Current Nutrition Reports最新文献

Purpose of review: This review examines both historical and recent evidence to clarify the current understanding of the relationship between B vitamin deficiencies and neuropathies.

Recent findings: Vitamin B1 (thiamine) deficiency can lead to neurological disorders such as beriberi and Wernicke's encephalopathy, conditions with significant prevalence and mortality rates. Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin) is crucial for DNA synthesis, fatty acid metabolism, and myelin production, with its deficiency leading to neuropathies and cognitive disorders. Excess vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), rather than deficiency, appears to be associated with neuropathy.

Takeaways/conclusions: Vitamin B1 and B12 deficiencies are linked to classic neuropathies, while the connection between vitamin B6 deficiency and neuropathy is less clear, though excess B6 is associated with neurotoxicity. Nutritional deficiencies are less common in developed countries but remain significant in developing nations. In developed countries, factors like alcohol consumption, bariatric surgery, and metformin use are increasing these deficiencies in clinical practice.

Purpose of review: Diabetes mellitus is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Despite the widespread use of oral antidiabetic agents and insulin therapy, the global incidence of diabetes continues to rise at an alarming rate. Human studies have demonstrated an association between magnesium deficiency and both insulin resistance and impaired glucose tolerance. This review, which is based on information collected from human and experimental studies from existing databases, describes the role of magnesium in glucose metabolism and explains how magnesium deficiency contributes to the onset, progression, and complications of diabetes mellitus while highlighting the therapeutic potential of magnesium supplementation.

Recent findings: Magnesium is important for many enzyme functions, including those needed for insulin synthesis, release, and action. Clinical studies have shown that magnesium helps maintain stable blood sugar levels. Furthermore, studies have shown that adequate magnesium status is associated with a reduced risk of diabetes-related complications. Lifestyle modifications, particularly a balanced diet that ensures adequate magnesium intake, have been shown to provide additional benefits for glycemic control. Emerging evidence suggests that magnesium may be a beneficial adjuvant therapy for managing diabetes-related complications.

Purpose of review: To examine the interplay between obesity, nutritional vulnerability, and long COVID, with a particular focus on neuroinflammatory and cognitive outcomes. This review synthesizes emerging evidence on shared pathophysiological pathways and evaluates the therapeutic potential of dietary and weight management strategies.

Recent findings: Cognitive symptoms such as brain fog and memory deficits are among the most persistent and disabling features of long COVID. Obesity is associated with more severe manifestations through pathways involving chronic systemic inflammation, compromised blood-brain barrier integrity, and neuroimmune dysregulation. Concurrently, malnutrition and poor diet quality including low intake of antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, and micronutrients may impair neuroplasticity and delay recovery. Interventions such as Mediterranean and ketogenic dietary patterns, as well as structured weight loss programs, show promise in reducing inflammation and improving cognitive outcomes. Obesity and suboptimal nutritional status amplify the neurocognitive burden of long COVID through shared pathophysiological mechanisms. Integrated care models that incorporate metabolic screening, nutritional assessment, and individualized dietary interventions may improve recovery trajectories. Public health strategies that address food quality, obesity prevention, and equitable access to nutrition care are essential for long-term resilience in the post-COVID era.

Purpose of review: This narrative review aims to examine the neurobiological consequences of high-fat, high-sugar (HFHS) diets on the mesocorticolimbic reward system. Emphasis is placed on how dopamine and opioid signaling interact to drive maladaptive behaviors such as compulsive eating and food addiction.

Recent findings: High-fat, high-sugar (HFHS) diets have a profound impact on the mesocorticolimbic reward system, altering the function of both dopamine and opioid signaling. Evidence from animal and human studies shows that acute consumption of HFHS foods produces supra-additive effects, boosting dopamine release in the Ventral Tegmental Area-Nucleus Accumens (VTA-NAc) pathway and enhancing pleasure through µ-opioid receptor activation, which reinforces repeated intake. Chronic exposure, however, results in maladaptive neuroplasticity, including downregulation of D2 receptors, weakened dopamine signaling, synaptic desensitization, and structural impairments in the prefrontal cortex. These changes parallel neural adaptations observed in substance use disorders, manifesting as tolerance, loss of control, and cue-induced craving. The opioid system also contributes to stress-related comfort eating. In contrast, individual variability in response to treatments such as the opioid antagonist naltrexone has been linked to genetic factors, including Opioid Receptor Mu 1 (OPRM1) polymorphisms. HFHS diets profoundly reshape the brain's reward circuitry, promoting tolerance, craving, and compulsive consumption that mirror substance addiction. These findings support the conceptualization of food addiction as a neurobiological condition and highlight the importance of personalized treatment approaches. A better understanding of dopaminergic and opioid system interactions will inform targeted interventions to prevent and manage diet-related obesity and eating disorders.

Background: Fasting, practiced in clinical, cultural, and faith-based contexts, has emerged as a non-pharmacological strategy capable of modulating multiple physiological systems. Contemporary evidence suggests that diverse fasting patterns (intermittent and time-restricted fasting, Ramadan fasting, alternate-day and periodic fasting, dry fasting, and fasting-mimicking diets) converge on shared metabolic-circadian-immune pathways and can be conceptualized within an integrated resilience framework.

Aim: This narrative review synthesizes current experimental and human data on fasting as a multisystem health modulator, linking metabolic, cardiovascular, immune, gut-liver-microbiome, neurocognitive, endocrine, and psychospiritual effects to common regulatory axes, particularly the Metabolic-Circadian-Immune (MCI) and Energy-Information-Resilience (EIR) models.

Results: Across fasting modalities, activation of energy-sensing pathways (AMPK-SIRT1-mTOR), metabolic switching to lipolysis and ketogenesis, enhanced autophagy/mitophagy, and improved insulin sensitivity have been shown to support the management of obesity, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Fasting also modulates immune and inflammatory tone, reshapes the gut microbiome, and may benefit autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. Cardiovascular, endocrine, and neurocognitive domains show improvements in blood pressure, lipid profiles, neurotrophic signaling, mood, and cognitive resilience, while structured religious fasting (e.g., Ramadan) can additionally reinforce psychological discipline and spiritual well-being. At the same time, responses are heterogeneous, and prolonged or intensive regimens may pose risks in vulnerable populations.

Conclusion: Fasting can be viewed as a low-cost, multidimensional "biopsychospiritual" health intervention acting through interconnected metabolic, circadian, immune, and neurobehavioral pathways. By integrating traditional and religious fasting practices with contemporary mechanistic and clinical data, this review highlights shared energy- and immune-regulatory axes and underscores the potential of fasting within integrative, preventive, and personalized care. Standardized protocols, long-term outcomes, and multimodal trials combining immunophenotyping, microbiome/metabolomic profiling, and neuroimaging remain priorities for future research.

Purpose of review: In this narrative review, we provide an overview of the current understanding of the lifestyle factors that are associated with longevity and healthy aging, having Centenarians as a reference population.  RECENT FINDINGS: Despite cultural differences, Centenarians exhibit common behavioural patterns and lifestyle habits believed to promote longevity. In particular, plant-based dietary patterns provide antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, thus counteracting physiological and pathophysiological processes relating to unsuccessful aging. Regular physical activity reduces inflammation and preserves lean mass, leading to metabolic fitness and adequate body composition. Finally, meditation practices have been shown to reduce stress reactivity and inflammatory responses related to cortisol secretion. This multifactorial approach might improve the health status and life quality of older people as a priority of the continuous increase of the ageing population.  For the promotion of successful aging, lifestyle interventions should follow a multifactorial approach. This review offers specific recommendations to promote longevity in the general population, including plant-based eating patterns, physical activity and psychological well-being.

Purpose of review: Obesity remains a significant public health issue worldwide. This review aims to evaluate the potential of paraprobiotics (non-viable microbial cells) and postbiotics (metabolites and/or structural components derived from non-viable microorganisms) as novel therapeutic strategies for obesity treatment by modulating the gut microbiota. These agents offer a safer profile compared to live probiotics and can be used even in immunocompromised individuals.

Recent findings: Paraprobiotics and postbiotics have been shown to exert beneficial effects on obesity by balancing the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio, enhancing short-chain fatty acid production, strengthening intestinal barrier integrity, and reducing chronic inflammation. Evidence from preclinical models and a limited number of human studies indicates that inactivated forms, particularly those derived from Lactobacillus and Akkermansia species, lead to improvements in metabolic parameters, fat mass, and body weight. Paraprobiotics and postbiotics emerge as promising complementary approaches in the management of obesity. However, translating this potential into clinical practice requires further large-scale randomized controlled human trials to confirm efficacy, establish optimal dosages, and ensure formulation stability.

Purpose of review: Obesity has emerged as a worldwide health issue because of sedentary lifestyles, inadequate nutritional practices, and metabolic dysfunction. Traditional anti-obesity medications, although efficacious, often exhibit considerable adverse effects, resulting in their market removal. Consequently, there is increasing interest in natural phytoconstituents that may regulate obesity by influencing appetite, satiety, and energy expenditure via thermogenesis. This review emphasizes on various bioactive phytoconstituents that ameliorate obesity by modulating energy expenditure and appetite while also putting the focus on various reported mechanisms of the determined effect.

Recent findings: Appetite and satiety are regulated by hypothalamic neurons (AgRP/NPY and POMC) and gastrointestinal hormones (ghrelin, CCK, GLP-1, PYY), with phytoconstituents such as celastrol, protopanaxadiol, hydroxycitric acid, naringenin, and β-sitosterol successfully inhibiting appetite via these mechanisms. Furthermore, thermogenic agents like capsaicin, gingerols, curcumin, caffeine, fucoxanthin, and resveratrol increase energy expenditure by stimulating brown adipose tissue (BAT), upregulating uncoupling protein 1 (UCP-1), and facilitating lipolysis. Certain phytoconstituents, such as β-caryophyllene and guggulsterone, demonstrate dual actions by suppressing hunger and enhancing thermogenesis. In comparison to traditional anti-obesity medications (e.g., phentermine, sibutramine, GLP-1 agonists), these natural alternatives have similar effectiveness with less side effects, establishing them as viable therapeutic choices for obesity treatment. This study emphasizes the efficacy of phytoconstituents in obesity management via hunger suppression and thermogenic stimulation. These natural substances provide a safer and more effective method for weight control by focusing on neuroendocrine signaling, mitochondrial uncoupling, and adipokine modulation. Future research must concentrate on clinical validation, increase of bioavailability, and synergistic combinations to maximize anti-obesity benefits.