Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism

Whey, a component of milk and a useful by-product of the dairy industry's casein and cheese-making, has been used for generations to augment animal feed. It contains a range of proteins, including α -lactalbumin, β -lactoglobulin, bovine serum albumin, heavy and light chain immunoglobulins, lactoferrin, glycomacropeptide, and lactoperoxidase. Whey proteins exhibit great potential as biopolymers for creating bioactive delivery systems owing to their distinct health-enhancing characteristics and the presence of numerous amino acid groups within their structures...

BACKGROUND: Imbalance of the gut microbiome and decrease in the number of short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing bacteria often affect human health by altering intestinal and immune homeostasis. The use of probiotics has been shown to be an attractive method to modulate gut microbiota to prevent or treat intestinal dysbiosis. Likewise, this study aimed to determine whether the oral consumption of heat-treated Lactiplantibacillus plantarum nF1 (HLp-nF1) induces changes in the gut environment in healthy infants by measuring changes in fecal SCFAs...

COVID-19 infection and its consequences (long-term COVID-19 syndrome) have implications for weight loss, body composition, and diet quality. In the context of the "PostCovSwim" project, which is part of a broader international study, the impact of an eight-week swimming program on post-COVID-19 patients' nutritional status (i.e., body composition and dietary intake) was evaluated. Body composition and dietary intake were assessed by medically approved and calibrated bioelectrical impedance (Tanita 780 S MA) and food frequency questionnaires...

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of taste change (hypogeusia) and its association with zinc deficiency is unclear due to differences in methods of assessment. We investigate the prevalence of hypogeusia using mixed methods and link it with changes in zinc levels following mini gastric bypass (MGB) and sleeve gastrectomy (SG). METHODS: This was a prospective observational study of MGB ( N  = 18) and SG ( N  = 25). Hypogeusia was evaluated by using a validated questionnaire and by taste strips procedure along with serum zinc levels and salivary flow rate measurements...

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic is an extraordinary global emergency. The pandemic has changed profoundly people's lifestyles. This resulted in reductions in physical activity and changes in dietary intakes that have the potential to accelerate sarcopenia. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the risk factors associated with acute sarcopenia in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted from January/2021 to March/2022 in a private hospital in Cuiabá/MT, central region of Brazil...

BACKGROUND: Adolescence is a crucial time for establishing long-lasting healthy habits, but many university students often engage in unhealthy eating behaviors. Increased independence, social influences, and mental stress all play a role in leading to poor dietary choices that can impact overall health and well-being. It is important to have a good grasp of nutrition to make informed food choices and avoid the development of chronic illnesses. PURPOSE: To assess the nutrition knowledge of nursing students and examine the interconnections between participants' beliefs about diet, disease, and weight management...

BACKGROUND: Insulin resistance (IR) is associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk, and with increased all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality. A number of surrogate markers are used in clinical practice to diagnose IR. The aim of this study was to investigate the discriminatory power of a number of routinely available anthropometric and biochemical variables in predicting IR and to determine their optimal cutoffs. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study in a cohort of middle-aged individuals...

Moringa oleifera (MO) is a native tree of Asia and is cultivated in some areas of Mexico as part of traditional horticulture. The aim of the present study was to compare the efficacy of MO infusion vs. MO ethanolic extract for the simultaneous treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD), hyperlipidemia, and hyperglycemia in a murine model fed with a high-fat diet (HFD). BALB/c mice were fed a balanced diet (healthy control) or an HFD for 6 months. With this, the NAFLD model was established before starting a therapeutic intervention with MO for two months...

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the associations between individuals with and without changes in components of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and demographic, nutritional, and lifestyle factors. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 224 individuals followed-up at a public hospital in Northeast Brazil. We used National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP) criteria to diagnose MetS. We assessed components of MetS as dependent variables, while sex, age, food consumption, smoking, alcohol intake, physical activity, anthropometric parameters, and sleep hours were independent variables...

BACKGROUND: More people than ever seek nutrition information from online sources. The chatbot ChatGPT has seen staggering popularity since its inception and may become a resource for information in nutrition. However, the adequacy of ChatGPT to answer questions in the field of nutrition has not been investigated. Thus, the aim of this research was to investigate the competency of ChatGPT in answering common nutrition questions. METHODS: Dieticians were asked to provide their most commonly asked nutrition questions and their own answers to them...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Upper body fat distribution is more related to cardiometabolic diseases than central obesity. Neck circumference (NC) and neck-to-height ratio (NHtR) are two indicators of upper body obesity that are affordable, easy to obtain, highly reproducible, and more practical in the crowded health centers than the classic anthropometric indices. METHODS: 18-65-year-old individuals with no past medical history were included. After obtaining written informed consent, they were screened for hypertension, high blood glucose, and other abnormal laboratory results...

BACKGROUND: Ashwagandha extracts play a significant role in traditional Indian medicine to help treat a wide range of disorders from amnesia, erectile dysfunction, neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases, cancer, stress, anxiety, and many more. Ashwagandha root is enriched with bioactive plant metabolites of which withanolides are the most important ones. The concentration and constitution of withanolides primarily determine ashwagandha's potency and pharmacology. Various factors modulate the withanolide constitution in the plant-derived extracts, rendering inconsistent therapeutic efficacy...

Oxidative stress (OS) is associated with metabolic syndrome (MS) and represents a complex disease association that has become a major challenge in the field of public health. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of introducing selenium in the management of OS, while considering a balanced diet based on a healthy lifestyle and dietary therapy. A total of 206 individuals participated voluntarily in the study, divided into three groups: the control group with 35 individuals (17.0%) designated as control lot (LC), the group undergoing diet therapy with 119 individuals (57...

Liver damage characterized by fibrosis and necrosis can worsen the condition of liver disease. Liver disease is associated with impaired immune response and may affect short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) gut metabolites. Hepatogomax enteral formula was developed, which contains brain-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and middle-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which could repair liver tissue damage, improve the inflammatory status, and modulate SCFA in liver damage. The study aimed to determine the effect of hepatogomax on liver tissue repair, inflammation (TNF- α and IL-6), and SCFA levels in thioacetamide (TAA)-induced rats...

Micronutrient deficiencies (MNDs) in school-aged children are still a major health problem in Indonesia. This study was designed to examine the status of micronutrients and their relationship to the nutritional status of children aged 5-12 years since an up-to-date database on the micronutrient status of children aged 5-12 years is needed. Data from the 2018 Indonesian Basic Health Research (Riskesdas) were used in this study, with 2456 subjects for analysis. Micronutrient analysis was carried out, including iron status (ferritin, C reactive protein (CRP)), levels of zinc, vitamin D, calcium, and vitamin A (retinol) in school-aged children (5-12 years)...

METHODS AND RESULTS: The study included 200 Egyptian subjects. They were divided into four equal groups: group 1: obese patients with NAFLD and T2DM (O+/NAFLD+/DM+), group 2: nonobese patients with NAFLD and T2DM (O-/NAFLD+/DM+), group 3: obese nondiabetic patients with NAFLD (O+/NAFLD+/DM-), and group 4: nonobese healthy control subjects. Plasma adiponectin was measured using ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) technique. Ultrasonography was used to diagnose NAFLD. CIMT was assessed using Doppler ultrasonography...

Chlorophyll and chlorophyllin (CHL) demonstrated antidiabetic activity by inhibiting gluconeogenesis and increasing glucose uptake in rats' muscle cells. Liang leaves contain high amounts of chlorophyll and chlorophyllin and may provide an antidiabetic effect. The antidiabetic activity of chlorophyll and CHL contained in Liang leaves, Cu-chlorophyllin (CCL) Liang leaves treated with CuSO4 , and untreated crude Liang leaves (CLL) were compared using commercial chlorophyllin (CHL) as a reference. Twelve Wistar male rats were separated into 4 groups (3 rats/group); the first was a normal one (based line group), the second were the diabetic rats treated with CHL, while the third and the fourth were the diabetic rats treated with 0...

INTRODUCTION: Mass deworming of preschool children is a strategy suggested to prevent soil-transmitted helminth infections in most developing countries. Nonetheless, there is a scarcity of data showing the contribution of mass deworming to a child's nutritional status. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of deworming on nutritional health outcomes (stunting, underweight, and anemia) in children aged 12 to 59 months. METHODS: A secondary analysis of data extracted from the Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey (TDHS) 2015-16 data was carried out...

Milk and legumes are good source of protein foods used to sustain muscle mass, but their effects on postprandial glucose homeostasis and energy metabolism may be different. This is relevant, for example, in the dietetic response to obesity or diabetes, where the intake of high-quality protein is often increased significantly. The objective of this study was to characterize the acute effect of whey and soy protein (15% vs. 30%) on glucose homeostasis, energy metabolism, and satiety. Healthy, normal body mass index (BMI) Indian adult males aged 20-35 years ( n  = 15) received 4 test meals (2 proteins (soy vs...

BACKGROUND: The microwave body remodeling system is indicated for people who want to improve their physical appearance as it can penetrate deep tissues, causing thermic stress on adipocytes to produce adipolysis while in superficial tissues, it dissolves fibrous tracts and stimulates new collagen. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the localized adiposity reduction in Latin American patients using a microwave system. METHODS: A total of 35 patients with a mean age of 47...