Food & Nutrition Research最新文献

Background: Front-of-pack nutrition labelling is an important policy tool for public health. The Nutri-Score classifies foods according to nutritional quality from A (high quality) to E (low quality). We have previously identified inconsistencies between Nutri-Score and the Norwegian food-based dietary guidelines. The objective was to propose revisions to the Nutri-Score 2023 algorithms and determine if the revised algorithms better align with the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023 (NNR2023) and the Keyhole label.

Methods: Items in the Norwegian pre-packed foods databases Tradesolution (n = 26,033) and Unil (n = 577) were classified using the Nutri-Score 2023 algorithms. To address carbohydrate quality, a penalty for low-fibre content was introduced, and the sugar scale compressed. The protein cap was removed for fish products to reward their nutritional quality. To improve the scoring of high-fat foods, the scale for saturated fat was extended, fat content determined the inclusion in the algorithm for fats, rather than food categories, and favourable fat quality in oils was rewarded through a fat quality component. Data from the databases guided the identification of specific thresholds. The distribution of Nutri-Score was calculated before and after applying the revisions.

Results: In total, 5.5% of all products received a less favourable Nutri-Score with the revised carbohydrate quality components. Most refined pastas and flour shifted shifted from A to B or C, whilst whole grain pasta largely remained A. Sugar-rich breakfast cereals shifted from B to C or D. For fish, 11% (1% of all products) were moved from D or E to C or D. The variation in scores for cheese and creams increased. Around 5% of all products were affected by the revisions related to fat quality.

Conclusions: The proposed revisions make the Nutri-Score more coherent with the NNR2023 and the Keyhole label. The proposed revisions also hold relevance for other European countries and should therefore be considered in the next revision of the Nutri-Score.

Objective: This study investigated the mechanisms related to lipid metabolism regulation after combined supplementation with deer antler polysaccharides and postbiotics.

Methods: Thirty-two male mice were divided into high-fat diet, HD + deer antler polysaccharides, HD + Bacillus coagulans postbiotics, and HD + deer antler polysaccharides + B. coagulans postbiotics groups. The diets contained 60% fat. After 9 weeks, the effects of deer antler polysaccharides and postbiotics on lipid metabolism were assessed through blood biochemical, histological tissue staining, and polymerase chain reaction analyses.

Results: Supplementation with deer antler polysaccharides and postbiotics significantly inhibited weight gain in obese mice, reduced serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein levels and markedly increased the serum high-density lipoprotein level. Additionally, hepatic lipid droplet accumulation and adipocyte hypertrophy improved. The expressions of the lipid synthesis genes, sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (i.e. SREBP-1c), and fatty acid synthase (i.e. FAS), significantly decreased, while peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (i.e. PPAR-α) and acyl-CoA oxidase 1 (i.e. ACOX1) expression significantly increased. The expressions of the inflammation-related genes, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (i.e. TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-1 also significantly decreased.

Conclusion: Thus, combined deer antler polysaccharides and postbiotic supplementation regulated obesity in mice, potentially by modulating lipid synthesis and inflammation-related gene expression.

Background: Dietary sugar intake has been implicated in the development of metabolic dysfunction, chronic inflammation, and immune dysfunction, contributing to the pathogenesis of various diseases. This study aimed to investigate the associations between dietary total simple sugar intake and glycemic markers, lipid profile, serum levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and adenosine deaminase activity (ADA), among semi-professional football players.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 108 semi-professional football players. Dietary intake of simple sugars was assessed using validated dietary assessment tools, while serum levels of biochemical variables were measured using standard laboratory assays. Multinomial logistic regression analysis and partial correlation analysis were performed to examine the associations between dietary simple sugars and serum biomarkers, adjusting for confounders.

Results: Strong positive associations were observed between dietary total simple sugar intake and hs-CRP and ADA levels in multinomial regression analysis. Also, among individual assessment of dietary simple sugars, dietary fructose and glucose intake were positively correlated with serum hs-CRP levels (r = 0.484, P < 0.001 and r = 0.393, P < 0.001, respectively) and serum ADA levels (r = 0.233, P = 0.001 for glucose; r = 0.188, P = 0.01 for fructose). There was no other association between dietary simple sugar intake and metabolic parameters.

Conclusion: Our findings highlight the significant impact of dietary sugar intake on inflammation, as reflected by serum hs-CRP and ADA levels. Strategies aimed at reducing sugar consumption may help mitigate inflammation and improve overall health outcomes. Further research is warranted to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and to explore potential therapeutic interventions targeting dietary sugar intake for the prevention and management of chronic diseases.

Objective: To investigate the relative validity of bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) in estimating fat mass (FM) and fat free mass (FFM) with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) as reference method in women with overweight and obesity 2 weeks and 6 months postpartum (pp).

Methods: Body composition of 94 women with overweight and obesity was assessed using Seca mBCA 515 and GE Healthcare Lunar iDXA. Agreement between the two methods for FM and FFM at 2 weeks and 6 months pp, as well as the changes in FM and FFM between the two timepoints, were tested using paired t-test, Bland-Altman plots and regression analyses.

Results: The mean (standard deviation [SD]) body mass index (BMI) at 2 weeks pp was 30.6 (2.6) kg/m² and mean (SD) weight loss at 6 months pp was 4.7 (4.8) kg. BIA underestimated FM at both 2 weeks pp and 6 months pp by mean (SD) 0.7 (1.4) kg and 0.3 (1.3) kg and overestimated FFM at both timepoints by 1.2 (1.5) kg and 0.7 (1.4) kg, with proportional bias for FFM. BIA underestimated changes in FM by mean (SD) 0.5 (1.1) kg and overestimated changes in FFM by 0.5 (1.0) kg, with proportional bias for change in extracellular water by total body water. Agreement was generally high for both cross-sectional and longitudinal comparisons.

Conclusions: At group level, BIA was a valid tool for assessment of FM and FFM in women with overweight and obesity at 2 weeks and 6 months pp when compared to DXA. We also consider it valid for following changes in FM and FFM over time when fluid distribution is stable.

Background: Food production contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and pollution. Climate and environmental impacts from food production vary across geographical areas. To estimate these impacts of food and diets, country-specific data are needed.

Objective: This project aimed to compile an environmental impact food database, including the impact categories (ICs) global warming potential, soil acidification, freshwater and saltwater eutrophication, water use and land use, representative of the Norwegian diet.

Design: The compilation was based on literature searches for original life cycle assessment (LCA) studies on foods, including domestic and imported foods, which constitute the habitual diet in Norway. Food items of importance in the average Norwegian diet were identified based on the national dietary survey Norkost 3. The study's generic system boundaries included impacts from farm to fork: production, processing, packaging, transportation, storage and food preparation at home. Conversion factors for edible portions were applied when relevant. When LCA data of a certain food were missing, data from foods with similar cultivation conditions and nutritional composition were used as proxies. Data from other LCA food databases were also used if original LCA studies were not identified, or the LCA studies found were evaluated as being of poor quality.

Results: The compiled database is tailored specifically for and covers main animal- and plant-based foods in the Norwegian diet.

Discussion: Limitations of the compilation project include the fact that most LCA studies identified in the present project covered ICs up to the farm gate and used varying methodology. Also, proxy values were used when data for specific food items were missing. These methodological issues introduce variability and complicate direct comparisons. The strength of the present study is the thorough work in compiling and filling data gaps for the IC values of foods in the Norwegian diet.

Conclusions: The Norwegian LCA food database enables simultaneous estimation of food and nutrient intakes and estimation of climate and environmental impacts of Norwegian diets.

Objective: Myricetin is a bioactive compound in many edible plants. We have previously demonstrated that myricetin could significantly protect mice against colitis by regulating Treg/Th17 balance, while underlying mechanism remains unclear. The current study aimed to unravel the potential regulating mechanism of myricetin.

Methods: The concentrations of 22 amino acids in colon were determined using HPLC-MS/MS and principal component analysis (PCA) was performed on the data. MetaboAnalyst was used to detect potential biological pathway influenced by myricetin. The results were further verified using qPCR, molecular docking method, and AhR inhibitor.

Results: Studies had found that the biosynthesis of phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan; phenylalanine metabolism; and histidine metabolism were the most important pathways related to myricetin. Therefore, the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), which is closely related to the metabolism of tryptophan, phenylalanine, and tyrosine, was postulated to be the underlying signaling pathways. Furthermore, administration of myricet in significantly increased the relative expressions of CYP1A1 and CYP1B1, whereas AhR inhibitor abolished the amelioration of myricetin on DSS-induced colitis. Moreover, AhR inhibitor weakened the regulatory effect of myricetin on Treg/Th17 balance. Furthermore, the results obtained by the molecular docking method speculated that myricetin could bind to AhR as a ligand and activate AhR.

Conclusion: The results suggested that myricetin could exert its protection against dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis by activating AhR signaling pathway.

Buckwheat is a pseudocereal whose seeds are rich in numerous health-positive phytochemicals including polyphenols. Several methods for extracting these compounds can be found in the literature. The objective of the study was to compare the total polyphenol content (TPC) of seven common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) varieties obtained using different extraction methods/procedures and to assess the impact of the extraction methods on various varieties. The Folin-Ciocalteu spectrophotometric assay was used to measure the TPC. The results showed that TPC was significantly dependent on the extraction solvent and the efficiency of the solvents may be ordered from high to low efficacy as follows: 80% acetone > 0.1% HCl in methanol > 80% methanol = 80% ethanol > 100% methanol > water = 100% ethanol. TPC increased with increasing temperature during extraction and procedures based on alkaline hydrolysis proved to be more effective than those based on the acidic one. The responses of different buckwheat varieties to various extract preparations slightly differed, which could be attributed to each variety's specific composition of extractable and bound polyphenols. It can be suggested that using more than one extraction method gives more robust information for good characterizing of buckwheat varieties according to their TPC for breeding and food use purposes.

Background: The relationship between dietary fiber intake and cancer outcomes, including incidence, recurrence, and mortality, is crucial for understanding cancer prevention strategies.

Methods: An umbrella review was conducted, analyzing existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses from PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. This included data from 26 meta-analyses based on 2,107 unique articles, covering 52 observational study outcomes. The quality of the studies was assessed using the AMSTAR 2 tool.

Results: High fiber intake significantly lowers the risk of cancers affecting the digestive, reproductive, and urinary systems, including esophageal adenoma, squamous cell carcinoma, gastric, pancreatic, colon, rectal, colorectal adenoma, breast, ovarian, endometrial, prostate, renal cell, and bladder cancers. Findings estimated that the risk of Colon cancer between total dietary fiber (TDF) was 0.74 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.67-0.82), and the risk of Colorectal cancer between TDF was 0.88 (95% CI: 0.82-0.94). TDF was also found to be protective against Barrett's esophagus and esophagus cancer, esophageal adenomas, and esophagus squamous cell carcinoma, with effect sizes of 0.52 (95% CI: 0.43-0.64), 0.50 (95% CI: 0.37-0.67), and 0.53 (95% CI: 0.31-0.90), respectively. Conversely, increased intake of cereal fiber was associated with a higher incidence of renal cell carcinoma and endometrial cancer. Dose-response analyses revealed that increments of 2.5, 5, or 10 g per day in dietary fiber could lead to different levels of risk reduction for these cancers. Meta-regression suggested an optimal fiber intake range of 7-36 g per day for colon cancer prevention. However, the overall study quality was predominantly rated as 'very low'.

Conclusions: Higher dietary fiber intake is linked to reduced cancer risk and improved outcomes. These findings highlight dietary fiber's importance in cancer prevention and care.

Background: Maternal nutrition profoundly influences offspring health, impacting both prenatal and early postnatal development. Previous studies have demonstrated that maternal dietary habits can affect key developmental pathways in the offsprings, including those related to lung function and disease susceptibility. However, the sex-specific impact of a maternal high-salt diet (HSD) on offspring lung injury remains poorly understood.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the sex-specific effects of maternal HSD on lung injury in mouse offsprings, focusing on pathways related to fibrosis, metabolism, immunity, and apoptosis.

Design: Pregnant C57BL/6J mice were subjected to either normal or HSD conditions during gestation. Lung tissues from the male and female offsprings were analyzed using high-throughput RNA sequencing and bioinformatics tools to examine transcriptomic changes. Wet-lab validation, including Masson trichrome staining, immunofluorescence for α-SMA, and qRT-PCR for fibrotic markers (α-SMA, collagen I, Fn1, and TGF-β), was conducted to confirm fibrosis and other injury markers. Lung structure and weight were also evaluated to assess physical alterations due to maternal diet.

Results: Maternal HSD significantly altered lung transcriptomes in a sex-specific manner. Male offsprings showed increased susceptibility to fibrosis, as confirmed by histological and molecular analyses, including elevated expression of α-SMA, collagen I, Fn1, and TGF-β. In contrast, female offsprings exhibited distinct changes in metabolic and immune pathways. These findings highlight the differential regulation of pulmonary injury mechanisms between male and female offsprings exposed to HSD.

Conclusions: Maternal HSD induces sex-specific lung injury in offsprings by disrupting critical pathways involved in fibrosis, metabolism, immunity, and apoptosis. The combination of transcriptomic and orthogonal data underscores the need for balanced maternal nutrition during pregnancy to promote long-term respiratory health in offsprings. These results provide new insights into the sex-specific vulnerabilities to lung disease arising from maternal diet.

Background: Breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality among women globally, with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) being particularly aggressive. Delphinidin (Dp), an anthocyanin monomer, has shown promising health benefits.

Objective: This study investigates the effects of Dp on TNBC and aims to elucidate its specific mechanisms of action.

Design: We utilized cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assays, colony formation assays, and scratch assays to evaluate the influence of Dp on the proliferation and migration of TNBC cells. Flow cytometry was employed to analyze programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and Cluster of Differentiation 69 expression, while Western blotting assessed the levels of PD-L1, Janus Kinase 2 (JAK2), Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3), p-JAK2, p-STAT3, and exosomal marker proteins. Additionally, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was conducted to measure concentrations of PD-L1, interferon-γ (IFN-γ), and tumor necrosis factor-β (TNF-β).

Results: Dp effectively inhibited TNBC cell proliferation and migration, as evidenced by CCK-8, colony formation, and scratch assays. Flow cytometry and Western blot analysis indicated a reduction in PD-L1 expression in TNBC cells. Meanwhile, we successfully isolated TNBC cell-derived exosomes, with ELISA experiments showing a decrease in PD-L1 expression in these exosomes following Dp treatment. In a co-culture system with TNBC and Jurkat cells, Dp enhanced Cluster of Differentiation 69 expression and reactivated Jurkat cells, resulting in increased secretion of IFN-γ and TNF-β. Additionally, Dp significantly reduced the p-JAK2/JAK2 and p-STAT3/STAT3 ratios in TNBC cells.

Conclusion: Dp may exert its anti-TNBC effects by downregulating PD-L1 expression in TNBC cells and exosomes through the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway, potentially restoring T cell activity and modifying the tumor microenvironment.