Nutrition
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Data on dietary vitamin D (vitD) intake, sunlight exposure, and the associated determinants are lacking in Africa. The aim of this study was to establish the factors influencing vitD intake and sunlight exposure among pregnant women in an African population with the goal of improving maternal vitD nutrition. ⋯ The study findings call for rolling out literacy and nutrition education programs targeted at women in sub-Saharan African countries to help improve maternal nutrition.
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We examined a moderate-fat (MF) diet that is enriched with fish oil (FO) and assessed whether lipid absorption was inhibited in senescence-accelerated prone mice (SAM-P8). ⋯ The results of this study suggest that MF + FO diets can inhibit the attenuation of lipid absorption commensurate with aging in SAM-P8 via a delay of the natural degeneration that occurs in small intestinal villi over time.
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Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a well-known cytokine that triggers insulin resistance during obesity development. On the other hand, it is also known that TNF induces a fat mass loss during acute diseases. However, whether TNF has a protective and physiological role to control adipose tissue expansion during obesity still needs to be verified. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the ablation of TNF receptor 1 (TNFR1) alters fat mass and insulin resistance induced by a highly refined carbohydrate-containing (HC) diet. ⋯ TNF signaling appears to have a paradoxical role on metabolism. Ablation of TNFR1 leads to a reduction of inflammatory cytokines in adipose tissue that is accompanied by higher adiposity in mice fed with chow diet. However, when these mice are given the HC diet, the loss of TNFR1 improves insulin sensitivity and protects mice against additional fat mass.
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Adult hypothalamic neurogenesis has been considered a central regulator of energy balance. Resveratrol (RSV), a natural polyphenol, influences the body fat mass and reduces the amount of adipose tissue. The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of RSV on dynamic of hypothalamic neurons in a diet-induced obesity model of mice. ⋯ Diets rich in fat changed hypothalamic neuronal balance toward orexigenic versus anorexigenic neurons. Administration of RSV to the HF diet reversed this balance toward generation of anorexigenic neurons. These data point to the potential for RSV in regulation of body weight, possibly via modulation of hypothalamic neurogenesis.
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CD36 deficiency is characterized by limited cellular long chain fatty acid uptake in the skeletal and cardiac muscles and often causes energy crisis in these muscles. However, suitable treatment for CD36 deficiency remains to be established. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and metabolic effects of medium chain triacylglycerols (MCTs) in two CD36-deficient preschool children who often developed fasting hypoglycemia and exercise-induced myalgia. ⋯ Our results suggest that MCTs can prevent fasting hypoglycemia and exercise-induced myalgia in CD36-deficient young children.