Effects of dietary fibers or probiotics on functional constipation symptoms and roles of gut microbiota: a double-blinded randomized placebo trial.

Dietary fibers/probiotics may relieve constipation via optimizing gut microbiome, yet with limited trial-based evidences. We aimed to evaluate the effects of formulas with dietary fibers or probiotics on functional constipation symptoms, and to identify modulations of gut microbiota of relevance. We conducted a 4-week double-blinded randomized placebo-controlled trial in 250 adults with functional constipation.

Genetic and molecular analysis of the anthocyanin pigmentation pathway in .

Introduction: Flower color is an ideal trait for studying the molecular basis for phenotypic variations in natural populations of species. (Berberidaceae) species exhibit a wide range of flower colors resulting from the varied accumulation of anthocyanins and other pigments in their spur-like petals and petaloid sepals.

Methods: In this work, the anthocyanidins of eight different species with different floral pigmentation phenotypes were analyzed using HPLC.

Multi-ancestry genome-wide study in >2.5 million individuals reveals heterogeneity in mechanistic pathways of type 2 diabetes and complications.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a heterogeneous disease that develops through diverse pathophysiological processes. To characterise the genetic contribution to these processes across ancestry groups, we aggregate genome-wide association study (GWAS) data from 2,535,601 individuals (39.7% non-European ancestry), including 428,452 T2D cases.

Metabolomics analysis reveals the accumulation patterns of flavonoids and phenolic acids in quinoa ( Willd.) grains of different colors.

Quinoa grains are gaining increasing popularity owing to their high nutritional merits. However, only limited information is available on the metabolic profiles of quinoa grains. In this study, we determined the metabolic profiles of black, red, and white quinoa grains via an ultraperformance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS/MS)-based metabolomics.

Dietary macrominerals: Updated review of their role and orchestration in human nutrition throughout the life cycle with sex differences.

Macrominerals play vital roles in a multitude of physiologic systems. A myriad of biochemical reactions are dependent on or affected by these electrolytes. The current review attempts to identify the role of macrominerals as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium and sulfur in human health, in addition to their absorption and homeostasis inside the body.

Association between Vitamin B and Obesity in Middle-Aged and Older Chinese Adults.

Objective: Previous studies have found that obese people have lower levels of vitamin B, but most have focused on obesity as defined by body mass index (BMI), and its relationship with other types of obesity is unclear. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between vitamin B levels and obesity assessed by different definitions among Chinese middle-aged and older community-dwelling adults.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 887 participants aged 45 years and older (45-82 years).

Effects of low-dose B vitamins plus betaine supplementation on lowering homocysteine concentrations among Chinese adults with hyperhomocysteinemia: a randomized, double-blind, controlled preliminary clinical trial.

Purpose: To test the hypothesis that daily supplementation with low-dose B vitamins plus betaine could significantly reduce plasma homocysteine concentrations in Chinese adults with hyperhomocysteinemia and free from background mandatory folic acid fortification.

Methods: One hundred apparently healthy adults aged 18-65 years with hyperhomocysteinemia were recruited in South China from July 2019 to June 2021. They were randomly assigned to either the supplement group (daily supplementation: 400 μg folic acid, 8 mg vitamin B, 6.

Influence of structural features and feruloylation on fermentability and ability to modulate gut microbiota of arabinoxylan in fermentation.

Introduction: Arabinoxylan (AX) is a versatile polysaccharide that shows various effects in modulating gut microbiota and health. The influence of arabinoxylan carbohydrate structural feature and feruloylation on fermentability and the effect of modulation of gut microbiota of AX was not clear.

Methods: Arabinoxylans from rice bran and corn bran (RAX and CAX), and their deferulyolated counterpart dRAX and dCAX were fermented using an fermentation model.

Isomaltooligosaccharides Sustain the Growth of Both and in Animal Models.

The human digestive tract is colonized by trillions of bacterial cells that play important roles in human health and diseases. It is well known that dietary habits are associated with human microbiota enterotypes. However, the factors that determine the enterotype still remain elusive.

Combined probiotics attenuate chronic unpredictable mild stress-induced depressive-like and anxiety-like behaviors in rats.

Increasing evidence indicated that probiotics can be effective in improving behaviors similar to depression and anxiety disorders. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear, as is the effects of single vs. combined probiotics on depression and anxiety.

Water-soluble tomato concentrate modulates shear-induced platelet aggregation and blood flow and .

Water-soluble tomato concentrate (WSTC), extracted from mature tomatoes, is the first health product in Europe that has been approved "to help maintain normal platelet activity to maintain healthy blood flow." We hypothesized that WSTC might exert an influence on blood flow shear stress-induced platelet aggregation (SIPA) and in turn maintains healthy blood flow. We used a microfluidic system to measure the effects of WSTC on SIPA We also used the strenuous exercise rat model and the κ-carrageenan-induced rat tail thrombosis model to demonstrate the effects of WSTC on blood flow.

Potential Health-Promoting Effects of Two Candidate Probiotics Isolated from Infant Feces Using an Immune-Based Screening Strategy.

Commensal microorganisms in the human gut are a good source of candidate probiotics, particularly those with immunomodulatory effects that may improve health outcomes by regulating interactions between the gut microbiome and distal organs. Previously, we used an immune-based screening strategy to select two potential probiotic strains from infant feces in China, 207-1 (207-1) and 207-27 (207-27). In this study, the in vitro immunological effects and potential in vivo general health benefits of these two strains were evaluated using GG (LGG) as the control.

Polyphenols in Highland Barley Tea Inhibit the Production of Advanced Glycosylation End-Products and Alleviate the Skeletal Muscle Damage.

Scope: Highland barley tea is a kind of caffeine-free cereal tea. Previous studies have shown that it is rich in polyphenol flavonoids. Here, the effect of Highland barley tea polyphenols (HBP) on the production of advanced glycosylation end-products and alleviate the skeletal muscle damage is systematically investigated.

Effect of aqueous extract of seed of broccoli on inflammatory cytokines and Helicobacter pylori infection: a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial in patients without atrophic gastritis.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of an aqueous extract of seed of broccoli (AESB) in Helicobacter pylori (HP)-infected patients without atrophic gastritis. This was a double-centre, randomized, double-blind, controlled study. A total of 110 HP-infected subjects were randomized to receive either AESB or placebo for 2 months.

Arabinoxylan from rice bran protects mice against high-fat diet-induced obesity and metabolic inflammation by modulating gut microbiota and short-chain fatty acids.

Rice bran is an important by-product of the milling industry. Arabinoxylan extracted from rice bran (RAX) is available in large quantities and is structurally different from other arabinoxylans from cereals. The anti-obesity effects of RAX and the role of microbiota have not been studied.

Hydroxysafflor yellow A triggered a fast-to-slow muscle fiber-type conversion regulating FoxO1 in myocytes.

Hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) is the main bioactive component of safflower and has been reported to have significant health-promoting abilities. However, the regulation of HSYA on different types of skeletal myofibers is largely unknown. Here, experiments found that the water extract of safflower could significantly increase MyHC I, MB and Tnni1 mRNA expression while downregulating MyHC IIb mRNA expression.

Association of Human Whole Blood NAD Contents With Aging.

Background: NAD, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, is mostly described to associate with the aging process. We aimed to investigate the association between human whole blood NAD contents and aging in a relative large-scale community-based population and further to address the gender impact on this association.

Methods: We recruited 1,518 participants aged over 18 years old and free of cardiovascular and any type of cancer from the Jidong community from 2019 to 2020.

Astaxanthin delays brain aging in senescence-accelerated mouse prone 10: inducing autophagy as a potential mechanism.

Brain aging is a complex biological process often associated with a decline in cognitive functions and motility. Astaxanthin (AST) is a strong antioxidant capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier. The effect of AST on brain aging and its physiological and molecular mechanism are still unclear.

The flavonoid procyanidin C1 has senotherapeutic activity and increases lifespan in mice.

Ageing-associated functional decline of organs and increased risk for age-related chronic pathologies is driven in part by the accumulation of senescent cells, which develop the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). Here we show that procyanidin C1 (PCC1), a polyphenolic component of grape seed extract (GSE), increases the healthspan and lifespan of mice through its action on senescent cells. By screening a library of natural products, we find that GSE, and PCC1 as one of its active components, have specific effects on senescent cells.

Healthy lifestyle and life expectancy free of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes: prospective cohort study.

Objective: To examine how a healthy lifestyle is related to life expectancy that is free from major chronic diseases.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting And Participants: The Nurses' Health Study (1980-2014; n=73 196) and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (1986-2014; n=38 366).