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Objective: The aim of this study was to determine sucralose and acesulfame-potassium (ace-K) pharmacokinetics in breast milk following maternal ingestion of a diet soda. Methods: Thirty-four exclusively breast-feeding women (14 normal-weight, 20 obese) consumed 12 ounces of Diet Rite Cola, sweetened with 68-mg sucralose and 41-mg ace-K, before a standardized breakfast meal. Habitual non-nutritional sweeteners intake was assessed via a diet questionnaire. Breast milk was collected from the same breast before beverage ingestion and hourly for 6 hours. Results: Owing to one mother having extremely high concentrations, peak sucralose and acesulfame-potassium concentrations following ingestion of diet soda ranged from 4.0 to 7387.9 ng/mL (median peak 8.1 ng/mL) and 299.0 to 4764.2 ng/mL (median peak 945.3 ng/mL), respectively. Conclusions: Ace-K and sucralose transfer into breast milk following ingestion of a diet soda. Future research should measure concentrations after repeated exposure and determine whether chronic ingestion of sucralose and acesulfame-potassium via the breast milk has clinically relevant health consequences.

Objective: Postpartum weight retention increases the risk of future obesity and cardiovascular disease. Although exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) has been promoted as an effective means to lose gestational weight gain, previous studies report mixed findings for the relationship between duration of EBF and maternal postpartum weight loss (PPWL). This study evaluates whether meeting the recommended 6-months of EBF is associated with greater PPWL by 6-months than a shorter duration of EBF. Methods: The Mothers and Infants LinKed for Health (MILK) study is an ongoing prospective cohort of non-diabetic, non-smoking mother-infant dyads, all of whom were exclusively breastfeeding at 1-month postpartum. Breastfeeding exclusivity was subsequently self-reported by mothers at 3 and 6-months postpartum. Maternal pre-pregnancy weight and weight at delivery were abstracted from medical records. PPWL was calculated as maternal weight measured at 1, 3 and 6-months minus maternal weight at delivery. Mixed effects linear regression models were used to test the association of duration of EBF with repeated measures of PPWL after adjustment for covariates including maternal pre-pregnancy weight, gestational weight gain, parity, physical activity and infant sex. Results: Among 315 mothers who were exclusively breastfeeding at 1-month, 93% and 75% continued EBF to 3 and 6-months, respectively. By 6-months postpartum, weight loss (least square means ± standard error) was -8.55 ± 1.31 kg among EBF to 1-month, -10.60 ± 0.82 kg among EBF to 3-months and -11.73 ± 0.37 kg among EBF to 6-months (Figure). EBF to 6-months was associated with greater PPWL by 6-months postpartum than EBF to 1 or 3-months (p Conclusion: EBF to 6-months postpartum was associated with greater maternal PPWL than shorter EBF durations. Interventions may promote prolonged EBF as a means of increasing maternal weight loss by 6-months postpartum, but additional research is needed to explore whether these differences persist after weaning.

Assessing hydration, that is, total body water (TBW) in adolescent athletes should be part of a comprehensive training program. However, there are no specific methods to assess TBW in young athletes. Moreover, the use of traditional techniques developed in healthy youths, based on a 2-compartment model, may yield inaccurate TBW estimates in young athletes. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the accuracy of TBW non-reference field methods with a criterion method (i.e., deuterium dilution) in 118 adolescent athletes. Body volume was assessed by air displacement plethysmography, bone mineral was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and TBW by deuterium dilution. Non-reference TBW methods included 2 bioelectrical impedance analysis techniques (Tanita Body Composition Analyzer, model TBF-310) and bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy (BIS) (model 4000B); the Lohman's hydration constants of fat-free mass (FFM); and 3 derived anthropometric equations developed, respectively, by Kushner et al., Wells et al., and Morgenstern et al. The highest accuracy between TBW estimates and the reference model in both girls and boys was observed using the Lohman's constants (r2= 0.94, SEE = 1.56 kg; r2 = 0.92, SEE = 2.42 kg, respectively; p < 0.001), followed by both foot-to-foot Tanita (r2 = 0.88, SEE = 2.15 kg; r2 = 0.87, SEE = 3.01 kg, respectively; p < 0.001) and BIS (r2 = 0.92, SEE = 1.70 kg; r2 = 0.87, SEE = 3.04 kg, respectively; p < 0.001) with slopes and intercepts not significantly different from the line of identity. The regressions between anthropometric equations and the criterion method deviated from the line of identity (p < 0.05). The practical application of this study is that the specific constants of FFM hydration developed by Lohman seem to accurately estimate TBW in adolescent athletes. Foot-to-foot Tanita and BIS were also found to be valid and non-biased tools for predicting TBW. It would appear that the 3 anthropometric equations used are not appropriate for young athletes.

Plasma concentrations of HDL-cholesterol (C) negatively correlate with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Nevertheless, current evidence suggests that this correlation is not axiomatic and that some forms of HDL are dysfunctional and atherogenic. Interventions that raise HDL-C have not been uniformly successful suggesting that mechanisms by which HDL-C is increased determine its anti atherogenic potency. Additionally, mice overexpressing the HDL receptor, SR-BI, have lower plasma HDL-C levels and less atherosclerosis. Thus, new strategies that reduce HDL-C while promoting reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) may have therapeutic value. Serum opacity factor (SOF) disrupts HDL and forms three products, including a cholesteryl ester-rich microemulsion (CERM) containing apo E and the CE of ~400,000 HDL particles. Hepatic CE uptake in Huh7 cells is faster when delivered by CERM than by HDL, and cleared both in vitro and in vivo, in part, via the LDL-receptor (LDLR). We investigated the therapeutic potential of SOF in promoting RCT by comparing the final RCT steps, hepatic uptake, CE metabolism to cholesterol and bile salts, and secretion, of [ 14 C]-CE-HDL, -CERM and [[Unable to Display Character: –]]LDL. Cells were pulse-labeled for 2 h with 20-50 ug/mL HDL protein (6-17 ug/mL [ 14 C]-CE), or the CE-equivalent as CERM or LDL, and chased for 0, 2 or 6 h. Cells, pulse media and chase media were analyzed for sterols by beta-counting, TLC and solvent partitioning. [ 14 C]CE uptake from LDL was greater than from CERM (2-4X) and HDL (5-10X). Halftimes for [ 14 C]CE hydrolysis were 3.0 ± 0.2, 4.4 ± 0.6 and 5.4 ± 0.7 h respectively for HDL, CERM and LDL-CE. Bile acids in cells after uptake from HDL or CERM were low, p = 0.03 ) at the 2 h chase time. The fraction of sterols secreted as bile acids was comparable for all three donor particles. After the 2 h chase, ~40% of the secreted sterols were bile acids, and after 6 h, ~ 50% were bile acids. These ratios were the same for cells treated with 14 C-CE-HDL, CERM or LDL. Thus, the rates of hepatic metabolism of CERM-CE to free cholesterol, to bile acids and secretion are intermediate between those for HDL- and LDL-CE, supporting the therapeutic potential of SOF as a promoter of RCT.

Apolipoprotein F (ApoF) is an acidic sialogycoprotein found on high density and low density lipoproteins. We have generated mice lacking the ApoF gene on a pure C57BL/6 background. These mice were crossed with Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor (LDLR) deficient mice to investigate a potential role for ApoF in atherogenesis. LDLR KO and ApoF/LDLR double knockout (DKO) mice were fed a western diet containing 0.21 % cholesterol 21 % fat (w/w). The aortas were removed and stained with Oil Red-O to quantify lesion area by en face analysis. After 16 weeks of feeding, male ApoF/LDLR DKO mice had a 36% reduction in lesional area relative to LDLR KO control animals (DKO 4.9 +/- 1.6% versus LDLR 7.7 +/- 2.1%; p

ACAT related enzyme 2 required for viability 1 (ARV1) was identified as a gene required for viability in yeast in the absence of cholesterol esterification. ARV1 encodes a putative lipid transporter believed to be important in trafficking of lipids from the ER to the Golgi. ARV1 deficient yeast exhibit profound alterations in cholesterol, phospholipid, and sphingolipid metabolism, accompanied by a constitutively activated unfolded protein response and impaired GPI anchor synthesis. To study the role of ARV1 in mammalian lipid metabolism, we have generated mice with an adipose specific deletion of ARV1 using Cre/loxP technology with Cre expression driven by the Ap2 promoter. ARV1 adipose specific knockout (ASKO) mice exhibited significant reductions in plasma total cholesterol (↓21%, p < 0.05), HDL cholesterol (↓25%, p < 0.01), and phospholipid (↓17.6%, p < 0.05) levels, while fasting triglyceride levels were unaffected. ARV1 ASKO mice also had substantial reductions in epididymal adipose (WT: 0.41 +/- 0.07 g vs. KO: 0.10 +/- 0.07 g, p = 0.0002) and subcutaneous adipose tissue mass (WT: 0.32 +/- 0.03 g vs. KO: 0.11 +/- 0.08 g; p= 0.0002) on a chow diet. In contrast to nearly every other lipodystrophic mouse model, the reduced fat mass in these animals was paradoxically accompanied by improved glucose tolerance (WT AUC: 32,055 vs. KO AUC: 21,470 mg/dl*minutes, p

For 10 years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) have called on U.S. adults to incorporate moderate intensity physical activity (MPA) into their daily routine. Given that one fourth of U.S. women participate in no physical activities, it is important to assess whether messages promoting MPA, such as those in the mass media, help women adequately understand the intensity of activity required to meet the recommendation or whether additional methods may be needed.