Association of circulating visfatin concentrations with insulin resistance and low-grade inflammation after dietary energy restriction in Spanish obese non-diabetic women: role of body composition changes.

Background And Aims: To assess the influence of body composition changes on circulating serum visfatin after following 12 weeks of energy restricted diet intervention. We also examined the possible role of visfatin in glucose metabolism and in obesity-associated low-grade inflammation.

Methods And Results: A total of 78 obese (BMI 34.

[Effect of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on human lipid profile].

The term conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) concerns a group of isomers of linoleic acid, which are characterized by having conjugated double bonds in several positions and conformations. CLA is found naturally in some foods, but since CLA was first held to cause beneficial effects on various health-related issues, many investigations have been conducted to elucidate the effects of dietary supplementation with CLA. The effects of CLA on lipid profiles on animals have been extensively studied, and there is sound evidence of its benefits in blood metabolic markers.

Protective effect of melatonin against oxidative stress induced by ligature of extra-hepatic biliary duct in rats: comparison with the effect of S-adenosyl-L-methionine.

In the present research, we studied the effect of the administration of melatonin or S-adenosyl-L-methionine (S-AMe) on oxidative stress and hepatic cholestasis produced by double ligature of the extra-hepatic biliary duct (LBD) in adult male Wistar rats. Hepatic oxidative stress was evaluated by the changes in the amount of lipid peroxides and by the reduced glutathione content (GSH) in lysates of erythrocytes and homogenates of hepatic tissue. The severity of the cholestasis and hepatic injury were determined by the changes in the plasma enzyme activities of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (AP), g-glutamyl-transpeptidase (GGT), and levels of albumin, total bilirubin (TB) and direct bilirubin (DB).