Patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) often experience hypozincemia. The clinical factors associated with hypozincemia have not been established. We investigated clinical factors that may be useful to predict hypozincemia in patients with CLD. The serum zinc levels CLD patients were measured; Study 1 investigated the predictive factors of hypozincemia, and Study 2 was performed to validate the factors identified in Study 1. Study 1 included 197 participants, of whom 28 and 106 had serum zinc levels <60 µg/dL and <80 µg/dL, respectively. A multivariate analysis revealed that serum zinc levels <60 µg/dL or <80 µg/dL were associated with the albumin–bilirubin (ALBI) score and serum albumin level. A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed that the ALBI score ≥ −1.83 and the serum albumin level ≤3.3 g/dL were the cut-off values for a serum zinc level <60 µg/dL, whereas the ALBI score ≥ −2.44 and the serum albumin level ≤3.6 g/dL were the cut-off values for a serum zinc level <80 µg/dL. In Study 2 (n = 177), the diagnostic accuracy rates for serum zinc <60 µg/dL were 81.9% for the ALBI score and 75.1% for the serum albumin level, and those for serum zinc <80 µg/dL were 70.1% for both parameters. Together these findings indicate that the ALBI score may serve as a predictive factor of hypozincemia in CLD patients.

This study aimed to investigate 1) the longitudinal associations between food patterns and body weight in young adulthood, and 2) how food patterns of young adults relate to food consumption in early, middle and late childhood. The study sample includes 700 participants of the Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development. During childhood, frequency of consumption of various foods was reported on ten occasions between 1.5 and 13 years. At age 22 years, food frequency questions (with quantities) were used to derive four food patterns (labeled healthy, beverage-rich, protein-rich, and high-energy-density) through exploratory factor analysis. Self-reported height and weight were collected at 22 and 23 years. Regression analyses were performed to assess associations between 1) food patterns and weight outcomes a year later (BMI, BMI change, and overweight status); 2) frequency of consumption of eight food groups in childhood and food patterns in adulthood. Dietary habits characterised by the consumption of vegetables, fruit, plant-based sources of protein and whole-grain cereal products were related to a lower risk of obesity a year later. Conversely, dietary habits characterised by a high consumption of energy-dense foods, of animal sources of proteins and, among women, of high quantities of liquids were associated with higher risk of excess weight a year later. Healthier food choices in childhood were associated with healthier food patterns in young adulthood. These findings reinforce the value of preventive dietary interventions in the early years to foster eating environments that favour healthy eating and healthy weights in adulthood.

This study has investigated the relationship between the gut microbiota compotision and the growth performance in pigs from birth to the finishing stage, focusing on nutrient metabolism. Of 59 crossbred pigs [(Landrace × Large Yorkshire) × Duroc] from seven sows, individuals with high and low daily gain (DG) were assigned to high DG (HDG, n = 11) and low DG (LDG, n = 8) groups. Fecal samples collected at weaning (21 days), growing (95–106 days) and finishing (136–152 days) stages were analyzed for amino acids, short-chain fatty acids, and microbial composition using 16S rRNA sequencing. Although birth and weaning weights were similar in both groups, the HDG group had significantly higher weights in the growing and finishing stages (P < 0.01). The microbial composition of the LDG group revealed a higher abundance of f_Lachnospiraceae;__ at weaning (P < 0.05), whereas the HDG group contained higher abundance of g_Streptococcus and g_Prevotella 7 at the finishing stage (P < 0.05). Functional analysis revealed increased amino acid metabolism in the HDG group at the finishing stage (P < 0.05). During the growing stage, total free fecal amino acid content was low in the HDG group (P < 0.05); at weaning, levels of isobutyric and isovaleric acids, key amino acid fermentation products (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), were higher. These findings indicate growth stage-specific differences in the gut microbiota and metabolic profiles between groups with different growth performance, suggesting microbial and metabolic characteristics may influence growth performance.

This study systematically evaluates the effects of probiotic interventions on gut microbiota and clinical outcomes in diabetic patients to determine the optimal target population and conditions for effective use, with an emphasis on precision treatment. A comprehensive search was performed across PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, China National Knowledge Internet (CNKI), and Wanfang databases until April 2024. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing probiotics as adjunctive therapy for diabetes were included. The control group received standard care, and the intervention group received probiotics alongside standard care. Data were managed with Endnote and Excel, and analyses were conducted using Revman 5.3 and Stata 16. Twelve RCTs involving 1,113 participants were included. Probiotics significantly increased fecal Lactobacillus (standardized mean difference (SMD) 1.42, P < 0.0001, I2 = 95%) and Bifidobacterium levels (SMD 1.27, P < 0.0001, I² = 90%) and reduced fasting plasma glucose (SMD -0.35, P = 0.004). Subgroup analysis showed that shorter intervention durations (≤3 months) improved FPG, HbA1c, and Bifidobacterium levels, while younger patients (≤60 years) experienced the most significant improvements in Bifidobacterium levels. In conclusion, probiotics improve gut microbiota and clinical outcomes in diabetic patients, with intervention duration and patient age as key factors influencing treatment effectiveness.

The effect of the Japanese diet on cancer incidence remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between the Japanese diet and the risk of all-cause and site-specific cancer. We analysed 14-year follow-up data from the Osaki Cohort study of 25,570 Japanese men and women aged 40–79 years. The Japanese diet was evaluated using a 39-item food frequency questionnaire at baseline. Based on a previous study, we used eight food items to calculate the Japanese Diet Index (JDI) score: rice, miso soup, seaweed, pickles, green and yellow vegetables, seafood, green tea, and beef and pork. The participants were divided into quartiles based on their JDI scores. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of cancer incidence. During the mean 10.4 years of follow-up, we identified 3,161 incident cases of all-cause cancer. Multivariable analysis showed that the JDI score was not associated with cancer incidence. In comparison to Q1 (the lowest), the multivariable HRs and 95%CIs were 1.01 (0.92–1.12) for Q2, 0.94 (0.85–1.04) for Q3, and 1.06 (0.95-1.18) for Q4 (the highest). Furthermore, separate analyses of nine common cancer sites demonstrated no association with the JDI score. The results were consistent even after a sensitivity analysis using multiple imputation. This prospective study showed that the Japanese diet was not associated with cancer incidence. The results suggests that the Japanese diet could contribute to a person’s overall health and well-being without increasing cancer risk.

Due to the high prevalence of depression among young adults, identifying prevention strategies during young adulthood are crucial. Dietary polyphenols have been associated with depression in older cohorts; however, the association remains unclear, particularly in young adults. This study aimed to assess the prospective association between the intake of total polyphenols, polyphenol classes, and polyphenol subclasses with depressive symptoms in young adults. Data from 1,484 Raine Study Generation 2 participants [52.7% female; baseline mean age (SD): 20 (0.5)] at the -20, -22, and -27 year follow-ups (N = 964, 979, and 1,094, respectively), with overlap across follow-ups, were used. Energy-adjusted polyphenol intake was estimated from food frequency questionnaire data using our expansion of the AUSNUT 2011-13 and Phenol-Explorer to include polyphenol content data and categorised into quartiles. The primary outcome was self-reported depressive symptoms assessed via the 21-item Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale averaged across the three timepoints. Linear mixed-effects models were used to assess the association between the polyphenol intake exposures and depressive symptoms. Sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyle- and health-related behaviours were adjusted for. Participants in the highest quartiles for flavonol and hydroxybenzoic acid intake had lower depressive symptoms across time than participants in the lowest quartiles [flavonols (Q4 v Q1 mean difference: -1.41, 95%CIs: -2.51, -0.31); hydroxybenzoic acids (Q4 v Q1: -1.42, 95%CIs: -2.54, -0.29)]. We found no evidence of a highest versus lowest association for all other polyphenol categories. Future studies are required to investigate whether increasing polyphenol intake could protect against depression in young adults.

Total energy expenditure (TEE) is estimated as the product of basal metabolic rate (BMR) and an SCI-specific factor. The agreement between TEE and total energy intake (TEI) was just established. The findings suggested the existence of positive and negative energy balance distributions. Forty-two males with chronic SCI underwent BMR followed by detailed metabolic profile after overnight fast. TEI and macronutrients of 3-day dietary logs were analyzed using the Nutrition Data System for Research software. Energy surplus was calculated as TEE minus TEI. Body composition assessment was conducted using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. 57% of SCI participants were classified as negative energy surplus with an average TEI of 1284±422 compared to 2197±553 kcal/day in the positive energy group (P = 0.0002). Negative energy group had a higher BMR (9%; P =0.02), greater body weight (P =0.03), greater total body lean mass (P= 0.03) and consume greater percentage of protein compared to the positive energy group. Percentage macronutrients of protein explained 27% of the variance of energy surplus in a multivariate regression model (r2 =0.27; P = 0.008). TEI adjusted to fat-free mass explained 87% of the variance in energy surplus and 34.7 kcal/kg/day was recommended to balance TEI with TEE. Persons with SCI are either classified into negative or positive energy surplus groups. Larger body weight and greater protein intakes are among the major characteristics of the negative energy group. Clinicians may need to consider the spectrum of energy balance before starting dietary regimen after SCI.

Menopausal age represents the endpoint of the entire reproductive cycle of women, and it is a biological marker that indicates the overall health and aging status of women. Flavonoids are the most common polyphenolic compounds in the daily diet, and their intake is related to reduced risks of certain diseases. Our study aimed to analyze the relationships between the intake of flavonoids and menopausal age. We selected 29,940 participants from NHANES database from 2007-2008, 2009-2010 and 2017-2018. A total of 680 participants were included in our analysis after screening. Multiple logistic regression was used to explore the association between dietary flavonoid subclasses intake and menopausal delay (≥ 55 years old). RCS plots were generated to reveal the nonlinear relationships between the subclasses of flavonoids intake and menopausal age. According to the adjusted multiple factor logistic regression analysis, the top quartile intake (compared with bottom intake) of anthocyanidins was positively associated with delayed menopause (OR = 4.123; 95% CI: 1.130, 15.041; p trend = 0.036), whereas the moderate intake of flavonols was negatively associated with delayed menopause (Q2 vs. Q1, OR = 0.081 (95% CI: 0.025, 0.261), p trend = 0.001; Q3 vs. Q1, OR = 0.271 (95% CI: 0.093, 0.791), p trend = 0.023). The RCS revealed that non-linear association was observed between the intake of isoflavones, flavan-3-ols, flavonols and later menopause (p-value for non-linearity < 0.05). Our findings suggest that specific dietary flavonoids intake may have potential roles in regulating menopausal timing.

This review summarizes evidence from cohort and intervention studies on the relationships between nutrition in early life, epigenetics, and lifelong health. Established links include maternal diet quality with conception rates, micronutrient sufficiency before and during pregnancy with preterm birth prevention, gestational vitamin D intake with offspring bone health, preconception iodine status with child IQ, adiposity with offspring obesity, and maternal stress with childhood atopic eczema. Animal studies demonstrate that early-life environmental exposures induce lasting phenotypic changes via epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding RNAs, with DNA methylation of non-imprinted genes most extensively studied. Human data show that nutrition during pregnancy induces epigenetic changes associated with childhood obesity risk, such as Antisense long Non-coding RNA in the INK4 Locus (ANRIL, a long non-coding RNA) methylation variations linked to obesity and replicated across multiple populations. Emerging insights reveal that paternal nutrition and lifestyle also modify sperm epigenomics and influence offspring development. Although nutritional randomised trials in pregnancy remain limited, findings from the NiPPeR trial showed widespread preconception micronutrient deficiencies and indicated that maternal preconception and pregnancy nutritional supplementation can reduce preterm birth and early childhood obesity. The randomised trials UPBEAT and MAVIDOS have shown that nutritional intervention can impact offspring epigenetics. Postnatal nutritional exposures further influence offspring epigenetic profiles, exemplified by ALSPAC cohort findings linking rapid infant weight gain to later methylation changes and increased obesity risk. Together, these studies support a persistent impact of maternal and early-life nutrition on child health and development, underpinned by modifiable epigenetic processes.

Body composition (BC) offers essential insights into the physical condition and performance capacity of athletes. Several factors can influence athletes' BC, such as nutrition, which can improve lean mass (LM) and body fat percentage (%BF). This longitudinal observational study aimed to investigate the factors influencing BC in professional female football players, including hormones, dietary habits, and physical activity, as these are relevant to their sport performance and health. Data related to dietary habits, DXA measurements, serum hormones, menstruation, and GPS metrics were collected in November 2023 and late March 2024 from 38 female football players from the Real Sociedad team. Of the 38 players enrolled, 35 completed all assessments and were included in the final analyses. Spearman correlations and linear regression analyses were performed. Statistically significant models were executed for %BF and LM (adjusted R2 = 0.55 and 0.47 respectively). For %BF, total testosterone had a positive influence while HSR (high-speed running) per minute, FSH, distance covered per minute, prolactin, and fat intake, influenced negatively. In the LM model, positive associations were total testosterone, progesterone, age, ACTH, and carbohydrate intake, while insulin, distance covered per minute, and, SHBG had negative associations. These results emphasise the complexity of the factors influencing BC in female football players. Personalising and periodising carbohydrate intake and monitoring training loads are crucial to prevent adverse effects like higher %BF and muscle catabolism. Establishing healthy nutritional practices is essential for long-term health and performance.

The global syndemic of obesity, undernutrition, and climate change – three interconnected challenges – threatens both human and planetary health. This review focuses on one critical intersection: older populations living with overweight and obesity in the context of sustainable nutrition. Obesity and sarcopenia, particularly the co-occurrence called sarcopenic obesity, are often overlooked until the onset or exacerbation of other diseases necessitates secondary care. Preventing sarcopenic obesity requires reducing excess fat mass while preserving muscle mass and function. This involves lowering total energy intake while ensuring adequate protein intake in terms of quantity, quality, and distribution, combined with physical activity, particularly resistance exercise. Short-term studies show that both the source and dose of dietary protein significantly influence muscle protein synthesis rates. Longer-term studies examining the impact of plant-based diets on muscle health in older adults with or without overweight or obesity remain limited. Animal proteins have shown a modest advantage over most plant-based proteins in supporting muscle mass. Qualitative studies suggest that emphasizing both the health benefits and palatability of plant-based protein sources is key to promoting dietary changes in older adults. In older adults with obesity, it is challenging to combine energy restriction with higher protein intake, especially when protein sources are plant-based. To prevent and treat sarcopenic obesity in older adults and support planetary health, a shift toward more plant-based protein sources is required, while ensuring sufficient protein quantity and quality to preserve muscle health during weight loss.

This review aims to (1) provide an overview of research investigating the relationship between body composition, specifically fat free mass (FFM) and fat mass (FM), appetite, and energy intake (EI) and (2) to investigate potential mechanisms underlying these relationships, with a focus on ageing. Appetite and EI are influenced by complex, multifactorial pathways involving physiological, psychological, environmental, social, and cultural factors. Early research investigating the association of body composition with appetite and EI focused on FM, however the role of FFM in appetite control is gaining increasing attention. Studies have shown that FFM is positively associated with EI in younger populations including infants, adolescents and adults. In contrast, FM appears to have no association or a weak inverse association with appetite/EI. However, research in older adults is limited and the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. It has been suggested that one way in which FFM may influence appetite and EI is by impacting resting metabolic rate (RMR). FFM, which includes metabolically active tissues including skeletal muscle and organs, represents the largest determinant of RMR and therefore may influence appetite and EI by ensuring the energetic requirements of crucial tissue-organs and metabolic processes are reached. Given that declines in FFM and RMR are common with ageing, they may be possible targets for interventions aimed at improving appetite and EI. While current evidence in older adults supports a positive association between FFM and appetite, further longitudinal studies are needed to explore this relationship in different contexts, along with the underlying mechanisms.