The history of adipocyte and adipose tissue research in meat animals.

Research in growth and development, accumulation of lean, and fat metabolism in farm animals was gaining attention principally from a carcass perspective by meat scientists and animal nutritionists about a century ago. Under the auspices of the USDA Cooperative State Research Service, State Agricultural Experiment Stations, and the Land Grant University system, researchers from various universities embarked on forming combined regional research projects (across states) with unifying specific aims. In the North Central region, this included states in the upper and lower Mid-West region.

Determinants of erythrocyte omega-3 fatty acid content in response to fish oil supplementation: a dose-response randomized controlled trial.

Background: The erythrocyte membrane content of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which constitutes the omega-3 index (O3I), predicts cardiovascular disease mortality. The amount of EPA+DHA needed to achieve a target O3I is poorly defined, as are the determinants of the O3I response to a change in EPA+DHA intake. The objective of this study was to develop a predictive model of the O3I response to EPA+DHA supplementation in healthy adults, specifically identifying factors that determine the response.

Independent associations of serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and parathyroid hormone with blood pressure among US adults.

Objective: Vitamin D deficiency or high levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH) appear to be emerging risk factors for hypertension. This study examined whether serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and PTH were independently associated with blood pressure and the presence of hypertension or prehypertension among the United States adults.

Methods: Cross-sectional data from 7228 participants (aged > or =20 years) in the 2003-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were analyzed.

Dietary reference intakes for DHA and EPA.

Various organizations worldwide have made dietary recommendations for eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and fish intake that are primarily for coronary disease risk reduction and triglyceride (TG) lowering. Recommendations also have been made for DHA intake for pregnant women, infants, and vegetarians/vegans. A Dietary Reference Intake (DRI), specifically, an Adequate Intake (AI), has been set for alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of The National Academies.

ASAS centennial paper: animal growth and development research: historical perspectives.

From a historical perspective, it is difficult to identify a specific date that launched the field of endocrinology. One "biomarker" of the inception of endocrinology traces back to Ernest Henry Starling, who first introduced the word hormone in a talk given in 1905 at the Royal College of Physicians in London (Starling, 1905). A historical look at the field of endocrine regulation of animal growth since 1905 conveys that countless scientists worldwide worked to advance the scientific evidence base, which led to the commercial development of hormone-based products that enhanced growth and beneficially changed carcass composition of meat animals.

Survey of retail milk composition as affected by label claims regarding farm-management practices.

A trend in food labeling is to make claims related to agricultural management, and this is occurring with dairy labels. A survey study was conducted to compare retail milk for quality (antibiotics and bacterial counts), nutritional value (fat, protein, and solids-not-fat), and hormonal composition (somatotropin, insulin-like growth factor-1 [IGF-1], estradiol, and progesterone) as affected by three label claims related to dairy-cow management: conventional, recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST)-free (processor-certified not from cows supplemented with rbST), or organic (follows US Department of Agriculture organic practices). Retail milk samples (n=334) from 48 states were collected.

Dietary alpha-linolenic acid inhibits proinflammatory cytokine production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells in hypercholesterolemic subjects.

Background: Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease. We previously reported that a diet high in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) reduces lipid and inflammatory cardiovascular disease risk factors in hypercholesterolemic subjects.

Objective: The objective was to evaluate the effects of a diet high in ALA on serum proinflammatory cytokine concentrations and cytokine production by cultured peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from subjects fed the experimental diets.

Dietary stearic acid and risk of cardiovascular disease: intake, sources, digestion, and absorption.

Individual FA have diverse biological effects, some of which affect the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). In the context of food-based dietary guidance designed to reduce CVD risk, fat and FA recommendations focus on reducing saturated FA (SFA) and trans FA (TFA), and ensuring an adequate intake of unsaturated FA. Because stearic acid shares many physical properties with the other long-chain SFA but has different physiological effects, it is being evaluated as a substitute for TFA in food manufacturing.

Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids upregulate LDL receptor protein expression in fibroblasts and HepG2 cells.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of individual PUFAs on LDL receptor (LDLr) expression in human fibroblasts and HepG2 cells, and to evaluate whether acyl CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) and sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBP-1) were involved in the regulation of LDLr expression by fatty acids. When fibroblasts and HepG2 cells were cultured with serum-free defined medium for 48 h, there was a 3- to 5-fold (P < 0.05) increase in LDLr protein and mRNA levels.

Anti-inflammatory effects of polyunsaturated fatty acids in THP-1 cells.

The effects of linoleic acid (LA), alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were compared to that of palmitic acid (PA), on inflammatory responses in human monocytic THP-1 cells. When cells were pre-incubated with fatty acids for 2-h and then stimulated with lipopolysaccharide for 24-h in the presence of fatty acids, secretion of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1beta, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) was significantly decreased after treatment with LA, ALA, and DHA versus PA (P < 0.01 for all); ALA and DHA elicited more favorable effects.

Dietary alpha-linolenic acid reduces inflammatory and lipid cardiovascular risk factors in hypercholesterolemic men and women.

Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) reduces cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, possibly by favorably changing vascular inflammation and endothelial dysfunction. Inflammatory markers and lipids and lipoproteins were assessed in hypercholesterolemic subjects (n = 23) fed 2 diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol, and high in PUFA varying in ALA (ALA Diet) and linoleic acid (LA Diet) compared with an average American diet (AAD). The ALA Diet provided 17% energy from PUFA (10.

Somatotropic function: the somatomedin hypothesis revisited.

The discovery in 1922 that an alkaline extract of the anterior pituitary can increase growth and change carcass composition of rats led to the discovery of growth hormone (somatotropin, ST). Since the early studies, much has been learned about the biological effects of ST. The advent of recombinant DNA technology has led to the commercial development of ST-based products for animal agriculture.

Bioactive compounds in nutrition and health-research methodologies for establishing biological function: the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of flavonoids on atherosclerosis.

Identifying bioactive compounds and establishing their health effects are active areas of scientific inquiry. There are exciting prospects that select bioactive compounds will reduce the risk of many diseases, including chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease. Recent findings have established that cardiovascular disease is a disease of inflammation, and consequently is amenable to intervention via molecules that have anti-inflammatory effects.

Conjugated linoleic acid upregulates LDL receptor gene expression in HepG2 cells.

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) exerts anticarcinogenic and antiatherosclerotic effects in animals. The present study was conducted to examine the effects of CLA on LDL receptor (LDLr) expression in HepG2 cells, and to evaluate whether the sterol response element binding protein 1 (SREBP-1) and acyl CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) were involved in the regulation of LDLr expression by CLA. When HepG2 cells were cultured with serum-free DMEM for 48 h, there was a three- to fivefold (P<0.

Bioactive compounds in foods: their role in the prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer.

"Bioactive compounds" are extranutritional constituents that typically occur in small quantities in foods. They are being intensively studied to evaluate their effects on health. The impetus sparking this scientific inquiry was the result of many epidemiologic studies that have shown protective effects of plant-based diets on cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer.

Recent discoveries in inclusive food-based approaches and dietary patterns for reduction in risk for cardiovascular disease.

Purpose Of Review: To discuss new evidence-based dietary recommendations founded on an inclusive food strategy and to address the challenges that are posed by integrating a growing list of heart healthy foods into the diet without increasing energy intake beyond that required to achieve a healthy body weight.

Recent Findings: New food-based dietary recommendations issued by the American Heart Association with the objective of reducing risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) promote an inclusionary approach. The American Heart Association recommends a variety of foods to target four major goals: achieve a healthy overall diet, achieve a healthy weight, promote desirable lipid levels, and promote desirable blood pressure.

Dietary fat: assessing the evidence in support of a moderate-fat diet; the benchmark based on lipoprotein metabolism.

There is a growing database that has evaluated the effects of varying amounts of total fat on risk factors for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and overweight and obesity. The evidence clearly suggests that extremes in dietary fat should be avoided, and instead a diet moderate in total fat (25-35 % energy) is preferable for the majority of individuals. Moreover, we now appreciate the importance of individualizing dietary fat recommendations within this range of total fat.

Effects of cocoa powder and dark chocolate on LDL oxidative susceptibility and prostaglandin concentrations in humans.

Background: Flavonoids are polyphenolic compounds of plant origin with antioxidant effects. Flavonoids inhibit LDL oxidation and reduce thrombotic tendency in vitro. Little is known about how cocoa powder and dark chocolate, rich sources of polyphenols, affect these cardiovascular disease risk factors.

Porcine growth hormone: a central metabolic hormone involved in the regulation of adipose tissue growth.

During the past 20 y, much has been learned about how porcine growth hormone (pGH) affects growth and nutrient partitioning in growing pigs. Our contemporary understanding of the biology of pGH has as its roots the seminal studies conducted by Larry Machlin. His studies and many subsequent reports by other investigators have established that treatment of growing pigs with pGH markedly stimulates muscle growth and, concurrently, reduces fat deposition.

Transcriptional regulation of fatty acid synthase gene by somatotropin in 3T3-F442A adipocytes.

Somatotropin (ST) antagonizes insulin stimulation of fatty acid synthase (FAS) enzyme activity and gene transcription in adipocytes. Previous studies have shown that an insulin response element (IRE) is located in the proximal region of the FAS promoter (-71 to -50) and upstream stimulatory factor (USF) 1 binds to this IRE. The present study was conducted to initially evaluate whether there is a somatotropin response element (STRE) in the 5'flanking region of the FAS gene and to determine whether USF1 mediates the effect of ST on FAS gene transcription in 3T3-F442A adipocytes.

Low fat and high monounsaturated fat diets decrease human low density lipoprotein oxidative susceptibility in vitro.

Oxidative modification of low density lipoprotein (LDL) is thought to play an important role in the development of atherosclerosis. Some studies have found that LDL enriched in monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) are less susceptible to oxidation than LDL enriched in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). A high MUFA diet is an alternative to a lower-fat blood cholesterol-lowering diet.

Analysis of the signal pathways involved in the regulation of fatty acid synthase gene expression by insulin and somatotropin.

Our previous studies have shown that somatotropin (ST) antagonizes insulin stimulation of fatty acid synthase (FAS) enzyme activity and gene transcription in adipocytes. In the present study, inhibitors of insulin and ST signaling pathways were used to dissect the mechanisms by which these hormones regulate FAS gene expression in 3T3-F442A adipocytes. Treating 3T3-F442A adipocytes with 10 microM PD98059, an inhibitor of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase, did not affect the induction of FAS mRNA by insulin.

The effects of nuts on coronary heart disease risk.

Epidemiologic studies have consistently demonstrated beneficial effects of nut consumption on coronary heart disease (CHD) morbidity and mortality in different population groups. Clinical studies have reported total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol-lowering effects of heart-healthy diets that contain various nuts or legume peanuts. It is evident that the favorable fatty acid profile of nuts (high in unsaturated fatty acids and low in saturated fatty acids) contributes to cholesterol lowering and, hence, CHD risk reduction.

The biology of somatotropin in adipose tissue growth and nutrient partitioning.

During the past 20 years, much has been learned about how porcine somatotropin (pST) affects growth and nutrient partitioning in growing pigs. The development of techniques to produce large quantities of recombinantly derived pST enabled numerous long-term studies to be conducted in which the effects of daily pST administration could be evaluated. Collectively, these studies established that treatment of growing pigs with pST markedly stimulated muscle growth and, concurrently, reduced fat deposition.

Lowering dietary saturated fat and total fat reduces the oxidative susceptibility of LDL in healthy men and women.

The present study examined the effects of reducing dietary total fat and saturated fat (SFA) on LDL oxidative susceptibility in 27 healthy men and women (age 24-65 y). Each subject consumed each of three diets for 8 wk: an average American diet (AAD, 34% energy from fat, 15% from SFA), a Step-1 diet (29% fat, 9% SFA) and a very low SFA diet (Low-Sat, 25% fat, 6% SFA). In vitro LDL oxidation was assessed by copper-mediated oxidation, as measured by the kinetics of conjugated diene formation and lipid peroxide formation.