1. Twenty-eight leaf-protein concentrate (LPC) samples, subjected to different thermal treatments, were produced from five curd batches. For these samples, the fluorodinitrobenzene (FDNB)-reactive lysine values gave closer agreement with dye-binding lysine (DBL) than with the dye-binding capacity (DBC).

2. No relationship was established between the dye-bound-after-propionylation (DBAP) and the histidine+arginine value.

3. Comparison of dye-bound-protein values with those for tungstic-acid-precipitated nitrogen ×6.25 for the LPC samples showed the heat-damaged samples to lie below the regression line for the other samples.

4. Reactive-lysine values by dye-binding and by FDNB methods correlated well with total lysine, but the slopes of the regression line indicated closer agreement for values for samples not damaged by heat.

5. The correlation coefficients between DBC and total basic amino acids, DBC and histidine+arginine+DBL, and DBC and histidine+arginine+FDNB-reactive lysine were similar.

6. There was no correlation between the lightness of colour of the LPC samples and the availability of lysine.

The present study investigated whether fatty acid compositions of testes are affected by the obese condition and dietary n-3 long-chain fatty acid (LCFA) intake. Male lean and obese Zucker rats were fed a 15 % (w/w, total diet) fat diet containing either 0 or 5·0 % (w/w, total fatty acids) n-3 LCFA for 8 weeks. Reproductive organ weights, sperm morphology and fatty acid composition of phosphatidylcholine (PC), and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) of testes were analysed. The obese rats had significantly (P < 0·0001) smaller epididymides and seminal vesicles, larger prostates and abundant underdeveloped testes compared with lean rats. Diet treatment did not affect the sex organ weights. The effect of genotype on fatty acid composition was minor in PC and PE except for DHA (22 : 6n-3). The n-3 LCFA diet significantly (P < 0·0001) elevated 22 : 6n-3 and reduced arachidonic acid (20 : 4n-6) and DPA (22 : 5n-6) in testicular PC and PE of lean and obese rats compared with the control diet. The acylation of dietary n-3 LCFA into 22 : 6n-3 was 2-fold higher in obese rat testes than in lean rats fed the same diet. Underdeveloped testes had 70 % less 22 : 5n-6 in PC and PE than normal-size testes. Results indicate that testicular fatty acid composition is sensitive to dietary fat modulations and especially obese rats responded more to dietary n-3 LCFA than their lean counterparts. The selective reduction in 22 : 5n-6 in underdeveloped testes indicates that 22 : 5n-6 is important in male reproduction in rats and requires further study to define the role of elongation and desaturation in testicular development.

The effects of protein restriction on Δ9 desaturase (EC 1.14.99.5) activity were studied in growing rats. A control group was fed on a balanced diet (200 g casein/kg; BD) for 28 d. The experimental group was fed on the low-protein diet (20 g casein/kg; LP) for 26 d, then refed the balanced diet (BD-R) for 2 d. Rats were born to and suckled from normally fed dams. The enzyme activity was measured after 2 and 14 d of LP, and 26 d of LP plus 2 d of BD-R, by incubations in vitro of hepatic microsomal pellets with [1-14C]stearic acid. The results indicated a decreased Δ9 desaturase activity after 2 and 14 d of LP of -33 and -43% respectively. Refeeding for 2 d was sufficient to super-repair this activity (+ 66%). The fatty acid composition of total liver lipids and microsomal phosphatidylethanolamines (PE) and phosphatidylcholines (PC) were also investigated; 18:0 decreased in total liver lipids at 14 d of LP, when 18:1n-9 increased. Stearic acid (18:0) increased in PC at 2 d of LP and in PE at 14 d of LP; oleic acid (18:1n-9) did not change. Therefore, it is concluded that a defect occurred in the bioconversion of 18:0 into 18:1n-9 by Δ9 desaturation during protein depletion. As oleic acid is accumulated in total liver lipids during LP, we speculate that this is due to a decreased oxidation or transport of this fatty acid

In the present investigation, the supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) extracts of small cardamom (SC) and yellow mustard (YM) seeds have been investigated for their efficacies in combating type 2 diabetes in streptozotocin-induced Wistar albino rats. Fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels in the rats were monitored on days 8, 15 and 21. On day 15, FBG level reduced appreciably by 31·49 % in rats treated with SC seed extract and by 32·28 % in rats treated with YM seed extract, comparable to metformin (30·70 %) and BGR-34 (a commercial polyherbal drug) (31·81 %) administered rats. Either extract exhibited desirable effects on hepatic glucose-6-phosphatase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) and catalase activities in controlling diabetes. A molecular docking exercise was conducted to identify specific compounds in the extracts which possessed augmenting effect on G6PD. The results revealed that all the bioactive compounds in the extracts have binding affinities with the enzyme and contributed to the antidiabetic efficacies of the extracts as G6PD augmenters. The effects of the extracts on insulin sensitivity and glucose uptake were investigated using non-invasive modelling by iHOMA2 software. This in vitro approach indicated that extract administration resulted in increased both insulin sensitivity of the liver and glucose uptake in the gut. The findings of the present study attest these SC-CO2 extracts of the spices as safe alternatives of metformin and BGR-34 in combating type 2 diabetes and could be safely subjected to clinical studies. These extracts could also be employed in designing proactive food supplements in mitigating the metabolic disorder.

Biofortified yellow cassava has been developed to alleviate vitamin A deficiency. We examined the potential contribution of yellow cassava to total retinol activity equivalent (RAE) intake if replacing white by yellow cassava among pre-school Nigerian children. Dietary intake was assessed as part of a randomised controlled trial. Pre-schoolchildren (n 176) were randomly assigned to receive either white cassava (WC) or yellow cassava (YC) for 17 weeks. Dietary intake assessments were conducted during the intervention and 1 month after, when children had resumed their habitual diet. Differences in RAE intake between groups and time points were compared using a linear mixed model regression analysis. During intervention, median RAE intake was 536 µg/d in the YC group and 301 µg/d in the WC group (P < 0·0001). YC contributed approximately 40 % to total RAE intake. Of the children, 9 % in the YC group and 29 % in the WC group had RAE intake below the Estimated Average Requirement. After intervention, median RAE intake was 300 µg/d and did not differ between intervention groups (P = 0·5). The interaction effect of group and time showed a 37 % decrease in RAE intake in the YC group after the intervention (Exp(β) = 0·63; 95 % CI 0·56, 0·72). If WC was replaced by YC after intervention, the potential contribution of YC to total RAE intake was estimated to be approximately 32 %. YC increased total RAE intake and showed a substantially lower inadequacy of intake. It is therefore recommended as a good source of provitamin A in cassava-consuming regions.

The role of eating frequency (EF) in obesity development has been debated, and few studies have investigated Asian populations. Diet quality might affect the association between EF and obesity. Therefore, we investigated the association between EF and obesity indicators in a representative sample of Korean adults with consideration to diet quality. This cross-sectional study used data of 6951 participants aged 19–93 years (male 49·8 %, female 50·2 %) from the Fourth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. EF was assessed using a questionnaire, and diet quality was defined as mean adequacy ratio (MAR). To explore the association between EF and obesity indicators, we used multiple linear regression analyses with and without interaction terms between diet quality and EF. EF was inversely associated with each obesity indicator, including body fat percentage (BF%), BMI and waist circumference (WC), showing a significant linear trend (P<0·001 for BF%, WC and BMI). In addition, the association between EF and each obesity indicator was significantly altered according to diet quality (P value of the interaction term EF×diet quality=0·008 in the regression model for BF%, <0·001 for BMI and 0·043 for WC). In the stratified analyses according to diet quality, EF had a significant inverse association with BF%, WC and BMI in the high diet quality groups, but not in the low diet quality groups. This study suggests that EF is inversely associated with the obesity indicators when diet quality is high, but not when it is low in Korean adults.

Recent literature suggests that Ca supplements have adverse effects on cardiovascular health. The effects of a Ca-rich supplement administered alone or in combination with short-chain fructo-oligosaccharides (scFOS) on serum lipids in postmenopausal women were examined using secondary data from a 24-month double-blind randomised controlled study. A total of 300 postmenopausal women were randomly assigned to daily supplements of 800 mg of Ca (2·4 g Aquamin) (Ca), 800 mg of Ca with 3 g of scFOS (CaFOS) or control (maltodextrin) (MD). A full lipid profile, body composition, blood pressure and a range of cytokines were measured at baseline and after 24 months. Intention-to-treat ANCOVA assessed treatment effects between the groups. A significant time-by-treatment effect was observed for LDL and total cholesterol for the Ca and CaFOS groups, with both groups having lower LDL and total cholesterol concentrations compared with MD after 24 months. The control group had mean (5·2 mmol/l) total cholesterol concentrations above the normal range (≤5 mmol/l) at 24 months, whereas values remained within the normal range in the treatment groups. There was no significant treatment effect on HDL-cholesterol, TAG, body composition, blood pressure or cytokine concentrations at 24 months, with the exception of IL-4, where there was a significant increase in the CaFOS group compared with the placebo. This study demonstrates a lipid-lowering effect of both the Ca-rich supplement alone and the supplement with scFOS. At the 4-year follow-up, there was no significant difference between the groups for reported diagnosed cardiovascular conditions.

Based on their proposed metabolic effects, we examined whether fish oil (FO) and SCFA, alone or in combination, accelerate weight loss and the resultant metabolic improvements. Obesity was induced in male C57BL/6J mice by high-energy feeding for 10 weeks. The mice were transferred to a low-fat diet (2·5w%) for 4 weeks, the source of fat being either FO, a lard–safflower oil mix (control), or both types combined with SCFA. Weight, fasting insulin, tissue and serum lipid concentrations, as well as mRNA amount of genes related to adipose inflammation and hepatic fat oxidation were determined. All groups lost weight and showed reduced fasting insulin concentrations and reduced liver TAG. However, weight loss on the control-fat diet caused significant increase in hepatic and cardiac NEFA. Substituting 20 % of the fat with SCFA increased weight loss by 48 % and reduced fasting insulin 1·5-fold more than the no-SCFA diets. It furthermore significantly increased the amount of mRNA for PPAR-α, and decreased the mRNA amount for NF-κB in the liver and white adipose tissue. The FO diets enhanced improvement of tissue lipid levels. Thus, FO improved liver TAG and NEFA levels compared with weight loss on the control diet. Combining FO and SCFA further reduced tissue NEFA accumulation. In conclusion, we found that dietary SCFA had a significant impact on gene expression in the liver and adipose tissue, and that the effect of FO on tissue NEFA content was modified by SCFA. Thus, interactions between fatty acids should be considered when studying the effects of specific fatty acids.

The purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of dietary antioxidant restriction on plasma concentrations of carotenoids and inflammatory markers at rest and in response to exercise in endurance-trained males. Seventeen males performed two exercise trials 2 weeks apart. Participants followed their habitual antioxidant diet (H-AO) before the first exercise test, then a restricted antioxidant diet (R-AO) for 2 weeks before the second exercise test. Blood was collected pre- and post-exercise. Dietary intakes of fibre, ascorbic acid and β-carotene were lower (P < 0·05) on the R-AO diet, but no other differences were observed. Pre-exercise plasma β-carotene concentrations were lower (H-AO, 195 (sd 92); R-AO, 123 (sd 54) ng/ml; P < 0·05), and TNF-α concentrations were higher (H-AO, 16 (sd 7); R-AO, 613 (sd 325) pg/ml; P < 0·01) on the R-AO diet compared to the H-AO diet. Most plasma carotenoid concentrations decreased with exercise, but this effect was more consistent on the H-AO diet. No differences in plasma IL-6 concentrations were observed pre-exercise, whereas post-exercise plasma IL-6 concentrations (H-AO, 30·3 (sd 16); R-AO, 15·3 (sd 5) pg/ml; P < 0·05) were lower following the R-AO diet. Post-exercise TNF-α concentrations were higher on the R-AO diet. Ratings of perceived effort during submaximal exercise were higher (P < 0·05) on the R-AO diet, but there was no difference in the time to exhaustion between diets. In conclusion, lower dietary intakes of carotenoids alter the plasma concentrations of antioxidants and markers of inflammation at rest and in response to exercise.

Epidemiological studies have linked intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR) with an increased risk of CVD later in life. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of maternal protein restriction on cardiac function in adulthood during dobutamine (DOB) stimulation. IUGR was induced in Wistar Kyoto dams through administration of a low-protein diet (LPD; 8·7 % casein) during pregnancy and lactation; the control group received a normal-protein diet (NPD; 20 % casein). At 14 weeks of age, cardiac function was assessed in male and female NPD (eight females and eight males) and LPD offspring (ten females and ten males) by pressure volumetry using an anaesthetised closed-chest approach. We determined mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate and left ventricular pressure–volume indices under baseline conditions and DOB stimulation (2 and 4 μg/kg per min). During β-adrenergic activation in LPD offspring, increases in cardiac output (CO, P < 0·018) and stroke volume (SV, P < 0·005) were attenuated in comparison with NPD offspring, while increases in ejection fraction and the maximal rate of ventricular pressure development were not affected. LPD females maintained a smaller end-diastolic volume (P < 0·017). MAP did not differ between the groups and did not change significantly during DOB infusion. Arterial elastance and total peripheral resistance decreased in all rats but remained significantly elevated in LPD offspring (P < 0·015 and < 0·01). Early growth restriction did not affect ventricular contractility but led to an increased afterload and impaired the ability to increase SV and CO during β-adrenergic stimulation.

1. Isoalloxazines were characterized and measured in the caecum of two conventional rabbits kept on an adequate diet, two rabbits on the same diet from which vitamin B2 (ribo-flavine) had been omitted and five germ-free rabbits which were also on the adequate diet.

2. Riboflavine (up to 12mg) unaccompanied by any of its degradation products was found in the caecum of germ-free rabbits and 8–9 μg per ml were found in their urine.

3. Hydroxyethylflavine (4–5 mg) accompanied only by traces of riboflavine was found in the caecum of conventional rabbits.

4. There was about 1% ash in the contents of each of five germ-free and two conventional caecums.

5. The five germ-free caecal contents averaged 22.4% of the animal's body-weight. For four conventional animals this figure was only 10.5%.

6. In the caecum of each of two conventional rabbits kept on a diet deficient in riboflavine neither riboflavine nor hydroxyethylflavine was found but there was somewhat less than 1 mg of a yellow-fluorescing material of low RF value in each caecum.

7. The results are discussed in relation to the authors' previous reports on metabolites of riboflavine.

The objective of the present study was to delineate how interactions between feeding sunflower oil (SFO) to partially defaunate the rumen and altering dietary ruminally fermentable carbohydrate may alter urea-N kinetics and N metabolism in lambs. In a 4 × 4 Latin square with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments, four Suffolk ram lambs (61·5 (se 4·0) kg) were used. Treatments were 0 ( − SFO) v. 6 % (+SFO) SFO and dry-rolled barley (DRB) v. pelleted barley (PB). N balance was measured over 4 d, with concurrent measurement of urea-N kinetics using continuous intra-jugular infusions of [15N15N]urea. Feeding SFO decreased (P = 0·001) ruminal protozoa and NH3-N concentrations. Urinary N excretion was lower (P = 0·003), and retained N was higher (P = 0·002) in +SFO lambs compared with − SFO lambs. Endogenous production of urea-N (urea-N entry rate; UER) was similar across treatments. Urea-N transfer to the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) (GIT entry rate; GER), expressed as absolute amounts (16·4 v. 13·1 g/d) or as a proportion of the UER (0·693 v. 0·570), its anabolic use (9·0 v. 6·0 g/d) and microbial N supply (14·6 v. 10·9 g/d) were higher (P ≤ 0·001) in +SFO lambs compared with –SFO lambs. As a proportion of the UER, GER was higher, whereas urinary urea-N loss was lower, in lambs fed PB compared with those fed DRB (P = 0·01). In summary, feeding SFO increased urea-N recycling to the GIT and microbial non-NH3-N supply, thus providing new evidence that the improved efficiency of N utilization in partially defaunated ruminants could be partly mediated by an increase in urea-N recycling.

High alcohol consumption is related to colorectal cancer (CRC). Our objective was to study associations between alcohol consumption and risk of CRC according to characteristics of aetiological pathways: the chromosomal instability (CIN) and the microsatellite instability (MIN) pathway. We classified CIN+ tumours (tumours with either a truncating APC mutation, an activating K-ras mutation or overexpression of p53), MIN+ tumours (tumours lacking hMLH1 expression) and CIN− /MIN−  tumours (tumours without these defects). In the Netherlands Cohort Study on diet and cancer, 120 852 men and women, aged 55–69 years, completed a questionnaire on risk factors for cancer at baseline (1986). Case–cohort analyses were conducted using 573 CRC cases with complete data after 7·3 years of follow-up, excluding the first 2·3 years. Adjusted incidence rate ratios (RR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) were estimated. Compared with abstaining, alcohol consumption of ≥ 30 g/d was positively associated with the risk of CRC irrespective of genetic or molecular aberrations present, although statistical significance was not reached (RR 1·35 (95 % CI 0·9–2·0) for the CIN+ tumours, RR 1·59 (95 % CI 0·4–5·8) for the MIN+ tumours and RR 1.15 (95 % CI 0·5–2·7) for the CIN− /MIN−  tumours). Beer, wine and liquor consumption were, independent of their alcoholic content, not consistently associated with the risk of CRC within the defined subgroups. In conclusion, our results indicate that a daily alcohol consumption of ≥ 30 g is associated with an increase in risk of CRC, independent of the presence or absence of the studied characteristics of different aetiological pathways.

The high overall plant-based diet index (PDI) is considered to protect against type 2 diabetes in the general population. However, whether the PDI affects gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) risk among pregnant women is still unclear. We evaluated the association between PDI and GDM risk based on a Chinese large prospective cohort – the Tongji Maternal and Child Health Cohort. Dietary data were collected at 13–28 weeks of pregnancy by a validated semi-quantitative FFQ. The PDI was obtained by assigning plant food groups positive scores while assigning animal food groups reverse scores. GDM was diagnosed by a 75 g 2-h oral glucose tolerance test at 24–28 weeks of gestation. Logistic regression models were fitted to estimate OR of GDM, with associated 95 % CI, comparing women in different PDI quartiles. Among the total 2099 participants, 169 (8·1 %) were diagnosed with GDM. The PDI ranged from 21·0 to 52·0 with a median of 36·0 (interquartile range (IQR) 33·0–39·0). After adjusting for social-demographic characteristics and lifestyle factors etc., the participants with the highest quartile of PDI were associated with 57 % reduced odds of GDM compared with women in the lowest quartile of PDI (adjusted OR 0·43; 95 % CI 0·24, 0·77; P for trend = 0·005). An IQR increment in PDI was associated with 29 % decreased odds of GDM (adjusted OR 0·71; 95 % CI 0·56, 0·90). Findings suggest that adopting a plant-based diet during pregnancy could reduce GDM risk among Chinese women, which may be valuable for dietary counselling during pregnancy.

At present, analysis of diet and bladder cancer (BC) is mostly based on the intake of individual foods. The examination of food combinations provides a scope to deal with the complexity and unpredictability of the diet and aims to overcome the limitations of the study of nutrients and foods in isolation. This article aims to demonstrate the usability of supervised data mining methods to extract the food groups related to BC. In order to derive key food groups associated with BC risk, we applied the data mining technique C5.0 with 10-fold cross-validation in the BLadder cancer Epidemiology and Nutritional Determinants study, including data from eighteen case–control and one nested case–cohort study, compromising 8320 BC cases out of 31 551 participants. Dietary data, on the eleven main food groups of the Eurocode 2 Core classification codebook, and relevant non-diet data (i.e. sex, age and smoking status) were available. Primarily, five key food groups were extracted; in order of importance, beverages (non-milk); grains and grain products; vegetables and vegetable products; fats, oils and their products; meats and meat products were associated with BC risk. Since these food groups are corresponded with previously proposed BC-related dietary factors, data mining seems to be a promising technique in the field of nutritional epidemiology and deserves further examination.