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Topic Review
Pulse Intake Improves Nutrient Density
Pulses, as defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the U.N., encompass a narrower class of legumes harvested as a dry grain that includes dry beans, peas, chickpeas and lentils. Other legumes that are harvested while they are still green, contain significant levels of oil (e.g., soybeans and peanuts), or are garden vegetable varieties such as green peas and green beans are not considered pulses. There are hundreds of varieties of pulses grown around the world; however, the most commonly consumed pulses in the U.S. are dry beans (e.g., pinto, black and kidney beans), chickpeas, lentils and dry peas.
  • 1.1K
  • 29 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Multifactorial Etiology of Anemia in Celiac Disease
Celiac disease (CD) is a multisystemic disorder with different clinical expressions, from malabsorption with diarrhea, anemia, and nutritional compromise to extraintestinal manifestations. Anemia might be the only clinical expression of the disease, and iron deficiency anemia is considered one of the most frequent extraintestinal clinical manifestations of CD. Therefore, CD should be suspected in the presence of anemia without a known etiology. Assessment of tissue anti-transglutaminase and anti-endomysial antibodies are indicated in these cases and, if positive, digestive endoscopy and intestinal biopsy should be performed. Anemia in CD has a multifactorial pathogenesis and, although it is frequently a consequence of iron deficiency, it can be caused by deficiencies of folate or vitamin B12, or by blood loss or by its association with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or other associated diseases.
  • 1.1K
  • 12 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Copper/Zinc Ratio in Childhood and Adolescence
Both copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) are crucial micronutrients for human growth and development. Children and adolescents with acute and chronic conditions are at greater risk of developing elevated Cu/Zn ratios, related to altered nutritional, infectious, and inflammatory status.
  • 1.1K
  • 18 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Zinc Nutritional Status in Patients with Cystic Fibrosis
Zinc is an essential nutrient for all forms of life and its deficiency affects the normal growth and development of human beings. Zinc deficiency can be both inherited and acquired. Although severe zinc deficiency is extremely uncommon in European populations, marginal deficiency may be much more prevalent and is associated with immune system dysfunction and restricted physical development. Serum zinc concentration (SZC)  was associated with the nutritional status, expressed as BMI (Body Mass Index) and weight-for-height score, and dietary zinc intake with energy intake and weight-for-height score. No patient with hypozincemia had dietary zinc deficiency. 
  • 1.0K
  • 19 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Trimethylamine N-Oxide Production in Physiological and Pathological Conditions
Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) is an amino oxide, produced from the trimethylamine (TMA) through oxidation by some liver enzymes called flavin monooxygenases 1 and 3 (FMO1 and FMO3).
  • 1.0K
  • 14 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Picky Eating
Picky eating is a complex phenomenon that is often characterized by parental perception of behaviors such as avoiding the intake of certain food groups, avoiding certain foods based on their sensory characteristics, requiring specific food presentations or preparations, eating a limited variety of food, and not eating an adequate amount of food. Several factors contribute to these mealtime behaviors, including early feeding practices (i.e., breastfeeding, introduction to solid food), repeated exposure to novel foods, and genetic taste sensitivity to certain compounds. It is important to better understand the contributors to picky eating in order to develop effective interventions, as persistent picky eating can have detrimental effects on long-term dietary intake and mealtime behaviors.
  • 1.0K
  • 14 Dec 2020
Topic Review
Xanthophylls from the Sea
Xanthophylls (fucoxanthin, astaxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin, and β-cryptoxanthin) are a type of carotenoids with anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory activities, due to their chemical structure rich in double bonds that provides them with antioxidant properties.
  • 1.0K
  • 24 Apr 2021
Topic Review
SeNPs as Anticancer Agents
It is well known that long-term intake of selenium in excess amounts can have adverse physiological effects on humans. Long-term intake of selenium in excess amounts leads to rapid development of severe gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms, followed by acute respiratory failure, myocardial infarction, and renal failure, and may increase the risk of cancer. The Food and Nutrition Board set a tolerable upper Se intake level (UL) for adults at 400 μg/day. Toxicity testing is an important concern in the improvement in selenium-containing anticancer drugs. Various forms of selenium could serve as pro-oxidant toxic agents and promote DNA strand disruption and necrosis of cancer cells. Among the many types of nanoparticles, SeNPs have selective anticancer activity on cancer cells and low toxicity to normal cells. They exhibit low toxicity, better bioavailability and higher activity as compared to organic and inorganic selenium compounds. In the peritoneal cavity, the clearance rate of SeNPs was slower than in plasma, so they may activate an enhanced drug concentration near the cancer-related peritoneal cavity. Therefore, by maintaining a low total drug level, the use of active doses in the cancer model was expected to be less cause of suspected adverse reactions.
  • 1.0K
  • 18 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Isoflavone Supplements for Menopausal Women
Isoflavones have gained popularity as an alternative treatment for menopausal symptoms for people who cannot or are unwilling to take hormone replacement therapy. 
  • 1.0K
  • 18 Sep 2023
Topic Review
Dietary Phosphorus
Phosphorus is one of the essential elements of the human body and is required for a diverse range of processes, such as ATP synthesis, signal transduction, and bone mineralization. Inorganic phosphate (Pi) plays a critical function in many tissues of the body: for example, as part of the hydroxyapatite in the skeleton and as a substrate for ATP synthesis. Pi is the main source of dietary phosphorus. Reduced bioavailability of Pi or excessive losses in the urine causes rickets and osteomalacia. 
  • 1.0K
  • 28 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Ultra-Processed Food Availability
UPF are described as “processed ingredients typically combined with the sophisticated use of additives to make them edible, palatable and habit forming”.
  • 1.0K
  • 04 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Diet, Microbiota in Brain Health
The central nervous system (CNS) is a highly energy demanding organ, as it uses about 20% of the total oxygen and glucose consumed by the body, despite representing only 2% of the total body mass. Neurons heavily rely on glucose as the main energy substrate, but in stressful conditions, other resources, such as ketone bodies and lactate, provided by glial cells, may be used. Fatty acids (FA) are poorly used by the CNS as a fuel due to a low expression of the β-oxidation enzyme machinery, an evolutionarily acquired feature necessary to limit excessive oxygen consumption and consequent reactive oxygen species generation in mitochondria generally associated with FA catabolism . Furthermore, the CNS has a limited ability to build internal energy stores, as only astrocytes have been shown to synthesize glycogen in small amounts. Cholesterol is essential for brain function. It is involved in cell maintenance, neuronal transmission, and synaptic formation. Its metabolism in the CNS relies on local de novo synthesis and catabolism, as the blood–brain barrier (BBB) blocks the passage of diet-derived cholesterol into the CNS. Thus, to maintain a constant delivery of energy substrates for neuronal activity, the CNS engages in intensive crosstalk with organs involved in metabolism, such as the gut, adipose tissue and liver, regulating several functions such as food behavior, hormonal status and commence of adaptive responses to dietary changes. Due to its metabolic setting, the maintenance of glucose homeostasis is essential for proper neuronal functioning. Receptors for insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) are present throughout the CNS, mostly concentrated on the hypothalamus and hippocampus, where local production of these hormones has also been demonstrated, especially during growth. Insulin and IGF-1 exert an important role in neuronal development and survival by stimulating synaptic plasticity and long-term potentiation, which aid in learning and memory. Interestingly, insulin modulates phosphorylation of tau protein, supporting a potential involvement of insulin metabolism in AD. Furthermore, fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), a hepatocyte-derived hormone, signals protein and glucose status to the brain, allowing the refinement of food choice and metabolism according to dietary changes. On the other hand, CNS insulin sensitivity modulates adiposity and body fat accumulation. Along the brain-periphery signaling network, diet and microbiota deeply influence these communication pathways through several mechanisms.
  • 1.0K
  • 12 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Dietary Fats and Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease
The favorable transition from hominids to homo sapiens during evolution prompted changes in the physiological functions and immune competences (including survival to pathogens and infections) to adapt to the intake of high-energy containing foods, principally dietary fats. Today, the access to a variety of highly-caloric fatty foods is hardly balanced by energy consumption. As a consequence, the dominant genetic pathways evolved to favor the intake of calorie-rich diets and the storage of energy as fats in the adipose tissue are in some circumstances redundant, especially in affluent societies, giving rise to obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD)-comorbidities. Current guidelines recommend reducing the daily intake of dietary fats for the prevention of ischemic cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).
  • 1.0K
  • 12 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Persistent Inflammation, Immunosuppression Catabolism Syndrome
Combining new immunological insights with great clinical experience is how the Persistent Inflammation, Immunosuppression and Catabolism Syndrome (PICS) was first described in 2012 [1]. The attempt to translate fundamental research into readily available surrogates in order to describe a clinical condition is how biomarkers and their cut-offs were determined. In the recent past, PICS has more and more become an acknowledged concept regarding ICU patients on their transition to chronic critical illness.
  • 1.0K
  • 05 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Micronutrient Deficiency
Micronutrient deficiencies are relatively common, in particular iron and cobalamin deficiency, and may potentially lead to life-threatening clinical consequences when not promptly recognized and treated, especially in elderly patients.
  • 1.0K
  • 09 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Innovations in Infant Feeding
The field of nutrition in early life, as an effective tool to prevent and treat chronic diseases, has attracted a large amount of interest over recent years. The vital roles of food products and nutrients on the body’s molecular mechanisms have been demonstrated. The knowledge of the mechanisms and the possibility of controlling them via what we eat has opened up the field of precision nutrition, which aims to set dietary strategies in order to improve health with the greatest effectiveness. However, this objective is achieved only if the genetic profile of individuals and their living conditions are also considered. The relevance of this topic is strengthened considering the importance of nutrition during childhood and the impact on the development of obesity. In fact, the prevalence of global childhood obesity has increased substantially from 1990 and has now reached epidemic proportions. 
  • 1.0K
  • 02 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Probiotics Supplementation on Infections in Athletes
It is well established that physical activity (PA) can have beneficial effects on the whole human body and strength its immune defenses. In fact, scientific evidence has established that regular PA is effective in the prevention of various chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, hypertension, obesity, depression, osteoporosis, and premature death. However, the effects of PA can be different depending on its intensity and duration. In fact, during heavy training and competitions, a higher incidence of gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, such as diarrhea and heartburn, and upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) can occur. This is due to acute post-exercise immune breakdowns and chronic suppression of immune factors, dependent on frequent strenuous exercise. Therefore, reducing these symptoms in athletes becomes a top priority. Evidence shows that probiotics could be useful in reducing the risk of development or the severity of GI or URT infections, but firther research in this field is still needed.
  • 1.0K
  • 20 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Intermittent Fasting with Sports Performance
Intermittent fasting is one of the most popular types of diet at the moment because it is an effective nutritional strategy in terms of weight loss. The effects that intermittent fasting has on sports performance are analyzed. Physical capacities are analyzed: aerobic capacity, anaerobic capacity, strength, and power, as well as their effect on body composition.
  • 1.0K
  • 11 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Diet
Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are chronic relapsing diseases of unknown origin affecting the gastrointestinal tract. Diet is one of the key factors.
  • 1.0K
  • 30 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Dietary Supplements on Inflammatory Markers and SARS-CoV-2 Infection
A key characteristic of severe presentations of acute SARS-CoV-2 infection involves overactive host inflammatory responses, with a substantial proportion of severe outcomes such as hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 linked to hyper-inflammation. Inflammation and oxidative stress play pivotal roles in the progression of infectious diseases including COVID-19. Evidence suggests that high sensitivity (hs) C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin (IL)-6, and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are among the most important biomarkers of COVID-19 severity, similar to the chronic conditions involved in vascular aging. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and hsCRP are also biomarkers of respiratory failure in patients with COVID-19. Furthermore, it is well established that elevated levels of other inflammatory markers are common in COVID-19 patients. These markers include IL-1β, IL-7, IL-8, IL-18, interferon (IFN)-γ, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, procalcitonin (PCT), serum ferritin, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR).
  • 1.0K
  • 28 Oct 2022
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