Publications by authors named "Michael A Roussell"

Epidemiological and clinical studies have indicated positive outcomes related to tree nut consumption. Here, we review the production, nutrient, phytochemical composition and emerging research trends on the health benefits of pistachio nuts ( L.).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Individual responses to diet can vary significantly, and this study focused on how insulin resistance, measured by HOMA-IR, affects changes in small, dense low-density lipoprotein (sdLDL) levels in mildly hypercholesterolemic subjects.
  • Participants followed four different diets over a 5-week period, where diets with lower saturated fatty acids (such as BOLD+) led to significant reductions in LDL levels compared to a typical higher-SFA healthy American diet (HAD).
  • The study found that insulin resistance influenced how effectively individuals' LDL levels responded to different diets, highlighting that those with lower HOMA-IR saw uniform decreases in LDL, while those with higher HOMA-IR had varied responses depending on the diet
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Pistachio nuts are a nutrient-dense source of good quality plant protein, commonly consumed as a minimally processed snack food or ingredient. The present paper is based on a symposium held during the 13th FENS (Federation of European Nutrition Societies) 2019 conference in Dublin that explored recent research and practical applications of pistachios as a plant-based snack, in particular, for appetite control and healthy weight management; and for glycaemic control during pregnancy. Individual nut types, whilst similar in nutritional composition, have unique characteristics which may have a significant impact on potential health effects.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to compare the effects of plant-based versus animal-based protein diets on metabolic syndrome (MetS) in overweight adults.
  • Sixty-two participants followed different modified DASH diets with varying protein sources and were assessed over phases of weight maintenance, controlled weight loss, and free-living weight loss.
  • Results indicated that all diets led to similar weight loss (~5%), which significantly improved MetS criteria, demonstrating that the type of protein consumed was less crucial than the weight loss itself.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: A Step I diet with lean beef compared with lean white meat both decrease LDL cholesterol. To our knowledge, no studies have evaluated a low-saturated fatty acid (SFA) (<7% calories) diet that contains lean beef.

Objective: We studied the effect on LDL cholesterol of cholesterol-lowering diets with varying amounts of lean beef [ie, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH): 28 g beef/d; Beef in an Optimal Lean Diet (BOLD): 113 g beef/d; and Beef in an Optimal Lean Diet plus additional protein (BOLD+): 153 g beef/d] compared with that of a healthy American diet (HAD).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This review summarizes intervention studies that evaluated the effects of lifestyle behaviors on high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) levels. Current diet and lifestyle recommendations beneficially affect HDL-C. Individual lifestyle interventions that increase HDL-C include: a healthful diet that is low (7-10% of calories) in saturated fat and sufficient in unsaturated fat (15-20% of calories), regular physical activity, attaining a healthy weight, with moderate alcohol consumption, and cessation of cigarette smoking.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A regiocontrolled synthesis of 3,4-disubstituted pyrrole-2-carboxaldehydes was completed in two steps from acyclic starting materials. A Barton-Zard pyrrole synthesis between N-methoxy-N-methyl-2-isocyanoacetamide and alpha-nitroalkenes or beta-nitroacetates provided N-methoxy-N-methyl pyrrole-2-carboxamides (pyrrole Weinreb amides), which were converted into the corresponding pyrrole-2-carboxaldehydes by treatment with lithium aluminum hydride. A regioselective oxidation of the pyrrole-2-carboxaldehydes gave the corresponding 3,4-disubstituted 3-pyrrolin-2-ones.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF