Decentralized vitamin C & D dual biosensor chip: Toward personalized immune system support.

Combating the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has put the spotlight on nutritional support of the immune system through consumption of vitamins C and D. Accordingly, there are urgent demands for an effective on-the-spot multi-vitamin self-testing platform that monitors the levels of these immune-supporting micronutrients for guiding precision nutrition recommendations. Herein, we present a compact bioelectronic dual sensor chip aimed at frequent on-the-spot simultaneous monitoring of the salivary vitamin C and D dynamics.

Diets, nutrients, genes and the microbiome: recent advances in personalised nutrition.

As individuals seek increasingly individualised nutrition and lifestyle guidance, numerous apps and nutrition programmes have emerged. However, complex individual variations in dietary behaviours, genotypes, gene expression and composition of the microbiome are increasingly recognised. Advances in digital tools and artificial intelligence can help individuals more easily track nutrient intakes and identify nutritional gaps.

Perspective: Guiding Principles for the Implementation of Personalized Nutrition Approaches That Benefit Health and Function.

Personalized nutrition (PN) approaches have been shown to help drive behavior change and positively influence health outcomes. This has led to an increase in the development of commercially available PN programs, which utilize various forms of individual-level information to provide services and products for consumers. The lack of a well-accepted definition of PN or an established set of guiding principles for the implementation of PN creates barriers for establishing credibility and efficacy.

US Family Physicians Overestimate Personal ω-3 Fatty Acid Biomarker Status: Associations with Fatty Fish and ω-3 Supplement Intake.

Background: The health benefits of ω-3 (n-3) fatty acids are well established. Only a small percentage of Americans consume the recommended amounts of fatty fish, the main dietary source of ω-3 fatty acids, and most have low ω-3 fatty acid blood concentrations.

Objective: We aimed to measure biomarkers of long-chain ω-3 fatty acid (EPA and DHA) status among family physicians, and determine whether having their ω-3 status tested would influence attitudes and patient recommendations.

Implications of US Nutrition Facts Label Changes on Micronutrient Density of Fortified Foods and Supplements.

The US FDA published new nutrition-labeling regulations in May 2016. For the first time since the implementation of the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990, the Daily Value (DV) for most vitamins will change, as will the units of measurement used in nutrition labeling for some vitamins. For some food categories, the Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed (RACCs) will increase to reflect portions commonly consumed on a single occasion.

Dietary factors and low-grade inflammation in relation to overweight and obesity.

Low-grade inflammation is a characteristic of the obese state, and adipose tissue releases many inflammatory mediators. The source of these mediators within adipose tissue is not clear, but infiltrating macrophages seem to be especially important, although adipocytes themselves play a role. Obese people have higher circulating concentrations of many inflammatory markers than lean people do, and these are believed to play a role in causing insulin resistance and other metabolic disturbances.

Chocolate matrix factors modulate the pharmacokinetic behavior of cocoa flavan-3-ol phase II metabolites following oral consumption by Sprague-Dawley rats.

The impact of carbohydrates and milk on the bioavailability of catechin (C) and epicatechin (EC) from chocolate has been previously studied. However, little data exist regarding potential modulation of the phase II metabolism by these chocolate matrix factors. The objectives of this study were to assess the impact of matrix composition on qualitative and quantitative profiles of circulating catechins and their metabolites following administration of commercially relevant chocolate confections.

Influence of chocolate matrix composition on cocoa flavan-3-ol bioaccessibility in vitro and bioavailability in humans.

Conflicting data exist regarding the influence of chocolate matrices on the bioavailability of epicatechin (EC) from cocoa. The objective of this study was to assess the bioavailability of EC from matrices varying in macronutrient composition and physical form. EC bioavailability was assessed from chocolate confections [reference dark chocolate (CDK), high sucrose (CHS), high milk protein (CMP)] and cocoa beverages [sucrose milk protein (BSMP), non-nutritive sweetener milk protein (BNMP)], in humans and in vitro.

Epithiospecifier protein from broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. ssp. italica) inhibits formation of the anticancer agent sulforaphane.

In some cruciferous plants, epithiospecifier protein (ESP) directs myrosinase (EC 3.2.3.

Sulforaphane prevents mouse skin tumorigenesis during the stage of promotion.

Sulforaphane (SF), a natural product from broccoli, is known to enhance detoxification of carcinogens and block initiation of chemically-induced carcinogenesis in animal models. Cell culture and xenograft studies suggest additional roles for SF, inhibiting growth of tumors, arresting the cell cycle and enhancing apoptosis. As currently reported, topical SF (1, 5 or 10 micromol/mouse) significantly inhibited 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene/12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA)-induced mouse skin tumorigenesis, using either an anti-promotion protocol (SF from 1 week after carcinogen until the end of the study) or a combined anti-initiation, anti-promotion protocol (SF 7 days prior to carcinogen until the end of the study).

Heating decreases epithiospecifier protein activity and increases sulforaphane formation in broccoli.

Sulforaphane, an isothiocyanate from broccoli, is one of the most potent food-derived anticarcinogens. This compound is not present in the intact vegetable, rather it is formed from its glucosinolate precursor, glucoraphanin, by the action of myrosinase, a thioglucosidase enzyme, when broccoli tissue is crushed or chewed. However, a number of studies have demonstrated that sulforaphane yield from glucoraphanin is low, and that a non-bioactive nitrile analog, sulforaphane nitrile, is the primary hydrolysis product when plant tissue is crushed at room temperature.