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Within the European project called EXPOCHI (Individual Food Consumption Data and Exposure Assessment Studies for Children), 14 different European individual food consumption databases of children were used to conduct harmonised dietary exposure assessments for lead, chromium, selenium and food colours. For this, two food categorisation systems were developed to classify the food consumption data in such a way that these could be linked to occurrence data of the considered compounds. One system served for the exposure calculations of lead, chromium and selenium. The second system was developed for the exposure assessment of food colours. The food categories defined for the lead, chromium and selenium exposure calculations were used as a basis for the food colour categorisation, with adaptations to optimise the linkage with the food colour occurrence data. With this work, an initial impetus was given to make user-friendly food categorisation systems for contaminants and food colours applicable on a pan-European level. However, a set of difficulties were encountered in creating a common food categorisation system for 14 individual food consumption databases that differ in the type and number of foods coded and in level of detail provided about the consumed foods. The work done and the problems encountered in this project can be of interest for future projects in which food consumption data will be collected on a pan-European level and used for common exposure assessments.

Potential long-term negative effects of increased vitamin D consumption are not thoroughly examined. The aim of this study was to investigate possible negative effects of vitamin D supplementation on serum lipids and lipoproteins. A 1-year long randomised double-blinded placebo-controlled intervention study with two doses of vitamin D3 (10 and 20 microg/day) was carried out among 89 women (18-53 years of age) and 84 men (18-64 years of age) of Pakistani origin living in Denmark with low vitamin D status. This study did not find changes in total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol ratio, VLDL-cholesterol and triacylglycerol after daily supplementation with 10 or 20 microg vitamin D for 1 year. In conclusion, increasing the vitamin D intake by 10-20 microg per day for 1 year is safe for Pakistani immigrants with regards to serum lipids and lipoproteins.

Background: Danish adolescents have poor dietary habits compared to current recommendations. The present study aimed to develop a recommended food intake pattern for adolescents consistent with Danish Dietary Guidelines (DDG), Nordic Nutrition Recommendations (NNR) and dietary preferences., Methods: The nutrient content of a food intake pattern consistent with DDG was calculated using dietary intake data from a random sample of 11-15-year-old boys (n = 85) and girls (n = 70). A recommended food intake pattern was modelled to meet NNR. The discretionary energy allowance was calculated as the difference between the total energy level and the energy needed to meet recommended nutrient needs. The flexibility of the recommended food intake pattern was tested against various energy requirements and with the inclusion of basic foods with higher sugar and/or fat content., Results: The developed food intake pattern meets all nutrient goals except for vitamin D. At low energy requirements, the intake of iron and selenium is of concern. To fulfil nutrient recommendations, half of the bread/cereals and vegetables consumed should be fibre-rich, and fats should be of plant origin., Conclusions: The recommended food intake pattern meets most nutrient recommendations and makes it possible to advise on discretionary energy.

Aim: To study the current prevalence and trends in overweight and obesity among children and adolescents in Denmark from 1995 to 2000-2002., Methods: Cross-sectional national dietary surveys were conducted in 1995 and 2000-2002. The analysis was based on two random population samples from the Danish civil registration system. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated from self-reported height and weight for 1,026 and 1,152 children and adolescents (4-18 years), who participated in 1995 and 2000-2002, respectively. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was defined according to the international age and gender-specific child BMI cut-off points. In the statistical analysis, overweight and obesity were included in the prevalence of overweight., Results: Mean BMI increased significantly between 1995 and 2000-2002 for all combinations of age groups (4-6, 7-10, 11-14 and 15-18 years) and genders. Prevalence of overweight increased between survey years for boys and girls for all age groups (4-6, 7-10, 11-14 and 15-18 years), although formal statistical significance was not reached (p>0.05). When all children and adolescents (4-18 years) were analysed, the prevalence of overweight rose significantly from 10.9% (95% confidence interval (CI) 9.0-12.8) to 14.4% (95% CI 12.5-16.3) between 1995 and 2000- 2002 (p=0.01), whereas the increase in the prevalence of obesity did not reach significance (1995, 2.3% (95% CI 1.3-3.3) vs. 2000-2002, 2.4% (95% CI 1.6-3.3); p=0.74)., Conclusions: The present study revealed a significant increase from 1995 to 2000-2002 in mean BMI for boys and girls for all age groups and a significant increase in the prevalence of overweight when all Danish children and adolescents (4-18 years) were analysed.

Objective: To investigate changes in the consumption of fruits and vegetables in work-site canteens using the tools of continuous quality improvement, and to gain knowledge of practical strategies being effective in increasing the consumption., Design: Study design included baseline data collection, an 8 h training session for all canteen staff, goal setting, strategy development and implementation for each canteen, end-point data collection and a follow-up data collection 4 months from the end-point (1 year from baseline). The main outcome measurement was average grams of fruits and vegetables per lunch meal served per customer (net weight; potatoes not included)., Setting: Five workplaces in Denmark: a military base, an electronic component distributor, a bank, a town hall and a waste-handling facility., Subjects: Work-site canteen managers, staff and customers., Results: There were significant increases in the total consumption of fruits and vegetables for all five work-site canteens from baseline to end-point, 70 g per customer on average (67, 54, 39, 88 and 103 g, respectively). The follow-up data collection showed that the canteens either maintained or significantly increased consumption, the average increase being 95 g per customer compared with baseline (77, 60, 86, 70 and 183 g, respectively)., Conclusions: This study demonstrates a large potential for work-site canteens to increase customers' intake of fruits and vegetables at lunch and suggests a broad spectrum of strategies to compose meals that are both rich in fruits and vegetables and attractive to customers.