Search Results (14,937)

Background/Objectives: Diet quality is relevant to athlete health and recovery, yet practical methods for assessing dietary patterns in elite sporting environments remain limited. This exploratory study aimed to examine the relationship between skin carotenoid status and diet quality in male professional National Rugby League players. Methods: Skin carotenoids were assessed at three time points throughout the NRL season: pre-, mid-, and end-season. The Veggie Meter^® was used to assess carotenoids alongside a single 24 h dietary recall at each time point. Dietary data for each player were scored using the Healthy Eating Index for Australian Adults 2013 (HEIFA-2013) to calculate a score out of 100. Correlations were explored via Pearson correlation coefficients, and linear mixed models were used to compare data over the season. Results: Correlations between carotenoid status and diet quality score varied across time points: pre-season, r = 0.297, 95% CI −0.094 to 0.608, p = 0.196; mid-season, r = 0.451, 95% CI 0.108 to 0.698, p = 0.012; and end-season, r = 0.335, 95% CI −0.036 to 0.625, p = 0.076. Mean carotenoid scores did not differ significantly across the season: 294 in pre-season (n = 27), 314 in mid-season (n = 30), and 318 in end-season (n = 29), p = 0.16. Mean HEIFA-2013 scores also did not differ significantly across the season: 66.4 in pre-season, 64.6 in mid-season, and 62.6 in end-season, p = 0.38. Conclusions: This exploratory study provides preliminary evidence that skin carotenoid status may reflect aspects of diet quality in elite NRL players, although associations varied across time points and only reached statistical significance at mid-season. Non-invasive tools such as the Veggie Meter^® may complement traditional dietary assessment methods, although further validation is required in larger, adequately powered studies of elite athletes. Full article

Studies addressing seasonal changes in diet quality and hormones are important for understanding the interactions between ecology and physiology. We collected fecal samples from free-ranging adult female pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) to examine the relationships between indicators of nutrition and glucocorticoid activity. This occurred during three population-level, life-history-correlated sampling periods across five subpopulations. We evaluated nutrition via fecal nitrogen, fecal 2,6-diaminopimelic acid (DAPA), and assessed glucocorticoid activity using fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGM). We found positive relationships between fecal nitrogen and DAPA, whereas DAPA and fecal nitrogen with FGM varied in influence and strength, depending upon life history stage. Generally, correlations between DAPA and FGM were strongest during late gestation sampling, whereas correlations between those two measures and fecal nitrogen lacked consistency across life history stages and years. We found that maternal nutrition and stress were associated with notable changes in the relative intake of dietary protein from plant functional groups across sampling periods. Pronghorn appeared to shift between diets high in nitrogen or digestible energy content, depending upon life history stage and associated metabolic demands. We feel these results will assist wildlife managers in further understanding relationships between physiological parameters and how pronghorn meet the metabolic requirements of life history stages. Full article

We investigated the association between farm animal welfare (FAW) concern and self-classified meat consumption behavior and consumers’ socio-demographic, animal-contact-related, and ideological background factors. Covariate analyses and a machine-learning algorithm, Random Forest, were used to analyze complex, non-linear relationships between the data from 2116 Dutch households. FAW concern often turns out to be moderate to strong but is not simply associated with reduced meat consumption. Political orientation showed the strongest association with FAW concern and diet. Left-wing orientation is positively associated with FAW concern and less frequent or no meat consumption. Christian affiliation does the opposite, while non-Christian religious affiliation is weakly associated with vegetarian or vegan diets. Men more likely report an omnivorous diet and less FAW concern, while women report a vegetarian or vegan diet and higher concern. Voting left or center, Christian affiliation, and higher education are linked to a flexitarian diet. Lower education is associated with an omnivorous diet. In both rural and urban regions, income and household composition have little to no associations with both dietary self-classification and FAW concern. Respondents with regular animal contact show relatively strong FAW concern but no association with self-identified diet. Our results suggest that reducing or abstaining from meat is most strongly associated with ideological orientations. FAW concern alone is not expressed in diet. Full article

Background/Objectives: Diet quality among university students is influenced by multiple behavioural and lifestyle factors, yet limited research has examined how cannabis use relates to overall diet quality within this population. This study examined the association between cannabis use and diet quality among university students and assessed whether this relationship was explained by behavioural, contextual, and psychological factors. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was distributed to all registered students at a large Canadian university in January 2026. Diet quality was assessed using the Canadian Food Intake Screener (CFIS), and past 30-day cannabis use was examined as the primary exposure. Hierarchical multiple linear regression models were conducted sequentially, adjusting for demographic characteristics, health behaviours, mental health variables, living arrangements, meal skipping, and other substance use. Results: Among 1581 survey respondents, 1467 participants were included in the fully adjusted regression analyses. Past 30-day cannabis use was reported by 33.7% of participants. In demographic-adjusted analyses, cannabis use was associated with lower diet quality scores (B = −0.81, p < 0.01). This association remained statistically significant following adjustment for health behaviours, mental health variables, and living arrangements. However, after adjustment for meal skipping, the association between cannabis use and diet quality was attenuated and no longer statistically significant (B = −0.44, p = 0.09). Meal skipping emerged as one of the strongest behavioural correlates of lower diet quality. Additional adjustment for other substance use did not materially alter findings. Conclusions: Cannabis use was initially associated with lower diet quality among university students; however, this association was attenuated after accounting for broader behavioural factors, particularly meal skipping. Given the cross-sectional design, these findings do not establish whether cannabis use influences dietary behaviours or whether meal skipping represents a pathway linking cannabis use and diet quality. These findings highlight the importance of considering diet quality within a broader behavioural framework and suggest that eating patterns represent an important correlate of diet quality among university students. Full article

Dementia is a growing challenge for aging societies, and effective prevention depends on identifying risk factors that can be addressed early, before cognitive decline becomes clinically apparent. Declining oral and dental function, particularly tooth loss, is increasingly recognized as one such factor, and its effect on the brain extends well beyond a reduced ability to chew. This review synthesizes current evidence linking impaired oral function to cognitive decline and dementia, with a focus on nutritional and structural brain pathways. We propose that tooth loss affects the brain through two partly independent routes. The first is nutritional: tooth loss shifts the diet away from fiber- and micronutrient-rich plant foods, which may injure the brain through oxidative stress, inflammation, and gut microbiota changes; the hippocampus, a key memory region, appears especially sensitive to nutritional status. Eating alone adds a social dimension: it is associated with lower diet quality and with reduced volume in memory-related regions, an association only partly explained by diet, since the medial temporal difference persists after dietary adjustment. The second is sensory–neural: the loss of natural teeth removes sensory input from the periodontal ligament and reduces chewing, weakening signaling to the brain and its capacity for plasticity. Importantly, atrophy of the medial temporal lobe and adjacent memory-related regions, together with increased white matter damage, is detectable even in cognitively healthy older adults, and a revised Oral Frailty Five-item Checklist can identify these presymptomatic changes. Because these structural brain changes persist despite denture use and after adjusting for diet, preserving natural teeth may be an especially valuable preventive target. Overall, maintaining oral function is a promising, accessible target for dementia prevention that warrants confirmation in prospective trials. Full article

Evidence from clinical trials indicates that dietary protein plays an important and often underappreciated role in lipoprotein lipid metabolism. For this narrative review, literature searches were conducted in the PubMed and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases for articles describing randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and systematic reviews and meta-analyses of RCTs, as well as dietary guidelines and dyslipidemia management recommendations, using search terms for protein quantity, source (e.g., animal- and plant-based), and type (e.g., dairy, meat, soy, and nuts) and effects on lipids and lipoproteins in humans. Findings indicated that dietary intakes of both animal-based and plant-based proteins, when replacing refined carbohydrates or saturated fatty acids, lower circulating concentrations of atherogenic lipoproteins. Protein from plant sources appears to produce a somewhat larger effect on lipoprotein lipid concentrations than protein from animal sources. Individual amino acids (e.g., branched-chain amino acids), protein food fractions (e.g., whey), and food-derived peptides may independently impact lipoprotein lipid metabolism. Beyond the effect of replacing one macronutrient for another, the biochemical pathways responsible for the effects of dietary protein on lipoprotein lipid metabolism in humans have not been fully defined. The importance of dietary protein in a healthy diet is emphasized in recent dietary recommendations for the general population and for individuals with dyslipidemias. Additional research is warranted to determine the amount of dietary protein and the best balance of food source(s) to optimize its benefits on lipoprotein lipid concentrations, as well as the mechanisms for these effects. Full article

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a multifactorial neurodegenerative disorder characterized by impaired glucose metabolism, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation, oxidative stress, and progressive cognitive decline. Because currently available pharmacological therapies provide only modest symptomatic benefit, nutrition-based interventions are increasingly being explored as complementary strategies for supporting brain metabolism and cognitive resilience. The KetoFLEX 12/3 dietary pattern, developed within the ReCODE (Reversal of Cognitive Decline) program, is a plant-rich, mildly ketogenic nutrition and lifestyle framework that integrates low-glycemic nutrition, time-restricted eating, and personalized metabolic optimization. The diet emphasizes deeply pigmented non-starchy vegetables, extra-virgin olive oil, nuts and seeds, omega-3-rich seafood, and minimally processed foods while limiting refined carbohydrates, sugars, processed foods, and selected grains and dairy products. Emerging mechanistic and clinical evidence suggests that KetoFLEX 12/3 may influence several pathways relevant to AD pathophysiology, including insulin signaling, mitochondrial bioenergetics, neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, autophagy, detoxification pathways, and gut–brain axis function. Observational findings from ReCODE-related studies have reported improvements in metabolic parameters, mood-related outcomes, cognitive measures, and brain volumetrics in participants adhering to multimodal precision-medicine interventions incorporating the KetoFLEX principles. Compared with traditional dietary models such as the Mediterranean or MIND diets, KetoFLEX 12/3 places greater emphasis on mild nutritional ketosis, meal timing, and metabolic personalization based on factors such as ApoE genotype and insulin sensitivity. The objective of this Perspective is to examine the mechanistic rationale, emerging evidence, limitations, and future research priorities for KetoFLEX 12/3 as a precision-nutrition framework for cognitive health in AD. Although much of the current evidence remains mechanistic, observational, or derived from multimodal intervention studies, the framework offers a biologically plausible precision-nutrition model that may inform future research and clinical investigation in cognitive decline. Full article

Background/Objectives: This study aimed to identify dietary patterns among community-dwelling older adults in northern Thailand and examine their associations with nutrient intake, serum biomarkers, and anthropometric indicators. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 117 older adults in Lampang and Chiang Mai provinces in Northern Thailand. Dietary intake was assessed using a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. Dietary patterns were derived using principal component analysis, and participants were classified into mutually exclusive dietary pattern groups based on their highest factor scores, which was defined as the dominant pattern. Differences in nutrient intake were evaluated using the Kruskal–Wallis test. Serum biomarkers and anthropometric indicators were assessed using an analysis of covariance adjusted for age, sex, residential area, total energy intake, and body mass index. Results: Four dietary patterns were identified: diverse traditional, processed staple-based, tropical fruit, and a Western diet high in fats and sweets. Dietary fiber intake differed significantly among the four patterns, with the highest level in the diverse traditional and lowest in the processed staple patterns. No significant differences were observed in total energy or major nutrient intake. Total cholesterol levels differed significantly, with lower levels in the traditional diet pattern than in the tropical fruit and Western diet patterns. Conclusions: Dietary patterns among older adults in northern Thailand may be associated with dietary fiber intake and serum total cholesterol levels. A traditional diet rich in vegetables and fish may be linked to more favorable nutrient intake and lipid profiles. Full article

Background/Objectives: The gut–brain axis and systemic metabolic dysregulation are increasingly implicated in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathogenesis. This study aimed to characterize gut microbiota and plasma metabolomic profiles associated with amyloid pathology and cognitive impairment in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Methods: A cross-sectional multi-omics baseline analysis was performed in 47 MCI patients enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, crossover dietary intervention trial (NCT05029765). Gut microbiota composition was assessed by 16S rRNA sequencing (n = 47), and plasma metabolomics by untargeted LC-MS/MS (n = 45 after exclusion of two PCA-defined metabolomic outliers). Patients were stratified according to plasma amyloid-beta 42/40 ratio (BA42/40) and ADAScog11 score, representing complementary biomarkers of amyloid burden and cognitive impairment, respectively. Results: Higher amyloid burden and worse cognitive performance were associated with significant gut microbiota alterations, including increased alpha diversity and distinct beta diversity profiles. Differential abundance analyses consistently showed enrichment of Bacteroides-associated taxa and Akkermansia, alongside depletion of short-chain fatty acid-producing genera such as Faecalibacterium, Blautia, and Phascolarctobacterium. Plasma metabolomics identified a coherent signature associated with elevated BA42/40, characterized by accumulation of secondary bile acid sulfates and depletion of sphingolipids, neuroactive steroids, and anti-inflammatory lipid mediators, including pregnenolone sulfate, resolvin E1, and anandamide. A valid OPLS-DA discriminant model was obtained for BA42/40, whereas no predictive model was achieved for ADAScog11. Critically, this dissociation, characterized by significant microbiota differences but no metabolomic separation for ADAScog11, is itself an informative finding, suggesting that gut microbiota dysbiosis and plasma metabolomic alterations are not equally coupled to both dimensions of MCI pathophysiology. Conclusions: MCI patients with greater amyloid pathology and cognitive impairment exhibited gut microbiota dysbiosis. However, metabolic associations were observed only for BA42/40, but not for ADAScog11. These findings provide a mechanistic framework for evaluating the impact of Mediterranean diet and probiotic interventions in the longitudinal phase of the trial. Full article

Postpartum dairy cows fed more rapidly fermentable starch sources have depressed dry matter intake (DMI), compounding the risk of negative energy balance and hepatic lipid accumulation. Rumen-protected choline (RPC) is supplemented to periparturient dairy cows to facilitate hepatic lipid export. Our objective was to evaluate the interaction of dietary starch fermentability (DF) and RPC supplementation on postpartum DMI and performance. Prepartum supplementation of a low dose of RPC (no RPC [C−] vs. RPC [C+; 30 g/d]) began 21 d before the expected calving date for Holstein cows with at least one parity. Postpartum, cows were assigned to 1 of 4 postpartum treatments for 21 d with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of starch fermentability rate (low [dry-rolled corn; LFERM] vs. high [dry-rolled wheat; HFERM]) and RPC (C− vs. C+). Prepartum, C+ decreased DMI by 2.3 kg compared with C−, but there was no evidence of treatment effect on DMI postpartum. Time and DF interacted on milk yield, with HFERM increasing milk yield after d 3 compared with LFERM. Compared with LFERM, HFERM decreased milk fat content but not fat yield. For blood metabolites, C+ decreased plasma beta-hydroxybutyrate by 0.3 mmol/L and tended to increase glucose concentration compared to C−. In conclusion, supplementation with RPC at a low rate of inclusion reduced DMI in prepartum cows and decreased postpartum plasma BHB concentrations. Further work is required to elucidate potential mechanisms of action for RPC-mediated reductions in DMI. Full article

Food systems are usually discussed in terms of nutrition, food safety, productivity, sustainability or emissions. Less attention is given to the microbial dimension of the farm-to-fork pathway and to the way food systems shape the dietary substrates, food matrices and microbial exposures that reach the gut. Soils, plants, foods, processing environments, animals and the human gut all host microbial communities that influence nutrient cycling, plant performance, food characteristics, metabolism, immune regulation and ecological resilience. This review examines how food systems may modulate gut microbiota and microbiome resilience within a One Health framework. Evidence from soil, crop and food microbiome studies suggests that local conditions and farming practices can leave detectable microbial signatures on plants and edible tissues. However, the soil–food–gut continuum should not be understood as a simple transfer route. Microorganisms and microbial products are repeatedly filtered by plant traits, farming systems, animal-production interfaces, harvesting, processing, storage, preparation and host physiology. The review also considers how this continuity may be weakened or redirected. Agricultural intensification, pollutants, post-harvest processing, antimicrobial use, ultra-processed foods, additive mixtures, low-fibre diets, early-life microbial disruption and reduced contact with environmental biodiversity may alter microbial communities at different points of the food system. Antimicrobial resistance is also discussed as a functional microbial trait that can circulate across human, animal, food and environmental interfaces. One Health approaches to food systems should therefore combine microbial risk control with microbial stewardship: protecting useful microbial diversity and function while preserving food safety. The aim is not to maximise microbial exposure, but to understand which microbial functions matter and how food systems can support gut microbiota resilience across environments, foods and hosts. Full article

Background: Nutritional deterioration and systemic inflammation frequently accompany gastrointestinal cancers and may negatively affect treatment tolerance, quality of life, and clinical outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate nutritional status, dietary behaviors, inflammatory biomarkers, and multidimensional nutritional–inflammatory profiles in patients with gastrointestinal cancers within the context of tertiary prevention. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 150 patients with gastrointestinal cancers. Nutritional status was assessed using the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), while dietary behaviors were evaluated using an original questionnaire. Biochemical markers, including albumin, hemoglobin, C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), were evaluated in participants with available laboratory data. Exploratory hierarchical clustering analysis was performed to identify multidimensional nutritional–inflammatory profiles. Results: According to the MNA classification, 79.3% of participants were at risk of malnutrition and 2.0% were malnourished despite predominantly normal or excessive body weight. Nutritional risk was identified in 91.4% of patients with normal BMI and in 79.5% of overweight patients. Only 32.0% of patients reported receiving dietary counseling during treatment, while oral nutritional supplements and therapeutic diets were used by 40.7% and 41.3% of participants, respectively. Biochemical analyses revealed elevated inflammatory markers accompanied by reduced albumin concentration and anemia-related abnormalities. Exploratory clustering analysis suggested three distinct nutritional–inflammatory profiles (Stable/Supported, Hidden Malnutrition, and Inflammatory Deterioration), highlighting metabolic heterogeneity within the study population. Conclusions: Patients with gastrointestinal cancers frequently present nutritional risk accompanied by inflammatory activation despite preserved or excessive body weight. A multidimensional assessment integrating nutritional screening, dietary evaluation, inflammatory biomarkers, and exploratory profile-based clustering may improve understanding of nutritional heterogeneity in gastrointestinal cancer patients and may support future research on individualized nutritional assessment and supportive care. Full article

Neuropathic pain (NP) arises from diverse conditions, including peripheral nerve injury, spinal cord injury (SCI), and painful diabetic neuropathy, yet these disorders share oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, lipid dysregulation, and altered neuronal excitability. We investigated whether dietary omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids modulate ferroptotic stress-associated pathways, defined as lipid peroxidation susceptibility and impaired antioxidant defense rather than overt ferroptotic cell death. Female Sprague–Dawley rats received either a soy oil control diet (SOD) or fish oil omega-3-enriched diet (FOD) before chronic constriction injury (CCI). Behavioral outcomes were assessed using Hargreaves and CatWalk testing, followed by dorsal root ganglion (DRG) RNA sequencing, RT-PCR, and GPX4 ELISA. Previously generated SCI metabolomics and human diabetic serum metabolomic/lipidomic datasets were re-analyzed for shared pathways. FOD attenuated CCI-induced thermal hypersensitivity and improved gait parameters. DRG transcriptomics showed reduced injury-associated transcriptional disruption, enrichment of selenoamino acid metabolism, nonsense-mediated decay, and ribosomal quality-control pathways, and reduced mitochondrial dysfunction pathway activity. Omega-3 increased Gpx1/Gpx4 expression and GPX4 protein, reduced pain-associated genes including Scn10a, Piezo2, Trpa1, and Oprm1, and aligned with selenoamino acid enrichment in SCI and human datasets. Human lipidomics showed MG/DG/PC/PE pathway remodeling. These findings support ferroptotic stress as a plausible shared downstream mechanism modulated by omega-3 supplementation across NP models. Full article

White corn (Zea mays L.) is a staple grain in the Mexican diet and an important source of carbohydrates, proteins, dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds. This study evaluated the effects of H₂O₂ elicitation and germination time on germination performance, bioactive compounds, and antioxidant capacity of white corn sprouts. Response surface methodology, based on a rotatable central composite design (13 treatments) was used to optimize H₂O₂ concentration (0–50 mM) during 24 h soaking and germination times ranging from 0 to 96 h. Optimal conditions were 20 mM H₂O₂ and 92 h germination, yielding 94% germination, 236.94 mg GAE/100 g free phenolic content, 21.63 mg/100 g GABA, and 6311.06 µmol TE/100 g antioxidant capacity (ABTS). Under these conditions, protein, GABA, and gallic acid contents, as well as antioxidant activity, increased by 9.26%, 34.01%, 30.95%, and 27.24%, respectively, compared with germinated grains without elicitor treatment. These findings demonstrate that H₂O₂-assisted germination is an effective strategy for enhancing the nutritional and functional properties of white corn sprouts. Full article

The sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus is of great economic value and is mainly cultivated in China. The application of formulated feeds has been widely used in massive sea cucumber aquaculture in recent years. With the attempt to investigate and evaluate the potential of mulberry leaf powder (MLP) as a dietary supplement for sea cucumber aquaculture (especially in winter), a 45-day feeding trail was carried out in winter in this study. Growth performance, digestive and redox-related enzyme activities, and the microbiota of intestinal contents were determined and compared between a basic diet and diets with different MLP-administration levels. The results showed that (1) MLP supplementation has a positive effect on the growth performance of sea cucumber; (2) increased activities of protease and lipase were observed in sea cucumber fed with MLP diets; (3) increased redox-related enzyme activities were observed in sea cucumber fed with 2% MLP diets; and (4) MLP supplementation has a regulatory effect on the diversity and relative abundance of microbiota in the intestinal contents of sea cucumber. The optimal dose of dietary MLP for growing sea cucumbers in winter was 2% dry weight. All data observed in this study will provide new clues for developing formulated feeds for massive sea cucumber aquaculture. Full article