Introduction: The detrimental effects of alcohol abuse on human health and injury are well known. Less well documented is the relationship between alcohol consumption and the diet. As alcohol is an energy dense macronutrient, it can significantly increase total energy intakes while also influencing food intakes. Many countries have looked at alcohol consumption in relation...

Statement of the problem: Phytate is primarily found in cereals and legumes and is the major inhibitor of zinc absorption. The United States of America, Australia and New Zealand currently have no information regarding the phytate content of food items in their food composition databases because most studies have been completed in developing countries where...

Background: Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent amongst athletes which could affect health, training and performance. Sun safety messages often dominate over vitamin D education and this is evident when investigating attitudes towards and knowledge of vitamin D and sun exposure in the general population. Knowledge of and attitudes towards vitamin D amongst athletes has not...

Recent years have seen the rise of probiotic supplementation in our food and the promotion of probiotics as dietary supplements. Probiotics are generally advertised as an aid to gut health and are specifically touted as being of assistance for conditions as varied as diarrhoea, infant colic and allergy. However, the evidence on probiotic effectiveness for...

In childhood environmental and dietary exposure to toxic and non-toxic elements may affect development and growth. The elemental concentrations of scalp hair and toenails may reflect chemical uptake via the diet, or environment. Very little is known about the relationship between elemental concentrations in scalp hair and toenails and behavioural and growth characteristics of children...