Showing posts with label Nutrition. Show all posts

DIETARY FIBER: Calms the brain during aging

Less age-related brain inflammation with regular dietary fiber intake, says this University of Illinois study adds a new health benefit of these nutrients. Here, it is precisely on immune cells in the brain known as microglia that the fibers exert their effects, thus helping to reduce age-related cognitive decline. Benefits documented in the journal Frontiers in Immunology mainly linked to their by-products, short-chain fatty acids including butyrate.

With age, microglia in the brain produce chemicals known to impair cognitive and motor function. It is one of the explanations and causes of the decline of memory and other brain functions in the elderly. This study from the University of Illinois offers a simple and natural remedy, dietary fiber . We knew that they promote the growth of good bacteria in the intestine. When these bacteria digest fiber, they produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), including butyrate.

Understanding how sodium butyrate works: Butyrate has anti-inflammatory properties on microglia and improves memory in mice, previous studies have shown, says Dr. Rodney Johnson, a professor at the University of Illinois. Although positive results of sodium butyrate – the pharmacological form – have been observed in these studies, the mechanism of action remains poorly understood. The study reveals, in aged mice, that butyrate inhibits the production of harmful chemicals by inflamed microglia. One such chemical is interleukin-1β, which is associated with Alzheimer's disease in humans. This being demonstrated, humans cannot directly consume sodium butyrate, so there remains the solution of a diet rich in soluble fiber.

Gut bacteria convert fiber to butyrate naturally . Indeed, butyrate derived from dietary fiber should have the same benefits in the brain as the drug form, yet no one had tested it before. So the researchers fed groups of young and old mice low-fiber and high-fiber diets, then measured blood levels of butyrate and other SCFAs, as well as inflammatory chemicals in the blood. 'intestine. This experience shows that:

a high-fiber diet increases butyrate and other SCFAs in the blood, both in young and older mice;
only old mice show intestinal inflammation with a low-fiber diet;
older mice fed a high-fiber diet had significantly reduced gut inflammation and no gut differences with other age groups. This confirms that dietary fiber can indeed regulate the inflammatory environment in the gut;
examination of signs of inflammation in the brain via the analysis of 50 unique genes in microglia finally shows that the high fiber diet reduces the inflammatory profile in aged animals.

The next step will be to examine the effects of diets on cognition and behavior or the precise mechanisms of the gut-brain axis. And if these data were obtained in mice, the researchers are confident about their generalization to humans.

“ What you eat matters. We know that older people consume 40% less dietary fiber than recommended. Not getting enough fiber could have negative consequences for brain health and inflammation in general .”

CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE: Why Coffee Can Help

Caffeine consumption can extend the life expectancy of people with kidney disease, this Portuguese study reveals. Important findings, because coffee consumption is a simple measure of lifestyle, which explain this benefit of caffeine by its effects at the vascular level, caffeine promoting the release of substances, such as nitric oxide, which improve the vessel operation.

An inverse relationship between coffee consumption and mortality has been reported in the general population. However, the association between caffeine consumption and mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease remained unclear. Researchers from Centro Hospitalar Lisboa Norte (Lisbon) demonstrate here that caffeine consumption is associated with lower mortality in their participants with chronic kidney disease. The study is conducted with 4,863 participants followed up for 10 years.

Vs participants consuming fewer caffeinated beverages, caffeine consumers were found to be more likely to be male, current or ex-smokers, to binge drink, but to have a higher risk low stroke.
The analysis finds an inverse association between caffeine consumption and all-cause mortality in participants with chronic kidney disease;
vs participants consuming the least amount of caffeinated beverages, patients who consume higher levels of caffeine experience an almost 25% reduced risk of death over a median follow-up of 5 years.

A protective effect of caffeine consumption in patients with chronic kidney disease : the reduction in mortality is indeed valid even after taking into account other important factors such as age, sex, smoking, other diseases and diet. Thus, these data suggest that advising patients with kidney failure to drink more caffeine may help reduce their risk of mortality.

"A simple, clinically beneficial and inexpensive option", comment the authors who recall the limits of their observational study which does not prove that caffeine reduces the risk of death in patients with chronic renal failure, but suggests only the association with a reduced risk of death.

EATING BEHAVIOR DISORDERS in children: Parental pressure or reward?

This Australian study published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior reveals the dual response of parents, passive or "too" active, when faced with their child's feeding difficulties. While this type of behavior and difficulty eating or tasting certain foods is a normal and transitory phase in the development of a child's eating habits and tastes, it can be stressful for parents. This worry sometimes prompts mothers and fathers to resort to pressure or rewards to make the child eat.

But instead of "helping" the child develop their own nutritional balance, these practices can reinforce bad habits, increase preferences for unhealthy foods and lead to excessive weight gain, says lead author Holly Harris, from the Center for Children's Health Research at the Queensland University of Technology (Brisbane).

This study conducted among 208 mothers and fathers with children aged 2 to 5 years, who are rather socioeconomically disadvantaged, confirms the harmful effects of this type of parental reaction. The researchers asked the parents to assess their responsibility for their child's diet and temperament and to provide information on the frequency of difficult eating behaviors as well as their reactions to these behaviors. In particular, parents had to answer questions such as: “When your child refuses the food he usually eats, do you insist? Do you encourage him with a reward other than food?… This survey reveals that:

mothers are generally more concerned about these difficult eating behaviors;
mothers feel more responsible for their child's food and nutrition;
mothers are also more sensitive to the child's verbal and non-verbal signals and therefore more distressed by their crying, tantrums or yawning when the child refuses to eat. This significant emotional burden for mothers induces them to remain more passive in the face of these feeding difficulties, sometimes to the detriment of the child's nutritional balance;
Faced with the same difficulties, fathers more frequently attempt persuasion, by pressure or by reward. But not for the sake of playing the role of parent but rather for practical reasons such as finishing the meal after a long day at work.

In short, the authors emphasize that there is a huge need for education of parents on food and eating behavior of children. Educational interventions that will also have to deal with the underlying causes of these parental practices that are poorly adapted to the needs of the child.

Beyond the indisputable economic barriers to access to fresh food, health and early childhood professionals therefore have a key role to play in promoting, via parents, children's exposure to a wide variety of healthy food.

Too much GLUTEN during PREGNANCY and risk of diabetes in children

Despite their conclusions presented in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), these researchers point out that it would be premature to change nutritional recommendations on gluten consumption during pregnancy. However, doctors, researchers and patients “should be aware that eating too much gluten can increase a child's risk of type 1 diabetes”.

Gluten is a generic name for proteins found in wheat, rye and barley, and is thought to affect the development of type 1 diabetes. Animal studies show that a diet without gluten during pregnancy can almost completely prevent type 1 diabetes in offspring, but until now no studies have been conducted in pregnant women.

The team from the Bartholin Institute in Denmark therefore looked at whether gluten consumption during pregnancy was associated with the risk of type 1 diabetes in children, using data from 63,529 pregnant women participating in a Danish national cohort between 1996 and 2002. Participants reported their diet by food frequency questionnaire at the 25th week of pregnancy and data of type 1 diabetes in children were searched in the Danish Diabetes Registry. This large study shows that:

the average consumption of averages 13 g / day, ranging from less than 7 g / day to more than 20 g / day,
247 cases of type 1 diabetes (a rate of 0.37%) in the children of the participants were identified during the follow-up,
after taking into account potentially possible confounding factors (mother's age, weight and BMI, total energy intake and smoking during pregnancy), the risk of type 1 diabetes in children is found to be associated in a dose-dependent manner to daily gluten consumption.
Thus, the children of mothers with the highest gluten consumption (>20 g / day) vs the children of mothers with the lowest gluten consumption (<7 g / day) have a risk multiplied by 2 of developing diabetes mellitus. type 1 during the 15-year follow-up period.

Admittedly, this is the finding of an association , not a cause and effect relationship, so it is not possible to draw definitive conclusions. However, this high-quality study conducted on a large sample confirms in humans the results already observed in animals. While the underlying mechanisms of this association remain to be clarified, they could include increased inflammation or increased intestinal permeability favorable to the development of type 1 diabetes.

If the study therefore provides an indication to clinicians and their patients, other evidence will be necessary before modifying the dietary recommendations for pregnant women.

PREGNANCY: A diet rich in fish can boost baby's brain development

We know that in order to limit the exposure of infants in particular to contaminants such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs), health agencies have published advice on the consumption of fish by pregnant women and the general population. Thus, in France, the National Food Safety Agency (ANSES) has limited consumption to twice a week for women during pregnancy. However, this research, presented in Pediatric Research, suggests that a slight adjustment in the diet of pregnant women could be beneficial for their babies: eating fatty fish regularly during pregnancy - i.e. twice a week - could help improve the development of vision and brain function of the unborn child.

Consuming oily fish regularly during pregnancy, thus suggests to future mothers, this small study conducted by Kirsi Laitinen of the University and University Hospital of Turku (Finland), which thus confirms previous results which show to what extent the An expectant mother's diet and lifestyle choices are important to the development of her baby. The mother's diet during pregnancy and lactation are the two main routes by which long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids can be delivered to the fetus and then to the infant brain during the period of brain growth. These fatty acids are essential for the formation of nerve cells, especially those associated with the retina and vision.

The study analyzes the dietary data of 56 mothers, including during pregnancy, and their children from a larger cohort. Weight fluctuations, blood sugar levels and blood pressure were also taken into account before and during pregnancy, as were certain lifestyle factors, including smoking. The team focused, in particular, on the levels of nutritional sources of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in the mother's diet and blood serum, as well as their concentrations in the children's blood at one month old. Children were assessed for sight at 2 years of age.

Analyzes of visual test results reveal that infants whose mothers ate fish 3 or more times per week during the last trimester of pregnancy do better;
These observations are confirmed by serum phospholipid fatty acid status.

Regular consumption of fish by pregnant women is therefore beneficial for the development of the unborn child. A benefit probably attributable to the long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids present in high concentrations in fish, but also to other nutrients such as vitamins D and E already documented as important for development.

The study thus underlines that subtle changes in the diet of pregnant women, beyond prematurity or nutritional deficiencies, can promote the regulation of the neurological development of the child.

VITAMINS: How about chewing gum?

Chewing gum can be an effective mode of delivery of vitamins, demonstrate these scientists from the University of Pennsylvania. While nearly 15% of all varieties of chewing gum promise to provide users with health-enhancing supplements, researchers show that vitamin-enriched products are quite effective in delivering vitamins to the body. Their results validate the concept of gum as an effective delivery system.

Surprisingly, lead author Joshua Lambert, professor of nutrition, is the first with his team to take a close look at the delivery of vitamins from chewing gum. “Chewing,” he says, “an enjoyable habit for many could be a strategy to reduce vitamin deficiencies globally.” In the United States alone, the researchers add in their statement, vitamin insufficiency is a serious problem, with nearly one in 10 people over the age of one having a deficiency in vitamins B6 and C .

To find out if such products can bring vitamins to the body, the researchers invited 15 volunteers to chew enriched gums, vs placebo and then measured the levels of 8 vitamins released in their saliva and in their plasma. These analyzes reveal that:

retinol (A1), thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacinamide (B3), pyridoxine (B6), folic acid, cyanocobalamin (B12), ascorbic acid (C) and l alpha-tocopherol (E) are released in the saliva of participants who chewed the supplemented gummies;
plasma vitamin concentrations in participants' blood, depending on the supplemented chewing gum, are also increased vs. placebo:
- for retinol, from 75 to 96%;
- pyridoxine, 906 to 1.077%;
- ascorbic acid, 64 to 141%;
- alpha-tocopherol, 418-502%.

Positive results for water-soluble vitamins and partially for fat-soluble vitamins: research shows that the plasma level of water-soluble vitamins such as vitamins B6 and C can thus be increased in the plasma of participants chewing supplemented chewing gum. Same but to a lesser extent for several other fat-soluble vitamins, such as retinol, derived from vitamin A, and alpha-tocopherol, derived from vitamin E. Water-soluble vitamins are almost completely extracted from the gum during the process chewing. Fat-soluble vitamins are not completely.

WEIGHT LOSS: The effectiveness of a plant-based carbohydrate diet

Most weight loss or maintenance diets warn against excess carbohydrates. But what about carbohydrates found in plants, those complete and complex carbohydrates found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes? According to this study by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a Washington-based nonprofit research and advocacy organization, published in Nutrients, diets high in these types of carbohydrates do promote fat and body weight loss and improve insulin function in overweight people.

This 16-week randomized clinical trial asked its participants to follow, among other things, a plant-based, high-carb, low-fat diet vs. maintenance of the usual diet. The intervention group was to avoid all animal foods and added oils and limit their fat intake to 20-30 grams per day. On the other hand, it had no limit for the intake of calories or vegetable carbohydrates. Both groups continued with their exercise routines. Total carbohydrate intake did not change in the control group, but increased significantly in the plant-based diet group, both as an absolute intake and as a percentage of calorie intake. Participants focused on whole and complex carbohydrates from fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. Experience shows that in the intervention group:

body mass index (BMI), body weight, fat mass, visceral fat volume and insulin resistance decreased significantly vs no significant change in control group.

This research adds to the evidence that “healthy carbohydrates , those found in fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains are the healthiest fuel for our bodies,” says lead author Dr. Hana Kahleova, Director of Clinical Research for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. This is indeed not the first demonstration that a plant-based carbohydrate diet can help control weight and body composition and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes: a recent study published in the Lancet had also shown that people who consume diets low in carbohydrates of animal origin have a longer life expectancy.

Complex carbs are naturally high in fiber which adds "mass" to the diet without adding extra calories. High fiber diets are already well documented as effective for weight loss and preventing the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancer.

Important implications, therefore, and which corroborate the interest of consuming at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day.

VITAMIN D: Determinant for physical fitness

It's well established that vitamin D is essential for bone health, but there's also growing evidence that it plays a key role in other parts of the body, including the heart and muscles. Vitamin D levels in the blood are also linked to cardiorespiratory fitness, confirms this study presented in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, which in practice associates higher levels of vitamin D with better exercise capacity.

Lead author Dr. Amr Marawan, a professor of internal medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University in Virginia, points to previous research that suggested the beneficial effects of vitamin D on the heart and bones. The author therefore reaffirms the need to control vitamin D levels and ensure the necessary intake through diet, prescription supplementation and reasonable exposure to the sun.

The cardiorespiratory form is the specific object of this study. Cardiorespiratory fitness, a reliable surrogate for physical fitness, is the ability of the heart and lungs to deliver oxygen to muscles during exercise. The best measure of this capacity is maximal oxygen uptake during exercise (VO2 max). People with better cardiorespiratory fitness are healthier and live longer.

The study is conducted on a representative sample of the American population aged 20 to 49 - ie 1,995 participants - using data from the famous NHANES cohort (National Health and Nutrition Survey 2001-2004). Data included serum vitamin D levels and VO2 max. Participants were divided into quartiles based on their vitamin D levels. 13% of participants were hypertensive and 4% were diabetic. The analysis reveals that:

participants in the highest quartile in vitamin D levels have 4.3 times higher cardiorespiratory fitness than those in the lowest quartile;
this link remains significant, with a strength of 2.9 times, after adjustment with factors that may influence the association (so-called confounding factors) such as age, gender, ethnicity, body mass index ( BMI), smoking, hypertension and diabetes;
each 10 nmol/L increase in vitamin D is associated with a statistically significant 0.78 mL/kg/min increase in VO2 max, suggesting a dose-response relationship of exercise capacity with vitamin D levels .

Thus, there is a strong relationship between higher vitamin D levels and better exercise capacity , in both men and women, in the young and middle age groups, regardless of ethnicity, BMI and even smoking, history of hypertension and diabetes, conclude the authors.

Admittedly, it should be noted that this is an observational study that does not demonstrate cause and effect, however the association was strong, progressive and consistent across different groups of participants. This suggests that there is indeed a strong link and these data call on clinicians and patients alike to be careful to maintain adequate vitamin D levels.

Adequate levels, because in excess, vitamin D toxicity can lead to excess calcium in the blood, which can cause nausea, vomiting and weakness. So no non-prescription supplementation!

OXIDATIVE STRESS: Chocolate, tea, coffee and zinc, an anti-aging cocktail

Aging and premature mortality are caused, at least in part, by oxidative stress. This team of researchers from the Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU- Germany) suggests that combined with "a little" zinc, certain foods such as chocolate, tea, coffee could be beneficial to health in reducing cellular aging. These scientists indeed reveal, in the journal Nature Chemistry, a new process of protection against oxidative stress via an organic molecule that only zinc can activate.

Zinc is a trace element that we need to stay healthy. Researchers show that zinc can protect against the superoxide responsible for oxidative stress when combined with a component found in foods such as wine, coffee, tea and chocolate.

Always these polyphenols: this component is a hydroquinone present in polyphenols, the plant substances responsible for smell and taste. Zinc activates hydroquinone groups, producing natural protection against superoxide, a by-product of human cellular respiration that damages the body's own biomolecules, for example proteins or lipids, as well as the human genome. Superoxide is believed to play a key role in the aging process and in a number of diseases such as inflammation, cancer or neurodegenerative diseases.

Hydroquinone alone is not capable of breaking down superoxide . However, if zinc and hydroquinone combine, a metal complex is created that mimics the enzyme superoxide dismutase, which protects the body from the degradation processes caused by oxidation and thus exerts an antioxidant effect. In this way, the superoxide can be metabolized and help prevent damage to the body.

Chocolate, coffee, tea and a pinch of zinc: unlike other metals which can also cause an antioxidant effect, but which, in excess, can also cause an increase in oxidative stress, zinc is not toxic, or much less , and better suited to new drugs or supplements with a reduced risk of side effects. Additionally, it may be possible to add zinc to foods containing hydroquinone to improve consumer health.

“ It is possible that wine, coffee, tea or chocolate will become available in the future with a zinc supplement. But beware, any alcohol content would destroy the positive effects of this association ”, underlines the main author, Ivana Ivanovi-Burmazovi, professor of organic chemistry.

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