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Nutrients Jun 2024American football players consume large quantities of animal-sourced protein in adherence with traditional recommendations to maximize muscle development and athletic...
Protein Requirements for Maximal Muscle Mass and Athletic Performance Are Achieved with Completely Plant-Based Diets Scaled to Meet Energy Needs: A Modeling Study in Professional American Football Players.
American football players consume large quantities of animal-sourced protein in adherence with traditional recommendations to maximize muscle development and athletic performance. This contrasts with dietary guidelines, which recommend reducing meat intake and increasing consumption of plant-based foods to promote health and reduce the risk of chronic disease. The capacity of completely plant-based diets to meet the nutritional needs of American football players has not been studied. This modeling study scaled dietary data from a large cohort following completely plant-based diets to meet the energy requirements of professional American football players to determine whether protein, leucine, and micronutrient needs for physical performance and health were met. The Cunningham equation was used to estimate calorie requirements. Nutrient intakes from the Adventist Health Study 2 were then scaled to this calorie level. Protein values ranged from 1.6-2.2 g/kg/day and leucine values ranged from 3.8-4.1 g/meal at each of four daily meals, therefore meeting and exceeding levels theorized to maximize muscle mass, muscle strength, and muscle protein synthesis, respectively. Plant-based diets scaled to meet the energy needs of professional American football players satisfied protein, leucine, and micronutrient requirements for muscle development and athletic performance. These findings suggest that completely plant-based diets could bridge the gap between dietary recommendations for chronic disease prevention and athletic performance in American football players.
Topics: Humans; Football; Dietary Proteins; Athletic Performance; Male; Muscle, Skeletal; Energy Intake; Nutritional Requirements; Adult; Diet, Vegetarian; Leucine; Muscle Strength; United States; Athletes; Sports Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Micronutrients; Young Adult; Diet, Plant-Based
PubMed: 38931258
DOI: 10.3390/nu16121903 -
Nutrients Jun 2024The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays a crucial role during neuronal development as well as during differentiation and synaptogenesis. They are important...
The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays a crucial role during neuronal development as well as during differentiation and synaptogenesis. They are important proteins present in the brain that support neuronal health and protect the neurons from detrimental signals. The results from the present study suggest BDNF expression can be increase up to ~8-fold by treating the neuroblastoma cells SHSY-5Y with an herbal extract of (50 μg/mL) and ~5.5-fold under lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-induced inflammation conditions. The extract (Sabroxy) was standardized to 10% oroxylin A, 6% chrysin, and 15% baicalein. In addition, Sabroxy has shown to possess antioxidant activity that could decrease the damage caused by the exacerbation of radicals during neurodegeneration. A mode of action of over expression of BDNF with and without inflammation is proposed for the extract, where the three major hydroxyflavones exert their effects through additive or synergistic effects via five possible targets including GABA, Adenoside A2A and estrogen receptor bindings, anti-inflammatory effects, and reduced mitochondrial ROS production.
Topics: Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; Plant Extracts; Lipopolysaccharides; Humans; Neuroprotective Agents; Neurons; Cell Line, Tumor; Inflammation; Flavanones; Bignoniaceae; Up-Regulation; Flavonoids; Reactive Oxygen Species; Antioxidants; Anti-Inflammatory Agents
PubMed: 38931243
DOI: 10.3390/nu16121887 -
Nutrients Jun 2024Iron deficiency remains a public health challenge globally. Prebiotics have the potential to improve iron bioavailability by modulating intestinal bacterial population,...
Iron deficiency remains a public health challenge globally. Prebiotics have the potential to improve iron bioavailability by modulating intestinal bacterial population, increasing SCFA production, and stimulating expression of brush border membrane (BBM) iron transport proteins among iron-deficient populations. This study intended to investigate the potential effects of soluble extracts from the cotyledon and seed coat of three pea () varieties (CDC Striker, CDC Dakota, and CDC Meadow) on the expression of BBM iron-related proteins (DCYTB and DMT1) and populations of beneficial intestinal bacteria in vivo using the model by oral gavage (one day old chicks) with 1 mL of 50 mg/mL pea soluble extract solutions. The seed coat treatment groups increased the relative abundance of compared to the cotyledon treatment groups, with CDC Dakota seed coat (dark brown pigmented) recording the highest relative abundance of . In contrast, CDC Striker Cotyledon (dark-green-pigmented) significantly increased the relative abundance of ( < 0.05). Subsequently, the two dark-pigmented treatment groups (CDC Striker Cotyledon and CDC Dakota seed coats) recorded the highest expression of DCYTB. Our study suggests that soluble extracts from the pea seed coat and dark-pigmented pea cotyledon may improve iron bioavailability by affecting intestinal bacterial populations.
Topics: Animals; Pisum sativum; Chickens; Prebiotics; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Iron; Plant Extracts; Intestines; Seeds; Bifidobacterium; Cotyledon; Lactobacillus; Cation Transport Proteins
PubMed: 38931211
DOI: 10.3390/nu16121856 -
Nutrients Jun 2024Pulses, as an important part of the human diet, can act as a source of high-quality plant proteins. Pulse proteins and their hydrolysates have shown promising results in... (Review)
Review
Pulses, as an important part of the human diet, can act as a source of high-quality plant proteins. Pulse proteins and their hydrolysates have shown promising results in alleviating metabolic syndrome and modulating the gut microbiome. Their bioactivities have become a focus of research, with many new findings added in recent studies. This paper comprehensively reviews the anti-hypertension, anti-hyperglycemia, anti-dyslipidemia and anti-obesity bioactivities of pulse proteins and their hydrolysates in recent in vitro and in vivo studies, which show great potential for the prevention and treatment of metabolic syndrome. In addition, pulse proteins and their hydrolysates can regulate the gut microbiome, which in turn can have a positive impact on the treatment of metabolic syndrome. Furthermore, the beneficial effects of some pulse proteins and their hydrolysates on metabolic syndrome have been supported by clinical studies. This review might provide a reference for the application of pulse proteins and their hydrolysates in functional foods or nutritional supplements for people with metabolic syndrome.
Topics: Metabolic Syndrome; Humans; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Protein Hydrolysates; Animals; Plant Proteins
PubMed: 38931200
DOI: 10.3390/nu16121845 -
Nutrients Jun 2024Gut microbiota might affect the severity and progression of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). We aimed to characterize gut dysbiosis and...
Gut microbiota might affect the severity and progression of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). We aimed to characterize gut dysbiosis and clinical parameters regarding fibrosis stages assessed by magnetic resonance elastography. This study included 156 patients with MASLD, stratified into no/mild fibrosis (F0-F1) and moderate/severe fibrosis (F2-F4). Fecal specimens were sequenced targeting the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene and analyzed using bioinformatics. The genotyping of , , and was assessed by allelic discrimination assays. Our data showed that gut microbial profiles between groups significantly differed in beta-diversity but not in alpha-diversity indices. Enriched and , and depleted were found in the F2-F4 group versus the F0-F1 group. Compared to F0-F1, the F2-F4 group had elevated plasma surrogate markers of gut epithelial permeability and bacterial translocation. The bacterial genera, polymorphisms, old age, and diabetes were independently associated with advanced fibrosis in multivariable analyses. Using the Random Forest classifier, the gut microbial signature of three genera could differentiate the groups with high diagnostic accuracy (AUC of 0.93). These results indicated that the imbalance of enriched pathogenic genera and decreased beneficial bacteria, in association with several clinical and genetic factors, were potential contributors to the pathogenesis and progression of MASLD.
Topics: Humans; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Liver Cirrhosis; Female; Male; Middle Aged; Severity of Illness Index; Membrane Proteins; Lipase; Aged; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Dysbiosis; Fatty Liver; Feces; Adult; Genetic Variation; Elasticity Imaging Techniques; Bacteria; Acyltransferases; 17-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases; Phospholipases A2, Calcium-Independent
PubMed: 38931155
DOI: 10.3390/nu16121800 -
Plants (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024Alkaline stress with high pH levels could significantly influence plant growth and survival. The enzyme 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (NCED) serves as a critical...
Alkaline stress with high pH levels could significantly influence plant growth and survival. The enzyme 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (NCED) serves as a critical bottleneck in the biosynthesis of abscisic acid (ABA), making it essential for regulating stress tolerance. Here, we show that -overexpressing rice lines have increased ABA content by up to 50.90% and improved transcription levels of numerous genes involved in stress responses that significantly enhance seedling survival rates. Overexpression of increased the dry weight contents of the total chlorophyll, proline, soluble sugar, starch, and the activities of antioxidant enzymes of rice seedlings, while reducing the contents of O·, HO, and malondialdehyde under hydroponic alkaline stress conditions simulated by 10, 15, and 20 mmol L of NaCO. Additionally, the -overexpressing rice lines exhibited a notable increase in the expression of ; ABA response-related genes and ; ion homeostasis-related genes , , , and ; and ROS scavenging-related genes , , , , , and in rice seedling leaves. The results of these findings suggest that overexpression of upregulates endogenous ABA levels and the expression of stress response genes, which represents an innovative molecular approach for enhancing the alkaline tolerance of rice seedlings.
PubMed: 38931145
DOI: 10.3390/plants13121713 -
Plants (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024Cultivated potato () is a major crop worldwide. It occupies the second place after cereals (corn, rice, and wheat). This important crop is threatened by the Oomycete ,... (Review)
Review
Cultivated potato () is a major crop worldwide. It occupies the second place after cereals (corn, rice, and wheat). This important crop is threatened by the Oomycete , the agent of late blight disease. This pathogen was first encountered during the Irish famine during the 1840s and is a reemerging threat to potatoes. It is mainly controlled chemically by using fungicides, but due to health and environmental concerns, the best alternative is resistance. When there is no disease, no treatment is required. In this study, we present a summary of the ongoing efforts concerning resistance breeding of potato against this devastating pathogen, . This work begins with the search for and selection of resistance genes, whether they are from within or from outside the species. The genetic methods developed to date for gene mining, such as effectoromics and GWAS, provide researchers with the ability to identify genes of interest more efficiently. Once identified, these genes are cloned using molecular markers (MAS or QRL) and can then be introduced into different cultivars using somatic hybridization or recombinant DNA technology. More innovative technologies have been developed lately, such as gene editing using the CRISPR system or gene silencing, by exploiting iRNA strategies that have emerged as promising tools for managing , which can be employed. Also, gene pyramiding or gene stacking, which involves the accumulation of two or more genes on the same individual plant, is an innovative method that has yielded many promising results. All these advances related to the development of molecular techniques for obtaining new potato cultivars resistant to can contribute not only to reducing losses in agriculture but especially to ensuring food security and safety.
PubMed: 38931143
DOI: 10.3390/plants13121711 -
Plants (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024Cadmium (Cd), as the most prevalent heavy metal contaminant poses serious risks to plants, humans, and the environment. The ubiquity of this toxic metal is continuously... (Review)
Review
Cadmium (Cd), as the most prevalent heavy metal contaminant poses serious risks to plants, humans, and the environment. The ubiquity of this toxic metal is continuously increasing due to the rapid discharge of industrial and mining effluents and the excessive use of chemical fertilizers. Nanoparticles (NPs) have emerged as a novel strategy to alleviate Cd toxicity. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) have become the most important NPs used to mitigate the toxicity of abiotic stresses and improve crop productivity. The plants quickly absorb Cd, which subsequently disrupts plant physiological and biochemical processes and increases the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which causes the oxidation of cellular structures and significant growth losses. Besides this, Cd toxicity also disrupts leaf osmotic pressure, nutrient uptake, membrane stability, chlorophyll synthesis, and enzyme activities, leading to a serious reduction in growth and biomass productivity. Though plants possess an excellent defense mechanism to counteract Cd toxicity, this is not enough to counter higher concentrations of Cd toxicity. Applying Zn-NPs has proven to have significant potential in mitigating the toxic effects of Cd. ZnO-NPs improve chlorophyll synthesis, photosynthetic efficiency, membrane stability, nutrient uptake, and gene expression, which can help to counter toxic effects of Cd stress. Additionally, ZnO-NPs also help to reduce Cd absorption and accumulation in plants, and the complex relationship between ZnO-NPs, osmolytes, hormones, and secondary metabolites plays an important role in Cd tolerance. Thus, this review concentrates on exploring the diverse mechanisms by which ZnO nanoparticles can alleviate Cd toxicity in plants. In the end, this review has identified various research gaps that need addressing to ensure the promising future of ZnO-NPs in mitigating Cd toxicity. The findings of this review contribute to gaining a deeper understanding of the role of ZnO-NPs in combating Cd toxicity to promote safer and sustainable crop production by remediating Cd-polluted soils. This also allows for the development of eco-friendly approaches to remediate Cd-polluted soils to improve soil fertility and environmental quality.
PubMed: 38931138
DOI: 10.3390/plants13121706 -
Plants (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024Soybean production is significantly impacted by root rot (PRR), which is caused by . The nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) gene family plays a crucial role...
Soybean production is significantly impacted by root rot (PRR), which is caused by . The nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) gene family plays a crucial role in plant disease resistance. However, current understanding of the function of soybean genes in resistance to PRR is limited. To address this knowledge gap, transgenic soybean plants overexpressing the gene () were generated to elucidate the molecular mechanism of resistance. Here, transcript changes and metabolic differences were investigated at three time points (12, 24, and 36 h) after infection in hypocotyls of two soybean lines, Dongnong 50 (susceptible line, WT) and overexpression line (resistant line, OE). Based on the changes in differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in response to infection in different lines and at different time points, it was speculated that HOPZ-ACTIVATED RESISTANCE 1 (ZAR1), valine, leucine, and isoleucine degradation, and phytohormone signaling may be involved in the defense response of soybean to at the transcriptome level by GO term and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. Differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) analysis revealed that a total of 223 and 210 differential metabolites were identified in the positive ion (POS) and negative ion (NEG) modes, respectively. An integrated pathway-level analysis of transcriptomics (obtained by RNA-seq) and metabolomics data revealed that isoflavone biosynthesis was associated with disease resistance. This work provides valuable insights that can be used in breeding programs aiming to enhance soybean resistance against PRR.
PubMed: 38931137
DOI: 10.3390/plants13121705 -
Plants (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024is an important vegetable, and its quality is affected by salt stress. () contribute to plant development and tolerance to salt stress. In this study, 35 genes were...
is an important vegetable, and its quality is affected by salt stress. () contribute to plant development and tolerance to salt stress. In this study, 35 genes were identified from a genome database for , including 9 , 5 , and 21 genes. Furthermore, in , the expression levels of most genes were higher at a low salinity level (50 or 100 mM NaCl) than in the control or 200 mM NaCl treatment. Levels of most genes were elevated in the stem. Moreover, was homologous to , which is involved in the regulation of sodium homeostasis and salt stress response. After overexpression in , seed germination was better, and the flowering time was earlier than that of wild-type plants. Additionally, the overexpression of in improved salt tolerance. These results reveal the roles of genes under salt stress and provide valuable information on this gene family in amaranth.
PubMed: 38931134
DOI: 10.3390/plants13121701