Self-Initiated Dietary Adjustments Alter Microbiota Abundances: Implications for Perceived Health.

Personalized and self-initiated dietary adjustments have been shown to alleviate mental and somatic complaints. Here, we investigated the potential role of gut microbiome alterations underlying these effects. For this purpose, participants (n = 185) underwent a four-week self-initiated dietary intervention and filled out weekly questionnaires on their dietary intake, somatic and mental symptoms, and physical activity.

Self-initiated dietary changes reduce general somatic and mental symptoms in a relatively healthy Dutch population.

The risk for development of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) can be predicted by somatic or mental symptoms and dietary alterations aimed at improvement of those symptoms could potentially delay development of NCDs. The goal of this study was to identify whether self-initiated dietary changes could reduce mental and somatic symptoms in relatively healthy individuals. Participants (n = 494) recruited from the Dutch population filled out weekly questionnaires on dietary intake, somatic and mental symptoms and physical activity at baseline and during dieting for four weeks.

Effects of macronutrient intake in obesity: a meta-analysis of low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets on markers of the metabolic syndrome.

The metabolic syndrome (MetS) comprises cardiometabolic risk factors frequently found in individuals with obesity. Guidelines to prevent or reverse MetS suggest limiting fat intake, however, lowering carbohydrate intake has gained attention too. The aim for this review was to determine to what extent either weight loss, reduction in caloric intake, or changes in macronutrient intake contribute to improvement in markers of MetS in persons with obesity without cardiometabolic disease.

The use of phosphomannose isomerase selection system for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of tobacco and flax aimed for phytoremediation.

A plant selection system based on the phosphomannose isomerase gene (pmi) as a selectable marker is often used to avoid selection using antibiotic resistance. Nevertheless, pmi gene is endogenous in several plant species and therefore difficult to use in such cases. Here we evaluated and compared Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of Linum usitatissimum breeding line AGT-952 (without endogenous pmi gene) and Nicotiana tabacum var.

Selenium hyperaccumulators harbor a diverse endophytic bacterial community characterized by high selenium resistance and plant growth promoting properties.

Selenium (Se)-rich plants may be used to provide dietary Se to humans and livestock, and also to clean up Se-polluted soils or waters. This study focused on endophytic bacteria of plants that hyperaccumulate selenium (Se) to 0.5-1% of dry weight.