Current Nutrition Reports最新文献

Purpose of review: This narrative review aims to synthesize evidence regarding plasma taurine concentrations in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), explore the underlying mechanisms involved and evaluate the therapeutic potential of taurine as an adjuvant treatment. Finally, it highlights key knowledge gaps and perspectives for future clinical research. Taurine, a sulfur-containing amino acid, exhibits notable antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It plays essential roles in glucose homeostasis, osmoregulation, mitochondrial protection, and the neutralization of reactive and toxic compounds. T2DM, the most common form of diabetes, is characterized by insulin resistance, pancreatic β-cell dysfunction, low-grade systemic inflammation, and oxidative stress-factors that aggravate glucose dysregulation and cellular damage. Although lifestyle interventions are the cornerstone of T2DM management, there is growing interest in complementary therapies that target these molecular dysfunctions.

Recent findings: Plasma taurine concentrations have been found to be reduced in individuals with T2DM, likely due to impaired reabsorption, increased renal excretion, and elevated tissue demand caused by hyperglycemia and chronic inflammation. Experimental studies suggest that taurine supplementation can enhance insulin secretion, improve insulin signaling via the PI3K/Akt pathway, and modulate GLP-1 release. Preliminary human trials also indicate improvements in insulin sensitivity and fasting glucose levels. Taurine is essential for metabolic and cellular homeostasis, with reduced levels observed in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Emerging evidence suggests its supplementation may help counteract diabetes-related metabolic dysfunctions, supporting its potential as a complementary therapeutic strategy.

Purpose of review: This review aims to comprehensively evaluate the effects of plant-based diets (PBDs) on energy metabolism, with particular attention to their potential impacts on total energy expenditure (TEE) through basal metabolic rate (BMR), the thermic effect of food (TEF), and physical activity (PA), as well as the underlying physiological and biochemical mechanisms. Additionally, this work aims to explore the scope of changes in energy metabolism in relation to the effects of PBDs on metabolic functions, and to examine how these changes reflect on overall metabolic balance.

Recent findings: Plant-based diets appear to influence energy metabolism through various mechanisms, including increased dietary fiber intake, higher consumption of plant-based fats, greater intake of polyphenols and antioxidants, and reduced consumption of energy and animal-based proteins. Moreover, PBDs may impact energy metabolism by promoting weight loss, reducing lean and fat mass, and altering body composition. Although there is some evidence suggesting that PBDs may affect energy metabolism and metabolic functions, the existing research is limited and inconsistent. PBDs may affect energy metabolism through their dietary pattern and content. The impact of PBDs on metabolic functions through their effect on energy metabolism is also notable. Further research is required to investigate the impact of plant-based diets on energy metabolism and to clarify the relationship between changes in energy metabolism and metabolic functions.

Purpose of review: This review explores the emerging role of zinc (Zn) as a critical regulator of adipose organ structure and function, highlighting how Zn-related molecular networks contribute to the pathogenesis of obesity and associated metabolic disorders.

Recent findings: Experimental Zn-deficient models, and genetically-modified Zn-associated proteins, including Zn transporters [i.e., ZnTs (SLC30 family) and Zips (SLC39 family)], zinc-α₂-glycoprotein (ZAG), metallothioneins (MTs), and zinc finger proteins (ZFPs), demonstrate that Zn is indispensable for maintaining adipose organ integrity. Loss of these proteins disrupts adipogenesis, promotes adipocyte hypertrophy, induces macrophage infiltration and M₁ polarization, and drives pathological visceral fat expansion, resulting in systemic metabolic dysregulation. Zn plays a pivotal role in preserving adipose organ health and systemic metabolic balance. Further investigation is needed to elucidate depot-specific effects of Zn and the coordinated roles of Zn-handling proteins in adipose tissue, which may open new avenues for therapeutic strategies against obesity and metabolic diseases.

Purpose of the review: This review aims to compare the impact of unprocessed animal foods with ultra-processed plant-based alternatives, particularly plant-based milks, plant-based meat analogs, and margarine, on cardiometabolic risk factors, chronic diseases, and mortality.

Recent findings: The ultra-processed food category is highly heterogeneous, encompassing products with varying ingredients and nutrient profiles. Plant-based milks, plant-based meat analogs, and margarine, typically classified as ultra-processed foods, differ markedly from their unprocessed animal-based counterparts: they do not contain cholesterol or heme iron, have lower concentrations of saturated fat, sulfur, and branched-chain amino acids, and provide dietary fiber, which is absent in animal-based foods. Replacing dairy milk with soymilk have been shown to reduce total cholesterol (TC), LDL cholesterol (LDL-C), and C-reactive protein (CRP), and is associated with a lower risk of breast cancer. Compared to unprocessed animal-based products, plant-based meat analogs are associated with reductions in TC, LDL-C, body weight, plasma ammonia, and trimethylamine oxide (TMAO). Substituting butter with soft margarine reduces TC and LDL-C, and is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular events and mortality. While ultra-processed plant-based foods are less healthy than whole plant foods, they may offer better cardiometabolic outcomes than unprocessed animal-based products. As transitional tools, products such as plant-based milks, meat analogs, and margarine may facilitate dietary shifts. Public health guidance should reflect these nuances to support realistic, health-promoting transitions.

Purpose of review: This review aims to examine adolescent nutrition as a critical and often neglected component of global health agendas. Adolescence represents a period of rapid growth and development with increased nutritional and energy demands, remaining a 'hidden crisis' in nutritional health. The review explores the 'triple burden' of malnutrition affecting this population-undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and overnutrition-and analyzes the individual, social, environmental, and socio-economic factors influencing adolescent nutritional status.

Recent findings: Poor nutrition during adolescence has been linked to both immediate and long-term health consequences, including micronutrient deficiencies, obesity, and cardiometabolic conditions. Evidence suggests that adolescents' heightened receptivity to societal influences can be leveraged through targeted interventions. Family-led programs, environmental reforms, and comprehensive policy measures have shown promising results in promoting healthier nutritional behaviors among adolescents. The nutritional challenges facing adolescents require urgent attention through comprehensive, multi-sectoral strategies. Effective interventions during this critical developmental window can foster long-term health outcomes and help break intergenerational cycles of malnutrition. This review emphasizes the importance of prioritizing adolescent nutrition within global health initiatives to address this significant and often overlooked public health concern.

Purpose of the review: In addition to diet quality, which influences the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), temporal eating patterns, such as meal frequency, duration, regularity, and timing, may also play an important role. Recent studies have suggest that these eating patterns can influence CRC risk; however, dietary guidelines predominantly emphasise modifying the intake of specific food items to reduce risk and promote overall health. Additionally, comprehensive studies examining the relationship between temporal eating patterns and CRC risk are lacking. This review aimed to synthesise the available evidence on how temporal eating patterns may affect CRC risk and mortality. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, a systematic literature review was conducted using databases such as Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, and ProQuest, ultimately including 20 relevant articles.

Recent findings: Higher eating frequency, particularly when involving unhealthy foods, along with skipping breakfast and increased snacking may elevate CRC risk. Furthermore, a short interval between the last meal and bedtime has been associated with an increased risk of CRC and related mortality. The findings suggest that a short interval between the last meal and bedtime may increase CRC risk, potentially through mechanisms such as circadian rhythm disruption, oxidative stress, and inflammation. In addtion, higher meal frequency, particularly when coupled with an unhealthy diet, appears to further elevate the risk. Future research should employ standardised definitions and detailed assessment of 24-hour eating patterns to better elucidate their relationship with CRC outcomes.

Purpose of review: This review provides an overview of the relationship among nutritional, environmental, and genetic factors in the development of the chronic inflammatory state, starting from the inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) up to the onset of Colorectal Cancer (CRC). Finally, it also examines potential prospects and future topics of research taking into account the relation between nutrition and epigenetic factors.

Recent findings: Evidence indicates that genetic and lifestyle-related factors play a crucial role in CRC etiology. Dietary intake may induce epigenetic alterations which in turn, result in carcinogenesis. Several bioactive components can modify epigenetic mechanisms, required for gene activation or silencing, thus, representing a potential way of preventing CRC. The gene-diet interaction analysis suggested some functions and pathways that may affect the CRC development. In this view, personalized nutrition, which is an approach that combines with new omics technologies, could represent a new possible key for personalized prevention and treatment in association with other cancer prevention and chemotherapeutic therapies.

Purpose of review: Non-communicable diseases have become a greater global burden in recent years. An unhealthy diet is one of the primary behavioral factors that have been associated with cardiometabolic diseases. Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have emerged as a predominant element of modern diets, prompting much concern regarding their effects on cardiometabolic health. This review aimed to examine the association UPF consumption and cardiometabolic diseases, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases, by integrating results from cross-sectional and longitudinal studies, meta-analyses, and mechanistic research.

Recent findings: The cost-effectiveness, prolonged shelf life, palatability, convenience, and marketing strategies of UPFs contribute to their overconsumption, substituting nutrient-rich meals with energy-dense, high-fat, high-sugar, and low-fiber alternatives. These dietary shifts disturb metabolic regulation, promote weight gain, and elevate the risk of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases. High consumption of UPFs has been consistently associated with greater obesity rates and a higher prevalence of cardiometabolic diseases. Moreover, regular or over-consumption is associated with systemic inflammation and oxidative stress, both of which intensify the mechanisms contributing to cardiometabolic risk. The increasing body of evidence that establishes a correlation between the consumption of UPFs and cardiometabolic diseases emphasizes the pressing necessity of public health interventions to encourage healthier dietary habits and alleviate the global burden of non-communicable diseases.