Nutrition
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This study aimed at investigating whether treatment with oligopeptides from marine salmon skin (OMSS) could modulate type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)-related hyperglycemia and β-cell apoptosis in rats induced by high fat diet and low doses of streptozotocin and its therapeutic mechanisms. ⋯ Treatment with OMSS significantly reduced FBG in diabetic rats. This antidiabetic activity may be mediated by down-regulating T2DM-related oxidative stress and inflammation, protecting the pancreatic β-cells from apoptosis.
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The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of maternal protein and energy-restricted diets during lactation in folliculogenesis and its relations to androgen and estrogen receptors in the offspring at puberty. ⋯ Our results suggest that maternal protein- and energy-restricted diets during lactation can disturb the follicular development of the offspring, probably by reducing the number of androgen and estrogen receptors in the ovary.
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Dietary supplementation with nutrients that have physiologic effects on immune function has been shown to be beneficial in subsets of patients with surgical and medical critical illness. However, several meta-analyses have suggested potential harm when immune nutrients are used inappropriately. ⋯ This article discusses the mechanisms by which immune nutrients can be used to modulate alterations in innate and acquired immunity associated with critical illness. In addition, recent evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for use of immunonutrition in adults is reviewed as a means to clarify some of the more controversial issues and provide a "roadmap" for the practitioner.
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We investigated the antioxidant potential and hypocholesterolemic effects of acai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) pulp ingestion in rats fed a standard or hypercholesterolemic diet. ⋯ These results suggest that the consumption of acai improves antioxidant status and has a hypocholesterolemic effect in an animal model of dietary-induced hypercholesterolemia.
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Comparative Study
Fat-free mass depletion in cystic fibrosis: associated with lung disease severity but poorly detected by body mass index.
Malnutrition in cystic fibrosis (CF) is associated with poorer survival, but the determinants of fat-free mass (FFM) depletion are not well-characterized. It is unknown whether routine nutritional indicators, including body mass index (BMI), are adequate for detecting FFM depletion. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of FFM depletion in adults with CF, to compare fat-free mass index (FFMI) with BMI, and to identify predictors of FFM depletion. ⋯ FFM depletion was found in 14% of adults with CF, but was undetectable by BMI in 58% of these patients. These findings, together with the association of FFMI with forced expiratory volume in 1 s predicted, suggest a role for body composition assessment in adult CF care.