Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism最新文献

Objectives: Waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) is an alternative index to evaluate metabolic health and predict the risk of estimating the impact of adiposity on cardiometabolic diseases. Despite the significance, the diagnostic performance of WHtR has not been extensively investigated in large epidemiological studies in Indonesia. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate anthropometric indexes (body mass index [BMI], waist circumference [WC], waist-to-hip ratio [WHR], and WHtR) with the best clinically accurate and diagnostic performance in detecting the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HTN) in the Indonesian population. Methods: This study used a cross-sectional method to analyze big data of 7699 individuals from the Indonesian Family Life Survey. The diagnostic performance of each anthropometric index was analyzed using the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve model in the SPSS and MedCalc applications. Furthermore, the associations of anthropometric indexes with DM and HTN were evaluated using logistic regression adjusted for sociodemographic confounders. Results: WHtR showed the highest area under the curve (AUC) for detecting DM in men (0.731 [0.679-0.784]), as well as HTN in both men (0.650 [0.629-0.671]) and women (0.615 [0.598-0.633]). Although often negligible, the discrepancies had overlapping 95% confidence intervals with other indexes. WHtR also showed the strongest association with both DM (AOR [95% CI]: 3.166 [2.416-4.150]) and HTN (1.938 [1.703-2.206]). Lower cutoffs for BMI (22.72 kg/m²) and WC (83.35 cm) enhanced sensitivity for DM and HTN detection, particularly in men. Discussion: WHtR outperformed BMI, WC, and WHR in detecting DM and HTN in the Indonesian population. Additionally, lower cutoffs for overall (BMI) and abdominal obesity (WC) should be considered to enhance the sensitivity of anthropometric indexes in screening for cardiometabolic diseases in the population.

Zinc (Zn) is an essential dietary nutrient metal that functions as a cofactor for numerous enzymes involved in diverse cellular processes, including energy metabolism. In humans, Zn deficiency afflicts an estimated one-third of the global population and is a prominent risk factor for numerous diseases, including the development of obesity and diabetes. It is known that severe Zn deficiency leads to impaired growth and development in animals, suggesting that this dietary micronutrient is required for the maintenance of organismal energy balance. However, the impact of Zn restriction on energy balance, specifically energy intake versus expenditure, remains incompletely described in existing murine models of Zn deficiency. Here, we characterized the impact of a prolonged Zn-restricted diet on animal growth, energy balance, and glucose metabolism using metabolic cage analysis and oral glucose tolerance tests in adult mice. While we demonstrated dietary Zn-dependent reductions in body weight with concomitant decreases in energy expenditure and energy intake, we found no significant alterations in energy balance. Furthermore, we observed modest sex-dependent impacts on glucose tolerance. Collectively, these data highlight that prolonged, severe Zn restriction in adult mice does not elicit significant changes in metabolic parameters such as overall energy balance and glucose clearance. These findings indicate that other factors lead to the changes in body weight and composition in Zn-deficient mice.

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), pivotal metabolites derived from microbial fermentation of dietary fiber, serve as critical modulators of glucose and lipid metabolism. Dysregulation of SCFA levels, often stemming from inadequate fiber intake or dysbiosis of SCFA-producing microbiota, correlates with heightened susceptibility to diverse pathologies, including autoimmune disorders, metabolic syndromes, and malignancies. Emerging evidence underscores the pleiotropic roles of SCFAs in orchestrating gut and systemic homeostasis, positioning them as novel therapeutic candidates for immune dysregulation, inflammatory conditions, and transplant rejection. This review synthesizes current knowledge on SCFA biosynthesis, absorption dynamics, and their multifaceted regulatory mechanisms, spanning epigenetic modulation, G protein-coupled receptor (GPR) signaling, and immune cell crosstalk. We further elucidate their therapeutic potential in clinical contexts, emphasizing their capacity to recalibrate immune responses, suppress chronic inflammation, and mitigate oncogenesis. By integrating recent advances in microbiome research and translational applications, this work highlights the imperative for precision interventions targeting SCFA pathways to bridge the gap between microbial ecology and clinical innovation.

This study aimed to describe the demographics, nutrient and food group intakes, and adherence to dietary guidelines among Japanese adolescents aged 10-14 years. This cross-sectional study involved 5225 elementary and junior high school students who were surveyed for the NICE EVIDENCE project from 2018 to 2023 (mean age: 11.9 ± 1.4 years; 50.3% male). Nutritional intake was assessed using the brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire (BDHQ). Nutrient intake inadequacy was assessed in four groups (males and females in the 10-11- and 12-14-year age groups) based on the Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese (2025). Demographic data indicated that the prevalence of thinness was higher among females, while the prevalence of overweight and obesity was higher among males. Overall, daily breakfast consumption was high but tended to decrease with age. Nutritional inadequacy rates were generally higher in females, particularly in the 12-14-year age group. Major micronutrient inadequacies included iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, vitamin D, and vitamin B6. Among the nutrients with established dietary goals, salt equivalent intake exceeded 90% inadequacy in all groups, followed by intake inadequacies in dietary fiber, fat energy percentage, and potassium. Confectionery consumption was relatively high in this population (> 50 g/day), indicating a potential area for dietary improvement. Promoting regular breakfast and increasing micronutrients and fiber intakes, while reducing sodium, total fat, and saturated fat intakes, could address nutritional inadequacies in this population.

Maternal undernutrition poses significant risks to maternal, fetal, and child health, leading to long-term and irreversible consequences such as growth failure. This study evaluated the prevalence and predictors of undernutrition among pregnant women attending antenatal care at Bachuma Primary Hospital in Southwest Ethiopia. Using an institution-based cross-sectional design, 346 randomly selected pregnant women were assessed for nutritional status based on mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), with values below 23 cm indicating undernutrition. Data analysis revealed that 31.5% of pregnant women were undernourished (95% CI: 26.6%-36.7%). Predictors of undernutrition included low dietary diversity scores (< 5) (AOR = 1.88; 95% CI (1.06-3.33)), consuming fewer than three meals daily (AOR = 2.87; 95% CI (1.29-6.36)), high parity (gravida six or more) (AOR = 4.98; 95% CI (1.06-23.4)), and intestinal parasitic infections (AOR = 2.86; 95% CI (1.58-5.18)). The study highlights the urgent need for interventions such as enhanced dietary counseling, improved maternal nutrition practices, and the screening and treatment of parasitic infections to mitigate undernutrition in this population.

Background: Clinical treatment of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients nowadays is still focusing on the clearance ratio of HBsAg. However, the quality of the CHB patients' lives and the recovery of their liver organs also need to be considered in the clinic, especially in the nursing field. Here, we evaluated a newly personalized dietary self-management, which emphasized vegetable oil rather than the oneness requirement of a low-oil diet for the patients, accommodating the thinner patient group for their sufficient energy intake. Method: An observational study was conducted with 90 individual CHB patients through the double-arm randomized study method. The newly personalized dietary self-management education was performed among the participants in the refined group, and their physiological detection results after 6 months from enrollment would be compared with those of the control group participants who received traditional dietary self-management education. Result: Compared to the control group with traditional dietary self-management education, we found that the results in the refined group presented a faster reduction speed in ALT, AST, and TBIL. Conclusion: The results of this study showed the benefit of the vegetable oil for CHB patients when it appropriately served as the way of energy intake, during the patients' treatment period. A larger scale of this personalized dietary self-management education should be permitted for further assessment.

The aim of this study was to investigate associations of cardiovascular outcomes with lipid variability across body mass index categories. We identified 6689 participants (57.1% women) enrolled in the Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities (ARICs) study who had ≥ 3 measurements of total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Cox regression models were used to compute hazard ratios (HRs)-associated heart failure (HF), myocardial infarction (MI), and mortality with 1-SD increase in lipid variability captured by SD and variability independent of the mean (VIM). We also assessed whether adding lipid variability would improve the cardiovascular risk prediction beyond the conventional risk factors. Among 2130 (31.8%) obese patients, 1907 (89.5%) had obesity classes I and II and 223 (10.5%) had obesity class III. In multivariable-adjusted analyses, TC and LDL-C variabilities were significantly (p ≤ 0.047) associated with HF in overweight (HRs ranging from 1.10 to 1.17), obesity classes I and II (1.11-1.14), and obesity class III (1.21-1.39). Higher TC and LDL-C variabilities conferred higher risk of MI and mortality in obesity classes I and II (p ≤ 0.007). Adding TC-VIM and LDL-C-VIM rather than the lipid level to a conventional risk model significantly improved risk prediction of HF with net reclassification improvement amounting to 8.95% for TC-VIM (p=0.006) and 8.09% for LDL-C-VIM (p=0.012). Elevated TC and LDL-C variabilities were associated with the increased risk of cardiovascular outcomes, particularly in obesity. Our observations highlight the importance of lipid variability in obesity-associated dyslipidemia.

Objective: The present research investigated the pharmacological effectiveness of three functional foods-wood apple (WA), water spinach (WS), and moringa (MO)-against gentamicin (GM)-induced nephrotoxicity and oxidative stress in rat models. Methodology: The study was conducted on rat model. Twenty-five healthy Long Evan rats of both sexes were equally divided into five groups, which were studied for 7 days. GM at a dose of 80 mg/kg body weight was given daily intraperitoneally to rats of all groups except the normal control (NC). Simply, the NC and negative control (GM) groups received only regular diet. The 3 treatment groups received 20 g/rat/day of mashed WA, fried WS, and roasted MO with regular feed diet at 1:1 ratio. On the last experimental day (8^th day), all the rats were sacrificed to collect blood and kidney samples. Nephrotoxicity was assessed by biochemical estimation of serum creatinine (CK) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and oxidative stress was analyzed by determination of serum malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels. In addition, histopathology of kidney tissue was also performed for final observation. Results: By lowering uremic toxin (serum CK and urea) levels, all the three functional foods significantly (p < 0.05) improved kidney function and the GM-induced oxidative stress. However, the difference in the blood SOD level was found to be statistically insignificant (p > 0.05), nevertheless. The histopathological results in those groups corroborated the biochemical results of the food intervention groups. Conclusion: The present attempt shows that consuming the foods containing antioxidant phytochemicals may be a possible way to combat nephrotoxicity and oxidative stress. Nonetheless, the dosage response of these functional foods and mechanism of action to nephroprotection need to be investigated.

Background: Excessive iodine intake is associated with an increased risk of thyroid autoimmunity. However, the relationship between prolonged exposure to iodine levels exceeding 100 μg/L in drinking water and the occurrence of autoimmune thyroid disorders (AITDs) remains uncertain. The objective of the present study was to assess whether elevated iodine levels exceeding 100 μg/L in drinking water are a risk factor for AITD. Methods: We conducted a case-control study at a hospital, enrolling 668 adults. We measured serum thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb), thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb), urinary iodine concentration (UIC), water iodine concentration (WIC), and serum cytokine concentrations-including interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Results: The study demonstrated that individuals with water iodine levels > 100 μg/L had a significantly higher risk of developing AITD compared with those in the 10-100 μg/L group (OR = 2.076, p < 0.001). Furthermore, a family history of thyroid disorders (OR = 4.035, p < 0.001) and higher education levels (specifically college education compared to primary school; OR = 2.608, p=0.016) were associated with an increased risk of AITD. Conversely, regular consumption of freshwater fish was correlated with a lower risk of developing AITD (at least once per week vs. hardly eat, OR = 0.472, p=0.009; at least once per month vs. hardly eat, OR = 0.693, p=0.042). Additionally, IL-6 levels in the case group were significantly higher than those in the control group. Conclusions: The case-control study demonstrated a significant association between the development of AITD and prolonged exposure to elevated iodine levels (above 100 μg/L) in water. AITD was found to be associated with several other factors. Risk factors for AITD include a family history of thyroid disorders and higher educational attainment. Additionally, the consumption of freshwater fish was identified as a protective factor. Identifying and understanding these significant risk and protective factors for AITD development are critical, and effective strategies should be developed and implemented for prevention and intervention targeting at-risk individuals.

Background: Body image is a multidimensional construct influenced by a myriad of psychosocial and lifestyle factors. The present study has been conducted to explore the prevalence of body image concerns and its associated determinants among female Egyptian and Lebanese university students. Methods: Through a cross-sectional comparative study, a sample of 634 females was recruited from two Egyptian and Lebanese universities. Data were collected using an interview questionnaire to assess the various sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle behaviors, dietary factors, and perceived weight status. The existence of body image concern was evaluated using the validated short form of the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ-16). Results: The present data unveiled a relatively alarming prevalence of body image concerns, 46.7.8% and 48%, among the Egyptian and Lebanese university females, respectively, with a statistically significant difference between the 2 studied groups with regard to the degree of body image concern (p=0 - 009). The results of regression analysis declared that enlarged waist circumference was the strongest significant determinant of body image concerns (t-test p value = 0.000 and 0.001 among Egyptian and Lebanese university females, respectively). Adopting dieting practices (t-test p value = 0.000 and 0.001) and parental obesity (t-test p value = 0.02 & 0.002) were significantly associated with higher body image concerns' scores among Egyptian and Lebanese university females, respectively. Distinctively, perceived body image (t-test p value = 0.000), meal pattern (t-test p value = 0.004), and employment status (t-test p value = 0.002), were significantly associated with higher body image concerns in the Egyptian group only. Conclusions: The study findings call for tailored, culture-specific intervention programs that enable students to improve their self-acceptance and lead a healthy life.