Consumption of a whey protein-enriched diet may prevent hepatic steatosis associated with weight gain in elderly women

Bioactive peptides of whey: obtaining, activity, mechanism of action, and further applications

Bioactive peptides derived from diverse food proteins have been part of diverse investigations. Whey is a rich source of proteins and components related to biological activity. It is known that proteins have effects that promote health benefits. Peptides derived from whey proteins are currently widely studied. These bioactive peptides are amino acid sequences that are encrypted within the first structure of proteins, which required hydrolysis for their release. The hydrolysis could be through in vitro or in vivo enzymatic digestion and using microorganisms in fermented systems. The biological activities associated with bio-peptides include immunomodulatory properties, antibacterial, antihypertensive, antioxidant and opioid, etc. These functions are related to general conditions of health or reduced risk of certain chronic illnesses. To determine the suitability of these peptides/ingredients for applications in food technology, clinical studies are required to evaluate their bioavailability, health claims, and safety of them. This review aimed to describe the biological importance of whey proteins according to the incidence in human health, their role as bioactive peptides source, describing methods, and obtaining technics. In addition, the paper exposes biochemical mechanisms during the activity exerted by biopeptides of whey, and their application trends.

Obesity Prevention is the Key to a Nation’s Health

The overweight and obesity is increasing problem for the health care system and for the health of the general population. The number of overweight people with varying degrees of obesity is growing in most countries around the world each year, a third of the world’s population suffers from this condition. According to scientists, lack of sleep, stress, use of certain pharmacological drugs can lead to obesity. The causes and factors of weight gain are varied, not only in personal life, such as eating habits and physical activity, but also include factors that can not be controlled, such as environmental factors, socio-economic factors, genetic factors and more. Obesity is a major risk factor for many diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke and some cancers. Obesity prevention should be one of the top priorities for the health care system. Preventive measures aimed to prevent the development of overweight and obesity have three levels of intervention: primary, secondary and tertiary. The purpose of the primary prevention is to minimize weight gain and prevent the development of overweight or obesity. Secondary prevention aimes to reduce the impact of the existing disease. Tertiary prevention concentraits on reduction of the complications that have developed as a result of the disease. To prevent overweight and obesity, doctors advise to limit the caloric content of diet by reducing the consumption of fats and sugars; increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables, as well as whole grains and nuts; perform regular exercise. Regular weighing by health professionals can help identify patterns and factors that contribute to weight gain. The success of obesity therapy depends on the patient’s trust to his doctor and the knowledge of the clinician in this area.

Effects of dietary macronutrients on liver fat content in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Dietary macronutrient composition may affect hepatic liver content and its associated diseases, but the results from human intervention trials have been equivocal or underpowered. We aimed to assess the effects of dietary macronutrient composition on liver fat content by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials in adults. Four databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and COCHRANE Library) were systematically searched for trials with isocaloric diets evaluating the effect of dietary macronutrient composition (energy percentages of fat, carbohydrates, and protein, and their specific types) on liver fat content as assessed by magnetic resonance techniques, computed tomography or liver biopsy. Data on change in liver fat content were pooled by random or fixed-effects meta-analyses and expressed as standardized mean difference (SMD). We included 26 randomized controlled trials providing data for 32 comparisons on dietary macronutrient composition. Replacing dietary fat with carbohydrates did not result in changes in liver fat (12 comparisons, SMD 0.01 (95% CI -0.36; 0.37)). Unsaturated fat as compared with saturated fat reduced liver fat content (4 comparisons, SMD -0.80 (95% CI -1.09; -0.51)). Replacing carbohydrates with protein reduced liver fat content (5 comparisons, SMD -0.33 (95% CI -0.54; -0.12)). Our meta-analyses showed that replacing carbohydrates with total fat on liver fat content was not effective, while replacing carbohydrates with proteins and saturated fat with unsaturated fat was. More well-performed and well-described studies on the effect of types of carbohydrates and proteins on liver fat content are needed, especially studies comparing proteins with fats.

Effects of whey protein and dietary fiber intake on insulin sensitivity, body composition, energy expenditure, blood pressure, and appetite in subjects with abdominal obesity

BACKGROUND

Recently, we demonstrated that whey protein (WP) combined with low dietary fiber improved lipemia, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease in subjects with abdominal obesity. In the present study, we investigated the effects of intake of WP and dietary fiber from enzyme-treated wheat bran on other metabolic parameters of the metabolic syndrome.

METHODS

The study was a 12-week, double-blind, randomized, controlled, parallel intervention study. We randomized 73 subjects with abdominal obesity to 1 of 4 iso-energetic dietary interventions: 60 g per day of either WP hydrolysate or maltodextrin (MD) combined with high-fiber (HiFi; 30 g dietary fiber/day) or low-fiber (LoFi; 10 g dietary fiber/day) cereal products. We assessed changes in insulin sensitivity, gut hormones (GLP-1, GLP-2, GIP, and peptide YY), body composition, 24-h BP, resting energy expenditure and respiratory exchange ratio (RER), and appetite.

RESULTS

Sixty-five subjects completed the trial. Subjective hunger ratings were lower after 12 weeks of WP compared with MD, independent of fiber content (P = 0.02). We found no effects on ratings of satiety, fullness or prospective food consumption for either of the interventions. Intake of WP combined with LoFi increased the postprandial peptide YY response. There were no effects of WP or fiber on insulin sensitivity, body composition, energy expenditure, incretins, or 24-h BP.

CONCLUSIONS

WP consumption for 12 weeks reduced subjective ratings of hunger in subjects with abdominal obesity. Neither WP nor dietary fiber from wheat bran affected insulin sensitivity, 24-h BP, gut hormone responses, body composition, or energy expenditure compared with MD and low dietary fiber.

The Effects of Cow-Milk Protein Supplementation in Elderly Population: Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis

Background. To review currently available evidence on the effect of cow-milk proteins supplementation (CPS) on health in the elderly. Methods. Five electronic databases (Pubmed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, ClinicalTrials.gov) were searched for studies about CPS among older people. All types of publications were included, with the exception of systematic reviews, meta-analyses, opinion letters, editorials, case reports, conference abstracts and comments. An additional search in Google Scholar and a manual review of the reference lists were performed. Results. Overall, 103 studies were included. Several studies explored the role of CPS in the preservation or improvement of muscle mass among healthy subjects (40 studies) and pre-frail, frail or sarcopenic patients (14), with evidence of beneficial effects. Other studies assessed the effect of CPS on bones (12), cardiovascular disease (8), inflamm-aging (7), chronic pulmonary disease (4), neurocognitive function (4), and vaccines (2), with weak evidence of positive effects. Seven studies in the field of protein metabolism investigated the role of CPS as an important contributor to nutritional needs. Other investigational areas are considered in the last five studies. Conclusions. The beneficial effects of CPS in achieving aged-related nutritional goals, in preserving muscle mass and in recovering after hospitalization may be particularly relevant in the elderly.

Whey protein ingestion in elderly diet and the association with physical, performance and clinical outcomes

Nutrition is critical to the health of the elderly, since most of them have a deficiency in key nutrient. The use of whey protein may be a food strategy to increase protein intake. The objective of this work was to evaluate the ingestion of whey protein for the elderly and the association with physical performance and clinical outcomes. A systematic review was conducted in order to find papers that shed some light in the correlation between whey protein and the elderly.

INCLUSION CRITERIA

population: elderly; intervention: use of whey protein when compared to control group; outcome: related to health, nutrition, or quality of life.

DATABASE

PubMed, with papers published in the last 5 years.

SEARCH STRATEGY

(elder OR senior OR elderly OR aging OR aged OR old OR older) AND (whey OR "whey protein"). 35 papers were selected of which 22 had a physical performance outcome and 13 had clinical outcomes. Studies indicate that whey protein supplements promote protein synthesis in the elderly, improving muscle performance and aerobic capacity, protecting against sarcopenia and reducing the risk for falls. In the papers studied, the age group considered to be elderly was ≥65 years in 27 papers and ≥60 years in the other 8 papers. Whey protein also appears to contribute to improved health, recovery from disease, prevention of cardiovascular and metabolic risks, and hepatic steatosis complications. Data suggest that whey protein supplements may be promising for the health improvement of the elderly.

Dairy Foods and Dairy Fats: New Perspectives on Pathways Implicated in Cardiometabolic Health

Low-fat and nonfat dairy products have been promoted as part of a healthy dietary pattern by both US dietary guidelines and professional organizations for several decades. The basis for this recommendation stems in part from the putative negative cardiometabolic effects associated with saturated fat consumption. However, as nutrition research has shifted from a single nutrient to a whole-food/dietary pattern approach, the role of dairy foods and dairy fat in the diet-disease relationship is being reexamined. Most observational and experimental evidence does not support a detrimental relationship between full-fat dairy intake and cardiometabolic health, including risks of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Indeed, an expanded understanding of the dairy food matrix and the bioactive properties of dairy fats and other constituents suggests a neutral or potentially beneficial role in cardiometabolic health. To consider how consuming dairy foods, including full-fat dairy, is associated with cardiometabolic health, this review provides an innovative perspective on mechanisms that link dairy consumption to 3 main biological systems at the core of metabolic health, the gastrointestinal, hepatic, and vascular systems.

Supplementation of fermented Maillard-reactive whey protein enhances immunity by increasing NK cell activity

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of supplementation with fermented Maillard-reactive whey protein (F-MRP) on natural killer (NK) cell activity, circulating cytokines, and serum protein levels.