A resistant-starch enriched yogurt: fermentability, sensory characteristics, and a pilot study in children.

The rising prevalence of obesity and the vulnerability of the pediatric age group have highlighted the critical need for a careful consideration of effective, safe, remedial and preventive dietary interventions.  Amylose starch (RS2) from high-amylose maize (HAM) ferments in the gut and affects body weight.   One hundred and ten children, of 7-8 (n=91) or 13-14 (n=19) years of age scored the sensory qualities of a yogurt supplemented with either HAM-RS2 or an amylopectin starch.

"Women Are Better Than Men"-Public Beliefs on Gender Differences and Other Aspects in Multitasking.

Reports in public media suggest the existence of a stereotype that women are better at multitasking than men. The present online survey aimed at supporting this incidental observation by empirical data. For this, 488 participants from various ethnic backgrounds (US, UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Turkey, and others) filled out a self-developed online-questionnaire.

Dietary resistant starch improves selected brain and behavioral functions in adult and aged rodents.

Resistant starch (RS) is a dietary fiber that exerts multiple beneficial effects. The current study explored the effects of dietary RS on selected brain and behavioral functions in adult and aged rodents. Because glucokinase (GK) expression in hypothalamic arcuate nucleus and area postrema of the brainstem is important for brain glucose sensing, GK mRNA was measured by brain nuclei microdissection and PCR.

Resistant starch from high amylose maize (HAM-RS2) reduces body fat and increases gut bacteria in ovariectomized (OVX) rats.

Objective: Obesity after menopause is a health concern for older females. Changes in the microbiota are likely to occur with this condition. Modifying the microbiota with a prebiotic is a plausible strategy for improving the health of menopausal females.

High-amylose resistant starch increases hormones and improves structure and function of the gastrointestinal tract: a microarray study.

Background/aims: Type 2 resistant starch from high-amylose maize (HAM-RS2) is associated with increased fermentation, increased expression of proglucagon (gene for GLP-1) and peptide YY (PYY) genes in the large intestine, and improved health. To determine what other genes are up- or downregulated with feeding of HAM-RS2, a microarray was performed.

Methods: Adult, male Sprague Dawley rats were fed one of the following three diets for a 4-week study period: cornstarch control (CC, 3.

Tolerance, fermentation, and cytokine expression in healthy aged male C57BL/6J mice fed resistant starch.

Health benefits of resistant starch (RS), a dietary fermentable fiber, have been well documented in young, but not in old populations. As the essential step of more comprehensive evaluations of RS on healthy aging, we examined the effects of dietary RS on tolerance, colonic fermentation, and cytokine expression in aged mice. Healthy older (18-20 months) C57BL/6J male mice were fed control, 18% RS, or 36% RS diets for 10 weeks.

Dietary whey protein decreases food intake and body fat in rats.

We investigated the effects of dietary whey protein on food intake, body fat, and body weight gain in rats. Adult (11-12 week) male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three dietary treatment groups for a 10-week study: control. Whey protein (HP-W), or high-protein content control (HP-S).

Failure to ferment dietary resistant starch in specific mouse models of obesity results in no body fat loss.

Unlabelled: Resistant starch (RS) is a fermentable fiber that decreases dietary energy density and results in fermentation in the lower gut. The current studies examined the effect of RS on body fat loss in mice. In a 12 week study (study 1), the effect of two different types of RS on body fat was compared with two control diets (0% RS) in C57Bl/6J mice: regular control diet or the control diet that had energy density equal to that of the RS diet (EC).

Comparative methodologies for measuring metabolizable energy of various types of resistant high amylose corn starch.

Energy values of high amylose corn starches high in resistant starch (RS) were determined in vivo by two different methodologies. In one study, energy values were determined according to growth relative to glucose-based diets in rats fed diets containing RS(2), heat-treated RS(2) (RS(2)-HT), RS(3), and amylase predigested versions to isolate the RS component. Net metabolizable energy values ranged from 2.

Dietary resistant starch increases hypothalamic POMC expression in rats.

Resistant starch (RS) is fermentable dietary fiber. Inclusion of RS in the diet causes decreased body fat accumulation and altered gut hormone profile. This study investigates the effect of feeding RS on the neuropeptide messenger RNA (mRNA) expressions in the arcuate nucleus (ARC) of the hypothalamus and whether vagal afferent nerves are involved.

Dietary resistant starch upregulates total GLP-1 and PYY in a sustained day-long manner through fermentation in rodents.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and peptide YY (PYY) are anti-diabetes/obesity hormones secreted from the gut after meal ingestion. We have shown that dietary-resistant starch (RS) increased GLP-1 and PYY secretion, but the mechanism remains unknown. RS is a fermentable fiber that lowers the glycemic index of the diet and liberates short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) through fermentation in the gut.

The association of homocysteine and related factors to brachial artery diameter and flow-mediated dilation.

Brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (BAFMD) has been proposed as a measurement of the degree and severity of cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this study was to (1) evaluate the associations between BAFMD and homocysteine, folate, vitamin B(12), vitamin B(6); (2) examine the influence of 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) genotypes on homocysteine levels and BAFMD; and (3) evaluate the effect of homocysteine on the baseline diameter of the vessel vs BAFMD. A total of 174 healthy research subjects were examined for BAFMD, homocysteine, folate, vitamin B(12), vitamin B(6), and MTHFR genotype, nucleotide 677 C-->T.

Effects of resistant starch, a non-digestible fermentable fiber, on reducing body fat.

Objective: To assess the effects of energy dilution with non-fermentable and fermentable fibers on abdominal fat and gut peptide YY (PYY) and glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 expressions, three rat studies were conducted to: determine the effects of energy dilution with a non-fermentable fiber, compare similar fiber levels of fermentable and non-fermentable fibers, and compare similar metabolizable energy dilutions with fermentable and non-fermentable fibers.

Research Methods And Procedures: In Study 1, rats were fed one of three diets with different metabolizable energy densities. In Study 2, rats were fed diets with similar fiber levels using high amylose-resistant cornstarch (RS) or methylcellulose.

Individual variability in cardiovascular disease risk factor responses to low-fat and low-saturated-fat diets in men: body mass index, adiposity, and insulin resistance predict changes in LDL cholesterol.

Background: Although reductions in total and saturated fat consumption are recommended to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, individual variability in plasma lipid responses exists.

Objective: Our aim was to determine the effect of adiposity and insulin resistance on the lipoprotein response to diets lower in total and saturated fat than the average American diet (AAD).

Design: A randomized, double-blind, 3-period crossover controlled feeding design was used to examine the effects on plasma lipids of 3 diets that differed in total fat: the AAD [designed to contain 38% fat and 14% saturated fatty acids (SFAs)], the Step I diet (30% fat with 9% SFAs), and the Step II diet (25% fat with 6% SFAs).

Daily intake of multivitamins during long-term intake of olestra in men prevents declines in serum vitamins A and E but not carotenoids.

The objective of this study was to determine whether vitamin supplementation during long-term (36 wk) ingestion of olestra supplemented with vitamin E could prevent decreases in vitamin E, vitamin A, and carotenoids. This was a 36-wk study of 37 healthy males randomly assigned to consume a control diet composed of 33% energy from fat, a similar diet in which one third of the energy from fat had been replaced with olestra, or a fat-reduced (25% of energy from fat) diet. Subjects also ingested a daily multivitamin (Centrum).

Rice bran oil, not fiber, lowers cholesterol in humans.

Background: The cholesterol-lowering abilities of rice bran's fiber and oil apart from its fatty acid composition remain unclear.

Objective: The objective of the study was to assess the effects of defatted rice bran and rice bran oil in an average American diet on blood lipids in moderately hypercholesterolemic persons.

Design: Study 1 used a parallel-arm design.

The effects of triiodothyronine on bone metabolism in healthy ambulatory men.

The purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of supraphysiologic doses of triiodothyronine (T(3)) on skeletal metabolism, calcium balance, and the calciotropic hormones. Seven healthy, lean men were studied in an inpatient metabolic unit over a 63-day period. All volunteers received oral T(3) at doses of 50-75 microg/d.

Effects of caffeine, sleep loss, and stress on cognitive performance and mood during U.S. Navy SEAL training. Sea-Air-Land.

Rationale: When humans are acutely exposed to multiple stressors, cognitive performance is substantially degraded. Few practical strategies are available to sustain performance under such conditions.

Objective: This study examined whether moderate doses of caffeine would reduce adverse effects of sleep deprivation and exposure to severe environmental and operational stress on cognitive performance.

Comparison of a radioimmunoassay with a microparticle enzyme immunoassay of insulin for use with the minimal model method of determining whole-body insulin sensitivity.

The purpose of this study was to compare minimal model results of insulin sensitivity and glucose effectiveness using insulin levels measured by a conventional radioimmunoassay (RIA) versus an automated microparticle enzyme immunoassay (MEIA). Thirty obese subjects participated in an insulin-modified frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test. The MEIA exhibited lower day-to-day variability than did the RIA.

Influence of age and normal plasma fibrinogen levels on flow-mediated dilation in healthy adults.

This study examined the effects of age-associated increases in fibrinogen on brachial artery flow-mediated dilation in 30 healthy nonsmokers. The findings demonstrate an inverse association between normal plasma fibrinogen levels and vascular function (r = -0.56, p = 0.

Differential response to low-fat diet between low and normal HDL-cholesterol subjects.

Heart attacks frequently occur in normolipidemic subjects with low concentration of high density lipoproteins ( View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Influence of a carbohydrate drink on nutritional status, body composition and mood during desert training.

Background: Nutritional intake by military personnel is typically inadequate during field exercises, potentially compromising health and performance.

Hypothesis: Drinking a supplemental carbohydrate (CHO) beverage will increase total caloric intake and maintain nutritional status during military training in the desert.

Methods: A total of 63 volunteers were randomly assigned to one of two groups to receive either a CHO or placebo beverage with military rations during an 11-d desert field exercise.

Prevention of hydrolytic rancidity in rice bran during storage.

The effect of microwave heating, packaging, and storage temperature on the production of free fatty acids (FFA) in rice bran was examined. Freshly milled raw rice bran was adjusted to 21% moisture content and heated in a microwave oven at 850 W for 3 min. Raw and microwave-heated rice bran were packed in zipper-top bags or vacuum-sealed bags and stored at 4-5 or 25 degrees C for 16 weeks.

Low-dose T(3) improves the bed rest model of simulated weightlessness in men and women.

This study tested the hypothesis that low-dose 3,5, 3'-triiodothyronine (T(3)) administration during prolonged bed rest improves the ground-based model of spaceflight. Nine men (36.4 +/- 1.

Pilot study on the effect of hyperimmune egg protein on elevated cholesterol levels and cardiovascular risk factors.

Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for almost half of all deaths. Animal studies have suggested that the daily addition of "hyperimmune egg" to one's diet might reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Military personnel with initial total cholesterol levels higher than 180 mg/dl were randomly enrolled in a 26-week double-blind study of a drink containing a hyperimmune egg protein.