Medicinal Components in Edible Mushrooms on Diabetes Mellitus Treatment.

Mushrooms belong to the family "Fungi" and became famous for their medicinal properties and easy accessibility all over the world. Because of its pharmaceutical properties, including anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and antioxidant properties, it became a hot topic among scientists. However, depending on species and varieties, most of the medicinal properties became indistinct.

Extract of white sweet potato tuber against TNF-α-induced insulin resistance by activating the PI3K/Akt pathway in C2C12 myotubes.

Background: White sweet potato (WSP; Ipomoea batatas L. Simon No. 1) has many potential beneficial effects on metabolic control and diabetes-related insulin resistance.

Association of beverage consumption types with weight, height, and body mass index in grade 3 children in northern Taiwan: A cross-sectional study.

Objectives: The prevalence of convenience and beverage stores in Taiwan provides an environment for children to access different beverages. To our knowledge, the relationship between beverage consumption types and anthropometrics in children has not been reported in Taiwan. The aim of this study was to examine the association between the consumption frequency of beverage type and anthropometrics in third-grade children.

White sweet potato ameliorates hyperglycemia and regenerates pancreatic islets in diabetic mice.

Background: White sweet potato (WSP) has many potential beneficial effects on metabolic control and on diabetes-related insulin resistance. The antihyperglycemic effects of Tainung No. 10 (TNG10), a variety of WSP in Taiwan, warrant investigation.

Infants' Vitamin D Nutritional Status in the First Year of Life in Northern Taiwan.

Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) and insufficiency (VDI) are common among exclusively breastfeeding infants. However, epidemiological evidence for the prevalence of VDD in infants during their first year of life in Taiwan has never been found. This trial determined the prevalence of VDD and VDI and the association between dietary vitamin D and vitamin D nutritional status in Northern Taiwan.

Iron Status of Infants in the First Year of Life in Northern Taiwan.

Iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) typically occur in developing countries. Notably, ID and IDA can affect an infant's emotion, cognition, and development. Breast milk is considered the best food for infants.

Evaluation of white sweet potato tube-feeding formula in elderly diabetic patients: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Elderly people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have an increased risk of diabetes-related microvascular and macrovascular complications, thus diabetic patients with a functioning gastrointestinal tract but without sufficient oral intake require enteral nutrition (EN) formulas to control blood glucose. White sweet potato (WSP) was a kind of sweet potato could provide a healthy carbohydrate source to EN formula. The aim of this study was to examine at risk of malnutrition T2DM patients whether a WSP-EN would attenuate glucose response and elevate nutritional index compared to a standard polymeric formulas.

Association between Postpartum Nutritional Status and Postpartum Depression Symptoms.

Taiwanese women may practice traditional confinement after childbirth, and no study has investigated the nutritional status and the effects of postpartum depression on such women. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between nutritional status and postpartum depression at 6-8 weeks postpartum. A cross-sectional study was conducted on postpartum women who returned to the obstetrics and gynecology clinic for routine examination from January 2016 to September 2017.

White Sweet Potato as Meal Replacement for Overweight White-Collar Workers: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Overweight and obesity are a global concern. Meal replacements (MRs) are portion- and calorie-controlled meals, which make the food environment part of an individual's weight loss regimen. White sweet potato (WSP; L.

Almonds ameliorate glycemic control in Chinese patients with better controlled type 2 diabetes: a randomized, crossover, controlled feeding trial.

Background: Almonds can decrease glycemic index of co-consumed foods and are a rich source for oleic acid and α-tocopherol. The aim of the randomized, crossover, controlled feeding trial was to examine whether as compared to NCEP step II diet as control (CON), ~60 g/d almonds (ALM) added to CON would improve glucoregulation and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in 33 Chinese T2DM patients.

Methods: Forty T2DM patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive CON or ALM for 12 wks after a 2-wk.

The effect of almonds on inflammation and oxidative stress in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a randomized crossover controlled feeding trial.

Purpose: Almond consumption is associated with ameliorations in obesity, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and hyperglycemia. The hypothesis of this 12-week randomized, crossover, controlled feeding trial was that almond consumption would ameliorate inflammation and oxidative stress in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) (9 M, 11 F; 58 years; BMI: 26 kg/m²) with mild hyperlipidemia.

Methods: After a 2-week run-in period, the patients were assigned to either a control NCEP step II diet (control diet) or almond diet for 4 weeks with a 2-week washout period between alternative diets.

Constituents in purple sweet potato leaves inhibit in vitro angiogenesis with opposite effects ex vivo.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro effect of polyphenols in purple sweet potato leaves (PSPLs) on angiogenesis in human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs). The ex vivo effect was test in human serum collected from the subjects who consumed 200 g of PSPL in a low polyphenol diet versus a low polyphenol diet.

Methods: Methanolic extract from PSPLs and human sera from subjects were treated with HUVECs and the effects of cell proliferation, migration, tube formation, and matrix metalloproteinase activity were investigated.

Effects of adlay bran and its ethanolic extract and residue on preneoplastic lesions of the colon in rats.

Background: Adlay (Coix lachryma-jobi L. var. ma-yuen Stapf) is a cereal crop used in traditional Chinese medicine and as a nutritious food.

Almond consumption improved glycemic control and lipid profiles in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Almond consumption is associated with ameliorations in obesity, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and hyperglycemia. The hypothesis of this 12-week randomized crossover clinical trial was that almond consumption would improve glycemic control and decrease the risk for cardiovascular disease in 20 Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) (9 male, 11 female; 58 years old; body mass index, 26 kg/m²) with mild hyperlipidemia. After a 2-week run-in period, patients were assigned to either a control National Cholesterol Education Program step II diet (control diet) or an almond diet for 4 weeks, with a 2-week washout period between alternative diets.

Riboflavin protects mice against liposaccharide-induced shock through expression of heat shock protein 25.

Riboflavin (vitamin B2) is a water-soluble vitamin essential for normal cellular functions, growth and development. This study aimed to investigate the effects of vitamin B2 on the survival rate, and expressions of tissue heat shock protein 25 (HSP25) and heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) in mice undergoing lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced shock. Mice were assigned to four groups, saline vehicle, LPS, LPS plus low dose of vitamin B2 (LB2) and LPS plus high dose of vitamin B2 (HB2).

Glycogen storage disease type IV: novel mutations and molecular characterization of a heterogeneous disorder.

Glycogen storage disease type IV (GSD IV; Andersen disease) is caused by a deficiency of glycogen branching enzyme (GBE), leading to excessive deposition of structurally abnormal, amylopectin-like glycogen in affected tissues. The accumulated glycogen lacks multiple branch points and thus has longer outer branches and poor solubility, causing irreversible tissue and organ damage. Although classic GSD IV presents with early onset of hepatosplenomegaly with progressive liver cirrhosis, GSD IV exhibits extensive clinical heterogeneity with respect to age at onset and variability in pattern and extent of organ and tissue involvement.

Consumption of purple sweet potato leaves decreases lipid peroxidation and DNA damage in humans.

Consumption of polyphenols is associated with reduced risk of chronic diseases, possibly via a variety of bio-mechanisms, including antioxidation and anti-inflammation. Purple sweet potato leaves (PSPL) commonly consumed in Asia possess polyphenols. In this study, we aim to investigate antioxidant effect of 200 g/d PSPL containing 902 mg polyphenols in a clinical trial.

Naturally occurring chlorophyll derivatives inhibit aflatoxin B1-DNA adduct formation in hepatoma cells.

The inhibitory effects of four chlorophyll derivatives (chlorophyllide [Chlide] a and b and pheophorbide [Pho] a and b) on aflatoxin B1 (AFB1)-DNA adduct formation, and on the modulation of hepatic glutathione S-transferase (GST) were evaluated in murine hepatoma (Hepa-1) cells. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay showed that pretreatment with Chlide or Pho significantly reduced the formation of AFB1-DNA adducts, and that Pho was the most potent inhibitor. However, wash-out prior to adding AFB1 totally eliminated inhibition by Childe and partially eliminated inhibition by Pho, indicating that the inhibitory effect of Chlide, and to some extent Pho, was mediated through direct trapping of AFB1.

Effect of purple sweet potato leaves consumption on the modulation of the immune response in basketball players during the training period.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the consumption of purple sweet potato leaves (PSPLs) on the immune response and the modulation of that response in 15 basketball players during a training period. They completed the 7-week study consisted of a run-in period (week 1), a PSPLs diet (200 g PSPLs/d; weeks 2, 3), a washout period (weeks 4, 5), and a control diet (low polyphenols content and carotenoid content adjusted to the same level as that of PSPLs diet; weeks 6 and 7). Blood, urine, and saliva samples were collected for biochemical analysis.

Effect of purple sweet potato leaf consumption on the modulation of the antioxidative status in basketball players during training.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of purple sweet potato leaves (PSPLs) consumption on antioxidative status and its modulation of that status in basketball players during training period. Fifteen elite basketball players were enrolled in this study. The seven-week study consisted of a run-in (week 1), PSPLs diet (daily consumption of 200 g PSPLs) (weeks 2, 3), washout (weeks 4, 5), and control diet (low polyphenol, with the amount of carotenoids adjusted to the same level as that of PSPLs) (weeks 6, 7).

Consumption of purple sweet potato leaves modulates human immune response: T-lymphocyte functions, lytic activity of natural killer cell and antibody production.

Aim: To study the immunological effects of physiological doses of purple sweet potato leaves (PSPL).

Methods: The randomized crossover study (two periods, each lasting for 2 wk) involved 16 healthy non-smoking adults of normal weight. The 6-wk study consisted of a run-in (wk 1) PSPL diet (daily consumption of 200 g PSPL) or a control diet (low polyphenols, with the amount of carotenoids adjusted to the same level as that of PSPL) (wk 2-3), washout diet (wk 4), and switched diet (wk 5-6).

Effects of chlorophyll-related compounds on hydrogen peroxide induced DNA damage within human lymphocytes.

Chlorophylls (Chl's) are the most abundant natural plant pigments. Four chlorophyll-related compounds (CRCs), including chlorophyllide a and b (Chlide a and b) and pheophorbide a and b (Pho a and b), were investigated for their antioxidative capacities to protect human lymphocyte DNA from hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) induced strand breaks and oxidative damage ex vivo. Lymphocytes exposed to H(2)O(2) at concentrations of 10 and 50 microM revealed an increased frequency of DNA single-strand breaks (ssb's; as measured by the comet assay) and also an increased level of oxidized nucleoside (as measured by 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine, 8-OHdG).

Effects of frying oil and Houttuynia cordata thunb on xenobiotic-metabolizing enzyme system of rodents.

Aim: To evaluate the effects of frying oil and Houttuynia cordata Thunb (H. cordata), a vegetable traditionally consumed in Taiwan, on the xenobiotic-metabolizing enzyme system of rodents.

Methods: Forty-eight Sprague-Dawley rats were fed with a diet containing 0%, 2% or 5% H.

A study of the antioxidative and antimutagenic effects of Houttuynia cordata Thunb. using an oxidized frying oil-fed model.

The aims of this study were to evaluate the antioxidative effect of a traditional Taiwanese vegetable, Houttuynia cordata Thunb. (H. cordata), by subjecting rodents to oxidized frying oil-induced oxidative stress, and to examine the antimutagenic effects of H.