Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals for the Management of Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Postmenopausal Women.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death in women and risk of development is greatly increased following menopause. Menopause occurs over several years and is associated with hormonal changes, including a reduction in estradiol and an increase in follicle-stimulating hormone. This hormonal shift may result in an increased risk of developing abdominal adiposity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, vascular dysfunction, hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), and metabolic syndrome (MetS).

Total choline intake, liver fibrosis and the progression of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: Results from 2017 to 2020 NHANES.

Objectives: This study investigated the cross-sectional relationships of total choline intake with the prevalence of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and its progression to liver fibrosis.

Study Design: The study used data on total choline intake, hepatic steatosis, and liver fibrosis from the cross-sectional 2017-2020 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, including 24-h dietary recalls and liver ultrasound elastography (FibroScan®).

Main Outcome Measures: Steatosis was defined as a controlled attenuation parameter score ≥ 285dB/m.

Skeletal muscle reactive oxygen species and microvascular endothelial function in age-related hypertension: a study protocol using a microdialysis technique.

Increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and microvascular endothelial disruptions occur with natural ageing, but often transpire before the detection of cardiometabolic conditions including hypertension. Age-related increases in blood pressure are driven by complex systemic changes with poorly understood integrated mechanisms. The deconditioning experienced by ageing skeletal muscle from mid-life is associated with reduced microvascular blood flow and increased peripheral resistance, suggesting that vasodilatory decrements in the muscle may precede the age-related increases in blood pressure.

The phytochemical composition and unexplored potential of Australian native plants for application in physical activity-related muscle recovery and inflammation: a literature review.

Native plants are adaptable in various environmental conditions in part through the production of unique phytochemicals which may have beneficial effects on human health. Native Australian fruits contain higher phytochemical and antioxidant levels than most Western fruits, suggesting potential for greater health benefits arising from their consumption. These beneficial effects, in turn, may be mediated by the inhibition of inflammatory pathways as well as oxidative stress the regulation of reactive oxygen (ROS) and/or nitrogen (RNS) species levels.

Microbially mediated phenolic catabolites exert differential genoprotective activities in normal and adenocarcinoma cell lines.

Age-associated decline of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) activity and DNA repair efficiency leads to the accumulation of DNA damage and increased risk of cancer. Understanding the mechanisms behind increased levels of damaged DNA is crucial for developing interventions to mitigate age-related cancer risk. Associated with various health benefits, (poly)phenols and their microbially mediated phenolic catabolites represent a potential means to reduce DNA damage.

Reliability of an "At-Home" Method for Monitoring Resting and Reactive Autonomic Nervous System Activity in Children: A Pilot Study.

Background: Heart rate variability (HRV), an index of the functional status of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), provides an opportunity for early detection of ANS dysfunction. Lower resting, vagally related HRV parameters are associated with increased risk of physical and mental illness. External factors influencing the ANS, such as the testing environment, may impact the interpretation of HRV.

Association Between Picky Eating, Weight Status, Vegetable, and Fruit Intake in Children and Adolescents: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Picky eating is a common appetitive trait reported among children and adolescents and may have detrimental effects on their weight, vegetable, and fruit intake, impacting health status. However, an updated systematic review of the literature and summary of effect estimates is required. This study aims to explore the association between picky eating with weight, vegetable and fruit intake, vegetable-only intake, and fruit-only intake.

Heart rate variability to track autonomic nervous system health in young children: Effects of physical activity and cardiometabolic risk factors.

Evidence for a key role of dysregulated autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity in maladaptive stress response/recovery and non-communicable disease development is extensive. Monitoring ANS activity via regular heart rate variability (HRV) measurement is growing in popularity in adult populations given that low HRV has been associated with ANS dysregulation, poor stress response/reactivity, increased cardiometabolic disease risk and early mortality. Although cardiometabolic disease may originate in early life, regular HRV measurement for assessing ANS activity in childhood populations, especially those consisting of children < 6 years of age, remains largely unpractised.

Risk of Social Isolation as a Contributing Factor to Diet Quality in Community-Dwelling Older Persons Living in the Australian Capital Territory-A Pilot Study.

Objectives: Social isolation is recognised as a risk factor in the inflammatory process. This study explored the association between social isolation and the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) in community-dwelling older persons.

Methods: This cross-sectional pilot study recruited 107 community-dwelling people aged over 55 years living in the Australian Capital Territory.

Comparing The Mediterranean and The Japanese Dietary Pattern in Relation to Longevity - A Narrative Review.

The Mediterranean dietary pattern (MDP) and Japanese dietary pattern (JDP) have received increasing attention from the scientific community and media, predominantly due to their association with increased longevity and health. Although similarities between the two dietary patterns are evident, a detailed comparison between them is still relatively unexplored. This narrative review aimed to explore the similarities and differences between the MDP and JDP in terms of longevity while also reflecting on the adoption of these diets by other populations outside their regions of origin.

Metabolically Healthy Overweight and Obesity, Transition to Metabolically Unhealthy Status and Cognitive Function: Results from the Framingham Offspring Study.

Aims: To evaluate the association between metabolically healthy overweight/obesity (MHO) status and longitudinal cognitive function while also considering the stability of the condition.

Methods: In total, 2892 participants (mean age 60.7 (9.

Assistive technology, information asymmetry and the role of brokerage services: a scoping review.

Objectives: Access to assistive technologies (ATs) is a human right for people with disabilities, but there are a range of barriers, including lack of adequate information. This review aimed to explore the implications of information asymmetry on the delivery of AT and to investigate if there are effective and equitable ways of providing AT brokerage services to people needing AT.

Design: Scoping review.

Physicochemical, antioxidant and sensory properties of Mango Sorbet containing L-theanine as a potential functional food product.

The non-proteinous amino acid L-theanine (L-THE) is associated with a range of health benefits including improvements in immune function, cardiovascular outcomes and cognition. The aims of this study were to develop a food product (mango sorbet; ms-L-THE) containing physiologically relevant doses of L-THE (0.2/100 g w/w) and determine its antioxidant, physicochemical and sensory properties in comparison to a mango sorbet without L-THE (ms).

Quality of plant-based diets is associated with liver steatosis, which predicts type 2 diabetes incidence ten years later: Results from the ATTICA prospective epidemiological study.

Background & Aims: Plant-based diets have recently risen in popularity due to their proposed health benefits. We evaluated the association of plant-based diet quality with non alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) prevalence and their interaction on risk for developing type 2 diabetes ten years later.

Ethods: A post-hoc analysis of data collected in the ATTICA study.

Systems Biology Approaches for Understanding Metabolic Differences Using 'Multi-Omics' Profiling of Metabolites in Mice Fed with Honey and Mixed Sugars.

Honey is proposed to be the oldest natural sweetener and it is a standard component of several dietary patterns. Recent evidence suggests that replacing sugars, such as fructose, with honey has potential health benefits. In this study, we determined the effects of honey supplementation in mice on cardiometabolic and inflammatory markers and changes in gut microbiota and metabolomic profiles.

A Narrative Review of Recent Advances in Rapid Assessment of Anthocyanins in Agricultural and Food Products.

Anthocyanins (ACNs) are plant polyphenols that have received increased attention recently mainly due to their potential health benefits and applications as functional food ingredients. This has also created an interest in the development and validation of several non-destructive techniques of ACN assessments in several food samples. Non-destructive and conventional techniques play an important role in the assessment of ACNs in agricultural and food products.

The Effects of Dietary Advanced Glycation End-Products on Neurocognitive and Mental Disorders.

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are glycated proteins or lipids formed endogenously in the human body or consumed through diet. Ultra-processed foods and some culinary techniques, such as dry cooking methods, represent the main sources and drivers of dietary AGEs. Tissue accumulation of AGEs has been associated with cellular aging and implicated in various age-related diseases, including type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Pomegranate peel extract - A natural bioactive addition to novel active edible packaging.

The pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) fruit peel has been renowned for containing high amounts of bioactive phenolic and flavonoid compounds; however, it has been commonly deemed as an agricultural waste product. The present study comprehensively reviews the impact of pomegranate peel extract as an active addition to different edible packaging materials.

Ayurvedic formulations: Potential COVID-19 therapeutics?

Background: While Molnupiravir and Paxlovid have recently been approved for use in some countries, there are no widely available treatments for COVID-19, the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection. Herbal extracts have been used to treat respiratory clinical indications by Ayurvedic medicine practitioners with minimal adverse reactions and intense research efforts are currently under way to develop some of these formulations for COVID-19 treatment.

Methods: Literature search for and clinical studies on the topic of Ayurvedic formulations for potential COVID-19 treatment, in order to present the current state of current knowledge by integrating information across all systems.

Are dietary patterns becoming more processed? The effects of different dietary patterns on cognition: A review.

Identifying dietary patterns that promote healthy aging has become increasingly important due to changes in food processing and consumption of processed foods. Recently, the effects of these foods and unhealthy dietary patterns on cognitive function have become more widely recognized. The aim of this review is to discuss the association between various dietary patterns and cognition in older age, while also highlighting growing evidence that ultra processed food (UPF) may negatively impact healthy aging.