Ergothioneine Mitigates Telomere Shortening under Oxidative Stress Conditions.

Shortened telomeres are associated with aging and age-related diseases. Oxidative stress is thought to be a major contributor to telomere shortening, and antioxidants may be able to mitigate these effects. Ergothioneine is a naturally occurring amino acid with potent antioxidant properties.

The Forgotten Fruit: A Case for Consuming Avocado Within the Traditional Mediterranean Diet.

The Mediterranean diet is rich in fruits and vegetables and includes an abundant intake of oleic-acid-rich olive oil. People who adhere to a Mediterranean diet have reduced risk for numerous chronic diseases. As obesity rates rise globally, people who choose to follow a traditional Mediterranean diet and/or make improvements in food choices may reduce their risk of metabolic dysfunction and disease.

Pilot Study of the Tart Cherry Juice for the Treatment of Insomnia and Investigation of Mechanisms.

Background: Insomnia is common in the elderly and is associated with chronic disease, but use of hypnotics increases the incidence of falls. Montmorency tart cherry juice has improved insomnia by self-report questionnaire.

Study Question: Is insomnia confirmed by polysomnography and is tryptophan availability a potential mechanism for treating insomnia?

Study Design: A placebo-controlled balanced crossover study with subjects older than 50 years and insomnia were randomized to placebo (2 weeks) or cherry juice (2 weeks) (240 mL 2 times/d) separated by a 2-week washout.

A healthy approach to dietary fats: understanding the science and taking action to reduce consumer confusion.

Consumers are often confused about nutrition research findings and recommendations. As content experts, it is essential that nutrition scientists communicate effectively. A case-study of the history of dietary fat science and recommendations is presented, summarizing presentations from an Experimental Biology Symposium that addressed techniques for effective scientific communication and used the scientific discourse of public understanding of dietary fats and health as an example of challenges in scientific communication.

Pilot feasibility and safety study examining the effect of medium chain triglyceride supplementation in subjects with mild cognitive impairment: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Impaired brain glucose metabolism appears to be a potential pathogenic feature of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). This study examined the potential for increasing circulating ketone bodies through medium chain triglyceride (MCT) supplementation, as a means to beneficially modulate brain homeostasis in subjects with MCI.

Methods: Six participants with MCI were enrolled in a randomized placebo-controlled trial.

The effect of caffeine and albuterol on body composition and metabolic rate.

Objective: Caffeine and ephedrine was an effective combination therapy for weight loss until ephedrine was removed from the market due to safety concerns. This study investigated the combination of caffeine and albuterol as a possibly safer alternative to ephedrine.

Methods: In a series of experiments using cultured adipocytes, rat models, and humans, the effects of caffeine and albuterol on lipolysis, metabolic rate, food intake, and body composition were evaluated.

The effect of an egg breakfast on satiety in children and adolescents: a randomized crossover trial.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of an egg breakfast on lunchtime energy intake in children (age 4-6 years) and adolescents (age 14-17 years).

Methods: In 2 randomized crossover trials, participants received either an egg breakfast or an isocaloric bagel breakfast. In both trials, subsequent lunchtime energy intake was the primary outcome.

Enhancement of broccoli indole glucosinolates by methyl jasmonate treatment and effects on prostate carcinogenesis.

Broccoli is rich in bioactive components, such as sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinol, which may impact cancer risk. The glucosinolate profile of broccoli can be manipulated through treatment with the plant stress hormone methyl jasmonate (MeJA). Our objective was to produce broccoli with enhanced levels of indole glucosinolates and determine its impact on prostate carcinogenesis.

The effect of leptin, caffeine/ephedrine, and their combination upon visceral fat mass and weight loss.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of combination caffeine/ephedrine and leptin A-200 on visceral fat mass and weight loss over 24 weeks.

Design And Methods: In this randomized, double-blind, parallel-arm trial, 90 obese subjects received one of the three treatments for 24 weeks: 200 mg caffeine/20 mg ephedrine t.i.

Dietary strategies to increase satiety.

Obesity has a multifactorial etiology. Although obesity is widespread and associated with serious health hazards, its effective prevention and treatment have been challenging. Among the currently available treatment approaches, lifestyle modification to induce a negative energy balance holds a particularly larger appeal due to its wider reach and relative safety.

Reducing the glycemic index or carbohydrate content of mixed meals reduces postprandial glycemia and insulinemia over the entire day but does not affect satiety.

Objective: We evaluated the effects of mixed meals differing in glycemic index (GI) and carbohydrate content on postprandial serum glucose and insulin response, hunger, and satiety over the course of a 12-h day.

Research Design And Methods: In this randomized crossover trial, 26 overweight or obese adults received four diets in random order (high GI, high carbohydrate [HGI-HC]; high GI, low carbohydrate [HGI-LC]; low GI, high carbohydrate [LGI-HC]; and low GI, low carbohydrate [LGI-LC]). All meals were prepared by a metabolic kitchen.

Lycopene and apo-10'-lycopenal do not alter DNA methylation of GSTP1 in LNCaP cells.

DNA hypermethylation and silencing of tumor-suppressor genes are commonly seen in human cancers, and likely contribute to the process of carcinogenesis. A growing body of evidence suggests that dietary compounds may alter cancer risk through epigenetic modifications. Glutathione S-transferase P1 (GSTP1) is hypermethylated in >90% of prostate cancer cases making it one of the most common genome alterations in prostate cancer.

Feeding tomato and broccoli powders enriched with bioactives improves bioactivity markers in rats.

Many studies have evaluated the cancer -preventive potential of individual bioactives from tomatoes and broccoli, but few have examined them within the context of a whole food. Male Copenhagen rats were fed diets containing 10% standard tomato powder, tomato enriched with lycopene or total carotenoids, standard broccoli floret, broccoli sprouts, or broccoli enriched with indole glucosinolates or selenium for 7 days. All broccoli diets increased the activity of colon quinone reductase (NQO1).