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Frontiers in Plant Science 2024Chickpea ( L.) is a vital grain legume, offering an excellent balance of protein, carbohydrates, fats, fiber, essential micronutrients, and vitamins that can contribute... (Review)
Review
Chickpea ( L.) is a vital grain legume, offering an excellent balance of protein, carbohydrates, fats, fiber, essential micronutrients, and vitamins that can contribute to addressing the global population's increasing food and nutritional demands. Chickpea protein offers a balanced source of amino acids with high bioavailability. Moreover, due to its balanced nutrients and affordable price, chickpea is an excellent alternative to animal protein, offering a formidable tool for combating hidden hunger and malnutrition, particularly prevalent in low-income countries. This review examines chickpea's nutritional profile, encompassing protein, amino acids, carbohydrates, fatty acids, micronutrients, vitamins, antioxidant properties, and bioactive compounds of significance in health and pharmaceutical domains. Emphasis is placed on incorporating chickpeas into diets for their myriad health benefits and nutritional richness, aimed at enhancing human protein and micronutrient nutrition. We discuss advances in plant breeding and genomics that have facilitated the discovery of diverse genotypes and key genomic variants/regions/quantitative trait loci contributing to enhanced macro- and micronutrient contents and other quality parameters. Furthermore, we explore the potential of innovative breeding tools such as CRISPR/Cas9 in enhancing chickpea's nutritional profile. Envisioning chickpea as a nutritionally smart crop, we endeavor to safeguard food security, combat hunger and malnutrition, and promote dietary diversity within sustainable agrifood systems.
PubMed: 38911976
DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1391496 -
Scientific Reports Jun 2024Use of brown seaweed (Ecklonia maxima) as a nutraceutical source in indigenous chicken diets is limited by high dietary fibre levels. Inoculating seaweeds with oyster...
Dietary incorporation of brown seaweed spent oyster mushroom substrate alters growth performance, physiological responses and meat quality parameters in Boschveld roosters.
Use of brown seaweed (Ecklonia maxima) as a nutraceutical source in indigenous chicken diets is limited by high dietary fibre levels. Inoculating seaweeds with oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) spawn (OMS) could enhance the utility of the spent mushroom substrate (SMS). This study investigated the effect of feeding incremental levels of brown seaweed SMS on growth performance, physiological responses, and meat quality parameters in Boschveld roosters. A total of 324, 4-week-old Boschveld roosters were weighed and randomly allotted to 36 pens (9 birds per pen) to produce six replicates per dietary treatment. The diets were formulated as follows: a standard grower diet (CON); and CON containing 150 g/kg of brown seaweed inoculated with OMS at 0 (SMS0), 20 (SMS20), 30 (SMS30), 40 (SMS40) and 50% (SMS50). Birds fed diet CON had the least feed intake (p < 0.05) than all the other SMS treatment levels in weeks 7, 8, 12, 14 and 15. Diet SMS40 promoted higher (p < 0.05) body weight gain (BWG) than CON in weeks 6, 7, 9 and 14. Gain-to-feed ratio linearly increased in weeks 7 [R = 0.288; p = 0.010], 11 [R = 0.581, p = 0.0001] and 14 [R = 0.389, p = 0.004], respectively. Quadratic responses (p < 0.05) were observed for BWG in week 5, white blood cells, heterophils, platelets, lymphocytes, monocytes, and relative spleen and large intestine weights as OMS levels increased. Linear increases were recorded for slaughter [R = 0.197, p = 0.017] and breast weights [R = 0.197, p = 0.020] as OMS levels increased. Diet SMS0 promoted higher (p < 0.05) relative caeca weights than the CON and SMS treatment groups. Neither quadratic nor linear responses (p > 0.05) were observed for breast meat quality parameters. In conclusion, feeding brown seaweed SMS improved growth performance and slaughter weight, altered some blood parameters and internal organs, without affecting breast meat quality of Boschveld roosters. Based on the quadratic response for BWG, the optimum OMS level was deduced at 20% in a brown seaweed-based Boschveld rooster diet.
Topics: Animals; Seaweed; Chickens; Meat; Animal Feed; Diet; Pleurotus; Male; Dietary Supplements; Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena
PubMed: 38909163
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-65338-0 -
Microbiome Jun 2024Although the microbiota has been extensively associated with HIV pathogenesis, the majority of studies, particularly those using omics techniques, are largely... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Although the microbiota has been extensively associated with HIV pathogenesis, the majority of studies, particularly those using omics techniques, are largely correlative and serve primarily as a basis for hypothesis generation. Furthermore, most have focused on characterizing the taxonomic composition of the bacterial component, often overlooking other levels of the microbiome. The intricate mechanisms by which the microbiota influences immune responses to HIV are still poorly understood. Interventional studies on gut microbiota provide a powerful tool to test the hypothesis of whether we can harness the microbiota to improve health outcomes in people with HIV.
RESULTS
Here, we review the multifaceted role of the gut microbiome in HIV/SIV disease progression and its potential as a therapeutic target. We explore the complex interplay between gut microbial dysbiosis and systemic inflammation, highlighting the potential for microbiome-based therapeutics to open new avenues in HIV management. These include exploring the efficacy of probiotics, prebiotics, fecal microbiota transplantation, and targeted dietary modifications. We also address the challenges inherent in this research area, such as the difficulty in inducing long-lasting microbiome alterations and the complexities of study designs, including variations in probiotic strains, donor selection for FMT, antibiotic conditioning regimens, and the hurdles in translating findings into clinical practice. Finally, we speculate on future directions for this rapidly evolving field, emphasizing the need for a more granular understanding of microbiome-immune interactions, the development of personalized microbiome-based therapies, and the application of novel technologies to identify potential therapeutic agents.
CONCLUSIONS
Our review underscores the importance of the gut microbiome in HIV/SIV disease and its potential as a target for innovative therapeutic strategies.
Topics: Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Dysbiosis; Humans; HIV Infections; Simian Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; Probiotics; Fecal Microbiota Transplantation; Animals; Simian Immunodeficiency Virus; Prebiotics; HIV
PubMed: 38907315
DOI: 10.1186/s40168-024-01825-w -
Animal Microbiome Jun 2024Dietary fiber (DF) consumption was reported to improve insulin sensitivity, change the tryptophan metabolism, and alter the gut microbiota. Herein, this study aimed to...
BACKGROUND
Dietary fiber (DF) consumption was reported to improve insulin sensitivity, change the tryptophan metabolism, and alter the gut microbiota. Herein, this study aimed to investigate the effects of DF consumption on insulin sensitivity, tryptophan metabolism, and gut microbiota composition in sows during late pregnancy, and explore the relationship between tryptophan metabolites and insulin sensitivity regulated by DF supplementation.
RESULTS
Twelve sows were randomly assigned to two dietary treatment groups (six/group): the low-fiber (LF) group, which was fed a basal diet, and the high-fiber (HF) group, which was fed the basal diet supplemented with 22.60 g/kg inulin and 181.60 g/kg cellulose. During late pregnancy, meal test, glucose tolerance test, and insulin challenge test were used to investigate the insulin sensitivity of sows, using the percutaneous brachiocephalic vein catheterization technique. High DF consumption resulted in improved insulin sensitivity, especially during the second and third trimesters, and promoted serotonin production from tryptophan. Additionally, plasma serotonin concentration was positively correlated with the insulin sensitivity index during late pregnancy. Moreover, DF consumption elevated fecal short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) concentrations, altered fecal microbial diversity, and increased the abundances of Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group, Alloprevotella, Parabacteroides, Roseburia, and Sphaerochaeta, which were positively correlated to plasma serotonin concentration.
CONCLUSIONS
DF consumption improved insulin sensitivity during late pregnancy in sows, which improved microbial diversity in fecal samples and increased fecal SCFA concentrations, resulting in a positive correlation with plasma serotonin level.
PubMed: 38907293
DOI: 10.1186/s42523-024-00323-6 -
BMC Public Health Jun 2024COVID-19 is a pandemic caused by nCoV-2019, a new beta-coronavirus from Wuhan, China, that mainly affects the respiratory system and can be modulated by nutrition. (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
COVID-19 is a pandemic caused by nCoV-2019, a new beta-coronavirus from Wuhan, China, that mainly affects the respiratory system and can be modulated by nutrition.
METHODS
This review aims to summarize the current literature on the association between dietary intake and serum levels of micronutrients, malnutrition, and dietary patterns and respiratory infections, including flu, pneumonia, and acute respiratory syndrome, with a focus on COVID-19. We searched for relevant articles in various databases and selected those that met our inclusion criteria.
RESULTS
Some studies suggest that dietary patterns, malnutrition, and certain nutrients such as vitamins D, E, A, iron, zinc, selenium, magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids, and fiber may have a significant role in preventing respiratory diseases, alleviating symptoms, and lowering mortality rates. However, the evidence is not consistent and conclusive, and more research is needed to clarify the mechanisms and the optimal doses of these dietary components. The impact of omega-3 and fiber on respiratory diseases has been mainly studied in children and adults, respectively, and few studies have examined the effect of dietary components on COVID-19 prevention, with a greater focus on vitamin D.
CONCLUSION
This review highlights the potential of nutrition as a modifiable factor in the prevention and management of respiratory infections and suggests some directions for future research. However, it also acknowledges the limitations of the existing literature, such as the heterogeneity of the study designs, populations, interventions, and outcomes, and the difficulty of isolating the effects of single nutrients from the complex interactions of the whole diet.
Topics: Humans; COVID-19; Micronutrients; Respiratory Tract Infections; Diet; SARS-CoV-2; Dietary Patterns
PubMed: 38907196
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-18760-y -
Frontiers in Immunology 2024In recent years, with the deepening understanding of the gut microbiota, it has been recognized to play a significant role in the development and progression of... (Review)
Review
In recent years, with the deepening understanding of the gut microbiota, it has been recognized to play a significant role in the development and progression of diseases. Particularly in gastrointestinal tumors, the gut microbiota influences tumor growth by dysbiosis, release of bacterial toxins, and modulation of host signaling pathways and immune status. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have greatly improved cancer treatment efficacy by enhancing immune cell responses. Current clinical and preclinical studies have demonstrated that the gut microbiota and its metabolites can enhance the effectiveness of immunotherapy. Furthermore, certain gut microbiota can serve as biomarkers for predicting immunotherapy responses. Interventions targeting the gut microbiota for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases, especially colorectal cancer (CRC), include fecal microbiota transplantation, probiotics, prebiotics, engineered bacteria, and dietary interventions. These approaches not only improve the efficacy of ICIs but also hold promise for enhancing immunotherapy outcomes. In this review, we primarily discuss the role of the gut microbiota and its metabolites in tumors, host immunity, and immunotherapy.
Topics: Humans; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Immunotherapy; Animals; Dysbiosis; Neoplasms; Probiotics; Fecal Microbiota Transplantation; Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors; Prebiotics
PubMed: 38903520
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1410928 -
Nutrition & Diabetes Jun 2024Dietary-resistant starch is emerging as a potential therapeutic tool to limit the negative effects of diabetes on the kidneys. However, its metabolic and...
BACKGROUND
Dietary-resistant starch is emerging as a potential therapeutic tool to limit the negative effects of diabetes on the kidneys. However, its metabolic and immunomodulatory effects have not yet been fully elucidated.
METHODS
Six-week-old db/db mice were fed a diet containing 12.5% resistant starch or a control diet matched for equivalent regular starch for 10 weeks. db/m mice receiving the control diet were utilised as non-diabetic controls. Freshly collected kidneys were digested for flow cytometry analysis of immune cell populations. Kidney injury was determined by measuring albuminuria, histology, and immunohistochemistry. Portal vein plasma was collected for targeted analysis of microbially-derived metabolites. Intestinal histology and tight junction protein expression were assessed.
RESULTS
Resistant starch limited the development of albuminuria in db/db mice. Diabetic db/db mice displayed a decline in portal vein plasma levels of acetate, propionate, and butyrate, which was increased with resistant starch supplementation. Diabetic db/db mice receiving resistant starch had a microbially-derived metabolite profile similar to that of non-diabetic db/m mice. The intestinal permeability markers lipopolysaccharide and lipopolysaccharide binding protein were increased in db/db mice consuming the control diet, which was not seen in db/db mice receiving resistant starch supplementation. Diabetes was associated with an increase in the kidney neutrophil population, neutrophil activation, number of C5aR1+ neutrophils, and urinary complement C5a excretion, all of which were reduced with resistant starch. These pro-inflammatory changes appear independent of fibrotic changes in the kidney.
CONCLUSIONS
Resistant starch supplementation in diabetes promotes beneficial circulating microbially-derived metabolites and improves intestinal permeability, accompanied by a modulation in the inflammatory profile of the kidney including neutrophil infiltration, complement activation, and albuminuria. These findings indicate that resistant starch can regulate immune and inflammatory responses in the kidney and support the therapeutic potential of resistant starch supplementation in diabetes on kidney health.
Topics: Animals; Mice; Kidney; Albuminuria; Male; Neutrophil Infiltration; Diabetic Nephropathies; Resistant Starch; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Starch; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental; Mice, Inbred C57BL
PubMed: 38902253
DOI: 10.1038/s41387-024-00305-2 -
Clinical Nutrition ESPEN Aug 2024Maternal gluten intake in relation to child's risk of type 1 diabetes has been studied in few prospective studies considering the diet during pregnancy but none during...
BACKGROUND & AIMS
Maternal gluten intake in relation to child's risk of type 1 diabetes has been studied in few prospective studies considering the diet during pregnancy but none during lactation. Our aim was to study whether gluten, cereals, or dietary fiber in maternal diet during pregnancy and lactation is associated with the risk of islet autoimmunity or type 1 diabetes in the offspring.
METHODS
We included 4943 children with genetic susceptibility to type 1 diabetes from the Finnish Type 1 Diabetes Prediction and Prevention (DIPP) Study, born between 1996 and 2004. Maternal intake of gluten, different types of cereals, and dietary fiber were derived from a semi-quantitative validated food frequency questionnaire covering the eighth month of pregnancy and the third month of lactation. Children were monitored for islet autoantibodies up to age of 15 years and type 1 diabetes until year 2017. Risk of islet autoimmunity and clinical type 1 diabetes were estimated using Cox regression model, adjusted for energy intake, child's sex, HLA genotype, and familial diabetes.
RESULTS
Altogether 312 children (6.4%) developed islet autoimmunity at median age of 3.5 (IQR 1.7, 6.6) years and 178 children (3.6%) developed type 1 diabetes at median age of 7.1 (IQR 4.3, 10.6) years. Gluten intake during pregnancy was not associated with islet autoimmunity (HR 0.96; 95% CI 0.68, 1.35), per 1 g/MJ increase in intake nor type 1 diabetes (HR 0.96; 95% CI 0.62, 1.50) in the offspring. Higher barley consumption during lactation was associated with increased risk of type 1 diabetes (HR 3.25; 95% CI 1.21, 8.70) per 1 g/MJ increase in intake. Maternal intake of other cereals or dietary fiber was not associated with the offspring outcomes.
CONCLUSIONS
We observed no association between maternal intake of gluten, most consumed cereals, or dietary fiber during pregnancy or lactation and the risk of islet autoimmunity or type 1 diabetes in children from a high-risk population.
Topics: Humans; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1; Female; Pregnancy; Dietary Fiber; Glutens; Child; Autoimmunity; Lactation; Edible Grain; Child, Preschool; Male; Finland; Infant; Risk Factors; Diet; Adolescent; Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Prospective Studies; Islets of Langerhans; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; Adult
PubMed: 38901945
DOI: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2024.05.001 -
Clinical Nutrition ESPEN Aug 2024Resistant starch (RS) is a prebiotic fiber that has been scientifically shown to control the development of obesity. Prebiotic role of RS has also seen to be very...
BACKGROUND & AIMS
Resistant starch (RS) is a prebiotic fiber that has been scientifically shown to control the development of obesity. Prebiotic role of RS has also seen to be very important as it helps gut bacteria to regulate fermentation and fatty acid production. This study aimed to check the different levels of RS on glycemic index, oxidative stress and mineral absorption rate in healthy rat models. To evaluate these objectives, the trial was conducted for 40 days of follow up; 10 days were the adjustment period and the collection period over 30 days.
METHODS
Thirty-six healthy female Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups of (9 animals each) NC (Normal Control: without resistant starch), RS (resistant starch: 0.20 g/kg body weight), RS (resistant starch: 0.30 g/kg body weight), RS (resistant starch: 0.40 g/kg body weight). All the diets were isocaloric and isonitroginous.
RESULTS
The impact of different levels of RS on the dry-matter intake (DMI) presented statistically significant results (p ≤ 0.05): DMI was reduced in RS fed rats as compared to NC rats in first 3 weeks; and after 4th and 5th weeks, there was a DMI reduction of 28% in RS fed rats. Moreover, there was no significant increase in the nutrient intake in all RS diets. The dry-matter (DM) digestibility was statistically significantly (P ≤ 0·05), which increased in all rats fed with different level of RS. The weight loss showed statistically significant results: RS exhibited 19 g reduction in weight as compared with NC rats. Significant increase was observed in total oxidant status (TOS), in all the RS fed rats when compared with NC rats. The levels of Mg, Ca, Fe and Zn were shown to be decrease in feces analysis, which proves their better absorbance in gut. Statistically significant increase was observed in antioxidant capacity, whereas significant decrease was observed in the total weight of the animals, showing the role of RS in controlling obesity.
CONCLUSIONS
Overall, significant results were found in all dosage level of RS but long term administration of the higher dosage level (RS) may need to be studied for enhanced results. RS can help improve insulin sensitivity in overweight adults.
Topics: Animals; Rats, Wistar; Glycemic Index; Oxidative Stress; Female; Rats; Starch; Minerals; Dietary Fiber; Resistant Starch; Prebiotics; Intestinal Absorption; Diet
PubMed: 38901928
DOI: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2024.04.021 -
Diet-microbiome interactions promote enteric nervous system resilience following spinal cord injury.BioRxiv : the Preprint Server For... Jun 2024Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in a plethora of physiological dysfunctions across all body systems, including intestinal dysmotility and atrophy of the enteric nervous...
Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in a plethora of physiological dysfunctions across all body systems, including intestinal dysmotility and atrophy of the enteric nervous system (ENS). Typically, the ENS has capacity to recover from perturbation, so it is unclear why intestinal pathophysiologies persist after traumatic spinal injury. With emerging evidence demonstrating SCI-induced alterations to the gut microbiome composition, we hypothesized that modulation of the gut microbiome could contribute to enteric nervous system recovery after injury. Here, we show that intervention with the dietary fiber, inulin prevents ENS atrophy and limits SCI-induced intestinal dysmotility in mice. However, SCI-associated microbiomes and exposure to specific SCI-sensitive gut microbes are not sufficient to modulate injury-induced intestinal dysmotility. Intervention with microbially-derived short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) metabolites prevents ENS dysfunctions and phenocopies inulin treatment in injured mice, implicating these microbiome metabolites in protection of the ENS. Notably, inulin-mediated resilience is dependent on signaling by the cytokine IL-10, highlighting a critical diet-microbiome-immune axis that promotes ENS resilience following SCI. Overall, we demonstrate that diet and microbially-derived signals distinctly impact recovery of the ENS after traumatic spinal injury. This protective diet-microbiome-immune axis may represent a foundation to uncover etiological mechanisms and future therapeutics for SCI-induced neurogenic bowel.
PubMed: 38895207
DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.06.597793