Dataset Information

A bit or a lot on the side? Observational study of the energy content of starters, sides and desserts in major UK restaurant chains.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Our objective was to examine the kilocalorie (kcal) content of starters, sides and desserts served in major UK restaurant chains, comparing the kcal content of these dishes in fast-food and full-service restaurants.

Design

Observational study.

Setting

Menu and nutritional information provided online by major UK restaurant chains.

Method

During October to November 2018, we accessed websites of restaurant chains with 50 or more outlets in the UK. Menu items that constituted starters, sides or desserts were identified and their kcal content was extracted. Accompanying beverages were not included. We used multilevel modelling to examine whether mean kcal content of dishes differed in fast-food versus full-service restaurants.

Main outcome measures

The mean kcal content of dishes and the proportion of dishes exceeding public health recommendations for energy content in a main meal (>600 kcal).

Results

A total of 1009 dishes (212 starters, 318 sides and 479 desserts) from 27 restaurant chains (21 full-service, 6 fast-food) were included. The mean kcal content of eligible dishes was 488.0 (SE=15.6) for starters, 397.5 (SE=14.9) for sides and 430.6 (SE=11.5) for desserts. The percentage of dishes exceeding 600 kcal was 26.4% for starters, 21.7% for sides and 20.5% for desserts. Compared with fast-food chains, desserts offered at full-service restaurants were on average more calorific and were significantly more likely to exceed 600 kcal.

Conclusions

The average energy content of sides, starters and desserts sold in major UK restaurants is high. One in four starters and one in five sides and desserts in UK chain restaurants exceed the recommended energy intake for an entire meal.

SUBMITTER: Muc M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6797243 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

A bit or a lot on the side? Observational study of the energy content of starters, sides and desserts in major UK restaurant chains.

Muc Magdalena M Jones Andrew A Roberts Carl C Sheen Florence F Haynes Ashleigh A Robinson Eric E

BMJ open 20191007 10

<h4>Objectives</h4>Our objective was to examine the kilocalorie (kcal) content of starters, sides and desserts served in major UK restaurant chains, comparing the kcal content of these dishes in fast-food and full-service restaurants.<h4>Design</h4>Observational study.<h4>Setting</h4>Menu and nutritional information provided online by major UK restaurant chains.<h4>Method</h4>During October to November 2018, we accessed websites of restaurant chains with 50 or more outlets in the UK. Menu items ...[more]

PMID: 31594875

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Project description:Amino acid side-chain conformational properties influence the overall structural and dynamic properties of proteins and, therefore, their biological functions. In this study, quantum mechanical (QM) potential energy surfaces for the rotation of side-chain ?(1) and ?(2) torsions in dipeptides in the alphaR, beta, and alphaL backbone conformations were calculated. The QM energy surfaces provide a broad view of the intrinsic conformational properties of each amino acid side-chain. The extent to which intrinsic energetics dictates side-chain orientation was studied through comparisons of the QM energy surfaces with ?(1) and ?(2) free energy surfaces from probability distributions obtained from a survey of high resolution crystal structures. In general, the survey probability maxima are centered in minima of the QM surfaces as expected for sp(3) (or sp(2) for ?(2) of Asn, Phe, Trp, and Tyr) atom centers with strong variations between amino acids occurring in the energies of the minima indicating intrinsic differences in rotamer preferences. High correlations between the QM and survey data were found for hydrophobic side-chains except Met, suggesting minimal influence of the protein and solution environments on their conformational distributions. Conversely, low correlations for polar or charged side-chains indicate a dominant role of the environment in stabilizing conformations that are not intrinsically favored. Data also link the presence of off-rotamers in His and Trp to favorable interactions with the backbone. Results also suggest that the intrinsic energetics of the side-chains of Phe and Tyr may play important roles in protein folding and stability. Analyses on whether intrinsic side-chain energetics can influence backbone preference identified a strong correlation for residues in the alphaL backbone conformation. It is suggested that this correlation reflects the intrinsic instability of the alphaL backbone such that assumption of this backbone conformation is facilitated by intrinsically favorable side-chain conformations. Together our results offer a broad overview of the conformational properties of amino acid side-chains and the QM data may be used as target data for force field optimization.

Dataset Information

A bit or a lot on the side? Observational study of the energy content of starters, sides and desserts in major UK restaurant chains.

Objectives

Design

Setting

Method

Main outcome measures

Results

Conclusions

Publications

A bit or a lot on the side? Observational study of the energy content of starters, sides and desserts in major UK restaurant chains.

Similar Datasets

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