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We would like to thank Kancherla et al [...]

The United States implemented mandatory fortification of cereal grains with folic acid in 1998 to prevent neural tube defects (NTDs) during pregnancy. The health benefits of folate (vitamin B9) are well documented, however, there are potential risks of exceeding the upper tolerable limit, particularly in vulnerable populations. We conducted a population-based analysis of the Food Fortification Initiative dataset to determine the strength of the evidence regarding reports of decreased NTDs at the national level in response to mandatory folic acid fortification of cereal grains. We found a very weak correlation between NTD prevalence and the level of folic acid fortification, irrespective of the cereal grain fortified (wheat, maize or rice). Stratification of the data based on socioeconomic status (SES) indicated a strong linear relationship between reduced NTDs and better SES. We conclude that national fortification with folic acid is not associated with a significant decrease in the prevalence of NTDs at the population level.

Low-protein diets promote metabolic health in humans and rodents. Despite evidence that sex and genetic background are key factors in the response to diet, most protein intake studies examine only a single strain and sex of mice. Using multiple strains and both sexes of mice, we find that improvements in metabolic health in response to reduced dietary protein strongly depend on sex and strain. While some phenotypes were conserved across strains and sexes, including increased glucose tolerance and energy expenditure, we observed high variability in adiposity, insulin sensitivity, and circulating hormones. Using a multi-omics approach, we identified mega-clusters of differentially expressed hepatic genes, metabolites, and lipids associated with each phenotype, providing molecular insight into the differential response to protein restriction. Our results highlight the importance of sex and genetic background in the response to dietary protein level, and the potential importance of a personalized medicine approach to dietary interventions.

Low-protein diets promote metabolic health in rodents and humans, and the benefits of low-protein diets are recapitulated by specifically reducing dietary levels of the three branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), leucine, isoleucine, and valine. Here, we demonstrate that each BCAA has distinct metabolic effects. A low isoleucine diet reprograms liver and adipose metabolism, increasing hepatic insulin sensitivity and ketogenesis and increasing energy expenditure, activating the FGF21-UCP1 axis. Reducing valine induces similar but more modest metabolic effects, whereas these effects are absent with low leucine. Reducing isoleucine or valine rapidly restores metabolic health to diet-induced obese mice. Finally, we demonstrate that variation in dietary isoleucine levels helps explain body mass index differences in humans. Our results reveal isoleucine as a key regulator of metabolic health and the adverse metabolic response to dietary BCAAs and suggest reducing dietary isoleucine as a new approach to treating and preventing obesity and diabetes.

We would like to thank Kancherla et al [...]