Abstract
Purpose
We recently showed that provision of Nordic school meals rich in fish, vegetables and potatoes and with reduced intakes of fat improved blood pressure, insulin resistance assessed by the homeostatic model (HOMA-IR), and plasma triacylglycerol despite increasing waist circumference in Danish 8–11-year-olds. This study explored whether intake or biomarkers of key dietary components in the schools meals were associated with these metabolic syndrome (MetS) markers during the 6-month intervention.
Methods
Data from 7-day dietary records and measurements of whole-blood docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3), blood pressure, fasting blood MetS markers, waist circumference and android/total fat mass assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry collected at baseline, 3 and 6 months from 523 children were analyzed in linear mixed-effects models adjusted for puberty, growth and fasting.
Results
After adjustment for multiple testing, whole-blood DHA was negatively associated with HOMA-IR (P < 0.001) and triacylglycerol (P < 0.0001). Potato intake was positively associated with waist circumference (P < 0.01), but not with android/total fat mass (P = 0.94). Intakes of whole-grain as well as dietary fiber, protein and fat were not associated with any of the MetS markers.
Conclusions
DHA in whole-blood, an indicator of DHA and fish intake, seemed to be the main diet-related predictor of the beneficial effects of the school meals on MetS markers. Increased potato intake was associated with increased waist circumference, but this may not only be due to an increase in abdominal fat, as no association was seen with fat distribution.
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Acknowledgments
We thank the participating children, their families, the school managements, teachers and other staff as well as the entire study team for their outstanding contribution to the study. The OPUS (Optimal Well-Being, Development and Health for Danish Children through a Healthy New Nordic Diet) study was supported by the Nordea Foundation (Grant No. 02-2010-0389). Danæg A/S, Naturmælk, Lantmännen A/S, Skærtoft Mølle A/S, Kartoffelpartnerskabet, AkzoNobel Danmark, Gloria Mundi and Rose Poultry A/S provided foods in kind for the study. The Nordea Foundation and the food sponsors had no role in the design, analysis or writing of this article.
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C.T. Damsgaard, C. Ritz, S.-M. Dalskov, R. Landberg, K.D. Stark, A. Biltoft-Jensen, I. Tetens, K. F. Michaelsen, and L. Lauritzen declare no conflicts of interest. A. Astrup is consultant or member of advisory board for a number of companies, including BioCare Copenhagen, Denmark; Global Dairy Platform, USA; Jenny Craig, USA; McCain Foods Ltd., USA; McDonald’s, USA; Pathway Genomics Corporation, USA; and S-Biotek, Denmark and has received royalties from sale of New Nordic Diet cookbooks from FDB/Coop.
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Damsgaard, C.T., Ritz, C., Dalskov, SM. et al. Associations between school meal-induced dietary changes and metabolic syndrome markers in 8–11-year-old Danish children. Eur J Nutr 55, 1973–1984 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-015-1013-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-015-1013-z