Background: Animal models show that periconceptional supplementation with folic acid, vitamin B-12, choline, and betaine can induce differences in offspring phenotype mediated by epigenetic changes in DNA. In humans, altered DNA methylation patterns have been observed in offspring whose mothers were exposed to famine or who conceived in the Gambian rainy season. Objective: The objective was to understand the seasonality of DNA methylation patterns in rural Gambian women. We studied natural...

“Being a senior does not necessarily mean that you’re old,” says Beatrice Edwards, M.D., associate professor in geriatric medicine at MD Anderson Cancer Center. “Yet, it’s important for elderly cancer patients to have their functional status evaluated in order to achieve successful cancer treatment outcomes.” In this podcast, Edwards shares tips on healthy aging for older adults and explains the role that a geriatrician can play in cancer treatment and survivorship.

Background: Sodium-related claims on food labels should facilitate lower-sodium food choices; however, consumer attitudes and understanding of such claims are unknown. Objectives: We evaluated consumer attitudes and understanding of different types of sodium claims and the effect of having hypertension on responses to such claims. Design: Canadian consumers (n = 506), with and without hypertension, completed an online survey that contained a randomized mock package experiment, which...

ABSTRACT Background: Preterm infants frequently present eating difficulties in early childhood. Determinants of these difficulties are not known. Objective: We assessed the influence of neonatal and maternal characteristics on eating behaviors at 2 y of age. Design: The following 2 cohorts were compared: 234 preterm children born ,33 wk of gestational age from the POLYmorphisme ge´ne´tique, Nutrition et Comportement Alimentaire cohort and 245 term children from the Observation des...

ABSTRACT Background: Folate, choline, and betaine participate in homocysteine metabolism. It is not known whether they interact during pregnancy. Objective: The objective was to investigate how folate status affects choline, betaine, and dimethylglycine during pregnancy. Design: Fasting plasma folate, cobalamin, free choline, betaine, dimethylglycine, and total homocysteine (tHcy) were measured longitudinally at ,12, 15, 24–27, and 34 gestational weeks (GW); at labor (nonfasting);...

BACKGROUND: Childhood overweight is a substantial public-health problem, but little is known about predictors of early childhood overweight. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to identify factors-alone and in combination-that predict kindergarten overweight. DESIGN: We analyzed nationally representative data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort, a longitudinal cohort study of 6800 children followed from birth through kindergarten. Multivariable logistic regression and recursive...