A low-dose prebiotic fiber supplement reduces lipopolysaccharide-binding protein concentrations in a subgroup of young, healthy adults consuming low-fiber diets.

Although the beneficial effects of fiber supplementation on overall health and the gut microbiome are well-known, it is not clear whether fiber supplementation can also alter the concentrations of lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP), a marker of intestinal permeability. A secondary analysis of a previously conducted study was performed. In the randomized-order, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, cross-over study 20 healthy, young participants consuming a low-fiber diet at baseline were administered a daily dose of 12 g of prebiotic fiber compared with a placebo over a period of 4 weeks with a 4-week washout between arms.

Absorption, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and cardioprotective impacts of a novel fasting mimetic containing spermidine, nicotinamide, palmitoylethanolamide, and oleoylethanolamide: A pilot dose-escalation study in healthy young adult men.

This pilot dose-escalation study evaluated the absorption and metabolism of a novel fasting mimetic formulation containing spermidine, nicotinamide, palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), and oleoylethanolamide (OEA) taken as oral supplements in young adults. Five healthy men consumed a standardized breakfast, followed by control (wheat flour) or low, medium, or high doses of supplements containing spermidine, nicotinamide, PEA, and OEA 2 hours later. Blood was drawn at 0, 1, 2, and 4 hours after the supplement (2, 3, 4, and 6 hours postprandial).

Gut microbial metabolism in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

Multiple studies over the last decade have established that Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) are associated with changes in the gut microbiome. These alterations in organismal composition result in changes in the abundances of functions encoded by the microbial community, including metabolic capabilities, which likely impact host disease mechanisms. Gut microbes access dietary components and other molecules made by the host and produce metabolites that can enter circulation and cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB).

Multi-Omic Analyses Reveal Bifidogenic Effect and Metabolomic Shifts in Healthy Human Cohort Supplemented With a Prebiotic Dietary Fiber Blend.

Unlabelled: Dietary fiber, a nutrient derived mainly from whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and legumes, is known to confer a number of health benefits, yet most Americans consume less than half of the daily recommended amount. Convenience and affordability are key factors determining the ability of individuals to incorporate fiber-rich foods into their diet, and many Americans struggle to access, afford, and prepare foods rich in fiber. The objective of this clinical study was to test the changes in microbial community composition, human metabolomics, and general health markers of a convenient, easy to use prebiotic supplement in generally healthy young participants consuming a diet low in fiber.

Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplementation Increases High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) Cholesterol Efflux Capacity and Is Associated with Changes in the HDL Glycoproteome in Children.

Prenatal plus postnatal small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (SQ-LNS) improved child growth at 18 months in the International Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplements DYAD trial in Ghana. In this secondary outcome analysis, we determined whether SQ-LNS versus prenatal iron and folic acid (IFA) supplementation improves the cholesterol efflux capacity (CEC) of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles and alters their lipidomic, proteomic, or glycoproteomic composition in a subset of 80 children at 18 months of age. HDL CEC was higher among children in the SQ-LNS versus IFA group (20.

The Potential Utility of Prebiotics to Modulate Alzheimer's Disease: A Review of the Evidence.

The gut microbiome has recently emerged as a critical modulator of brain function, with the so-called gut-brain axis having multiple links with a variety of neurodegenerative and mental health conditions, including Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Various approaches for modulating the gut microbiome toward compositional and functional states that are consistent with improved cognitive health outcomes have been documented, including probiotics and prebiotics. While probiotics are live microorganisms that directly confer beneficial health effects, prebiotics are oligosaccharide and polysaccharide structures that can beneficially modulate the gut microbiome by enhancing the growth, survival, and/or function of gut microbes that in turn have beneficial effects on the human host.

Are eggs good again? A precision nutrition perspective on the effects of eggs on cardiovascular risk, taking into account plasma lipid profiles and TMAO.

Although eggs are a nutrient dense food delivering high quality protein and micronutrients, given that eggs are also rich in cholesterol and choline, whether egg intake is contraindicated for individuals at risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains controversial. In this mini review, we provide a Precision Nutrition perspective, highlighting the importance of two factors: the effect of egg cholesterol on plasma cholesterol concentrations in most people and in cholesterol hyper-absorbers, and the effect of egg choline on plasma concentrations of trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), a microbe-host co-metabolite independently associated with increased CVD risk. We discuss recent evidence from intervention studies showing that in most individuals egg intake does not have a deleterious effect on plasma lipid profiles, but also highlight that some individuals are cholesterol hyper-absorbers or individuals who are not able to maintain cholesterol homeostasis by suppressing endogenous cholesterol synthesis, and that for these individuals the intake of eggs and other dietary sources of cholesterol would be contraindicated.

Isolation of HDL by sequential flotation ultracentrifugation followed by size exclusion chromatography reveals size-based enrichment of HDL-associated proteins.

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles have multiple beneficial and cardioprotective roles, yet our understanding of their full structural and functional repertoire is limited due to challenges in separating HDL particles from contaminating plasma proteins and other lipid-carrying particles that overlap HDL in size and/or density. Here we describe a method for isolating HDL particles using a combination of sequential flotation density ultracentrifugation and fast protein liquid chromatography with a size exclusion column. Purity was visualized by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and verified by proteomics, while size and structural integrity were confirmed by transmission electron microscopy.

A Guide to Diet-Microbiome Study Design.

Intense recent interest in understanding how the human gut microbiome influences health has kindled a concomitant interest in linking dietary choices to microbiome variation. Diet is known to be a driver of microbiome variation, and yet the precise mechanisms by which certain dietary components modulate the microbiome, and by which the microbiome produces byproducts and secondary metabolites from dietary components, are not well-understood. Interestingly, despite the influence of diet on the gut microbiome, the majority of microbiome studies published to date contain little or no analysis of dietary intake.

Simultaneous Determination of Multi-Mycotoxins in Cereal Grains Collected from South Korea by LC/MS/MS.

An improved analytical method compared with conventional ones was developed for simultaneous determination of 13 mycotoxins (deoxynivalenol, nivalenol, 3-acetylnivalenol, aflatoxin B₁, aflatoxin B₂, aflatoxin G₁, aflatoxin G₂, fumonisin B₁, fumonisin B₂, T-2, HT-2, zearalenone, and ochratoxin A) in cereal grains by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) after a single immunoaffinity column clean-up. The method showed a good linearity, sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy in mycotoxin determination by LC/MS/MS. The levels of 13 mycotoxins in 5 types of commercial grains (brown rice, maize, millet, sorghum, and mixed cereal) from South Korea were determined in a total of 507 cereal grains.