Data_Sheet_1_Food composition databases in the era of Big Data: Vegetable oils as a case study.pdf

Understanding the population's dietary patterns and their impacts on health requires many different sources of information. The development of reliable food composition databases is a key step in this pursuit. With them, nutrition and health care professionals can provide better public health advice and guide society toward achieving a better and healthier life. Unfortunately, these databases are full of caveats. Focusing on the specific case of vegetable oils, we analyzed the possible obsolescence of the information and the differences or inconsistencies among databases. We show that in many cases, the information is limited, incompletely documented, old or unreliable. More importantly, despite the many efforts carried out in the last decades, there is still much work to be done. As such, institutions should develop long-standing programs that can ensure the quality of the information on what we eat in the long term. In the face of climate change and complex societal challenges in an interconnected world, the full diversity of the food system needs to be recognized and more efforts should be put toward achieving a data-driven food system.

要探明人群膳食模式及其对健康的影响，需依托多维度信息源开展研究。构建可靠的食品成分数据库（food composition databases）是该研究方向的关键环节。借助此类数据库，营养与公共卫生从业者可提供更具针对性的健康指导，助力社会大众实现更健康的生活状态。然而遗憾的是，此类数据库仍存在诸多局限与不足。本研究以植物油为具体研究对象，分析了数据库信息可能存在的过时性，以及不同数据库间的差异与不一致问题。研究结果表明，多数情况下相关信息存在覆盖范围有限、文档记录不全、数据陈旧或可靠性不足等问题。更为关键的是，尽管近数十年来学界已投入诸多努力，但该领域仍有大量工作有待完善。据此，相关机构应建立长效工作机制，以长期保障膳食相关信息的质量与可靠性。在互联互通的全球背景下，面对气候变化与复杂的社会挑战，我们亟需充分认识食品系统的完整多样性，并投入更多精力构建数据驱动型食品系统。