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Hepatic lipid metabolism is modulated by the circadian rhythm; therefore, circadian disruption may promote obesity and hepatic lipid accumulation. This study aims to investigate dietary pterostilbene (PSB) 's protective effect against high‐fat‐diet (HFD)‐induced lipid accumulation exacerbated by chronic jet lag and the potential role of gut microbiota therein. Mice were treated with a HFD and chronic jet lag for 14 weeks. The experimental group was supplemented with 0.25% (w/w) PSB in its diet to evaluate whether PSB had a beneficial effect. Our study found that chronic jet lag exacerbates HFD‐induced obesity and hepatic lipid accumulation, but these adverse effects were significantly mitigated by PSB supplementation. Specifically, PSB promoted hepatic lipolysis and β‐oxidation by upregulating SIRT1 expression, which indirectly reduced oxidative stress caused by lipid accumulation. Additionally, the PSB‐induced elevation of SIRT1 and SIRT3 expression helped prevent excessive autophagy and mitochondrial fission by activating Nrf2‐mediated antioxidant enzymes. The result was evidenced by the use of SIRT1 and SIRT3 inhibitors in in vitro studies, which demonstrated that activation of SIRT1 and SIRT3 by PSB is crucial for the translocation of PGC‐1α and Nrf2, respectively. Moreover, the analysis of gut microbiota suggested that PSB's beneficial effects were partly due to its positive modulation of gut microbial composition and functionality. The findings of this study suggest the potential of dietary PSB as a candidate to improve hepatic lipid metabolism via several mechanisms. It may be developed as a treatment adjuvant in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

α‐Dicarbonyls and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are the heat‐induced potential toxicants commonly found in thermally processed foods due to the Maillard reaction. Research has shown that both α‐dicarbonyls and AGEs can cause oxidative stress and inflammation and have a positive link with several chronic diseases, such as diabetes. This study found that commonly consumed berry fruits exhibited excellent methylglyoxal (MGO)‐trapping and antiglycative activities, positively associated with their total phenolic and flavonoid contents. Blackcurrant exhibited the strongest MGO‐trapping and antiglycative activities among the tested berry fruits. In addition, we demonstrated that fortification with blackcurrant significantly reduced α‐dicarbonyls and AGEs formation in the chocolate cookies and marinated ground pork. Delphinidin and cyanidin glycosides were identified as the primary bioactive compounds of blackcurrant that trapped MGO to form the corresponding mono‐ and di‐MGO adducts. This study suggested that blackcurrant anthocyanins might serve as a novel additive to reduce the consumption of dietary reactive carbonyl species and AGEs from both animal‐ and plant‐derived processed foods. Practical Application: The levels of α‐dicarbonyls and advanced glycation end products in ground pork and cookies were significantly reduced when fortified with blackcurrant. The blackcurrant anthocyanins might be a novel agent inhibiting α‐dicarbonyls and dietary advanced glycation end products formation in thermally processed foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity is a critical health issue worldwide. For a long time, the concept of drinking tea for health and pleasure is widely accepted. The strain of Andraca theae lives on the tea leaf and the bioactivity of its metabolites in the feces is unknown yet. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate whether the extract of tea (Taiwan Tea Experiment Station No.12 (TE)) and its metabolites from Andraca theae (TME) could prevent obesity in the high fat diet-induced obese rats. Our results showed that TE had higher concentrations of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and caffeine than that from TME. TE significantly decreased abdominal adipose tissue, especially epididymal fat via increasing preadipocyte factor 1 (Pref-1), SRY (sex determining region Y)-box 9 (SOX-9) and decreasing peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ), CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP)β, C/EBPα and C/EBPγ protein expression. Taken together, these results suggest that the content of tea polyphenols in TE play an important role for alleviating abdominal fat. Keywords: Tea, Andraca theae, High fat diet, Obesity