Nicola M Mckeown

Tufts University | Tufts · Nutritional Epidemiology Research Laboratory

BACKGROUND The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet score lowers blood pressure (BP). We examined interactions between genotype and the DASH diet score in relation to systolic BP. METHODS We analyzed up to 9 420 585 single nucleotide polymorphisms in up to 127 282 individuals of 6 population groups (91% of European population) from...

Objective We examined interactions between genotype and a Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet score in relation to systolic blood pressure (SBP). Methods We analyzed up to 9,420,585 biallelic imputed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in up to 127,282 individuals of six population groups (91% of European population) from the Co...

Introduction Research on the impacts of dietary patterns on human and planetary health is a rapidly growing field. A wide range of metrics, datasets, and analytical techniques has been used to explore the role of dietary choices/constraints in driving greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, environmental degradation, health and disease outcomes, and the af...

Greater intake of whole grains, compared to refined grains, is consistently associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, both of which are associated with cognitive decline. To better understand the relationship between whole-grain intake, cognition, mood and anxiety, a systematic review was conducted to synthesize...

Background: Many epigenetic loci have been associated with plasma triglyceride (TG) levels, but epigenetic connections between those loci and dietary exposures are largely unknown. This study aimed to characterize the epigenetic links between diet, lifestyle, and TG. Methods: We first conducted an epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) for TG in t...

Background: As suboptimal diet quality remains the leading modifiable contributor to chronic disease risk, it is important to better understand the individual-level drivers of food choices. Recently, a genetic component of food choices was proposed based on variants (SNPs) in genes related to taste perception (taste-related SNPs). Objectives: Th...

Background Prospective cohort studies have found a relation between sugar-sweetened beverage consumption (SSB; sodas and fruit drinks) and dyslipidemia. There is limited evidence linking SSB consumption to emerging features of dyslipidemia, which can be characterized by variation in lipoprotein particle size, remnant-like particle (RLP), and apolip...

Nicola M McKeown and colleagues advocate for the importance of translating the health impact of high fibre diets to patients and clients, with emphasis placed on incorporating a variety of plant based foods to achieve dietary fibre recommendations

Objectives 1. To compare diet quality of vegan, vegetarian, paleo, and whole-food plant-based (WFPB) diets; 2. To examine how adherence varies by diet and relates to quality and diet duration; 3. To examine how compliance varies by diet and relates to quality, adherence, and duration. Methods Analysis was conducted on a subsample of ADAPT particip...

Objectives The current evidence has shown that environmental and lifestyle factors (e.g., diet, physical activity, tobacco smoking, alcohol) are associated with DNA methylation patterns. However, the mechanisms underlying the relation between diet and other exposures and epigenetic profiles are not well understood. To reduce such knowledge gap, we...

Background: Although current evidence shows that environmental and lifestyle factors are associated with DNA methylation patterns, mechanisms underlying the relationship between diet and other exposures and epigenetic profiles remain to be fully described. To clarify the unique connections between dietary intake and lifestyle factors on disease ris...

Introduction: The relationship between artificially sweetened beverage (ASB) intake and type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk remains inconclusive. Few studies have evaluated whether circulating metabolites that reflect ASB consumption may unveil potential mechanisms underlying the association between ASB consumption and T2D risk. Hypothesis: We hypothesized...

PurposeWhole grains, generally recognised as healthy choices, are not included in most nutrient profiling systems. We tested modifications to the Nutri-Score algorithm to determine whether including whole grains would provide an improved measure of food, and overall diet quality.Methods The whole-grain content of food, with a minimum cut-point of 2...

Obesity is associated with many chronic diseases that impair healthy aging and is governed by genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors and their complex interactions. This study aimed to develop a model that predicts an individual’s risk of obesity by better characterizing these complex relations and interactions focusing on dietary factors....

Whole grains are consistently identified as an important part of a healthy diet. This article provides an overview of the definitions of whole grains and whole grain foods, recommendations for whole grain intake, and evidence for its health benefits. Specifically, the association between whole grain intake and lower risk of cardiovascular disease,...

Psyllium is a natural, predominantly soluble isolated fiber that forms a gel when hydrated. The psyllium gel is not fermented and transits the entire gastrointestinal tract intact. In the small intestine, the psyllium gel increases chyme viscosity, which slows the degradation and absorption of nutrients, which significantly improves fasting blood g...

Background - Carbohydrate responsive element binding protein (ChREBP) is a transcription factor that responds to sugar consumption. Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption and genetic variants in the CHREBP locus have separately been linked to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and triglyceride (TG) concentrations. We hypothesized SSB...

Background Greater whole grain (WG) consumption is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD); however, few prospective studies have examined WG or refined grain (RG) intake and intermediate cardiometabolic risk factors. Objectives We examined the longitudinal association between WG and RG intake on changes in waist circumference...

Background The Paleo diet is a popular dietary pattern based on interpretation of evolutionary diets. Objective The aim of this study was to assess the relative dietary quality of theoretical, modern-day Paleo meal plans, in comparison with national nutrition guidance. Methods This analysis used data from the Adhering to Dietary Approaches for Pe...

Background DNA methylation–based epigenetic age measures have been used as biological aging markers and are associated with a healthy lifespan. Few population-based studies have examined the relation between diet and epigenetic age acceleration. Objectives We aimed to investigate the relation between diet quality and epigenetic age acceleration....

Objectives To understand how eating behaviors, susceptibility to the food environment, and perceived dietary habit strength differ across self-reported categories of adherence. Methods We used data in a sample (n = 2829) from Adhering to Dietary Approaches for Personal Taste (ADAPT), an online study conducted in self-identified popular diet follow...

Objectives Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption is associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D), but the metabolic changes linking SSB consumption to T2D are not fully understood. Thus, we aimed to identify a plasma metabolomic signature of SSB consumption and evaluate its association with incident T2D. Methods We used liquid chrom...

Objectives To assess self-reported differences in food purchasing habits and diet-consistent food availability among recent vs. long-term plant-based diet (PBD) followers compared to those who are not actively following a specific diet but report “trying to eat healthy” (TTEH). Methods The sample consisted of PBD (n = 1820, whole-food plant based/...

Objectives To evaluate the nutrient adequacy of theoretical, modern-day Paleo meal plans relative to the U.S. Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs). Methods This analysis used data from the Adhering to Dietary Approaches for Personal Taste (ADAPT) Feasibility Study, which captured data on 9 726 self-reported, popular diet followers. Paleo respondents (...

Overweight and obesity are key features of the metabolic syndrome and closely linked to risk of developing chronic diseases. This chapter reviews evidence from both observational and dietary intervention studies to provide a comprehensive picture of the relationship between whole grains and body weight management. There is consensus among medical p...

Public interest in the Paleo diet (PD) has been growing since 2002, following the publication of Dr Loren Cordain's book The Paleo Diet. The premise of this diet is rooted in the ancestral hunter-gatherer pattern of eating, including lean meat, fish/seafood, fruits, vegetables (leaves and tubers), and nuts. Many followers adopt the diet as a health...

The amount of time spent in poor health at the end of life is increasing. This narrative review summarizes consistent evidence indicating that healthy dietary patterns and maintenance of a healthy weight in the years leading to old age are associated with broad prevention of all the archetypal diseases and impairments associated with aging includin...

The long-term impact of carbohydrate quality on abdominal weight gain is not fully understood. We aimed to examine the prospective relation of a carbohydrate quality index (CQI; defined by four criteria: dietary fiber, glycemic index, whole grain-to-total grain ratio, and solid-to-total carbohydrate ratio), total, cereal grain, vegetable, and fruit...

Healthy eating patterns, as described by dietary guidelines, typically favor whole grains, low-fat dairy, vegetables, fruit, legumes, and nuts and seeds. Nutrient-profiling (NP) models capture nutrient density of individual foods and can inform healthier food choices. Although whole grains are prominently featured in most dietary guidelines, they a...

Evidence mapping is a useful methodology for characterizing existing research on a broad topic and identifying gaps in the scientific literature. Evidence mapping entails conducting a systematic literature search and extracting information on study details, often in the form of a database. Researchers at Tufts University and the North American bran...

证据图是一种非常实用的证据总结方法，通过证据图可以全面检 索所关注问题的相关研究，准确展示该领域科学文章存在的问题。利 用证据图，可实现文献的系统检索，提取研究关键信息，形成信息数 据库。塔夫茨大学和国际生命科学学会(ILSI)北美分会创建了膳食 纤维和人类健康证据数据库，并公开，每年都会定期更新。该数据库 汇编了膳食纤维干预研究，包括10 种预先设定的生理健康结局指标， 包括体重/肥胖、血压、肠道微生物群和骨骼健康。根据美国食品和药 品监督管理局(FDA)颁布的新版食品标签要求，只有在有足够证据 支持膳食纤维与某种生理健康益处相关时，才能在标签上标识“膳食 纤维”。因此，该数据库和证据图的应用潜力就显得特别重要。基于膳 食纤维数据库的成功案例，塔夫茨大学和通用磨坊贝尔健康与营养研 究所又合...

Objective To describe characteristics of self-identified popular diet followers and compare mean BMI across these diets, stratified by time following diet. Design Cross-sectional, web-based survey administered in 2015. Setting Non-localised, international survey. Participants Self-selected followers of popular diets ( n 9019) were recruited to t...

Objectives Carbohydrate responsive element binding protein (ChREBP) is a transcription factor that responds to sugar consumption. Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) and genetic variants at the CHREBP (also known as MLXIPL) locus have separately been linked to dyslipidemia. We hypothesized that SSB intake may modify the associations betw...

Objectives A meta-analysis of 11 CHARGE cohorts (N = 63,599) suggested that genetic variants within or near the CHREBP locus may modify the associations between sugar sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and triglyceride (TG) concentrations. The study objective was to replicate these findings in a la...

Healthier carbohydrate (carb)-rich foods are essential for health, but practical, validated indices for their identification are not established. We compared four pragmatic metrics, based on, per 10g of carb:(a) ≥1g fiber (10:1 carb:fiber), (b) ≥1g fiber and <1g free sugars (10:1:1 carb:fiber:free sugars), (c) ≥1g fiber and <2g free sugars (10:1:2...

Background Limited data are available on the prospective relationship between beverage consumption and plasma lipid and lipoprotein concentrations. Two major sources of sugar in the US diet are sugar‐sweetened beverages ( SSBs ) and 100% fruit juices. Low‐calorie sweetened beverages are common replacements. Methods and Results Fasting plasma lipop...

Motivations to adopt plant-based diets are of great public health interest. We used evidence mapping to identify methods that capture motivations to follow plant-based diets and summarize demographic trends in dietary motivations. We identified 56 publications that described 90 samples of plant-based diet followers and their dietary motivations. We...

Objective: This study aimed to determine (1) the level of agreement between BMI, circumference-based equation (CBE) measures, waist circumference (WC), and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) measures and (2) whether BMI, CBE measures, or WC alone or in combination adequately reflects adiposity in military personnel compared with BIA. Methods:...

Macronutrient intake, the proportion of calories consumed from carbohydrate, fat, and protein, is an important risk factor for metabolic diseases with significant familial aggregation. Previous studies have identified two genetic loci for macronutrient intake, but incomplete coverage of genetic variation and modest sample sizes have hindered the di...

The US Army Public Health Center developed the Creating Active Communities and Healthy Environments (CACHE) Toolkit to help military installations evaluate the quality of their built environments relative to healthy eating, physical activity, and tobacco-free living. This study sought to improve its implementation process and assess subsequent Acti...

Background: Little is known about the contribution of genetic variation to food timing, and breakfast has been determined to exhibit the most heritable meal timing. As breakfast timing and skipping are not routinely measured in large cohort studies, alternative approaches include analyses of correlated traits. Objectives: The aim of this study w...

Objectives: The objective of the present study was to examine the cross-sectional association between carbohydrate quality and intake of carbohydrate-rich food groups with quality of life. Methods: We examined the cross-sectional association between carbohydrate intake and self-reported quality of life among 2414 participants of the Framingham O...

Objectives: Given that the prevalence of obesity in the military is a growing national security concern, we sought to determine: 1) the level of agreement between body mass index (BMI), circumference-based equation (CBE), waist circumference (WC), and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) measures, and 2) if BMI, CBE, or WC measures alone or in c...

Objectives: Limited data are available on the prospective relationship between beverage consumption and plasma lipid and lipoprotein concentrations in population-based studies. Two major sources of sugar in the US diet are sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB; sodas and fruit drinks) and 100% fruit juices (FJ). Low-calorie sweetened beverages (LCSB) are...

Objectives: To analyze data from observational studies and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reporting on the relationship between whole grain (WG) intake and weight status. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted, using Ovid/Medline, to identify observational studies and RCTs assessing WG food intake and weight status in adults....

Objectives: To examine the differences in key motivations to adopt a dietary pattern (1) between self-reported plant-based diet followers and omnivores, and (2) among three types of plant-based diet followers: whole food, plant-based (WFPB), vegan, and vegetarian+pescatarian. Methods: Adhering to Dietary Approaches for Personal Taste (ADAPT) is...

Objectives: Abdominal adiposity has been associated with greater risk of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases independent of overall BMI. Prospective studies examining the relationship between whole grain (WG) and refined grain (RG) consumption and abdominal adiposity are scarce. We examined the prospective relationship between WG and RG consumpt...

Results from some observational studies suggest that higher whole grain (WG) intake is associated with lower risk of weight gain. Ovid Medline was used to conduct a literature search for observational studies and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing WG food intake and weight status in adults. A meta-regression analysis of cross-sectional d...

Whole-grain (WG) consumption is known to have beneficial effects on human health. However, the influence of WGs on the microbiota is not well understood. To evaluate how WG intake modulates the gut microbiota composition, a literature review of human intervention studies was conducted. Whole grain, whether a mixed WG food or diet (n = 5) or specifi...

Public interest in popular diets is increasing, in particular whole-food plant-based (WFPB) and vegan diets. Whether these diets, as theoretically implemented, meet current food-based and nutrient-based recommendations has not been evaluated in detail. Self-identified WFPB and vegan diet followers in the Adhering to Dietary Approaches for Personal...

Objective This study examined the longitudinal associations between genetic risk, change in diet quality, and change in visceral adipose tissue (ΔVAT), abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (ΔSAT), and pericardial adipose tissue (ΔPAT). Methods A total of 1,677 Framingham Heart Study participants who had ectopic fat depots measured using computed...

Military researchers utilize a five-item healthy eating score (HES-5) in the Global Assessment Tool (GAT) questionnaire to quickly assess the overall diet quality of military personnel. This study aimed to modify the HES-5 to improve its validity relative to the 2015 Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2015) in active duty military personnel (n = 333). A foo...

Higher consumption of whole grain foods is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity in observational studies; yet, in intervention studies, the effect of whole grains on intermediate markers of risk are mixed. This may be due to the variability in study design, differences in composition of different grains, deg...

Objective The objective of this prospective cohort study is to evaluate associations between whole and refined grains and their food sources in relation to risk of adiposity‐related cancers combined and three of the most commonly diagnosed site‐specific cancers in the US: breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers. Methods Participants were adults f...

Consumption of whole grains have been associated with reduced risk of chronic diseases in many observational studies; yet, results of intervention studies are mixed. We aimed to use evidence mapping to capture the methodological and reporting variability in whole grain intervention studies that may contribute to this inconsistency. We conducted a r...

Case-control studies suggest that higher whole grain and lower refined grain intakes are associated with reduced cancer risk, but longitudinal evidence is limited. The objective of this prospective cohort study is to evaluate associations between whole and refined grains and their food sources in relation to adiposity-related cancer risk. Participa...

Background: Although there is interest in popular diets such as vegan and vegetarian, Paleo, and other "whole food" diets, existing cohort studies lack data for these subgroups. The use of electronic data capture and Web-based surveys in nutrition research may be valuable for future studies by allowing targeting of specific dietary subgroups. Obj...

Introduction: Dyslipidemia, characterized by high triglyceride (TG) and low HDL concentrations, is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Decreasing dietary sugar consumption is one dietary modification that may influence dyslipidemia risk to reduce the risk for CVD. Two major sources of dietary sugar in the US are sugar-sweetened beverage...

Aims/hypothesis: Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are a major dietary contributor to fructose intake. A molecular pathway involving the carbohydrate responsive element-binding protein (ChREBP) and the metabolic hormone fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) may influence sugar metabolism and, thereby, contribute to fructose-induced metabolic disease....

Increased sugar consumption is increasingly considered to be a contributor to the worldwide epidemics of obesity and diabetes and their associated cardiometabolic risks. As a result of its unique metabolic properties, the fructose component of sugar may be particularly harmful. Diets high in fructose can rapidly produce all of the key features of t...

The consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB), which includes soft drinks, fruit drinks, and other energy drinks, is associated with excess energy intake and increased risk for chronic metabolic disease among children and adults. Thus, reducing SSB consumption is an important strategy to prevent the onset of chronic diseases, and achieve and m...

Objective: Magnesium intake is inversely associated with risk of type 2 diabetes in many observational studies, but few have assessed this association in the context of the carbohydrate quality of the diet. We hypothesized that higher magnesium intake is associated with lower risk of type 2 diabetes, especially in the context of a poor-carbohydrat...

Background Nutrition clubs (NC) operate in community settings and provide members with nutrition education and meal replacements for weight management. NC are owned and operated by distributors of Herbalife products. There are over 6200 NC in the US, but there has been no independent assessment of the association of these NC with biomarkers of heal...

Background Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide. Although much research has been devoted to understanding environmental and genetic sources of cardiovascular disease risk separately, little is known about how environmental exposures might modify genetic components of risk. The consumption of sugar‐sweetened beverages (SS...

Background Public interest in nutrition is at the forefront of health and wellness and a major driver of popular diet adoption. Cohort studies lack specific data from followers of popular diets. Adhering to Dietary Approaches for Personal Taste (ADAPT) Feasibility Survey (FS) assessed the practicality of using web‐based survey methods to capture de...

Background Although there is interest in popular diets such as vegan/vegetarian, Paleo, and other “whole food” diets, existing cohort studies lack specific data for these subgroups. With the evolution of new technologies, such as electronic data capture and web‐based surveys, their application to nutrition research has increased. We examined the fe...

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition is a high quality, peer-reviewed journal that covers all aspects of human nutrition.