Antiobesity Effect of -Acetylneuraminic Acid by Enhancing Antioxidative Capacity in Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet.

The sialic acid -acetylneuraminic acid (NANA), an essential factor in bioregulation, is a functional food component that is known to have beneficial health effects, but its antiobesity effect has not been clearly understood. Adipocyte dysfunction in obesity involves a decrease in the level of NANA sialylation. In this study, we investigated the antiobesity effect of NANA in mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) and in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

Low-carbohydrate diets adversely impact the skin of a mouse model of photoaging exposed to ultraviolet B radiation.

The study results regarding the effects of low-carbohydrate (LC) diets remain controversial; hence further research is required to assess their safety. Here, we examined whether LC diets cause skin damage in C57BL/6J mice. Six-week-old female mice ( = 20) were fed an LC (protein/fat/carbohydrate energy ratio = 35:45:20) or control diet for eight weeks, after which their backs were shaved, and a subset of the mice were exposed to ultraviolet B radiation thrice per week.

Low-Carbohydrate Diet Inhibits Different Advanced Glycation End Products in Kidney Depending on Lipid Composition but Causes Adverse Morphological Changes in a Non-Obese Model Mice.

Low carbohydrate diets (LC diets) have been noted for adverse health effects. In addition, the effect of lipid composition on an LC diet is unclear. In this study, we used an LC diet containing two different lipids, lard (LC group) and medium-chain triglyceride oil (MCT-LC group), to examine the effect of an LC diet in non-obese mice.

The Inhibitory Role of α2,6-Sialylation in Adipogenesis.

Adipose tissue plays critical roles in obesity and related diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Previous reports suggest that glycans, the most common posttranslational modifications, are involved in obesity-related diseases, but what type of glycan regulates adipogenesis during obesity remains unclear. In this study, we first quantified the mRNA levels of 167 genes (encoding 144 glycosyltransferases and 23 related enzymes) in visceral adipose tissues (VATs) from control mice and high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice.

The effects of moderate exercise on secretory IgA production in mice depends on dietary carbohydrate intake.

Secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) is produced from intestinal mucosa and is essential in preventing infection. We analyzed the influence of moderate exercise on intestinal sIgA production and antioxidative function under different carbohydrate nutritional conditions. Thirty-six mice were fed an experimental diet for 10 weeks-a high-carbohydrate (HC) diet, a low-carbohydrate (LC) diet, or a control (C) diet.

Nutritional status in relation to adipokines and oxidative stress is associated with disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: We assessed whether disease activity was associated with dietary habits, nutritional status, adipokines, and oxidative stress in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Methods: The subjects were 37 patients with RA. The assessment of the nutritional status included anthropometric and biochemical parameters.

Nutritional status is strongly correlated with grip strength and depression in community-living elderly Japanese.

Objectives: To evaluate the utility of the Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA) in assessing nutritional, physical and psychosocial functions in community-living elderly individuals.

Design: A cross-sectional study of elderly individuals investigated in August 2007 and August-September 2008. Nutritional status was assessed using serum biomarkers, anthropometric measurements and the MNA.

The influence of a high-fat dietary environment in the fetal period on postnatal metabolic and immune function.

Few reports show whether a high-fat (HF) dietary environment in the fetal period affects immune function or the development of lifestyle-related disease at maturity. We examined the influence of an HF dietary environment in the fetal period on postnatal metabolic and immune function. A total of 16 pregnant mice were given control (CON) diet and 16 were given HF diet in the gestational period, from mating to delivery.

Improvement of nutritional status and incidence of infection in hospitalised, enterally fed elderly by feeding of fermented milk containing probiotic Lactobacillus johnsonii La1 (NCC533).

Probiotics have potential to improve host immunity; however, there is less evidence showing their efficacy against infections and nutritional status in the elderly. We conducted a double-blinded feeding trial in the elderly to elucidate the effect of fermented milk containing Lactobacillus johnsonii La1 (LC1) on infections and nutritional status. Twenty-four completely enterally fed elderly in-patients aged over 70 years were randomly assigned into two groups.

Effect of Lactobacillus johnsonii La1 on immune function and serum albumin in aged and malnourished aged mice.

Objective: Protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) is a serious nutritional problem that causes immune dysfunction in elderly people. Probiotic lactic acid bacteria may potentially modify immunity; however, there is little evidence to elucidate the influence of these bacteria on PEM in the elderly.

Methods: The immune modulation effects of lactic acid bacterium Lactobacillus johnsonii La1 (La1) were examined in aged mice and aged mice with PEM.

Oral-tolerance induction in diet-induced obese mice.

Objective: It is known that immune functions are altered in various ways by obesity. However, changes in the intestinal immune system resulting from obesity remain poorly understood. Oral tolerance is a system that suppresses antigen specific immune responses to orally administrated antigens.