Nutrition
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A healthy and balanced diet is crucial to maintaining optimal health. Understanding the benefits of different food components is essential. The polyamine spermidine is linked to age-related disease protection, but daily intakes and whether these vary with age are unknown. This study aimed to determine polyamine intake in a Mediterranean diet population and its association with participants' age and Healthy Eating Index (HEI) and Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) scores. ⋯ Polyamine intake was higher than reported in other populations, did not decrease based on age, and was associated with healthy eating and anti-inflammatory foods.
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To synthesize evidence from fruit and vegetable intervention studies investigating mental or cognitive health outcomes (or both) in children ≤10 y. Our aim was to understand the efficacy of such interventions in improving measures of cognitive performance or mental health and to identify successful intervention elements to inform future research. ⋯ The studies identified through this systematic review could not directly address the planned research question, resulting in poor certainty of evidence. Future research with whole fruit and vegetable interventions could better inform population health strategies for improved mental and cognitive health outcomes in children.
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Childhood obesity continues to rise worldwide. Family gut microorganisms may be associated with childhood obesity. The aim of the study was to analyze bacterial similarities in fecal microbiota composition between parent-offspring pairs as linked to body weight. ⋯ This study describes five potential gut bacteria that may be putatively involved in family weight status relationships and appear to be useful for predicting obesity.
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Food insecurity is a widely studied phenomenon; however, studies documenting food insecurity among Open Distance and e-Learning students are sadly lacking. This paper aim of this paper is to study the prevalence of food insecurity among Open Distance and e-Learning students in South Africa. The purpose is to test the common assumption that Open Distance and e-Learning students do not struggle with food insecurity as they are typically living at home or employed. ⋯ The results show that African students are more likely to experience food insecurity compared to their counterparts, while there were no substantive differences in gender. Members of the LGBTQI community were also shown to be at higher risk of food insecurity. Those whose primary income was either grants or income from an informal business were at higher risk of food insecurity than those who worked full time. The findings of this study underscore the pervasive nature of food insecurity among students in South African Open, Distance and e-Learning education.
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A strong association exists between the high-fat diet (HFD) and the incidence of obesity, hyperlipidemia and cardiovascular disease, affecting an increasing number of individuals. More and more research has shown that probiotics and gut microbiota play important roles in dietary absorption, metabolism, and general health of the host. This aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effects and the underlying mechanisms of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum TCCC11824 (CGMCC 8198) on hyperlipidemia and obesity in mice and humans. ⋯ Furthermore, it showed that cell lysate of L. plantarum TCCC11824 could directly exhibit protective effects on the hepatocyte steatosis induced by oleic acid, and regulate the expression of HMGCR by inhibiting the NF-κB pathway. Importantly, L.plantarum TCCC11824 ameliorated the expression of indicators of hyperlipidemia and inhibited the synthesis of SCFAs (short-chain fatty acids), as shown by blood and fecal tests in hyperlipidemic patients. In summary, L. plantarum TCCC11824 exerts anti-hyperlipidemic and anti-obesity effects through the regulation of HMGCR via NF-κB and modulating gut microbiota, indicating its potential as a dietary supplement for the treatment of hyperlipidemia and obesity.