Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism最新文献

Introduction: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a noncommunicable disease with a high burden, including the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular events, and death. It is characterized by abdominal obesity, elevated blood pressure, increased fasting plasma glucose levels, hypertriglyceridemia, and reduced levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. MetS is preventable by modifying lifestyle and dietary patterns, which are major contributing factors. This research aimed to investigate the dietary patterns of the Shiraz Heart Study (SHS) and their associations with the occurrence of MetS and its components among middle-aged residents of Shiraz.

Methods: Based on data from the Shiraz Heart Study (SHS), a prospective cohort study, the nutritional status of 1,675 participants was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Three food patterns were extracted from the analysis named as vegan, western, and carbohydrate. Subjects were categorized into three levels for three major dietary patterns: low, moderate, and high, based on their adherence to each pattern. After adjusting the effect of co-founder variables, the relationship between dietary patterns, and the risk of developing MetS was analyzed.

Results: Of the 1,675 participants, 728 (43.5%) of them were male. The prevalence of MetS was 47.2%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that high adherence to the vegan pattern was negatively associated with the occurrence of MetS (P value <0.001), while low adherence to the western pattern was also negatively associated (P value <0.05).

Conclusion: Healthier diets, such as vegan diets, are significantly related to lower rates of MetS among the 40-70-year-old people in Shiraz, Iran.

Background: The study hypothesized that zinc supplementation would increase or preserve lean body mass in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the body composition of DMD patients before and after zinc supplementation.

Materials and methods: The study is a clinical trial comprising 21 boys diagnosed with DMD. Dietary intake parameters were evaluated before zinc supplementation. Serum zinc levels, anthropometry, and body composition were measured in three moments, four months apart. The patients received 5, 10, or 15 mg of zinc bis-glycine supplementation according to age as an oral solution daily for four months. The sample was distributed into two groups according to serum zinc status: zinc deficiency (G1) or adequate zinc (G2).

Results: There was a significant difference in lean body mass between the groups: zinc deficiency (G1) or adequate zinc (G2), at three times (p=0.041, 0.016, and 0.009, respectively). After oral zinc supplementation, serum zinc levels were not different between groups. We did not observe differences when associating the parameters between times and groups.

Conclusion: Zinc supplementation was able to maintain lean body mass and fat mass in patients with DMD with previous deficiencies. Therefore, it is necessary to have a prior screening of serum zinc levels to observe changes after supplementation.

Peptic ulcer disease (PUD) occurs when open sores, or ulcers, form in the stomach or first part of the small intestine caused by bacterial infection (H. pylori) and/or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use. This study was conducted to evaluate the antiulcer effect of some plants including genus Symphytum L., and Portulaca oleracea L. on aspirin-induced acute gastric ulcer in rats. Sixteen male albino rats (200-210 g b.wt. each) were divided into 4 groups, 4 rats each, one of them left as the control -ve group while the other 3 groups orally administered with aspirin at a dose of 200 mg/kg b.wt., for gastric ulcer induction, one of them left as control +ve and the rest 2 groups were orally administered with genus Symphytum L. and Portulaca oleracea L. at a dose of 100 mg/kg b.wt., each. for seven consecutive days. Body weight gain (BWG), the length of gastric ulcer, the volume of gastric juice, the total acidity of gastric juice, and blood sample were assessed. The results showed that orally administered with genus Symphytum L. and Portulaca oleracea L. significantly reduced the length of gastric ulcer, gastric juice volume, and total acidity of gastric juice, in addition to decreasing total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), RBC, WBC, HGB, and PLT. No significant changes were observed in the pH of gastric juice among treated groups. Moreover, in comparison to Portulaca oleracea L., genus Symphytum L. showed preferable results. Accordingly, genus Symphytum L. and Portulaca oleracea L. could be used as plants as curative agents against gastric ulcer in experimental rats.

Introduction: The pattern of diet intake is associated with food availability and the intake of nutrients from different food groups and is an important component of nutritional status. The dietary habits of individuals are integral to understanding their nutritional wellbeing, making this assessment crucial for public health interventions. The objective of the study was to assess the dietary intake pattern and nutritional status among women of reproductive age in slum areas of Pokhara Metropolitan. Methodology. A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted to assess the dietary intake pattern and nutritional status among 404 women of reproductive age in the slum area of Pokhara from June 2019 to December 2019. A simple random sampling technique was used to select the wards while a purposive sampling technique was used to collect the samples. 24-hour recall meal-based questions and anthropometric measurements were used for collecting data. Data were entered into EpiData and analyzed using SPSS version 16 software for analysis. Frequency and mean, median, chi-square test, and logistic regression were performed.

Results: The mean (±SD) age (SD) of the participants was 31 (±9.25) years, and most of the participants belonged to the age group 25-35 years. Out of 404 women of reproductive age, 99% of the participants consumed starchy staple foods daily, while 56.7% ate vegetables daily, and nearly half frequently consumed prepackaged foods and soft drinks. Among the total participants, 41.3% were found with a normal BMI, 37.6% were overweight, and only 12.4% were underweight. There was a significant association between underweight and age, women's occupation, and frequency of food consumption per day. Age, knowledge of nutrition, and frequency of food consumption per day were found to be associated factors with being overweight at a p value <0.05.

Conclusion: Age, occupation status, and frequency of food consumption were the key predictors of being underweight, and age, knowledge regarding nutrition, and frequency of meals were the key predictors of being overweight. Developing countries must emphasize the importance of considering these factors in public health interventions and strategies aimed at promoting healthy weight management. More studies are needed.

Despite extensive documentation of the negative consequences of smoking on a wide range of diseases and disorders, the direct effect of smoking on seminal plasma vitamin B₆ (vitB₆) concentration is not addressed yet. Here, we attempted to examine the influence of smoking on the levels of seminal plasma vitB₆ in fertile and subfertile males. One hundred and ninety-five participants were categorized into two groups: fertile men (smokers (n = 32), nonsmokers (n = 43)) and subfertile men (smokers (n = 65), nonsmokers (n = 55)). According to the World Health Organization criteria, conventional semen analysis was performed for all subjects involved in the study. The concentration of vitB₆ in semen samples was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry. There was no significant difference in the mean seminal plasma concentrations of vitB₆ in smokers versus nonsmokers in both fertile (p=0.5096) and subfertile (p=0.5224) groups. Besides, no significant correlations were observed between seminal plasma concentration of vitB₆, duration of smoking, and men's age in all tested groups. In conclusion, these findings elucidate that smoking has no significant impact on the levels of seminal plasma vitB₆ in both fertile and subfertile men.

Dietary protein plays a crucial role in the modulation of several physiological processes to sustain health and well-being. There is robust evidence of enhanced muscle protein synthesis, improved physical fitness, body composition, and performance contributed by protein supplementation combined with exercise among trained individuals or athletes. Evidence of the efficacy of such intervention on healthy adults having a sedentary lifestyle is limited. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of 12 g of additional protein in the form of a protein supplement compared to a placebo combined with a simple exercise program on plasma amino acid level, body composition, and muscle strength among healthy Indian adults having a relatively sedentary lifestyle. This double-blinded, randomized controlled trial was conducted on sedentary healthy adults 20-45 years of age, with a body mass index (BMI) between 18.5 and 27.9 kg/m². Eighty-two participants were randomized into either the protein (intervention) or placebo (control) group. The exercise regime was the same for both groups. Out of 82 randomized participants, 58 completed the intervention. Blood tests were conducted for the amino acid OMICS measurement followed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) for body composition and isokinetic dynamometry for muscle strength. A significant improvement was observed in the lean mass (kg) and appendicular muscle mass (AMM) adjusted for weight in the intervention group compared to the control group (p < 0.05). The muscle strength and contractile quality were comparable in the 2 groups. Plasma BCAA showed a significant negative association with body fat % (r = -0.43, p < 0.05 for the intervention group and r = -0.33, p = 0.07 for the control group) and a positive association with lean body mass % (r = 0.56, p < 0.01 in the intervention group vs r = 0.29, p = 0.10 in the control group) in the intervention group compared to control. In conclusion, this study highlighted the value of incorporating a lifestyle intervention including protein supplementation with simple exercises to optimize body composition in sedentary healthy individuals. This trial is registered with CTRI/2018/12/016777.

Aims: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the influence of reborn soup on the perceptions of saltiness and palatability.

Methods: Subjects comprised 103 staff working at Kokura Daiichi Hospital (22 males, 81 females, and mean age: 35 ± 12 years old). They tested soups (commercially available soup with 0.9% NaCl solutions (A), commercially available soup with 0.6% NaCl solutions (B), and reborn soup diluted to 0.6% NaCl solutions (C)). Evaluations of saltiness and palatability for each solution were conducted using a visual analog scale in a double-blinded randomized manner. We estimated 24-hour salt excretion using spot urine samples to estimate salt intake and also assessed blood pressure, the awareness of salt intake using a self-description questionnaire score, and other confounding factors including lifestyle factors.

Results: In all subjects, the average estimated salt intake was 9.0 ± 2.0 g/day, and the rates at which subjects met the established salt intake targets were 15.1% in 73 females without hypertension (<6.5 g/day), 23.5% in 17 males without hypertension (<7.5 g/day), and 0.0% in 13 subjects with hypertension (<6.0 g/day). In both saltiness and palatability, B scored significantly lower than A, but C scored significantly higher than B. Salt intake levels were categorized into tertiles (Q1, lowest; Q3, highest). C scored significantly higher for palatability in the Q1 group than in the Q3 group.

Conclusions: Most participants exceeded the established targets of salt intake. The high-salt-intake group might be able to feel less palatable. Our results indicate that reborn soup may be effective in reducing salt intake without loss of palatability.

Purpose: This cross-sectional survey study aimed to examine the association between vegetarian diet consumption and sleep quality, academic performance, and health-related quality of life among female undergraduate college students.

Method: A sample of 158 undergraduate female college students was recruited using a convenience sampling approach. Data collection utilized reliable and validated English-language instruments including the Vegetarian Quality of Life Questionnaire (VEGQOL), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and health-related quality of life scale (HRQoL). The data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and appropriate descriptive statistics.

Results: Vegetarians exhibited a significantly lower BMI compared to nonvegetarians (F (1, 156) = [6.09], p=0.015). Those strictly adhering to a vegan diet (48.79 ± 9.41) had the lowest vegetarian quality of life among all participants following various forms of a vegetarian diet (F (3, 68) = [2.78], p=0.04). The majority of female college students reported good to excellent general health (91.7%), with 53.2% perceiving their sleep quality as fairly good. However, the mean PSQI global score of 8.04 (±3.35) indicated poor sleep quality. No significant association was found between diet type (vegetarian vs. nonvegetarian) and academic performance (cGPA) (χ ² (4, N = 158) = 2.92, p=0.57). There was no significant relationship between diet types and academic performance, HRQoL, and sleep quality.

Conclusion: Despite a significant association between vegetarian diet and lower BMI, surprisingly, no substantial relationships were identified between diet type and academic performance, HRQoL, and sleep quality. These findings contribute to the ongoing discourse on the potential impacts of a vegetarian diet on various facets of female college students' well-being and highlight the need for further exploration in this field.

Vitamin B12, or cobalamin, is an essential nutrient required for diverse physiological functions secondary to its role as a critical cofactor for two mammalian enzymes, methionine synthase and methylmalonyl-CoA mutase. While essential throughout all life stages, several pathways that require vitamin B12, including hematopoiesis, myelination, and DNA/histone methylation, are particularly critical during pregnancy and fetal development. This narrative review aims to describe vitamin B12 in pregnancy, with emphasis on the placenta's role in ensuring adequate nutrition of the fetus and impacts of vitamin B12 deficiency on placental development and function. Our literature search included preclinical model systems and human cohorts and interventions. Our review identified evidence of B12 deficiency resulting in impaired placental development, greater placental inflammation, and modulation of placental docosahexaenoic acid concentration, collectively suggestive of vitamin B12 deficiency as a determinant of both maternal and fetal health outcomes. Heterogeneity in study design complicated generalization of findings. Future studies should consider selecting a B12 marker that is relatively stable across pregnancy, such as holotranscobalamin, while accounting for important confounders such as maternal folate.