Metabolic variables of obese dogs with insulin resistance supplemented with yeast beta-glucan

Background Obesity is one of the most common nutritional disorders in dogs and cats and is related to the development metabolic comorbidities. Weight loss is the recommended treatment, but success is difficult due to the poor satiety control. Yeast beta-glucans are known as biological modifiers because of their innumerable functions reported in studies with mice and humans, but only one study with dogs was found. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a diet supplemented with 0.1% beta-glucan on glucose, lipid homeostasis, inflammatory cytokines and satiety parameters in obese dogs. Fourteen dogs composed three experimental groups: Obese group (OG) with seven dogs with body condition score (BCS) 8 or 9; Lean group (LG) included seven non-obese dogs with a BCS of 5; and Supplemented Obese group (SOG) was the OG dogs after 90 days of consumption of the experimental diet. Results Compared to OG, SOG had lower plasma basal glycemic values (p = 0.05) and reduced serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels. TNF-α was lower in SOG than in OG (p = 0.05), and GLP-1 was increased in SOG compared to OG and LG (p = 0.02). Conclusion These results are novel and important for recognizing the possibility of using beta-glucan in obesity prevention and treatment.

Blood Biochemical Variables Found in Lidia Cattle after Intense Exercise

There are limited published data in the bovine species on blood biological variables in response to intense work or after significant physical exertion. Lidia cattle, in addition to their exercise components, have some behavioral agonistic features that make them more susceptible to stress. The bullfight involves stress and exercise so intense that it causes significant changes in some metabolic variables. The study objective was to evaluate changes in blood biological variables in response to intense exercise and stress. After the fight in the arena, and once the bulls were dead (n = 438), blood samples were taken, and some biochemical and hormonal variables were determined in venous blood. A descriptive analysis was performed using the Statistica 8.0. computer program. The mean (±s.d.) results obtained were: total protein (85.8 ± 10.8 g/dL), albumin (3.74 ± 4.3 g/dL), triglycerides (39.65 ± 0.16 mg/dL), cholesterol (2.44 ± 0.03 mmol/L), glucose (22.2 ± 9.6 mmol/L), uric acid (340 ± 80 µmol/L), creatinine (236.9 ± 0.4 µmol/L), urea (5.93 ± 1.27 mmol/L), LDH (2828 ± 1975 IU/L), CK (6729 ± 10,931 IU/L), AST (495 ± 462 IU/L), ALP (90 ± 33 IU/L), GGT (50 ± 34 IU/L), ALT (59 ± 35 IU/L), cortisol (117.5 ± 46.6 nmol/L), and testosterone (20.2 ± 23.8 nmol/L). Most of the measured variables clearly increased; thus, we found severe hyperglycemia and increases in LDH, AST, GGT, and ALT enzymes, particularly in CK. The increases in all these variables are justified by the mobilization of energy sources, tissue/muscle damage, and dehydration due to continued stress and intense exercise.

Markers of metabolic health and gut microbiome diversity: findings from two population-based cohort studies

Aims/hypothesis The gut microbiome is hypothesised to be related to insulin resistance and other metabolic variables. However, data from population-based studies are limited. We investigated associations between serologic measures of metabolic health and the gut microbiome in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (NFBC1966) and the TwinsUK cohort. Methods Among 506 individuals from the NFBC1966 with available faecal microbiome (16S rRNA gene sequence) data, we estimated associations between gut microbiome diversity metrics and serologic levels of HOMA for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), HbA1c and C-reactive protein (CRP) using multivariable linear regression models adjusted for sex, smoking status and BMI. Associations between gut microbiome diversity measures and HOMA-IR and CRP were replicated in 1140 adult participants from TwinsUK, with available faecal microbiome (16S rRNA gene sequence) data. For both cohorts, we used general linear models with a quasi-Poisson distribution and Microbiome Regression-based Kernel Association Test (MiRKAT) to estimate associations of metabolic variables with alpha- and beta diversity metrics, respectively, and generalised additive models for location scale and shape (GAMLSS) fitted with the zero-inflated beta distribution to identify taxa associated with the metabolic markers. Results In NFBC1966, alpha diversity was lower in individuals with higher HOMA-IR with a mean of 74.4 (95% CI 70.7, 78.3) amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) for the first quartile of HOMA-IR and 66.6 (95% CI 62.9, 70.4) for the fourth quartile of HOMA-IR. Alpha diversity was also lower with higher HbA1c (number of ASVs and Shannon’s diversity, p < 0.001 and p = 0.003, respectively) and higher CRP (number of ASVs, p = 0.025), even after adjustment for BMI and other potential confounders. In TwinsUK, alpha diversity measures were also lower among participants with higher measures of HOMA-IR and CRP. When considering beta diversity measures, we found that microbial community profiles were associated with HOMA-IR in NFBC1966 and TwinsUK, using multivariate MiRKAT models, with binomial deviance dissimilarity p values of <0.001. In GAMLSS models, the relative abundances of individual genera Prevotella and Blautia were associated with HOMA-IR in both cohorts. Conclusions/interpretation Overall, higher levels of HOMA-IR, CRP and HbA1c were associated with lower microbiome diversity in both the NFBC1966 and TwinsUK cohorts, even after adjustment for BMI and other variables. These results from two distinct population-based cohorts provide evidence for an association between metabolic variables and gut microbial diversity. Further experimental and mechanistic insights are now needed to provide understanding of the potential causal mechanisms that may link the gut microbiota with metabolic health. Graphical abstract

Changes in Visceral Fat and Its Correlation With Changes in Metabolic Variables After Bariatric Surgery

Obesity is a health problem. There is a relationship between visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and various metabolic components. So far the most effective treatment for weight reduction and control of comorbidities is bariatric surgery. After bariatric surgery there is a reduction in VAT and a correlation with better control of metabolic variables would be expected. Objective: To determine the decrease in VAT, calculated by bioimpedance at 3 and 6 months after bariatric surgery and its correlation with changes in metabolic parameters (fasting glucose, HOMA, HbA1c, lipid profile). MATERIAL AND Methods: Patients belonging to the HECMNSXXI Obesity Clinic undergoing bariatric surgery during 2020 who agreed to participate in the study were included. VAT volume was determined before surgery and at 3 and 6 months after the procedure by bioimpedance using the SECA mBCA525 body analyzer. At the same time, biochemical metabolic markers were determined (fasting glucose, HOMA, HbA1c, CT, HDL, LDL, and triglycerides). The results were reported using descriptive statistics. A Pearson or Spearman correlation was carried out according to the distribution of the variables. P &lt;0.05 was taken as significant. Results: Eleven patients with a mean age of 49 ± 7 years were included, 73% of them were women. Their average initial BMI was 42 ± 4 kg/m2. VAT prior to surgery had a mean of 10.6 ± 2.5L for men and 6.4 ± 2.4L for women. Eighty-two percent of the patients fulfilled harmonized criteria for metabolic syndrome. There was a statistically significant decrease in VAT at 3 and 6 months after surgery in both men and women (Baseline 7.5 ± 3L, 3 months 3.8 ± 2.8 L (p &lt;0.001), 6 months 2.5 ± 2 L (p = 0.001). An average decrease in visceral adipose tissue of 57 ± 24% in women and 34 ± 18% in men (p = 0.18) was found 3 months after surgery and 70 ± 22% in women and 60 ± 21% in men (p = 0.53) 6 months after surgery. Laparoscopic one-anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB) was the type of surgery with the highest percentage of VAT loss at 3 and 6 months, however, this was not statistically significant when compared with Y-Roux Gastric bypass (YRGB). A statistically significant decrease in HbA1c, HOMA, total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides levels were found at 3 and 6 months after surgery. However, when correlating the proportion of VAT lost with the metabolic variables, only a significant correlation was found with the HbA1c levels. The higher the proportion of VAT lost, the lower the HbA1c levels (R2 -0.72 p = 0.01). Conclusions: Bariatric surgery produces a statistically significant reduction in visceral adipose tissue from 3 months after surgery. In this study, an inversely proportional correlation was found between the proportion of VAT lost and HbA1c levels.

Beyond BMI: Personality Traits’ Associations With Adiposity and Metabolic Rate

Various personality traits are known to correlate with body mass index (BMI). However, rarely have studies looked beyond BMI to understand how adiposity and other metabolic characteristics relate to psychological traits. We explored personality traits’ phenotypic and genetic associations with basal metabolic rate (BMR) and an improved index of adiposity—relative fat mass (RFM)—and assessed how personality traits’ associations with RFM differ from their associations with BMI. In a subsample of the Estonian Biobank (N = 3,535), we correlated RFM, BMI, and BMR, as well as their polygenic scores, with the five domains and 30 facets of NEO Personality Inventory-3. Various traits, notably Openness and its facets, associated with RFM above and beyond BMI. Assertiveness consistently correlated with BMR, mirroring associations with conceptually similar traits in non-human animals, but not with RFM as may have been expected based on previous studies. Genetic analyses suggested that some personality trait–metabolic marker associations have genetic bases while others may be environmental in origin. The use of BMI can lead to both attenuated and inflated estimates of personality trait–adiposity associations. Personality traits may be involved in the development of overweight, but metabolic variables may additionally contribute to differences in personality traits.

Oat Polar Lipids Improve Cardiometabolic-Related Markers after Breakfast and a Subsequent Standardized Lunch: A Randomized Crossover Study in Healthy Young Adults

It has been suggested that intake of polar lipids may beneficially modulate various metabolic variables. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of oat polar lipids on postprandial and second meal glycemic regulation, blood lipids, gastrointestinal hormones, and subjective appetite-related variables in healthy humans. In a randomized design, twenty healthy subjects ingested four liquid cereal-based test beverages (42 g of available carbohydrates) containing: i. 30 g of oat oil with a low concentration (4%) of polar lipids (PLL), ii. 30 g of oat oil containing a high concentration (40%) of polar lipids (PLH), iii. 30 g of rapeseed oil (RSO), and iv. no added lipids (NL). The products were served as breakfast meals followed by a standardized lunch. Test variables were measured at fasting and during 3 h after breakfast and two additional hours following a standardized lunch. PLH reduced glucose and insulin responses after breakfast (0–120 min) compared to RSO, and after lunch (210–330 min) compared to RSO and PLL (p < 0.05). Compared to RSO, PLH resulted in increased concentrations of the gut hormones GLP-1 and PYY after the standardized lunch (p < 0.05). The results suggest that oat polar lipids have potential nutraceutical properties by modulating acute and second meal postprandial metabolic responses.