Role of dietary soy protein in obesity.

Soy protein is an important component of soybeans and provides an abundant source of dietary protein. Among the dietary proteins, soy protein is considered a complete protein in that it contains ample amounts of all the essential amino acids plus several other macronutrients with a nutritional value roughly equivalent to that of animal protein of high biological value. Soy protein is unique among the plant-based proteins because it is associated with isoflavones, a group of compounds with a variety of biological properties that may potentially benefit human health.

Relationship between fatty acids and the endocrine and neuroendocrine system.

Significant interactions exist between fatty acids and the endocrine system. Dietary fatty acids alter both hormone and neuropeptide concentrations and also their receptors. In addition, hormones affect the metabolism of fatty acids and the fatty acid composition of tissue lipids.

Modulation of carbohydrate metabolism and peptide hormones by soybean isoflavones and probiotics in obesity and diabetes.

Soybean and its isoflavones have been shown to have beneficial effects on carbohydrate and lipid metabolism and on renal function. Probiotics may potentiate the beneficial effects of isoflavones by converting the inactive isoflavone glycoside to aglycones, which are biologically active, thereby producing a synergistic effect. We therefore studied the effects of soybean isoflavones in the presence and absence of probiotics on glucose and triglyceride metabolism and the peptide hormones involved in their metabolism.

Proinflammatory cytokines and the hypermetabolism of children with sickle cell disease.

Sickle cell anemia (HbSS) includes chronic inflammation, but the origin is unclear. We hypothesized that in stable HbSS patients the inflammation was associated with hypermetabolism. We compared selected hypermetabolic and key immunomodulator indicators in HbSS versus control children and examined associations between measures of hypermetabolism and inflammation.

Effects of soybean isoflavones, probiotics, and their interactions on lipid metabolism and endocrine system in an animal model of obesity and diabetes.

The effects of soybean isoflavones with or without probiotics on tissue fat deposition, plasma cholesterol, and steroid and thyroid hormones were studied in SHR/N-cp rats, an animal model of obesity, and were compared to lean phenotype. We tested the hypothesis that probiotics by promoting the conversion of isoflavone glycosides to their metabolically active aglycone form will have a synergistic effect on body fat, cholesterol metabolism, and the endocrine system. Obese and lean SHR/N-cp rats were fed AIN-93 diets containing 0.

Dietary flaxseed meal reduces proteinuria and ameliorates nephropathy in an animal model of type II diabetes mellitus.

Background: Evidence is emerging that varying the type or source of dietary protein intake can have beneficial effects on chronic renal disease. Consumption of soybean and soy-based food products, as the source of plant protein, can retard the development and progression of chronic renal disease. We studied the obese spontaneously hypertensive/NIH-corpulent (SHR/N-cp) rat, a model of obesity and type II diabetes mellitus that consistently develops nephropathy resembling diabetic nephropathy.

Dietary flaxseed meal is more protective than soy protein concentrate against hypertriglyceridemia and steatosis of the liver in an animal model of obesity.

Objective: Soy protein and flaxseed meal have been reported to have beneficial effects on many chronic diseases in humans and animals. The primary objective of the study was to evaluate the beneficial effects of soy protein and flaxseed meal on hypertriglyceridemia and liver steatosis associated with obesity and diabetes. We compared the effects of dietary soy protein and flaxseed meal with that of casein on plasma and liver lipids in a genetic model of obesity, type II diabetes and insulin resistance, namely the SHR/N-cp rat.

Differential effects of dietary flaxseed protein and soy protein on plasma triglyceride and uric acid levels in animal models.

The effect of dietary soy protein and flaxseed meal on metabolic parameters was studied in two animal models, F344 rats with normal lipid levels and obese SHR/N-cp rats with elevated levels of cholesterol and triglyceride. The rats were fed AIN 93 diet differing only in the source of protein. The rats were fed either 20% casein, 20% soy protein or 20% flaxseed meal.

Beneficial role of dietary phytoestrogens in obesity and diabetes.

Evidence is emerging that dietary phytoestrogens play a beneficial role in obesity and diabetes. Nutritional intervention studies performed in animals and humans suggest that the ingestion of soy protein associated with isoflavones and flaxseed rich in lignans improves glucose control and insulin resistance. In animal models of obesity and diabetes, soy protein has been shown to reduce serum insulin and insulin resistance.

The effect of dietary menhaden, olive, and coconut oil fed with three levels of vitamin E on plasma and liver lipids and plasma fatty acid composition in rats.

The effect of dietary fats with varying degrees of unsaturation in the presence of different concentrations of vitamin E on tissue lipid levels was studied in rats. Rats were fed either menhaden oil, olive oil or coconut oil at 15% levels with either 0.1, 0.

Fructose metabolizing enzymes in the rat liver and metabolic parameters: Interactions between dietary copper, type of carbohydrates, and gender.

This study was conducted to determine the effects of nutrient interactions between dietary carbohydrates and copper levels on fructose-metabolizing hepatic enzymes in male and female rats. Male and female rats were fed diets for 5 weeks that were either adequate or deficient in copper that contained either starch or fructose. Rats of both sexes fed fructose as compared with those fed starch showed higher activity of hepatic fructose metabolizing enzymes.