Biomedical subjects

Rik P Bogers

Publications and source records attributed to Rik P Bogers.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Fruit consumption of boys (8--11 years) is related to preferences for sour taste.

The present study investigated whether the most preferred balance between sweet and sour taste of children (n=50, 9.2+/-0.9 yrs of age) are related to their consumption of fruit. Taste preferences were measured with a rank-by-elimination procedure with seven sweet orangeades that differed in added citric acid (i.e. 0.009-0.065 M). Fruit consumption was assessed with a questionnaire that was completed by the children's parents. Results showed that boys' but not girls' most preferred balance between sweet and sour taste was positively correlated with their consumption of fruit: that is, the more added citric acid was preferred the more fruit was consumed. We conclude that preference for high concentrations of citric acid in a sweet context may be associated with the consumption of fruit in boys. In girls, the optimal balance between sweet and sour taste seems to be of less importance; their consumption of fruit may be more influenced by their parents, availability and health related motives.

Child↗

PubMed2004

Reproducibility, validity, and responsiveness to change of a short questionnaire for measuring fruit and vegetable intake.

The reproducibility, relative validity, and responsiveness to change of an eight-item food frequency questionnaire designed to measure fruit and vegetable consumption was assessed among 157 women (mean age = 41 years) in the Netherlands from spring 2001 to spring 2002. Plasma concentrations of vitamin C and total and specific carotenoids served as biomarkers against which validity was assessed. The questionnaire was completed and biomarker concentrations were determined three times: immediately preceding and following a controlled intervention of 1 month aimed at increasing fruit and vegetable consumption and 1 year after the start of the intervention. The 1-month and 1-year reproducibility of total fruit and vegetable consumption assessed in the control group was 0.80 and 0.79 (Spearman's r ). Correlations between consumption and plasma carotenoids and vitamin C at baseline were 0.39 and 0.37, respectively, for fruits and 0.24 and 0.26, respectively, for vegetables. Correlations between changes in consumption and plasma carotenoids and vitamin C were 0.32 and 0.33, respectively, for fruits and 0.28 and 0.30, respectively, for vegetables. On the basis of similar correlations reported in the literature, the authors conclude that the questionnaire appears to be suitable for ranking individuals according to their consumption of fruits and vegetables and according to changes in their consumption. However, the validity of the questionnaire remains to be established in males, other age groups, and populations of lower educational levels.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Using a correction factor to correct for overreporting in a food-frequency questionnaire does not improve biomarker-assessed validity of estimates for fruit and vegetable consumption.

To correct for overreporting of fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption in a food-frequency questionnaire, summary questions about consumption of main FV groups are often used to calculate correction factors. This study compared the ability to rank people according to their FV intake of those summary questions and the sum of questions on individual FV items within categories, and of corrected or uncorrected estimates of specific sorts of FV. Healthy middle-age women (n = 161) completed a food-frequency questionnaire about FV consumption during the previous month and gave a single fasting blood sample. Correction factors were calculated as the reported frequency on a summary question divided by the summed frequencies of all items in a category. Plasma carotenoids and vitamin C served as biomarkers of FV consumption. Significant correlations between FV consumption and biomarkers were observed (e.g., Spearman's correlation coefficient r with total carotenoids/vitamin C: 0.32/0.34 for vegetables, 0.30/0.25 for fruits). Summary estimates of cooked, raw and total vegetable consumption correlated higher with biomarkers than sum estimates. For fruits no differences in correlations between sum and summary estimates were observed. Applying a correction factor on the consumption of carrots and total cabbage resulted in lower correlations with relevant biomarkers. For broccoli/cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and citrus fruits, correlations with biomarkers did not change after correction. We conclude that summary questions may suffice to rank individuals according to their intake of main FV categories, and that correction for overreporting of individual FV items is probably not advisable when ranking individuals according to intake of these items.

Adult↗