitization to milk and egg were considered as study end-points. The 1-year incidence of AD was compared between the two study groups. Adjusted odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated by multiple logistic regression. The incidence of AD was calculated in relation to age at introduction of solid food and amount of food given. In the breast-fed group, the adjusted OR for AD was 0.47 (95% CI 0.30–0.74). The strongest risk factor was the occurrence of AD in the subject's core family. The risk of infants with AD to be sensitized to milk was four times higher, and to egg eight times higher, than in infants without AD. Age at first introduction of solid food and diversity of solid food showed no effect on AD incidence. We conclude that in infants at atopic risk, exclusive breast-feeding for at least 4 months is effective in preventing AD in the first year of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]