Nutrition
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Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is associated with the progression of chronic liver disease (CLD). The aim in this study was to assess levels of serum retinol and retinol-binding protein (RBP) as well as liver vitamin A stores in the presence of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. ⋯ Our findings suggest serum retinol and RBP are relevant as indicators of vitamin A nutritional status in the presence of CLD. Liver vitamin A store cannot be evaluated using the RDR test because CLD causes a reduction in RBP synthesis and interferes with the mobilization of endogenous vitamin A. Considering how the patients already showed a drop in RBP relative to retinol concentrations, it is reasonable to assume vitamin A supplementation may trigger harmful effects in CLD patients.
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Lycopene is a carotene and phytochemical known to protect against metabolic diseases. It is found in red fruits and vegetables, predominantly tomatoes. This study aimed to show the supplementation effect of tomato juice on indices associated with metabolic health and adipokine profiles in generally healthy people. ⋯ These results show that daily tomato juice supplementation reduces waist circumference, as well as serum cholesterol and inflammatory adipokine levels in young healthy women and that these effects are unrelated to body fat changes.
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For almost 50 y, the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) has measured the caloric consumption, and body heights and weights of Americans. The aim of this study was to determine, based on that data, how macronutrient consumption patterns and the weight and body mass index in the US adult population have evolved since the 1960s. ⋯ Since 1971, the shift in macronutrient share from fat to carbohydrate is primarily due to an increase in absolute consumption of carbohydrate as opposed to a change in total fat consumption. General adherence to recommendations to reduce fat consumption has coincided with a substantial increase in obesity.
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The apolipoprotein B (APOB) gene has been reported to be a candidate gene for individual susceptibility to dyslipidemia and obesity. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the APOB rs1469513 polymorphism on plasma lipid profiles and obesity-related phenotypes, together with their modulation by dietary intake in Korean individuals. ⋯ Our findings support a significant association between the APOB rs1469513 variant, plasma lipid profiles, and obesity-related phenotypes. This association has the potential to be modified by dietary fat intake. These results may offer proof that the differences between normal weight and overweight/obese individuals might partly result from different SNPs.
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The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of alanyl-glutamine (Ala-Gln) on skeletal muscle protein synthetic and degradative signaling in piglets challenged with Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS). ⋯ Ala-Gln supplementation had beneficial effects in improving protein synthesis signaling of skeletal muscle, and reversed the deleterious changes of signaling molecules in muscle atrophy mainly through down-regulation of Akt/FOXO and TLR4 signaling pathways induced by LPS challenge.