Journal of nutritional science and vitaminology最新文献

This retrospective observational study investigated the association between low vitamin B1 (VB1) levels and cognitive impairment in 77 Japanese patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Multivariable regression analysis identified a significant correlation between low VB1 levels (<2.6 μg/dL) and lower Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores. Fisher's exact test demonstrated a strong association between VB1 deficiency and cognitive impairment (p=0.001). Scatter plot analysis supported these findings, illustrating a dose-dependent trend: patients with severe VB1 deficiency consistently exhibited low cognitive function, while those with higher VB1 levels showed better MMSE scores. In contrast, VB12 and folate levels showed no clear association with cognitive function. These results, together with animal studies, suggest that VB1 deficiency may contribute to AD-related neurodegeneration. While benfotiamine, a lipid-soluble VB1 derivative, has been suggested to improve cognition, its causal effect remains uncertain due to the study's cross-sectional design. Selection bias and the lack of dietary data are also limitations. Further longitudinal research is needed to determine whether VB1 supplementation could help mitigate cognitive decline in AD patients.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a prominent liver disease occurring in approximately 25% of the general population. As treatment, lifestyle modification is essential, but there are few reports on dietary patterns associated with MASLD except for the Mediterranean diet. This study examines dietary habits related to MASLD using the fatty liver index (FLI). Longitudinal analysis of a community-based cohort, the Nagahama Prospective Cohort for Comprehensive Human Bioscience, was performed. Dietary habits were assessed by a self-reported questionnaire on food intake frequency, and factor analysis was applied to identify dietary patterns. Multiple regression analysis was performed with baseline FLI or FLI after 5 y as the dependent variable and sex, age, and/or baseline FLI, and factor scores of each dietary pattern as simultaneous independent variables. The same analyses stratified by sex or body mass index (BMI) were also performed. Three thousand five hundred one participants were included. The 15 food items of the questionnaire were summarized into four dietary patterns. Dietary patterns rich in soybean products, vegetables, fish, fruits, and miso soup, which is characteristic of traditional Japanese diet, negatively correlated with FLI and FLI after 5 y (partial regression coefficient: -3.01 and -1.03, respectively; p<0.01 for both). The result was similar in sex-specific analysis and in BMI<23 kg/m² group, when the participants were stratified according to BMI. Our results suggest that dietary patterns rich in soybean products, vegetables, fish, fruits, and miso soup are protective factors against MASLD especially in individuals with BMI<23 kg/m².

We aimed to clarify the relationship between eating situations and behavioural problems in Japanese preschool children. Subjects were 591 children who attended nursery school in city Y, Japan, and their guardians. We administered a questionnaire that included the children's behavioural characteristics and items pertaining to eating situations, family structure, and guardian's educational background. We analysed the association between eating situations, meal greetings, pleasant mealtime, states of mastication, eating speed, and behavioural problems among preschool children. In these analyses, a Total Difficulty Score (TDS) was used to classify children's behavioural characteristics into two groups, 'Normal' and 'Borderline/Abnormal,' and binomial logistic regression analysis was performed. We calculated the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for 'Borderline/Abnormal.' Children who rarely ate breakfast with their families had an adjusted OR of 10.59 for borderline/abnormal TDS compared to children who ate breakfast with their families four or more days a week (p=0.005). Children who chewed only a little at meals had an adjusted OR of 3.25 for borderline/abnormal TDS than children who chewed well. Furthermore, the children who answered that mealtimes were not pleasant mealtime had an adjusted OR of 3.01 for borderline/abnormal TDS than children who always had pleasant mealtime. The results of this study suggested that children's behavioural problems, based on their TDS classification, were related to their eating situations and eating behaviours.

The compound 2,3-dihydro-3,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl-4H-pyran-4-one (DDMP) possesses antioxidant properties; however, its effects on cognitive function are unclear. This study examined the effects of DDMP-containing beverages on the cognitive function of healthy middle-aged and older Japanese individuals. We conducted a randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled parallel study. The study protocol was registered with the University Hospital Medical Network Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN000052639). In this study, 220 participants who were aware of their memory decline were enrolled and randomly assigned to the intervention or placebo group. The participants ingested the test food [65 mL lactic acid bacteria (LAB) beverage containing 2.2 mg DDMP] or placebo food (65 mL LAB beverage without DDMP) once a day for 12 wk. Cognitive function was assessed before the test and after 12 wk. The primary endpoint was verbal memory, while other cognitive function items and oxidative stress markers were set as the secondary outcomes. Differences in changes among the groups were assessed using analysis of covariance. After 12 wk, verbal and composite memory scores were considerably higher in the DDMP group than in the placebo group. However, no significant differences in oxidative stress markers were noticed. Therefore, consumption of a LAB beverage containing DDMP can markedly improve verbal and composite memory in middle-aged and older individuals with memory deterioration.

Vitamin D has a protective effect on the brain under hypertensive conditions. Studies have shown that 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃ (1,25(OH)₂D₃) can negatively regulate hypertension and central renin-angiotensin system activation through a central anti-oxidative mechanism in 1α-hydroxylase knockout mice. To confirm whether endogenous or exogenous 1,25(OH)₂D₃ deficiency or supplementation alters cerebrovascular function and vasopressin expression through anti-oxidation, researchers provided 1α(OH)ase^-/- mice and their wild-type littermates with regular diet, a high-calcium, high-phosphorus rescue diet with N-acetyl-L-cysteine supplementation, or 1,25(OH)₂D₃ subcutaneous injection. The results showed that the hypertension phenotype was present in the 1α(OH)ase^-/- mice, with upregulated vasopressin expression and increased brain/blood oxidative stress. These pathologic changes were corrected by 1,25(OH)₂D₃ or N-acetyl-L-cysteine plus rescue diet. The findings suggest that 1,25(OH)₂D₃ may be a promising protective intervention to reduce brain impairment induced by oxidative stress in the hypertension phenotype of 1α(OH)ase^-/- mice.

Genistein is one of the most estrogenic soy isoflavones. This study investigated the effects of genistein and 17β-estradiol (E2) on early chondrogenesis and extracellular matrix (ECM) production in chondrogenic ATDC5 cells. At low concentrations, E2, but not genistein, enhanced chondrogenic differentiation. Higher concentrations of E2 and genistein suppressed ECM production and expression of genes involved in chondroitin sulfate (CS) proteoglycan synthesis, including aggrecan core protein, CS synthases, 3'-phosphoadenosine 5'-phosphosulfate (PAPS) synthases, PAPS transporters, and CS sulfotransferases. Genistein exerted a stronger inhibitory effect than E2 and completely abolished the increase in Tgfb1 gene expression during chondrogenic differentiation. Treatment with estrogen receptor antagonist ICI 182780 did not inhibit E2- or genistein-dependent inhibition of chondrogenesis. Furthermore, E2 and genistein exhibited equivalent partial inhibition of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β)-induced upregulation of Acan and Col2a1 expression. These results indicate that the inhibitory effects of high concentrations of E2 and genistein are dependent on TGF-β, but not the estrogen receptor pathway.

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) have unique properties that benefit female athletes. No study has examined the association between the dietary inflammatory index (DII) and omega-3 index. Therefore, we investigated the association between the DII and omega-3 index. This cross-sectional study included female university athletes and age- and sex-matched controls. Data were collected from anthropometric assessments, a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), and blood tests for lipidomics. The energy-adjusted DII was calculated using the FFQ. Seventy-four athletes (mean age=19.7±1.2 y, mean BMI=21.1±2.4) and 38 controls (mean age=20.0±0.9 y, mean BMI=20.3±2.4) were enrolled in the study. The athlete group tended to have a higher percentage of high risk/intermediate in the omega-3 index (75.7% vs. 57.9%; p=0.082) or high-risk category in the trans-fat index (9.5% vs. 0.0%; p=0.093) compared to the control group. The energy-adjusted DII negatively correlated with the omega-3 index, although n-3 PUFA intake did not correlate with the omega-3 index in either group. The present findings indicated that DII might affect omega-3 index independent of n-3 PUFAs intake in female athlete. Health care professionals and coach should consider nutritional interventions based on the omega-3 index rather than relying solely on n-3 PUFAs intake for female athletes.

The aim was to evaluate the acute effect of drinking tomato juice preloaded with lemon and perilla oil 10 min before consuming carbohydrate on postprandial blood glucose, insulin, and lipids concentrations in young healthy women. In this randomized controlled crossover study, 21 women (age 21.1±0.6 y, HbA1c 5.2±0.2%, mean±SD) consumed either 200 g of tomato juice, tomato juice with 10 g of lemon juice and 5 g of perilla oil (n-3 PUFA-rich oil), or water 10 min before consuming 200 g of boiled white rice for 3 separate days. The energy and fat in tomato juice with lemon/n-3 PUFA-rich oil were higher (energy 402 kcal, fat 5.6 g) than tomato juice (354 kcal, 0.6 g) and water (315 kcal, 0.6 g). The blood parameters were measured at 0, 30, 60, and 120 min after carbohydrate consumption and compared among 3 d. The plasma glucose at 30 min in tomato juice with lemon/n-3 PUFA-rich oil was significantly lower than that of water (103.1±3.4 mg/dL vs. 127.8±4.0 mg/dL, p<0.001, mean±SE) and tended to be lower than that of tomato juice (113.9±4.9 mg/dL, p=0.078). The serum insulin at 30 min was also significantly lower in tomato juice with lemon/n-3 PUFA-rich oil than that of tomato juice (p<0.01). Adding lemon and n-3 PUFA-rich oil to tomato juice before carbohydrate meal can be practical method to lower early postprandial glucose and insulin responses in young healthy women.

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a significant health issue globally, arising as a consequence of excessive alcohol consumption. Currently, there is no specific pharmacotherapy for ALD, and the most effective treatment options remain abstinence or reduced alcohol intake. The Lieber-DeCarli liquid diet (LDC) has long been used to model ALD and other alcohol-related disorders in rodents. However, challenges in managing LDC, such as difficulties with food intake measurement and maintaining nutritional balance, complicate its use. To overcome these limitations, we developed a novel protocol by converting the liquid LDC into a solid form using agar, creating the solidified LDC diet (SLD). This adaptation facilitates precise control of food intake for pair-feeding and prevents nutritional deficiencies. Mice can be fed SLD either with or without 5% (w/w) ethanol over several weeks, and the addition of an oral ethanol gavage on the final day induces fatty liver and liver injury, mirroring the characteristics of ALD. This approach offers several advantages over traditional LDC, including streamlined diet preparation, consistent intake, and improved control over pair-feeding, reducing the variability of ethanol effects across subjects. The new SLD protocol promotes a more reliable modeling of ALD, contributing to more reproducible results and aiding research into pharmacological interventions for ALD and alcohol-related disorders.