Nutrition
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The aims of this study were to underline the interpretation of vitamin B1 and to evaluate whether differences in hemoglobin (Hb) levels and sex effect vitamin B1 results. ⋯ Vitamin B1 concentrations >48 μg/L should be interpreted with Hb levels to avoid postanalytical errors that mask deficiency. Therefore, in comparative studies, researchers need to pay attention to eliminate the effect of Hb on whole blood vitamin B1 levels.
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High altitudes are a challenge for human physiology and for sports enthusiasts. Several reasons lead to deterioration in performance at high altitudes. Hypoxia owing to high altitude causes a breakdown of homeostasis with imbalance in several physiological systems, including the immune system. ⋯ Although the association between exercise and hypoxia has been shown to be more severe for the body owing to the sum of stressful agents, supplementation with carbohydrates and glutamine seems to play a relevant role in mitigating immunosuppressive effects. These findings, although limited by the fact that they are the result of very few studies, shed light on a relevant theme for sports physiology and nutrition and suggest that both supplements may be useful for athletes, visitors, and workers in high-altitude regions. The aim of this review was to discuss the effects of high-altitude hypoxia on the human body from the point of view of exercise immunology because it is known that transient immunosuppression after strenuous exercise and competition should be followed by reduction in training overload and worse performance.
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Fresh fruit intake has been found to be associated with risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM); however, the evidence is limited and the findings are inconsistent. We aimed to assess the association of fresh fruit intake by fruit subgroups based on their glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) values and GDM incidence in Chinese pregnant women. ⋯ Our findings suggested an inverse association of fresh fruit intake with the risk of GDM in Chinese pregnant women. In women with GDM risk, low GI and GL fresh fruit consumption should be privileged versus those with high GI and GL.
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Providing home enteral nutrition (HEN) might prevent further deterioration of nutritional status and reduce complication risk after very invasive abdominal surgery. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of HEN after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). ⋯ HEN is safe and may reduce postdischarge morbidity and improve nutritional status after PD.
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Mitochondrial dysfunction in skeletal muscle has emerged as key to the development of obesity and its related metabolic disorders. Leucine (Leu) is an essential amino acid that has been reported to increase mitochondrial biogenesis in muscle cells, as has its metabolite β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB). However, two questions-which one is more potent and what is the cellular mechanisms of the action of Leu and HMB-remain to be answered. Therefore we aimed to investigate the effects of Leu and HMB on mitochondrial function in C2 C12 myotubes and analyze the underlying molecular mechanism. ⋯ Our results provide evidence indicating that as with Leu, HMB alone could increase mitochondrial biogenesis and function via regulation of PPARβ/δ and CDK4 pathways. Moreover, HMB seems to be more potent than Leu in the positive regulation of mitochondrial biogenesis and function in C2 C12 myotubes because the dosage used for HMB was much lower than that for Leu.