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Title:
The Intersection between Food Insecurity and Diabetes: A Review
Authors:
Gucciardi, Enza; Vahabi, Mandana; Norris, Nicole; Del Monte, John Paul; Farnum, Cecile
Abstract:
Access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food not only affects the health of people who experience food insecurity, but also their ability to manage health conditions, such as diabetes. When people find it difficult to access sufficient food, tailoring their food selection to a diabetes regimen is even more difficult. Food insecurity in North America is consistently more prevalent among households with a person living with diabetes, and similarly, diabetes is also more prevalent in food-insecure households. Diabetes management can be stressful due to the many required responsibilities; when compounded with food insecurity, it becomes an even greater challenge. As a result, many food-insecure diabetics find themselves caught between competing priorities such as procuring food, prescribed medications and supplies for diabetes, and managing other living expenses, potentially worsening their condition and overall health. Healthcare providers should be aware and informed about the significant role that food security can play in the prevention and management of diabetes.
Published:
November 30, 2014
Title:
Global diets link environmental sustainability and human health
Authors:
Tilman, David; Clark, Michael
Abstract:
Diets link environmental and human health. Rising incomes and urbanization are driving a global dietary transition in which traditional diets are replaced by diets higher in refined sugars, refined fats, oils and meats. By 2050 these dietary trends, if unchecked, would be a major contributor to an estimated 80 per cent increase in global agricultural greenhouse gas emissions from food production and to global land clearing. Moreover, these dietary shifts are greatly increasing the incidence of type II diabetes, coronary heart disease and other chronic non-communicable diseases that lower global life expectancies. Alternative diets that offer substantial health benefits could, if widely adopted, reduce global agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, reduce land clearing and resultant species extinctions, and help prevent such diet-related chronic non-communicable diseases. The implementation of dietary solutions to the tightly linked diet-environment-health trilemma is a global challenge, and opportunity, of great environmental and public health importance.
Published:
November 26, 2014
Title:
Reduced anxiety in forensic inpatients after a long-term intervention with Atlantic salmon
Authors:
Hansen, Anita L.; Olson, Gina; Dahl, Lisbeth; Thornton, David; Grung, Bjørn; Graff, Ingvild E.; Frøyland, Livar; Thayer, Julian F.
Abstract:
The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of Atlantic salmon consumption on underlying biological mechanisms associated with anxiety such as heart rate variability (HRV) and heart rate (HR) as well as a measure of self-reported anxiety. Moreover, these biological and self-reported outcome measures were investigated in relation to specific nutrients; vitamin D status, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Ninety-five male forensic inpatients were randomly assigned into a Fish (Atlantic salmon three times per week from September to February) or a Control group (alternative meal, e.g., chicken, pork, or beef three times per week during the same period). HRV measured as the root mean square of successive differences (rMSSD), HR, state- and trait-anxiety (STAI), were assessed before (pre-test) and at the end of the 23 weeks dietary intervention period (post-test). The Fish group showed significant improvements in both rMSSD and HR. The Fish group also showed significant decreases in state-anxiety. Finally, there was a positive relationship between rMSSD and vitamin D status. The findings suggest that Atlantic salmon consumption may have an impact on mental health related variables such as underlying mechanisms playing a key role in emotion-regulation and state-anxiety.
Published:
November 25, 2014
Title:
Continued Promise of School Breakfast Programs for Improving Academic Outcomes: Breakfast Is Still the Most Important Meal of the Day
Authors:
Turner, Lindsey; Chaloupka, Frank J.
Abstract:
Published:
November 23, 2014
Title:
Effects of Step-Wise Increases in Dietary Carbohydrate on Circulating Saturated Fatty Acids and Palmitoleic Acid in Adults with Metabolic Syndrome
Authors:
Volk, Brittanie M.; Kunces, Laura J.; Freidenreich, Daniel J.; Kupchak, Brian R.; Saenz, Catherine; Artistizabal, Juan C.; Fernandez, Maria Luz; Bruno, Richard S.; Maresh, Carl M.; Kraemer, William J.; Phinney, Stephen D.; Volek, Jeff S.
Abstract:
Recent meta-analyses have found no association between heart disease and dietary saturated fat; however, higher proportions of plasma saturated fatty acids (SFA) predict greater risk for developing type-2 diabetes and heart disease. These observations suggest a disconnect between dietary saturated fat and plasma SFA, but few controlled feeding studies have specifically examined how varying saturated fat intake across a broad range affects circulating SFA levels. Sixteen adults with metabolic syndrome (age 44.9±9.9 yr, BMI 37.9±6.3 kg/m2) were fed six 3-wk diets that progressively increased carbohydrate (from 47 to 346 g/day) with concomitant decreases in total and saturated fat. Despite a distinct increase in saturated fat intake from baseline to the low-carbohydrate diet (46 to 84 g/day), and then a gradual decrease in saturated fat to 32 g/day at the highest carbohydrate phase, there were no significant changes in the proportion of total SFA in any plasma lipid fractions. Whereas plasma saturated fat remained relatively stable, the proportion of palmitoleic acid in plasma triglyceride and cholesteryl ester was significantly and uniformly reduced as carbohydrate intake decreased, and then gradually increased as dietary carbohydrate was re-introduced. The results show that dietary and plasma saturated fat are not related, and that increasing dietary carbohydrate across a range of intakes promotes incremental increases in plasma palmitoleic acid, a biomarker consistently associated with adverse health outcomes.
Published:
November 20, 2014
Title:
Effects of Step-Wise Increases in Dietary Carbohydrate on Circulating Saturated Fatty Acids and Palmitoleic Acid in Adults with Metabolic Syndrome
Authors:
Volk, Brittanie M.; Kunces, Laura J.; Freidenreich, Daniel J.; Kupchak, Brian R.; Saenz, Catherine; Artistizabal, Juan C.; Fernandez, Maria Luz; Bruno, Richard S.; Maresh, Carl M.; Kraemer, William J.; Phinney, Stephen D.; Volek, Jeff S.
Abstract:
Recent meta-analyses have found no association between heart disease and dietary saturated fat; however, higher proportions of plasma saturated fatty acids (SFA) predict greater risk for developing type-2 diabetes and heart disease. These observations suggest a disconnect between dietary saturated fat and plasma SFA, but few controlled feeding studies have specifically examined how varying saturated fat intake across a broad range affects circulating SFA levels. Sixteen adults with metabolic syndrome (age 44.9±9.9 yr, BMI 37.9±6.3 kg/m2) were fed six 3-wk diets that progressively increased carbohydrate (from 47 to 346 g/day) with concomitant decreases in total and saturated fat. Despite a distinct increase in saturated fat intake from baseline to the low-carbohydrate diet (46 to 84 g/day), and then a gradual decrease in saturated fat to 32 g/day at the highest carbohydrate phase, there were no significant changes in the proportion of total SFA in any plasma lipid fractions. Whereas plasma saturated fat remained relatively stable, the proportion of palmitoleic acid in plasma triglyceride and cholesteryl ester was significantly and uniformly reduced as carbohydrate intake decreased, and then gradually increased as dietary carbohydrate was re-introduced. The results show that dietary and plasma saturated fat are not related, and that increasing dietary carbohydrate across a range of intakes promotes incremental increases in plasma palmitoleic acid, a biomarker consistently associated with adverse health outcomes.
Published:
November 20, 2014
Title:
Effects of Step-Wise Increases in Dietary Carbohydrate on Circulating Saturated Fatty Acids and Palmitoleic Acid in Adults with Metabolic Syndrome
Authors:
Volk, Brittanie M.; Kunces, Laura J.; Freidenreich, Daniel J.; Kupchak, Brian R.; Saenz, Catherine; Artistizabal, Juan C.; Fernandez, Maria Luz; Bruno, Richard S.; Maresh, Carl M.; Kraemer, William J.; Phinney, Stephen D.; Volek, Jeff S.
Abstract:
Recent meta-analyses have found no association between heart disease and dietary saturated fat; however, higher proportions of plasma saturated fatty acids (SFA) predict greater risk for developing type-2 diabetes and heart disease. These observations suggest a disconnect between dietary saturated fat and plasma SFA, but few controlled feeding studies have specifically examined how varying saturated fat intake across a broad range affects circulating SFA levels. Sixteen adults with metabolic syndrome (age 44.9±9.9 yr, BMI 37.9±6.3 kg/m2) were fed six 3-wk diets that progressively increased carbohydrate (from 47 to 346 g/day) with concomitant decreases in total and saturated fat. Despite a distinct increase in saturated fat intake from baseline to the low-carbohydrate diet (46 to 84 g/day), and then a gradual decrease in saturated fat to 32 g/day at the highest carbohydrate phase, there were no significant changes in the proportion of total SFA in any plasma lipid fractions. Whereas plasma saturated fat remained relatively stable, the proportion of palmitoleic acid in plasma triglyceride and cholesteryl ester was significantly and uniformly reduced as carbohydrate intake decreased, and then gradually increased as dietary carbohydrate was re-introduced. The results show that dietary and plasma saturated fat are not related, and that increasing dietary carbohydrate across a range of intakes promotes incremental increases in plasma palmitoleic acid, a biomarker consistently associated with adverse health outcomes.
Published:
November 20, 2014
Title:
Effects of Step-Wise Increases in Dietary Carbohydrate on Circulating Saturated Fatty Acids and Palmitoleic Acid in Adults with Metabolic Syndrome
Authors:
Volk, Brittanie M.; Kunces, Laura J.; Freidenreich, Daniel J.; Kupchak, Brian R.; Saenz, Catherine; Artistizabal, Juan C.; Fernandez, Maria Luz; Bruno, Richard S.; Maresh, Carl M.; Kraemer, William J.; Phinney, Stephen D.; Volek, Jeff S.
Abstract:
Recent meta-analyses have found no association between heart disease and dietary saturated fat; however, higher proportions of plasma saturated fatty acids (SFA) predict greater risk for developing type-2 diabetes and heart disease. These observations suggest a disconnect between dietary saturated fat and plasma SFA, but few controlled feeding studies have specifically examined how varying saturated fat intake across a broad range affects circulating SFA levels. Sixteen adults with metabolic syndrome (age 44.9±9.9 yr, BMI 37.9±6.3 kg/m2) were fed six 3-wk diets that progressively increased carbohydrate (from 47 to 346 g/day) with concomitant decreases in total and saturated fat. Despite a distinct increase in saturated fat intake from baseline to the low-carbohydrate diet (46 to 84 g/day), and then a gradual decrease in saturated fat to 32 g/day at the highest carbohydrate phase, there were no significant changes in the proportion of total SFA in any plasma lipid fractions. Whereas plasma saturated fat remained relatively stable, the proportion of palmitoleic acid in plasma triglyceride and cholesteryl ester was significantly and uniformly reduced as carbohydrate intake decreased, and then gradually increased as dietary carbohydrate was re-introduced. The results show that dietary and plasma saturated fat are not related, and that increasing dietary carbohydrate across a range of intakes promotes incremental increases in plasma palmitoleic acid, a biomarker consistently associated with adverse health outcomes.
Published:
November 20, 2014
Title:
Health literacy issues in the care of Chinese American immigrants with diabetes: a qualitative study
Authors:
Leung, Angela Yee Man; Bo, Ai; Hsiao, Hsin-Yi; Wang, Song Song; Chi, Iris
Abstract:
Objectives To investigate why first-generation Chinese immigrants with diabetes have difficulty obtaining, processing and understanding diabetes related information despite the existence of translated materials and translators. Design This qualitative study employed purposive sampling. Six focus groups and two individual interviews were conducted. Each group discussion lasted approximately 90 min and was guided by semistructured and open-ended questions. Setting Data were collected in two community health centres and one elderly retirement village in Los Angeles, California. Participants 29 Chinese immigrants aged ≥45 years and diagnosed with type 2 diabetes for at least 1 year. Results Eight key themes were found to potentially affect Chinese immigrants' capacity to obtain, communicate, process and understand diabetes related health information and consequently alter their decision making in self-care. Among the themes, three major categories emerged: cultural factors, structural barriers, and personal barriers. Conclusions Findings highlight the importance of cultural sensitivity when working with first-generation Chinese immigrants with diabetes. Implications for health professionals, local community centres and other potential service providers are discussed.
Published:
October 31, 2014
Title:
Food in Time and Place: The American Historical Association Companion to Food History
Authors:
Freedman, Paul; Chaplin, Joyce E.; Albala, Ken
Abstract:
Food and cuisine are important subjects for historians across many areas of study. Food, after all, is one of the most basic human needs and a foundational part of social and cultural histories. Such topics as famines, food supply, nutrition, and public health are addressed by historians specializing in every era and every nation.Food in Time and Place delivers an unprecedented review of the state of historical research on food, endorsed by the American Historical Association, providing readers with a geographically, chronologically, and topically broad understanding of food culturesÑfrom ancient Mediterranean and medieval societies to France and its domination of haute cuisine. Teachers, students, and scholars in food history will appreciate coverage of different thematic concerns, such as transfers of crops, conquest, colonization, immigration, and modern forms of globalization.
Published:
October 30, 2014
Title:
Rapid Analysis of Glycolytic and Oxidative Substrate Flux of Cancer Cells in a Microplate
Authors:
Pike Winer, Lisa S.; Wu, Min
Abstract:
Cancer cells exhibit remarkable alterations in cellular metabolism, particularly in their nutrient substrate preference. We have devised several experimental methods that rapidly analyze the metabolic substrate flux in cancer cells: glycolysis and the oxidation of major fuel substrates glucose, glutamine, and fatty acids. Using the XF Extracellular Flux analyzer, these methods measure, in real-time, the oxygen consumption rate (OCR) and extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) of living cells in a microplate as they respond to substrates and metabolic perturbation agents. In proof-of-principle experiments, we analyzed substrate flux and mitochondrial bioenergetics of two human glioblastoma cell lines, SF188s and SF188f, which were derived from the same parental cell line but proliferate at slow and fast rates, respectively. These analyses led to three interesting observations: 1) both cell lines respired effectively with substantial endogenous substrate respiration; 2) SF188f cells underwent a significant shift from glycolytic to oxidative metabolism, along with a high rate of glutamine oxidation relative to SF188s cells; and 3) the mitochondrial proton leak-linked respiration of SF188f cells increased significantly compared to SF188s cells. It is plausible that the proton leak of SF188f cells may play a role in allowing continuous glutamine-fueled anaplerotic TCA cycle flux by partially uncoupling the TCA cycle from oxidative phosphorylation. Taken together, these rapid, sensitive and high-throughput substrate flux analysis methods introduce highly valuable approaches for developing a greater understanding of genetic and epigenetic pathways that regulate cellular metabolism, and the development of therapies that target cancer metabolism.
Published:
October 30, 2014
Title:
The health advantage of a vegan diet: exploring the gut microbiota connection
Authors:
Glick-Bauer, Marian; Yeh, Ming-Chin
Abstract:
This review examines whether there is evidence that a strict vegan diet confers health advantages beyond that of a vegetarian diet or overall healthy eating. Few studies include vegan subjects as a distinct experimental group, yet when vegan diets are directly compared to vegetarian and omnivorous diets, a pattern of protective health benefits emerges. The relatively recent inclusion of vegan diets in studies of gut microbiota and health allows us the opportunity to assess whether the vegan gut microbiota is distinct, and whether the health advantages characteristic of a vegan diet may be partially explained by the associated microbiota profile. The relationship between diet and the intestinal microbial profile appears to follow a continuum, with vegans displaying a gut microbiota most distinct from that of omnivores, but not always significantly different from that of vegetarians. The vegan gut profile appears to be unique in several characteristics, including a reduced abundance of pathobionts and a greater abundance of protective species. Reduced levels of inflammation may be the key feature linking the vegan gut microbiota with protective health effects. However, it is still unclear whether a therapeutic vegan diet can be prescribed to alter the gut microflora for long-term health benefits.
Published:
October 30, 2014
Title:
Milk intake and risk of mortality and fractures in women and men: cohort studies
Authors:
Michaëlsson, Karl; Wolk, Alicja; Langenskiöld, Sophie; Basu, Samar; Warensjö Lemming, Eva; Melhus, Håkan; Byberg, Liisa
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE: To examine whether high milk consumption is associated with mortality and fractures in women and men. DESIGN: Cohort studies. SETTING: Three counties in central Sweden. PARTICIPANTS: Two large Swedish cohorts, one with 61,433 women (39-74 years at baseline 1987-90) and one with 45,339 men (45-79 years at baseline 1997), were administered food frequency questionnaires. The women responded to a second food frequency questionnaire in 1997. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Multivariable survival models were applied to determine the association between milk consumption and time to mortality or fracture. RESULTS: During a mean follow-up of 20.1 years, 15,541 women died and 17,252 had a fracture, of whom 4259 had a hip fracture. In the male cohort with a mean follow-up of 11.2 years, 10,112 men died and 5066 had a fracture, with 1166 hip fracture cases. In women the adjusted mortality hazard ratio for three or more glasses of milk a day compared with less than one glass a day was 1.93 (95% confidence interval 1.80 to 2.06). For every glass of milk, the adjusted hazard ratio of all cause mortality was 1.15 (1.13 to 1.17) in women and 1.03 (1.01 to 1.04) in men. For every glass of milk in women no reduction was observed in fracture risk with higher milk consumption for any fracture (1.02, 1.00 to 1.04) or for hip fracture (1.09, 1.05 to 1.13). The corresponding adjusted hazard ratios in men were 1.01 (0.99 to 1.03) and 1.03 (0.99 to 1.07). In subsamples of two additional cohorts, one in males and one in females, a positive association was seen between milk intake and both urine 8-iso-PGF2α (a biomarker of oxidative stress) and serum interleukin 6 (a main inflammatory biomarker). CONCLUSIONS: High milk intake was associated with higher mortality in one cohort of women and in another cohort of men, and with higher fracture incidence in women. Given the observational study designs with the inherent possibility of residual confounding and reverse causation phenomena, a cautious interpretation of the results is recommended.
Published:
October 27, 2014
Title:
Color vision in ADHD: part 2--does attention influence color perception?
Authors:
Kim, Soyeon; Al-Haj, Mohamed; Fuller, Stuart; Chen, Samantha; Jain, Umesh; Carrasco, Marisa; Tannock, Rosemary
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: To investigate the impact of exogenous covert attention on chromatic (blue and red) and achromatic visual perception in adults with and without Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Exogenous covert attention, which is a transient, automatic, stimulus-driven form of attention, is a key mechanism for selecting relevant information in visual arrays. METHODS: 30 adults diagnosed with ADHD and 30 healthy adults, matched on age and gender, performed a psychophysical task designed to measure the effects of exogenous covert attention on perceived color saturation (blue, red) and contrast sensitivity. RESULTS: The effects of exogenous covert attention on perceived blue and red saturation levels and contrast sensitivity were similar in both groups, with no differences between males and females. Specifically, exogenous covert attention enhanced the perception of blue saturation and contrast sensitivity, but it had no effect on the perception of red saturation. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that exogenous covert attention is intact in adults with ADHD and does not account for the observed impairments in the perception of chromatic (blue and red) saturation.
Published:
October 23, 2014
Title:
Colour vision in ADHD: part 1--testing the retinal dopaminergic hypothesis
Authors:
Kim, Soyeon; Al-Haj, Mohamed; Chen, Samantha; Fuller, Stuart; Jain, Umesh; Carrasco, Marisa; Tannock, Rosemary
Abstract:
OBJECTIVES: To test the retinal dopaminergic hypothesis, which posits deficient blue color perception in ADHD, resulting from hypofunctioning CNS and retinal dopamine, to which blue cones are exquisitely sensitive. Also, purported sex differences in red color perception were explored. METHODS: 30 young adults diagnosed with ADHD and 30 healthy young adults, matched on age and gender, performed a psychophysical task to measure blue and red color saturation and contrast discrimination ability. Visual function measures, such as the Visual Activities Questionnaire (VAQ) and Farnsworth-Munsell 100 hue test (FMT), were also administered. RESULTS: Females with ADHD were less accurate in discriminating blue and red color saturation relative to controls but did not differ in contrast sensitivity. Female control participants were better at discriminating red saturation than males, but no sex difference was present within the ADHD group. CONCLUSION: Poorer discrimination of red as well as blue color saturation in the female ADHD group may be partly attributable to a hypo-dopaminergic state in the retina, given that color perception (blue-yellow and red-green) is based on input from S-cones (short wavelength cone system) early in the visual pathway. The origin of female superiority in red perception may be rooted in sex-specific functional specialization in hunter-gather societies. The absence of this sexual dimorphism for red colour perception in ADHD females warrants further investigation.
Published:
October 23, 2014
Title:
Stable Isotope Analyses and the Evolution of Human Diets
Authors:
Schoeninger, Margaret
Abstract:
Stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen has revolutionized anthropology's approach and understanding of the evolution of human diet. A baseline comparison across extant nonhuman primates reveals that they all depend on C3 plants in forests, forest patches, and woodlands except during rare seasonal intake, in marginal regions, or where maize fields exist. Even large-bodied hominoids that could theoretically rely on hard-to-digest C4 plants do not do so. Some Plio-Pleistocene hominins, however, apparently relied heavily on C4 and/or CAM plants, which suggests that they relied extensively on cecal-colon microbial fermentation. Neanderthals seem less carnivorous than is often assumed when we compare their δ15 Nbone collagen values with those of recent human populations, including recent human foragers who also fall at or near the top of their local trophic system. Finally, the introduction of maize into North America is shown to have been more sporadic and temporally variable than previously assumed.
Published:
October 20, 2014
Title:
How School Lunch Became the Latest Political Battleground
Authors:
Confessore, Nicholas
Abstract:
Published:
October 6, 2014
Title:
Are subjects with criteria for adult attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder doing worse after bariatric surgery? A case-control study
Authors:
Nicolau, Joana; Ayala, Luisa; Francés, Carla; Sanchís, Pilar; Zubillaga, Ivana; Pascual, Salvador; Fortuny, Regina; Masmiquel, Lluís
Abstract:
INTRODUCTION: There is an increasing awareness of the strong associations between obesity and adult attention- deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), with high rates of ADHD (26-61%) in patients seeking weight loss. AIMS: To determine the frequency of ADHD in a bariatric surgery (BS) sample and investigate whether there were any differences among clinical, analytical and psychological parameters in individuals with criteria for ADHD. METHODS: Sixty patients (78.3% female, age 46.3±9.8, months since BS 46.28±18.1) who underwent BS, with a minimum follow-up of 18 months, were evaluated cross-sectionally. Initial and current BMI, eating patterns, comorbidity, socio-demographic and biochemical parameters were recorded. For the screening of ADHD, ADHD self rating scale-v1.1 was administered. RESULTS: Nineteen individuals (31.6%) had a positive screening for ADHD. This group had higher levels of HDL-cholesterol (62.8±17.3 mg/dl vs 53.5±9.9 mg/dl; p=0.011) and Apo-A (177.7±28.4 mg/dl vs 154.9±34.7 mg/ dl; p=0.015), and an increased consumption of lipids (42.2±7.1% vs 36.7±8.3%; p=0.019). Subjects with ADHD symptoms had more difficulties in following visits after BS (52.6% vs 24.3%; p= 0.011).We could not find any differences in achieved BMI, depressive symptoms or quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who met criteria for ADHD face significant difficulties with compliance in follow-up, but we could not find differences in major clinical outcomes. Surprisingly, these patients could have a protective lipid profile.
Published:
October 2, 2014
Title:
AGE Metabolites: A Biomarker Linked to Cancer Disparity?
Authors:
Foster, D.; Spruill, L.; Walter, K. R.; Nogueira, L. M.; Fedarovich, H.; Turner, R. Y.; Ahmed, M.; Salley, J. D.; Ford, M. E.; Findlay, V. J.; Turner, D. P.
Abstract:
Socioeconomic and environmental influences are established factors promoting cancer disparity, but the contribution of biologic factors is not clear. We report a mechanistic link between carbohydrate-derived metabolites and cancer that may provide a biologic consequence of established factors of cancer disparity. Glycation is the nonenzymatic glycosylation of carbohydrates to macromolecules, which produces reactive metabolites called advanced glycation end products (AGE). A sedentary lifestyle and poor diet all promote disease and the AGE accumulation pool in our bodies and also increase cancer risk. We examined AGE metabolites in clinical specimens of African American and European American patients with prostate cancer and found a higher AGE concentration in these specimens among African American patients when compared with European American patients. Elevated AGE levels corresponded with expression of the receptor for AGE (RAGE or AGER). We show that AGE-mediated increases in cancer-associated processes are dependent upon RAGE. Aberrant AGE accumulation may represent a metabolic susceptibility difference that contributes to cancer disparity. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 23(10); 2186–91. Ó2014 AACR.
Published:
September 30, 2014
Title:
Effects of a eucaloric reduced-carbohydrate diet on body composition and fat distribution in women with PCOS
Authors:
Goss, Amy M.; Chandler-Laney, Paula C.; Ovalle, Fernando; Goree, Laura Lee; Azziz, Ricardo; Desmond, Renee A.; Bates, G. Wright; Gower, Barbara A.
Abstract:
Abstract
Objective
To determine if consumption of a reduced-carbohydrate (CHO) diet would result in preferential loss of adipose tissue under eucaloric conditions, and whether changes in adiposity were associated with changes in postprandial insulin concentration.
Methods
In a crossover-diet intervention, 30 women with PCOS consumed a reduced-CHO diet (41:19:40% energy from CHO:protein:fat) for 8weeks and a standard diet (55:18:27) for 8weeks. Body composition by DXA and fat distribution by CT were assessed at baseline and following each diet phase. Insulin AUC was obtained from a solid meal test (SMT) during each diet phase.
Results
Participants lost 3.7% and 2.2% total fat following the reduced-CHO diet and STD diet, resp. (p<0.05 for difference between diets). The reduced-CHO diet induced a decrease in subcutaneous-abdominal, intra-abdominal, and thigh-intermuscular adipose tissue (−7.1%, −4.6%, and −11.5%, resp.), and the STD diet induced a decrease in total lean mass. Loss of fat mass following the reduced CHO diet arm was associated with lower insulin AUC (p<0.05) during the SMT.
Conclusions
In women with PCOS, consumption of a diet lower in CHO resulted in preferential loss of fat mass from metabolically harmful adipose depots, whereas a diet high in CHO appeared to promote repartitioning of lean mass to fat mass.
Published:
September 30, 2014
Title:
Food-derived opioid peptides inhibit cysteine uptake with redox and epigenetic consequences
Authors:
Trivedi, Malav S.; Shah, Jayni S.; Al-Mughairy, Sara; Hodgson, Nathaniel W.; Simms, Benjamin; Trooskens, Geert A.; Van Criekinge, Wim; Deth, Richard C.
Abstract:
Dietary interventions like gluten-free and casein-free diets have been reported to improve intestinal, autoimmune and neurological symptoms in patients with a variety of conditions; however, the underlying mechanism of benefit for such diets remains unclear. Epigenetic programming, including CpG methylation and histone modifications, occurring during early postnatal development can influence the risk of disease in later life, and such programming may be modulated by nutritional factors such as milk and wheat, especially during the transition from a solely milk-based diet to one that includes other forms of nutrition. The hydrolytic digestion of casein (a major milk protein) and gliadin (a wheat-derived protein) releases peptides with opioid activity, and in the present study, we demonstrate that these food-derived proline-rich opioid peptides modulate cysteine uptake in cultured human neuronal and gastrointestinal (GI) epithelial cells via activation of opioid receptors. Decreases in cysteine uptake were associated with changes in the intracellular antioxidant glutathione and the methyl donor S-adenosylmethionine. Bovine and human casein-derived opioid peptides increased genome-wide DNA methylation in the transcription start site region with a potency order similar to their inhibition of cysteine uptake. Altered expression of genes involved in redox and methylation homeostasis was also observed. These results illustrate the potential of milk- and wheat-derived peptides to exert antioxidant and epigenetic changes that may be particularly important during the postnatal transition from placental to GI nutrition. Differences between peptides derived from human and bovine milk may contribute to developmental differences between breastfed and formula-fed infants. Restricted antioxidant capacity, caused by wheat- and milk-derived opioid peptides, may predispose susceptible individuals to inflammation and systemic oxidation, partly explaining the benefits of gluten-free or casein-free diets.
Published:
September 30, 2014
Title:
Ketone supplementation decreases tumor cell viability and prolongs survival of mice with metastatic cancer
Authors:
Poff, A. M.; Ari, C.; Arnold, P.; Seyfried, T. N.; D'Agostino, D. P.
Abstract:
Cancer cells express an abnormal metabolism characterized by increased glucose consumption owing to genetic mutations and mitochondrial dysfunction. Previous studies indicate that unlike healthy tissues, cancer cells are unable to effectively use ketone bodies for energy. Furthermore, ketones inhibit the proliferation and viability of cultured tumor cells. As the Warburg effect is especially prominent in metastatic cells, we hypothesized that dietary ketone supplementation would inhibit metastatic cancer progression in vivo. Proliferation and viability were measured in the highly metastatic VM-M3 cells cultured in the presence and absence of β-hydroxybutyrate (βHB). Adult male inbred VM mice were implanted subcutaneously with firefly luciferase-tagged syngeneic VM-M3 cells. Mice were fed a standard diet supplemented with either 1,3-butanediol (BD) or a ketone ester (KE), which are metabolized to the ketone bodies βHB and acetoacetate. Tumor growth was monitored by in vivo bioluminescent imaging. Survival time, tumor growth rate, blood glucose, blood βHB and body weight were measured throughout the survival study. Ketone supplementation decreased proliferation and viability of the VM-M3 cells grown in vitro, even in the presence of high glucose. Dietary ketone supplementation with BD and KE prolonged survival in VM-M3 mice with systemic metastatic cancer by 51 and 69%, respectively (p
Published:
September 30, 2014
Title:
Monounsaturated fatty acids, olive oil and health status: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies
Authors:
Schwingshackl, Lukas; Hoffmann, Georg
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: The aim of the present meta-analysis of cohort studies was to focus on monounsaturated fat (MUFA) and cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular mortality as well as all-cause mortality, and to distinguish between the different dietary sources of MUFA. METHODS: Literature search was performed using the electronic databases PUBMED, and EMBASE until June 2nd, 2014. Study specific risk ratios and hazard ratios were pooled using a inverse variance random effect model. RESULTS: Thirty-two cohort studies (42 reports) including 841,211 subjects met the objectives and were included. The comparison of the top versus bottom third of the distribution of a combination of MUFA (of both plant and animal origin), olive oil, oleic acid, and MUFA:SFA ratio in each study resulted in a significant risk reduction for: all-cause mortality (RR: 0.89, 95% CI 0.83, 0.96, p = 0.001; I2 = 64%), cardiovascular mortality (RR: 0.88, 95% CI 0.80, 0.96, p = 0.004; I2 = 50%), cardiovascular events (RR: 0.91, 95% CI 0.86, 0.96, p = 0.001; I2 = 58%), and stroke (RR: 0.83, 95% CI 0.71, 0.97, p = 0.02; I2 = 70%). Following subgroup analyses, significant associations could only be found between higher intakes of olive oil and reduced risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular events, and stroke, respectively. The MUFA subgroup analyses did not reveal any significant risk reduction. CONCLUSION: The results indicate an overall risk reduction of all-cause mortality (11%), cardiovascular mortality (12%), cardiovascular events (9%), and stroke (17%) when comparing the top versus bottom third of MUFA, olive oil, oleic acid, and MUFA:SFA ratio. MUFA of mixed animal and vegetable sources per se did not yield any significant effects on these outcome parameters. However, only olive oil seems to be associated with reduced risk. Further research is necessary to evaluate specific sources of MUFA (i.e. plant vs. animal) and cardiovascular risk.
Published:
September 30, 2014
Title:
Type 1 diabetes mellitus successfully managed with the paleolithic ketogenic diet
Authors:
Tóth, Csaba; Clemens, Zsofia
Abstract:
Introduction: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) patients are usually instructed to follow a low fat/high carbohydrate diet. A few studies in literature, however, reported metabolic benefits and sustainability of carbohydrate restricted diets. Case Report: Herein, we present a case of a 19-year-old male with newly diagnosed T1DM. The patient was first put on an insulin regime. Twenty days later, he shifted towards the paleolithic ketogenic diet and was able to discontinue insulin. Strict adherence to the diet resulted in normal glucose levels and a more than three-fold elevation of C-peptide level indicating restored insulin production. Currently, the patient is on the paleolithic ketogenic diet for 6.5 months. He is free of complaints, and no side effects emerged. Conclusion: We conclude that the paleolithic ketogenic diet was effective and safe in the management of this case of newly diagnosed T1DM. Marked increase in C peptide level within two months indicates that the paleolithic ketogenic diet may halt or reverse autoimmune processes destructing pancreatic beta cell function in T1DM.
Published:
September 30, 2014
Title:
Organoid cultures derived from patients with advanced prostate cancer
Authors:
Gao, Dong; Vela, Ian; Sboner, Andrea; Iaquinta, Phil J.; Karthaus, Wouter R.; Gopalan, Anuradha; Dowling, Catherine; Wajala, Jackie N.; Undvall, Eva A.; Arora, Vivek K.; Wongvipat, John; Kossai, Myriam; Ramazanoglu, Sinan; Barboza, Luendreo P.; Di, Wei; Cao, Zhen; Zhang, Qi Fan; Sirota, Inna; Ran, Leili; MacDonald, Theresa Y.; Beltran, Himisha; Mosquera, Juan-Miguel; Touijer, Karim A.; Scardino, Peter T.; Laudone, Vincent P.; Curtis, Kristen R.; Rathkopf, Dana E.; Morris, Michael J.; Danila, Daniel C.; Slovin, Susan F.; Solomon, Stephen B.; Eastham, James A.; Chi, Ping; Carver, Brett; Rubin, Mark A.; Scher, Howard I.; Clevers, Hans; Sawyers, Charles L.; Chen, Yu
Abstract:
The lack of in vitro prostate cancer models that recapitulate the diversity of human prostate cancer has hampered progress in understanding disease pathogenesis and therapy response. Using a 3D “organoid” system, we report success in long-term culture of prostate cancer from biopsy specimens and circulating tumor cells. The first seven fully characterized organoid lines recapitulate the molecular diversity of prostate cancer subtypes, including TMPRSS2-ERG fusion, SPOP mutation, SPINK1 overexpression and CHD1 loss. Whole exome sequencing shows a low mutational burden, consistent with genomics studies, but with mutations in FOXA1 and PIK3R1, as well as of DNA repair and chromatin modifier pathways that have been reported in advanced disease. Loss of p53 and RB tumor suppressor pathway function are the most common feature shared across the organoid lines. The methodology described here should enable the generation of a large repertoire of patient-derived prostate cancer lines amenable to genetic and pharmacologic studies.
Published:
September 24, 2014
Title:
Moving beyond anti-amyloid therapy for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease
Authors:
Castello, Michael A; Jeppson, John David; Soriano, Salvador
Abstract:
Background High-profile Phase 3 clinical trials of bapineuzumab and solanezumab, antibodies targeted at amyloid-beta (Aβ) removal, have failed to meet their primary endpoints. Neither drug improves clinical outcomes in patients with late onset AD, joining a long list of unsuccessful attempts to treat AD with anti-amyloid therapies. Discussion These therapies are based on the assumption that Aβ accumulation is the primary pathogenic trigger of AD. Current evidence suggests that Aβ may actually accumulate as part of an adaptive response to long-term chronic brain stress stimuli that would make more suitable candidates for therapeutic intervention. Summary At this juncture it is no longer unreasonable to suggest that further iterations of anti-Aβ therapies should be halted. Clinicians and researchers should instead direct their attention toward greater understanding of the biological function of Aβ both in healthy and demented brains, as well as the involvement of long-term chronic exposure to stress in the etiology of AD.
Published:
September 1, 2014
Title:
Cova del Toll and Cova de les Teixoneres. Moià, Barcelona
Authors:
Rosell Ardèvol, Jordi; Blasco, Ruth; Rivals, Florent; María Gema, Chacón; Blain, Hugues-Alexandre; López-García, Juan; Picin, Andrea; Camarós, Edgard; Rufà, Anna; Sánchez-Hernández, Carlos; Gómez, G.; Arilla, Maite; Gómez de Soler, Bruno; Bustos, G.; Iriarte, Eneko; Cebrià, Artur
Abstract:
Published:
August 31, 2014
Title:
Effectiveness of Culturally Tailored Diabetes Interventions for Asian Immigrants to the United States: A Systematic Review
Authors:
Joo, Jee Young
Abstract:
PurposeThe purpose of this systematic review is to evaluate the effectiveness of tailoring community-based diabetes intervention to Asian immigrant cultures.MethodsThe Cochrane processes and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses recommendations guided this systematic review. PubMed, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Ovid, and PsycINFO were searched for analyses and syntheses of primary research published since 2000 that described interventions tailored for the cultures of Asian immigrants with diabetes. This search yielded a total of 9 articles published from 2005 to 2013. The Amsterdam-Maastricht Consensus List for Quality Assessment was used to assess the quality of the studies.ResultsRetrieved studies? populations were foreign-born adults >50 years of age with type 2 diabetes. The review revealed that culturally tailored diabetes programs are effective at improving patients? objectively measured clinical outcomes, in particular A1C levels, and psychobehavioral outcomes. Patients were also highly satisfied with bilingual health care providers and bilingual educational programs.ConclusionsThere is strong evidence of the effectiveness of tailoring diabetes interventions to Asian immigrant populations? cultures. Further studies, including longitudinal studies and studies with rigorous research designs that subclassify Asian immigrants, are needed to encourage the implementation of culturally tailored diabetes intervention for this ethnic minority.
Published:
August 31, 2014
Title:
New interdisciplinary data to understand the short-term occupations at Teixoneres cave (Moià, Barcelona, Spain)
Authors:
Rosell Ardèvol, Jordi; Blasco, Ruth; Rivals, Florent; María Gema, Chacón; Blain, Hugues-Alexandre; López-García, Juan; Picin, Andrea; Camarós, Edgard; Rufà, Anna; Sánchez-Hernández, Carlos; Arilla, Maite; Gómez de Soler, Bruno; Bustos, G.
Abstract:
Published:
August 31, 2014
Title:
Past and future corollaries of theories on causes of metabolic syndrome and obesity related co-morbidities part 2: a composite unifying theory review of human-specific co-adaptations to brain energy consumption
Authors:
McGill, Anne-Thea
Abstract:
Forward A composite unifying theory on causes of obesity related-MetS has been formulated and published in an accompanying article (1). In the current article, the historical and recent past, present and future corollaries of this theory are discussed. By presenting this composite theory and corollaries, it is hoped that human evolution and physiology will be viewed and studied from a new vantage point. The politics of management of ecological farming and nutrition will change, a profound reconfiguration of scientific theory generation and advancement in a ‘high-tech’ world can be made, and pathways for solutions recognised. null Metabolic syndrome (MetS) predicts type II diabetes mellitus (TIIDM), cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer, and their rates have escalated over the last few decades. Obesity related co-morbidities also overlap the concept of the metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, understanding of the syndrome’s underlying causes may have been misapprehended., The current paper follows on from a theory review by McGill, A-T in Archives of Public Health, 72: 30. This accompanying paper utilises research on human evolution and new biochemistry to theorise on why MetS and obesity arise and how they affect the population. The basis of this composite unifying theory is that the proportionately large, energy-demanding human brain may have driven co-adaptive mechanisms to provide, or conserve, energy for the brain. A ‘dual system’ is proposed. 1) The enlarged, complex cortico-limbic-striatal system increases dietary energy by developing strong neural self-reward/motivation pathways for the acquisition of energy dense food, and (2) the nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) cellular protection system amplifies antioxidant, antitoxicant and repair activity by employing plant chemicals. In humans who consume a nutritious diet, the NRF2 system has become highly energy efficient. Other relevant human-specific co-adaptations are explored., In order to ‘test’ this composite unifying theory it is important to show that the hypothesis and sub-theories pertain throughout the whole of human evolution and history up till the current era. Corollaries of the composite unifying theory of MetS are examined with respect to past under-nutrition and malnutrition since agriculture began 10,000 years ago. The effects of man-made pollutants on degenerative change are examined. Projections are then made from current to future patterns on the state of ‘insufficient micronutrient and/or unbalanced high energy malnutrition with central obesity and metabolic dysregulation’ or ‘malnubesity’., Forecasts on human health are made on positive, proactive strategies using the composite unifying theory, and are extended to the wider human ecology of food production. A comparison is made with the outlook for humans if current assumptions and the status quo on causes and treatments are maintained. Areas of further research are outlined. A table of suggestions for possible public health action is included.
Published:
August 31, 2014
Title:
Short, but repeated Neanderthal visits to Teixoneres Cave (MIS 3, Barcelona, Spain): A combined analysis of tooth microwear patterns and seasonality
Authors:
Sánchez-Hernández, Carlos; Rivals, Florent; Blasco, Ruth; Rosell Ardèvol, Jordi
Abstract:
A new approach combining two proxies is presented with the aim to provide valuable data to better understand the patterns of human occupations in Palaeolithic sites. We employed the analysis of tooth microwear patterns combined with an estimation of the seasonality through tooth eruption and wear patterns of the ungulates. Each proxy brings different types of information. The variability in tooth microwear patterns allows for the estimation of the duration of occupational events at a site while the estimation of seasonality permits to situate temporally these events through the year. The research involved four Middle Palaeolithic archaeological levels from Teixoneres Cave (Moià, Spain). The combined analysis allowed for the identification of different patterns of occupation at the site: (1) short seasonal occupations at a single season such as in level IIa at the beginning of the summer and in level IIb in autumn and early winter, (2) repeated seasonal occupations of the site at all seasons such as in the underlying level IIIa, and (3) repeated seasonal settlements at two specific seasons (summer and winter) as in level IIIb. Our results show congruence between the two methods which imply that combined approaches would allow a better knowledge about the occupations that occurred in the cave, in particular about the duration of Neanderthal occupations.
Published:
August 31, 2014
Title:
Global, regional and national prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adults 1980-2013: A systematic analysis
Authors:
Ng, Marie; Fleming, Tom; Robinson, Margaret; Thomson, Blake; Graetz, Nicholas; Margono, Christopher; Mullany, Erin C; Biryukov, Stan; Abbafati, Cristiana; Abera, Semaw Ferede; Abraham, Jerry P; Abu-Rmeileh, Niveen ME; Achoki, Tom; AlBuhairan, Fadia S; Alemu, Zewdie A; Alfonso, Rafael; Ali, Mohammed K; Ali, Raghib; Guzman, Nelson Alvis; Ammar, Walid; Anwari, Palwasha; Banerjee, Amitava; Barquera, Simon; Basu, Sanjay; Bennett, Derrick A; Bhutta, Zulfiqar; Blore, Jed; Cabral, Norberto; Nonato, Ismael Campos; Chang, Jung-Chen; Chowdhury, Rajiv; Courville, Karen J; Criqui, Michael H; Cundiff, David K; Dabhadkar, Kaustubh C; Dandona, Lalit; Davis, Adrian; Dayama, Anand; Dharmaratne, Samath D; Ding, Eric L; Durrani, Adnan M; Esteghamati, Alireza; Farzadfar, Farshad; Fay, Derek FJ; Feigin, Valery L; Flaxman, Abraham; Forouzanfar, Mohammad H; Goto, Atsushi; Green, Mark A; Gupta, Rajeev; Hafezi-Nejad, Nima; Hankey, Graeme J; Harewood, Heather C; Havmoeller, Rasmus; Hay, Simon; Hernandez, Lucia; Husseini, Abdullatif; Idrisov, Bulat T; Ikeda, Nayu; Islami, Farhad; Jahangir, Eiman; Jassal, Simerjot K; Jee, Sun Ha; Jeffreys, Mona; Jonas, Jost B; Kabagambe, Edmond K; Khalifa, Shams Eldin Ali Hassan; Kengne, Andre Pascal; Khader, Yousef Saleh; Khang, Young-Ho; Kim, Daniel; Kimokoti, Ruth W; Kinge, Jonas M; Kokubo, Yoshihiro; Kosen, Soewarta; Kwan, Gene; Lai, Taavi; Leinsalu, Mall; Li, Yichong; Liang, Xiaofeng; Liu, Shiwei; Logroscino, Giancarlo; Lotufo, Paulo A; Lu, Yuan; Ma, Jixiang; Mainoo, Nana Kwaku; Mensah, George A; Merriman, Tony R; Mokdad, Ali H; Moschandreas, Joanna; Naghavi, Mohsen; Naheed, Aliya; Nand, Devina; Narayan, KM Venkat; Nelson, Erica Leigh; Neuhouser, Marian L; Nisar, Muhammad Imran; Ohkubo, Takayoshi; Oti, Samuel O; Pedroza, Andrea; Prabhakaran, Dorairaj; Roy, Nobhojit; Sampson, Uchechukwu; Seo, Hyeyoung; Sepanlou, Sadaf G; Shibuya, Kenji; Shiri, Rahman; Shiue, Ivy; Singh, Gitanjali M; Singh, Jasvinder A; Skirbekk, Vegard; Stapelberg, Nicolas JC; Sturua, Lela; Sykes, Bryan L; Tobias, Martin; Tran, Bach X; Trasande, Leonardo; Toyoshima, Hideaki; van de Vijver, Steven; Vasankari, Tommi J; Veerman, J Lennert; Velasquez-Melendez, Gustavo; Vlassov, Vasiliy Victorovich; Vollset, Stein Emil; Vos, Theo; Wang, Claire; Wang, Sharon XiaoRong; Weiderpass, Elisabete; Werdecker, Andrea; Wright, Jonathan L; Yang, Y Claire; Yatsuya, Hiroshi; Yoon, Jihyun; Yoon, Seok-Jun; Zhao, Yong; Zhou, Maigeng; Zhu, Shankuan; Lopez, Alan D; Murray, Christopher JL; Gakidou, Emmanuela
Abstract:
Background In 2010, overweight and obesity were estimated to cause 3.4 million deaths, 3.9% of years of life lost, and 3.8% of DALYs globally. The rise in obesity has led to widespread calls for regular monitoring of changes in overweight and obesity prevalence in all populations. Comparative, up-to-date information on levels and trends is essential both to quantify population health effects and to prompt decision-makers to prioritize action. Methods We systematically identified surveys, reports, and published studies (n = 1,769) that included information on height and weight, both through physical measurements and self-reports. Mixed effects linear regression was used to correct for the bias in self-reports. Age-sex-country-year observations (n = 19,244) on prevalence of obesity and overweight were synthesized using a spatio-temporal Gaussian Process Regression model to estimate prevalence with 95% uncertainty intervals. Findings Globally, the proportion of adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or greater increased from 28.8% (95% UI: 28.4-29.3) in 1980 to 36.9% (36.3-37.4) in 2013 for men and from 29.8% (29.3-30.2) to 38.0% (37.5-38.5) for women. Increases were observed in both developed and developing countries. There have been substantial increases in prevalence among children and adolescents in developed countries, with 23.8% (22.9-24.7) of boys and 22.6% (21.7-23.6) of girls being either overweight or obese in 2013. The prevalence of overweight and obesity is also rising among children and adolescents in developing countries as well, rising from 8.1% (7.7-8.6) to 12.9% (12.3-13.5) in 2013 for boys and from 8.4% (8.1-8.8) to 13.4% (13.0-13.9) in girls. Among adults, estimated prevalence of obesity exceeds 50% among men in Tonga and women in Kuwait, Kiribati, Federated States of Micronesia, Libya, Qatar, Tonga, and Samoa. Since 2006, the increase in adult obesity in developed countries has stabilized. Interpretation Because of the established health risks and substantial increases in prevalence, obesity has become a major global health challenge. Contrary to other major global risks, there is little evidence of successful population-level intervention strategies to reduce exposure. Not only is obesity increasing, but there are no national success stories over the past 33 years. Urgent global action and leadership is required to assist countries to more effectively intervene.
Published:
August 29, 2014
Title:
The evolutionary origin of human hyper-cooperation
Authors:
Burkart, J. M.; Allon, O.; Amici, F.; Fichtel, C.; Finkenwirth, C.; Heschl, A.; Huber, J.; Isler, K.; Kosonen, Z. K.; Martins, E.; Meulman, E. J.; Richiger, R.; Rueth, K.; Spillmann, B.; Wiesendanger, S.; van Schaik, C. P.
Abstract:
Proactive, that is, unsolicited, prosociality is a key component of our hyper-cooperation, which in turn has enabled the emergence of various uniquely human traits, including complex cognition, morality and cumulative culture and technology. However, the evolutionary foundation of the human prosocial sentiment remains poorly understood, largely because primate data from numerous, often incommensurable testing paradigms do not provide an adequate basis for formal tests of the various functional hypotheses. We therefore present the results of standardized prosociality experiments in 24 groups of 15 primate species, including humans. Extensive allomaternal care is by far the best predictor of interspecific variation in proactive prosociality. Proactive prosocial motivations therefore systematically arise whenever selection favours the evolution of cooperative breeding. Because the human data fit this general primate pattern, the adoption of cooperative breeding by our hominin ancestors also provides the most parsimonious explanation for the origin of human hyper-cooperation.
Published:
August 26, 2014
Title:
Binturong (Arctictis binturong) and Kinkajou (Potos flavus) Digestive Strategy: Implications for Interpreting Frugivory in Carnivora and Primates
Authors:
Lambert, Joanna E.; Fellner, Vivek; McKenney, Erin; Hartstone-Rose, Adam
Abstract:
Exclusive frugivory is rare. As a food resource, fruit is temporally and spatially patchy, low in protein, and variable in terms of energy yield from different carbohydrate types. Here, we evaluate the digestive physiology of two frugivorous Carnivora species (Potos flavus, Arctictis binturong) that converge with primates in a diversity of ecological and anatomical traits related to fruit consumption. We conducted feeding trials to determine mean digestive retention times (MRT) on captive animals at the Carnivore Preservation Trust (now Carolina Tiger Rescue), Pittsboro, NC. Fecal samples were collected on study subjects for in vitro analysis to determine methane, pH, and short chain fatty acid profiles; fiber was assayed using standard neutral detergent (NDF) and acid detergent (ADF) fiber methods. Results indicate that both carnivoran species have rapid digestive passage for mammals that consume a predominantly plant-based diet: A. binturong MRT = 6.5 hrs (0.3); P. flavus MRT = 2.5 hrs (1.6). In vitro experiments revealed no fermentation of structural polysaccharides – methane levels did not shift from 0 h to either 24 or 48 hours and no short chain fatty acids were detected. In both species, however, pH declined from one incubation period to another suggesting acidification and bacterial activity of microbes using soluble carbohydrates. A comparison with primates indicates that the study species are most similar in digestive retention times to Ateles – the most frugivorous anthropoid primate taxon.
Published:
August 25, 2014
Title:
Integrated Neurobiology of Bipolar Disorder
Authors:
Maletic, Vladimir; Raison, Charles
Abstract:
From a neurobiological perspective there is no such thing as bipolar disorder. Rather, it is almost certainly the case that many somewhat similar, but subtly different, pathological conditions produce a disease state that we currently diagnose as bipolarity. This heterogeneity – reflected in the lack of synergy between our current diagnostic schema and our rapidly advancing scientific understanding of the condition – limits attempts to articulate an integrated perspective on bipolar disorder. However, despite these challenges, scientific findings in recent years are beginning to offer a provisional “unified field theory” of the disease. This theory sees bipolar disorder as a suite of related neurodevelopmental conditions with interconnected functional abnormalities that often appear early in life and worsen over time. In addition to accelerated loss of volume in brain areas known to be essential for mood regulation and cognitive function, consistent findings have emerged at a cellular level, providing evidence that bipolar disorder is reliably associated with dysregulation of glial–neuronal interactions. Among these glial elements are microglia – the brain’s primary immune elements, which appear to be overactive in the context of bipolarity. Multiple studies now indicate that inflammation is also increased in the periphery of the body in both the depressive and manic phases of the illness, with at least some return to normality in the euthymic state. These findings are consistent with changes in the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, which are known to drive inflammatory activation. In summary, the very fact that no single gene, pathway, or brain abnormality is likely to ever account for the condition is itself an extremely important first step in better articulating an integrated perspective on both its ontological status and pathogenesis. Whether this perspective will translate into the discovery of innumerable more homogeneous forms of bipolarity is one of the great questions facing the field and one that is likely to have profound treatment implications, given that fact that such a discovery would greatly increase our ability to individualize – and by extension, enhance – treatment.
Published:
August 24, 2014
Title:
Dietary specializations and diversity in feeding ecology of the earliest stem mammals
Authors:
Gill, Pamela G.; Purnell, Mark A.; Crumpton, Nick; Brown, Kate Robson; Gostling, Neil J.; Stampanoni, M.; Rayfield, Emily J.
Abstract:
The origin and radiation of mammals are key events in the history of life, with fossils placing the origin at 220 million years ago, in the Late Triassic period(1). The earliest mammals, representing the first 50 million years of their evolution and including the most basal taxa, are widely considered to be generalized insectivores(1,2). This implies that the first phase of the mammalian radiation-associated with the appearance in the fossil record of important innovations such as heterodont dentition, diphyodonty and the dentary-squamosal jaw joint(1,3)-was decoupled from ecomorphological diversification(2,4). Finds of exceptionally complete specimens of later Mesozoic mammals have revealed greater ecomorphological diversity than previously suspected, including adaptations for swimming, burrowing, digging and even gliding(2,5,6), but such well-preserved fossils of earlier mammals do not exist(1), and robust analysis of their ecomorphological diversity has previously been lacking. Here we present the results of an integrated analysis, using synchrotron X-ray tomography and analyses of biomechanics, finite element models and tooth microwear textures. We find significant differences in function and dietary ecology between two of the earliest mammalia form taxa, Morganucodon and Kuehneotherium-taxa that are central to the debate on mammalian evolution. Morganucodon possessed comparatively more forceful and robust jaws and consumed 'harder' prey, comparable to extant small bodied mammals that eat considerable amounts of coleopterans. Kuehneotherium ingested a diet comparable to extant mixed feeders and specialists on 'soft' prey such as lepidopterans. Our results reveal previously hidden trophic specialization at the base of the mammalian radiation; hence even the earliest mammalia forms were beginning to diversify-morphologically, functionally and ecologically. In contrast to the prevailing view(2,4), this pattern suggests that lineage splitting during the earliest stages of mammalian evolution was associated with ecomorphological specialization and niche partitioning.
Published:
August 20, 2014
Title:
Vegan diet, subnormal vitamin B-12 status and cardiovascular health
Authors:
Woo, Kam S.; Kwok, Timothy C. Y.; Celermajer, David S.
Abstract:
Vegetarian diets have been associated with atherosclerosis protection, with healthier atherosclerosis risk profiles, as well as lower prevalence of, and mortality from, ischemic heart disease and stroke. However, there are few data concerning the possible cardiovascular effects of a vegan diet (with no meat, dairy or egg products). Vitamin B-12 deficiency is highly prevalent in vegetarians; this can be partially alleviated by taking dairy/egg products in lact-ovo-vegetarians. However, metabolic vitamin B-12 deficiency is highly prevalent in vegetarians in Australia, Germany, Italy and Austria, and in vegans (80%) in Hong Kong and India, where vegans rarely take vitamin B-12 fortified food or vitamin B-12 supplements. Similar deficiencies exist in northern Chinese rural communities consuming inadequate meat, egg or dairy products due to poverty or dietary habits. Vascular studies have demonstrated impaired arterial endothelial function and increased carotid intima-media thickness as atherosclerosis surrogates in such metabolic vitamin B-12 deficient populations, but not in lactovegetarians in China. Vitamin B-12 supplementation has a favourable impact on these vascular surrogates in Hong Kong vegans and in underprivileged communities in northern rural China. Regular monitoring of vitamin B-12 status is thus potentially beneficial for early detection and treatment of metabolic vitamin B-12 deficiency in vegans, and possibly for prevention of atherosclerosis-related diseases.
Published:
August 18, 2014
Title:
Urinary Sodium and Potassium Excretion, Mortality, and Cardiovascular Events
Authors:
O'Donnell, Martin; Mente, Andrew; Rangarajan, Sumathy; McQueen, Matthew J.; Wang, Xingyu; Liu, Lisheng; Yan, Hou; Lee, Shun Fu; Mony, Prem; Devanath, Anitha; Rosengren, Annika; Lopez-Jaramillo, Patricio; Diaz, Rafael; Avezum, Alvaro; Lanas, Fernando; Yusoff, Khalid; Iqbal, Romaina; Ilow, Rafal; Mohammadifard, Noushin; Gulec, Sadi; Yusufali, Afzal Hussein; Kruger, Lanthe; Yusuf, Rita; Chifamba, Jephat; Kabali, Conrad; Dagenais, Gilles; Lear, Scott A.; Teo, Koon; Yusuf, Salim
Abstract:
Original Article from The New England Journal of Medicine — Urinary Sodium and Potassium Excretion, Mortality, and Cardiovascular Events
Published:
August 12, 2014
Title:
Receptor for advanced glycation end products and its ligand high-mobility group box-1 mediate allergic airway sensitization and airway inflammation
Authors:
Ullah, Md Ashik; Loh, Zhixuan; Gan, Wan Jun; Zhang, Vivian; Yang, Huan; Li, Jian Hua; Yamamoto, Yasuhiko; Schmidt, Ann Marie; Armour, Carol L.; Hughes, J. Margaret; Phipps, Simon; Sukkar, Maria B.
Abstract:
Background The receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) shares common ligands and signaling pathways with TLR4, a key mediator of house dust mite (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus) (HDM) sensitization. We hypothesized that RAGE and its ligand high-mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) cooperate with TLR4 to mediate HDM sensitization. Objectives To determine the requirement for HMGB1 and RAGE, and their relationship with TLR4, in airway sensitization. Methods TLR4−/−, RAGE−/−, and RAGE-TLR4−/− mice were intranasally exposed to HDM or cockroach (Blatella germanica) extracts, and features of allergic inflammation were measured during the sensitization or challenge phase. Anti-HMGB1 antibody and the IL-1 receptor antagonist Anakinra were used to inhibit HMGB1 and the IL-1 receptor, respectively. Results The magnitude of allergic airway inflammation in response to either HDM or cockroach sensitization and/or challenge was significantly reduced in the absence of RAGE but not further diminished in the absence of both RAGE and TLR4. HDM sensitization induced the release of HMGB1 from the airway epithelium in a biphasic manner, which corresponded to the sequential activation of TLR4 then RAGE. Release of HMGB1 in response to cockroach sensitization also was RAGE dependent. Significantly, HMGB1 release occurred downstream of TLR4-induced IL-1α, and upstream of IL-25 and IL-33 production. Adoptive transfer of HDM-pulsed RAGE+/+dendritic cells to RAGE−/− mice recapitulated the allergic responses after HDM challenge. Immunoneutralization of HMGB1 attenuated HDM-induced allergic airway inflammation. Conclusion The HMGB1-RAGE axis mediates allergic airway sensitization and airway inflammation. Activation of this axis in response to different allergens acts to amplify the allergic inflammatory response, which exposes it as an attractive target for therapeutic intervention.
Published:
July 31, 2014
Title:
Comparative metabolomics in primates reveals the effects of diet and gene regulatory variation on metabolic divergence
Authors:
Blekhman, Ran; Perry, George H.; Shahbaz, Sevini; Fiehn, Oliver; Clark, Andrew G.; Gilad, Yoav
Abstract:
Human diets differ from those of non-human primates. Among few obvious differences, humans consume more meat than most non-human primates and regularly cook their food. It is hypothesized that a dietary shift during human evolution has been accompanied by molecular adaptations in metabolic pathways. Consistent with this notion, comparative studies of gene expression levels in primates have found that the regulation of genes with metabolic functions tend to evolve rapidly in the human lineage. The metabolic consequences of these regulatory differences, however, remained unknown. To address this gap, we performed a comparative study using a combination of gene expression and metabolomic profiling in livers from humans, chimpanzees, and rhesus macaques. We show that dietary differences between species have a strong effect on metabolic concentrations. In addition, we found that differences in metabolic concentration across species are correlated with inter-species differences in the expression of the corresponding enzymes, which control the same metabolic reaction. We identified a number of metabolic compounds with lineage-specific profiles, including examples of human-species metabolic differences that may be directly related to dietary differences.
Published:
July 27, 2014
Title:
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and obesity: biochemical, metabolic and clinical presentations
Authors:
Milić, Sandra; Lulić, Davorka; Štimac, Davor
Abstract:
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease in the world. Presentation of the disease ranges from simple steatosis to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). NAFLD is a hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome that includes central abdominal obesity along with other components. Up to 80% of patients with NAFLD are obese, defined as a body mass index (BMI) > 30 kg/m(2). However, the distribution of fat tissue plays a greater role in insulin resistance than the BMI. The large amount of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) in morbidly obese (BMI > 40 kg/m(2)) individuals contributes to a high prevalence of NAFLD. Free fatty acids derived from VAT tissue, as well as from dietary sources and de novo lipogenesis, are released to the portal venous system. Excess free fatty acids and chronic low-grade inflammation from VAT are considered to be two of the most important factors contributing to liver injury progression in NAFLD. In addition, secretion of adipokines from VAT as well as lipid accumulation in the liver further promotes inflammation through nuclear factor kappa B signaling pathways, which are also activated by free fatty acids, and contribute to insulin resistance. Most NAFLD patients are asymptomatic on clinical presentation, even though some may present with fatigue, dyspepsia, dull pain in the liver and hepatosplenomegaly. Treatment for NAFLD and NASH involves weight reduction through lifestyle modifications, anti-obesity medication and bariatric surgery. This article reviews the available information on the biochemical and metabolic phenotypes associated with obesity and fatty liver disease. The relative contribution of visceral and liver fat to insulin resistance is discussed, and recommendations for clinical evaluation of affected individuals is provided.
Published:
July 27, 2014
Title:
Global late Quaternary megafauna extinctions linked to humans, not climate change
Authors:
Sandom, Christopher; Faurby, Søren; Sandel, Brody; Svenning, Jens-Christian
Abstract:
The late Quaternary megafauna extinction was a severe global-scale event. Two factors, climate change and modern humans, have received broad support as the primary drivers, but their absolute and relative importance remains controversial. To date, focus has been on the extinction chronology of individual or small groups of species, specific geographical regions or macroscale studies at very coarse geographical and taxonomic resolution, limiting the possibility of adequately testing the proposed hypotheses. We present, to our knowledge, the first global analysis of this extinction based on comprehensive country-level data on the geographical distribution of all large mammal species (more than or equal to 10 kg) that have gone globally or continentally extinct between the beginning of the Last Interglacial at 132 000 years BP and the late Holocene 1000 years BP, testing the relative roles played by glacial–interglacial climate change and humans. We show that the severity of extinction is strongly tied to hominin palaeobiogeography, with at most a weak, Eurasia-specific link to climate change. This first species-level macroscale analysis at relatively high geographical resolution provides strong support for modern humans as the primary driver of the worldwide megafauna losses during the late Quaternary.
Published:
July 21, 2014
Title:
Obesity increases inflammation and impairs lymphatic function in a mouse model of lymphedema
Authors:
Savetsky, Ira L.; Torrisi, Jeremy S.; Cuzzone, Daniel A.; Ghanta, Swapna; Albano, Nicholas J.; Gardenier, Jason C.; Joseph, Walter J.; Mehrara, Babak J.
Abstract:
Although obesity is a major clinical risk factor for lymphedema, the mechanisms that regulate this effect remain unknown. Recent reports have demonstrated that obesity is associated with acquired lymphatic dysfunction. The purpose of this study was to determine how obesity-induced lymphatic dysfunction modulates the pathological effects of lymphatic injury in a mouse model. We used a diet-induced model of obesity in adult male C57BL/6J mice in which experimental animals were fed a high-fat diet and control animals were fed a normal chow diet for 8–10 wk. We then surgically ablated the superficial and deep lymphatics of the midportion of the tail. Six weeks postoperatively, we analyzed changes in lymphatic function, adipose deposition, inflammation, and fibrosis. We also compared responses to acute inflammatory stimuli in obese and lean mice. Compared with lean control mice, obese mice had baseline decreased lymphatic function. Lymphedema in obese mice further impaired lymphatic function and resulted in increased subcutaneous adipose deposition, increased CD45+ and CD4+ cell inflammation (P
Published:
July 14, 2014
Title:
Impact of the Healthy Foods North nutrition intervention program on Inuit and Inuvialuit food consumption and preparation methods in Canadian Arctic communities
Authors:
Kolahdooz, Fariba; Pakseresht, Mohammadreza; Mead, Erin; Beck, Lindsay; Corriveau, André; Sharma, Sangita
Abstract:
Background The 12-month Healthy Foods North intervention program was developed to improve diet among Inuit and Inuvialuit living in Arctic Canada and assess the impact of the intervention established for the communities. Methods A quasi-experimental study randomly selected men and women (≥19 years of age) in six remote communities in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. Validated quantitative food frequency and adult impact questionnaires were used. Four communities received the intervention and two communities served as delayed intervention controls. Pre- and post-intervention changes in frequency of/total intake of de-promoted food groups and healthiness of cooking methods were determined. The impact of the intervention was assessed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Results Post-intervention data were analysed in the intervention (n = 221) and control (n = 111) communities, with participant retention rates of 91% for Nunavut and 83% for the Northwest Territories. There was a significant decrease in de-promoted foods, such as high fat meats (−27.9 g) and high fat dairy products (−19.8 g) among intervention communities (all p ≤ 0.05). The use of healthier preparation methods significantly increased (14.7%) in intervention communities relative to control communities. Conclusions This study highlights the importance of using a community-based, multi-institutional nutrition intervention program to decrease the consumption of unhealthy foods and the use of unhealthy food preparation methods.
Published:
July 3, 2014
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