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Foods (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024The present study explored the nutritional composition, phytochemicals analysis, and antioxidant capacity of two indigenous varieties of red and green water chestnut...
The present study explored the nutritional composition, phytochemicals analysis, and antioxidant capacity of two indigenous varieties of red and green water chestnut (WCN) fruit grown in Pakistan. Accordingly, this study was designed to investigate the proximate composition (moisture, ash, fiber, proteins, fat, and energy), physicochemical properties (pH, °Brix, and glycemic index), minerals, and vitamins. The methanolic extracts of WCN fruits were explored for phytochemicals (total phenolic and flavonoid content), and antioxidant potential was examined in vitro by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging capacity (DPPH) and Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). Quantitative determination of mineral (sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, manganese, copper, and zinc) and vitamin (vitamin C, vitamin B6, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, vitamin A, and -Carotene) composition was also assessed. Based on the findings, the proximate compositions of WCN green and red varieties varied greatly as WCN green contained significantly higher protein (1.72%), fat (0.65%), dietary fiber (2.21%), moisture (70.23%), ash (1.16%), and energy content (112.8 Kcal) than WCN red. In WCN green, the macro-micromineral concentrations were significantly higher than WCN red. Among the minerals analyzed, potassium was the most abundant mineral found in both varieties. Levels of vitamin C, B, A, and -Carotene were significantly higher in WCN green. In this study, methanolic extract showed higher extraction efficiency than acetone, ethanol, and distilled water. WCN green had a significantly higher quantum of total phenolic (91.13 mg GAE/g) and total flavonoid (36.6 mg QE/g) and presented significantly higher antioxidant activity than the WCN red. This study showed that, among both varieties, WCN green extract has therapeutic potential against free radical mediated health conditions and suggested the potential use of this fruit as a source of natural antioxidants in nutraceuticals.
PubMed: 38928824
DOI: 10.3390/foods13121883 -
Foods (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024Chickpeas are more sustainable than other food systems and have high a nutritional value, especially regarding their vitamin composition. One of the main vitamins in...
Chickpeas are more sustainable than other food systems and have high a nutritional value, especially regarding their vitamin composition. One of the main vitamins in chickpeas is vitamin B6, which is very important for several human metabolic functions. Since chickpeas are consumed after cooking, our goal was to better understand the role of leaching (diffusion) and thermal degradation of vitamin B6 in chickpeas during hydrothermal processing. Kinetics were conducted at four temperatures, ranging from 25 to 85 °C, carried out for 4 h in an excess of water for the diffusion kinetics, or in hermetic bags for the thermal degradation kinetics. Thermal degradation was modeled according to a first-order reaction, and diffusion was modeled according to a modified version of Fick's second law. Diffusivity constants varied from 4.76 × 10 m/s at 25 °C to 2.07 × 10 m/s at 85 °C; the temperature had an impact on both the diffusivity constant and the residual vitamin B6. The kinetic constant ranged from 9.35 × 10 at 25 °C to 54.9 × 10 s at 85 °C, with a lower impact of the temperature. In conclusion, vitamin B6 is relatively stable to heat degradation; loss is mainly due to diffusion, especially during shorter treatment times.
PubMed: 38928789
DOI: 10.3390/foods13121847 -
Science Advances Jun 2024Coordination of cellular activity through Ca enables β cells to secrete precise quantities of insulin. To explore how the Ca response is orchestrated in space and time,...
Coordination of cellular activity through Ca enables β cells to secrete precise quantities of insulin. To explore how the Ca response is orchestrated in space and time, we implement optogenetic systems to probe the role of individual β cells in the glucose response. By targeted β cell activation/inactivation in zebrafish, we reveal a hierarchy of cells, each with a different level of influence over islet-wide Ca dynamics. First-responder β cells lie at the top of the hierarchy, essential for initiating the first-phase Ca response. Silencing first responders impairs the Ca response to glucose. Conversely, selective activation of first responders demonstrates their increased capability to raise pan-islet Ca levels compared to followers. By photolabeling and transcriptionally profiling β cells that differ in their thresholds to a glucose-stimulated Ca response, we highlight vitamin B6 production as a signature pathway of first responders. We further define an evolutionarily conserved requirement for vitamin B6 in enabling the Ca response to glucose in mammalian systems.
Topics: Animals; Insulin-Secreting Cells; Zebrafish; Glucose; Optogenetics; Calcium; Calcium Signaling
PubMed: 38924394
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ado4513 -
American Journal of Human Biology : the... Jun 2024The United Nations recommends that women consume ≥5 food groups, also known as the minimum dietary diversity score for women (MDD-W), for nutritional health. This is...
OBJECTIVES
The United Nations recommends that women consume ≥5 food groups, also known as the minimum dietary diversity score for women (MDD-W), for nutritional health. This is increasingly unattainable for populations in climate hot zones coping with food insecurity by prioritizing calories over dietary breadth. Breastfeeding mothers may be particularly vulnerable to adverse health impacts of low dietary diversity due to elevated nutritional requirements for lactation. We investigated how the protective effects of MDD-W for folate adequacy varies by MDD-W score and mother-infant life history characteristics.
METHODS
We conducted a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from breastfeeding mothers (n = 228) in northern Kenya, surveyed during the 2006 Horn-of-Africa drought. Logistic regression models for adequate dietary folate (and vitamins B12 and B6) and normal homocysteine (folate-replete status) evaluated the effect of MDD-W alone and in interaction with infant/maternal characteristics.
RESULTS
MDD-W (as ordinal or dichotomous variable) was positively associated with adequate folate (and vitamin B12). Having male infant was inversely associated with adequate dietary folate. MDD-W was generally unassociated with homocysteine. However, there was an interaction between MDD-W and sex of the infant. Namely, MDD-W ≥ 3 predicted increased probability of normal homocysteine among mothers with female infants but not male infants.
CONCLUSIONS
Diets consisting of three or more food groups may protect adequate folate intake for many breastfeeding mothers. More research is needed to establish what level of dietary diversity would protect against hyperhomocysteinemia during breastfeeding and what factors promote or hinder the benefit of diversified diets on maternal folate nutrition.
PubMed: 38923066
DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.24122 -
Frontiers in Nutrition 2024The growing prevalence of vegetarianism determines the need for comprehensive study of the impact of these diets on health and particularly on bone metabolism. We...
INTRODUCTION
The growing prevalence of vegetarianism determines the need for comprehensive study of the impact of these diets on health and particularly on bone metabolism. We hypothesized that significant dietary differences between vegans, lacto-ovo-vegetarians, and omnivores also cause significant differences in their nutrient status, which may affect bone health.
METHODS
The study assessed dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry parameters in lumbar spine and femoral neck, average nutrient intake, serum nutrient concentrations, serum PTH levels, and urinary pH among 46 vegans, 38 lacto-ovo-vegetarians, and 44 omnivores.
RESULTS
There were no differences in bone mineral density (BMD) between the groups. However, the parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels were still higher in vegans compared to omnivores, despite the same prevalence of hyperparathyroidism in all groups. These findings may probably be explained by the fact that each group had its own "strengths and weaknesses." Thus, vegans and, to a lesser extent, lacto-ovo-vegetarians consumed much more potassium, magnesium, copper, manganese, and vitamins B, B, and C. At the same time, the diet of omnivores contained more protein and vitamins D and B. All the subjects consumed less vitamin D than recommended. More than half of vegans and omnivores had insufficiency or even deficiency of vitamin D in the blood. Low serum concentrations of manganese with its quite adequate intake are also noteworthy: its deficiency was observed in 57% of vegans, 79% of lacto-ovo-vegetarians, and 63% of omnivores.
DISCUSSION
Currently, it is no longer possible to conclude that lacto-ovo-vegetarians have lower BMD than omnivores, as our research supported. Vegans in our study also did not demonstrate lower BMD values, only higher PTH blood concentrations, compared to omnivores, however, a large number of studies, including recent, show the opposite view. In this regard, further large-scale research is required. Vegans and lacto-ovo-vegetarians now have a variety of foods fortified with vitamins D and B, as well as calcium. There is also a great diversity of ethically sourced dietary supplements. The found low concentrations of manganese require further investigation.
PubMed: 38919395
DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1390773 -
Environmental Epidemiology... Aug 2024Maternal nutrient intake may moderate associations between environmental exposures and children's neurodevelopmental outcomes, but few studies have assessed joint...
Prenatal air pollution and children's autism traits score: Examination of joint associations with maternal intake of vitamin D, methyl donors, and polyunsaturated fatty acids using mixture methods.
BACKGROUND
Maternal nutrient intake may moderate associations between environmental exposures and children's neurodevelopmental outcomes, but few studies have assessed joint effects. We aimed to evaluate whether prenatal nutrient intake influences the association between air pollutants and autism-related trait scores.
METHODS
We included 126 participants from the EARLI (Early Autism Risk Longitudinal Investigation, 2009-2012) cohort, which followed US pregnant mothers who previously had a child with autism. Bayesian kernel machine regression and traditional regression models were used to examine joint associations of prenatal nutrient intake (vitamins D, B12, and B6; folate, choline, and betaine; and total omega 3 and 6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, reported via food frequency questionnaire), air pollutant exposure (particulate matter <2.5 μm [PM], nitrogen dioxide [NO], and ozone [O], estimated at the address level), and children's autism-related traits (measured by the Social Responsiveness Scale [SRS] at 36 months).
RESULTS
Most participants had nutrient intakes and air pollutant exposures that met US standards. Bayesian kernel machine regression mixture models and traditional regression models provided little evidence of individual or joint associations of nutrients and air pollutants with SRS scores or of an association between the overall mixture and SRS scores.
CONCLUSION
In this cohort with a high familial likelihood of autism, we did not observe evidence of joint associations between air pollution exposures and nutrient intake with autism-related traits. Future work should examine the use of these methods in larger, more diverse samples, as our results may have been influenced by familial liability and/or relatively high nutrient intakes and low air pollutant exposures.
PubMed: 38919264
DOI: 10.1097/EE9.0000000000000316 -
Environmental Research Jun 2024The nutraceutical value, and physicochemical profile as well as anti-inflammatory activity potential of Odonthalia floccose and Odonthalia dentata (red macroalgae) dry...
The nutraceutical value, and physicochemical profile as well as anti-inflammatory activity potential of Odonthalia floccose and Odonthalia dentata (red macroalgae) dry biomass were investigated in this study. Proximate composition study results revealed that the dry biomass of O. floccose and O. dentae were found to be as ash: 9.11 & 8.7 g 100 g, moisture: 8.24 & 8.1 g 100 g, total fat: 6.9 & 7.2 g 100 g, protein: 24.52 & 25.6 g 100 g, and total carbohydrate/polysaccharides: 53.84 & 48.85 g 100 g of dry weight biomass respectively. Both algae biomass contain considerable quantity of minerals (Fe, Cu, Mg, and Zn). Furthermore, the major saturated fatty acids (6.24 & 5.82 g FAME 100 g of total fat of O. floccose and O. dentate) (ΣFAs) present in the test algae were stearic acid, palmitic acid, and margaric acids. O. floccose and O. dentata also contain remarkable protein composition profile that compiled with considerable quantity of essential and non-essential amino acids. The vitamins such as vitamin A, B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, C, and E of O. floccose and O. dentate biomass were also identified at sufficient quantity level. The swelling capacity (SWC), water holding capacity (WHC), and oil holding capacity (OHC) properties of O. floccose and O. dentate at various temperature conditions (25 and 37 ᵒC) were found to be 8.11 & 7.02 mL g and 8.95 & 7.55 mL g, 5.1 & 4.87 and 4.8 & 4.1 mL g, as well as 2.11 & 1.81 and 1.96 & 1.89 mL g respectively. Among these two marine red macroalgae samples, the O. dentate showed better anti-inflammatory activity than O. floccose at 150 μg mL dosage. Thus, this O. floccose and O. dentate biomass can be considerable as nutritional supplement and pharmaceutical product development related research.
PubMed: 38917932
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.119487 -
Diseases of the Esophagus : Official... Jun 2024Due to insufficient dietary intake and altered digestion and absorption of nutrients, patients after gastroesophageal cancer surgery are at risk of becoming malnourished...
Due to insufficient dietary intake and altered digestion and absorption of nutrients, patients after gastroesophageal cancer surgery are at risk of becoming malnourished and consequently develop micronutrient deficiencies. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies and anemia during follow-up after gastroesophageal cancer surgery. This single-center cross-sectional study included patients after resection for esophageal or gastric cancer visiting the outpatient clinic in 2016 and 2017. Only patients without signs of recurrent disease were included. All patients were guided by a dietician in the pre- and postoperative phase. Dietary supplements or enteral tube feeding was prescribed in case of inadequate dietary intake. Blood samples were examined for possible deficiencies or abnormalities in hemoglobin, prothrombin time, iron, ferritin, folic acid, calcium, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin D and vitamin E. The percentage of patients with micronutrient deficiencies were scored. Of the 335 patients visiting the outpatient clinic, measurements were performed in 263 patients (221 after esophagectomy and 42 after gastrectomy), resulting in an inclusion rate of 79%. In the esophagectomy group, deficiencies in iron (36%), vitamin D (33%) and zinc (20%) were most prevalent. After gastric resection, deficiencies were most frequently observed in vitamin D (52%), iron (33%), zinc (28%) and ferritin (17%). Low levels of hemoglobin were found in 21% of patients after esophagectomy and 24% after gastrectomy. Despite active nutritional guidance, deficiencies in vitamin D, iron, zinc and ferritin, as well as low levels of hemoglobin, are frequently observed following gastroesophageal resection for cancer. These micronutrients should be periodically checked during follow-up and supplemented if needed.
PubMed: 38912788
DOI: 10.1093/dote/doae053 -
Journal of Bone and Mineral Research :... Jun 2024
PubMed: 38905292
DOI: 10.1093/jbmr/zjae098 -
Frontiers in Nutrition 2024Although numerous studies have substantiated the neuroprotective effects of vitamin B on the optic nerve and its enhancement of visual function, comprehensive data...
OBJECTIVE
Although numerous studies have substantiated the neuroprotective effects of vitamin B on the optic nerve and its enhancement of visual function, comprehensive data delineating the correlation between vitamin B and glaucoma at a national demographic scale remain insufficient. This study is designed to explore the link between the dietary consumption of vitamin B and glaucoma.
METHODS
This study included 3,850 individuals aged 40 and older from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), spanning 2005-2008. Dietary consumption of vitamin B was calculated from the average of two 24-h dietary recall interviews. Glaucoma was diagnosed in accordance with the established Rotterdam criteria. To evaluate the relationship between vitamin B dietary consumption and the risk of glaucoma, we employed Restricted Cubic Splines and weighted multivariable logistic regression analysis. We employed stratified and three other sensitivity analyses to confirm the robustness of our results, and conducted a preliminary exploration of the potential association between vitamin B supplement consumption and glaucoma risk.
RESULTS
After adjusting for covariates, we found a significant inverse correlation between dietary consumption of vitamin B and glaucoma risk ( = 0.18; for trend = 0.02). Stratified analysis and three other sensitivity analyses revealed stability in the outcomes (all p for interaction>0.05). Compared to the lowest quartile of consumption (≤1.23 mg/day), individuals in the highest quartile of vitamin B consumption (>2.34 mg/day) experienced a 75% reduction in glaucoma risk (OR = 0.25, 95% CI 0.07-0.92). However, the effect of vitamin B supplements on glaucoma was inconclusive.
CONCLUSION
A diet high in vitamin B inversely correlates with glaucoma risk, suggesting that increasing dietary intake of vitamin B could be a viable preventative strategy against glaucoma among adults in the United States.
PubMed: 38903614
DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1363539