Nutrition
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Infantile scurvy or Moller-Barlow's disease appears to be of no further importance in Western countries; however, this is a careless assumption. In severely disabled children especially, this malady manifests itself in a broad range of symptoms such as delayed or suppressed bone healing, minor traumatization leading to bruises or fractures, and epiphysiolysis. ⋯ The two patients presented show the importance of infantile scurvy in daily medical care. The prevalence of scurvy is often underestimated in severely disabled or chronically ill children.
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Sarcopenic obesity (SO) is characterized by the co-occurrence of high adiposity (HA) and low muscle mass (LM) and has been associated with an increased risk for cardiometabolic diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between markers of insulin sensitivity and SO defined by three novel body composition models: body composition phenotypes; truncal fat mass to appendicular skeletal mass (TrFM/ASM) ratio load capacity; and fat mass to fat-free mass (FM/FFM) ratio load capacity. ⋯ SO defined by both the four body composition phenotypes and TrFM/ASM definitions was associated with increased impairment of insulin sensitivity and glycemic control.
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Intense debate surrounds the use of low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diets for the promotion of weight loss and avoidance of cardiovascular disease. The rationale behind these diets is that they promote fat oxidation and minimize the addition of glucose to proteins in the formation of adducts that trigger inflammation. ⋯ Here, the case is made that ketone bodies are more potent than glucose in bringing about the protein modifications to which the harmful effects of glucose have been attributed. It is suggested, therefore, that attempts to minimize such protein modifications through nutritional ketosis are futile and may lead to adverse health outcomes.
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The aim of this study was to determine the best foods for potential vitamin D food fortification and to model the efficacy and safety of different food fortification scenarios in adults ≥50 y of age in Ireland. ⋯ Currently, the majority of Irish adults ≥50 y of age are not meeting dietary recommendations for vitamin D. Fortification of commonly consumed foods such as milk and bread could improve daily intakes such that ∼70% of the cohort would meet the minimum recommendation. Future research should examine the efficacy of different food fortification scenarios to improve vitamin D intakes for older adults.
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Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become the most common liver disease globally. It is caused by a complex network of factors, including diet. The hallmark of NAFLD is the benign accumulation of triacylglycerols, however, this condition may worsen into non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a more severe form associated with inflammation and fibrosis. Currently, no therapies are available, and diet modifications are the only strategy. Although there is increasing evidence emerging about how an abuse of carbohydrates could be involved in the progression of liver injury, a comprehensive understanding of the damage induced by an enriched carbohydrate diet is still far from complete. The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the effects of a low-fat/high-carbohydrate diet (LF-HCD) with high-fat (HFD) and standard (SD) diets in a nutritional mouse model of NAFLD/NASH. ⋯ The present study highlighted that the simple substitution of fats with carbohydrates is not a proper strategy to prevent or mitigate the progression of NAFLD/NASH. Further studies are required to define the best nutritional strategy to prevent NAFLD and its related metabolic syndrome.