Chronic subcutaneous (s.c.) administration of d-galactose (DG) to BL/6J mice has been shown to induce oxidative stress and is considered a model to mimic accelerated ageing. Fructo-oligosaccharide (FO) is a well-defined prebiotic and its fermentation by lactic acid bacteria has been shown to exert antioxidative capacity. The present study was aimed to determine whether FO attenuated DG-induced oxidative stress and hepatopathy in Balb/cJ mice. Mice (12 weeks of age, n 40) were divided into control (s.c. saline), DG (s.c. 1·2 g/kg body weight), DG+FO (5 %, w/w) and DG+vitamin E (0·2 %, w/w) groups and were killed after 52 d of treatment. Results indicated that DG significantly decreased the hepatic superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities. These alterations were ameliorated both by FO and vitamin E. DG increased the hepatic TAG content approximately by 7·2 % compared with the vehicle control, which was in agreement with the histological alteration. FO, similar to vitamin E, almost normalised the hepatic TAG content and ameliorated the histological characteristics of fatty liver. Similarly, the increased plasma alanine aminotransferase activity induced by DG was normalised by FO and vitamin E, respectively. Faecal bifidobacteria counts were greater in the DG+FO and DG+vitamin E groups compared with the DG group, respectively. In conclusion, the present study indicated that FO diminished the altered hepatic antioxidative enzyme activities and morphology caused by chronic DG administration in Balb/cJ mice, partially associated with its prebiotic role in the colon.

Exposure to food promotion influences food preferences and diet. As food advertisements tend to promote ‘less healthy’ products, food advertising probably plays some role in the ‘obesity epidemic’. Amid calls for increased regulation, food manufacturers are beginning to engage in a variety of health-promoting marketing initiatives. Positioning products in the context of a ‘healthy’, balanced diet in television advertisements is one such initiative. We explored whether the wider food context in which foods are advertised on television are ‘healthier’ than the advertised foods themselves. All foods shown in food advertisements broadcast during 1 week on one commercial UK channel were identified and classified as ‘primary’ (i.e. the focus of advertisements) or ‘incidental’. The nutritional content of all foods was determined and that of primary and incidental foods were compared. Almost two-thirds of food advertisements did not include any incidental foods. When a wider food context was present, this tended to be ‘healthier’ than the primary foods that were the focus of food advertisements – particularly in terms of the food groups represented. It is not yet clear what effect this may have on consumers' perceptions and behaviour, and whether or not this practice should be encouraged or discouraged from a public health perspective.

The effect of raw cabbage and sauerkraut juices on the expression and activity of phase II enzymes, glutathione S-transferase (GST) and NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1), in the rat liver and kidney was compared with that of two commercially available products of glucosinolate degradation: indole-3-carbinol (I3C) and phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC). Male Wistar rats were treated by oral administration with cabbage juices, I3C or PEITC for 4, 10 and 30 d. The results showed that juices, particularly sauerkraut juice as with I3C and PEITC, significantly increased GST and NQO1 activities in the rat liver. The only exception was the 30 d time point of feeding with raw cabbage juice. Cabbage juices, I3C and PEITC affected the hepatic GST μ to the greatest extent and GST α to a lesser extent. The results of the present study also showed that the treatment of rats with juices and compounds tested caused the translocation of the NF-E2-related transcription factor (Nrf2) active subunit from the cytosol to the nucleus, providing an argument for the involvement of this transcription factor in the induction of GST and NQO1. In contrast to the liver, cabbage juices affected only the renal GST θ, while treatment with I3C and PEITC significantly increased the activity of NQO1. Thus, the results of the present study indicate that induction of the key detoxifying enzymes by cabbage juices, particularly sauerkraut, may be responsible for their chemopreventive activity demonstrated by epidemiological studies and in animal models. However, the final effects might be organ or tissue dependent.

Folic acid is essential for numerous biological functions, ranging from nucleotide biosynthesis to the remethylation of homocysteine. Folic acid is unable to cross the biological membranes by simple diffusion, so there exists a well-developed epithelial folate transport system for the regulation of normal folate homeostasis in the intestine. Any perturbances in the folate uptake system might lead to a state of folate deficiency, which in turn is strongly associated with the risk of various cancers, birth defects and CVD. Countries with obligatory folate fortification of food (USA and Canada) have documented a significant decrease in neural tube defects in newborns. However, the effect of folate oversupplementation on the intestinal absorption of folic acid has not been studied. We studied the process of folate transport and the expression of folate transporters in the rat intestine after folate oversupplementation. Rats were oversupplemented with tenfold the normal requirement of folic acid for periods of 10 and 60 d. Folate uptake in intestinal brush-border membrane vesicles followed saturable kinetics with pH optimum at 5·5. Acute, but not chronic, folate oversupplementation led to a significant down-regulation in intestinal folate uptake at acidic pH optima and was associated with a decrease in Vmax without any significant change in the Km of the folate uptake process. The decrease in folate uptake was also associated with the down-regulation in the protein levels of major folate transporters, proton-coupled folate transporter (PCFT) and reduced folate carrier (RFC), without altering their mRNA levels. Hence, it was concluded that acute folate oversupplementation results in a significant decrease in intestinal folate uptake by down-regulating the expressions of RFC and PCFT, via some post-transcriptional or translational mechanisms.

Consumption of high-protein (HP) diets is postulated to exert a negative influence on bone and renal health. However, no conclusive evidence has been presented related to this issue or to the potential protective action of resistance training on HP-induced systemic effects. We examined the effects of HP diet consumption on food intake, body-weight gain, body composition, and renal, bone and metabolic parameters of rats performing resistance training. A total of ninety-six adult male Wistar rats were randomly distributed in twelve experimental groups (n 8): normal-protein (10 %) or HP (45 %) diets, with or without resistance training, killed for experimental periods of 1, 2 or 3 months. Diets were based on a commercial whey protein hydrolysate. Consumption of HP diets and resistance training significantly affected food intake, body weight and body composition, as well as the plasma levels of total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and TAG. The buffering action of resistance training on such diet-induced alterations was especially evident in the levels of plasma TAG. Consumption of HP diets led to a considerable increase in kidney weight, urinary volume and acidity, as well as in the urinary excretion of Ca, with a parallel reduction in the urinary excretion of citrate (P < 0·05). No apparent deleterious effect on bone mineral content was found. In conclusion, consumption of HP diets caused alterations in renal health status and some metabolic parameters, but did not seem to affect bone status. Resistance training had a protective action against alterations of renal health status and some metabolic parameters such as plasma TAG.

The hypothesis of the present study was that cod larvae have a limitation in lipid digestion, and that absorption of lipids would increase by pre-hydrolysation. The diets used were designed to contain 15 % lipid, of which 40 % was phosphatidylcholine (PC) and 60 % was TAG. Cod larvae (40 d post hatch (dph)) were fed a single meal where either PC or TAG was radioactively labelled, and the labelled PC or TAG was either intact or hydrolysed (pre-digested). The larvae were then incubated individually in chambers with collection of CO2 for 10 h. The following fractions were analysed for radioactivity: the incubation water (evacuated feed); the intestine; the body; the CO2 trap. The larvae ate a 16–29 μg diet, equivalent to 3·4–5·2 % of dry body weight. In the whole population, 0–16 % of the lipid was evacuated. The larvae that had eaten less than 1·9–2·7 μg lipid absorbed close to 100 % of the lipid, absorption being defined conservatively as the amount contained in the carcass and CO2, excluding the intestinal tissue. In these larvae, approximately 100 % of the absorbed lipid was also catabolised. In the larvae that ingested more than 1·9–2·7 μg lipid, there was a linear reduction in lipid absorption to a minimum of 55 % at the highest lipid intakes parallel to an increasing retention of lipids in the carcass. There were only minor differences in digestion, absorption, retention and metabolism of lipids between the larvae fed the different diets, and the larvae tended to retain lipid classes as they were present in the feed. The study shows that 40-dph Atlantic cod larvae have an efficient utilisation of dietary lipids supplied as intact PC and TAG.

Before the menopause, women are relatively protected against CVD compared with men. The reasons for this sex difference are not completely understood, but hepatic fatty acid metabolism may play a role. The present study aimed to investigate the utilisation of plasma NEFA by the liver and to determine whether they are partitioned differently into ketone bodies and VLDL-TAG in healthy, lean young men and women. Volunteers were studied during a prolonged overnight fast (12–19 h) using an intravenous infusion of [U-13C]palmitate. After 12 h fasting, the women had a more advantageous metabolic profile with lower plasma glucose (P < 0·05) and TAG (P < 0·05) but higher plasma NEFA (P < 0·05) concentrations. Plasma 3-hydroxybutyrate (3-OHB) concentrations rose more in women than in men, and the transfer of 13C from [U-13C]palmitate to plasma [13C]3-OHB reached a plateau 6–7 h after the start of the infusion in women but was still increasing at 6 h in men. This implies a slower 3-OHB production rate and/or dilution by other precursor pools in men. In women, the high isotopic enrichment of plasma 3-OHB suggested that systemic plasma fatty acids were the major source of 3-OHB production. However, in men, this was not observed during the course of the study (P < 0·01). There were no sex differences for the incorporation of 13C into VLDL1- or VLDL2-TAG. The ability of young women to partition fatty acids towards ketone body production rather than VLDL-TAG may contribute to their more advantageous metabolic profile compared with young men.

Supplementing broiler diets with conventional vegetable oils has little effect on the long-chain n-3 PUFA (LC n-3 PUFA) content of the meat. The present study investigated the effect on fatty acid composition and sensory characteristics of chicken meat when broilers were fed oil extracted from soyabeans (SDASOY) that had been genetically engineered to produce C18 : 4n-3 (stearidonic acid (SDA), 240 mg/g oil). Three diets were fed to 120 birds (eight replicate pens of five birds) from 15 d to slaughter (41–50 d). Diets were identical apart from the oil added to them (45 and 50 g/kg as fed in the grower and finisher phases, respectively), which was either SDASOY, near-isogenic soya (CON) or fish oil (FISH). The LC n-3 PUFA content of the meat increased in the order CON, SDASOY and FISH. In breast meat with skin, the SDA concentration was 522, 13 and 37 (sem 14·4) mg/100 g meat for SDASOY, CON and FISH, respectively. Equivalent values for C20 : 5n-3 (EPA) were 53, 13 and 140 (sem 8·4); for C22 : 5n-3 (docosapentaenoic acid (DPA)) 65, 15 and 101 (sem 3·5); for C22 : 6n-3 (DHA) 19, 9 and 181 (sem 4·4). Leg meat (with skin) values for SDA were 861, 23 and 68 (sem 30·1); for EPA 87, 9 and 258 (sem 7·5); for DPA 95, 20 and 165 (sem 5·0); for DHA 29, 10 and 278 (sem 8·4). Aroma, taste and aftertaste of freshly cooked breast meat were not affected. Fishy aromas, tastes and aftertastes were associated with LC n-3 PUFA content of the meat, being most noticeable in the FISH leg meat (both freshly cooked and reheated) and in the reheated SDASOY leg meat.

Gut hormones play key roles in the regulation of energy homeostasis. However, little is known about the long- and short-term effects of changing dietary fat content on gut hormones. We aim to examine the effects of changing dietary fat content on plasma gut hormone concentrations in diet-induced obese (DIO) and diet-resistant (DR) rats. After inducing obesity with a high-fat (HF) diet, male Sprague–Dawley rats were divided into three groups according to their body-weight gain: DIO; DR; control (CON). The DIO and DR rats were further divided in random into two groups. One continued on a HF diet and the other switched to a low-fat (LF) diet for an additional 4 weeks. Finally, each group was randomly divided into three subgroups (n 8): fasted; fasted-refed HF; fasted-refed LF diet groups. Replacing a HF diet with a LF diet for 4 weeks resulted in less fat mass, higher fasting and post-HF plasma ghrelin concentration and lower postprandial plasma cholecystokinin concentration in the DIO and DR rats. Acute switching dietary fat resulted in significantly higher post-HF plasma ghrelin concentrations than post-LF ghrelin concentrations in the DR rats on LF diet (DRLF) and DIO rats on LF diet (DIOLF) rats, and significantly higher post-HF obestatin concentrations than post-LF obestatin concentrations in the CON, DR rats on HF diet (DRHF) and DRLF rats. Dietary fat content appears to play a role in the gut hormone profile, which may consequently influence fat mass.

Production and manufacturing methods and the food carrier may influence the properties of probiotic strains, and have an impact on the outcome of clinical intervention studies. The aim of the present study was to establish whether the properties of a specific probiotic strain, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, may differ depending on the product and source of the strain. In total, fifteen different L. rhamnosus isolates, among them fourteen labelled as L. rhamnosus GG, were isolated from specific probiotic products. The micro-organisms were phenotypically and genotypically characterised. Their adhesion properties were compared using the human intestinal mucus model, and the ability of the isolates to influence model pathogen adhesion to human colonic mucus was assessed. All L. rhamnosus isolates used were confirmed as members of the species L. rhamnosus. Except the reference strain OL, all L. rhamnosus isolates showed randomly amplified polymorphic DNA, enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis profiles identical to that of L. rhamnosus GG (ATCC 53103). All L. rhamnosus isolates showed similar tolerance to acid and were able to bind to human colonic mucus. However, pathogen exclusion by inhibition and competition varied significantly among the different L. rhamnosus isolates and pathogens tested. The results suggest that different sources of the same probiotic may have significantly altered strain properties. This should be considered in in vivo studies on human subjects and also for quality control of probiotic products.

Several epidemiological studies have related an increase of lipids in the postprandial state to an individual risk for the development of CVD, possibly due to the increased plasma levels of TAG and fatty acids (FA) through enzymes of FA metabolism. The interaction between nutrition and the human genome determines gene expression and metabolic response. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of a fat overload on the gene mRNA levels of lipogenic regulators in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from patients with the metabolic syndrome. The study included twenty-one patients with criteria for the metabolic syndrome who underwent a fat overload. Measurements were made before and after the fat overload of anthropometric and biochemical variables and also the gene mRNA levels of lipogenic factors. The main results were that the fat overload led to an increased mRNA levels of sterol regulatory element binding protein-1 (SREBP1), retinoid X receptor α (RXRα) and liver X receptor α (LXRα) in PBMC, and this increase was associated with the FA synthase (FASN) mRNA levels. We also found that TAG levels correlated with FASN mRNA levels. In addition, there was a positive correlation of SREBP1 with RXRα and of LXRα with the plasma lipoperoxide concentration. The fat overload led to an increase in regulators of lipogenesis in PBMC from patients with the metabolic syndrome.

Diet and physical activity are considered to be major components of a healthy lifestyle. However, few studies have examined in detail the relationships between specific types of physical activity, sedentary behaviour and diet in adults. The objective of the present study was to assess differential relationships between dietary patterns, leisure-time and occupational physical activities and time spent watching television (TV), as an indicator of sedentary behaviour, in middle-aged French subjects. We performed a cross-sectional analysis using data from 1359 participants in the SUpplémentation en VItamines et Minéraux AntioXydants study, who completed a detailed physical activity questionnaire and at least six 24 h dietary records. Sex-specific dietary patterns were derived using factor analysis; their relationships with leisure-time and occupational physical activities and TV viewing were assessed using ANCOVA, after adjustment for age, educational level and smoking status. Three dietary patterns were identified in each sex. After adjustment for potential confounders, leisure-time physical activity was positively associated with a ‘healthy’ food pattern in both men (P for trend < 0·01) and women (P for trend < 0·03) and negatively associated with an ‘alcohol/meat’ pattern in men (P for trend < 0·01). TV viewing was positively associated with a ‘convenience’ pattern in men and with a ‘alcohol-appetiser’ pattern in women. In conclusion, identification of relationships between dietary patterns, physical activity and sedentary behaviour can enable identification of different types of lifestyle and should help to target at-risk groups in nutrition prevention programmes.

The present study describes the consumption of foods enriched with plant sterols (PS) and supplements containing PS, and evaluates PS intakes via the current consumption and for specific consumption scenarios. A market inventory was performed to collate different PS-enriched food items and supplements available in Belgium. An FFQ was developed to investigate the consumption of PS-enriched foods and supplements. A total of 139 pre-school children (2·5–7 years old) and 569 adults (308 women and 261 men) living in Flanders (the northern, Dutch-speaking part of Belgium) participated in the study. Of these, 21 % (Flemish pre-school children) and 28·5 % (Flemish adults) consume PS-enriched food products, leading to a mean PS intake in the consumer group of 0·70 (sd 0·61) g/d for pre-school children and 1·51 (sd 1·42) g/d for adults. Of the adult PS consumers, 23·2 % did not suffer from elevated blood cholesterol levels; 50 % of them had a PS intake less than or equal to 1 g/d and 16·4 % had a PS intake above 3 g/d and 7·8 % even had an intake above 4 g/d. Scenario studies assessed the intake when all Belgian adults would consume PS-enriched margarines without (scenario 1) or with (scenario 2) a daily consumption of a PS-enriched yoghurt drink. This resulted in an intake above 3 g/d in 17 % (women) and 29 % (men) for scenario 1 and 40 % (women) and 53 % (men) for scenario 2. The results indicate that PS-enriched food products are also consumed by the non-target group. Efficient communication tools are needed to inform consumers better about the target group of PS-enriched products, the advised dose per day and alternative dietary strategies to lower the blood cholesterol level.

Detrimental effects of trans-fats on lipid profiles, blood pressure and plasma glucose levels have been documented by short-term clinical trials with high doses of trans-fats, but limited observational studies have considered habitual consumption of partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (PHVO) and these outcome variables, particularly hypertension. We aimed to evaluate the association of PHVO and non-hydrogenated vegetable oils (non-HVO) intake with individual cardiovascular risk factors. In a cross-sectional study of 486 Iranian adult women, usual dietary intakes were assessed, and fasting plasma glucose (FPG), lipid profiles and blood pressure were measured. PHVO (commonly used for cooking in Iran) were considered as the PHVO category. Sunflower oil, maize oil, rapeseed oil, soyabean oil and olive oil were defined as the non-HVO category. Diabetes (FPG ≥ 1260 mg/l), dyslipidaemia (based on Adult Treatment Panel III) and hypertension (based on Joint National Committee VI) were defined. The presence of ‘at least one risk factor’ and ‘at least two risk factors’ of the three major risk factors for CVD (hypertension, dyslipidaemia and diabetes) was also evaluated. After controlling for age and other potential confounders, a high consumption of HVO was associated with a greater risk of having dyslipidaemia (OR for top v. bottom quintile 5·04; 95 % CI 2·70, 9·36), hypertension (OR for top v. bottom quintile 3·03; 95 % CI 1·55, 6·10), at least one (OR for top v. bottom quintile 8·52; 95 % CI 4·41, 16·41) and at least two risk factors (OR for top v. bottom quintile 3·60; 95 % CI 1·64, 7·74), while those in the top quintile of non-HVO consumption had lower odds for all these conditions. Further adjustment for dietary intakes had little impact on these associations. Even after additional adjustment for BMI, the positive association of HVO and the inverse association of non-HVO with the above-mentioned cardiovascular risk factors remained significant, except for the association between non-HVO and hypertension that became marginally significant. No overall significant associations were found between the consumption of HVO and non-HVO and diabetes. Higher intakes of PHVO were associated with a greater risk of individual cardiovascular risk factors, while those of non-HVO were associated with a reduced risk.

Smoking has been positively and fruit and vegetable intake has been negatively associated with cervical cancer, the second most common cancer among women worldwide. However, a lower consumption of fruits and reduced serum carotenoids have been observed among smokers. It is not known whether the smoking effect on the risk of cervical neoplasia is modified by a low intake of fruits and vegetables. The present study examined the combined effects of tobacco smoking and diet using a validated FFQ and serum carotenoid and tocopherol levels on cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 (CIN3) risk in a hospital-based case–control study conducted in São Paulo, Brazil, between 2003 and 2005. The sample comprised 231 incident, histologically confirmed cases of CIN3 and 453 controls. A low intake ( ≤ 39 g) of dark-green and deep-yellow vegetables and fruits without tobacco smoking had a lesser effect on CIN3 (OR 1·14; 95 % CI 0·49, 2·65) than among smokers with higher intake ( ≥ 40 g; OR 1·83; 95 % CI 0·73, 4·62) after adjusting for confounders. The OR for the joint exposure of tobacco smoking and low intake of vegetables and fruits was greater (3·86; 95 % CI 1·74, 8·57; P for trend < 0·001) compared with non-smokers with higher intake after adjusting for confounding variables and human papillomavirus status. Similar results were observed for total fruit, serum total carotene (including β-, α- and γ-carotene) and tocopherols. These findings suggest that the effect of nutritional factors on CIN3 is modified by smoking.

Maternal fish consumption during pregnancy has been suggested to affect birth outcomes. Previous studies mainly focused on birth outcomes and did not study fetal growth during pregnancy. In a prospective cohort study from early pregnancy onwards in The Netherlands, we assessed the associations of first-trimester maternal total-fish, lean-fish, fatty-fish and shellfish consumption with fetal growth characteristics in the second and third trimesters, growth characteristics at birth and the risks of neonatal complications, including pre-term birth, low birth weight and small for gestational age. In total, 3380 mothers completed a 293-item semi-quantitative FFQ to obtain information about fish consumption during the first trimester of pregnancy. Head circumference, femur length and fetal weight were estimated in the second and third trimesters by ultrasound. Information about birth anthropometrics and neonatal complications was available from hospital and midwife registries. Maternal older age, higher educational level, folic acid supplement use, alcohol use and not smoking were associated with higher fish consumption (P < 0·01). After adjustment, we observed no consistent associations of maternal total-fish consumption or specific consumption of lean fish, fatty fish or shellfish with fetal growth characteristics in the second and third trimesters and at birth. Likewise, total-fish consumption or specific consumption of any type of fish was not consistently associated with the risks of neonatal complications. These findings suggest that in a population with a relatively low fish intake, consumption of lean fish, fatty fish or shellfish in the first trimester is not associated with fetal growth or the risks of neonatal complications.

Children's diets contain too few fruits and vegetables and too many foods high in saturated fat. Food intake is affected by multiple individual and family factors, which may differ for core foods (that are important to a healthy diet) and non-core foods (that are eaten more for pleasure than health). Data came from a sample of twins aged 11 years (n 342) and their parents from the Twins Early Development Study. Foods were categorised into two types: core (e.g. cereals, vegetables and dairy) and non-core (e.g. fats, crisps and biscuits). Parents' and children's intake was assessed by an FFQ. Mothers' and children's preference ratings and home availability were assessed for each food type. Parental feeding practices were assessed with the child feeding questionnaire and child television (TV) watching was maternally reported. Physical activity was measured using accelerometers. Correlates of the child's consumption of each food type were examined using a complex samples general linear model adjusted for potential confounders. Children's non-core food intake was associated with more TV watching, higher availability and greater maternal intake of non-core foods. Children's core food intake was associated with higher preferences for core foods and greater maternal intake of core foods. These results suggest that maternal intake influences both food types, while preferences affect intake of core foods but not of non-core foods, and availability and TV exposure were only important for non-core food intake. Cross-sectional studies cannot determine causality, but the present results suggest that different approaches may be needed to change the balance of core and non-core foods in children's diets.

The objective of the present study was to assess the intake of naturally occurring plant sterols and β-carotene via the overall diet of Belgian pre-school children and adults. Two different Belgian food consumption databases were used: (1) one with consumption data of pre-school children (2·5–6·5 years old) and (2) one with consumption data of adults ( ≥ 15 years old). These consumption data were combined with a newly developed database containing the plant sterol and β-carotene content in all relevant food items based on international food composition databases and scientific literature. The results show that Flemish pre-school children have a median plant sterol intake of 172 (interquartile range (IQR) = 47) and 184 (IQR = 52) mg/d for girls and boys, respectively. Their median β-carotene intake was 1857 (IQR = 1250) μg/d, without significant difference between girls and boys. Belgian women and men have a median plant sterol intake of 218 (IQR = 113) and 280 (IQR = 158) mg/d, respectively, and a median β-carotene intake of 2086 (IQR = 1254) μg/d (not significantly different between the sexes). The main food source of naturally occurring plant sterols was bread and other cereal products. For β-carotene, the main food source was vegetables.