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Macronutrients in Human Milk and Early Childhood Growth—Is Protein the Main Driver?Infant growth trajectories reflect current health status and may predict future obesity and metabolic diseases. Human milk is tailored to support optimal infant growth. However, nutrient intake rather than milk composition more accurately predicts growth outcomes. Although the role of protein leverage in infant growth is unclear, protein intake is important for early infancy growth.
Research
Perceptions of a family-based lifestyle intervention for children with overweight and obesity: a qualitative study on sustainability, self-regulation, and program optimizationFamily-based lifestyle interventions (FBLIs) are an important method for treating childhood weight problems. Despite being recognized as an effective intervention method, the optimal structure of these interventions for children’s overweight and obesity has yet to be determined.
Research
Healthy and Sustainable Diet Index: Development, Application and Evaluation Using Image-Based Food RecordsThere are limited methods to assess how dietary patterns adhere to a healthy and sustainable diet. The aim of this study was to develop a theoretically derived Healthy and Sustainable Diet Index.
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Prevalence of breakfast skipping among children and adolescents: a cross-sectional population level studyInterventions to promote breakfast consumption are a popular strategy to address early life inequalities. It is important to understand the epidemiology of children and adolescents who skip breakfast so that interventions and policy can be appropriately considered.
News & Events
National funding to help foster healthier food environments and fight RHDResearch teams led by The Kids Research Institute Australia have been awarded $3.75 million to support two innovative projects – one focused on pioneering a national ‘Food Atlas’ to map access to healthy and unhealthy food across the country, and the other on developing new ways to prevent Strep throat and rheuma
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Altered dietary behaviour during pregnancy impacts systemic metabolic phenotypesEvidence suggests consumption of a Mediterranean diet (MD) can positively impact both maternal and offspring health, potentially mediated by a beneficial effect on inflammatory pathways. We aimed to apply metabolic profiling of serum and urine samples to assess differences between women who were stratified into high and low alignment to a MD throughout pregnancy and investigate the relationship of the diet to inflammatory markers.
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Metagenomic Characterisation of the Gut Microbiome and Effect of Complementary Feeding on Bifidobacterium spp. in Australian InfantsComplementary feeding induces dramatic ecological shifts in the infant gut microbiota toward more diverse compositions and functional metabolic capacities, with potential implications for immune and metabolic health. The aim of this study was to examine whether the age at which solid foods are introduced differentially affects the microbiota in predominantly breastfed infants compared with predominantly formula-fed infants.
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Associations between changes in caregiver’s and child’s weight status in a community-based obesity intervention programmeWe examined whether caregivers of children/adolescents enroled in a randomised controlled trial (RCT) of a family-centred intervention indirectly achieved reductions in body mass index (BMI), and if these were associated with changes in their children’s BMI.
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Energy drink intake is associated with insomnia and decreased daytime functioning in young adult femalesTo investigate the association between energy drink (ED) use and sleep-related disturbances in a population-based sample of young adults from the Raine Study.
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Awake and Alert: Examining the Portrayal of Energy Drinks on TikTokEnergy drinks (EDs) are not recommended for minors' consumption due to a myriad of health risks, but marketing initiatives persist. This study explored the promotion of EDs on TikTok, a platform frequented by children and adolescents.