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Many health benefits of millets (defined broadly to also include sorghum) have been advocated, including their roles in managing and preventing diabetes; however, the effects of millets on hyperlipidemia (high lipid levels) have been underrecognized. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to collate available evidence of the impacts of millets consumption on lipid profile, namely total cholesterol (TC), triacylglycerol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and very-low–density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C). The results from 19 studies showed that the consumption of millets for periods as short as 21 days to 4 months reduced levels of TC, triacylglycerol, LDL-C, and VLDL-C (pSystematic Review Registration: The protocol of this systematic review has been registered in the online registration platform called “research registry” with the unique identification number “reviewregistry1123.”

Lactating cow diets were supplemented with high oleic acid sunflower oil over two production periods spanning two years, to modify the milk fat, partially replacing saturated fatty acids (SFA) with cis-monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA). The resulting milk was used for ultra-high temperature (UHT) milk, butter and Cheddar cheese production, and fatty acid profiles were compared with those of conventionally-produced products. Fat from products made with modified milk had lower SFA and higher cis- and trans-MUFA concentrations than that of conventional products. This was consistent over production periods, demonstrating that this food chain approach could be adopted on a wider scale.

Milk is the largest source of iodine in UK diets and earlier studies showed organic summer and winter\ud milk to be significantly lower in iodine than conventional milk. One study also showed UHT milk to have\ud lower iodine concentration. The study on winter and UHT milk was small and accordingly a new study is\ud reported here involving conventional, organic and UHT semi-skimmed milk from four supermarkets over\ud a six-month period in summer and winter in two regions of the UK. The results showed organic milk to be\ud 44% lower in iodine than conventional milk (427 vs. 241 mg/L, P < 0.001) and UHT milk was 27% lower in\ud iodine than conventional milk (427 vs. 314 mg/L, P < 0.001) although the differences tended to be less in\ud the summer. The results indicate that replacement of conventional milk by organic or UHT milk will\ud increase the risk of sub-optimal iodine status especially for pregnant/lactating women.

The ability to synthesise sufficient vitamin D through sunlight in human subjects can be limited. Thus, diet has become an important contributor to vitamin D intake and status; however, there are only a few foods (e.g. egg yolk, oily fish) naturally rich in vitamin D. Therefore, vitamin D-enriched foods via supplementing the animals’ diet with vitamin D or vitamin D fortification of foods have been proposed as strategies to increase vitamin D intake. Evidence that cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) and calcifediol (25(OH)D3) content of eggs, fish and milk increased in response to vitamin D3 supplementation of hens, fish or cows’ diets was identified when vitamin D-enrichment studies were reviewed. However, evidence from supplementation studies with hens showed only dietary 25(OH)D3, not vitamin D3 supplementation, resulted in a pronounced increase of 25(OH)D3 in the eggs. Furthermore, evidence from randomised controlled trials indicated that a 25(OH)D3 oral supplement could be absorbed faster and more efficiently raise serum 25(OH)D concentration compared with vitamin D3 supplementation. Moreover, evidence showed the relative effectiveness of increasing vitamin D status using 25(OH)D3 varied between 3·13 and 7·14 times that of vitamin D3, probably due to the different characteristics of the investigated subjects or study design. Therefore, vitamin D-enrichment or fortified foods using 25(OH)D3 would appear to have advantages over vitamin D3. Further well-controlled studies are needed to assess the effects of 25(OH)D3 enriched or fortified foods in the general population and clinical patients.

The study reported in this Research Communication compared retail milks’ FA profiles from two neighbouring countries, estimated the potential contributions of these milks and a designer milk (achieved by changing the diet of the dairy cow) to the recommended human dietary intake of FA, and predicted (based on the milk FA profile) methane emission from dairy cows. Retail milks in Estonia and Latvia were purchased from supermarkets monthly for one year. To compare the FA composition of retail milk with designer milk with an increased PUFA content, the bulk milk FA profile from a separate field trial was used. Milk FA concentrations of the two neighbouring countries were affected by state, season and their interaction, while the main influence on all these factors were different feeding practices (grazing availability, forage to concentrate ratio and legume-rich silages vs. maize silages). Three cups (600 mL; fat content 2·5 g/100 g) of Estonian, or Latvian retail milk or designer milk per day contributed more to the recommended intakes of saturated FA (SFA) (42·5, 42·7, 38·7%, respectively) than other FA. Compared to the retail milks, α-linolenic acid estimated intake was almost doubled by designer milk consumption (19·7% of adequate intake) without influencing summed intakes of SFA and trans FA. There were state and seasonal differences in the predicted methane outputs of dairy cattle based on retail milk FA. Although the FA profiles of retail milks in the two neighbouring countries were affected by state and season, an appreciable increase in human dietary intakes of beneficial fatty acids from milk, and concomitant reduction in methane emissions from dairy cows, can be achieved only by targeted feeding.

This study investigated the effect of UK dairy production system, month, and their interaction, on retail milk fatty acid (FA) profile throughout the year. Milk samples (n = 120) from four conventional (CON), four organic (ORG) and two free-range (FR) brands were collected monthly. ORG milk had more nutritionally-desirable polyunsaturated FA, including rumenic acid and the omega-3 PUFA α-linolenic, eicosapentaenoic and docosapentaenoic acids, and less of the nutritionally-undesirable palmitic acid. Milk FA profile was similar between FR and CON systems, but FR milk had less saturated FA (SFA) and/or palmitic acid, and/or greater α-linolenic and rumenic acids in certain months within the peak-grazing season. According to the measured milk FA profiles and UK milk fat intakes, milk and dairy products contribute around one-third of the maximum recommended SFA intake. A small increased intake of beneficial PUFA may be expected by consuming ORG milk but human health implications from such differences are unknown.

This study compared fat and fatty acids in cooked retail chicken meat from conventional and organic systems. Fat contents were 1.7, 5.2, 7.1 and 12.9 g/100 g cooked weight in skinless breast, breast with skin, skinless leg and leg with skin respectively, with organic meat containing less fat overall (P < 0.01). Meat was rich in cis-monounsaturated fatty acids, although organic meat contained less than did conventional meat (1850 vs. 2538 mg/100 g; P < 0.001). Organic meat was also lower (P < 0.001) in 18:3 n−3 (115 vs. 180 mg/100 g) and, whilst it contained more (P < 0.001) docosahexaenoic acid (30.9 vs. 13.7 mg/100 g), this was due to the large effect of one supermarket. This system by supermarket interaction suggests that poultry meat labelled as organic is not a guarantee of higher long chain n−3 fatty acids. Overall there were few major differences in fatty acid contents/profiles between organic and conventional meat that were consistent across all supermarkets.

Milk and dairy products are major sources of fat in the human diet, but there are few detailed reports on the fatty acid composition of retail milk, trans fatty acids in particular, and how these change throughout the year. Semi-skimmed milk was collected monthly for one year from five supermarkets and analysed for fatty acid composition. Relative to winter, milk sold in the summer contained lower total saturated fatty acid (SFA; 67 vs 72 g/100g fatty acids) and higher cis-monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA; 23 vs 21 g/100g fatty acids) and total trans fatty acid (6.5 vs 4.5 g/100g fatty acids) concentrations. Concentrations of most trans-18:1 and -18:2 isomers also exhibited seasonal variation. Results were applied to national dietary intakes, and indicated that monthly variation in the fatty acid composition of milk available at retail has limited influence on total dietary fatty acid consumption by UK adults.

The prevalence of cardiometabolic diseases is a significant public health burden worldwide. Emerging evidence supports the inverse association between greater dairy consumption and reduced risk of cardiometabolic diseases. Dairy proteins may have an important role in the favourable impact of dairy on human health such as blood pressure (BP), blood lipid and glucose control. The purpose of this review is to update and critically evaluate the evidence on the impacts of casein and whey protein in relation to metabolic function. Evidence from short-term clinical studies assessing postprandial responses to milk protein ingestion suggests benefits on vascular function independent of BP, as well as improvement in glycaemic homeostasis. Long-term interventions have been less conclusive, with some showing benefits and others indicating a lack of improvement in vascular function. During chronic consumption BP appears to be lowered and both dyslipidaemia and hyperglacaemia seem to be controlled. Limited number of trials investigated the effects of dairy proteins on oxidative stress and inflammation. Although the underlying mechanisms of milk proteins on cardiometabolic homeostasis remains to be elucidated, the most likely mechanism is to improve insulin resistance. The incorporation of meals enriched with dairy protein in the habitual diet may result in the beneficial effects on cardiometabolic health. Nevertheless, future well-designed, controlled studies are needed to investigate the relative effects of both casein and whey protein on BP, vascular function, glucose homeostasis and inflammation.

BACKGROUND: Enriching poultry meat with long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC n-3 PUFA) can increase low population intakes of LC n-3 PUFA, but fishy taints can spoil reheated meat. This experiment determined the effect of different amounts of LC n-3 PUFA and vitamin E in the broiler diet on the fatty acid composition and sensory characteristics of the breast meat. Ross 308 broilers (120) were randomly allocated to one of five treatments from 21 to 42 days of age. Diets contained (g kg−1) 0, 9 or 18 LC n-3 PUFA (0LC, 9LC, 18LC), and 100, 150 or 200 mg LD--tocopherol acetate kg−1 (E). The five diets were 0LC100E, 9LC100E, 18LC100E, 18LC150E, 18LC200E, with four pens per diet, except 18LC100E (eight pens). Breast meat was analysed for fatty acids (uncooked) and sensory analysis by R-index (reheated). RESULTS: LC n-3 PUFA content (mg kg−1 meat) was 514 (0LC100E) and 2236 (9LC and 18LC). Compared with 0LC100E, meat from 18LC100E and 18LC150E tasted significantly different, while 23% of panellists detected fishy taints in 9LC100E and 18LC200E. CONCLUSION: Chicken meat can be enriched with nutritionally meaningful amounts of LC n-3 PUFA, but > 100 mg dl--tocopherol acetate kg−1 broiler diet is needed to protect reheated meat from oxidative deterioration. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry

With the wide acceptance of the long-chain (LC)n-3 PUFA EPA and DHA as important nutrients playing a role in the amelioration of certain diseases, efforts to understand factors affecting intakes of these fatty acids along with potential strategies to increase them are vital. Widespread aversion to oil-rich fish, the richest natural source of EPA and DHA, highlights both the highly suboptimal current intakes in males and females across all age-groups and the critical need for an alternative supply of EPA and DHA. Poultry meat is a popular and versatile food eaten in large quantities relative to other meats and is open to increased LCn-3 PUFA content through manipulation of the chicken's diet to modify fatty acid deposition and therefore lipid composition of the edible tissues. It is therefore seen as a favourable prototype food for increasing human dietary supply of LCn-3 PUFA. Enrichment of chicken breast and leg tissue is well established using fish oil or fishmeal, but concerns about sustainability have led to recent consideration of algal biomass as an alternative source of LCn-3 PUFA. Further advances have also been made in the quality of the resulting meat, including achieving acceptable flavour and storage properties as well as understanding the impact of cooking on the retention of fatty acids. Based on these considerations it may be concluded that EPA- and DHA-enriched poultry meat has a very positive potential future in the food chain.

The beneficial effects of long-chain (C chain ≥20)n-3 PUFA are well documented and, overall, increased intake reduces risk of CVD. Recent evidence also points to a role in reducing age-related decline in cognitive function. The two key fatty acids are EPA (20:5) and DHA (22:6), with current UK recommendation for adults being 450 mg EPA+DHA/d. Whilst some EPA and DHA can be synthesisedin vivofrom α-linolenic acid, recent data indicate this source to be very limited, suggesting that EPA and DHA should be classified as dietary essentials. In many parts of Europe the daily intake of EPA+DHA by adults and especially young adults (18–24 years) is

Since estimated dietary selenium intake in the UK has declined steadily from around 60 mug day(-1) in 1975 to 34 mug day(-1) in 1997, there is a need to increase selenium intake from staple foods such as milk and milk products. An experiment was therefore done to investigate the relationship between dietary source and concentration of selenium and the selenium content of bovine milk. In a 3 x 3 factorial design, 90 mid-lactation Holstein dairy cows were supplemented over 8 weeks with either sodium selenite (S), a chelated selenium product (Selenium Metasolate(TM)) (C) or a selenium yeast (Sel-plex(TM)) (Y) at three different dietary inclusion levels of 0.38 (L), 0.76 (M) and 1.14 (H) mg kg(-1) dry matter (DM). Significant increases in milk selenium concentration were observed for all three sources with increasing inclusion level in the diet, but Y gave a much greater response (up to +65 mug l(-1)) than the other two sources of selenium (S and C up to +4 and +6 mug l(-1) respectively). The Y source also resulted in a substantially higher apparent efficiency of transfer of selenium from diet to milk than S or C. Feeding Y at the lowest dietary concentration, and thus within the maximum level permitted under EU regulations, resulted in milk with a selenium concentration of 28 mug l(-1). If the selenium concentration of milk in the UK was increased to this value, it would, at current consumption rates, provide an extra 8.7 mug selenium day(-1), or 11 and 14% of daily recommended national intake for men and women respectively. (C) 2004 Society of Chemical Industry.

The potential to increase the concentrations of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in milk fat was investigated by studying the effects of feeding a xylose-treated, whole cracked linseed supplement (rich in α-linolenic acid) to dairy cows. Also the effect of increasing the dietary intake of vitamin E on the vitamin E status of milk was investigated. The effect of pasteurisation on milk fatty acid composition was also examined. Using a 3 × 2 factorial design, a total of 60 Holstein dairy cows were fed a total mixed ration based on grass silage supplemented with one of three levels of whole cracked linseed (78, 142 or 209 g·kg-1 diet dry matter (DM); designated LL, ML or HL, respectively) in combination with one of two levels of additional dietary vitamin E intake (6 or 12 g vitamin E·animal -1 ·day -1 ; designated LE or HE, respectively). Increasing lipid supplementation reduced (P 0.05) of increasing vitamin E intake from 6 to 12 g·animal -1 ·day -1 . The

With the aim of reducing the degree of saturation and increasing the C18:1 cis fatty acid content of milk fat, the effects of feeding high levels of whole cracked rapeseed to dairy cows was in- vestigated together with the effect of increasing dietary intake of vitamin E on the vitamin E content of milk. Usin ga3×3f actorial design, 90 Holstein dairy cows were fed one of three levels of whole cracked rapeseed (0 (ZR), 134 (MR) and 270 g·kg -1 diet dry matter (DM) (HR)) in combination with one of three intakes of supplementary vitamin E (0 (ZE), 2 (ME) and 4 g·cow -1 ·d -1 (HE)). Supple- menting with up to almost 2 kg·d -1 of rapeseed oil (diet HR) significantly (P < 0.001) increased C18:1cis in milk fat, from 181 (ZR) to over 400 g·kg -1 (HR) of total milk fatty acids. Concentrations of C18:0, C18:2 and C18:3 fatty acids were also increased (P < 0.001) but by a much lesser degree, and the saturated fatty acids C4:0 to C16:0 decreased substantially. Vitamin E supplementation in- creased (P < 0.01) milk vitamin E concentrations from 1.29 (ZE) to 1.68 mg·kg -1 whole milk (HE). Thus substantial changes in milk fat composition with potentially beneficial effects on human health were achieved and without any adverse effects on milk taste. However, these improvements must be offset against the substantial reductions (P < 0.001) observed in voluntary feed DM consumption (ZR, 20.6; HR, 15.2 kg DM·d -1 ), milk yield (ZR, 22.9; HR, 13.2 kg·d -1 ) and milk fat concentration (ZR, 42.1; HR, 33.4 g·kg -1 ) which would not be commercially sustainable unless a considerable pre- mium was paid for this modified milk. It seems likely that the optimum dose of dietary rapeseed is lower than used in this study.

There is an urgent need to treat individuals with high blood pressure (BP) with effective dietary strategies. Previous studies suggest a small, but significant decrease in BP after lactotripeptides (LTP) ingestion, although the data are inconsistent. The study aim was to perform a comprehensive meta-analysis of data from all relevant randomised controlled trials (RCT). Medline, Cochrane library, EMBASE and Web of Science were searched until May 2014. Eligibility criteria were RCT that examined the effects of LTP on BP in adults, with systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) as outcome measures. Thirty RCT met the inclusion criteria, which resulted in 33 sets of data. The pooled treatment effect for SBP was −2.95 mmHg (95% CI: −4.17, −1.73; p < 0.001), and for DBP was −1.51 mmHg (95% CI: −2.21, −0.80; p < 0.001). Sub-group analyses revealed that reduction of BP in Japanese studies was significantly greater, compared with European studies (p = 0.002 for SBP and p < 0.001 for DBP). The 24-h ambulatory BP (AMBP) response to LTP supplementation was statistically non-significant (p = 0.101 for SBP and p = 0.166 for DBP). Both publication bias and “small-study effect” were identified, which shifted the treatment effect towards less significant SBP and non-significant DBP reduction after LTP consumption. LTP may be effective in BP reduction, especially in Japanese individuals; however sub-group, meta-regression analyses and statistically significant publication biases suggest inconsistencies.

The consumption of supplements based on dairy or plant proteins may be associated with bioactive potential, including angiotensin-1-converting enzyme inhibitory (ACE-1i) activity, which is linked with blood pressure reduction in vivo. To gain insight into this proposed mechanism, the ACE-1i potential of protein-based supplements, including a selection of dairy (n = 10) and plant (n = 5) proteins were in vitro digested. The total digest was filtered and permeate and retentate were obtained. ACE-1i activity was measured as the ability of proteins (pre-digestion, ‘gastric’, permeate, and retentate) to decrease the hydrolysis of furanacroloyl-Phe-Glu-Glu (FAPGG) substrate for the ACE-1 enzyme. Permeate and retentate of dairy proteins exerted a significantly higher ACE-1i activity (mean of 10 proteins: 27.05 ± 0.2% and 20.7 ± 0.2%, respectively) compared with pre-digestion dairy proteins (16.7 ± 0.3%). Plant protein exhibited high ACE-1i in ‘gastric’ and retentate fractions (mean of five proteins: 54.9 ± 0.6% and 35.7 ± 0.6%, respectively). The comparison of the in vitro ACE-1i activity of dairy and plant proteins could provide valuable knowledge regarding their specific bioactivities, which could inform their use in the formulation of specific functional supplements that would require testing for blood pressure control in human randomly-controlled studies.

Arterial stiffness is an independent predictor of cardiovascular disease events and mortality, and like blood pressure, may be influenced by dairy food intake. Few studies have investigated the effects of consumption of these foods on prospective measures of arterial stiffness. The present analysis aimed to investigate the prospective relationship between milk, cheese, cream, and butter consumption and aortic pulse wave velocity, augmentation index, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, as well as cross-sectional relationships between these foods and systolic and diastolic blood pressure and metabolic markers using data from the Caerphilly Prospective Study. Included in this cohort were 2512 men, aged 45 to 59 years, who were followed up at 5-year intervals for a mean of 22.8 years (number follow-up 787). Augmentation index was 1.8% lower in subjects in the highest quartiles of dairy product intake compared with the lowest ( P trend=0.021), whereas in the highest group of milk consumption systolic blood pressure was 10.4 mm Hg lower ( P trend=0.033) than in nonmilk consumers after a 22.8-year follow-up. Cross-sectional analyses indicated that across increasing quartiles of butter intake, insulin ( P trend=0.011), triacylglycerol ( P trend=0.023), total cholesterol ( P trend=0.002), and diastolic blood pressure ( P trend=0.027) were higher. Across increasing groups of milk intake and quartiles of dairy product intake, glucose ( P trend=0.032) and triglyceride concentrations ( P trend=0.031) were lower, respectively. The present results confirm that consumption of milk predicts prospective blood pressure, whereas dairy product consumption, excluding butter, is not detrimental to arterial stiffness and metabolic markers. Further research is needed to better understand the mechanisms that underpin these relationships.

Dietary regulation of appetite may contribute to the prevention and management of excess body weight. The present study examined the effect of consumption of individual dairy products as snacks on appetite and subsequent ad libitum lunch energy intake. In a randomised cross-over trial, forty overweight men (age 32 (sd 9) years; BMI 27 (sd 2) kg/m2) attended four sessions 1 week apart and received three isoenergetic (841 kJ) and isovolumetric (410 ml) servings of dairy snacks or water (control) 120 min after breakfast. Appetite profile was determined throughout the morning and ad libitum energy intake was assessed 90 min after the intake of snacks. Concentrations of amino acids, glucose, insulin, ghrelin and peptide tyrosine tyrosine were measured at baseline (0 min) and 80 min after the intake of snacks. Although the results showed that yogurt had the greatest suppressive effect on appetite, this could be confounded by the poor sensory ratings of yogurt. Hunger rating was 8, 10 and 24 % (P P se 226) kJ). Although there was no difference in the postprandial responses of hormones, alanine and isoleucine concentrations were higher after the intake of yogurt than cheese and milk (P