Nutrition最新文献

In the pursuit of an effortless "miracle cure", there has been a significant increase in the proliferation of fad diets. These diets generally exclude a food group or macronutrients and may also restrict energy intake; they become popular quickly but often lack substantial scientific evidence to support their efficacy and safety. They only show short-term results rather than promoting a lifestyle change. Fad diets are nutritionally unbalanced and can be dangerous for some individuals. Most fad diets are generally restrictive in carbohydrates, high in protein, or unbalanced and have low energy intake, which can harm patients with early stages of chronic kidney damage (CKD) who need a low-protein diet with adequate energy intake. This narrative review discusses the risk of fad diet prescriptions for non-dialysis CKD patients.

The risk of glycolipid metabolic disorders (GLMDs)-which encompass type 2 diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and atherosclerosis--is rising gradually and posing challenges to health care. With the popularity of healthy lifestyles, anthocyanin-rich berries have emerged as a potential dietary intervention. This review uses bibliometric analysis to synthesize current research on the role of anthocyanins in relieving GLMDs. Our examination of the literature underscores the diverse mechanisms by which anthocyanins exert their beneficial effects, including their intricate bioactivity and functional signaling pathways. The insights gleaned from anthocyanin research offer a promising avenue for harnessing the power of nature to support metabolic health and pave the way for integration into clinical strategies for GLMD management.

Objective: The effect of dietary diversity and eating behavior on attention, and concentration among children lacking in resources is unclear. We aim to investigate the association between dietary diversity, eating behavior, and cognitive abilities among economically disadvantaged children at high risk of cognitive impairment.

Methods: This study enrolled 676 children aged 10-12 years from 16 free academic tutoring centers across Taiwan. Demographic and dietary behavior data were collected through self-administered questionnaires. Cognitive abilities, specifically attention and concentration, were assessed using the following validated tools: The Attention Test for Elementary School Children and the Concentration Questionnaire.

Results: Those who reported poor concentration and attention tend to have a higher prevalence of obesity. After adjustment for confounding variables by general linear model, a significant positive correlation was identified between dietary diversity score (DDS) and classroom concentration score (regression coefficient (β) = 0.24; P < 0.0001). Conversely, the frequency of unhealthy food intake exhibited a negative correlation with concentration (β: -0.09; P = 0.025). Moreover, a negative correlation was observed between the frequency of instant food intake and the attention (β: -0.08; P = 0.04) and concentration scores (β: -0.09; P = 0.026).

Conclusions: Enhancing dietary diversity and reducing unfavorable food intake may improve cognitive performance in socioeconomically disadvantaged children.

Objectives: Awareness of vitamin D (vit D) deficiency or insufficiency has increased alongside the rising prevalence of allergic diseases worldwide. We aimed to evaluate vit D levels in infants with allergic proctocolitis (AP) to explore a possible relationship between AP and vit D status.

Methods: This prospective, observational, case-control study was conducted between January 2020 and December 2023, including infants aged 6 months and younger diagnosed with AP (AP group) and healthy infants of the same age (control group). Vit D levels in AP patients at the time of diagnosis were compared with those of healthy infants.

Results: A total of 116 patients (72 AP, 44 control) were included in the study. Statistically significant differences were found in vit D levels, eosinophil count, and eosinophil percentage between the groups. Vit D was deficient or insufficient in 34.7% of AP patients. Vit D levels were significantly lower in infants with AP, and the risk of developing AP was 3.5 times higher in infants whose vit D levels were below 40.75 mcg/L.

Conclusions: Our finding that vit D levels are lower in infants with AP compared to healthy infants may support an association between AP and vit D deficiency. This could also provide insight into the increasing prevalence of AP linked to environmental factors. We recommend that vit D levels be assessed in infants with AP at the time of diagnosis.

Objectives: This study examines the relationship between vitamin K2 (VK2) status and the occurrence of short stature in children.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted between January 2021 and August 2022, involving 235 children with a clinical diagnosis of short stature at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University (short stature group) and 454 children with average height (±1 SD) from the same period (healthy group). Serum VK2 levels were compared between the two groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with short stature, and spearman correlation analysis was used to examine the relationship between VK2 status and age.

Results: Children in the short stature group exhibited lower VK2 levels (P = 0.019) and a significantly higher prevalence of VK2 deficiency (P = 0.011) compared to the healthy group. VK2 deficiency was identified as an independent risk factor for short stature (OR = 1.535, 95% CI = 1.061-2.222, P = 0.023) through multivariate logistic regression analysis. Furthermore, an inverse correlation was observed between serum VK2 levels and age in children aged 2 to 15 years (ρ = -0.133, P < 0.001).

Conclusions: VK2 deficiency may be associated with an increased risk of short stature in children.

Objectives: Gastrointestinal hormones, such as glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), gastric inhibitory polypeptide, and peptide YY (PYY) are important for reducing malnutrition at older ages because they are related to assimilation and feeding behavior. Medium-chain triacylglycerol (MCT) ameliorates metabolic symptoms and frailty in adults; however, whether it has the same effect in old age is unknown. To address this, we examined the changes in insulin and gastrointestinal hormones in aged Brd4 (+/-) mice exhibiting symptoms of old age.

Research methods and procedures: Aged male wild-type and Brd4 (+/-) mice were fed a long-chain triacylglycerol (LCT)- or MCT diet. Feeding, blood glucose, and plasma active GLP-1 protein concentrations were determined at 9 weeks using a meal tolerance test, and those gastrointestinal hormone genes were determined at 10 weeks.

Results: The liver and stomach weights and mRNA expression of Gcg (encodes GLP-1 protein) and Pyy in the colon were lower in LCT-fed Brd4 (+/-) mice than those in LCT-fed wild-type mice; these were restored by the MCT diet. The blood concentration of active GLP-1 protein at 15 and 30 minutes postload was higher in MCT-fed Brd4 (+/-) mice than that in those fed an LCT diet.

Conclusions: Aged Brd4 (+/-) mice showed lower mRNA expression of Gcg and Pyy genes, and active GLP-1 protein secretion in the blood, which were as restored and enhanced with MCT feeding.

Among the possible adverse reactions to gluten, celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, and IgE-mediated wheat allergy have been classically described. A non-IgE-mediated reaction similar to food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES) after inadvertent gluten ingestion in a celiac patient was recently reported. We present three children affected by celiac disease with exquisite control, including appropriate adherence to an exclusion diet, who suffered a severe adverse food reaction after unappreciated outdoor ingestion of gluten, meeting the criteria for a definitive diagnosis of FPIES. The strict and prolonged exclusion of gluten from the diet is postulated as the possible trigger for this serious entity after an involuntary transgression. Although the first published cases are recent, we might be witnessing an increase in the frequency of presentation. Therefore, we believe emergency services must be alert to the possibility of diagnosis of FPIES in celiac patients due to involuntary transgressions. The determination of gluten glycoimmunopeptides in urine or stool samples may be useful for certifying the inadvertent consumption of wheat as the cause of FPIES.