Effects of 22 traditional anti-diabetic medicinal plants on DPP-IV enzyme activity and glucose homeostasis in high-fat fed obese diabetic rats.

The present study investigated the effects of hot water extracts of 22 medicinal plants used traditionally to treat diabetes on Dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) activity both in vitro and in vivo in high-fat fed (HFF) obese-diabetic rats. Fluorometric assay was employed to determine the DPP-IV activity. For in vivo studies, HFF obese-diabetic rats were fasted for 6 h and blood was sampled at different times before and after the oral administration of the glucose alone (18 mmol/kg body weight) or with either of the four most active plant extracts (250 mg/5 ml/kg, body weight) or established DPP-IV inhibitors (10 μmol/5 ml/kg).

Herbal medicinal products or preparations for neuropathic pain.

Background: Neuropathic pain is a consequence of damage to the central nervous system (CNS), for example, cerebrovascular accident, multiple sclerosis or spinal cord injury, or peripheral nervous system (PNS), for example, painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN), postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), or surgery. Evidence suggests that people suffering from neuropathic pain are likely to seek alternative modes of pain relief such as herbal medicinal products due to adverse events brought about by current pharmacological agents used to treat neuropathic pain. This review includes studies in which participants were treated with herbal medicinal products (topically or ingested) who had experienced neuropathic pain for at least three months.

Micronutrient supplementation in maintenance haemodialysis patients enhances activity of antioxidant enzymes.

Background: Haemodialysis patients are exposed to high levels of oxidative stress, perhaps contributing to increased rates of cardiovascular and malignant disease. In this context, the body's defence mechanisms against oxidative insult, including activity of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), are known to be deranged.

Methods: This randomised double-blind study assessed the effects of a novel micronutrient cocktail containing physiological doses of antioxidant vitamins and trace minerals on antioxidant enzyme activity in maintenance haemodialysis.

Increased portion size leads to a sustained increase in energy intake over 4 d in normal-weight and overweight men and women.

Large food portions may be facilitating excess energy intake (EI) and adiposity among adults. The present study aimed to assess the extent to which EI and amounts of foods consumed are influenced by the availability of different-sized food portions. A randomised within-subject cross-over, fully residential design was used, where forty-three (twenty-one men and twenty-two women) normal-weight and overweight adults were randomly allocated to two separate 4 d periods where they were presented with either 'standard' or 'large' food portions of the same foods and beverages.

Associations between the portion sizes of food groups consumed and measures of adiposity in the British National Diet and Nutrition Survey.

The objective of the present study was to examine the associations between the portion sizes of food groups consumed with measures of adiposity using data from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey of British adults. Seven-day weighed dietary records, physical activity diaries and anthropometric measurements were used. Foods eaten were assigned to thirty different food groups and analyses were undertaken separately for men and women.