Effect of Nanomaterials on Gut Microbiota

The distribution, fate, and environmental impacts of food additive nanomaterials in soil and aquatic ecosystems

Nanomaterials in the food industry are used as food additives, and the main function of these food additives is to improve food qualities including texture, flavor, color, consistency, preservation, and nutrient bioavailability. This review aims to provide an overview of the distribution, fate, and environmental and health impacts of food additive nanomaterials in soil and aquatic ecosystems. Some of the major nanomaterials in food additives include titanium dioxide, silver, gold, silicon dioxide, iron oxide, and zinc oxide. Ingestion of food products containing food additive nanomaterials via dietary intake is considered to be one of the major pathways of human exposure to nanomaterials. Food additive nanomaterials reach the terrestrial and aquatic environments directly through the disposal of food wastes in landfills and the application of food waste-derived soil amendments. A significant amount of ingested food additive nanomaterials (> 90 %) is excreted, and these nanomaterials are not efficiently removed in the wastewater system, thereby reaching the environment indirectly through the disposal of recycled water and sewage sludge in agricultural land. Food additive nanomaterials undergo various transformation and reaction processes, such as adsorption, aggregation-sedimentation, desorption, degradation, dissolution, and bio-mediated reactions in the environment. These processes significantly impact the transport and bioavailability of nanomaterials as well as their behaviour and fate in the environment. These nanomaterials are toxic to soil and aquatic organisms, and reach the food chain through plant uptake and animal transfer. The environmental and health risks of food additive nanomaterials can be overcome by eliminating their emission through recycled water and sewage sludge.

Higher ultra processed foods intake is associated with low muscle mass in young to middle-aged adults: a cross-sectional NHANES study

Design

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have become a pressing global health concern, prompting investigations into their potential association with low muscle mass in adults.

Methods

This cross-sectional study analyzed data from 10,255 adults aged 20-59 years who participated in the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) during cycles spanning from 2011 to 2018. The primary outcome, low muscle mass, was assessed using the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) definition, employing restricted cubic splines and weighted multivariate regression for analysis. Sensitivity analysis incorporated three other prevalent definitions to explore optimal cut points for muscle quality in the context of sarcopenia.

Results

The weighted prevalence of low muscle mass was 7.65%. Comparing the percentage of UPFs calories intake between individuals with normal and low muscle mass, the values were found to be similar (55.70 vs. 54.62%). Significantly linear associations were observed between UPFs consumption and low muscle mass (P for non-linear = 0.7915, P for total = 0.0117). Upon full adjustment for potential confounding factors, participants with the highest UPFs intake exhibited a 60% increased risk of low muscle mass (OR = 1.60, 95% CI: 1.13 to 2.26, P for trend = 0.003) and a decrease in ALM/BMI (β = -0.0176, 95% CI: -0.0274 to -0.0077, P for trend = 0.003). Sensitivity analysis confirmed the consistency of these associations, except for the International Working Group on Sarcopenia (IWGS) definition, where the observed association between the highest quartiles of UPFs (%Kcal) and low muscle mass did not attain statistical significance (OR = 1.35, 95% CI: 0.97 to 1.87, P for trend = 0.082).

Conclusion

Our study underscores a significant linear association between higher UPFs consumption and an elevated risk of low muscle mass in adults. These findings emphasize the potential adverse impact of UPFs on muscle health and emphasize the need to address UPFs consumption as a modifiable risk factor in the context of sarcopenia.

Getting fat and stressed: Effects of dietary intake of titanium dioxide nanoparticles in the liver of turbot Scophthalmus maximus

The extensive use of nanomaterials, including titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs), raises concerns about their persistence in ecosystems. Protecting aquatic ecosystems and ensuring healthy and safe aquaculture products requires the assessment of the potential impacts of NPs on organisms. Here, we study the effects of a sublethal concentration of citrate-coated TiO2 NPs of two different primary sizes over time in flatfish turbot, Scophthalmus maximus (Linnaeus, 1758). Bioaccumulation, histology and gene expression were assessed in the liver to address morphophysiological responses to citrate-coated TiO2 NPs. Our analyses demonstrated a variable abundance of lipid droplets (LDs) in hepatocytes dependent on TiO2 NPs size, an increase in turbot exposed to smaller TiO2 NPs and a depletion with larger TiO2 NPs. The expression patterns of genes related to oxidative and immune responses and lipid metabolism (nrf2, nfκb1, and cpt1a) were dependent on the presence of TiO2 NPs and time of exposure supporting the variance in hepatic LDs distribution over time with the different NPs. The citrate coating is proposed as the likely catalyst for such effects. Thus, our findings highlight the need to scrutinize the risks associated with exposure to NPs with distinct properties, such as primary size, coatings, and crystalline forms, in aquatic organisms.