The effects of substituting red and processed meat for mycoprotein on biomarkers of cardiovascular risk in healthy volunteers: an analysis of secondary endpoints from Mycomeat.

Purpose: Mycoprotein is a relatively novel food source produced from the biomass of Fusarium venenatum. It has previously been shown to improve CVD risk markers in intervention trials when it is compared against total meat. It has not hitherto been assessed specifically for benefits relative to red and processed meat.

Chronic consumption of a blend of inulin and arabinoxylan reduces energy intake in an ad libitum meal but does not influence perceptions of appetite and satiety: a randomised control-controlled crossover trial.

Purpose: Prebiotic foods can be used to increase production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) in the gut. Of the SCFA, propionate is credited with the strongest anorectic activity. In previous work, a 50/50 blend of inulin and arabinoxylan was produced (I + AX) that significantly increased propionate production in an in vitro gut model.

Substituting meat for mycoprotein reduces genotoxicity and increases the abundance of beneficial microbes in the gut: Mycomeat, a randomised crossover control trial.

Purpose: The high-meat, low-fibre Western diet is strongly associated with colorectal cancer risk. Mycoprotein, produced from Fusarium venanatum, has been sold as a high-fibre alternative to meat for decades. Hitherto, the effects of mycoprotein in the human bowel have not been well considered.

Cross-feeding interactions between human gut commensals belonging to the and genera when grown on dietary glycans.

Elements of the human gut microbiota metabolise many host- and diet-derived, non-digestible carbohydrates (NDCs). Intestinal fermentation of NDCs salvages energy and resources for the host and generates beneficial metabolites, such as short chain fatty acids, which contribute to host health. The development of functional NDCs that support the growth and/or metabolic activity of specific beneficial gut bacteria, is desirable, but dependent on an in-depth understanding of the pathways of carbohydrate fermentation.

The nutritional impact of replacing dietary meat with meat alternatives in the UK: a modelling analysis using nationally representative data.

Dietary patterns high in meat compromise both planetary and human health. Meat alternatives may help to facilitate meat reduction; however, the nutritional implications of displacing meat with meat alternatives does not appear to have been evaluated. Here, the ninth cycle of the National Diet and Nutrition Survey was used as the basis of models to assess the effect of meat substitution on nutritional intake.

Development of a prebiotic blend to influence in vitro fermentation effects, with a focus on propionate, in the gut.

Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) derived from the human gut microbiota, and in particular propionate, may beneficially influence metabolic processes such as appetite regulation. Development of prebiotics that induce high propionate levels during fermentation is desirable. A total of 11 candidate prebiotics were screened to investigate their fermentation characteristics, with a focus on propionate production in mixed anaerobic batch culture of faecal bacteria.

Impact of dietary supplementation with resistant dextrin (NUTRIOSE) on satiety, glycaemia, and related endpoints, in healthy adults.

Purpose: Resistant dextrin (RD) supplementation has been shown to alter satiety, glycaemia, and body weight, in overweight Chinese men; however, there are limited data on its effects in other demographic groups. Here, we investigated the effects of RD on satiety in healthy adults living in the United Kingdom.

Methods: 20 normal weight and 16 overweight adults completed this randomised controlled cross-over study.

The Role of the Gut Microbiota in Colorectal Cancer Causation.

Here, we reviewed emerging evidence on the role of the microbial community in colorectal carcinogenesis. A healthy gut microbiota promotes intestinal homeostasis and can exert anti-cancer effects; however, this microbiota also produces a variety of metabolites that are genotoxic and which can negatively influence epithelial cell behaviour. Disturbances in the normal microbial balance, known as dysbiosis, are frequently observed in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients.

Modelling the role of microbial p-cresol in colorectal genotoxicity.

: A greater understanding of mechanisms explaining the interactions between diet and the gut microbiota in colorectal cancer is desirable. Genotoxic microbial metabolites present in the colon may be implicated in carcinogenesis and potentially influenced by diet. : We hypothesised that microbial p-cresol is a colonic genotoxin and set out to model potential exposures in the colon and the effects of these exposures on colonic cells.

Metabolic targets of watercress and PEITC in MCF-7 and MCF-10A cells explain differential sensitisation responses to ionising radiation.

Purpose: Watercress is a rich source of phytochemicals with anticancer potential, including phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC). We examined the potential for watercress extracts and PEITC to increase the DNA damage caused by ionising radiation (IR) in breast cancer cells and to be protective against radiation-induced collateral damage in healthy breast cells. The metabolic events that mediate such responses were explored using metabolic profiling.

A pilot investigation to optimise methods for a future satiety preload study.

Background: Preload studies are used to investigate the satiating effects of foods and food ingredients. However, the design of preload studies is complex, with many methodological considerations influencing appetite responses. The aim of this pilot investigation was to determine acceptability, and optimise methods, for a future satiety preload study.

Olive Polyphenols and the Metabolic Syndrome.

Here, the effects of consuming polyphenol-rich olive products, including olive leaves, their crude extract, and extra virgin olive oil, on aspects of the metabolic syndrome are reviewed. We have sought to summarize the available scientific evidence from dietary intervention trials demonstrating a role for these phytochemicals in ameliorating aberrant glucose metabolism, high blood pressure and elevated blood lipids, and we discuss the potential mechanisms underpinning these observations. Searches for relevant literature published in English were conducted via PubMed and Science Direct.

In vitro approaches to assess the effects of açai (Euterpe oleracea) digestion on polyphenol availability and the subsequent impact on the faecal microbiota.

A considerable proportion of dietary plant-polyphenols reach the colon intact; determining the effects of these compounds on colon-health is of interest. We hypothesise that both fibre and plant polyphenols present in açai (Euterpe oleracea) provide prebiotic and anti-genotoxic benefits in the colon. We investigated this hypothesis using a simulated in vitro gastrointestinal digestion of açai pulp, and a subsequent pH-controlled, anaerobic, batch-culture fermentation model reflective of the distal region of the human large intestine.

Consumption of a flavonoid-rich açai meal is associated with acute improvements in vascular function and a reduction in total oxidative status in healthy overweight men.

Background: Açai (Euterpe oleracea) is a polyphenol-rich fruit marketed as beneficial for health. Experimental data showing improvements in health markers arising from açai consumption in humans is limited.

Objective: The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of açai consumption on acute changes in vascular function and on other disease risk markers, including postprandial plasma insulin, glucose, and oxidative stress.

Transcriptomics and proteomics show that selenium affects inflammation, cytoskeleton, and cancer pathways in human rectal biopsies.

Epidemiologic studies highlight the potential role of dietary selenium (Se) in colorectal cancer prevention. Our goal was to elucidate whether expression of factors crucial for colorectal homoeostasis is affected by physiologic differences in Se status. Using transcriptomics and proteomics followed by pathway analysis, we identified pathways affected by Se status in rectal biopsies from 22 healthy adults, including 11 controls with optimal status (mean plasma Se = 1.

Clonal expansion of early to mid-life mitochondrial DNA point mutations drives mitochondrial dysfunction during human ageing.

Age-related decline in the integrity of mitochondria is an important contributor to the human ageing process. In a number of ageing stem cell populations, this decline in mitochondrial function is due to clonal expansion of individual mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) point mutations within single cells. However the dynamics of this process and when these mtDNA mutations occur initially are poorly understood.

Nutritional factors and gender influence age-related DNA methylation in the human rectal mucosa.

Aberrant methylation of CpG islands (CGI) occurs in many genes expressed in colonic epithelial cells, and may contribute to the dysregulation of signalling pathways associated with carcinogenesis. This cross-sectional study assessed the relative importance of age, nutritional exposures and other environmental factors in the development of CGI methylation. Rectal biopsies were obtained from 185 individuals (84 male, 101 female) shown to be free of colorectal disease, and for whom measurements of age, body size, nutritional status and blood cell counts were available.

MYOD-1 in normal colonic mucosa--role as a putative biomarker?

Background: DNA methylation of promoter-associated CpG islands of certain genes may play a role in the development of colorectal cancer. The MYOD-1 gene which is a muscle differentiation gene has been showed to be significantly methylated in colorectal cancer which, is an age related event. However the role of this gene in the colonic mucosa is not understood and whether methylation occurs in subjects without colon cancer.

Quantification of mitochondrial DNA mutation load.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations are an important cause of genetic disease and have been proposed to play a role in the ageing process. Quantification of total mtDNA mutation load in ageing tissues is difficult as mutational events are rare in a background of wild-type molecules, and detection of individual mutated molecules is beyond the sensitivity of most sequencing based techniques. The methods currently most commonly used to document the incidence of mtDNA point mutations in ageing include post-PCR cloning, single-molecule PCR and the random mutation capture assay.

Diet, ageing and genetic factors in the pathogenesis of diverticular disease.

Diverticular disease (DD) is an age-related disorder of the large bowel which may affect half of the population over the age of 65 in the UK. This high prevalence ranks it as one of the most common bowel disorders in western nations. The majority of patients remain asymptomatic but there are associated life-threatening co-morbidities, which, given the large numbers of people with DD, translates into a considerable number of deaths per annum.

The potential mechanisms involved in the anti-carcinogenic action of probiotics.

Probiotic bacteria are live microbial food ingredients that provide a health benefit to the consumer. In the past it was suggested that they served to benefit the host primarily through the prevention of intestinal infections. More recent studies have implicated probiotic bacteria in a number of other beneficial effects within the host including: *The suppression of allergies.

Effects of fermentation products of pro- and prebiotics on trans-epithelial electrical resistance in an in vitro model of the colon.

Evidence from in vivo and in vitro studies suggests that the consumption of pro- and prebiotics may inhibit colon carcinogenesis; however, the mechanisms involved have, thus far, proved elusive. There are some indications from animal studies that the effects are being exerted during the promotion stage of carcinogenesis. One feature of the promotion stage of colorectal cancer is the disruption of tight junctions, leading to a loss of integrity across the intestinal barrier.