Frontiers in Nutrition最新文献

Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate whether depression may mediate the association between arthritis and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in diverse BMI-based obese populations with multi-parameter metabolic signatures including insulin resistance, inflammatory markers, and lipid metabolism indices.

Methods: The relationships between arthritis, MCI, and depression were investigated in a large-scale study that used logistic regression, subgroup analyses, and mediation analyses. The participants in the study came from obese individuals classified into distinct metabolic obesity phenotypes based on insulin resistance, inflammatory markers, and lipid metabolism.

Results: Arthritis is positively correlated with MCI (OR = 1.86, 95% CI = 1.60-2.17, p < 0.001), especially in the metabolically unhealthy overweight/obesity population (OR = 2.27, 95% CI = 1.73-2.97, p < 0.001), and depression plays a mediating role in the relationship between arthritis and MCI in this population (proportion of mediation: 17.5%).

Conclusion: The results of this study highlight the potential clinical value of an integrated management strategy combining metabolic regulation, anti-inflammatory treatment, and routine depression screening in obese patients with arthritis to reduce the risk of cognitive decline.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1723180.].

Diet is a pivotal determinant of gut microbial ecology, giving not only rise to specific bacterial compositionality but also its functional output. Studying functional readouts-such as microbial metabolite production-could provide a more accurate and mechanistically informative measure of intervention outcome than traditional compositional profiling alone. Bacterial membrane vesicles (bMVs) are gaining attention as mediators of microbial metabolism and output. These nanoparticles are selectively released as carriers of bioactive proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and metabolites reflective of the activity of the parent bacteria. Importantly, bMVs are rigid, can efficiently be isolated from feces, and are able to stably transport their cargo to interact with the host. In interacting with immune cells or pathogen recognition receptors, they can potentiate inflammatory responses. Given their extensive, multifaceted involvement in inter-Kingdom communication, bMVs represent an important biomarker for evaluating dietary modulation of gut microbial function. We propose that characterization of gut-derived bMVs offers a highly sensitive, mechanistically grounded approach to titrating impact of dietary interventions. By capturing shifts in microbial metabolic activity and inflammatory potential, bMV-based assessments could complement or surpass traditional measures of microbiome compositional change. Integrating bMV profiling into dietary intervention studies may therefore provide new insight into the functional consequences of diet-microbiome interactions and help refine strategies aimed at reducing inflammation and promoting host health.

Despite well-established benefits of exercise on metabolic regulation and the gut microbiome (GM), its impact on body composition is inconsistent and often attenuated by metabolic adaptation. This compensation mechanism adjusts energy expenditure including total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) and resting metabolic rate (RMR). Intra-individual variation in exercise response remains unclear, but might be explained by the GM. In this well-controlled study, we investigated the relationship between aerobic exercise, GM composition, and metabolic adaptation in a cohort of 16 sedentary overweight adults (ages 21-45, 50% female) over a 12-week moderate-intensity intervention (65-75% HRmax; 20 kcal/kg/week). Pre- and post-intervention RMR was measured via whole-room calorimetry, TDEE by doubly labeled water, and GM composition via shotgun metagenomics. While body composition did not change at the group-level, a subset of participants ("responders") showed improved body composition and aerobic capacity. Using machine learning, we identified bacterial species, including Faecalibacterium prausnitzii species, whose abundance pre-training is predictive of response. Additionally, we found that responder GM communities are more compositionally cohesive and post-training increases in GM diversity are associated with higher TDEE and RMR. These findings highlight the complex interaction between exercise, metabolism and the GM, and suggest that baseline GM characteristics may contribute to individual variability in metabolic adaptation. This insight may help guide microbiome-informed strategies to enhance exercise efficacy. Clinical trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT04460040.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1716435.].

Background: Bone loss is a serious complication of mechanical unloading, such as that experienced during spaceflight or prolonged bed rest, and represents a significant clinical concern. Although the gut-bone axis has been implicated in bone homeostasis, its role under unloading conditions remains underexplored.

Methods: In this study, we employed a hindlimb unloading (HU) mouse model to investigate the underlying mechanisms of HU-induced bone loss and the potential protective role of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG). Gut microbiota (16S rRNA sequencing), short-chain fatty acids (LC-MS/MS), intestinal barrier proteins (ZO-1/Occludin), inflammatory cytokines in bone tissue (TNF-α/IL-1β/IL-10), regulatory T (Treg), bone markers (BALP/OPG/OCN/PINP/CTX), and microarchitecture (Micro-CT) were analyzed.

Results: Hindlimb unloading (HU) disrupted gut microbiota composition, reduced short-chain fatty acids (SCFA)-producing bacteria, and decreased SCFA levels, which was accompanied by reduced expression of ZO-1 and Occludin, elevated circulating LPS levels, and enhanced inflammatory markers in the bone microenvironment. Additionally, the proportion of Treg cells was reduced, which was associated with markers indicative of disrupted bone remodeling. LGG treatment was associated with partial restoration of microbial composition and SCFA levels, accompanied by improved intestinal barrier markers, reduced LPS and inflammatory cytokines, increased Treg proportions, and amelioration of bone microarchitecture.

Conclusion: These findings suggested that LGG may have conferred protection against unloading-induced bone loss, potentially through modulation of the gut microbiota, alterations in SCFA profiles, improvement of intestinal barrier function, and immune regulatory changes involving Treg cells. This work highlighted the therapeutic potential of targeting the gut-bone axis to mitigate bone loss in microgravity or immobilization settings.

Lipids are crucial determinants of the flavor and nutritional quality of meat. However, a deep understanding of how specific fatty acids direct the formation of key aroma compounds during thermal processing remains a challenge. This study employed an innovative fatty acidomics approach combined with HS-SPME-GC-TOFMS to systematically investigate the relationship between the lipid composition of six beef cuts (with three biological replicates per cut) and the volatile aroma profiles generated upon roasting. Multivariate statistics and correlation network analysis revealed that ultra-long-chain saturated fatty acids (C21:0, C22:0) showed strong positive correlations with fruity and cheesy aroma-related ketones (2-octanone, 2-heptanone), while the monounsaturated fatty acid C18:1n9c was significantly correlated with mushroom-alcohol (1-octen-3-ol). These flavors were formed through thermal degradation of saturated fatty acids and the specific 10-hydroperoxide cleavage of oleic acid. Conversely, polyunsaturated fatty acids such as C20:3n3 and C18:2n6t exhibited a significant negative correlation with dimethyl trisulfide, an undesirable sulfurous off-flavor compound. This suggests a competitive inhibition mechanism whereby rapid PUFA oxidation consumes reactive intermediates, thereby suppressing the Maillard reaction pathway responsible for off-flavor formation. Our findings provide novel biochemical insights into how the lipid matrix directly generates positive flavors and indirectly shapes the overall aroma profile. This work provides a theoretical basis for the targeted customization of beef flavor through precise regulation of lipid composition, aligning with the growing demand for nutrition-oriented and sensorially optimized foods.

Introduction: Diet is one of the important factors affecting health and physical performance. The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between the health quality of the diet and selected health indicators in a group of Polish e-sports players training at a professional and semi-professional level. The hypothesis was that a higher quality diet is associated with more favorable health indicators in e-sports players.

Methodology: The study was conducted among 174 men aged 18-28 years, assessing anthropometric characteristics, morphological and biochemical blood biomarkers, and two markers of intestinal permeability in faeces. The Beliefs and Eating Habits Questionnaire KomPAN was used to assess diet quality. Statistical analysis of the relationships between diet quality indicators and health indicators was performed using Spearman's rank correlation and principal component analysis (PCA) and multiple regression, assuming a test probability of p < 0.05.

Results: The study group was dominated by e-sports with low levels of healthy diet indicators pHDI-10 (approx. 96%) and unhealthy diet indicators nHDI-14 (approx. 86%) and low overall diet quality DQI-24 (approx. 96%). Among the health indicators assessed, a low percentage of e-sports players had normal levels of uric acid and glucose in their blood (approx. 69 and 64%, respectively) and zonulin and lipopolysaccharides (LPS) in their faeces (37 and 28%, respectively). The Body Mass Index (BMI) was within the normal range for 60% of the group. Statistical analysis showed that the pHDI-10 index was significantly positively associated with vitamin D (R = 0.18) and HDL cholesterol (R = 0.19) and negatively with uric acid (R = -0.18) and blood glucose (R = -0.21) levels. The nHDI-14 index showed no significant associations with the analysed health indicators. However, the overall diet quality index DQI-24 was significantly negatively associated with uric acid levels (R = -0.18) and blood glucose (R = -0.23).

Conclusion: A low level of dietary health quality, varied health indicators and significant correlations between dietary quality and certain health indicators were demonstrated, suggesting a positive impact of a high-quality diet on the health of Polish e-sports players.

Introduction and aims: Esophageal achalasia (EA) is a rare motility disorder. Symptoms often impair quality of life (QoL) and lead to restrictive, self-managed diets with potential nutritional deficiencies. The study aimed to assess dietary patterns and nutritional status in EA patients.

Materials and methods: EA patients, retrospectively recruited from January 2018 to August 2024, filled out a 15-day diary to record ingested food and relative symptoms onset for each meal. Estimated caloric intake and macronutrient composition were compared to those recommended by the Italian Society of Human Nutrition (SINU). EA activity was assessed with Eckardt Symptoms Score (ESS) and QoL with the MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI).

Results: Of 44 patients (24M, 20F; 56.9 ± 15.7 years), 79% had active disease (ESS ≥3). The mean daily caloric intake was 1,573 ± 368 kcal/die, significantly lower than the estimated needs (p < 0.0001). Macronutrients distribution was unbalanced with an increase in fats (37.8%), a decrease in carbohydrates (43.2%), and insufficient fiber intake (14 g). The most common symptom-triggering foods were bread, pasta, pizza (50-60%). Additionally, 60% reported worsened symptoms with cold foods, while 53% found relief with hot foods.

Conclusion: This study highlights the pivotal role of dietary factors, particularly food consistency and temperature, in the management of EA, supporting the incorporation of individualized dietary counseling into standard EA care.