The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of 8-week green tea extract (GTE) supplementation on promoting postexercise muscle glycogen resynthesis and systemic energy substrate utilisation in young college students. A total of eight healthy male participants (age: 22·0 (se 1·0) years, BMI: 24·2 (se 0·7) kg/m2, VO2max: 43·2 (se 2·4) ml/kg per min) participated in this study. GTE (500 mg/d for 8 weeks) was compared with placebo in participants in a double-blind/placebo-controlled and crossover study design with an 8-week washout period. Thereafter, all participants performed a 60-min cycling exercise (75 % VO2max) and consumed a carbohydrate-enriched meal immediately after exercise. Vastus lateralis muscle samples were collected immediately (0 h) and 3 h after exercise, and blood and gaseous samples were collected during the 3-h postexercise recovery period. An 8-week oral GTE supplementation had no effects on further promoting muscle glycogen resynthesis in exercised human skeletal muscle, but the exercise-induced muscle GLUT type 4 (GLUT4) protein content was greater in the GTE supplementation trial (P<0·05). We observed that, during the postexercise recovery period, GTE supplementation elicited an increase in energy reliance on fat oxidation compared with the placebo trial (P<0·05), although there were no differences in blood glucose and insulin responses between the two trials. In summary, 8-week oral GTE supplementation increases postexercise systemic fat oxidation and exercise-induced muscle GLUT4 protein content in response to an acute bout of endurance exercise. However, GTE supplementation has no further benefit on promoting muscle glycogen resynthesis during the postexercise period.

The Southern dietary pattern, derived within the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) cohort, is characterised by high consumption of added fats, fried food, organ meats, processed meats and sugar-sweetened beverages and is associated with increased risk of several chronic diseases. The aim of the present study was to identify characteristics of individuals with high adherence to this dietary pattern. We analysed data from REGARDS, a national cohort of 30 239 black and white adults ≥45 years of age living in the USA. Dietary data were collected using the Block 98 FFQ. Multivariable linear regression was used to calculate standardised beta coefficients across all covariates for the entire sample and stratified by race and region. We included 16 781 participants with complete dietary data. Among these, 34·6 % were black, 45·6 % male, 55·2 % resided in stroke belt region and the average age was 65 years. Black race was the factor with the largest magnitude of association with the Southern dietary pattern (Δ = 0·76 sd, P < 0·0001). Large differences in Southern dietary pattern adherence were observed between black participants and white participants in the stroke belt and non-belt (stroke belt Δ = 0·75 sd, non-belt Δ = 0·77 sd). There was a high consumption of the Southern dietary pattern in the US black population, regardless of other factors, underlying our previous findings showing the substantial contribution of this dietary pattern to racial disparities in incident hypertension and stroke.

1. Energy intakes, body-weights, body fat index, total body fat and interscapular brown adipose tissue (IBAT) were examined in adult male, spontaneously hypertensive, stroke-prone (SHR-SP) rats and normotensive Wistar/Kyoto (WKY) controls given one of four diets for 33 d: (a) a starch diet, (b) a starch diet and a sucrose solution drinking option, (c) an 80xenergy from fat (F80) diet, (d) the F80 diet and a sucrose drinking option.

2. The SHR-SP rats showed a complete resistance to obesity on all four diets. For the high-fat diet the WKY animals became markedly obese with approximately two-fold increases in body-weight gain and body fat index when compared with the SHR-SP rats. The gain in total body fat was also significantly greater. IBAT as a percentage of total body-weight did not differ between the WKY and SHR-SP groups.

3. Compared with the WKY animals, the SHR-SP rats showed a reduced food intake but had the same potential to gain weight from the high-fat diet.

4. It is concluded that the resistance to obesity by the hypertensive animals is the result of a diminished energy intake.

Epidemiological studies have indicated that malnutrition during early life may programme chronic degenerative disease in adulthood. In an animal model of fetal malnutrition, rats received an isoenergetic, low-protein (LP) diet during gestation. This reduced fetal β-cell proliferation and insulin secretion. Supplementation during gestation with taurine prevented these alterations. Since proteases are involved in secretion and proliferation, we investigated which proteases were associated with these alterations and their restoration in fetal LP islets. Insulin secretion and proliferation of fetal control and LP islets exposed to different protease modulators were measured. Lactacystin and calpain inhibitor I, but not isovaleryl-l-carnitine, raised insulin secretion in control islets, indicating that proteasome and cysteinyl cathepsin(s), but not μ-calpain, are involved in fetal insulin secretion. Insulin secretion from LP islets responded normally to lactacystin but was insensitive to calpain inhibitor I, indicating a loss of cysteinyl cathepsin activity. Taurine supplementation prevented this by restoring the response to calpain inhibitor I. Control islet cell proliferation was reduced by calpain inhibitor I and raised by isovaleryl-l-carnitine, indicating an involvement of calpain. Calpain activity appeared to be lost in LP islets and not restored by taurine. Most modifications in the mRNA expression of cysteinyl cathepsins, calpains and calpastatin due to maternal protein restriction were consistent with reduced protease activity and were restored by taurine. Thus, maternal protein restriction affected cysteinyl cathepsins and the calpain–calpastatin system. Taurine normalised fetal LP insulin secretion by protecting cysteinyl cathepsin(s), but the restoration of LP islet cell proliferation by taurine did not implicate calpains.

Fe deficiency (ID) defined as plasma ferritin <12 µg/l is associated with delayed cognitive development in early childhood and increased incidence of infections; however, the longitudinal association between early-life factors and ID in 18-month-old children in Denmark is unknown. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of ID and to describe risk factors associated with ID in healthy 18-month-old Danish children. Blood samples, anthropometric measurements and self-reported questionnaire data had been obtained in the birth cohort, Odense Child Cohort. The questionnaires were modified from those used in the Danish National Birth Cohort. Plasma ferritin and C-reactive protein in venous, non-fasting samples were analysed in the final sample size of 370 children after exclusion of seventy-nine children due to chronic disease, acute infection, C-reactive protein >10 mg/l, twin birth or prematurity. Associations with ID were analysed by logistic regression, adjusting for sex, maternal education, duration of partial breast-feeding and current intake of milk, fish and meat. Overall, fifty-six children had ID (15·1 %). Factors associated with increased risk were exclusive breast-feeding beyond 4 months (OR 5·97; 95 % CI 1·63, 21·86) and no intake of oral Fe supplements from 6 to 12 months (OR 3·99, 95 % CI 1·33, 11·97. Duration of partial breast-feeding and current diet was not associated with ID. In conclusion, the ID prevalence was 15·1 %, and both exclusive breast-feeding beyond 4 months and no intake of oral Fe supplements from 6 to 12 months were associated with increased risk of ID in 18-month-old children.

Eight pigs were given a semi-purified diet based on maize flour and casein containing 10 μg biotin/kg. The diet was given ad lib. with or without a supplement of 70 μg biotin/kg diet from 5 to 94 d of age. The flow of biotin in the stomach was similar to the biotin intake (13.5 and 112 μg/d) for the unsupplemented and biotin-supplemented pigs respectively. The flow of biotin through the small intestine decreased for the biotin-supplemented pigs from 39 μg/d in the first quarter of the small intestine to 7.9 μg/d in the last quarter. The flows of biotin in the caecum, large intestine and colon were similar for both the unsupplemented and biotin-supplemented pigs, with values of 17–54 μg/d, indicating the synthesis of biotin in the hind-gut.

Syrian refugees in Lebanon are facing vulnerabilities that are affecting their food insecurity (FI) levels. The objectives of this study were to measure dietary diversity, FI and mental health status of Syrian refugee mothers in Lebanon and to explore its associations with their anaemia and nutritional status. A cross-sectional study was conducted among mothers with children under 5 years (n 433) in Greater Beirut, Lebanon. Dietary diversity was measured using the Minimum Dietary Diversity for Women (MDD-W) of reproductive age and FI using the global Food Insecurity Experience Scale at the individual level. Depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were measured to assess the maternal mental health status. Data on socio-economic characteristics, anthropometric measurements and Hb concentrations were collected. Overall, 63·3 % of the mothers had a low dietary diversity (LDD) and 34·4 % were moderately to severely food insecure, with 12·5 % being severely food insecure. The prevalence of PTSD, moderate depression and severe depression was 13·2, 11·1 and 9·9 %, respectively. A significant correlation was found between LDD and FI (P < 0·001). Low income was significantly associated with LDD and FI. Poor mental health was significantly associated with FI. LDD and FI were not associated with anaemia and nutritional status of mothers. Low-income households had significantly higher intakes of grains and refined starchy staples, whereas high-income households consumed more nutritious foods and sweets. Evidence of inadequate diet quality, FI and poor mental health among Syrian refugee mothers in Lebanon is presented. Multifaceted actions are needed to reduce FI and improve dietary diversity.

Several studies have reported differing data on the effect of exogenous nucleosides and nucleotides on the proliferation and differentiation in various intestinal cell lines and explants. To study whether exogenous nucleosides modulate intestinal cell differentiation, IEC-6 cells were differentiated in the presence or absence of a nucleoside mixture (cytidine, uridine, guanosine and inosine, 30 μm each), and the concentrations of nucleoside derivatives were determined by HPLC. Cell differentiation was assessed by electron microscopy, alkaline phosphatase activity and Rnd3 gene expression. The present results showed that uridine, guanosine and inosine were cleared from culture media (up to 32, 63 and 100 % in proliferating cells, and 31, 80 and 94 % in differentiated cells, respectively) whereas cytidine concentrations increased. Differentiation of IEC-6 cells was associated with a significant increase in intracellular nucleotide concentrations. Clearance of nucleosides correlated with a significant increase in the intracellular nucleotide pool in proliferating and differentiated IEC-6 cells. Intracellular guanosine nucleotides increased 2·5- and 5-fold in nucleoside-supplemented proliferating and differentiated cells, respectively. At 24 h, nucleoside-supplemented differentiated IEC-6 cells had significantly higher energy charge and GTP levels than non-supplemented ones. These modifications paralleled changes in cell differentiation as indicated by increased alkaline phosphatase activity, prolonged microvilli formation and accelerated down-regulation of Rnd3 gene expression. The present findings suggest that exogenous nucleosides were selectively taken up by IEC-6 cells, increased the intracellular nucleotide pool, GTP and energy charge, and favoured cell morphological and functional changes during differentiation.

1. Biscuits baked to a recipe requiring only sucrose, white flour and water were ground to a powder and mixed with the remaining ingredients of a standard rat diet. The control diet contained the same dry-weight amounts of all ingredients, but the sucrose and flour were not baked into biscuits. Eighty-four rats were divided into two matched groups and fed on the diets for 8 weeks from weaning.

2. The biscuit diet produced significantly more caries than the control diet, with a total of about twice as many lesions, and also many more advanced lesions. Nearly all the lesions were in the molar fissures, suggesting that the cooked and powdered biscuit was impacted and retained in the fissures.

Obese patients typically show a pattern of dyslipidaemia and changes in plasma fatty acid composition reflecting abnormalities in lipoprotein metabolism and dietary habits. Animals and obese adults have been widely studied; however, contradictory results have been published in children. The objective was to assess changes in plasma fatty acid composition in total plasma lipids and plasma lipid fractions in obese prepubertal children compared with those of normal weight and to evaluate changes in postprandial plasma fatty acids during a 3 h period after intake of a standardised breakfast. The study was a case–control study with thirty-four obese and twenty normal-weight prepubertal children (Tanner 1). Anthropometric and metabolic variables and fatty acid concentrations were measured in plasma and its fractions. Liquid chromatography was used to separate lipid fractions and GLC to quantify fatty acids. Plasma total fatty acids (TFA), SFA, MUFA and PUFA concentrations were higher in obese than in control children. Except for 18 : 0, 18 : 3n-3, 20 : 4n-6 and n-3 PUFA, all fatty acids in TAG were also elevated in the obese group. Fatty acids 16 : 1n-7, 18 : 0, 18 : 1n-9, 20 : 2n-6, TFA and MUFA significantly decreased between the 2nd and 3rd hour in normal-weight v. obese children. The concentration of 16 : 1n-7 was positively and the proportion of 20 : 4n-6 inversely associated with a significant increase in risk of obesity. Obese prepubertal children show an altered plasma fatty acid profile and concentrations, mainly related to the TAG fatty acid profile, with a lower clearance of fatty acids v. normal-weight prepubertal children.

Ageing leads to a progressive loss of muscle function (MF) and quality (MQ: muscle strength (MS)/lean muscle mass (LM)). Power training and protein (PROT) supplementation have been proposed as efficient interventions to improve MF and MQ. Discrepancies between results appear to be mainly related to the type and/or dose of proteins used. The present study aimed at determining whether or not mixed power training (MPT) combined with fast-digested PROT (F-PROT) leads to greater improvements in MF and MQ in elderly men than MPT combined with slow-digested PROT (S-PROT) or MPT alone. Sixty elderly men (age 69 (sd 7) years; BMI 18–30 kg/m2) were randomised into three groups: (1) placebo + MPT (PLA; n 19); (2) F-PROT + MPT (n 21) and (3) S-PROT + MPT (n 20) completed the intervention. LM, handgrip and knee extensor MS and MQ, functional capacity, serum metabolic markers, skeletal muscle characteristics, dietary intake and total energy expenditure were measured. The interventions consisted in 12 weeks of MPT (3 times/week; 1 h/session) combined with a supplement (30 g:10 g per meal) of F-PROT (whey) or S-PROT (casein) or a placebo. No difference was observed among groups for age, BMI, number of steps and dietary intake pre- and post-intervention. All groups improved significantly their LM, lower limb MS/MQ, functional capacity, muscle characteristics and serum parameters following the MPT. Importantly, no difference between groups was observed following the MPT. Altogether, adding 30 g PROT/d to MPT, regardless of the type, does not provide additional benefits to MPT alone in older men ingesting an adequate (i.e. above RDA) amount of protein per d.

Experimental butters with a high content of trans-18:1 fatty acids an/r cis-9,trans-11-18:2 (rumenic acid; RA) were fed to thirty-six New Zealand White rabbits to investigate their effects on adipose tissue (AT) and liver lipogenic activities. Animals received one of three atherogenic (0·2% cholesterol) diets containing 12% butter with either a standard fatty acid composition (rich in saturated fatty acids), rich in trans-10-18:1 (T10 diet) or in trans-11-18:1 plus RA (T11+ RA diet) for 6 or 12 weeks. The ingestion of butters rich in trans fatty acids an/r RA for 6 weeks had little or no effect on liver and AT lipogenesis. The ingestion for 12 weeks of butter rich in T11 + RA decreased perirenal AT weight, lipogenic enzyme and lipoprotein lipase activities, without affecting liver lipid concentration or lipogenic activities except for a decrease in glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity. Similar trends, but of a lower magnitude, were observed in rabbits fed the T10 diet for 12 weeks. Ingestion of the T10 or T11 + RA diets for 6 or 12 weeks had no significant effect on plasma metabolites and hormones except for glucose which increased at 6 weeks in the T10 group. Plasma leptin concentration was positively correlated with AT weight but did not differ between the three diets. In conclusion, the supply of butters rich in either T10 or T11 + RA in an atherogenic diet for 12 weeks decreased rabbit AT lipogenesis, with a more marked effect of the T11 + RA diet, but had no effect on liver lipogenesis.

High overall nutritional quality (NQ) is an important component of ideal cardiovascular health, a concept introduced in 2010 by the American Heart Association. However, data on the independent contribution of overall NQ to the variation in the cardiometabolic risk (CMR) profile are limited. This observational study aimed to investigate the association between overall NQ and the CMR profile in 4785 participants (65⋅4 % of men, age 43⋅3 (sd 10⋅8) years) who underwent a cardiometabolic health evaluation, including lifestyle habits, anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, lipid profile and HbA1c concentrations. In addition, a submaximal exercise test was conducted to assess cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). Using a standardised NQ questionnaire (twenty-five items food-based questionnaire), participants were classified into three subgroups: (1) low, (2) moderate or (3) high NQ and variance and multiple linear regression analyses were performed. Results showed that less than 15 % of participants presented a high NQ. A high NQ was associated with a healthier lifestyle habits and a more favourable CMR profile (lower values of waist circumference and cholesterol:HDL-cholesterol ratio, lower concentrations of non-HDL-cholesterol, TAG and HbA1c). Some of these associations were independent of age, physical activity level (PAL) and CRF. A better NQ was also associated with a lower proportion of participants presenting the hypertriacylglycerolaemic waist phenotype independently of both PAL and CRF. The present study suggests that overall NQ can be assessed with a short food-based questionnaire and should be considered in clinical practice as a new ‘vital sign’ associated with other health behaviours and cardiometabolic health.

The aim of the present research was to study if the β-blocker propranolol, which is known to increase bone mass, could reverse the adverse skeletal effects of mild chronic food restriction in weanling rats. Male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: control, control+propranolol (CP), nutritional growth retardation (NGR) and nutritional growth retardation+propranolol (NGRP). Control and CP rats were fed freely with the standard diet. NGR and NGRP rats received, for 4 weeks, 80 % of the amount of food consumed by the control and CP rats, respectively. Results were expressed as mean values and sem. Food restriction induced detrimental effects on body and femur weight and length (P < 0·05) and bone structural and geometrical properties (P < 0·001), confirming results previously shown in our laboratory. However, the β-blocker overcame the deleterious effect of nutritional stress on load-bearing capacity, yielding load, bone stiffness, cross-sectional cortical bone area and second moment of inertia of the cross-section in relation to the horizontal axis without affecting anthropometric, histomorphometric and bone morphometric parameters. The results suggest that propranolol administration to mildly chronically undernourished rats markedly attenuates the impaired bone status in this animal model of growth retardation.

The present study was intended to examine whether ponderal index (PI) at birth modifies the effect of the fat mass and obesity associated (FTO) rs9939609 polymorphism on adiposity in European adolescents. A total of 628 adolescents aged 14·4 (se 1·3) years (56·8 % female) were recruited. PI was calculated from parental reports of birth weight and length (kg/m3), and the BMI (kg/m2), body fat percentage and fat mass index (FMI, kg/m2) were calculated. The rs9939609 polymorphism was genotyped and physical activity assessed by accelerometry. Sex, duration of pregnancy, pubertal status, centre and physical activity were used as confounders in all the analyses. The minor A allele of the FTO rs9939609 was significantly associated with higher BMI, body fat percentage and FMI (all P < 0·05) but not with PI. Significant interactions between PI and the rs9939609 polymorphism in terms of body fat percentage (P = 0·002) and FMI (P = 0·017) were detected. However, this polymorphism was only significantly associated with higher BMI, body fat percentage and FMI (all P < 0·05) in adolescents in the lower PI tertile. Indeed, both body fat percentage and FMI were higher in those adolescents in the lower PI tertile carrying the A allele of the FTO rs9939609 polymorphism than in those with the TT genotype (25·0 (se 0·8) v. 22·1 (se 1·0) %, adjusted P = 0·030 and 5·6 (se 0·3) v. 4·6 (se 0·4) kg/m2, P = 0·031, respectively). Our findings suggest that those adolescents born with lower PI could be more vulnerable to the influence of the A risk allele of the FTO polymorphism on total adiposity content.

This work was designed to investigate the effect of different lipid sources on ob gene expression and serum leptin levels in rats with two different feeding protocols: (1) free access to food; or (2) energy-controlled feeding. Male Wistar rats were fed diets containing 40 % energy as fat (olive oil, sunflower oil or beef tallow), for 4 weeks. In Expt 1 rats had free access to food, and in Expt 2 rats were fed a controlled amount of food (16 g/d, equivalent to 300 kJ/d). Insulin and leptin were determined by ELISA and ob mRNA by Northern blot. When rats had free access to food, ob mRNA levels were higher in animals fed either olive oil or sunflower oil than in those fed beef tallow. In marked contrast with feeding ad libitum, no differences were found among dietary fat groups in rats fed energy-controlled diets. When both feeding protocols were compared, free access to food induced an increased expression of ob mRNA in perirenal and/or epididymal adipose tissues from rats fed either olive oil or sunflower oil, but not from rats fed beef tallow. Dietary lipid type did not induce modifications in serum leptin concentrations. A tendency to higher serum leptin levels was observed more in rats with free access to food than in rats fed energy-controlled feeding. No differences were found in insulin levels. Dietary fat type importantly affects ob mRNA expression in rat white adipose tissue under hyperphagic conditions. Further study is needed in order to elucidate the mechanism underlying this effect.

The effect of anthropometric status on the efficacy of an oral supplement of iodised oil (1 ml Lipiodol Ultrafluide, 490 mg I; Laboratoire Guerbet, Aulnay-sous-Bois, France) was examined in 8–10-year-old schoolchildren (n 197) of Ntcheu, a severely I-deficient district of Malawi. The study was a controlled trial using the I concentration of casual urine samples to monitor the I status. The median urinary I concentration increased from 0·15 μmol/l at baseline (51·3 % of children < 0·16 μmol/l, 89·7 % < 0·40 μmol/l, 95·7 % 0·79 μmol/l) to 0·32 μmol/l at 40 weeks (29·1 % of the children < 0·16 μmol/l, 71·0 % < 0·40 μmol/l, 96·1 % < 0·79 μmol/l) while the total goitre prevalence fell from 63 % to 21 %. Variables of efficacy were estimated from a hyperbolic function describing the longitudinal pattern of urinary I excretion after the dose. The I retention and I elimination rate, and the periods of protection from mild (< 0·79 μmol/l) or moderate (< 0·40 μmol/l) I deficiency were obtained for groups of children with differing anthropometric status at baseline. Initial height-for-age and mid upper-arm circumference were not significantly related to efficacy. However, both the I retention and I elimination rate were reduced in children with lower initial weight-for-height. Children with lower skinfold thickness at baseline also had reduced I retention, which resulted in shorter protection periods from recurrent moderate and mild I deficiency. The efficacy of the oral iodised-oil supplement was not related to changes in anthropometric status during follow-up, nor was it related to the consumption of a food supplement of 1610 kJ immediately before the iodised-oil dose. Very low (< 0·16 μmol/l) urinary I concentration, and the presence of goitre at baseline were both associated with higher I retention and elimination rate. Children with goitre at baseline were found to have a prolonged duration of protection against recurrent moderate I deficiency. We conclude that in apparently healthy schoolchildren in I-deficient areas, general anthropometric status has a little influence on the efficacy of oral iodised oil for correcting I deficiency.

Diet is known to modulate the development of diabetes in diabetes-prone BioBreeding (BBdp) rats. The objective of the present study was to determine the effect of fermentable fibre (FF) on immune function in BBdp and diabetes-resistant BioBreeding (BBdr) rats after weaning. Weanling BBdp (thirty-six to thirty-eight per diet) and BBdr rats (thirty to thirty-two per diet) were fed a nutritionally complete, semi-purified, casein-based diet containing either cellulose (control diet, 8 % w/w) or FF (3·2 % cellulose+4·8 % w/w inulin). At 35 d, the small intestine was excised and lymphocytes isolated from spleen, mesenteric lymph nodes and Peyer's patches. Feeding FF to both BBdr and BBdp rats affected the production of anti-inflammatory cytokines (P=0·02). In BBdr rats, feeding FF compared with cellulose resulted in an increased small intestinal length (P=0·0031), higher proliferative (stimulation) index from both splenocytes (P=0·001) and mesenteric lymph nodes (P=0·04), and an increased proportion of CD8+ T-cells in the Peyer's patches (P=0·003). We did not observe an effect of diet on the number of IgA-bearing cells in the jejunum from BBdr rats. Feeding FF to BBdp rats did not affect the same parameters. BBdp rats had both a higher proportion of B-cells in the Peyer's patches (P=0·01) and a higher number of IgA+ cells in the jejunum (P=0·0036) when fed a diet containing FF, a response not observed in BBdr rats. We demonstrate that several aspects of the BBdp immune system respond differently than that of BBdr rats when challenged at weaning with FF.