Nutrition
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Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common public health issues worldwide. Oranges are the most popular fruit consumed in the world. Admittedly, flavonoids in oranges act as antioxidants and improve liver steatosis. However, oranges also are rich in fructose, which is a risk factor in the progress of NAFLD. Therefore, we hypothesize that orange intake may be a double-edged sword in the development of NAFLD. To our knowledge, there currently is little evidence of the effect of dietary orange intake on NAFLD. The aim of this study was to investigate how orange intake is related to NAFLD in a general adult population. ⋯ The present study demonstrated that orange intake is positively associated with the prevalence of NAFLD.
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The objective of this study was to compare the relationship between the Healthy Eating Index and oxidative stress parameters in adolescent athletes and non-athletes. ⋯ The sample's diet quality was classified as low and, despite the fact that there was greater production of free radicals in the athletes' erythrocytes and plasma, in addition to lower levels of plasma reduced glutathione , there was no correlation between Healthy Eating Index and oxidative stress.
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Mitochondrial dysfunction in skeletal muscle has emerged as key to the development of obesity and its related metabolic disorders. Leucine (Leu) is an essential amino acid that has been reported to increase mitochondrial biogenesis in muscle cells, as has its metabolite β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB). However, two questions-which one is more potent and what is the cellular mechanisms of the action of Leu and HMB-remain to be answered. Therefore we aimed to investigate the effects of Leu and HMB on mitochondrial function in C2 C12 myotubes and analyze the underlying molecular mechanism. ⋯ Our results provide evidence indicating that as with Leu, HMB alone could increase mitochondrial biogenesis and function via regulation of PPARβ/δ and CDK4 pathways. Moreover, HMB seems to be more potent than Leu in the positive regulation of mitochondrial biogenesis and function in C2 C12 myotubes because the dosage used for HMB was much lower than that for Leu.
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Gut microbiota plays a crucial role in host energy homeostasis, which is affected by both high-fat diets (HFDs) and high-sucrose diets (HCDs). Probiotics treatment can effectively modulate intestinal microbiota. However, it remains unclear whether probiotics can effectively improve HFD- and HCD-induced microbiota dysbiosis. ⋯ Probiotics treatment can mitigate diet-induced obesity partly through modulating intestinal microbiota, especially in HCD-induced obesity.
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Imbalanced diets (e.g., excessive protein, fat, and carbohydrates) may contribute to numerous disorders, such as steatosis. However, previous studies in the pancreas are scarce and limited to the evaluation of sphingolipid metabolism in the islets of Langerhans that constitute only ∼5% of the organ mass. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of high-fat, high-protein, and high-carbohydrate diets on the development of pancreatic steatosis in conjunction with sphingolipid profile in the organ. ⋯ As it has been established that pancreatic steatosis is a disease with growing prevalence and possible serious complications, further investigations of the topic are warranted. The complete and precise comprehension of pancreatic steatosis pathogenesis could contribute to the invention of novel therapies for the disease.