Nutrition
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Approximately 45% of the elderly population suffers from chronic kidney disease (CKD). The onset and the course of CKD can be ameliorated to a significant degree by several interventions, such as lowering blood pressure and serum lipid levels and achieving optimal glucose control in diabetes. ⋯ However, in the elderly, feasibility and compliance to LPD could be difficult and its effects are uncertain. In this contribution, we discuss the usefulness and the barriers of LPD regimen in the elderly.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Acute effects of beer on endothelial function and hemodynamics: a single-blind, crossover study in healthy volunteers.
Moderate consumption of beer is associated with lower cardiovascular (CV) risk. The goal of this study was to determine the effect of beer consumption on CV risk. To explore the underlying mechanisms, we studied the acute effects of the constituents of beer (alcohol and antioxidants), on established predictors of CV risk: endothelial function, aortic stiffness, pressure wave reflections and aortic pressure. ⋯ Beer acutely improves parameters of arterial function and structure, in healthy non-smokers. This benefit seems to be mediated by the additive or synergistic effects of alcohol and antioxidants and merits further investigation.
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Review
Indirect calorimetry: a guide for optimizing nutritional support in the critically ill child.
The metabolic response of critically ill children is characterized by an increase in resting energy expenditure and metabolism, and energy needs of the critically ill child are dynamic, changing from a hypermetabolic to hypometabolic state through the continuum of the intensive care unit (ICU) stay. It therefore appears essential to have a precise evaluation of energy needs in these patients in order to avoid underfeeding and overfeeding, loss of critical lean body mass, and worsening of any existing nutrient deficiencies. However, there are no clear definitions regarding either the exact requirements or the ideal method for determining metabolic needs. ⋯ Although the standard use of indirect calorimetry is limited due to equipment availability, staffing, and cost, the accuracy of the commercially available devices continues to improve and the measurements have become more reliable and easier to perform. In the absence of sufficient data, prospective controlled studies need to be conducted in order to evaluate the benefit of tight calorie control achieved by accurately measuring the energy needs of the critically ill child. Optimizing measuring techniques could make this more feasible and decrease the need to rely on inaccurate equations while providing appropriate energy requirements.
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Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a heterogeneous and devastating neurodegenerative disease with increasing socioeconomic burden for society. In the past 30 y, notwithstanding advances in the understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease and consequent development of therapeutic approaches to novel pathogenic targets, no cure has so far emerged. This contribution focuses on recent nutritional approaches in the risk reduction and management of AD with emphasis on factors providing a rationale for nutritional approaches in AD, including compromised nutritional status, altered nutrient uptake and metabolism, and nutrient requirements for synapse formation. ⋯ Thus, these studies suggest that nutritional requirements in AD can be successfully addressed and result in improvements in behavioral and neuro-physiological alterations that are characteristic to AD. The recent advance of methodologies and techniques for early diagnosis of AD facilitates the investigation of strategies to reduce the risk for AD progression in the earliest stages of the disease. Nutrition-based approaches deserve further investigation as an integral part of such strategies due to their low risk for side effects and their potential to affect pathological processes of very early AD.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effects of creatine supplementation on oxidative stress and inflammatory markers after repeated-sprint exercise in humans.
The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of creatine (Cr) supplementation on oxidative stress and inflammation markers after acute repeated-sprint exercise in humans. ⋯ Cr supplementation inhibited the increase of inflammation markers TNF-α and CRP, but not oxidative stress markers, due to acute exercise.