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To provide an overview of recent research that collectively demonstrates the potential for peanuts as an aid to weight management.

Research on nuts and their effects on health has been plentiful in recent years. This short literature review focuses principally on that research relevant to peanuts.

Epidemiological and intervention studies have provided useful information on the beneficial effects of nuts, including peanuts in relation to weight management and obesity. This has served to overturn the perception that peanuts, due to their fat content, should not be included in weight loss diets. Furthermore, that, for effective weight management, a moderate fat diet, that includes peanuts, may be more effective for both cardiovascular health and weight management.

More definitive research to directly assess the effects of peanuts on energy balance and body weight is recommended to ascertain optimal quantities of peanuts that can be included in diets for both weight loss and weight maintenance. Plausible explanations for the absence of expected weight gain with regular nut consumption are reported and further research to explore these theories will be reassuring.

Inclusion of daily 1oz(30g) handfuls of peanuts within a moderate fat diet can be recommended as a useful means not only to improve diet quality but also to assist with weight management, due to their satiating effects.

This paper will be useful to health professionals and educators by highlighting how a convenient snack food, peanuts can play a beneficial role within a healthy diet for both cardiovascular protection and weight management.

Considers the relevance of the National Food Guide to vegans. Looks at various groupings, e.g. meat, fish and alternatives, and suggests improvements to the information currently presented in the guide, e.g. an increased emphasis on the protein value of pulses. Concludes that an alternative guide would be a good idea for people on a strict vegetarian diet, mentioning the Vegan Food Guide to be presented in a later issue of the journal.

Some food allergies are described briefly. The proprietors/managers of a variety of establishments serving food in a small town and its surrounding area were interviewed to discover their knowledge of food allergies and how readily they could feed such sufferers. The results showed that the more exclusive establishment had the greatest knowledge of allergies, and seemed capable of providing suitable meals. Other outlets gave serious cause for concern. The proprietors recognised a need for greater education, and potential providers are suggested.

Notes that people with food allergies and intolerances may not always receive great sympathy from health professionals. Underlines the importance of treating these problems seriously and sets out definitions of intolerance, allergy and aversion. Outlines a range of disorders such as asthma and rheumatoid arthritis where food allergy or intolerance may be implicated, and also looks at a range of foods which seem to cause problems. Lists methods of diagnosis for food allergy and intolerance and concludes that the number of sufferers is increasing.

This study aims to gain an understanding from parents and teachers about the types of food provision practices and venues, and the food-related policies and rules in primary schools in Australia; and investigate any differences in the presence of policies and rules based on the school location and school type.

Data were collected via two online surveys from August 2019 to March 2020. Descriptive statistics were employed to analyse quantitative responses. Respondents' written responses to food-related policies were categorised into groups.

The two most common food provision services were canteen and lunch order services (mentioned by 72 and 55% of respondents, respectively). Of the 425 respondents whose schools had a canteen (parents and teachers together), 62% reported their school implements a healthy school canteen policy. Significantly more parents compared to teachers, and more respondents from government schools compared to non-government schools stated that their school had implemented such a policy. Approximately half of the respondents (47%) stated their school had implemented other food-related policies and/or rules. These policies or rules belonged to four categories: avoiding certain foods, avoiding food sharing, avoiding food packages and promoting healthy eating.

This study shows the disparities exist in implementing food-related policies among primary schools in Australia. Nutrition promoters and policy planners should consider these results and find the best mechanisms to minimise the gaps in policy implementation.

This paper aims to provide information on the different methods of aflatoxin (AFT) degradation in rice.

Crops that are affected by AFT contamination include cereals, oilseeds, spices and tree nuts. AFT in rice may harm health to great extent, and if not properly determined, may cause death. The production and occurrence of mycotoxins differ depending on the geographic and climatic and environmental conditions; however, these toxicants can never be removed completely from the food supply.

Mycotoxins are commonly present in cereal grains such as rice and are not completely destroyed during their cooking and processing.

No review on detoxification of AFT has been found in rice.

The objective of this study is to assess breakfast habits and foods mostly consumed as snacks during the school day among fourth grade Qatari schoolchildren.

A cross‐sectional survey on a random sample of fourth grade students was carried out using a questionnaire on food frequency, food habits and types of foods consumed in breakfast and during the school day. The study included 259 students, 124 (47.9 per cent) girls and 135 (52.1 per cent) boys aged 9‐10 years.

Results of the study revealed that 91.1 per cent of the boys and 89.5 per cent of the girls ate breakfast daily. Bread and breakfast cereals consumption at breakfast was significantly higher (p = 0.04) among girls (86.3 per cent) compared with boys (76.3 per cent). Cheese and eggs were consumed by 90.7 per cent of the children at breakfast. Sweets and chocolates consumption was significantly higher (p < 0.001) among girls (56.5 per cent) than boys (28.2 per cent). Consumption of bakery items was significantly higher (p = 0.035) among boys (45.9 per cent) compared with girls (33.1 per cent). About 80 per cent of the children consumed potato chips. More boys (80.7 per cent) than girls (48.4 per cent) bought their snacks from school (p < 0.001).

The paper reports some dietary habits among schoolchildren in Qatar that has not been reported before. The paper highlights some positive dietary habits that should be encouraged, e.g. eating breakfast daily, and some negative dietary habits that need to be addressed in nutrition education programs targeting schoolchildren in Qatar, e.g. high consumption of potato chips and low consumption of milk as snacks.

Although the condition of food allergy has not always been clearly defined the concept has, in recent years, attracted considerable attention particularly as it is commonly believed that the incidence is increasing and that the condition is exacerbated by modern methods of food processing. The common belief that the medical profession is not sufficiently well informed to deal with the problem has led to a marked growth in ‘alternative methods’ of diagnosis and treatment many of which have little scientific basis. Against this background the Royal College of Physicians, in conjunction with the British Nutrition Foundation, established a joint committee to study the problem and make any recommendations considered necessary. Susan Holmes BSc, SRN, presents a summary of the report and its recommendations.

Foods rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids are vulnerable to oxidation during processing and storage. The intake of oxidized lipids (OLs) and their subsequent relation with chronic disease risk are unknown in the US population. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

The association between OL intake and markers of adiposity and glucose homeostasis was determined based on data collected from two cycles of National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys with a survey sample of 9,982 subjects between the ages of two to 85 years. Means or geometric means of markers of adiposity, glucose and lipid parameters were compared between the “low” and “high” consumers of OL using the t-test. Associations between OL intake and markers of adiposity, glucose and lipid parameters were determined by multivariate regression analysis.

Mean markers of adiposity were all significantly lower in subjects in the “high” OL group as compared to the “low” OL group. Fasting glucose concentrations were positively associated with OL intake unlike markers of adiposity which were negatively associated with OL intake.

Higher intake of OLs is associated with lower BMI and adiposity. However, the direct association between OL intake and fasting glucose levels suggests that lower markers of adiposity do not suggest a decreased risk of glucose intolerance.

This is the first study to estimate the consumption of OLs in the US population and its link to adiposity and glucose tolerance.

Seeds and nuts include many dietary minerals as well as trace metals. It is very important to determine the nutritional mineral values in seeds and nuts. Many minerals can be analyzed simultaneously in low concentrations by using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy. This paper aims to evaluate nutritional values of dietary and trace minerals in selected seeds and nuts.

Dietary minerals in the sunflower seed (Helianthus annuus), pumpkin seed (Cucurbita pepo L.), peanut (Arachis hypogaea) and corn (Zea mays L.) samples collected from the markets in Sakarya city of Turkey have been analyzed. Two digestion procedures were applied by using hydrochloric acid solution and the mixture of nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide solution.

In the evaluation of the mineral contributions of the nuts, the micro-mineral contributions (Cu, Fe, Zn, Mn and Se) were found at higher values than the macro-minerals (Ca, Mg, K and Na). Potassium was determined as the most abundant mineral, and sodium was found at lower levels. The results showed that nuts are trace mineral suppliers and possible Na-K regulator foods in human nutrition.

The obtained results for the mineral profile and daily intake values provide useful information that could sensitize the people on the consumption of seeds and nuts.

Findings from the digestion procedures and the assessments based on the recommended daily intakes have got valuable impact.