Publications by authors named "Speakman J"

Calorie restriction (CR) extends lifespan and prevents several aging related diseases. During short-term restriction, we previously showed that lean tissues generally decrease in size, but the alimentary tract (especially the stomach) grows. To illuminate pathway alterations in these contrasting tissues we compared gene expression profiles (bulk RNAseq) of the skeletal muscle and stomach, in the same male C57BL/6J mice exposed to 3 months of graded CR (0-40%).

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  • Bats are considered the primary hosts for many coronaviruses, particularly Betacoronaviruses, which can cause severe respiratory diseases in humans.
  • Research showed that Egyptian fruit bats were more susceptible to respiratory infections (like SARS-CoV-2) compared to oral infections, with significant differences in virus shedding and immune response.
  • The study suggests that SARS-CoV-2 is likely inactivated in the bats' stomachs, making oral infections less effective, highlighting the unique pathology of coronavirus infections in bats.
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Background: Previously, we found that healthy underweight (HU) subjects, with BMI < 18.5, eat about 12% less food (by calories) each day. It is presently unclear whether this lower intake is associated with them making food choices that provide high satiation and satiety.

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Scope: The study assesses the metabolic impact of dietary whey proteins across generations.

Method And Results: Virgin females are fed 20% energy whey proteins with 70% energy carbohydrates, which reduces body weight gain and visceral adipose compared to controls fed dietary casein. In contrast, the males are unresponsive.

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  • Recent advancements in aging research and drug discovery connect basic research with clinical applications, aiming to promote healthy longevity in humans.* -
  • The Aging Research and Drug Discovery Meeting in 2023 highlighted key areas such as AI, biomarkers, geroscience, and clinical trials focused on enhancing healthspan.* -
  • The meeting emphasized the importance of combining generative AI with innovative biological technologies to tackle age-related diseases and extend healthy lifespans.*
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Background: Doubly labeled water is gold standard for measuring total energy expenditure (TEE). Measurements using the method are sensitive to the isotope dilution space ratio (DSR). Accuracy and precision of the method might be improved if we could identify factors influencing DSR.

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The disposable soma theory (DST) posits that organisms age and die because of a direct trade-off in resource allocation between reproduction and somatic maintenance. DST predicts that investments in reproduction accentuate somatic damage which increase senescence and shortens lifespan. Here, we directly tested DST predictions in breeding and nonbreeding female C57BL/6J mice.

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Golden Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) are a well-established animal model for human infections with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) due to their susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection, robust virus replication and pathological manifestations similar to human COVID-19 pneumonia. To investigate the physiological changes upon infection in this animal model, we explored the alterations in daily energy expenditure (DEE), water turnover, body mass, body temperature, and locomotor activity in non-infected and SARS-CoV-2 infected Golden Syrian hamsters for four days post SARS-CoV-2. DEE was measured using the doubly labelled water method, which allows for the accurate estimation of carbon dioxide production and, consequently, energy expenditure in animals.

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Application of the physical laws of energy and mass conservation at the whole-body level is not necessarily informative about causal mechanisms of weight gain and the development of obesity. The energy balance model (EBM) and the carbohydrate-insulin model (CIM) are two plausible theories, among several others, attempting to explain why obesity develops within an overall common physiological framework of regulation of human energy metabolism. These models have been used to explain the pathogenesis of obesity in individuals as well as the dramatic increases in the prevalence of obesity worldwide over the past half century.

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Female soccer players have been identified as presenting with low energy availability (LEA), though the prevalence of LEA may be overestimated given inaccuracies associated with self-reporting dietary intakes. Accordingly, we aimed to quantify total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) via the doubly labelled water (DLW) method, energy intake (EI) and energy availability (EA). Adolescent female soccer players (n = 45; 16 ± 1 years) completed a 9-10 day 'training camp' representing their national team.

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Rationale: The precision of the doubly labeled water (DLW) method is determined by the precision and accuracy of the isotopic measurements. Quality control (QC) procedures to mitigate sample variability require additional measurements if sample duplicates differ more than a factor of instrument precision. We explored the effect of widening QC ranges on total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) determined using the two-point sampling method.

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  • * Inpatient biopsies had significantly higher mortality rates (8% at 14 days, 26% at 30 days) compared to outpatient ones (2.2% at 14 days, 8.6% at 30 days), with older and more comorbid patients facing greater risks.
  • * Approximately 46% of patients received chemotherapy within six months, influenced by factors like age, sex, and the type of biopsy, highlighting the need for careful risk assessment and potential palliative care involvement in treatment decisions.
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  • A study was conducted with 13 female netball players over 14 days to assess their energy and fluid needs during matches and training.
  • The findings showed that total energy expenditure (TEE) was significantly higher on match days compared to training and rest days, with mean TEE at 13.46 MJ per day.
  • The research aims to provide dietary guidance for female netball players based on their assessed energy and fluid turnover, which was highest on match days.
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Variations in physical activity energy expenditure can make accurate prediction of total energy expenditure (TEE) challenging. The purpose of the present study was to determine the accuracy of available equations to predict TEE in individuals varying in physical activity (PA) levels. TEE was measured by DLW in 56 adults varying in PA levels which were monitored by accelerometry.

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The purpose of this study was to quantify the total energy expenditure (TEE) of international female rugby union players. Fifteen players were assessed over 14 days throughout an international multi-game tournament, which represented two consecutive one-match microcycles. Resting metabolic rate (RMR) and TEE were assessed by indirect calorimetry and doubly labelled water, respectively.

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  • This study examined how calorie restriction (CR) affects the elemental content and stable isotope ratios in bone collagen and hair keratin in adult mice over a period of 84 days.
  • Mice on higher CR (10-40%) showed decreased nitrogen, carbon, and sulfur levels in their hair, while bone collagen nitrogen levels increased and carbon levels decreased.
  • The findings suggest that changes in the structure of bone collagen and the mobilization of proteins during CR complicate the use of elemental measurements for assessing collagen quality in archaeological contexts, especially where nutrition might be a concern.
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  • Coffee is one of the most popular beverages globally, prepared by roasting, grinding, and brewing coffee beans, resulting in a range of bioactive compounds like caffeine and flavonoids.
  • The body metabolizes caffeine mainly into paraxanthine, which shares similar properties and may affect metabolism significantly through adenosine receptors.
  • Coffee consumption can boost metabolism by 5% to 20% for about 3 hours, but individual responses vary due to factors like genetic differences, caffeine clearance, age, sex, and body composition.
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Caloric restriction (CR) results in reduced energy and protein intake, raising questions about protein restriction's contribution to CR longevity benefits. We kept ad libitum (AL)-fed male C57BL/6J mice at 27°C (AL27) and pair-fed (PF) mice at 22°C (22(PF27)). The 22(PF27) group was fed to match AL27 while restricted for calories due to cold-induced metabolism.

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Objectives: We aimed to validate dietary assessment methods against the gold standard, doubly labeled water (DLW), for estimating total energy intake (TEI).

Methods: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases were searched until May 2023. Inclusion criteria encompassed studies involving participants aged 1-18 years, employing dietary assessment methods like food records, dietary histories, food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), or 24-h recalls estimating TEI alongside DLW to measure total energy expenditure (TEE).

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Dietary protein modulates food intake (FI) via unclear mechanism(s). One possibility is that higher protein leads to greater post-ingestive heat production (Specific dynamic action: SDA) leading to earlier meal termination (increased satiation), and inhibition of further intake (increased satiety). The influence of dietary protein on feeding behaviour in C57BL/6J mice was tested using an automated FI monitoring system (BioDAQ), simultaneous to body temperature (T).

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  • About 25% of people worldwide have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but there are no specific medications to treat it currently.
  • This study focused on the adiposity-associated receptor GPR75, mainly found in the brain, and its role in reducing fat accumulation in the liver.
  • Mice lacking GPR75 were able to control their food intake better on a high-fat diet, which also correlated with human genetic data showing that certain GPR75 variants lower the risk of developing liver fat, highlighting its potential as a target for NAFLD therapy.
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  • Sleep disorders, particularly sleep fragmentation (SF), are linked to increased risks of cardiovascular diseases, prompting research on how SF affects heart health across different life stages.
  • A study using mouse models found that chronic SF negatively impacted heart function and structure, especially in early life, highlighting alterations in ventricular remodeling and contractile function.
  • Gene analysis revealed key genes related to innate immune responses and circadian rhythms that are affected by SF; importantly, the negative impacts of SF on heart function were largely reversed with subsequent sleep recovery.
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  • The study focuses on how different wild animals, specifically European badgers, manage their energy expenditure differently based on individual traits like age and reproductive status, despite being in the same environment.
  • Researchers used specialized equipment to measure badgers' movement and energy usage over multiple seasons, gathering data on how these factors impacted their body condition.
  • Results indicated significant variability in energy expenditure among badgers, showing that these differences are influenced by the season and individual life-history traits.
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