Nutrition
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This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different meditation practices on eating behavior, changes in body weight, and mental health. ⋯ The findings indicate that the inclusion of meditation practice as part of the management of overweight may reduce dysfunctional eating behaviors and negative emotions, thereby contributing to weight loss, especially in the long term.
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A study was carried out to identify characteristics of consumers of dairy products. ⋯ Among young people, as many as 39% do not follow the principles of healthy eating, and these are mainly women. Respondents' proinnovative attitudes and social status were conducive to increasing calcium intake and correlate with greater diversity in the consumption of dairy products. The Pearson correlation coefficient between body mass index and calcium intake was not significant (r = -0.03; P = 0.76).
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The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of body fat, anti- and inflammatory adipokines with anti- and oxidative markers. ⋯ The body fat measures and adiposity-related inflammation (chemerin) were positively associated with antioxidative markers in children, whereas the adiponectin (anti-inflammatory marker) was inversely associated with FRAP (antioxidative marker).
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A frequently suggested approach to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGEs) caused by food production is to reduce the intake of animal products, which can create nutritional deficiencies. This study aimed to identify culturally acceptable nutritional solutions for German adults that are both climate friendly and health promoting. ⋯ A linear programming approach for optimizing the German habitual diet to be healthy, affordable, and meet the IPCC GHGE threshold was possible for several dietary patterns and appears to be a feasible way forward toward including climate goals into food-based dietary guidelines.
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Glia (i.e., astrocyte and microglia) activation in the central nervous system plays a critical role in developing neuropathic pain. Microglia can be activated into proinflammatory (M1) and anti-inflammatory (M2) phenotypes. Switching microglial polarization from M1 to M2 phenotypes represents a novel therapeutic strategy for neuropathic pain. Curcumin has been widely used for its anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. This study investigated effects of curcumin on astrocyte activation and microglia polarization in the cuneate nucleus (CN) and development of neuropathic pain behavior after chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the median nerve. ⋯ In our findings, curcumin switches microglial phenotypes from M1 to M2 by suppressing astrocytic activation, reducing proinflammatory cytokine release, promoting anti-inflammatory cytokine production, and contributing to relief of neuropathic pain.