Nutrition
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Review Meta Analysis
Influence of age, sex, and type of exercise on the efficacy of creatine supplementation on lean body mass: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.
Creatine supplementation has been shown to increase measures of lean body mass (LBM); however, there often is high heterogeneity across individual studies. Therefore, the aim of this study was to systematically review and meta-analyze randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating creatine supplementation on LBM. Subanalyses were performed based on age, sex, and type of exercise. Based on PRISMA guidelines, we searched the following databases: Pubmed, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, and Scopus (PROSPERO register: CRD42020207122) until May 2022. ⋯ Further subanalyses found that males on creatine increased LBM by 1.46 kg (95% CI, 0.47-2.46), compared with a non-significant increase of 0.29 kg (95% CI, -0.43 to 1.01) for females. In conclusion, the addition of creatine supplementation to a resistance training program increases LBM. During a resistance training program, males on creatine respond more favorably than females.
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Despite having disease-specific pathologic features and symptoms, neurodegenerative diseases share common mechanisms, such as excitotoxicity, neuroinflammation, and neurotransmitter dysregulation. Although the common underlying cause of these neurodegenerative processes has yet to be identified, accumulating evidence suggests that branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) could be involved. ⋯ Furthermore, emerging evidence indicates that BCAA metabolism may be dysregulated in major neurodegenerative diseases, namely Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. In this review, we identified the neurodegenerative mechanisms of BCAAs and outlined their potential roles in neurodegenerative diseases, suggesting that targeting BCAA metabolism may represent a new approach to identifying new therapeutic targets for multifaceted neurodegenerative diseases.
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Gastrointestinal tract diseases are characterized by an imbalance in physiological functions, which may involve inflammatory and metabolic pathways and trigger chronic, multifactorial, and idiopathic inflammatory disorders. The association of probiotics with prebiotics has the potential to remedy these afflictive conditions, because they attenuate or even block the adhesion of pathogenic microorganisms in the enteric environment. ⋯ The importance of products containing probiotics and fibers from Psyllium as prebiotics becomes increasingly evident when there is a health bias. Emerging health challenges and advances in research will drive selective approaches in biotechnology to discover and evaluate new probiotics and prebiotics that can potentially contribute to human health.
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This study analyzes the impact of malnutrition on infant mortality and life expectancy in a sample of 36 African countries during the 2003 to 2018 period. The economic implications of malnutrition are examined through the vicious cycle of poverty, malnutrition, low productivity, and further malnutrition. It was hypothesized that malnutrition at infancy contributes to high mortality and leads to lower labor productivity in adults through the reduction of their life span, because more and more skilled laborers leave sooner. ⋯ The results show a mitigated impact of malnutrition on life expectancy. Also, growth in the gross domestic product significantly reduced the infant mortality rate, but any increase in income per capita was not followed by a reduction of death in children. Thus, it is recommended 1) to strengthen the entire health system and infrastructure, 2) to promote nutritional training programs, and 3) to reinforce the fight against infectious diseases that mostly affect children.
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The potential clinical effects of licorice (Glycyrrhiza spp.) and its extracts have been investigated since ancient times. Whether pseudohyperaldosteronism, with consequent arterial hypertension, is the only endocrine effect produced by licorice is uncertain, and a role in the reproductive system has been proposed. This review aimed to summarize the current knowledge on the pharmacologic effects of licorice on male and female reproductive systems. ⋯ Licorice consumption can affect the reproductive system. However, its role needs to be further explored, especially due to the great variability of bioactive compounds used in existing studies.