The ketogenic diet has emerged as a potential treatment strategy for reducing inflammation. The purpose of this meta-analysis and systematic review is to look into how a ketogenic diet affects inflammatory biomarkers in persons who are overweight or obese. .
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground/objectives: Sarcopenia involves the loss of muscle mass along with a decrease in muscle strength and physical performance. The aim of this paper was to compare the already published BIA equations for the estimation of Appendicular Skeletal Muscle Mass (ASMM) and Fat-Free Mass (FFM) with dual X-ray densitometer DXA estimations in order to determine whether Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) could be a feasible application on a general population for the detection of low muscle mass and sarcopenia.
Methods: Seventy-nine healthy women aged 40-70 years were included.
This systematic review investigates the potential of bergamot, a polyphenol-rich citrus fruit, in improving osteosarcopenic obesity, a condition characterized by the simultaneous presence of osteoporosis, obesity, and sarcopenia. Bergamot extracts have been suggested to possess several pharmacological properties, including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, which could be useful in the management of age-related diseases and neuromuscular health. The review highlights the promising effects of bergamot extracts on skeletal muscle mass and function, particularly in the context of obesity, metabolic syndrome, osteosarcopenic obesity, and osteoporosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUrinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common bacterial infections in postmenopausal women, and women with diabetes are possibly at a higher risk. The aim of this study is to evaluate the potential benefit on the prevention of UTI episodes, assessed by urinalysis and urine culture (primary outcome) after two, four and six months, of daily oral dietary supplement (120 mg highly standardized cranberry extract phytosome), compared to placebo, in diabetic postmenopausal women taking SGLT-2 inhibitors. Forty-six subjects (mean age 72.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFrailty is a common age-related clinical syndrome characterized by a decline in the function of multiple organ systems, increased vulnerability to stressors, and a huge socio-economic burden. Despite recent research efforts, the physiopathological mechanisms underlying frailty remain elusive and biomarkers able to predate its occurrence in the early stages are still lacking. Beyond its physical component, cognitive decline represents a critical domain of frailty associated with higher risk of adverse health outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdequate diet, physical activity, and dietary supplementation with muscle-targeted food for special medical purposes (FSMP) or dietary supplement (DS) are currently considered fundamental pillars in sarcopenia treatment. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a DS (containing hydroxy-methyl-butyrate, carnosine, and magnesium, for its action on muscle function and protein synthesis and butyrate and lactoferrin for their contribution to the regulation of gut permeability and antioxidant/anti-inflammation activity) on muscle mass (assessed by dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)), muscle function (by handgrip test, chair test, short physical performance battery (SPPB) test, and walking speed test), inflammation (tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a), C-reactive protein (CRP), and visceral adipose tissue (VAT)) and gut axis (by zonulin). A total of 59 participants (age 79.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe recently described increased D- and L-serine concentrations in the striatum of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-treated monkeys, the post-mortem caudate-putamen of human Parkinson's disease (PD) brains and the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of de novo living PD patients. However, data regarding blood D- and L-serine levels in PD are scarce. Here, we investigated whether the serum profile of D- and L-serine, as well as the other glutamate N-methyl-D-aspartate ionotropic receptor (NMDAR)-related amino acids, (i) differs between PD patients and healthy controls (HC) and (ii) correlates with clinical-demographic features and levodopa equivalent daily dose (LEDD) in PD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Given that rice serves as a crucial staple food for a significant portion of the global population and with the increasing number of individuals being diagnosed with diabetes, a primary objective in genetic improvement is to identify and cultivate low Glycemic Index (GI) varieties. This must be done while ensuring the preservation of grain quality.
Methods: 25 Italian rice genotypes were characterized calculating their GI "in vivo" and, together with other 29 Italian and non-Italian genotypes they were studied to evaluate the grain inner structure through Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) technique.
The literature shows how sarcopenia often occurs along with different phenotypes based either on the concomitant presence of adipose tissue excess (i.e., sarcopenic obesity, SO), or osteopenia/osteoporosis (osteosarcopenia, OS), or the combination of the two conditions, so-called osteosarcopenic obesity (OSO).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Chronic fatigue (CF) is a complex phenomenon without clear etiology that may require long-term treatment, but to date, no specific therapy has been identified for it. Some botanicals might be helpful in the management of CF. Among these botanicals, quercetin demonstrates its capacity to modulate multiple biological pathways and acknowledged major properties in CF: antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulating, improving exercise endurance, enhancing mitochondrial biogenesis, repairing mitochondrial dysfunction.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNutrients
August 2023
Background: Overweight and obesity have reached epidemic proportions and safe treatments are needed to heal these diseases.
Objective: The objective of this study is to examine the activity of a medical device based on polyglucosamine polymers (PG) on body weight (BW) reduction, insulin resistance, and the serum levels of fat-soluble vitamins and glucosamine.
Methods: A double-blind placebo-controlled interventional study comparing PG and a placebo (PL) was conducted.
Many eye diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy (DR), age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and cataracts are preventable and treatable with lifestyle. The objective of this review is to assess the most recent research on the ideal dietary approach to prevent or support the treatment of DR, AMD, and cataracts, as well as to construct a food pyramid that makes it simple for people who are at risk of developing these pathologies to decide what to eat. The food pyramid presented here proposes what should be consumed every day: 3 portions of low glycemic index (GI) grains (for fiber and zinc content), 5 portions (each portion: ≥200 g/day) of fruits and vegetables (spinach, broccoli, zucchini cooked, green leafy vegetables, orange, kiwi, grapefruit for folic acid, vitamin C, and lutein/zeaxanthin content, at least ≥42 μg/day, are to be preferred), extra virgin olive (EVO) oil (almost 20 mg/day for vitamin E and polyphenols content), nuts or oil seeds (20-30 g/day, for zinc content, at least ≥15.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe objectives of this narrative review are as follows: an evaluation of the bromatological composition of hazelnuts and a comparison of the nutritional properties of raw versus roasted hazelnuts, taking into account potential differences among varieties from different production territories such as Turkey, Italy, Chile, and New Zealand; an evaluation of nutrients contained in hazelnut skin; and an evaluation of nutrients contained in hazelnut oil. This review incorporates 27 scientific articles that measured and reported the concentrations of macro- and micro-nutrients in hazelnuts. These hazelnuts were subjected to different processing methods, originated from various geographical areas, or belonged to different varieties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRice is generally considered a high-glycemic index (GI) food, but numerous studies show that parboiling reduces the GI. There are no studies on GI of Indica and Japonica subspecies parboiled rice grown in Italy. The aim of this study was (1) to evaluate GI in different varieties of parboiled rice (ribe, white and brown long B, basmati, black, red, roma, and arborio); (2) to evaluate GI of same variety of rice subjected to different rice parboiling processes (parboiled ribe and parboiled long B with two different methods: flora and conventional method); (3) to evaluate GI of two by-products of parboiled rice: white and brown rice cake.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCongenital alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) is a rare inherited disorder caused by the mutation of the SERPINA1 gene on chromosome 14. At pulmonary level, AAT deficiency leads to an increased risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and emphysema, starting from the third-fourth decade of life. At hepatic level, some variants of the allelic, in particular PI*Z, cause a conformational change of the AAT molecule, which polymerizes within the hepatocytes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEpidemiological and public health resonance of sarcopenia in late life requires further research to identify better clinical markers useful for seeking proper care strategies in preventive medicine settings. Using a machine-learning approach, a search for clinical and fluid markers most associated with sarcopenia was carried out across older populations from northern and southern Italy. A dataset of adults >65 years of age ( = 1971) made up of clinical records and fluid markers from either a clinical-based subset from northern Italy (Pavia) and a population-based subset from southern Italy (Apulia) was employed ( = 1312 and = 659, respectively).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEarly dietary treatment is mind-saving in patients with phenylketonuria. A "diet-for-life" is advocated, aimed to prevent effects of chronic exposure to hyperphenylalaninemia. While adherence to diet is significant during childhood as patients are followed-up at specialized metabolic centers, during adolescence and adulthood percentage of patients discontinuing diet and/or lost at follow-up is still high.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The scientific literature provides evidence that nutritional ketosis can be an important support in the treatment of pathologies in which inflammation is present, as recent studies have shown that ketone bodies have anti-inflammatory activity in numerous diseases, including rheumatic diseases. We report the case of a 22-year-old woman with class I obesity and juvenile idiopathic arthritis who started treatment with a very low calorie ketogenic diet (VLCKD).
Case Summary: The patient was a 22-year-old woman diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis at age 4 years and with a body mass index (BMI) of 30.
This study aims to examine the relation between visceral adipose tissue (VAT), as a proxy for metabolically unhealthy obesity, muscle, as a proxy for muscle quality and sarcopenia, and bone, as a proxy for bone mineral density and osteoporosis. Other variables, such metabolic syndrome, nutritional status, number of diseases, kidney and liver function and inflammation were assessed as direct or indirect effects. This study used structural equation modeling (SEM) in a sample of 713 older women (mean age 82.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRecent literature has shown that vitamin D, in addition to its well-known activity on the skeleton, has many positive effects on health. Unfortunately, it is not easy to meet intake needs solely with food. Mushrooms could provide a valid way to achieve this goal, because they are one of the few sources of vitamin D.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMenopause is characterized by weight gain and increased visceral fat, which acts as an endocrine organ secreting proinflammatory adipocytokines, with consequent increased risk of metabolic disorders. The aim of this double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial was to evaluate the effects of a 60-day dietary supplementation using leaf extract on adipose tissue dysfunction in overweight or class I obese post-menopausal, sedentary women. Primary endpoints were the respiratory quotient (RQ), the percentage of carbohydrates (%CHO), the percentage of fat oxidation (%FAT), and the resting energy expenditure (REE) measured by indirect calorimetry.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSarcopenia is a complex process characterized by a progressive decrease in muscle mass and strength. Various nutrients have been shown to be effective in supporting muscular performance. This randomized clinical trial aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a 2-month administration of food for special medical purposes composed of omega-3 fatty acids (500 mg), leucine (2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aim of this study is to assess the bone mineral density (BMD) and -score reference values in a population from 18 to 95 years old in Lombardy region, Italy. This study also investigates the association between BMD values and body mass index (BMI) divided by gender and age. The evaluation of BMD was analyzed by -score and BMD in each site, femur, and column.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHelicobacter pylori (H. Pylori) infection is the main bacterial cause of several gastrointestinal disorders. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of H.
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