Mei Hui Liu

Background/Objectives: Excess adiposity is associated with abnormal postprandial glucose responses (PPGRs), and controlled studies show that one meal can influence the PPGR of the next. Whether this carry-over occurs in everyday eating is unclear. We examined whether the timing, composition, and PPGR of the preceding meal were associated with the subsequent PPGR. Methods: This observational secondary analysis included 55 Southeast Asian adults with excess body weight and 342 within-day consecutive eating-occasion pairs recorded using a smartphone app and continuous glucose monitoring. Participant fixed-effects linear regression examined 12 preceding-meal characteristics, including intermeal interval (IMI), glycemic load, total sugar, protein, and saturated fat. The outcome was the log-transformed positive incremental area under the glucose curve ln(1 + positive 0–120 min iAUC after the subsequent meal. Each characteristic was examined separately per within-person standard deviation (SD), adjusting for current-meal characteristics, premeal glucose, and temporal factors. Confidence intervals and p values used 2000 participant-cluster bootstrap resamples; Benjamini–Hochberg q values addressed the 12 tests. Results: Higher preceding-meal protein was associated with lower iAUC (−13.9%; 95% confidence interval (CI), −23.1 to −4.2; p = 0.008; q = 0.032), whereas total sugar was associated with higher iAUC (+29.6%; 95% CI, +16.9 to +45.2; p = 0.001; q = 0.006). A 1 SD (1.9 h) longer IMI was associated with 29.1% higher iAUC (95% CI, 15.0 to 48.8; p = 0.001; q = 0.006). The saturated-fat estimate was uncertain (+14.8%; 95% CI, −0.8 to +35.2; p = 0.066; q = 0.198). Conclusions: Preceding-meal sugar, IMI and protein were associated with subsequent glucose responses. Protein was sensitive to additional macronutrient adjustment; saturated fat remained uncertain. Incomplete metabolic and dietary information limits causal interpretation.

Singapore’s total diet study (2021-2023) revealed the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in food items, alluding to potential dietary exposure pathways. However, evidence-based assessment of human PFAS exposure is lacking across Singapore’s multi-ethnic communities. To address this gap, we established a human biomonitoring study to estimate baseline PFAS exposure. We recruited 300 healthy participants aged 21–60 years from three major ethnic groups and collected blood plasma samples for PFAS analysis. As the primary exposure, we administered dietary assessment to all participants using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Concurrently we applied a targeted liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) method for the quantification of 38 PFAS in human plasma. Eleven PFAS were detected with median concentrations ranging from 0.05 to 2.56 ng/mL. The detection of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctanoate acid (PFOA) and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) in all study participants reflected plasma PFAS co-exposure profiles. Total plasma PFAS were significantly higher in middle-aged adults, males and significantly lower in Indians. Multiple linear regression analyses identified poultry, seafood and grains as three major food group predictors positively associated with plasma PFAS concentrations in the study participants, where seafood showed the most significant associations. Within the seafood category, bivalve molluscs consumption exhibited strong associations across all PFAS. These findings provided insights into the baseline dietary PFAS exposure in a multi-ethnic Singapore population and delineated potential diet-PFAS relationships that can inform exposure-reduction strategies and risk communication.

Summary: Short‐term SCORAD improvement observed with structured dietary intervention; long‐term between‐arm effects require cautious interpretation. Larger, longer trials are needed to confirm efficacy and durability.

Summary: Pro‐inflammatory diets were associated with higher odds of atopic dermatitis (AD), but not non‐atopic dermatitis, suggesting specificity to atopic mechanisms. Directionally consistent associations observed using both a nutrient‐based (Dietary Inflammatory Index) and a food‐based (Mediterranean‐like) dietary score support the potential robustness of diet‐AD relationships.

Purpose: Asthma is a heterogeneous disease with phenotypic variations potentially influenced by dietary factors. This cross-sectional study aimed to estimate the prevalence of current allergic asthma (AA), characterize its phenotypic variants, and examine dietary associations with asthma manifestations among young Chinese adults in Singapore. Patients and Methods: We assessed 10,544 young Chinese participants (mean age 22.3 ± 5.5 years; male: female = 0.74) using a standardized, investigator-administered questionnaire adapted from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood. Current AA was defined as a history of doctor diagnosis with symptoms in the past 12 months and having allergic sensitization to common house dust mites. Dietary intake across 16 food groups was assessed using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Multivariable logistic regression, adjusted for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, examined dietary associations with AA outcomes. Results: The prevalence of current AA was 5.24%. Among those with current AA, 67.0% (370/552) had mild, 21.7% (120/552) moderate, and 11.2% (62/552) severe asthma. Asthma was well-controlled in 60.7% (319/552), partly controlled in 39.3% (217/552), and poorly controlled in 2.9% (16/552). Common phenotypes included cough-variant (57.6%), wheezy variant (55.1%), and exercise-induced asthma (31.5%), with overlapping symptoms. Frequent intake (most or all days) of pulses (Adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 0.65; 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 0.47– 0.89; p < 0.001), probiotic drinks (AOR: 0.69; 95% CI: 0.50– 0.94; p < 0.001), fruits (AOR: 0.47; 95% CI: 0.31– 0.71; p = 0.001), and vegetables (AOR: 0.58; 95% CI: 0.35– 0.99; p = 0.003) was associated with protective odds of current AA. Pulses were also associated with reduced odds of exacerbated and wheezy AA, while occasional (once or twice per week) intake of probiotic drinks was associated with reduced odds of cough-variant and wheezy AA. Conclusion: While certain plant-based foods and probiotic drinks were associated with reduced odds of AA and its phenotypes, these findings should be interpreted with caution given the cross-sectional design. Longitudinal or interventional studies are needed to clarify causality and underlying mechanisms.

Introduction: Novel staple foods (NVSFs) are defined as modified staple foods that provide healthier alternatives to type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients aiming to improve postprandial glycemic responses. We explored the expectations and perceptions of participants with T2D toward NVSFs alongside their feasibility using a mixed methods approach.Methods: Three distinct NVSFs were investigated: (i) bread fortified with anthocyanins for carbohydrase inhibition; (ii) white rice fortified with fiber; and (iii) microfluidic gel noodles reduced in available carbohydrates. Sixteen individuals with T2D participated in a 5-week crossover study where NVSFs or control staple foods were consumed in mixed meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Participants wore continuous glucose monitoring devices during interventions to measure postprandial glycemic responses and interviews were conducted before and after interventions.Results: Qualitative analysis from interviews identified participants’ prior dietary choices, prior NVSF perceptions, expectations, and impressions, trade-offs between sensory and healthfulness, price, modification methods, and other socio-economic regular consumption considerations as key factors contributing to the acceptance of NVSFs. Among the NVSFs, the anthocyanin-fortified bread and fiber-fortified rice were preferred for their palatability, but not the microfluidic noodles. However, quantitative analysis from continuous glucose monitoring revealed only the microfluidic noodle meal demonstrating a significant reduction in 2-h iAUC value relative to its control from 160.2 ± 17.6 to 114.3 ± 12.2 mmol/L.min (mean ± SEM) p = 0.046.Discussion: This highlights the challenge of attaining a balance between health and favorable sensory properties for these NVSFs, which may be attributed to their modification methods. We conclude that an alternative staple food with palatable taste and texture properties modified through the reduction of available carbohydrates may be an effective approach to enhance the acceptance and feasibility of modified staple foods for T2D management.