Antibiotic Treatment Reduces the Health Benefits of Soy Protein

TT Genotype of TLR4 rs1928295 Is a Risk Factor of Overweight/Obesity in Han Chinese Children Aged 7-12 Years and Can Interact with Dietary Patterns to Affect the Incidence of Central Obesity and Lipid Profile, Systolic Blood Pressure Levels

Previous studies have found that TLR4 rs1928295 polymorphism is associated with Body Mass Index in European and American Indian adults. This study evaluates the relationship between this locus polymorphism, obesity-related parameters and dietary patterns in Chinese Han Children. A total of 798 children aged 7-12 years were included in this cross-sectional study. An improved Multiple Ligase Detection Reaction was used for genotyping. Dietary patterns were identified by principal component factor analysis. The overweight/obesity rate of the TT genotype was greater than those of the CC/CT genotype (p = 0.032 and 0.048 in boys and girls, respectively). Boys of the TT genotype could interact with protein and cholesterol intake to increase low density lipoprotein (LDL) levels (p = 0.02, 0.015, respectively), while girls of the TT genotype could interact with total energy intake to increase triglyceride (TG) (p = 0.018) levels. Boys predisposed to a healthy balance dietary pattern (HBDP) and girls predisposed to an egg/fruit/fish dietary pattern (EFDP) were significantly associated with lower rates of central obesity (p = 0.045, 0.028). Boys carrying the TT genotype and predisposed to animal food dietary pattern (AFDP) had a higher level of low-density lipoprotein (p = 0.017) and systolic pressure (p = 0.044). Our results indicated that the TT genotype of TLR4 rs1928295 is a potential risk factor for obesity in Chinese Han children and is associated with dietary patterns.

Amino Acid Catabolism: An Overlooked Area of Metabolism

Amino acids have been extensively studied in nutrition, mainly as key elements for maintaining optimal protein synthesis in the body as well as precursors of various nitrogen-containing compounds. However, it is now known that amino acid catabolism is an important element for the metabolic control of different biological processes, although it is still a developing field to have a deeper understanding of its biological implications. The mechanisms involved in the regulation of amino acid catabolism now include the contribution of the gut microbiota to amino acid oxidation and metabolite generation in the intestine, the molecular mechanisms of transcriptional control, and the participation of specific miRNAs involved in the regulation of amino acid degrading enzymes. In addition, molecules derived from amino acid catabolism play a role in metabolism as they are used in the epigenetic regulation of many genes. Thus, this review aims to examine the mechanisms of amino acid catabolism and to support the idea that this process is associated with the immune response, abnormalities during obesity, in particular insulin resistance, and the regulation of thermogenesis.

Bioactive Foods Decrease Liver and Brain Alterations Induced by a High-Fat-Sucrose Diet through Restoration of Gut Microbiota and Antioxidant Enzymes

Obesity is associated with cognitive deficit and liver alterations; however, it remains unclear whether a combination of functional foods could reverse cognitive damage and to what extent it would be associated with changes in gut microbiota and liver. With this aim, male Wistar rats were fed a high-fat-5%sucrose diet (HFS) for 4 mo. And were then fed for 1 mo. with bioactive foods. At the end of this period, liver, serum, feces, intestine, and brain samples were taken. Body composition, energy expenditure, LPS, hormones, intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test, behavioral tests, and gut microbiota were evaluated. We showed that male rats fed high-fat-sucrose diet developed gut microbiota dysbiosis, increased in body fat, decreased antioxidant activity, decreased brain neuropeptide Y, increased the number of astrocytes and activated microglia, along with reduced spine density associated with deficits in working memory. Ingestion of a combination of nopal, soy protein, curcumin, and chia seed oil (bioactive foods) for three months was associated with an increase in a cluster of bacteria with anti-inflammatory capacity, a decrease in serum LPS levels and an increase in serum eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) with neuroprotective properties. In the liver, ingestion of bioactive food significantly increased antioxidant enzymes, decreased lipogenesis, reduced inflammation mediated by the TLR4-TNFα pathway along with a decrease in body fat, glucose intolerance, and metabolic inflexibility. Finally, neuroinflammation in the brain was reduced and working memory improved. Our study demonstrates that consumption of bioactive foods was associated with reduced liver, brain, and gut microbiota alterations in obese rats.

Effect of a dietary intervention with functional foods on LDL-C concentrations and lipoprotein subclasses in overweight subjects with hypercholesterolemia: Results of a controlled trial

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of global death. Hypercholesterolemia is among the main risk factors for developing cardiovascular events, and is highly prevalent in the Mexican population. The primary objective of the present work was to assess the effect of a dietary portfolio (DP) with functional foods containing dehydrated nopal, soy protein, chia seeds, inulin, and oats in LDL-C and TC concentrations of subjects with mild hypercholesterolemia. Also, we explored the changes in the profile of the lipoprotein subclasses measured by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR).

METHODS

Sixty-two subjects (47 women, 15 men) with mild hypercholesterolemia (LDL-C, ≥130 ≤ 190 mg/dL, TC > 200 mg/dL) completed the randomized, parallel, controlled study. The dietary intervention was given in two stages. First, a dietary standardization stage with a low saturated fat diet (LSFD) which matched the habitual energy intake of the volunteers for 2-weeks, followed by 2.5 months of dietary intervention with a LSFD plus placebo (PL) or DP.

RESULTS

Subjects who consumed the LSFD + DP interventions had a significantly higher reduction of LDL-C (-18.05%, P = 0.003) and TC (-17.08%, P = 0.02) compared to volunteers who consumed an LSFD for the same period. Furthermore, the lipoprotein subclass profiling showed that the small low-density-lipoproteins, and the small high-density-lipoproteins significantly decreased (P = 0.04, P < 0.001, respectively), conveying a less atherogenic state. At the end of the study, 78% of the subjects who consumed LSFD + DP reduced their LDL-C below 160 mg/dL, and of these, 47% reduced it below 130 mg/dL.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on the results obtained from this study, the inclusion of functional foods as part of the lifestyle modifications is recommended to treat mild hypercholesterolemia and reduce cardiovascular risk. Registered under ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier no. NCT04148976.