Nutrition
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Comparative Study
Changes in ghrelin concentrations one year after resective and non-resective gastric bypass: associations with weight loss and energy and macronutrient intakes.
Ghrelin is a potent stimulator of appetite and synthesized in the stomach. Its role in weight loss after gastric bypass (GBP) is still controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relation between weight loss and food intake and between weight loss and changes in serum ghrelin concentrations 1 y after GBP with resection of the bypassed stomach (R-GBP) and without resection (NR-GBP). ⋯ A greater decrease in ghrelin levels was observed only in patients who underwent R-GBP at 12 mo after surgery. This difference was not associated with differences in dietary intakes or weight loss at the same time point. Therefore, the small gastric pouch is probably more important than decreased ghrelin levels in producing long-term weight loss after R-GBP.
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To assess whether selenium and carboxymethyl-lysine (CML), two biomarkers of oxidative stress, are independent predictors of anemia in older community-dwelling adults. ⋯ Elevated plasma CML and low plasma selenium are long-term independent predictors of anemia in older community-dwelling adults. These findings support the idea that oxidative stress contributes to the development of anemia.
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Multicenter Study
Changes in dietary habits and eating practices in adolescents living in urban South Africa: the birth to twenty cohort.
To assess changes in the dietary habits and eating practices of a longitudinal cohort of adolescents over a 5-y period living in Soweto and Johannesburg. ⋯ Poor eating habits in all three environments were found; the participants' propensity for foods that were energy dense and micronutrient poor was high. This study also found that dietary patterns are well established by 13 y of age.
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Review
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in children now: lifestyle changes and pharmacologic treatments.
Over the past decade, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become one of most common chronic liver diseases in children. A greater understanding about the risk factors and molecular pathogenesis of NAFLD suggests that lifestyle interventions aiming to decrease obesity/body mass index and metabolic derangement are the first line of treatments adopted in children affected by this disease. However, because these therapeutic options are often at the beginning misjudged by the patients and their parents, the use of pharmacologic agents may help to protect the liver and other organs from further irreversible tissue damage. ⋯ On this basis, insulin sensitizers, antioxidants, cytoprotective agents, and dietary supplementations have been evaluated in pediatric clinical trials. In this review, we discuss the efficacy of the dietary approaches, possibly coupled with regular exercise, on decreasing the metabolic and histologic damage in pediatric NAFLD. We also emphasize several advantages of the pharmacologic treatments adopted or adoptable in combination with lifestyle interventions in children with NAFLD.
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Case Reports
The significance of folate deficiency in alcoholic and nutritional neuropathies: analysis of a case.
To elucidate the significance of folate deficiency in alcoholic and nutritional neuropathies. ⋯ This case study indicates that folate deficiency should be monitored closely in patients with chronic alcoholism and associated malnutrition. Additionally, folate deficiency should be considered as a differential diagnosis of neuropathy.