Sugars and Sweet Taste: Addictive or Rewarding?

The notion of food "addiction" often focuses on the overconsumption of sweet tasting foods or so-called sugar "addiction". In the extreme, some have suggested that sugar and sweet tastes elicit neural and behavioral responses analogous to those observed with drugs of abuse. These concepts are complicated by the decades long uncertainty surrounding the validity and reproducibility of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) methodologies used to characterize neurobiological pathways related to sugar and sweet taste stimuli.

Daily Eating Frequency in US Adults: Associations with Low-Calorie Sweeteners, Body Mass Index, and Nutrient Intake (NHANES 2007-2016).

Studies of relationships between eating frequency and/or timing and energy intake have not examined associations with low-calorie sweeteners (LCS). We assessed the frequency of eating behavior related to LCS consumption emphasizing timing, calorie intake, and body mass index (BMI) among United States (US) adults aged ≥19 years. Using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007-2016, we defined eating episodes as food and/or beverage intake within 15 min of one another over the first 24-h dietary recall.

Low-Calorie Sweeteners in Foods, Beverages, and Food and Beverage Additions: NHANES 2007-2012.

Background: Most publications about low-calorie sweeteners (LCSs) focus on person-level intake prevalence.

Objective: We assessed LCS distribution in foods, beverages, and food and beverage additions (FBAs), e.g.

Low-Calorie Sweeteners: Exploring Underutilized Database Resources to Understand Dietary Patterns and Obesity.

The use and impact of low-calorie sweeteners (LCS) in relation to the national challenges of overweight and obesity are complex and controversial. Most research on LCS have focused on the prevalence of consumption of LCS in beverages. The 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee emphasized dietary patterns and health rather than a focus on specific nutrients or foods.

Reported Consumption of Low-Calorie Sweetener in Foods, Beverages, and Food and Beverage Additions by US Adults: NHANES 2007-2012.

Background: Low-calorie sweeteners (LCSs), artificial sweeteners, or high-intensity sweeteners are incorporated into foods, beverages, and food and beverage additions (FBAs). Many prior studies have focused on LCS beverage consumption, but not included LCS consumption from foods or FBAs.

Objectives: We aimed to describe the prevalence of LCS consumption by US adults, and to examine the relation between intake of products containing LCSs and macronutrients.

Effects of HIV infection on the metabolic and hormonal status of children with severe acute malnutrition.

Background: HIV infection occurs in 30% of children with severe acute malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa. Effects of HIV on the pathophysiology and recovery from malnutrition are poorly understood.

Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study of 75 severely malnourished Ugandan children.

Severe acute malnutrition in childhood: hormonal and metabolic status at presentation, response to treatment, and predictors of mortality.

Objective: Malnutrition is a major cause of childhood morbidity and mortality. To identify and target those at highest risk, there is a critical need to characterize biomarkers that predict complications prior to and during treatment.

Methods: We used targeted and nontargeted metabolomic analysis to characterize changes in a broad array of hormones, cytokines, growth factors, and metabolites during treatment of severe childhood malnutrition.

Vitamin D3 supplementation improves insulin sensitivity in subjects with impaired fasting glucose.

Vitamin D has in vitro and in vivo effects on β cells and insulin sensitivity. Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) has been associated with the onset and progression of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM-2). However, studies involving supplementation of vitamin D in subjects with previously established diabetes have demonstrated inconsistent effects on insulin sensitivity.

The effect of traditional risk factors for stone disease on calcium oxalate crystal adherence in the rat bladder.

Crystal adherence in the urinary tract has been studied using the chemically injured rat bladder and cell cultures. These studies have provided evidence that mucin prevents adherence and have studied various compounds for their ability to promote or inhibit crystal adherence. Little work has been done examining the effect on crystal adherence of traditional risk factors for stone disease.

Integration of an Internet-based medical chart into a pharmacotherapy lecture series.

Objectives: To integrate an Internet-based medical chart (IMC) system into a pharmacotherapy course to facilitate evaluation and feedback processes, foster development of written documentation skills, and prepare pharmacy students for future changes in electronic medical documentation systems.

Design: An IMC system was introduced into a pharmacotherapy course for third-professional year pharmacy students and 4 "finish the SOAP note" activities were added to the curriculum. Students' performance on the SOAP notes were assessed by a team of evaluators.

Effect of conjugated equine estrogens on oxidative metabolism in middle-aged and elderly postmenopausal women.

The effects of conjugated equine estrogens (CEE) 0.625 mg daily on cytochrome P450 (CYP) were quantified in 12 middle-aged and 13 elderly postmenopausal women at baseline and 6 months later. CYP phenotype was characterized by caffeine (CYP1A2), chlorzoxazone (CYP2E1), dapsone (CYP, N-acetyltransferase 2), dextromethorphan (CYP2D6), and mephenytoin (CYP2C19) metabolism.

B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal pro-BNP in obese patients without heart failure: relationship to body mass index and gastric bypass surgery.

Background: Further investigations are warranted to better characterize variables that may confound the clinical interpretation of plasma natriuretic peptide measurements, which are increasingly recognized to have diagnostic and predictive importance.

Methods: Blood samples (EDTA plasma) from patients (n = 206) attending clinics for the medical treatment and follow-up of obesity were analyzed for B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP; Bayer assay) and the N-terminal segment of its prohormone (NT-proBNP; Roche assay). Natriuretic peptide concentration ranges were evaluated in those without diagnosis of congestive heart failure (CHF) or chronic kidney disease (CKD).

A prospective, randomized comparison of the metabolic effects of pioglitazone or rosiglitazone in patients with type 2 diabetes who were previously treated with troglitazone.

Objective: To characterize potential differences in glycemic control, plasma lipid level, and weight in a cohort of patients previously treated with troglitazone (TROG) who were switched to either pioglitazone or rosiglitazone.

Research Design And Methods: After a 2-week washout from TROG, 186 patients were randomly assigned to receive either pioglitazone (PIO) or rosiglitazone (ROSI). Weight, HbA(1c), and fasting lipid profile were documented before discontinuing TROG and at 4 months after starting either pioglitazone or rosiglitazone.

The Effects of Lansoprazole on the Disposition of Antipyrine and Indocyanine Green in Normal Human Subjects.

This study was designed to evaluate the potential effects of acute and chronic daily oral doses of lansoprazole (60 mg) on the disposition of antipyrine, an almost completely metabolized low hepatic extraction compound, and indocyanine green, a hepatically secreted compound with high extraction ratio. The study utilized a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, two-period crossover design. Sixteen of 18 subjects completed all phases of the study.

Disposition of Misoprostol and Its Active Metabolite in Impaired Hepatic Function.

The pharmacokinetics of misoprostol and its active metabolite, misoprostol acid, was assessed in 17 healthy subjects and 17 subjects with various degrees of hepatic impairment. Before misoprostol administration, subjects underwent antipyrine and indocyanine green clearance studies to assess hepatic functional capacity. Subjects were administered 400 mcg of oral misoprostol in an open-label design.