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BACKGROUND: beta-Glucan can reduce serum concentrations of total and LDL cholesterol. The mechanism of this action is not clear, however, and it is difficult to predict the cholesterol-lowering effect of a food product enriched with beta-glucan. OBJECTIVES: We examined the effects of a beta-glucan-enriched fruit juice on serum lipids and lipoproteins and on markers of cholesterol absorption (serum concentrations of plant sterols) and synthesis (serum concentrations of lathosterol). In addition, we measured effects on lipid-soluble antioxidants. DESIGN: After a 3-wk run-in period, healthy subjects consumed daily a fruit drink providing 5 g rice starch [placebo (control) group; n = 22] or beta-glucan from oats (n = 25) for 5 wk (parallel design). At the end of the run-in period and at the end of the intervention, blood samples were taken for analysis of lipids and lipoproteins, noncholesterol sterols, and fat-soluble antioxidants. Changes between the end of the run-in period and the end of the intervention were calculated for each subject. Differences in changes between the groups were analyzed statistically. RESULTS: The differences between the control and beta-glucan groups in the change in serum concentrations of total and LDL cholesterol, respectively, were -4.8% (P = 0.012) and -7.7% (P = 0.005). The differences between the groups in the change in serum concentrations of lathosterol and sitosterol were -13% (P = 0.023) and -11% (P = 0.030), respectively. No significant effects were found on fat-soluble antioxidants. CONCLUSIONS: Beta-glucan lowers serum concentrations of total and LDL cholesterol when incorporated into a fruit drink. A reduced cholesterol absorption contributes to the cholesterol-lowering effect of beta-glucan without affecting plasma concentrations of lipid-soluble antioxidants. Copyright © 2006 American Society for Clinical Nutrition [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Published data suggests that lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic may have negatively affected children's weight development. This study aims to assess the prevalence of overweight and obesity after the COVID-19 lockdowns as well as anthropometric development among primary school children in the Rhein-Neckar Region, Germany., Methods: In this cross-sectional study, schools were selected in cooperation with the local health authority to include different socioeconomic backgrounds. Participation was voluntary at school and individual level, requiring written informed consent from legal guardians. Study visits in schools were conducted between October 2021 and July 2022. Anthropometric data from nationally recommended medical examinations at 4 years (U8) and 5 years (U9), data on nutrition, physical activity, and socioeconomic data was collected using questionnaires. zBMI and weight category were calculated based on German reference data., Results: 256 children with a mean age of 8.0 years (7.1-9.3 years) were included in the study. Most participants were from households with an above average income. 5.1% of the children were overweight, 4.7% were obese, 15.6% were underweight, and 74.6% were normal weight with a mean zBMI of -0.25 (SD 1.10), which is significantly lower than the mean zBMI of the German reference population (p < 0.001). No significant changes in zBMI were observed between U8 and U9 (p = 0.16). The mean zBMI decreased by 0.17 (SD 0.72) between U9 and the study visit (p = 0.02). A zBMI decrease of 0.5 was documented for the subgroup of overweight and obese children (p = 0.028) as well as a decrease of 0.23 (SD 0.63) for the normal-weight children subgroup (p < 0.001)., Conclusions: Contrary to previous reports mean zBMI decreased significantly in the children studied. No significant changes in zBMI were observed between U8 and U9 examinations, which supports the hypothesis that the decrease in zBMI could be attributed to lockdown measures. The study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov on September 21st 2021 under the registration number NCT05077059., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Our diets greatly influence our health. Multiple lines of research highlight the beneficial properties of eating berries and fruits. In this study, a berry mixture of Nordic berries previously identified as having the potential to improve memory was supplemented to young C57Bl/6J male mice to investigate effects on cognition function, metabolic health, markers of neuroinflammation, and gut microbiota composition. C57Bl/6J male mice at the age of 8 weeks were given standard chow, a high-fat diet (HF, 60%E fat), or a high-fat diet supplemented with freeze-dried powder (20% dwb) of a mixture of Nordic berries and red grape juice (HF + Berry) for 18 weeks ( n = 12 animals/diet group). The results show that supplementation with the berry mixture may have beneficial effects on spatial memory, as seen by enhanced performance in the T-maze and Barnes maze compared to the mice receiving the high-fat diet without berries. Additionally, berry intake may aid in counteracting high-fat diet induced weight gain and could influence neuroinflammatory status as suggested by the increased levels of the inflammation modifying IL-10 cytokine in hippocampal extracts from berry supplemented mice. Furthermore, the 4.5-month feeding with diet containing berries resulted in significant changes in cecal microbiota composition. Analysis of cecal bacterial 16S rRNA revealed that the chow group had significantly higher microbial diversity, as measured by the Shannon diversity index and total operational taxonomic unit richness, than the HF group. The HF diet supplemented with berries resulted in a strong trend of higher total OTU richness and significantly increased the relative abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila , which has been linked to protective effects on cognitive decline. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that intake of a Nordic berry mixture is a valuable strategy for maintaining and improving cognitive function, to be further evaluated in clinical trials., Competing Interests: FH was an industrial Ph.D. student at Lund University and employed by Aventure AB. NM and LH-L are employed by Berry Lab AB, which is a subsidiary of Aventure AB. RÖ was the founder of Aventure AB and Berry Lab AB. The authors declare that this study received funding from Berry Lab AB and Aventure AB. The funder had the following involvement in the study: conception or design of the work, collection, analysis, interpretation of data, the critical review of this article, and the decision to submit it for publication. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision., (Copyright © 2023 Huang, Marungruang, Martinsson, Camprubí Ferrer, Nguyen, Gondo, Karlsson, Deierborg, Öste and Heyman-Lindén.)

Prevotella copri DSM18205 T is a human gut bacterium, suggested as a next-generation probiotic. To utilize it as such, it is, however, necessary to grow the species in a reproducible manner. Prevotella copri has previously been reported to be highly sensitive to oxygen, and hence difficult to isolate and cultivate. This study presents successful batch cultivation strategies for viable strain inoculations and growth in both serum bottles and a stirred tank bioreactor (STR), without the use of an anaerobic chamber, as long as the cells were kept in the exponential growth phase. A low headspace volume in the STR was important to reach high cell density. P. copri utilized xylose cultivated in Peptone Yeast Xylose medium (PYX medium), resulting in a comparable growth rate and metabolite production as in Peptone Yeast Glucose medium (PYG medium) in batch cultivations at pH 7.2.Up to 5 g/L of the carbon source was consumed, leading to the production of succinic acid, acetic acid, and formic acid, and cell densities (OD 620 nm ) in the range 6-7.5. The highest yield of produced succinic acid was 0.63 ± 0.05 g/g glucose in PYG medium cultivations and 0.88 ± 0.06 g/g xylose in PYX medium cultivations., (© 2021 The Authors. MicrobiologyOpen published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

High postprandial blood glucose levels are associated with increased mortality, cardiovascular events and development of diabetes in the general population. Interventions targeting postprandial glucose have been shown to prevent both cardiovascular events and diabetes. This study evaluates the efficacy and safety of a novel nutritional supplement targeting postprandial glucose excursions in non-diabetic adults. Sixty overweight healthy male and female participants were recruited at two centers and randomized in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design. The supplement, a water-based drink containing 2.6g of amino acids (L-Leucine, L-Threonine, L-Lysine Monohydrochloride, L-Isoleucine, L-Valine) and 250 mcg of chromium picolinate, was consumed with a standardized carbohydrate-rich meal. The primary endpoint was the incremental area under the curve (iAUC) for venous blood glucose from 0 to 120 minutes. Secondary endpoints included glucose iAUC 0-180 minutes and the maximum glucose concentration (Cmax), for both venous and capillary blood glucose. In the intention-to-treat-analysis (n = 60) the supplement resulted in a decreased venous blood glucose iAUC0-120min compared to placebo, mean (SE) of 68.7 (6.6) versus 52.2 (6.8) respectively, a difference of -16.5 mmol/L•min (95% CI -3.1 to -30.0, p = 0.017). The Cmax for venous blood glucose for the supplement and placebo were 6.45 (0.12) versus 6.10 (<0.12), respectively, a difference of -0.35 mmol/L (95% CI -0.17 to -0.53, p<0.001). In the per protocol-analysis (n = 48), the supplement resulted in a decreased Cmax compared to placebo from 6.42 (0.14) to 6.12 (0.14), a difference of -0.29 mmol/L (95% CI -0.12 to -0.47, p = 0.002). No significant differences in capillary blood glucose were found, as measured by regular bed-side glucometers. The nutritional supplement drink containing amino acids and chromium improves the postprandial glucose homeostasis in overweight adults without diabetes. Future studies should clarify, whether regular consumption of the supplement improves markers of disease or could play a role in a diet aiming at preventing the development of diabetes., Competing Interests: I have read the journal’s policy and the authors of this manuscript have the following competing interests: EÖ, IB and RÖ are inventors of a patent family describing the supplement studied. EÖ and IB jointly own the right to the patent and Aventure AB/Double Good AB (RÖ) owns a license to use the patent. EÖ is an employee of Good Idea, Inc since August 2017. starScience GmbH (AS, PMH) have received funding for other studies by Aventure AB/Double Good AB. PH holds shares of Double Good AB. KA and LHL are employees of Aventure AB, the parent company of Double Good AB and Good Idea, Inc. The commercial affiliations of the authors do not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Scope: The molecular mechanisms underlying the cholesterol-lowering properties of oats are only partly known. To study possible pathways involved, we investigated gene expressions in the liver and small intestine of mice fed oats., Method and Results: Cholesterol and bile acids were analyzed in plasma and feces from LDL-receptor deficient (LDLr -/- ) mice fed Western diet with wholegrain oats. A transcriptome analysis of mRNA from liver and jejunum was performed together with quantitative RT-PCR. Oat-fed mice had lower levels of plasma lipids and increased levels of bile acids and cholesterol in feces compared with controls. Two hundred thirty nine genes in jejunum and 25 genes in liver were differentially expressed (FDR corrected p < 0.05). The most affected biological process in jejunum was lipid biosynthesis and regulation. The apical sodium-dependent bile acid transporter (ASBT, Slc10a) and the intracellular bile acid binding protein (Fabp6) were both upregulated, whereas small heterodimer partner-1 (Shp-1) and apolipoprotein CII (Apoc2) were downregulated., Conclusions: Whole oats attenuated responses typically induced by high-fat diet. Increased expression of genes for intestinal bile acid uptake following oat consumption suggests retention in the gut lumen rather than decreased uptake capacity as cause for the increased bile acid excretion and the concomitant reduction of plasma cholesterol., (© 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

An acute meal study was performed to determine postprandial glucose and insulin responses after consumption of two fermented oat bran-based beverages (with and without exopolysaccharides) and yoghurt. This randomized, single-blind, within-subject study included 18 healthy, overweight participants. Four breakfast meals, including a reference meal, were tested; all meals contained 50 g of available carbohydrates, but differed in energy and macronutrient composition. All experimental meals reduced the postprandial glucose response compared with the reference meal. The oat drinks as well as the yoghurt elicited higher early (0-15 min) insulin responses, but the overall insulinaemia were similar to the reference meal. A new food product containing fermented liquid oat bran and milk reduced the postprandial blood glucose response as efficiently as yoghurt after a high-glycaemic index white wheat bread meal, but the presence of microbial exopolysaccharides did not affect the outcome.

Objective: To analyze vitamin D concentration and its association with body composition of children in Huairou district of Beijing, to provide evidence for evaluation and improvement of nutritional status of vitamin D in children., Methods: Totally, 381 children aged 7 - 11 years were recruited in Huairou district of Beijing (40.3 degrees N). Samples of overnight fasting venous blood (drawn between 0630 and 0900) were obtained in late March. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D]concentration was determined by ELISA kits (IDS Ltd, UK). Body composition indices of the whole body, the distal and proximal forearm were measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA, Norland, USA)., Results: The average serum 25(OH)D concentration of all subjects was (44.4 +/- 12.5) nmol/L. The percentage of vitamin D insufficient [serum 25(OH)D < / = 50 nmol/L] reached as high as 68.5% (261 people). The 25(OH)D concentration of boys (46.3 nmol/L +/- 13.3 nmol/L)was significantly higher than that of girls (42.0 nmol/L +/- 11.1 nmol/L), (t = 3.38, P < 0.01). Between the serum 25(OH)D concentration and lean body mass of proximal forearm, distal forearm, whole body, and four limbs, significant positive correlations (r = 0.13 - 0.19, P < 0.05)were observed. After age, gender, height and weight were under controlled for, correlations between the serum 25(OH)D concentration and lean body mass at proximal forearm, and the two lower limbs still existed (r = 0.12-0.14, P < 0.05). The serum 25(OH)D concentration, the percentage of body fat at proximal forearm, and distal forearm were negatively correlated (r = -0.14, P < 0.05; r = -0.11, P < 0.05). However, after adjusting for confounding effects, this correlation disappeared. No significant correlation between the serum 25(OH)D concentration and body fat was observed at any position., Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency was common in children of suburb area of Beijing. Vitamin D status was positively associated with the lean body mass.