Nutrition
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Total serum homocysteine is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease in the general population. Further, homocysteine might be the link between psychological traits (namely anger and hostility) and cardiovascular disease, mediated by stressful events and sympathetic nervous tone. ⋯ In obese persons, psychological traits are not major determinants of total homocysteine. A different response to stressful events, not simply mediated by sympathetic nervous tone, might be present in obesity.
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We investigated the effect of glutamine supplementation on plasma glutamine (Gln), glutamate (Glu), and whole-blood glutathione (GSH) concentrations in human volunteers. ⋯ Oral Gln increases Glu and Gln levels in plasma of healthy subjects but does not increase GSH red cell (whole-blood) levels. Thus, GSH biosynthesis and preservation of GHS stores in red blood cells may involve rate-limiting substrates other than Gln.
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We investigated the amount and sources of vitamin D in the Japanese diet by analyzing diet records collected over a 4-mo period. ⋯ Frequent fish intake appears to be an advisable health practice in terms of preventing vitamin D insufficiency in the elderly.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Circulating concentrations of soluble leptin receptor: influence of menstrual cycle and diet therapy.
Concentrations of the soluble leptin receptor (sOB-R) may be related to leptin resistance in obesity. We measured sOB-R concentrations in serum in 103 non-diabetic Japanese men and women. All subjects were grouped according to body mass index (BMI; in kg/m(2)). ⋯ Serum sOB-R concentrations did not change significantly during the menstrual cycle. Our results showed that serum sOB-R concentrations decrease with increasing BMI and that sex hormones likely do not affect serum sOB-R concentrations in non-pregnant women. The reduction in serum sOB-R concentrations in overweight and obese persons may reflect downregulation of hypothalamic leptin receptor production as a result of an increase in circulating leptin and might be an important factor in leptin resistance.
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We previously reported that omega-6 fat emulsion increases cytokine production in burned rats. Effects of soybean oil emulsion on surgical stress responses and lymphocyte function according to the surgical severity have not been studied in detail. We investigated the effects of soybean oil emulsion, which contains 50% omega-6 fatty acid, on postoperative stress responses and cell-mediated immune function according to the severity of surgical stress. ⋯ Soybean oil emulsion amplifies the stress responses and possibly suppresses cell-mediated immune function induced by surgical stress in severely stressed patients, but not in moderately stressed patients.