Effectiveness of Nutritional Strategies on Improving the Quality of Diet of Children from 6 to 12 Years Old: A Systematic Review

Dietary habits, that are formed during childhood and consolidated in adulthood, are known to influence the development of future chronic diseases such as metabolic syndrome or type 2 diabetes. The aim of this review was to evaluate the effectiveness of nutritional interventions carried out in recent years focused on improving the quality of the diet of the child population. A systematic search of the PubMed and Scopus databases was performed from January 2011 until September 2021. A total of 910 articles were identified and screened based on their title, abstract and full text. Finally, 12 articles were included in the current systematic review. Of those, in six studies the intervention was based on the provision of healthy meals and in the other six studies the intervention focused on modifying the school environment. Six of the studies selected included other components in their intervention such as nutritional education sessions, physical activity and/or families. A wide variety of methods were used for diet assessments, from direct method to questionnaires. The results suggest that interventions that modify the school environment or provide different meals or snacks may be effective in improving children’s dietary patterns, both in the short and long term. Further research is necessary to evaluate the real effectiveness of strategies with multidisciplinary approach (nutritional sessions, physical activity and family’s involvement).

Prebiotic Supplementation During Gestation Induces a Tolerogenic Environment and a Protective Microbiota in Offspring Mitigating Food Allergy

Food allergy is associated with alterations in the gut microbiota, epithelial barrier, and immune tolerance. These dysfunctions are observed within the first months of life, indicating that early intervention is crucial for disease prevention. Preventive nutritional strategies with prebiotics are an attractive option, as prebiotics such as galacto-oligosaccharides and inulin can promote tolerance, epithelial barrier reinforcement, and gut microbiota modulation. Nonetheless, the ideal period for intervention remains unknown. Here, we investigated whether galacto-oligosaccharide/inulin supplementation during gestation could protect offspring from wheat allergy development in BALB/cJRj mice. We demonstrated that gestational prebiotic supplementation promoted the presence of beneficial strains in the fecal microbiota of dams during gestation and partially during mid-lactation. This specific microbiota was transferred to their offspring and maintained to adulthood. The presence of B and T regulatory immune cell subsets was also increased in the lymph nodes of offspring born from supplemented mothers, suggestive of a more tolerogenic immune environment. Indeed, antenatal prebiotic supplementation reduced the development of wheat allergy symptoms in offspring. Our study thus demonstrates that prebiotic supplementation during pregnancy induces, in the offspring, a tolerogenic environment and a microbial imprint that mitigates food allergy development.

Effects of nitrogen and phosphorus availability on the early growth of two congeneric pairs of savanna and forest species

In the tropical region, savannas and seasonal forests, both highly diverse biomes, occur side by side, under the same climate. If so, that mosaic cannot be explained solely by climatic variables, but also by fire, water availability and soil status. Nutrient availability in the soil, especially nitrogen and phosphorus, has been postulated to explain the abrupt transitions between savannas and seasonal forests in tropical regions. Plants from these two biomes may present different nutritional strategies to cope with nitrogen and phosphorus limitation. We used two congeneric pairs of trees — each pair with a species from the savanna and another from the neighboring seasonal forest — to test whether savanna and forest species presented different nutritional strategies during their early development. We cultivated 56 individuals from each of these species in a hydroponics system with four treatments: (1) complete Hoagland solution, (2) Hoagland solution without nitrogen, (3) Hoagland solution without phosphorus, and (4) Hoagland solution without nitrogen and phosphorus. After 45 days, we harvested the plants and measured total biomass, root to shoot ratio, height, leaf area, and specific leaf area. Overall, savanna species were lighter, shorter, with smaller leaves, higher specific leaf areas, and higher root to shoot ratios when compared to the forest species. Nitrogen increased the performance of species from both biomes. Phosphorus improved the performance of the forest species and caused toxicity symptoms in the savanna species. Hence, savanna and forest species presented different demands and were partially distinct already as seedlings concerning their nutritional strategies.

Role of Selenium in Viral Infections with a Major Focus on SARS-CoV-2

Viral infections have afflicted human health and despite great advancements in scientific knowledge and technologies, continue to affect our society today. The current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has put a spotlight on the need to review the evidence on the impact of nutritional strategies to maintain a healthy immune system, particularly in instances where there are limited therapeutic treatments. Selenium, an essential trace element in humans, has a long history of lowering the occurrence and severity of viral infections. Much of the benefits derived from selenium are due to its incorporation into selenocysteine, an important component of proteins known as selenoproteins. Viral infections are associated with an increase in reactive oxygen species and may result in oxidative stress. Studies suggest that selenium deficiency alters immune response and viral infection by increasing oxidative stress and the rate of mutations in the viral genome, leading to an increase in pathogenicity and damage to the host. This review examines viral infections, including the novel SARS-CoV-2, in the context of selenium, in order to inform potential nutritional strategies to maintain a healthy immune system.

P-O01 A patient education video to support the management of post-gastrectomy / oesophagectomy syndromes

Background Oesophagectomy and gastrectomy result in profound and life-long changes in eating behaviour and appetite, and significant post-prandial symptoms. Despite decades of research, and recent advantages in the understanding of gut physiology, medical approaches to post-resectional patient care remain limited. The mainstay of treatment is patient education. Using clinical and lab-based studies, we investigated the effects of altered gut hormone secretion in patients after surgery for oesophageal and gastric cancer. We then produced a partially animated patient information video to better equip our patients to manage their altered alimentation. Methods The scientific background to the video was previously presented at AUGIS, and published. Studies included examination of eating behaviour, post-prandial symptoms, glucose homeostasis, gut hormone profiles and intestinal transcriptomic / peptidomic changes in a cohort of patients after oesophagectomy and gastrectomy. The movie storyboard and script were written by a team of surgeons, dietitians, patient representatives, clinical scientists and communications specialists. The goal was to communicate the physiological basis of altered eating in post-operative patients and appropriate nutritional strategies. Results The video is now freely available on Vimeo at: https://vimeo.com/356892336 It is in routine use for pre- and post-operative patient education. Conclusions Multimedia patient education is a useful tool to help manage the late effects of upper GI cancer treatment.

Fermented rye with Agaricus subrufescens and mannan-rich hydrolysate based feed additive to modulate post-weaning piglet immune response

Background The process of weaning in piglets is often associated with an increased inflammation response in the intestine and compromised intestinal integrity and morphology, favoring a delay in intestinal maturation and a predisposal to diseases. Research has shown the potential of different nutritional strategies to reduce the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, with the main goal to manipulate health and performance of pigs. Promising examples of nutritional strategies are fungal fermented products and their derivatives which are described to contain several compounds that may play a role in gastrointestinal health and pathogenic bacteria control. Products from Agaricus subrufescens mushroom are reported to contain prophylactic and therapeutic properties including antimicrobial and immunomodulatory properties. Results This study analysed the post-weaning immune status in intestinal tissue and blood of piglets, with the objective to evaluate the gastrointestinal health and immune modulation response induced by a blend of mannan-rich hydrolyzed copra meal and fermented rye with A. subrufescens. Intestinal histomorphology demonstrated a villus height reduction in jejunum and increase in ileum on day 15, while increased villous height in jejunum and ileum on day 30. The results showed that in post-weaning piglets, the feed additive stimulates an immunomodulation effect most evident at 15 days post-weaning, with significant lower expression of cytokines Interferon (IFN) γ, Interleukin (IL) 1α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and Transforming Growth Factor (TGF) β in jejunum, accompanied with an increase in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) cytokine gene expression of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p35 (IL-12α), IL-12p40 (IL-12β), Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) α, IFN-α, and TGF-β. In piglets fed the feed additive, the quantity of Immunoglobulin (Ig) A producing cells in jejunum, ileum was reduced on day 15 and 30 post-weaning, and on day 30 and 45 post-weaning in colon tissue. Natural Killer (NK) cells count in blood were increased on day 15 post-weaning in the piglets fed the feed additive. Conclusion This study implies the potential of the blend including mannan-rich hydrolyzed copra meal and fermented rye with A. subrufescens on immune modulation in the intestine of post-weaning piglets.

ESTRATÉGIAS NUTRICIONAIS PARA AUMENTAR AS PROPRIEDADES NUTRACÊUTICAS DO LEITE: CONCENTRAÇÕES DE ENTEROLACTONA E ÁCIDO LINOLEICO CONJUGADO

Objetivou-se descrever estratégias nutricionais para aumentar as propriedades nutracêuticas do leite, incluindo principalmente estratégias para o aumento nas concentrações de enterolactona (EL) e ácido linoleico conjugado (CLA). Os compostos EL e CLA, ambos produzidos endogenamente a partir de componentes da dieta, são compostos bioativos presente no leite e têm sido apontados como compostos nutracêuticos, capazes de melhorar a saúde humana através da prevenção e tratamento de doenças. Estratégias nutricionais aplicadas na alimentação de vacas leiteiras possibilitam o aumento da concentração destes compostos no leite, tornando possível a produção de leite com maior potencial de beneficiamento a saúde humana. A inclusão de fontes de lignanas vegetais, como por exemplo, o farelo de linhaça e a inclusão de fontes de sacarose na dieta de vacas leiteiras possibilitam aumentar a concentração de EL no leite. Da mesma forma, o fornecimento de fontes ricas de ácidos graxos polinsaturados, como por exemplo, os óleos vegetais, possibilita o aumento da concentração de CLA no leite. A temática da nutrição animal voltada para o aumento das propriedades nutracêuticas do leite, apesar de estar iniciando, apresenta grande perspectiva, e é uma ferramenta valiosa para promoção da associação do leite com benefícios a saúde humana. Palavras-chave: nutracêutico; compostos bioativos; lignanas; vacas de leite; benefícios do leite; redução do risco de doenças. Nutritional strategies to improve nutraceutical proprieties of milk: improvements on milk enterolactone and conjugated linoleic acid ABSTRACT: This study aimed to describe nutritional strategies to increase milk nutraceutical properties, including mainly strategies to increase the concentrations of enterolactone (EL) and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Enterolactone and CLA are endogenously produced from dietary components and have been identified as nutraceutical compounds with the potential of improving human health through the prevention and treatment of diseases. The concentration of these compounds in milk can be modulated through nutritional strategies which enable to produce milk with greater potential for improving human health. The inclusion of vegetable lignans sources, such as flaxseed meal and the inclusion of sucrose sources in the diet of dairy cows increase the concentration of EL in milk. Feeding sources of polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as vegetable oils, results in increased concentration of CLA in milk. The application of animal nutrition to increase nutraceutical properties of milk is a valuable tool for promoting the association of milk with human health benefits and is of great interest. Keywords: nutraceutical proprieties; bioactive compounds; lignans; dairy cows; health benefits of milk; disease risk reduction.