Current
Nutrition & Food Science
ISSN: 1573-4013 - Volume 2, 4 Issues, 2006
Current Nutrition & Food
Science
Volume 2, Number 1, February 2006
Contents
Editorial Pp.1
Nutrition and Nutritional Management of Crohn’s
Disease in Children and Adolescents Pp.3
Andrew S. Day, Kylie E. Whitten and Naomi S. H. de Jong
[Abstract]
Perceived Temperament and Risk for the Development
of Overweight in Children Pp.15
Anthony J. Mascola and W. Stewart Agras
[Abstract]
Zinc and Cell Signaling During Inflammation: Implications
in Atherosclerosis Pp. 23
Gudrun Reiterer, Michal Toborek and Bernhard Hennig
[Abstract]
The Role of Dietary Fats in Hypertension, Obesity
and Insulin Resistance: A Comparative Study of Animals and
Humans in Fetal and Adult Life Pp. 29
Marion L. Cornish, Kanta Chechi and SukhinderK. Cheema
[Abstract]
Functional Properties of Pentacyclic Triterpenes Contained
in “Orujo” Olive Oil Pp. 45
María D. Herrera, Rosalía Rodríguez-Rodríguez
and Valentina Ruiz-Gutiérrez
[Abstract]
Insulin Treatment and Weight Gain in Type 2 Diabetes:
Is Our Knowledge Complete? Pp. 51
Miriam Ryan, M. Barbara E. Livingstone andPatrick Ritz
[Abstract]
Supplemented Infant Formulas: Which is the Best? Pp.
59
Mukadder A. Selimoglu
[Abstract]
Are Vegetables, Salads, Herbs, Mushrooms, Fruits and
Red Wine Residue that Inhibit Bone Resorption in the Rat a
Promise of Osteoporosis Prevention? Pp. 69
Roman C. Mühlbauer
[Abstract]
Probiotics and the Intestinal Microflora: What Impact
on the Immune System, Infections and Aging? Pp. 79
Mickaël Blaut, Philippe Marteau, Gregory D. Miller
and Jean-Michel Antoine
[Abstract]
An Animal Model to Study Digesta Passage in Different
Compartments of the Gastro-Intestinal Tract (GIT) as Affected
by Dietary Composition Pp.97
P. van Leeuwen, A.H. van Gelder, J.A. de Leeuw and J.D.
van der Klis
[Abstract]
Abstracts
[Back to top]
Editorial
The first year of CNF has been completed. The first birthday
has been reached after the publication of 3 issues with a
total number of 28 manuscripts. Initial steps are always the
most difficult and delicate to accomplish when launching a
new journal. Our main goal since the very beginning of the
journal is quality. We are very happy and thankful with the
support received from our CNF Editorial Advisory Board Members
as well as from many other scientists throughout the world
that have trusted CNF either by submitting manuscripts for
publication or by kindly collaborating in the review of the
submitted manuscripts, a very important and essential task
to guarantee a high scientific quality to the journal. I wish
to express my most sincere thanks to all of them for the important
collaboration as well as to Miss Samreen Laeeq, the Manager
Publications, for the great job she is doing. The editorial
team has noticed the good reception that CNF has got in the
area and this encourages us to continue our task with more
and renovated stimuli.
Day by day, the new scientific data improves our knowledge
on what we eat, its nutritional composition and how it affects
our health. It also supports dietary recommendations for promoting
optimal health. But, in addition to professionals, consumers
are also receiving better information on the relationship
between diet, nutrition and health. The consumer awareness
on daily diet and its effect on health is driving food industry
towards the production of new foods with different nutritional
claims. In this way, food companies are committed to provide
healthier foods as demanded by consumers and thus, the number
of new food products with healthy claims as well as the number
of dietary supplements with any particular nutritional benefit
are increasing at a very fast rate. The availability of scientific
information constitutes an essential tool for the research
and development of all these new foods. The same applies for
the research on diets and/or specific nutrients and its relationship
with diseases. Sometimes, research findings are somehow contradictory
and new further data are required. In most cases, the amount
of available information is huge and difficult to compile
because the volume of published scientific information on
nutrition and food is disperse and growing exponentially in
recent years. Furthermore, the information is many times widely
spread in the scientific literature making it rather difficult
to the interested scientist to reach a clear and rapid conclusion.
During 2005, CNF has published reviews on topics of interest
in nutrition and food science. Just to mention some of the
most interesting published topics, the reviews have dealt
with the nutritional influence on diseases like cardiovascular,
prostate cancer, anorexia nervosa, celiac disease, inflammation,
Alzheimer, muscle disfunction, etc., the modulation of the
metabolic syndrome by certain nutrients, parenteral nutrition,
and the effect of several food bioactive compounds, like selenoproteins,
resveratrol, vitamin E, n-3 PUFA, etc. on health.
CNF will publish 4 issues in 2006. The journal will be indexed
in Medline and this will facilitate its diffusion and the
search of its published articles by any interested scientist.
CNF provides reviews on different topics of interest in nutrition
and food science, trying to provide an updated state-of-the-art
on each focused topic and thus, helping scientists to reach
clear ideas about the current knowledge and latest novelties
on such topic. I am very confident that CNF will significantly
contribute to disseminate interesting, updated and rigorous
scientific information on nutrition and food science.
Prof. Fidel Toldrá, Ph.D.
Editor-in-Chief
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Nutrition and Nutritional Management of Crohn’s
Disease in Children and Adolescents
Andrew S. Day, Kylie E. Whitten and Naomi S. H. de Jong
Crohn’s disease (CD) is a life-long inflammatory process
affecting any segment of the gastrointestinal tract. This
condition most often presents in childhood and adolescence
and almost universally impacts adversely upon the nutritional
state of the patient. Weight loss is a common presenting feature
and potential long-term adverse outcomes include malnutrition,
anaemia, osteopaenia and impaired linear growth. Understanding
the nutritional aspects of this disease is especially important
in growing children and adolescents entering and advancing
through puberty. In addition, a nutritional approach to the
management of CD is now well established as a valid and effective
treatment to induce and maintain disease remission. The mechanisms
of this therapy are beginning to be defined, and include direct
anti-inflammatory effects and alteration of intestinal microflora.
This review focuses upon the role of nutritional therapy in
the management of CD in children and adolescents in the context
of a comprehensive nutritional approach to managing individuals
with this chronic condition.
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Perceived Temperament and Risk for the Development
of Overweight in Children
Anthony J. Mascola and W. Stewart Agras
Evidence reviewed in this paper suggests that there is an
increased risk for rapid weight gain and overweight in children
who are perceived by their caregivers as having difficult
temperamental characteristics. Recent findings indicate that
parental perceptions of difficult temperament mediate the
effect of the most potent risk factor, parental weight, in
the development of childhood overweight. Further prospective
trials that make tightly focused, a priori predictions regarding
well defined temperamental characteristics and their potential
relationship to a single well defined outcome measure would
strengthen the validity of these findings. Parental behaviors
associated with feeding differ between children who are perceived
as having difficult temperaments versus those who are perceived
as having easier temperaments. Parental prompting and control
over feeding appears to occur more frequently among overweight
parents who perceive their children as being difficult. Such
control has been associated with overweight in laboratory
observations of parental feeding practices. Randomized controlled
trials that attempt to modify parental feeding interactions
with high risk children would be indicated to determine the
worth of such interventions in addressing the obesity epidemic.
[Back to top]
Zinc and Cell Signaling During Inflammation: Implications
in Atherosclerosis
Gudrun Reiterer, Michal Toborek and Bernhard Hennig
Zinc has multiple roles in maintaining the physiological
conditions of the cardiovasculature. Because atherosclerosis
is a disease marked by chronic inflammation and oxidative
stress, the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of
zinc are of obvious importance in the prevention of cardiovascular
diseases. The anti-inflammatory properties of zinc are not
well understood. Zinc is involved in multiple cell signaling
pathways, implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.
The fact that inflammation itself affects zinc by changing
intracellular zinc concentrations and distributions makes
the role of zinc in inflammation even more complex. In addition,
zinc protects the cardiovasculature from oxidative damage
by preventing the formation of free radicals and the oxidation
of macromolecules. Thiol groups of proteins, for example are
protected from oxidation by zinc. Zinc chelated by thiol groups
however, can be replaced by small reactive molecules during
inflammation and oxidative stress. In certain cell signaling
molecules this process appears to be the mechanism of activation/inactivation
in response to inflammation. In addition, zinc also plays
a crucial role in gene expression acting on the DNA, RNA and
protein level. Zinc is required by transcription factors,
RNA processing enzymes, as well as by protein folding chaperones.
The response of cells and organisms to zinc supplementation
or deprivation is therefore complex and further complicated
during inflammatory processes such as atherosclerosis.
[Back to top]
The Role of Dietary Fats in Hypertension, Obesity
and Insulin Resistance: A Comparative Study of Animals and
Humans in Fetal and Adult Life
Marion L. Cornish, Kanta Chechi and SukhinderK. Cheema
It has long been established that dietary fats play a significant
role in both the prevention and progression of chronic disease.
Hypertension, obesity, and insulin resistance are three recognized
risk factors for the development of cardiovascular disease
and are largely influenced by dietary fat intake. Saturated
fat intake is well known to promote the development of chronic
disease. Monounsaturated fats are considered to be beneficial,
whereas the role that polyunsaturated fats play in health
and disease has become increasingly controversial. Polyunsaturated
fats are generally thought to be beneficial for human health,
however the controversy relates to whether these are rich
in omega-6 or omega-3 fatty acids, and the ratio of these
fatty acids. Studies have shown that these fats can exert
both positive and negative effects on weight gain, blood pressure,
and glucose metabolism. Recent studies indicate that dietary
fat intake can affect not only the health of the adult, but
that fats may also play an important role during fetal development.
This review examines the role that saturated, monounsaturated,
and polyunsaturated fats play in the onset, progression, and
prevention of hypertension, obesity, and insulin resistance
in animal models and human studies. More specifically, we
have addressed the role of dietary fats during fetal development
and in the health of adults and children.
[Back to top]
Functional Properties of Pentacyclic Triterpenes Contained
in “Orujo” Olive Oil
María D. Herrera, Rosalía Rodríguez-Rodríguez
and Valentina Ruiz-Gutiérrez
Pomace oil (‘orujo’ olive oil), is an olive
sub-product which possesses potential beneficial components
(e.g. tetra- and pentacyclic triterpenes: oleanolic and maslinic
acids, erythrodiol and uvaol) to which great variety of biological
effects is attributed. Pharmacological properties of oleanolic
acid have been demonstrated: anti-inflammatory, anti-tumoral,
hepatoprotective, cytotoxic, anti-diabetogenic, antibacterial
and anti-HIV activities. There is scarce evidence about the
pharmacological effects of these triterpenoid on vascular
events; the chronic treatment of Dahl salt-sensitive hypertensive
rats with these natural compounds (oleanolic and ursolic acids)
prevent the development of hypertension with significant bradycardia
and potent diuretic activity. In relation to erythrodiol and
uvaol, only their therapeutic efficiency on different experimental
models of inflammation has been reported. Moreover, uvaol
plays a protective role on the oxidation of lipoproteins of
low density in vitro, as well as a protective effect on induced
hepatic injuries. Maslinic acid is effective in the treatment
of diseases caused by agents that use the serin-protease in
their mechanism of infection, like the AIDS virus and it has
capacity to prevent the damage caused by the free radicals.
Therefore, the intake of ‘orujo’ olive oil, as
a source of these compounds, might be beneficial in this regard.
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Insulin Treatment and Weight Gain in Type 2 Diabetes:
Is Our Knowledge Complete?
Miriam Ryan, M. Barbara E. Livingstone andPatrick Ritz
The majority of type 2 diabetic patients are overweight
and any excess weight, or weight gain, adversely affects glycaemic
control. Paradoxically, antidiabetic agents used to improve
glycaemic control are frequently associated with weight gain,
particularly insulin therapy. Such weight gain further deteriorates
glycaemic control and increases insulin resistance. Understanding
body weight regulation in type 2 diabetic patients is therefore
necessary to better adapt for the effect of such medication
on weight. Expressed in terms of energy, weight gain results
from positive energy balance. Positive energy balance in type
2 diabetes is most usually attributed to decreased energy
expenditure and the cessation of glycosuric energy loss following
the initiation of hypoglycaemic treatment. It appears from
current literature however that these two factors, even in
combination, cannot completely explain observed weight gain.
Indeed, the precise contribution of energy intake and appetite,
a key determinant of energy intake, to this positive energy
balance remains a black box. In this review the potential
contribution of a change in feeding regimen to weight gain
associated with insulin treatment is assessed, with particular
attention being paid to insulin’s effect within the
brain.
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Supplemented Infant Formulas: Which is the Best?
Mukadder A. Selimoglu
The introduction of infant formulas created a new age in
infant feeding practices. With the introduction of infant
formulas, it became a great ambition to create a more adapted
product, as the composition of breast milk is gold standard
for infant feeding. In this paper, it was aimed to review
the rationale and concerns of the use of newer infant formulas,
supplemented with pro-, prebiotics, nucleotides, and long-chain
polyunsaturated fatty acids, in order to help pediatricians
for their choice. However, it should always be kept in mind
that whatever can be achieved with these formulas, they will
always be inferior to breast milk..
[Back to top]
Are Vegetables, Salads, Herbs, Mushrooms, Fruits and
Red Wine Residue that Inhibit Bone Resorption in the Rat a
Promise of Osteoporosis Prevention?
Roman C. Mühlbauer
Osteoporosis is a major health issue in ageing populations.
Therefore, it would be desirable if low bone mass leading
to osteoporotic fractures could be prevented. A nutritional
approach would be an inexpensive means to achieve this goal.
So far we found 25/54 items with bone resorption inhibitory
activity in the rat. Activity appears to be restricted to
the categories vegetables, salads, herbs, mushrooms, fruits
and red wine residue. To date we have identified 10 monoterpenes
as active components of herbs rich in essential oils and a
gamma glutamyl peptide as active agent (in vitro) from onion.
Two items were also studied as to their effect on bone “mass”.
Both improved trabecular bone mineral density. Furthermore,
6.2 g of fresh active items per kg body weight appears as
the minimal inhibitory dose. Thus, in humans the amount of
active items consumed by way of a regular Western diet with
2-3 servings/day of 80 g each of fruits and vegetables might
be too low to elicit a protective effect. Whether 5 daily
servings of the active items we have identified in rats are
capable to inhibit bone resorption in humans must now be established
with clinical intervention studies.
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Probiotics and the Intestinal Microflora: What Impact
on the Immune System, Infections and Aging?
Mickaël Blaut, Philippe Marteau, Gregory D. Miller
and Jean-Michel Antoine
This review summarizes the results of the Danone International
Probiotics Convention which examined the most recent science
available on the impact of probiotics and intestinal microflora
on human health.
This is the second convention organized by Danone following
that devoted to the 'Intelligent Intestine' which was held
in Paris in June 2002 [1].
The 2003 Convention was devoted to recent scientific progress
in the various field of the life sciences, enabling, not only
enhanced elucidation of what happens in the body when we eat
probiotics, examining properties of those microorganisms of
particular value in terms of well-being and health.
Probiotics are, in fact, first of all, foods that, when eaten
regularly, have a role, specific to each strain, which is
exercised in the host procuring beneficial assistance to various
systems in addition to the conventional nutritional health
benefits when consumed as a dairy product [2].
It is indispensable to provide scientific proof of that activity
by developing and publishing pertinent research papers, both
scientific and clinical.
The Nice Convention enabled the findings of numerous scientists
working in the field to be pooled and shed new light on the
future of probiotics.
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An Animal Model to Study Digesta Passage in Different
Compartments of the Gastro-Intestinal Tract (GIT) as Affected
by Dietary Composition
P. van Leeuwen, A.H. van Gelder, J.A. de Leeuw and J.D.
van der Klis
An animal model was developed which allows the testing of
the effect of dietary factors on digesta passage in the stomach,
the small intestine, the large intestine and the total gastrointestinal
tract in growing pigs (46 - 119 kg BW). Rates of digesta passage
were determined using a simultaneous pulse dose of titanium
dioxide (TiO2) mixed in the diet and suspensions of chromiumIIIoxide
(Cr2O3) and barium sulphate (BaSO4) in saline, introduced
via cannulae to the proximal jejunum and to the terminal ileum,
respectively. Faecal recovery of each of the markers was quantified
using an one-compartment model from which the transit times
(TT) of the markers were derived. The TT of TiO2 represented
the passage of digesta over whole gastro-intestinal tract
(GIT) whereas the TT of Cr2O3 and BaSO4 represented the TT
over the small plus large intestines and over the large intestines,
respectively. The TT over the stomach and small intestine
were estimated from the TT determined over the whole GIT and
over the two sections of the GIT.
Besides a control diet (C diet), three diets were offered
differing in the contents of non starch polysaccharides (NSP)
and water-holding capacity (WHC). A combination of palm kernel
expeller and toasted soy bean hulls were included in the diet
as NSP sources (NSP diet) and hydrolysed maize starch was
included to elevate WHC (WHC diet). The fourth diet had both
a high NSP content and a high WHC content (NSP plus WHC diet).
The mean transit time (MTT) of the marker passing the whole
GIT was on average 75 h and NSP significantly decreased TT
over the total GIT and through the large intestines (P <
0.05). In contrast, NSP tended to increase the TT of the stomach
contents (P < 0.10). The effects of WHC were smaller and
limited to tendencies for a decrease of the TT in the large
intestines (P < 0.10) and an increase of the TT in the
small intestine (P < 0.10). It is concluded that NSP and
to a lesser extent WHC, have opposite effects on digesta passage
in the proximal and distal GIT, respectively. The animal model
developed in the present study seems a valuable method to
test the effect of dietary factors on the passage of digesta.
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