The plants of the genus mainly grow in arid and semi-arid climates. Although the highest variety of wild species is found in Mexico, spp. is widely distributed throughout the world. Extracts of these cacti have been described as important sources of bioactive substances that can have beneficial properties for the prevention and treatment of certain metabolic disorders. The objective of this review is to summarise the presently available knowledge regarding (nopal or prickly pear), and some other species ( and ) on obesity and several metabolic complications. Current data show that products used in preclinical studies have a significant capacity to prevent, at least partially, obesity and certain derived co-morbidities. On this subject, the potential beneficial effects of are related to a reduction in oxidative stress and inflammation markers. Nevertheless, clinical studies have evidenced that the effects are highly contingent upon the experimental design. Moreover, the bioactive compound composition of nopal extracts has not been reported. As a result, there is a lack of information to elucidate the mechanisms of action responsible for the observed effects. Accordingly, further studies are needed to demonstrate whether products can represent an effective tool to prevent and/or manage body weight and some metabolic disorders.
Introduction: Military body fat standards were implemented in the 1980s to prevent obesity and associated poor military readiness. In the past 2 decades, enforcement of existing Army body composition standards has been eroded by the steady increase in national obesity rates, the demand for new recruits especially during the 2007 surge in Iraq, and the COVID epidemic in 2020. The diminishing qualified recruit pool puts a new focus on accession standards.
Background: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a common disease in children. Lifestyle modification is the primary treatment but difficult to achieve and maintain. Topiramate is a component of an approved weight loss medication (topiramate-phentermine) in children aged 12 years and older but is more commonly used as a single agent, off-label, for pediatric obesity.
Background: The increasing prevalence of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), formerly known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), parallels the rise in sedentary lifestyles. MASLD is the most common form of steatotic liver disease (SLD), which represents the umbrella beneath which the vast majority of chronic liver diseases fall, including alcohol-related liver disease and their overlap. These conditions are the leading contributors to chronic liver disease, significantly impacting global morbidity and mortality.
Department of Nutrition, Child Growth and Development Research Center, Research Institute for Primordial Prevention of Non-Communicable Disease, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Obesity is increasingly taking an important stage as a cause of death worldwide, and interventions with a good cost-effectiveness ratio are needed. is one of these natural products with health benefits. Objective.
