Accumulation of exogenous fatty acids such as the long-chain n-11 MUFA cetoleic acid (CA, C22:1n-11) may induce functional changes, through direct effects or by affecting the amounts of other fatty acids through changes in catabolic and anabolic processes including desaturation of fatty acids or by other processes. The primary aim of this study was to investigate if dietary CA was absorbed and accumulated in a TAG-rich tissue for storage (white adipose tissue), a stable phospholipid-rich tissue (brain), metabolically active tissues (liver and skeletal muscle) or circulating in the blood (blood cells) and metabolised. Secondary aims included investigating any effects on the levels of EPA and DHA. Eighteen male Zucker diabetic Sprague Dawley (ZDSD) rats were fed diets with herring oil (HERO) containing 0·70 % CA or anchovy oil (ANCO) devoid of CA, or a control diet with soyabean oil for 5 weeks. The HERO and ANCO diets contained 0·35 and 0·37 wt% EPA + DHA, respectively. Data were analysed using one-way ANOVA. CA from dietary HERO was absorbed, and CA and two chain-shortened metabolites were found in blood cells, liver, white adipose tissue (WAT) and muscle, but n-11 MUFAs were not found in the brain. The concentrations of EPA and DHA were similar in liver lipids (TAG, cholesteryl esters and NEFA) as well as in WAT, muscle and brain from rats fed the HERO or ANCO diets. To conclude, CA was taken up by tissues but did not affect levels of EPA and DHA in this diabetic rat model.

The present study investigated whether dietary n-3 very-long-chain PUFA (n-3 VLC-PUFA) could increase skin and bone mineralisation in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in vivo and examined their potential effects on human osteoblast proliferation and differentiation in vitro. Atlantic salmon were fed different dietary levels of n-3 VLC-PUFA, and changes in tissue n-3 VLC-PUFA composition, skeletal morphology, skin and bone mineral content, bone mineral density (BMD) and gene expression patterns were examined. Additionally, in vitro experiments using human foetal osteoblast cells were conducted to investigate the potential influence of n-3 VLC-PUFA supplementation on cell proliferation, osteogenic differentiation and cytokine expression. The results demonstrated that increasing the dietary levels of n-3 VLC-PUFA increased the mineral content of vertebrae and BMD in salmon, with subtle yet significant impacts on the expression of genes involved in bone-related processes. Furthermore, in vitro experiments showed a potential contextual influence of n-3 VLC-PUFA supplementation on gene expression of osteogenic markers and cytokine expression. Our findings indicate for the first time that n-3 VLC-PUFA may influence processes related to bone mineralisation.

This interventional single-centre prospective open-label study aims to evaluate the effects of a vegan diet, compared with a vegetarian and omnivorous diet, on metabolic parameters, insulin sensitivity, and liver and kidney steatosis in healthy adults. The study included fifty-three omnivorous participants aged 18–40 years, BMI 18–30 kg/m2, without any chronic disease, chronic medication use, active smoking or significant alcohol consumption. All participants were omnivorous at baseline and selected to continue an omnivorous diet or transition to a vegetarian or vegan diet, with follow-up over 6 months. Anthropometric measurements, biochemical parameters and liver and kidney steatosis were assessed at baseline and after six months using MRI-proton density fat fraction. Primary outcomes included changes in liver and kidney steatosis, while secondary outcomes were alterations in anthropometric and biochemical markers. Among fifty-three participants, eighteen followed an omnivorous diet, twenty-one adopted a vegetarian diet and fourteen transitioned to a vegan diet. Dietary interventions did not result in statistically significant changes in BMI, fat mass, fat percentage or muscle mass over 6 months. However, statistically significant improvements in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, favouring the vegan diet, were observed. We aimed to control for potentially confounding variables to ensure the reliability of these findings. We have demonstrated a better decline in steatosis at the lower kidney pole, the total hilus and the Liver 6 index in vegans. We demonstrated that a plant-based diet is associated with improvements in several metabolic parameters and may reduce liver and kidney steatosis.

We have used multiple regression analyses to develop a series of metabolisable energy prediction equations from chemical analyses of pig diets that can be extended to murine diets. We compiled four datasets from an extensive range of published metabolism studies with grower/finisher and adult pigs. The analytes in the datasets were increasingly complex, comprising (1) the proximate or Weende analysis, (2) the previous analysis but with neutral detergent fibre replacing crude fibre, (3) the neutral detergent fibre package plus starch and (4) the neutral detergent fibre package plus starch and sugars. Diet manufacturers routinely provide most of the analytes for batches of murine diet, or they are easily obtainable. The study uniquely compares the four analytical packages side by side. The number of records in the datasets varies from 367 to 827. With increasing analytical complexity, adjusted R2 values for metabolisable energy prediction improved from 0·751 to 0·869 and the mean absolute error from 0·422 to 0·289 kJ/g. Overall, the models’ prediction interval improved from 1 to 0·7 kJ/g, which is ± 7 to 5 % for a typical dietary metabolisable energy density of 14·8 kJ/g. Although prediction accuracy increases as one extends the range and complexity of the analytes measured, the improvement is slight and may not justify the substantial increase in analytical cost. The equations were validated for use on future datasets by k-fold analysis. Although the equations are developed from pig data, they are suitable for rat and mouse diets, based on comparable digestibility measurements, and substantially improve existing methods.

A hospital-based cross-sectional study involving children aged 2–15 years attending the obesity clinic of a tertiary care hospital from January 2016 to March 2018 was carried out to study carotid intima media thickness (cIMT) and its association with cardiometabolic risk factors in children with overweight and obesity. Secondary objective was to compare children with elevated (EcIMT) and normal cIMT (NcIMT). Out of 223 patients enrolled for the study, 102 (45·7 %) had EcIMT. Mean cIMT of the study participants was 0·41 (sd 0·13) mm. Median alanine transaminase levels (27 v. 24, P= 0·006) and proportion of patients with fatty liver (63·7 % v. 48·8 %, P= 0·025) and ≥ 3 risk factors (80·4 % v. 66·1 %, P= 0·003) were higher in the EcIMT group compared with NcIMT group. Proportion of patients with hypercholesterolemia (36·4 % v. 16 %, P= 0·024), elevated LDL-cholesterol (38·6 % v. 16 %, P= 0·013), low HDL-cholesterol (40·9 % v. 20 %, P= 0·027) and dyslipidemia (84·1 % v. 58 %, P= 0·006) was higher in the pubertal EcIMT group and those with fatty liver (63·8 % v. 45·1 %, P= 0·034) was higher in the prepubertal EcIMT group compared with pubertal and prepubertal NcIMT groups, respectively. No significant correlations were observed between cIMT and various cardiometabolic parameters. Our finding of EcIMT in nearly half of the study participants including young children is very concerning as these children are at increased risk of atherosclerotic CVD in adulthood. Interventions starting at a young age are important when trajectories are likely to be more malleable and adverse cardiometabolic phenotypes and subclinical atherosclerosis are reversible.

Studies have demonstrated that the quality and transparency of reporting clinical practice guidelines (CPG) in health care are low. This meta-research aimed to evaluate the adherence of nutrition CPG for critically ill adults to the Reporting Items for practice Guidelines in HealTh care (RIGHT) checklist and its association with the methodological quality assessed by the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II), along with other potential publication-related factors. A systematic search for CPG until December 2024 was conducted. RIGHT and AGREE II were applied. Eleven CPG were identified, none demonstrated adherence greater than 60 % to the RIGHT checklist and the mean RIGHT score was 33·5 ± 15·5 %. There was a strong correlation between the RIGHT score and AGREE II (r 0·886). A development CPG team including methodologist and/or statistician was associated with a higher RIGHT score (48·9 ± 4·5 v. 27·2 ± 11·0), and it was higher in CPG recommended or recommended with modifications by AGREE II in comparison to those not recommended (50·1 ± 4·6 v. 37·7 ± 8·1 v. 17·0 ± 6·8), and in those with acceptable and moderate compared with those with low methodological quality (50·1 ± 4·6 v. 32·2 ± 14·5 v. 19·3 ± 6·2). It was also related to the language of publication, being higher in those published in English. The reporting completeness in CPG for critically ill adults was low, with a strong correlation with the methodological quality. High values of reporting completeness scores were observed between CPG recommended by AGREE II (with moderate or acceptable quality) and in those including a methodologist/statistician in the development team.

In this study, nine isonitrogenous experimental diets containing graded levels of carbohydrates (40 g/kg, 80 g/kg and 120 g/kg) and crude lipids (80 g/kg, 120 g/kg and 160 g/kg) were formulated in a two-factor (3 × 3) orthogonal design. A total of 945 mandarin fish with similar body weights were randomly assigned to twenty-seven tanks, and the experiment diets were fed to triplicate tanks twice daily for 10 weeks. Results showed that different dietary treatments did not significantly affect the survival rate and growth performance of mandarin fish. However, high dietary lipid and carbohydrate levels significantly decreased the protein content of the whole body and muscle of cultured fish. The lipid content of the whole body, liver and muscle all significantly increased with increasing levels of dietary lipid, while only liver lipid level was significantly affected by dietary carbohydrate level. Hepatic glycogen content increased significantly with increasing dietary carbohydrate levels. As to liver antioxidant capacity, malondialdehyde content increased significantly with increasing dietary lipid or carbohydrate content, and catalase activity showed an opposite trend. Superoxide dismutase activity increased significantly with increasing levels of dietary lipid but decreased first and then increased with increasing dietary carbohydrate levels. Additionally, the increase in both dietary lipid and carbohydrate levels resulted in a significant reduction in muscle hardness. Muscle chewiness, gumminess and shear force were only affected by dietary lipid levels and decreased significantly with increasing dietary lipid levels. In conclusion, considering all the results, the appropriate dietary lipids and carbohydrate levels for mandarin fish were 120 g/kg and 80 g/kg, respectively.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as important regulators of lipid metabolism. Recent studies have suggested synbiotics may modulate miRNA expression and lipid metabolism. This study aimed to investigate the effects of synbiotic supplementation on circulating miR-27a, miR-33a and lipid parameters in patients with dyslipidaemia. Fifty-six eligible participants were randomly allocated to receive either synbiotic or placebo sachets twice a day for 12 weeks. Each synbiotic sachet contained 3 × 1010 colony forming unit six species of probiotic microorganisms and 5 g of inulin and fructooligosaccharide as prebiotics. Serum miR-27a and miR-33a expression levels, serum lipids and apolipoproteins, the fecal concentration of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) and Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes phyla were assessed before and after the study. Real-time PCR was used to determine the relative expression levels of miRNAs. The results showed synbiotic supplementation significantly downregulated the expression levels of miR-27a and miR-33a compared with the placebo group (P = 0·008 and P = 0·001, respectively). Furthermore, the intervention group exhibited significant improvements in serum HDL-cholesterol, small dense LDL (sdLDL-cholesterol), apoA-I and apoB-100 (P = 0·008, P = 0·006, P = 0·003, P = 0·001, respectively). The results showed a significant negative correlation between miR-33a expression levels with HDL-cholesterol, butyrate, propionate and a significant positive correlation with total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and sdLDL-cholesterol in the intervention group. Fecal bacteria and SCFA were significantly increased in the intervention group. This study provides evidence that synbiotic supplementation can modulate miR-27a and miR-33a expression and improve lipid metabolism in patients with dyslipidaemia.

A randomised parallel intervention study was conducted with male patients diagnosed with CHD. Participants were assigned to three groups: Group A abstained from alcohol (n 20), Group B consumed red wine (n 21) and Group C (n 16) consumed an alcoholic beverage without wine micro-constituents. Biological samples were collected at baseline, 4 and 8 weeks. Enzyme activities of acetyl-CoA:lyso-platelet-activating factor (PAF) acetyltransferase, cytidine 5’-diphospho (CDP)-choline:1-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycerol cholinephosphotransferase (PAF-cholinephosphotransferase), PAF-acetylhydrolase in leukocyte homogenates, serum lipoprotein-associated phospholipase-A2 and plasma markers of thrombosis were measured. PAF-, ADP- and collagen-induced platelet aggregation was measured in human platelet-rich plasma. Red wine consumption led to a 15·3 % reduction in LysoPAF-acetyltransferase activity at 4 weeks (P= 0·008) compared with baseline and Group A (P= 0·01). PAF-cholinephosphotransferase activity was reduced by 11·1 % at 8 weeks (P= 0·04) compared with baseline and by 24·9 % compared with Group C (P= 0·02). PAF-acetylhydrolase activity was reduced by 36·2 % at 8 weeks compared with baseline (P= 0·001) and compared with Group A (P< 0·000) and Group C (P= 0·009). Fibrinogen levels in Group B reduced by 6–9 % at 4 (P= 0·04) and 8 weeks (P= 0·01) compared with baseline while D-dimer in Group C increased by 16·1 % at 8 weeks (P= 0·005) compared with baseline. Platelet aggregation against PAF and collagen was reduced in Group B (82·6 and 35·4 %, respectively), and in Group C (158·4 and 37·1 %, respectively) compared with baseline and Group A (P< 0·05). In conclusion, moderate wine consumption improved the activity of PAF-metabolism enzymes regardless of ethanol and reduced platelet aggregation, probably through mechanisms different from those of ethanol.

Propolis, as a by-product of honey production, has shown several beneficial effects on cardiovascular risks in past randomised controlled trials, although the findings are not conclusive. In this review, we intend to evaluate the effects of propolis consumption on cardiovascular risk factors by conducting a meta-analysis. The Web of Science, Medline and Scopus databases were comprehensively searched until September 2023. Eligible studies were identified by screening, and their data were extracted. Weighted mean differences with a 95 % CI for each outcome were estimated using the random-effects model. This meta-analysis revealed that propolis consumption led to a significant decrease in the levels of TAG (weighted mean differences (WMD): –10·44 mg/dl 95 % CI: –16·58, –4·31; P = 0·001), LDL-cholesterol (WMD: –9·31 mg/dl; 95 % CI: –13·50, –5·12 mg; P < 0·001), fasting blood glucose (WMD: –7·30 mg/dl; 95 % CI: –11·58, –3·02; P = 0·001), HbA1c (WMD: –0·32 %; 95 % CI: –0·60, –0·05; P = 0·01), insulin (WMD: –1·36 μU/ml; 95 % CI: –2·36, –0·36; P = 0·007), homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (WMD: –0·39; 95 % CI: –0·74, –0·03; P = 0·020) and systolic blood pressure (WMD: –2·24 mmHg 95 % CI: –4·08, –0·39; P = 0·010), compared with the control groups. Furthermore, propolis consumption had a significant increasing effect on HDL-cholesterol levels (WMD: 2·03 mg/dl; 95 % CI: 0·24, 3·83; P = 0·020). In contrast, the consumption of propolis had no significant effect on total cholesterol and diastolic blood pressure levels. This systematic review and dose–response meta-analysis suggested that propolis intake may be effective in cardiometabolic improvement in adults. Further, well-designed studies are required to confirm and elucidate all aspects of these findings.

Low iron (Fe) stores at birth may adversely influence child cognitive and motor development. The aims of this study were to assess cord blood Fe levels and explore maternal and neonatal factors associated with Fe status. Cord blood specimens (n 46) were obtained from the BC Children’s Hospital BioBank in Vancouver, Canada. The primary outcome was cord plasma ferritin, measured using sandwich-ELISA. Predictors of interest included maternal age, gestational age, gravidity, infant sex, birth weight and delivery method. Median (interquartile range (IQR)) maternal age and gestational age at delivery was 33·5 (29·3–35·8) years and 36·5 (30·0–39·0) weeks, respectively, and 44 % of infants were female. Median (IQR) cord ferritin was 100·4 (75·7–128·9) µg/l, and 26 % had low Fe status (ferritin <76 µg/l). Among preterm deliveries, a 1-week increase in gestational age was associated with a 6·22 (95 % CI (1·10, 9·52)) µg/l increase in median cord ferritin. However, among term deliveries, a negative trend was observed (–2·38 µg/l per week of gestation (95 % CI (–34·8, 0·78))), indicating a potential non-linear relationship between gestational age and cord ferritin. Female term infants had higher cord ferritin compared with males (β (95 % CI): 30·3 (18·4, 57·9) µg/l), suggesting sex-specific differences in Fe transfer, acquisition and utilisation. Cord ferritin was higher with vaginal deliveries compared with caesarean sections (β (95 % CI): 39·1 (29·0, 51·5) µg/l). Low Fe status may be a concern among infants in Canada; however, further research is needed to inform appropriate thresholds to define optimal Fe status in cord blood.

Childhood and puberty can affect metabolism, leading to tissue injury and malfunction later in life. The consumption of high-processed foods rich in salt and sugar is increasing in middle- and high-income countries, especially among young people. It is necessary to evaluate the effects of high salt and sugar levels in the youth on most injured organs during metabolic challenges. We aimed to investigate whether high-salt/sucrose intake affects whole-body development and leads to end-organ injury. Weaned male Wistar rats were divided into two groups: a control group fed a standard diet and tap water, and an experimental group (SS) fed a standard diet and a beverage containing 1·8 % NaCl and 20 % sucrose instead of tap water. The animals were treated for 60 d, starting after weaning at 21 d of age, after which the animals were subjected to glucose and insulin tolerance tests, urine collection and heart rate monitoring and euthanised for sample collection at 81 d of age. SS showed reduced body weight gain and increased food intake of sodium/sucrose solution. Interestingly, high-salt/sucrose intake led to increased body adiposity, liver lipid inclusion, heart rate and renal dysfunction. SS exhibits increased levels of PPAR alpha to counterbalance the hypertrophy of brown adipose tissue. Our findings reveal that the SS rat model exhibits non-obvious obesity with end-organ damage and preserved brown adipose tissue function. This model closely parallels human conditions with normal BMI but elevated visceral adiposity, providing a relevant tool for studying atypical metabolic disorders.

The liver has multiple functions such as detoxification, metabolism, synthesis and storage. Folate is a water-soluble vitamin B9, which participates in one-carbon transfer reactions, maintains methylation capacity and improves oxidative stress. Folic acid is a synthetic form commonly used as a dietary supplement. The liver is the main organ for storing and metabolising folate/folic acid, and the role of folate/folic acid in liver diseases has been widely studied. Deficiency of folate results in methylation capacity dysfunction and can induce liver disorders. However, adverse effects of excessive use of folic acid on the liver have also been reported. This review aims to explore the mechanism of folate/folic acid in different liver diseases, promote further research on folate/folic acid and contribute to its rational clinical application.

Although research on the relationship between lean body mass and blood pressure (BP) has been inconsistent, most studies reported that measures of lean body mass are associated with a higher risk of hypertension. We explored relationships between body composition (fat and skeletal muscle mass) and BP in 1162 young adult African women. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry-derived measures of whole-body, central and arm fat mass were associated with higher systolic and diastolic BP, while leg fat percentage was associated with lower systolic and diastolic BP. However, only the associations with diastolic BP remained after adjusting for appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM). ASM was associated with higher systolic and diastolic BP, before and after adjusting for whole-body fat percentage and visceral adipose tissue. While there was no overlap in targeted proteomics of BP and body composition, REN was lower in the elevated BP than the normal BP group and was inversely associated with diastolic BP (false rate discovery adjusted P< 0·050). Several proteins were positively associated with both visceral adipose tissue and ASM (LEP, FABP4, IL6 and GGH) and negatively associated with both visceral adipose tissue and ASM (ACAN, CELA3A, PLA2G1B and NCAM1). NOTCH3, ART3, COL1A1, DKK3, ENG, NPTXR, AMY2B and CNTN1 were associated with lower visceral adipose tissue only, and IGFBP1 was associated with lower ASM only. While the associations between body fat and BP were not independent of skeletal muscle mass, the associations between muscle mass and BP were independent of overall and central adiposity in young adult African women. Future interventions targeting muscle mass should also monitor BP in this population.

Adolescent girls often skip breakfast due to time constraints and reduced morning appetite. This study examined the acute impact of breakfast consumption timing v. breakfast omission (BO) on glycaemic and insulinaemic responses to lunch in infrequent breakfast-consuming girls. Fifteen girls (13·1 (sd 0·8) years) completed three conditions in a randomised crossover design: early-morning breakfast consumption (EM-BC; 08.30), mid-morning breakfast consumption (MM-BC; 10.30) and BO. A standardised lunch was provided at 12.30, followed by a 2-h post-lunch observation period. Blood and expired gas samples were collected periodically. Linear mixed models with Cohen’s d effect sizes compared outcomes between conditions. Pre-lunch glucose and insulin incremental AUC (iAUC) were higher in the breakfast conditions v. BO (P ≤ 0·009), with no differences between breakfast conditions. MM-BC reduced post-lunch glucose iAUC by 36 % and 25 % compared with BO and EM-BC, respectively (P < 0·001, d = 0·92–1·44). A moderate, non-significant 15 % reduction in post-lunch glucose iAUC was seen with EM-BC v. BO (P = 0·077, d = 0·52). These reductions occurred without changes in post-lunch insulinemia (P ≥ 0·323) and were accompanied by increased post-lunch carbohydrate oxidation compared with BO (P ≤ 0·018, d = 0·58–0·75); with no differences between EM-BC and MM-BC. MM-BC lowered glycaemic response over the experimental period compared with BO (P = 0·033, d = 0·98) and EM-BC (P = 0·123, d = 0·93), with no difference between EM-BC and BO. Compared with BO, both breakfast conditions lowered post-lunch glycaemic responses with mid-morning breakfast eliciting a greater second-meal effect than early-morning breakfast. These findings indicate the breakfast-to-lunch meal interval may be a crucial factor affecting postprandial glycaemia in infrequent breakfast-consuming girls.

We investigated the hypotheses that broilers and pigs have distinct starch digestion capacities and that different cereals could trigger diet–species interactions. Ten replicates of two broilers (14 d old) or one pig (50 d old) each were distributed into a 3 × 2 randomised factorial design with three pelleted diets (maize, barley or oat-based) and the two species. Nutritional composition was equal for both species. Diets were fed for 10 d, and then the pancreas and organs from the stomach region and small intestine were collected with contents. It was observed that both species were similarly efficient at digesting starch but differed in some digestive aspects. Broilers had higher ileal digestibility coefficients (P < 0·001) of DM (0·69) and crude protein (0·75) than pigs (0·66 and 0·67), presented a higher volume of particles < 0·1 mm in duodenal digesta (P < 0·001) and had a lower gizzard pH (3·68) than pig stomach (4·48; P < 0·05). Conversely, pigs had lower ileal viscosity (1·44 v. 2·77 cP; P < 0·05) and higher pancreatic lipase activity (27 v. 5·9 U/g of pancreas; P < 0·05) compared with broilers. In the jejunum, oat led to higher starch digestibility (0·96; P < 0·05) than maize and barley regardless of species. In the ileum, starch digestibility was higher for broilers fed oats (0·99) than broilers fed barley (0·94; P < 0·05), establishing that oats provided, in general, a superior starch availability. The results imply that starch utilisation capacity is more related to its dietary source than to the species to which it is fed.