Background/objectives: Vitamin D is a pleiotropic molecule involved in various physiological processes beyond skeletal health, including immune modulation and metabolic regulation. This prospective observational biomedical study aimed to assess the impact of short-term high-dose vitamin D supplementation on selected metabolic parameters in adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations.
Methods: Thirty patients were enrolled and assigned to receive either 10,000 IU/day of cholecalciferol (Group A) or a significantly lower dose (960 IU/day, Group B) for 12 weeks based on recruitment order (odd/even identification numbers). The primary endpoints were changes in parathyroid hormone (PTH), fasting blood glucose (FBG), calcium, phosphorus, and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c).
Results: A strong, statistically significant negative correlation between changes in 25(OH)D and PTH (Spearman r = -0.69052, p = 0.0044) was also observed. In the high-dose group, 25(OH)D increased from 17.2 to 31.8 ng/mL (median change 13.3 ng/mL), while PTH decreased from 3.27 to 2.76 pmol/L (median change -0.27 pmol/L). In the lower-dose group, 25(OH)D increased from 18.5 to 28.2 ng/mL (median change +8.1 ng/mL). The increase in 25(OH)D was significantly greater in the high-dose group than in the lower-dose group (median change +13.3 vs +8.1 ng/mL, p = 0.015). Within the observed range, patients with larger increases in 25(OH)D tended to show greater reductions in PTH. Other metabolic markers (HbA1c, FBG, calcium, and phosphorus) remained stable over 12 weeks.
Conclusions: These findings support the effectiveness and safety of high-dose vitamin D supplementation in correcting vitamin D deficiency and reducing PTH levels in patients with T2DM while highlighting the need for longer-term studies to evaluate its broader metabolic effects.
Background: Emerging evidence suggests that Spirulina may reduce inflammation by modulating key cytokines, including C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Accordingly, this study conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the effects of Spirulina supplementation on serum levels of inflammatory mediators in adults aged 18 years and older.
Materials and methods: Relevant randomized clinical trials (RCTs) were identified through searches of several databases, including the Cochrane Library, ClinicalTrials.gov, ISI Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed up to August 2025. The pooled effects were calculated using the DerSimonian and Laird random-effects model. Statistical heterogeneity was assessed using I-squared statistics and Cochran's Q test.
Results: Eight studies met the inclusion criteria. The administered dosages of Spirulina varied from 1 g/day to 8 g/day, with intervention durations spanning 3 to 16 weeks. The pooled analysis demonstrated that Spirulina supplementation significantly reduced serum CRP concentrations compared with placebo group (weighted mean difference (WMD): -0.09 mg/L; 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.16 to -0.02). In contrast, Spirulina supplementation caused non-significant reduction in TNF-α concentration (WMD: -0.43 pg/mL; 95% CI: -1.44 to 0.59) and IL-6 (WMD: -0.44 pg/mL; 95% CI: -0.98 to 0.1). However, heterogeneity concerning all inflammatory mediators was significant.
Conclusion: The findings of this study indicated that Spirulina supplementation significantly reduced serum CRP levels, whereas its effects on IL-6 and TNF-α were not statistically significant. Owing to the significant heterogeneity, further high-quality RCTs are needed to confirm these beneficial effects. PROSPERO Registration: The study was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42024606496).
Background: Obesity is a major global health concern, highlighting the need for effective nutritional interventions. Chia seeds (Salvia hispanica L.) are rich in α-linolenic acid and have recently attracted attention for potential metabolic benefits. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the effects of chia seed supplementation on obesity-related indicators in a rat model fed a cafeteria diet.
Methods: Three-week-old male Wistar rats (n = 28) were randomly and equally divided into four groups (n = 7 each) and fed the following diets for 15 weeks: control diet (CON), CON with 20% chia seed-supplemented diet (CONC), cafeteria diet (CAF), and CAF with 20% chia seed-supplemented diet (CAFC). Food consumption and body weights were recorded daily. Tissue and plasma samples were collected at the end of the study, and body composition and gene expression levels in white adipose tissues were analyzed.
Results: The CAF and CAFC showed significantly higher energy intake (198 ± 7.76 and 199 ± 7.76 kcal/day, respectively) and weight gain (509 ± 46.3 and 500 ± 33.8 g, respectively) compared to CON (all p < 0.001). However, chia seed supplementation did not significantly alter body composition (p > 0.05). Plasma leptin levels differed among groups (p = 0.017), with the CAF promoting higher levels than the CON (6.26 ± 1.78 vs. 1.20 ± 0.26 ng/mL). Sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c) expression was higher in the CAFC than in the CAF (p < 0.001). Chia seed supplementation significantly decreased uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) expression in the CONC (p < 0.05 vs. CON), and the CAFC showed a trend toward decreased expression (p = 0.053 vs. CAF). Expression of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) and fatty acid desaturase 2 (FADS2) genes was higher in the CON than in the CAF and CAFC (both p < 0.05).
Conclusions: Chia seed supplementation modified specific gene expression levels, but did not impact primary obesity indicators under obesogenic conditions.
Objective: To explore whether vitamin C supplementation in sepsis patients can reduce the occurrence of acute kidney injury.
Methods: A prospective, randomized and controlled pilot trial was conducted. All individuals participating in the study received comprehensive initial treatment for sepsis. This involved monitoring lactate levels, ensuring appropriate fluid resuscitation, administering empiric broad-spectrum antibiotics, and using vasoactive medications, with a preference for norepinephrine. If the norepinephrine dosage exceeded 20 μg/min, vasopressin was introduced at a rate of 0.03 U/min to sustain a mean arterial pressure of at least 65 mmHg. The experimental group was given vitamin C (1.5 g every 6 h by intravenous infusion) for 3 consecutive days, while the control group was given placebo.
Results: A total of 40 patients with sepsis were included in the study following application of the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Patients were randomized into control (n = 20) and experimental (n = 20) groups. No significant differences in baseline characteristics were found between the two groups (all p > 0.05). Among the 40 sepsis patients, 5 (25%) in the experimental group and 14 (70%) in the control group developed acute kidney injury, all of whom required support with continuous renal replacement therapy (RRT). The main site of infection was pulmonary, accounting for 70% of cases in the experimental group and 75% in the control group. The most common pathogenic bacteria were gram-negative bacilli (26/40, 65%). The experimental group had a significantly shorter length of stay in intensive care unit (ICU) compared to the control group (11.8 ± 2.7 days vs. 13.9 ± 2.1 days, p = 0.008), less frequent use of vasoactive drugs (35% vs. 75%, p = 0.011), and less frequent need for RRT within 72 h of admission (25% vs. 70%, p = 0.004). However, the mortality rate in ICU was not significantly different (10% vs. 15%, p = 0.633).
Conclusion: The use of vitamin C in patients with sepsis is associated with a reduced incidence of acute kidney injury, although a larger sample size is required to confirm this finding.
Clinical trial registration: This trial was registered at Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2400093794, https://www.chictr.org.cn/hvshowproject.html?id=265499&v=1.0).
Objective: Neuroinflammation is a chronic disease of the nervous system, and timely prevention and treatment could effectively prevent its progression to severe diseases. Essence of chicken (EC) is a mixture of peptides and amino acids extracted from whole chickens which has been proven to alleviate neuroinflammation and improve cognition. The aim of the present study was to screen for potential peptides possessing excellent effects in alleviating neuroinflammation and to explore their synergistic effects.
Methods: BV2 cells were treated with 0.1, 1, or 10 mM dietary peptides found in EC in the presence of 1 μg/mL lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for 16 h to screen for potent compounds. LPS-treated BV2 cells were then cultured with 0.03 or 0.1 mM potent bioactive compounds alone or in combination with 0.1 mM carnosine (CAR) for 16 h to determine their synergistic effects. These synergistically treated BV2 cells were further cocultured with HT-22 cells for 24 h to clarify their neuroprotective effects.
Results: Among the eight bioactives of EC, CAR, pyroglutamic acid (PA), and cyclo(Gly-Pro) exerted notable anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects on BV2 cells, as evidenced by the downregulation of inflammatory cytokine and chemokine expression (10 mM treatment group vs. LPS: p < 0.05), attenuation of the inflammatory pathway (all treatment group vs. LPS: p < 0.05), and increase in activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) (p < 0.01), catalase (CAT) (p < 0.05), and the content of glutathione (GSH) (p < 0.01). The experiment was conducted in triplicate. Interestingly, PA and cyclo(Gly-Pro) showed a marked synergistic effect with CAR on neuroinflammation. For example, the content of inflammation markers, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) (CAR + PA vs. CAR: p = 0.030, CAR + cyclo(Gly-Pro) vs. CAR: p = 0.008) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) (CAR + PA vs. CAR: p = 0.039, CAR + cyclo(Gly-Pro) vs. CAR: p = 0.020), were decreased markedly. The coculture of BV2 microglia with HT-22 neurons revealed that CAR, PA, and cyclo(Gly-Pro) also worked synergistically to reduce LPS-induced cytotoxicity in BV2 cells to protect the growth of HT-22 cells (all treated groups vs. LPS: p < 0.05). The protective effect of these dietary peptides might be regulated by the Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Protein Kinase B (PI3K/AKT) pathway-mediated inhibition of apoptosis.
Conclusion: CAR, PA, and cyclo(Gly-Pro) exhibited potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, suggesting that EC dietary peptides are neuroprotective candidates and that the intake of a mixture rather than individual peptides confers more beneficial effects in maintaining healthy neuron function.
Background: Vitamin D (VD) deficiency is commonly observed in obesity, which may increase morbidity risk. This study explores the effect of fructooligosaccharide (FOS) on VD signaling and inflammatory status in diet-induced obese mice.
Methods: Therefore, 5-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned (n = 10/group) to groups that received either a (1) standard purified maintenance AIN-93G control diet (CON), (2) CON + 5% FOS (CON-FOS), (3) high-fat diet (HFD) of which 60% kcal was from fat, or (4) HFD + 5% FOS (HFD-FOS) for 10 weeks.
Results: Mice fed an HFD exhibited reduced serum 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25D) levels (p < 0.01) and a 70% decrease in the expression of colonic vitamin D receptor (Vdr) mRNA (p = 0.018) compared to the mice fed the CON. A 2-fold increase in colonic Vdr mRNA expression was observed in the mice fed the HFD-FOS compared to the HFD (p < 0.01), although the increased FOS did not alter the serum 25D levels in the HFD group. The mRNA and protein expression of colonic Toll-like receptor 4 (Tlr4) was downregulated in the HFD-FOS group compared to the HFD group, which was negatively correlated to colonic Vdr expression (r = -0.747; p < 0.001). Additionally, the addition of FOS resulted in a 44% reduction in circulating proinflammatory cytokine Interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the HFD group (p < 0.01). The observed upregulation of β-defensin 1 (p = 0.017) and zona-occluden 1 (Zo-1) mRNA expression in mice fed FOS and an HFD compared with the HFD group further suggests that FOS supplementation can improve epithelial barrier integrity in HFD-induced obese mice.
Conclusions: Our data suggest that FOS may be a potential dietary strategy for preventing obesity-induced complications.
Background: This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the relationships between gut microbiota compositional alterations and chronic metabolic disorders by analyzing taxonomic diversity, community structure, and species-level differences in individuals with hyperuricemia (HUA) and a history of being overweight. Our findings offer novel insights into microbiota-targeted therapeutic strategies for managing metabolic diseases. A total of 144 participants were recruited and divided into three diagnostic categories: healthy controls (HL, n = 29), hyperuricemia group (HU, n = 24), and overweight (OW, n = 91).
Methods: Comprehensive phenotypic profiles and metagenomes were analyzed for fecal samples from the three groups.
Results: Significant differences were observed in psychological states and microbial ecology between the metabolic disorder groups (HU and OW) and the control group (HL) (p < 0.05). Both the overweight individuals and those with HUA presented significant changes in gut microbial composition, with reduced α-diversity indices (Shannon index: HU vs HL Mann-Whitney U = 306; p = 0.462; OW vs HL Mann-Whitney U = 1008; p = 0.040; richness index: HU vs HL Mann-Whitney U = 307; p = 0.469; OW vs HL Mann-Whitney U = 1072; p = 0.092) compared to healthy individuals. Moreover, analysis of the linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) identified four discriminatory species in the HU group (Alistipes putredinis, Mediterraneibacter faecis, Streptococcus oralis, and Gemella sanguinis), and five in the OW group (Pantoea endophytica, Pantoea vagans, Phocaeicola coprophilus, Ruminococcus SGB4421, and Klebsiella oxytoca), representing potential biomarkers for the progression of chronic metabolic diseases.
Conclusion: This study elucidates the characteristics of overweight individuals and those with HUA in terms of phenotypic features and gut microbiota, providing a theoretical reference for gut microbiota-targeted therapies and lifestyle interventions in chronic metabolic diseases.
The prevalence of liver disease is steadily increasing worldwide. Meanwhile, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) has become the most prevalent chronic liver disease globally, characterized by the extensive involvement of multiple organs. Currently, the recommended treatment for MASLD is adopting a healthy lifestyle, which includes regular exercise and a balanced diet that incorporates plenty of vegetables. In this context, black radish is a cruciferous vegetable rich in glucosinolates, which represent the most beneficial active components. Glucosinolates act by preventing the induction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and factors related to lipid metabolism, such as fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2). There are several other components, such as precursors for glutathione (GSH) synthesis, which regulate liver enzymes and lipid peroxidation, as well as flavonoids, which help ameliorate lipid accumulation and possess antioxidant properties. These preventive health effects contribute to lipid metabolism and cellular energy balance, which, in turn, aid in liver detoxification and preventing diseases. This review aims to assess the biological detoxification mechanisms and effects of black radish in MASLD and related chronic diseases.
Gluten-free diets (GFDs) are gaining popularity worldwide. Originally, GFDs were designed for individuals with gluten intolerance, including conditions such as celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, gluten ataxia, or dermatitis herpetiformis. However, many individuals without gluten sensitivity have subsequently adopted this diet, leading to a growing demand for gluten-free food products. Meanwhile, the health risks associated with a long-term gluten-free diet (LTGFD) and the inherent related issues, such as nutrient imbalances, remain uncertain. Scientific studies have indicated that obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), dysbiosis, and poor mental health represent the most probable health risks associated with a LTGFD. Moreover, high fat and simple carbohydrate content, increased calorie content, and vitamin deficiencies, including vitamin B derivatives (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, and B12), vitamin D, and minerals (Fe, Mg, Se, and Zn), are key components in a GFD that are at the helm of health issues due to a LTGFD. Anthocyanins, a class of flavonoids found predominantly in red, purple, and blue fruits and vegetables, may provide a promising solution to alleviate health risks associated with a LTGFD due to their inherent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, anti-diabetic, and anti-obesity properties. Therefore, this review critically examines in vivo, in vitro, clinical, and mechanistic studies to explore the potential of anthocyanin-enriched GFDs in alleviating the health risks associated with a LTGFD, highlighting their significant advantages over regular GFDs.
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