The Carbohydrates Committee addresses outstanding scientific issues through discovery, research tools and translational messaging related to how carbohydrate-rich foods, food components and formulations are associated with consumption behavior, diet quality and health outcomes.
Why is this research important?
Carbohydrates are an important source of energy and nutrients in the food supply. The committee focuses its work on understanding sugar, fiber, and carbohydrate quality as they relate to human health.
Research Focus Areas:
- Advance scientific evidence and research tools to further understanding of how fiber relates to human health outcomes.
- Characterize nutrient intakes and overall diet quality of various carbohydrate restricted or modified diet patterns.
- Clarify and communicate research tools examining causal relationships between energy containing food/ingredients and body composition.
- Promote informed decision-making on food choices - focused on carbohydrate quality.
IAFNS is currently offering graduate student and post-doc stipends for research using the comprehensive database (click here to apply).
Archer Daniels Midland Company
BENEO - Group
Cargill, Incorporated
General Mills, Inc.
The Hershey Company
Ingredion Incorporated
Mondelēz International
Potatoes USA
ACADEMIC ADVISORS
GOVERNMENT ADVISOR
David Baer, PhD, US Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service
Projects Supported by the Committee:
Publications
Micronutrient Intake from Three Popular Diet Patterns in the United States: Modeled Replacement of Foods Highest in Added Sugar and Sodium Using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005–2018
Nutritional Epidemiology, 2023
Perspective: Assessing Tolerance to Nondigestible Carbohydrate Consumption
Advances in Nutrition, 2022
Non-Digestible Carbohydrates provide functional attributes to processed foods, including sugar or fat replacers, thickening agents, and bulking agents. Additionally, NDCs are incorporated into processed foods to increase their fiber content. Although consumption of NDCs can benefit health and contribute functional characteristics to foods, they can cause gastrointestinal symptoms, such as bloating. As gastrointestinal symptoms negatively affect consumer well-being and their acceptance of foods containing NDC ingredients, it is crucial to consider tolerance when designing food products and testing their physiological health benefits in clinical trials.
Read more about Perspective: Assessing Tolerance to Nondigestible Carbohydrate Consumption
Physiologic Effects of Isolated or Synthetic Dietary Fiber in Children: A Scoping Review
Current Developments in Nutrition, 2024
Fiber is an integral part of a healthy diet. Studies have shown that the fiber intake in children is below adequate amounts, leading to adverse health outcomes.
Quality of Popular Diet Patterns in the United States: Evaluating the Effect of Substitutions for Foods High in Added Sugar, Sodium, Saturated Fat and Refined Grains
Current Developments in Nutrition, 2022
Low diet quality was observed for all popular diet patterns evaluated in this study. Greater efforts are needed to encourage the adoption of dietary patterns that emphasize consumption of a variety of high-quality food groups lower in added sugar, sodium, saturated fat and refined grains.
Rare Sugars and their Health Effects in Humans: A Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis of the Evidence from Human Trials
Nutrition Reviews, 2022
Little is known about the unique physiological and cardiometabolic effects of rare sugars in humans. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review and synthesis of controlled intervention studies of rare sugars in humans, using PRISMA guidelines.
Events
No results.