Nutrition
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Although a favorable effect of dietary folate and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) on depression is suggested from epidemiologic studies in Western countries, evidence from non-Western populations is lacking. We examined cross-sectional associations between the intake of folate, other B vitamins, and omega-3 PUFAs and depressive symptoms in Japanese adults. ⋯ Higher dietary intake of folate was associated with a lower prevalence of depressive symptoms in Japanese men but not women.
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Malnutrition, characterized by a loss of lean body mass, enhances the risk of pressure ulcers (PUs). Because the intrinsic risk factor nutritional status in PU development can be influenced by practitioners' interventions, the use of clinical guidelines might be a satisfactory management approach. This study investigated the influence of using nutritional guidelines in daily practice on the actual nutritional care that PU (prone) patients receive, and barriers with regard to providing nutritional support were also explored. ⋯ Using a nutritional guideline in PU care contributes to the amount of nutritional screening conducted in daily practice and to the content and extent of the assessment.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
A randomized clinical trial comparing low-glycemic index versus ADA dietary education among individuals with type 2 diabetes.
We compared the effects of a low glycemic index (GI) diet with the American Diabetes Association (ADA) diet on glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) among individuals with type 2 diabetes. ⋯ Compared with the ADA diet, the low-GI diet achieved equivalent control of HbA1c using less diabetic medication. Despite its limited size, this trial suggests that a low-GI diet is a viable alternative to the ADA diet. Findings should be evaluated in a larger randomized controlled trial.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
A palm oil-rich diet may reduce serum lipids in healthy young individuals.
The literature on palm oil as a cholesterol-raising oil is conflicting, requiring further studies. This study tested the influence of a palm oil-rich diet on plasma lipids of healthy young individuals. ⋯ This study shows that boiled crude palm oil may have a mild, triacylglycerol-reducing effect in young, healthy individuals and may also show a mild LDL-C-increasing effect in males.
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The objective of this study was to evaluate whether mandatory fortification of grain products with folic acid in the United States is associated with changes in DNA methyltransferase-1 (Dnmt-1) expression in cells involved in cervical carcinogenesis. ⋯ These results suggest that mandatory fortification with folic acid in the United States seems to have resulted in a change in the degree of expression of Dnmt-1 in cells involved in cervical carcinogenesis. Because the approach we have taken to demonstrate these differences have limitations inherent to a study of this nature and this is the first study to report a folate fortification associated change in Dnmt-1, validating these results in other study populations and/or with other techniques of assessing Dnmt-1 will increase the scientific credibility of these findings.