The aim was to analyse whether changes in the Healthy Food Intake Index (HFII) during pregnancy are related to gestational diabetes (GDM) risk. The 251 pregnant women participating had a pre-pregnancy BMI≥30 kg/m2 and/or a history of GDM. A 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed during the first and second trimesters of pregnancy for assessment of GDM. A normal OGTT result at first trimester was an inclusion criterion for the study. FFQ collected at first and second trimesters served for calculating the HFII. A higher HFII score reflects higher adherence to the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations (NNR) (score range 0–17). Statistical methods included Student’s t test, Mann–Whitney U test, Fisher’s exact test and linear and logistic regression analyses. The mean HFII at first trimester was 10·1 (95 % CI 9·7, 10·4) points, and the mean change from the first to the second trimester was 0·35 (95 % CI 0·09, 0·62) points. The range of the HFII changes varied from –7 to 7. The odds for GDM decreased with higher HFII change (adjusted OR 0·83 per one unit increase in HFII; 95 % CI 0·69, 0·99; P=0·043). In the analysis of the association between HFII-sub-indices and GDM, odds for GDM decreased with higher HFII-Fat change (fat percentage of milk and cheese, type of spread and cooking fats) but it was not significant in a fully adjusted model (P=0·058). Dietary changes towards the NNR during pregnancy seem to be related to a lower risk for GDM.

Diagnosis of metabolic syndrome includes a set of laboratory and physical findings, including central adiposity, elevated TAG, reduced HDL-cholesterol, hypertension and elevated fasting glucose or insulin resistance. While definitions have varied slightly, from a practical point of view, identifying dietary and lifestyle factors, including low levels of physical activity, are important in designing a diet and exercise programme that can help individuals with the metabolic syndrome to reduce the associated detrimental health consequences. Specific features of the metabolic syndrome require intervention, whether dietary or otherwise, to move towards normal ranges. It is important to remember that no one size or treatment fits all. While central obesity is perceived as the hallmark of the metabolic syndrome, other features need to be treated independently if they do not respond to lifestyle change. The future may hold treatments for the metabolic syndrome that involve modulation of inflammation.

Vitamin D status as measured by plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) is important to human health. Circumpolar people rely on dietary sources and societal changes in the Arctic are having profound dietary effects. The objective of the present study was to determine plasma 25(OH)D status and factors important to plasma 25(OH)D in populations in Greenland. Inuit and non-Inuit aged 50–69 years in the capital in West Greenland (latitude 64°15′N) and in a major town and remote settlements in East Greenland (latitude 65°35′N) were surveyed. Supplement use and lifestyle factors were determined by questionnaires. Inuit food scores were computed from a FFQ of seven traditional Inuit and seven imported food items. 25(OH)D2 and 25(OH)D3 levels were measured in the plasma. We invited 1 % of the population of Greenland, and 95 % participated. 25(OH)D3 contributed 99·7 % of total plasma 25(OH)D. Non-Inuit had the lowest median plasma 25(OH)D of 41 (25th–75th percentile 23–53) nmol/l compared with 64 (25th–75th percentile 51–81) nmol/l in Inuit (P< 0·001). Plasma 25(OH)D was below 20 and 50 nmol/l in 13·8 and 60·1 % of participants, respectively, with Inuit food item scores below 40 % (P< 0·001), and in 0·2 and 25·0 % of participants, respectively, with higher scores (P< 0·001). The Inuit diet was an important determinant of plasma 25(OH)D (P< 0·001) and its effect was modified by ethnicity (P= 0·005). Seal (P= 0·005) and whale (P= 0·015) were major contributors to plasma 25(OH)D. In conclusion, a decrease in the intake of the traditional Inuit diet was associated with a decrease in plasma 25(OH)D levels, which may be influenced by ethnicity. The risk of plasma 25(OH)D deficiency in Arctic populations rises with the dietary transition of societies in Greenland. Vitamin D intake and plasma 25(OH)D status should be monitored.