Mediterranean diet as a strategy for preserving kidney function in patients with coronary heart disease with type 2 diabetes and obesity: a secondary analysis of CORDIOPREV randomized controlled trial.

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is recognized an independent risk factor for chronic kidney disease (CKD). The precise contribution and differential response to treatment strategies to reduce kidney dysfunction, depending on whether obesity is present alongside T2DM or not, remain to be fully clarified. Our objective was to improve our understanding of how obesity contributes to kidney function in patients with T2DM and coronary heart disease (CHD), who are highly predisposed to CKD, to assign the most effective dietary approach to preserve kidney function.

Glycative stress as a cause of macular degeneration.

People are living longer and rates of age-related diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are accelerating, placing enormous burdens on patients and health care systems. The quality of carbohydrate foods consumed by an individual impacts health. The glycemic index (GI) is a kinetic measure of the rate at which glucose arrives in the blood stream after consuming various carbohydrates.

Supplementation with antioxidant micronutrients in pregnant women with obesity: a randomized controlled trial.

Background/objective: Obesity increases maternal morbidity and adversely affects child health. Maternal inflammation may play a role in adverse outcomes. The objective of this study was to determine whether providing a higher dose of antioxidant micronutrients to pregnant women with obesity would raise concentrations of key antioxidant vitamins and impact inflammation and oxidative stress during pregnancy.

Life-long consumption of high level of fruits and vegetables reduces tumor incidence and extends median lifespan in mice.

Objective: Epidemiological studies suggest that consumption of fruits and vegetables (FV) is negatively associated with the incidence of certain cancers and mortality. However, a causal relationship has not been demonstrated. Thus, we investigated the effect of life-long consumption of high level of FV on median lifespan, key biological functions, and pathologies in mice fed low-fat (LF) or high-fat (HF) diets and the underlying mechanisms.

Associations between the New DNA-Methylation-Based Telomere Length Estimator, the Mediterranean Diet and Genetics in a Spanish Population at High Cardiovascular Risk.

Biological aging is a relevant risk factor for chronic diseases, and several indicators for measuring this factor have been proposed, with telomere length (TL) among the most studied. Oxidative stress may regulate telomere shortening, which is implicated in the increased risk. Using a novel estimator for TL, we examined whether adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet), a highly antioxidant-rich dietary pattern, is associated with longer TL.

Therapeutic potential of plant-derived extracellular vesicles as nanocarriers for exogenous miRNAs.

Cell-to-cell communication strategies include extracellular vesicles (EVs) in plants and animals. The bioactive molecules in a diet rich in vegetables and fruits are associated with disease-preventive effects. Plant-derived EVs (PDEVs) are biogenetically and morphologically comparable to mammalian EVs and transport bioactive molecules, including miRNAs.

Rate-Limiting Enzymes in Cardiometabolic Health and Aging in Humans.

Introduction: Rate-limiting enzymes (RLEs) are innate slow points in metabolic pathways, and many function in bio-processes related to nutrient sensing. Many RLEs carry causal mutations relevant to inherited metabolic disorders. Because the activity of RLEs in cardiovascular health is poorly characterized, our objective was to assess their involvement in cardiometabolic health and disease and where altered biophysical and biochemical functions can promote disease.

The impact of alcoholic drinks and dietary factors on epigenetic markers associated with triglyceride levels.

Many epigenetic loci have been associated with plasma triglyceride (TG) levels, but epigenetic connections between those loci and dietary exposures are largely unknown. This study aimed to characterize the epigenetic links between diet, lifestyle, and TG. We first conducted an epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) for TG in the Framingham Heart Study Offspring population (FHS, = 2,264).

Associations of Modified Healthy Aging Index With Major Adverse Cardiac Events, Major Coronary Events, and Ischemic Heart Disease.

Background The Healthy Aging Index (HAI) has been regarded as useful in capturing the health status of multiple organ systems. However, to what extent the HAI is associated with major cardiovascular events remains largely unknown. The authors constructed a modified HAI (mHAI) to quantify the association of physiological aging with major vascular events and explored how the effects of a healthy lifestyle can modify this association.

Dietary Responses of Dementia-Related Genes Encoding Metabolic Enzymes.

The age-related loss of the cognitive function is a growing concern for global populations. Many factors that determine cognitive resilience or dementia also have metabolic functions. However, this duality is not universally appreciated when the action of that factor occurs in tissues external to the brain.

Triglyceride Metabolism Modifies Lipoprotein(a) Plasma Concentration.

Background: Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) is a significant cardiovascular risk factor. Knowing the mechanisms that regulate its concentration can facilitate the development of Lp(a)-lowering drugs. This study analyzes the relationship between triglycerides (TGs) and Lp(a) concentrations, cross-sectionally and longitudinally, and the influence of the number and composition of TG-rich lipoproteins, and the APOE genotype.

Xanthophyll β-cryptoxanthin treatment inhibits hepatic steatosis without altering vitamin A status in β-carotene 9',10'-oxygenase knockout mice.

Background: β-cryptoxanthin (BCX), one of the major carotenoids detected in human circulation, can protect against the development of fatty liver disease. BCX can be metabolized through β-carotene-15,15'-oxygenase (BCO1) and β-carotene-9',10'-oxygenase (BCO2) cleavage pathways to produce both vitamin A and apo-carotenoids, respectively, which are considered important signaling molecules in a variety of biological processes. Recently, we have demonstrated that BCX treatment reduced hepatic steatosis severity and hepatic total cholesterol levels in both wide type and BCO1/BCO2 double knock out (KO) mice.

Sweet Taste Preference: Relationships with Other Tastes, Liking for Sugary Foods and Exploratory Genome-Wide Association Analysis in Subjects with Metabolic Syndrome.

Taste perception and its association with nutrition and related diseases (type 2 diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular, etc.) are emerging fields of biomedicine. There is currently great interest in investigating the environmental and genetic factors that influence sweet taste and sugary food preferences for personalized nutrition.

Using Machine Learning to Predict Obesity Based on Genome-Wide and Epigenome-Wide Gene-Gene and Gene-Diet Interactions.

Obesity is associated with many chronic diseases that impair healthy aging and is governed by genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors and their complex interactions. This study aimed to develop a model that predicts an individual's risk of obesity by better characterizing these complex relations and interactions focusing on dietary factors. For this purpose, we conducted a combined genome-wide and epigenome-wide scan for body mass index (BMI) and up to three-way interactions among 402,793 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), 415,202 DNA methylation sites (DMSs), and 397 dietary and lifestyle factors using the generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction (GMDR) method.

Long-term consumption of a mediterranean diet or a low-fat diet on kidney function in coronary heart disease patients: The CORDIOPREV randomized controlled trial.

Background & Aims: Lifestyle and dietary habits influence kidney function, playing an important role in the prevention and development of chronic kidney disease (CKD). The effectiveness of the Mediterranean diet in preserving kidney function has been seen in primary prevention. However, no scientific evidence is currently available to determine which dietary pattern is more effective in the management of CKD in secondary cardiovascular disease prevention.

Diet Quality Scores Are Positively Associated with Whole Blood-Derived Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number in the Framingham Heart Study.

Background: The association between diet quality and mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA-CN) remains to be examined.

Objectives: We aimed to study the relation between diet quality and mtDNA-CN.

Methods: We analyzed data from 2931 Framingham Heart Study (FHS) participants (mean age of 57 y, 55% females).

A Catalog of Natural Products Occurring in Watermelon-.

Sweet dessert watermelon () is one of the most important vegetable crops consumed throughout the world. The chemical composition of watermelon provides both high nutritional value and various health benefits. The present manuscript introduces a catalog of 1,679 small molecules occurring in the watermelon and their cheminformatics analysis for diverse features.

Metabolite patterns link diet, obesity, and type 2 diabetes in a Hispanic population.

Introduction: Obesity is a precursor of type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Objectives: Our aim was to identify metabolic signatures of T2D and dietary factors unique to obesity.

Methods: We examined a subsample of the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study (BPRHS) population with a high prevalence of obesity and T2D at baseline (n = 806) and participants (without T2D at baseline) at 5-year follow-up (n = 412).

Association of BCAT2 and BCKDH polymorphisms with clinical, anthropometric and biochemical parameters in young adults.

Background And Aim: Circulating amino acids are modified by sex, body mass index (BMI) and insulin resistance (IR). However, whether the presence of genetic variants in branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) catabolic enzymes modifies circulating amino acids is still unknown. Thus, we determined the frequency of two genetic variants, one in the branched-chain aminotransferase 2 (BCAT2) gene (rs11548193), and one in the branched-chain ketoacid dehydrogenase (BCKDH) gene (rs45500792), and elucidated their impact on circulating amino acid levels together with clinical, anthropometric and biochemical parameters.

Resistin levels and inflammatory and endothelial dysfunction markers in obese postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Background: Obesity-associated coronary heart disease (CHD) risk is higher in women than in men with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Resistin, an adipokine secreted by adispose tissue, may contribute to this higher risk.

Aims: To explore the relationships among resistin levels and common inflammatory and endothelial dysfunction markers and CHD risk in obese post-menopausal T2DM women.

Genetics of Sleep and Insights into Its Relationship with Obesity.

Considerable recent advancements in elucidating the genetic architecture of sleep traits and sleep disorders may provide insight into the relationship between sleep and obesity. Despite the involvement of the circadian clock in sleep and metabolism, few shared genes, including , were implicated in genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of sleep and obesity. Polygenic scores composed of signals from GWASs of sleep traits show largely null associations with obesity, suggesting lead variants are unique to sleep.

Work Shift, Lifestyle Factors, and Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Spanish Male Workers: A Mediation Analysis.

(1) Background: Working night shifts has been associated with altered circadian rhythms, lifestyle habits, and cardiometabolic risks. No information on the potential association of working shift and the presence of atherosclerosis is available. The aim of this study was to quantify the association between different work shifts and the presence of subclinical atherosclerosis objectively measured by imaging.