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Published By Snf Swedish Nutrition Foundation

1654-661x, 1654-6628

Author(s):  
Janet Antwi ◽  
Esi Quaidoo ◽  
Agartha Ohemeng ◽  
Boateng Bannerman

Background: Dietary diversity is generally considered as a good indicator of nutrient adequacy and is influenced by various factors at the national, household, and individual levels. Objective: The present study sought to determine the relationships between household food insecurity, primary caregivers’ nutrition knowledge, and dietary diversity of school-aged children in Ghana. Methods: This forms part of a longitudinal study conducted in the Ayawaso West Municipal district in Accra (urban setting) and the Upper Manya Krobo district (rural setting) in Ghana. Data were collected from a total of 116 caregiver-child dyads using 24-h dietary recall and a short version of the US 12-month Household Food Security Survey Module. Nutrition knowledge and sociodemographic data were obtained using a structured questionnaire. Multivariable logistic regression was used to check for factors associated with children’s dietary diversity. Results: Majority of households reported food insecurity, with a higher percentage of insecure households located in the rural area (88.9% vs. 46.5%, P ≤ 0.0001), compared to the urban setting. Diet diversity among the study children was low, with a mean (standard deviation [SD]) of 5.8 (2.1) out of 14 food groups. Children living in food insecure households were three times more likely to have received low diverse diet compared to those from food secure households (adjusted odds ratio [OR] =3.3, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.4–8.0). Caregivers’ nutrition knowledge was, however, not related to children’s dietary diversity. Discussion and conclusion: Household food insecurity was a main predictor of dietary diversity among school-age children in this study. Thus, caregiver knowledge in nutrition may not be enough, particularly in the presence of food insecurity to guarantee adequate nutrition for school-aged children.


Author(s):  
Yi-Sun Yang ◽  
Nian-Yi Wu ◽  
Edy Kornelius ◽  
Chien-Ning Huang ◽  
Nae-Cherng Yang

Background: The fruits of Momordica charantia L., also named as bitter gourd or bitter melon in popular, is a common tropical vegetable that is traditionally used to reduce blood glucose. A peptide derived from bitter gourd, Momordica charantia insulin receptor binding peptid-19 (mcIRBP-19), had been demonstrated to possess an insulin-like effect in vitro and in the animal studies. However, the benefit of the mcIRBP-19-containing bitter gourd extracts (mcIRBP-19-BGE) for lowering blood glucose levels in humans is unknown. Objective: This aim of this study was to evaluate the hypoglycemic efficacy of mcIRBP-19-BGE in subjects with type 2 diabetes who had taken antidiabetic medications but failed to achieve the treatment goal. Whether glucose lowering efficacy of mcIRBP-19-BGE could be demonstrated when the antidiabetic medications were ineffective was also studied. Design: Subjects were randomly assigned to two groups: mcIRBP-19-BGE treatment group (N = 20) and placebo group (N = 20), and were orally administered 600 mg/day investigational product or placebo for 3 months. Subjects whose hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) continued declining before the trial initiation with the antidiabetic drugs were excluded from the subset analysis to further investigate the efficacy for those who failed to respond to the antidiabetic medications. Results: The oral administration of mcIRBP-19-BGE decreased with a borderline significance at fasting blood glucose (FBG; P = 0.057) and HbA1c (P = 0.060). The subgroup analysis (N = 29) showed that mcIRBP-19-BGE had a significant effect on reducing FBG (from 172.5 ± 32.6 mg/dL to 159.4 ± 18.3 mg/dL, P = 0.041) and HbA1c (from 8.0 ± 0.7% to 7.5 ± 0.8%, P = 0.010). Conclusion: All of these results demonstrate that mcIRBP-19-BGE possesses a hypoglycemic effect, and can have a significant reduction in FBG and HbA1c when the antidiabetic drugs are ineffective.


Author(s):  
Tonje H. Stea ◽  
Kristin Holvik ◽  
Caroline S. Bryntesen ◽  
Jannicke B. Myhre

Background: Monitoring dietary habits is important in order to identify risk groups and as a basis for targeted public health initiatives. Objective: To study trends in consumption of selected foods and beverages from 2016 to 2019 amongst Norwegian adolescents according to gender and parental education. Design: Repeated cross-sectional study amongst 25,996 adolescents, aged 14–17 years old. Consumption of selected food and beverages was measured by an online food frequency questionnaire and general linear models were applied to estimate changes in dietary habits. Results: Between 2016 and 2019, we observed a reduced frequency of consumption of vegetables (from 4.7 to 4.4 times/week), fruit and berries (from 4.4 to 4.2 times/week), whole-grain bread (from 5.1 to 4.2 times/week), and fish (from 2.3 to 1.6 times/week). During this time period, we also observed a reduced frequency of consumption of salty snacks (from 2.1 to 1.9 times/week), sweets (from 2.3 to 2.0 times/week), sugar-sweetened beverages (from 2.8 to 2.6 times/week), and artificially sweetened beverages (from 2.2 to 1.5 times/week). In girls, there was a decrease in the reported frequency of consumption of fruit and berries (−4%, vs. no change in boys). The decrease in consumption frequency of whole-grain bread was larger in girls than in boys (−19% vs. −14%). Further, a 17% decrease in consumption of sweets was observed amongst adolescents with no or only one parent having college/university education compared to a 13% decrease in adolescents whose both parents had college/university education. Conclusion: Our results showed a decrease in frequency of consumption of selected healthy and unhealthy food and beverages amongst adolescents between 2016 and 2019. The gender gap in consumption of fruit and berries and whole-grain bread seemed to decrease during this time period, and the socio-economic gap in consumption of sweets seemed to disappear.


Author(s):  
Geum Hwa Lee ◽  
Cheng Peng ◽  
Hwa-Young Lee ◽  
Seon-Ah Park ◽  
The-Hiep Hoang ◽  
...  

Background: Adiposity is a major health-risk factor, and D-allulose has beneficial effects on adiposity-related metabolic disturbances. However, the modes of action underlying anti-hyperglycemic and hypolipidemic activity are partly understood. Objective: This study investigated the in vivo and in vitro effects of D-allulose involved in adipogenesis and activation of the AMPK/SIRT1/PGC-1α pathway in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed rats. Design: In this study, 8-week-old male SD (Sprague Dawley) rats were divided into five groups (n = 8/group), (1) Control (chow diet, 3.5%); (2) 60% HFD; (3) 60% HFD supplemented with allulose powder (AP) at 0.4 g/kg; (4) 60% HFD supplemented with allulose liquid (AL) at 0.4 g/kg; (5) 60% HFD supplemented with glucose (AL) at 0.4 g/kg. All the group received the product through oral gavage for 6 weeks. Control and HFD groups were gavaged with double-distilled water. Results: Rats receiving AP and AL showed reduced body weight gain and fat accumulation in HFD-fed rats. Also, supplementation of AL/AP regulated the cytokine secretion and recovered biochemical parameters to alleviate metabolic dysfunction and hepatic injury. Additionally, AL/AP administration improved adipocyte differentiation via regulation of the PPARγ and C/EBPα signaling pathway and adipogenesis-related genes owing to the combined effect of the AMPK/SIRT1 pathway. Furthermore, AL/AP treatment mediated PGC-1α expression triggering mitochondrial genesis via activating the AMPK phosphorylation and SIRT1 deacetylation activity in adipose tissue. Conclusion: The anti-adiposity activity of D-allulose is observed on a marked alleviation in adipogenesis and AMPK/SIRT1/PGC-1α deacetylation in the adipose tissue of HFD-fed rat.


Author(s):  
Sigrun Henjum ◽  
Synne Groufh-Jacobsen ◽  
Inger Aakre ◽  
Laura Terragni

Mild to moderate iodine deficiency has been found among young Norwegian women of reproductive age. In Norway, cow’s milk is the main source of iodine; however, milk consumption is decreasing, particularly among young women. This study aimed to investigate milk consumption practices in young Norwegian women and their attitudes toward milk consumption from childhood to young adulthood in a life-course perspective and their knowledge of milk as a source of iodine. Convenience sampling was used to recruit 30 bachelor students (women, 18–25 years old) from five different study programs. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to interpret milk consumption practices from a life-course perspective. Five focus group interviews were conducted using a semistructured interview guide. The transcribed interviews were coded according to emerging themes related to milk consumption practices and turning points. Milk consumption practices were dynamic and changed over time and were influenced by several factors: family traditions, school milk subscription, friends and social media, social acceptance, availability, price, and attitudes toward health and the environment. Young women tend to be in a phase of life in which milk is not part of their food practices. Most of the women were not aware of the consequences of omitting milk from their diet and had limited knowledge of iodine and how to secure adequate dietary iodine intake. Awareness of possible consequences of omitting milk from the diet should be promoted along with information on how to secure adequate iodine intake


Author(s):  
Xin-cong Kang ◽  
Tian Chen ◽  
Jia-li Zhou ◽  
Peng-yuan Shen ◽  
Si-hui Dai ◽  
...  

Background: Pumpkin seed oil is widely used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a common disease in elder men. However, its active components and mechanism have remained to be elucidated. Objective: The objective of the present study was to investigate the active components of pumpkin seed oil and its mechanism against BPH. Design: Total phytosterol (TPS) was isolated from hull-less pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L. var. Styriaca) seed oil and analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Three phytosterols were purified by preparative HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography) and confirmed by NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance). TPS (3.3 mg/kg body weight, 1 mL/day/rat) was administered intragastrically to the testosterone propionate-induced BPH rats for 4 weeks. The structure changes of prostate tissues were assessed by hematoxylin & eosin (H&E) staining. The expression of androgen receptor (AR) and steroid receptor coactivator 1 (SRC-1) was analyzed by immunohistochemistry, while that of 5α-reductase (5AR), apoptosis, or proliferation-related growth factors/proteins was detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction or western blotting. Results: The ∆7-phytosterols in TPS reached up to 87.64%. Among them, 24β-ethylcholesta-7,22,25-trienol, 24β-ethylcholesta-7,25(27)-dien-3-ol, and ∆7-avenasterol were confirmed by NMR. TPS treatment significantly ameliorated the pathological prostate enlargement and restored histopathological alterations of prostate in BPH rats. It effectively suppressed the expressions of 5AR, AR, and coactivator SRC-1. TPS inhibited the expression of proliferation-related growth factor epidermal growth factor, whereas it increased the expressions of apoptosis-related growth factor/gene transforming growth factor-β1. The proliferation-inhibiting effect was achieved by decreasing the ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase) phosphorylation, while apoptosis was induced by Caspase 3 activation through JNK (c-Jun N-terminal kinase) and p38 phosphorylation. Conclusion: TPS from hull-less pumpkin seed oil, with ∆7-phytosterols as its main ingredients, is a potential nutraceutical for BPH prevention.


Author(s):  
Nicolaj Brandt ◽  
Esben Eller ◽  
Anja Pahlow Mose ◽  
Carsten Bindslev-Jensen ◽  
Charlotte Mortz

Background: Despite the well-known fact that acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) can induce anaphylaxis in patients susceptible to wheat-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis, few studies have sought to investigate the effects of cofactors on type-1 food allergy and none with ASA and hen’s egg and hen’s egg and alcohol combined. Methods and results: We applied the experimental model of ‘passive cutaneous anaphylaxis’ in humans to study whether the absorption kinetics of egg white is altered while being treated with ASA or under the influence of alcohol. Donor sera from four egg allergic patients with specific immunoglobulin E (s-IgE) to ovalbumin (0.1–8.87–19.5–170 kUA/L) were injected intracutaneously into the forearm of 12 healthy volunteers who were then challenged separately to: 1) egg white 2) egg white + ASA and 3) egg white + alcohol. ‘Time to wheal’ and ‘wheal size’ were compared among the three experiments. We saw that ‘time to wheal’ with both ASA (P = 0.001) and alcohol (P = 0.019) added as cofactor significantly decreased compared with baseline. Conclusion: In this passive cutaneous anaphylaxis model, ASA and alcohol affected both reaction time and size of reactions elicited after egg ingestion. This suggests that patients with egg allergy could have faster and more severe reactions during ASA treatment or under alcohol influence.


Author(s):  
Monica Hauger Carlsen ◽  
Lene Frost Andersen ◽  
Anette Hjartåker

Background: New methods of dietary assessment are increasingly making use of online technologies. The development of a new online food frequency questionnaire warranted investigation of its feasibility and the reproducibility of its results. Objective: To investigate the feasibility and reproducibility of a newly developed online FFQ (WebFFQ). Design: The semiquantitative WebFFQ was designed to assess the habitual diet the previous year, with questions about frequency of intake and portion sizes. Estimations of portion sizes include both pictures and household measures, depending on the type of food in question. In two independent cross-sectional studies conducted in 2015 and 2016, adults were recruited by post following random selection from the general population. In the first study, participants (n = 229) filled in the WebFFQ and answered questions about its feasibility, and in two subsequent focus group meetings, participants (n = 9) discussed and gave feedback about the feasibility of the WebFFQ. In the second study, the WebFFQ’s reproducibility was assessed by asking participants (n = 164) to fill it in on two separate occasions, 12 weeks apart. Moreover, in the second study, participants were offered personal dietary feedback, a monetary gift certificate, or both, as incentives to complete the study. Results: In the feasibility study, evaluation form results showed that participants raised issues regarding the estimation of portion size and the intake of seasonal foods as being particularly challenging; furthermore, in the focus group discussions, personal feedback on diet was perceived to be a more motivating factor than monetary reward. In the reproducibility study, total food intake was lower in the second WebFFQ; however, 63% of the food groups were not significantly different from those in the first WebFFQ. Correlations of food intake ranged from 0.62 to 0.90, >86% of the participants were classified into the same or adjacent quartiles, and misclassification ranged from 0 to 3%. Average energy intake was 3.5% lower (p = 0.001), fiber showed the least difference at 1.6% (p = 0.007), and sugar intake differed the most at −6.8% (borderline significant, p = 0.08). Percentage energy obtained from macronutrients did not differ significantly between the first and second WebFFQs. Conclusion: Our results suggest that at group level, the WebFFQ showed good reproducibility for the estimations of intake of food groups, energy, and nutrients. The feasibility of the WebFFQ is good; however, revisions to further improve portion size estimations should be included in future versions. The WebFFQ is considered suitable for dietary assessments for healthy adults in the Norwegian population.


Author(s):  
Su Bu ◽  
Chunying Yuan ◽  
Fuliang Cao ◽  
Qifeng Xu ◽  
Yichun Zhang ◽  
...  

Background: The fruit Prunus mume has beneficial effects in the treatment of obesity and metabolic syndrome. However, its mechanism of action is unclear. Objective: We assessed the effect of a concentrated water extract of P. mume fruit (CEPM) on adipogenesis and beiging/browning in 3T3-L1 cells. Methods: The cell viability was determined by MTT assay. Lipid accumulation was assessed with Oil Red O (ORO) staining under different concentrations of CEPM. The effects of CEPM treatment during differentiation on beiging/browning and mitochondrial biogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells were investigated. Results: CEPM treatment suppressed differentiation and decreased lipid accumulation by downregulating the expression of key adipogenic genes, including PPARγ, C/EBPα, SREBP-1c, FAS, and perilipin A. In contrast, CEPM treatment increased the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content and mRNA levels of mitochondrial biogenesis genes, including NAMPT, Nrf1, Nrf2, and CPT1α, and reduced reactive oxygen species levels. Importantly, CEPM increased the expression of brown/beige hallmark genes (Pgc-1α, Ucp1, Cidea, Cox7α1, Cox8b, Cd137, and Pdk-4), as well as proteins (UCP1, PGC-1α, NRF1, TBX1, and CPT1α). The high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis reveals that CEPM contains mumefural, naringin, 5-HMF, citric acid, caffeic acid, and hesperidin. Conclusion: The first evidence we provided showed that CEPM has a dual role in 3T3-L1 cells inhibiting adipogenesis and promoting beiging/browning, and hence, could be a potential agent in the fight against obesity.


Author(s):  
Soo-Im Choi ◽  
SoHyeon You ◽  
SukJin Kim ◽  
GaYeong Won ◽  
Chang-Ho Kang ◽  
...  

Background: Excessive consumption of dietary fat is closely related to obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Recently, probiotics have been highly proposed as biotherapeutic to treat and prevent diseases. Previously, there are studies that demonstrated the beneficial effects of probiotics against metabolic disorders, including obesity and diabetes. Objective: We investigated the anti-obesity effect and mechanism of action of four human-derived lactic acid bacterial (LAB) strains (Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus MG4502, Lactobacillus gasseri MG4524, Limosilactobacillus reuteri MG5149, and Weissella cibaria MG5285) in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice. Design: Obesity was induced in mice over 8 weeks, with a 60% HFD. The four human-derived LAB strains (2 × 108 CFU/mouse) were orally administered to male C57BL/6J mice once daily for 8 weeks. Body weight, liver and adipose tissue (AT) weights, glucose tolerance, and serum biochemistry profiles were determined. After collecting the tissues, histopathological and Western blot analyses were conducted. Results: Administration of these LAB strains resulted in decreased body weight, liver and AT weights, and glucose tolerance. Serum biochemistry profiles, including triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and leptin, pro-inflammatory cytokines, improved. Hepatic steatosis and TG levels in liver tissue were significantly reduced. In addition, the size of adipocytes in epididymal tissue was significantly reduced. In epididymal tissues, Limosilactobacillus reuteri MG5149 and Weissella cibaria MG5285 groups showed a significantly reduced expression of lipogenic proteins, including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ, CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein α, fatty acid synthase (FAS), and adipocyte-protein 2. In addition, sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1-c and its downstream protein FAS in the liver tissue were significantly decreased. These strains attenuated fat accumulation in the liver and AT by upregulating the phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase and acetyl-CoA carboxylase in HFD-fed mice. Conclusion: We suggest that L. reuteri MG5149 and W. cibaria MG5285 could be used as potential probiotic candidates to prevent obesity.


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