Effect of probiotics on biomarkers of cardiovascular disease: implications for heart‐healthy diets
The objectives of this article are to review clinical trials that have examined the effects of probiotics on low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C) and to assess the potential of probiotic intake as a therapeutic lifestyle change (TLC) dietary option. Twenty‐six clinical studies and two meta‐analyses are reviewed. Significant LDL‐C reductions were observed for four probiotic strains: Lactobacillus reuteri NCIMB 30242, Enterococcus faecium, and the combination of Lactobacillus acidophilus La5 and Bifidobacterium lactis Bb12. Two synbiotics, L. acidophilus CHO‐220 plus inulin and L. acido...
Source: Nutrition Reviews - December 13, 2013 Category: Nutrition Authors: Douglas B DiRienzo Tags: Special Article Source Type: research
Guidelines for optimizing design and analysis of clinical studies of nutrient effects
Presented here is a system to standardize clinical studies of nutrient effects, using nutrient‐specific physiological criteria. These guidelines are based mainly on analysis of the typical sigmoid curve of biological response to nutrients and are intended for design, interpretation, and pooling of studies of nutrient effects. Five rules have been articulated for individual studies of nutrients, and six for systematic reviews and/or meta‐analyses. (Source: Nutrition Reviews)
Source: Nutrition Reviews - December 13, 2013 Category: Nutrition Authors: Robert P Heaney Tags: Special Article Source Type: research
Breast cancer and dietary patterns: a systematic review
This systematic review collates research on the topic of dietary patterns and breast cancer risks. The literature search targeted epidemiological studies published up to December 2012 and was conducted using the Medline (U.S. National Library of Medicine, Bethesda MD, USA) and Lilacs (Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences, São Paulo, Brazil) databases. The following search terms were used: breast cancer, breast neoplasm, breast carcinoma, diet, food, eating habits, dietary patterns, factor analysis, and principal component analysis. Only studies that used factor analysis techniques and/or principal component analys...
Source: Nutrition Reviews - December 13, 2013 Category: Nutrition Authors: Rita CR Albuquerque, Valéria T Baltar, Dirce ML Marchioni Tags: Lead Article Source Type: research
Maternal folate exposure in pregnancy and childhood asthma and allergy: a systematic review
Adequate folate status in early pregnancy is critical to prevent congenital malformations, yet little is known about whether exposure to folate, specifically folic acid supplementation beyond the recommended dose, influences chronic health outcomes. The link between maternal folate levels and risk of childhood asthma and allergic disease has been investigated in 10 large prospective cohort studies that reported conflicting results. While the majority of studies reported no association, those supporting a positive relationship found a small increase in risk that was generally transient in nature, confined to early childhood...
Source: Nutrition Reviews - December 9, 2013 Category: Nutrition Authors: Susan B Brown, Katherine W Reeves, Elizabeth R Bertone‐Johnson Tags: Emerging Science Source Type: research
Ability of vitamin D to reduce inflammation in adults without acute illness
The objective of this review was to examine recent evidence that vitamin D status influences the level of inflammation in adults without acute illness or injury. Five large cross‐sectional studies and two randomized controlled trials are the focus of this review. Associations between 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) and inflammation markers are significant and inverse in study populations with low 25OHD levels (<21 ng/mL). They are also inverse in adults with relatively high inflammation levels. These associations in the few available randomized controlled vitamin D intervention trials have been null; this may be becau...
Source: Nutrition Reviews - December 1, 2013 Category: Nutrition Authors: Mayra Zanetti, Susan S Harris, Bess Dawson‐Hughes Tags: Special Article Source Type: research
Intestinal alkaline phosphatase: novel functions and protective effects
Important protective roles of intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP) – including regulation of intestinal surface pH, absorption of lipids, detoxification of free nucleotides and bacterial lipopolysaccharide, attenuation of intestinal inflammation, and possible modulation of the gut microbiota – have been reviewed recently. IAP is modulated by numerous nutritional factors. The present review highlights new findings on the properties of IAP and extends the list of its protective functions. Critical assessment of data suggests that some IAP properties are a direct result of dephosphorylation of proinflammatory moieties, w...
Source: Nutrition Reviews - December 1, 2013 Category: Nutrition Authors: Jean‐Paul Lallès Tags: Lead Article Source Type: research
2′‐fucosyllactose: an abundant, genetically determined soluble glycan present in human milk
Lactose is the preeminent soluble glycan in milk and a significant source of energy for most newborn mammals. Elongation of lactose with additional monosaccharides gives rise to a varied repertoire of free soluble glycans such as 2′‐fucosyllactose (2′‐FL), which is the most abundant oligosaccharide in human milk. In infants, 2′‐FL is resistant to digestion and reaches the colon where it is partially fermented, behaving as soluble prebiotic fiber. Evidence also suggests that portions of small soluble milk glycans, including 2′‐FL, are absorbed, thus raising the possibility of systemic biological effects. 2...
Source: Nutrition Reviews - November 18, 2013 Category: Nutrition Authors: Esther Castanys‐Muñoz, Maria J Martin, Pedro Antonio Prieto Tags: Lead Article Source Type: research
Nutritional modulation of cataract
Lens opacification or cataract reduces vision in over 80 million people worldwide and blinds 18 million. These numbers will increase dramatically as both the size of the elderly demographic and the number of those with carbohydrate metabolism‐related problems increase. Preventative measures for cataract are critical because the availability of cataract surgery in much of the world is insufficient. Epidemiologic literature suggests that the risk of cataract can be diminished by diets that are optimized for vitamin C, lutein/zeaxanthin, B vitamins, omega‐3 fatty acids, multivitamins, and carbohydrates: recommended levels...
Source: Nutrition Reviews - November 1, 2013 Category: Nutrition Authors: Karen A Weikel, Caren Garber, Alyssa Baburins, Allen Taylor Tags: Lead Article Source Type: research
Evidence for a role of proteins, lipids, and phytochemicals in the prevention of polycystic kidney disease progression and severity
Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is a heritable disease characterized by renal cysts and is a leading cause of end‐stage renal disease. Dietary intervention offers a potentially efficacious, cost‐effective, and safe therapeutic option for PKD. The aim of this article was to review studies investigating the effect of dietary components on PKD and potential mechanisms of action. Low‐protein diets are commonly recommended for PKD patients, but inconsistent findings in human and animal PKD studies suggest that the type rather the amount of protein may be of greater importance. Dietary soy protein has been shown to have re...
Source: Nutrition Reviews - November 1, 2013 Category: Nutrition Authors: Kaitlin H Maditz, Joseph C Gigliotti, Janet C Tou Tags: Special Article Source Type: research
Safety and efficacy of a new parenteral lipid emulsion (SMOF) for surgical patients: a systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials
To assess the comparative safety and efficacy of a new parenteral lipid emulsion containing soybean oil, medium‐chain triglycerides, olive oil, and fish oil (SMOFlipid20%) for postoperative patients, a meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted. Six RCTs with a total of 306 patients were included in the analysis. The overall quality of evidence for each outcome was evaluated using Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) software. Compared with a soybean‐based (Lipoven20%) and a soybean‐ and olive oil‐based (ClinOleic20%) lipid emulsion, SMOFlipid20% was ...
Source: Nutrition Reviews - November 1, 2013 Category: Nutrition Authors: Hongliang Tian, Xiangrong Yao, Rong Zeng, Rao Sun, Hongyan Tian, Chunhu Shi, Lun Li, Jinhui Tian, Kehu Yang Tags: Nutrition in Clinical Care Source Type: research
Omega‐3 fatty acids influence mood in healthy and depressed individuals
Depression is one of the most prevalent disorders in the United States, and rates of depression are higher for women than men. Despite their widespread use, drugs used in the treatment of depression are only moderately more effective than placebo in treating the disorder. Effective treatment of perinatal depression is of particular concern as treatment can influence both the mother and the developing child. Omega‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n‐3 PUFA) supplementation may reduce symptoms of major depressive disorder and perinatal depression. The aim of the present review was to evaluate epidemiological studies examinin...
Source: Nutrition Reviews - October 22, 2013 Category: Nutrition Authors: Grace E Giles, Caroline R Mahoney, Robin B Kanarek Tags: Special Article Source Type: research
Global nutrition research: nutrition and breast cancer prevention as a model
This article describes the International Breast Cancer & Nutrition collaboration as one such approach. A global endeavor brings the diversity necessary to pinpoint important diet‐gene relationships. Being developed are models, detection and assessment tools, and funding and public policy frameworks necessary to advance primary prevention research for the benefit of all populations affected by breast cancer. This paradigm can be adapted to understanding diet‐gene relationships for other chronic diseases. (Source: Nutrition Reviews)
Source: Nutrition Reviews - October 22, 2013 Category: Nutrition Authors: Sophie A Lelièvre, Connie M Weaver Tags: Special Article Source Type: research
Potential treatment of human nonalcoholic fatty liver disease with long‐chain omega‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disorder in the Western world. Its prevalence has increased with the growing obesity epidemic, yet no definitive treatment has been developed, and optimal management remains a clinical challenge. Long‐chain omega‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have recently been proposed as a potential treatment for liver inflammation associated with fat accumulation. PubMed literature and the ClinicalTrials.gov database were reviewed for the effects of omega‐3 PUFA treatment on NAFLD, from mechanisms to the results of preclinical studies, human studies,...
Source: Nutrition Reviews - October 22, 2013 Category: Nutrition Authors: Dimitrios G Bouzianas, Stella D Bouziana, Apostolos I Hatzitolios Tags: Nutrition in Clinical Care Source Type: research
Principles for building public‐private partnerships to benefit food safety, nutrition, and health research
This article aims to introduce these principles into the literature to serve as a framework for dialogue and for future PPPs. (Source: Nutrition Reviews)
Source: Nutrition Reviews - October 11, 2013 Category: Nutrition Authors: Sylvia Rowe, Nick Alexander, Alison Kretser, Robert Steele, Molly Kretsch, Rhona Applebaum, Fergus Clydesdale, Deborah Cummins, Eric Hentges, Juan Navia, Ashley Jarvis, Ken Falci Tags: Special Article Source Type: research
Dietary reference intakes: cases of appropriate and inappropriate uses
The dietary reference intakes (DRIs) are a set of reference intake levels for nutrients that can be used for planning diets and assessing nutrient inadequacies of individuals and groups. Since the publication of the DRI reports 1997–2004, the reference intake levels have been used for various purposes. While DRIs have been used appropriately for planning and assessing diets for many different situations, there have been instances in which specific DRI categories have not been applied as intended. In this review, cases are described in which DRIs were applied correctly, as well as cases from the growing number of examples...
Source: Nutrition Reviews - October 3, 2013 Category: Nutrition Authors: Paula R Trumbo, Susan I Barr, Suzanne P Murphy, Allison A Yates Tags: Special Article Source Type: research
