Victor L Fulgoni

Nutrition Impact, LLC

Pulses are dry seeds of legumes which are high in fiber and contain plant protein and several important macronutrients. Our aim was to model the nutritional effects of substituting servings of protein foods and/or refined grains with servings of beans and peas in the Healthy U.S.-Style Pattern identified in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 202...

Background Milk is a key source of important nutrients including the nutrients of public health concern. However, most Americans do not meet current (dairy) United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) dietary guideline recommendations, and the intake has been declining. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate milk and beverage intake...

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The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend adults increase their intake of nutrients that are under-consumed while limiting their intake of added sugars, sodium, and saturated fats. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between added sugars intake from specific types of beverages with added sugars (soft drinks, fruit drinks,...

Added sugars intake from sweetened beverages among children, adolescents, and teens is a public health concern. This study examined the relationships between added sugars intake from specific types of beverages with added sugars and from the rest of the diet (excluding beverages with added sugars) and micronutrient adequacy among US children, adole...

Although most US children do not meet recommendations for choline intake, there are also no data available assessing usual egg intake in younger children and choline adequacy. Therefore, data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2001-2018 were analyzed to identify usual egg intake in infants (birth to 1 y; N = 4770) and young...

Evidence-based dietary advice regarding meats (including beef), requires accurate assessment of beef and other red meat intakes across life stages. Beef intake is subject to misclassification due to the use of broad categories such as “red and processed meat”. In the current study, intake trends for total beef (i.e., any beef type) and specific bee...

Pork is a rich source of high-quality protein and select nutrients. The objective of this work was to assess the intakes of all pork (AP), fresh pork (FP) and processed pork (PP) and their association with nutrient intake and meeting nutrient recommendations using 24 h dietary recall data. Usual intake was determined using the NCI method and the pe...

Meat and poultry are nutrient-dense sources of protein and typically are recommended as part of an overall healthy diet. The objective was to assess the nutritional impact of removing a serving of meat/poultry in Healthy Dietary Patterns (HDPs) using a similar approach to that used by the USDA for Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Composites of min...

Previous evidence has linked animal protein intake, including dairy foods, with an increased risk in mortality from all-causes and certain chronic diseases, including cancer and heart disease. The objective of the current analysis was to examine associations between total dairy consumption with mortality from all-causes, cancer, and heart disease....

Background The lack of complete amino acid composition data in food composition databases has made determining population-wide amino acid intake difficult. Objective This cross-sectional study characterizes habitual intakes of each amino acid and adherence to dietary requirements for each essential amino acid (EAA) in the US population. Design Fo...

Background Dairy products, especially milk, provide vital nutrients including several under-consumed nutrients and nutrients of public health concern, to the American diet. However, milk and dairy intake has been decreasing in recent years. Objective The goal of this study was to provide an update of current milk and dairy intakes across the lifes...

Watermelon is a nutrient-dense, low energy food that provides vital nutrients and contributes to overall fruit intake. Previous studies have found positive associations between watermelon and nutrient intake but few focused on raw watermelon intake or had small sample sizes. Therefore, the objective of this study was to utilize a large, nationally...

Cognitive decline, anxiety, and depression are significant contributors to human ill health and decreased quality of life. Intake of fruits including 100% juice is associated with beneficial effects on several health outcomes. The current study explored the potential associations between consumption of 100% fruit juice and neurocognitive markers in...

A large percentage of daily vegetable intake is attributed to white potatoes, but limited information is available on how potatoes are incorporated into dietary patterns in the US. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine food patterns that include potatoes and to compare the associated diet quality and association with biomarkers to...

Research on trends over time in added sugars intake is important to help gain insights into how population intakes change with evolving dietary guidelines and policies on reducing added sugars. The purpose of this study was to provide an analysis of dietary trends in added sugars intakes and sources among U.S. adults from 2001 to 2018, with a focus...

Beef represents an important source of high-quality dietary protein and several micronutrients including iron, zinc and Bb-vitamins. Consumption of lean-meat including lean beef is recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 as part of overall healthy diet. Given beef intake has been declining, the objective of this study was to p...

Background: Consuming live microbes in foods may benefit human health. Live microbe estimates have not previously been associated with individual foods in dietary databases. Objectives: We aimed to estimate intake of live microbes in US children (aged 2-18 y) and adults (≥19 y) (n = 74,466; 51.2% female). Methods: Using cross-sectional data fr...

Background: Research on the role of protein in the diet has evolved beyond a focus on quantity to include the impact of its quality and distribution across meal times in an effort to optimize dietary protein recommendations. Objective: To determine the association of dietary protein amount, type, and intake pattern with grip strength in adults....

The Western diet is high in dietary phosphorus, partially due to added phosphorus, (i.e., phosphates) predominantly present in processed food products. Elevated serum phosphate levels, otherwise known as hyperphosphatemia, have been associated with changes in health status, of note detrimental effects on cardiovascular and renal health. However, th...

As nutrient-dense fruits, mangoes are commonly consumed globally and are important sources of nutrients in the diet. Nonetheless, mangoes remain relatively under-consumed in the United States. The objective of the present analysis was to examine nutrient intakes, diet quality, and health outcomes using data from NHANES 2001–2018 in children and adu...

Purpose Growing evidence suggests hydration plays a role in metabolic dysfunction, however data in humans are scarce. This study examined the cross-sectional association between hydration and metabolic dysfunction in a representative sample of the US population. Methods Data from 3961 adult NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey)...

Background Over the past 2 decades there has been an increased emphasis on added sugars intake in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), which has been accompanied by policies and interventions aimed at reducing intakes, particularly among children, adolescents and teens. Objective The present study provides a comprehensive time trends analys...

Limited data are available on how eggs are consumed in the typical American eating pattern and the contribution to usual intakes, diet quality and in meeting recommendations. The objectives of the present analysis included identifying how eggs are consumed within U.S. dietary patterns and how these patterns are associated with the usual intakes of...

To identify environmentally sustainable foods that promote health, we combined nutritional health-based and 18 environmental indicators to evaluate, classify and prioritize individual foods. Specifically for nutrition, we developed the Health Nutritional Index to quantify marginal health effects in minutes of healthy life gained or lost of 5,853 fo...

Potatoes are nutrient rich white vegetables, however, research on their impact on public health is limited. The objective of this study was to provide updated evaluation of the cross-sectional association between potato consumption and diet quality, nutrient intake and adequacy. Twenty-four hour diet recall data from adolescents (n = 16,633; age 9–...

Dietary phosphorus intake in the USA has been consistently greater than the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) with several studies reporting associations between intake and health risks as well as all-cause mortality within healthy subjects and patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The current study utilized a novel approach to calculate adde...

Recent estimates of added sugars intake among the U.S. population show intakes are above recommended levels. Knowledge about the sources of added sugars contributing to intakes is required to inform dietary guidance, and understanding how those sources vary across sociodemographic subgroups could also help to target guidance. The purpose of this st...

Background This study examined incidence rates, temporal trends, and demographic factors associated with vitamin deficiencies/disorders in all United States military personnel from 1997 to 2015 (mean N = 1,382,266/year). Methods Employing an ecological study design, the Defense Medical Epidemiological Database and specific International Classifica...

Background: Hybrid nutrient density scores are based on both nutrients and selected food groups. Objective: To compare the new hybrid nutrient-rich food NRFh 4:3:3 score to other nutrient-rich food (NRF) scores, energy density, and energy cost and to model the impact on the Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2015) of partially replacing less nutrient-rich w...

The objective of the current modeling analysis was three-fold: (1) to examine usual nutrient intakes in children when eggs are added into dietary patterns that typically do not contain eggs; (2) to examine usual nutrient intakes with the addition of eggs in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) school breakfast; and (3) to examine nutrient...

The early years, between the ages of one and six, are a period of rapid physical, social and cognitive growth and a nutritionally adequate diet is an important factor for optimum development. We investigated the micronutrient adequacy and status of young US children aged 1–6 years (n = 9848) using 24-h dietary recall interviews completed by parents...

Objective To identify the most cost-effective options/contributors of under-consumed food groups and nutrients in the United States. Design 24-Hour dietary recall data were used for the dietary sources of under-consumed food groups and nutrients. Costs were estimated using USDA National Food Price Database 2001-2004 after adjustments for inflation...

Objective Iron and/or iodine deficiencies can have multiple serious adverse health outcomes, but examination of incidence rates of these deficiencies have rarely been conducted in any large population. This study examined incidence rates, temporal trends, and demographic factors associated with medically-diagnosed iron and iodine deficiencies/disor...

Background & Aims Protein intake is inversely associated with waist circumference and positively associated with HDL-cholesterol concentrations. However, the relationship between protein intake during specific eating occasions and cardiometabolic health is not well documented. This cross-sectional study measured protein intake at meals and combined...

To evaluate the nutritional impact of adding a serving of mushrooms on usual intakes and population adequacy of nutrients the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011–2016 dietary data for 9–18 years and 19+ years and a composite of commonly consumed raw mushrooms as well as oyster mushrooms (nutrient profiles from USDA data)...

Background Limited data are available examining nutritional implications for removing/adding eggs in childhood dietary patterns. Additionally, usual intake data are lacking for choline and lutein + zeaxanthin in childhood. Objectives To determine usual intakes of choline and lutein + zeaxanthin in egg consumers and model the removal and addition o...

Vitamin D has been identified as a nutrient of public health concern, and higher intake of natural or fortified food sources of vitamin D, such as milk, are encouraged by the 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. We, therefore, examined the association of milk consumption and vitamin D status in the United States (US) population. Twenty-four-...

Although dietary guidance recommends increasing consumption of whole grains and concurrently limiting consumption of refined and/or enriched grain foods, emerging research suggests that certain refined grains may be part of a healthy dietary pattern. A scientific expert panel was convened to review published data since the release of 2015 dietary g...

The popularity of yogurt has increased among consumers due to its perceived health benefits. This study examined the cross-sectional association between yogurt consumption and nutrient intake/adequacy, dietary quality, and body weight in children and adults. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001–2016 data (n = 65,799) were used and...

Background: The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) recommends consuming low-fat or fat-free dairy foods due to concerns about energy and saturated fat intake. It also recommends consuming no more than 10% of daily calories from saturated fat. Objective: The objective was to assess the impact of replacing one serving of fat-free dairy...

Different methods for determining the effect of added sugars intake among children and adults on meeting recommended nutrient intakes were compared using 24 h dietary recall data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2014. Four methods were used to determine deciles of added sugars intake (as the percentage of tota...

Introduction: Consumption of added sugars (AS) has been associated with increased risk for liver disease and risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The objective of this study was to further understand the relationship of AS intake with liver enzymes and risk factors for cardiovascular disease in adults (n = 29,687) participating in the National...

The purpose of the current study was to examine the cost of eggs in relation to nutrient delivery in children and adults. The present analysis used dietary intake data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2013–2016 (egg consumers: 2–18 years-old, N = 956; 19+ years-old, N = 2424). Inflation adjusted food cost and the cost of nu...

Objective The US Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends increased consumption of the dairy group to three daily servings for ages 9+ years to help achieve adequate intakes of prominent shortfall nutrients. Identifying affordable, consumer-acceptable foods to replace dairy’s shortfall nutrients is important especially for people who avoid dairy...

Although dietary guidance recommends increasing consumption of whole grains and concurrently limiting consumption of refined and/or enriched grain foods, emerging research suggests that certain refined grains may be part of a healthy dietary pattern. A scientific expert panel was convened to review published data since the release of 2015 dietary g...

Background Diet is known to affect many risk factors of cardiovascular disease (CVD), a leading cause of mortality and morbidity. Aim The objective of this study was to explore the potential association between whole grain and dietary fiber with CVD risk factors, including metabolic syndrome (MetS) in children and adolescents using National Health...

Background: The optimal macronutrient composition of the diet is controversial and many adults attempt to regulate the intake of specific macronutrients for various health-related reasons. Objective: The objective was to compare stability and ranges of intakes of different macronutrients across diverse adult populations in the USA and globally....

There is inconsistent evidence regarding the impact of added sugars consumption on micronutrient dilution of the diet. We examined the associations between added sugars intake deciles and nutrient adequacy for 17 micronutrients in U.S. adults 19+ (n = 13,949), 19–50 (n = 7424), and 51+ y (n = 6525) using two days of 24 hour dietary recall data from...

Introduction: Understanding which foods are introduced in the diet and when provides valuable information on complementary feeding. Fortified baby rice cereal is the most common first solid food given to infants, often followed by other baby cereals. The objective of this study was to examine food patterns among infants and toddlers consuming rice...

Background: One reason that some Americans do not meet nutrient needs from healthy eating patterns is cost. Food cost affects how people eat, and healthy diets tend to be more expensive. Cost is also important for diet sustainability. Sustainable eating patterns must be both nutritionally adequate and affordable. The objective of this study was to...

Background: A concern about the excessive consumption of added sugars is the potential for micronutrient dilution, particularly in children and adolescents; however, the evidence is inconsistent. Objective: We examined the associations between added sugars intake and micronutrient adequacy in US children and adolescents using data from NHANES 20...

Study Objective Caffeine is the most widely consumed stimulant in the world and sociodemographic factors including occupation are associated with intake. Shift work, required in various occupations, is associated with poor sleep, inadequate diet, and adverse health effects. Using a large nationally-representative database, demographics, sleep, and...

Background: Previous research in adults has reported an association between sandwich consumers and increased daily energy, total fat, and sodium intakes and decreased dietary fiber intake. Additionally, sandwich consumers had a lower diet quality, as compared to non-sandwich consumers. However, the research failed to differentiate between the type...

To identify food sources of shortfall nutrients consumed by adolescents (n = 3156), data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (2011-2014) were used. Some of the food groups commonly consumed by adolescents made a significant contribution to shortfall nutrient intakes in the diet. Many food sources that provided signifi...

Importance Nutrition during pregnancy is a critical dimension not only for women’s health but also for the lifelong health of the offspring. Very limited national data exist on the usual dietary intakes of pregnant women. Objective To estimate total usual nutrient intakes (from foods and dietary supplements) and the population prevalence of meetin...

Objectives: To understand the association between micro and macronutrient intake and sleep variables from the National Health and Nutrition Evaluation Survey (NHANES, 2005-2016). Methods: Data analysis was performed using SAS 9.4; regression analysis was used to assess the relationship (p < 0.05) of nutrient intake with sleep variables. All nutr...

Objectives: Milk and dairy foods are typically the biggest contributors to calcium in the diets of children who consume them. Our objective was to explore consumption patterns of milk and dairy foods from children in three countries (Australia, Russia and the US) and to evaluate the nutritional impact of milk and dairy foods in these diverse geogr...

Objectives: Caffeine is the most widely consumed stimulant in the world and sociodemographic factors including occupation are associated with its intake. Non-standard work schedules are required in various occupations, and it is difficult to adapt to them. Shift work is associated with poor sleep, inadequate diet and numerous adverse health effect...

Objectives: Nutrition during pregnancy is a critical dimension not only for women's heath, but also for the offspring's lifelong health. Very limited national data exist on the usual dietary intakes of pregnant women. The objective of this study was to estimate total usual nutrient intakes (from foods and dietary supplements) of pregnant women in...

Objectives: The cost of food, along with several other factors, influences how people eat and is an important facet of sustainability. Sustainable eating patterns are both nutritionally adequate and affordable. The objective of this study was to compare the cost to the consumer of obtaining shortfall nutrients from different food groups: milk and...

Objectives: Greater protein intakes have been associated with decreased weight, BMI, waist circumference (WC) and increased HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) concentrations. However, the relationship between protein intake during specific eating occasions and metabolic health is not well described. This study measured protein intake at meals (breakfast, lun...

Objectives: While perceptions in the popular media suggest that bread consumption is linked to adverse weight and health outcomes, limited published data exist investigating various levels of yeast bread intake and associations with physiological and biochemical outcomes. The objective of the present analysis was to examine associations with decil...

Objectives: Previous findings have linked higher animal protein intake with an increase in overall mortality and increased risk of chronic diseases, including cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD), in older adults, while some data suggest that plant protein food sources may confer health benefits. The objective of the current analysis was to exa...

Objectives: This analysis used data from the 2015-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to identify major food sources of sodium, potassium, or both in the American diet. Methods: Twenty-four-hour dietary recall data (n = 7817) from the dietary component of the 2015-2016 NHANES was used. Data was analyzed separately for...

Objectives: Following dietary recommendations should ensure adequate consumption of essential nutrients, including key nutrients that tend to be underconsumed. The objective of this analysis was to determine if Americans are meeting nutrient needs, especially for shortfall nutrients, as defined by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, by assessing...

Dietary pattern recommendations include consuming a variety of nutrient-dense foods in children and adolescents to promote optimal growth and development. The current study investigated associations with egg consumption and nutrient intakes, diet quality, and growth outcomes relative to non-egg consumers. The analysis used data from the U.S. Nation...

Oatmeal is a whole grain (WG) food rich in fiber and other nutrients. The study objective was to compare diet quality and nutrient intake of children consuming oatmeal breakfasts to those of children consuming other breakfasts using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011–2014. Dietary intake data from 5876 children aged...

Background Combining traditional dietary assessment instruments has been suggested to improve precision of dietary intake estimates. However, this has not been investigated using web-based 24-h recall (R24W) or a web-based food-frequency questionnaire (wFFQ). Objective The aim of this study was to compare different combinations of web-based instru...