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Topic Review
Osteosarcopenic Adiposity
Osteosarcopenic adiposity (OSA) syndrome denotes the confluence of bone, muscle, and adipose tissue deterioration. Being a complex entity, numerous uncertainties about OSA still exist, despite the extensive research on the topic. 
  • 377
  • 05 May 2023
Topic Review
Dietary Oncopharmacognosy
While diet and nutrition are modifiable risk factors for many chronic and infectious diseases, their role in cancer prevention and control remains under investigation. The lack of clarity of some diet–cancer relationships reflects the ongoing debate about the relative contribution of genetic factors, environmental exposures, and replicative errors in stem cell division as determinate drivers of cancer risk. In addition, dietary guidance has often been based upon research assuming that the effects of diet and nutrition on carcinogenesis would be uniform across populations and for various tumor types arising in a specific organ, i.e., that one size fits all. 
  • 377
  • 10 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Health Benefits of Cocoa
Cocoa is considered a functional food because it is a natural source of macro- and micronutrients. Cocoa is rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, fatty acids, methylxanthines and flavonoids. In addition to favoring the metabolism of lipids and carbohydrates, the bioactive components of cocoa can have an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effect, providing numerous benefits for health. 
  • 374
  • 19 Sep 2023
Topic Review
Lipids and Lipoproteins in Pregnancy
Inflammation and oxidative stress are essential components in a myriad of pathogenic entities that lead to metabolic and chronic diseases. Moreover, inflammation in its different phases is necessary for the initiation and maintenance of a healthy pregnancy. Therefore, an equilibrium between a necessary/pathologic level of inflammation and oxidative stress during pregnancy is needed to avoid disease development. High-density lipoproteins (HDL) are important for a healthy pregnancy and a good neonatal outcome. Their role in fetal development during challenging situations is vital for maintaining the equilibrium. 
  • 374
  • 08 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Dietary Fibre, Gut Microbiome and Genetic Variability
Dietary fibre (DF) and associated compounds are metabolized by the gut microbiota and their resulting metabolites, especially short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), were significantly associated with health beneficial effects. However, SCFA metabolic pathways are not fully understood.  As dietary patterns do not affect all individuals equally, the host genetic makeup may play a role in the metabolic fate of these metabolites, in addition to other factors that might influence the microbiota. 
  • 373
  • 05 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Dysfunctional Adipocyte Secretome
The dysfunctional adipocyte secretome is characterized by the abnormal release of adipokines, which causes detrimental effects on cellular metabolism and proliferation, energy homeostasis and insulin sensitivity. 
  • 371
  • 31 May 2023
Topic Review
Osteoporosis after Sleeve Gastrectomy and Roux-En-Y-gastric Bypass
Obesity has become a worldwide epidemic accompanied by adverse health effects. The limited efficiency of traditional weight reduction regimens has led to a substantial increase in the use of bariatric surgery. Sleeve gastrectomy (SG) and Roux-en-Y-gastric bypass (RYGB) are the most used procedures. Preoperatively, the dietary habits of obese individuals might lead to deficiencies in vitamin D and other nutrients affecting bone mineral metabolism. Bariatric surgery with SG or RYGB can aggravate these deficiencies. The various surgical procedures appear to affect nutrient absorption differently. Being purely restrictive, SG may particularly affect the absorption of vitamin B12 and also vitamin D. In contrast, RYGB has a more profound impact on the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins and other nutrients, although both surgical methods induce only a mild protein deficiency. Despite adequate supplementation of calcium and vitamin D, osteoporosis may still occur after the surgery. This might be due to deficiencies in other micronutrients, e.g., vitamin K and zinc. Regular follow-ups with individual assessments and nutritional advice are indispensable to prevent osteoporosis and other adverse postoperative issues.
  • 370
  • 21 Mar 2023
Topic Review
The Interplay between Inflammation in Malnutrition
Inflammation has been identified as a key driver for disease-related malnutrition, leading to anorexia, reduced food intake, muscle catabolism, and insulin resistance, which are stimulating a catabolic state. Interesting data suggest that inflammation also modulates the response to nutritional treatment. Patients with high inflammation show no response to nutritional interventions, while patients with lower levels of inflammation do. This may explain the contradictory results of nutritional trials to date and the lack of effect in more severly ill patients.
  • 369
  • 06 May 2023
Topic Review
Bitter Melon in Breast and Gynecological Cancer
Bitter melon, bitter gourd, karela, or Momordica charantia, is a vine belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family, which is widely cultivated in Asian, African, and South American countries. More precisely, it is a rich source of phytochemicals and has the highest nutritional value among cucurbits. Its biological activity may be mainly attributed to its major chemical constituents: cucurbitane-type triterpenoids, cucurbitane-type triterpene glycosides and their aglycones, flavonoids, phenolic acids, fatty acids, essential oils, lectins, amino acids, goyasaponins, sterols, as well as several proteins. The proportion of these chemical constituents varies, depending on the different varieties of bitter melon, the different origins and cultivation conditions, or the harvest times. Bitter melon extract and its active ingredients have been extensively studied in diverse cell line-based and animal models and reported to exhibit promising effects on the chemoprevention and therapy of skin, brain, oral, lung, liver, colon, stomach, blood, prostate, renal, and pancreatic cancers. The molecular mechanisms of cancer prevention and therapy do not seem to differ among the different cancer entities, with bitter melon enhancing Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) production, modulating the cell membrane, inducing apoptosis and autophagy, causing epigenetic modifications, as well as interacting with the DNA, the RNA, or numerous proteins.
  • 369
  • 20 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Dietary Salt Restriction and MDP for Cardiometabolic Health
The dietary restriction of salt intake and the adhesion to Mediterranean dietary pattern (MDP) are among the most recommended lifestyle modifications for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. A large amount of evidence supports these recommendations. Likewise, findings from observational and clinical studies suggest a causal role of excess salt intake in blood pressure increase, cardiovascular organ damage, and the incidence of cardiovascular diseases. In this context, it is also conceivable that the beneficial effects of these two dietary patterns overlap because Mediterranean dietary patterns are typically characterized by a large consumption of plant-based foods with low sodium content. However, there is little data on this issue, and heterogeneous results are available on the relationship between adherence to salt restriction and to Mediterranean dietary patterns.
  • 365
  • 11 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Interrelationships between Diabetes, Anxiety, and Depression
Anxiety and depression have become widespread mental disorders identified by cognition, mood, and attitude variations that significantly impact an individual’s well-being and daily life. Depression disorders have been estimated at approximately 17%, while the prevalence of anxiety disorders is about 29%. Considerable evidence confirms that mental health disorders enhance appetite and cravings and decrease motivation for physical activity. Furthermore, high sugar intake has been associated with depression and anxiety in numerous cross-sectional and observational studies. Along the same lines, research studies have identified a link between the intake of refined carbohydrates and circulating inflammatory markers and their impact on mental health.
  • 364
  • 10 Oct 2023
Topic Review
The Role of Magnesium in Muscle Health
Magnesium is an essential mineral that plays a central role in approximately 800 biochemical reactions within the human body. Its distinctive physical and chemical attributes render it an indispensable stabilizing factor in the orchestration of diverse cellular reactions and organelle functions, thereby rendering it irreplaceable in processes directly impacting muscle health.
  • 358
  • 11 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Serum 25(OH)D and Cognition
Vitamin D, also referred to as serum 25(OH)D, reflects a group of fat-soluble steroids best known for increasing the intestinal absorption of minerals, specifically calcium, magnesium, and phosphate. The impact of serum 25(OH)D on skeletal diseases, such as rickets, has been well documented. There is growing appreciation for the role of vitamin D in cognition and potentially Alzheimer’s disease.
  • 357
  • 08 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Dietary Inflammatory Index and Hyperuricemia
Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) scores have been consistently associated with several chronic diseases.
  • 353
  • 22 Dec 2021
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Astragalus membranaceus (Huangqi) Supplementation in Sports Training: A Systematic Review
The aim of this systematic review is to study the effects of Astragalus membranaceus (Huangqi) supplementation for sports activity and physical performance. PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar were systematically searched for relevant studies from inception up until October 2023. Eleven clinical studies were considered eligible for inclusion (six of them involved the administration of Huangqi alone, while, in the remaining trials, this herb was supplemented in combination with other remedies). On average, the number of study participants ranged from 8 to 120, and the sports activities practiced by the subjects included martial arts, mountain hiking, basketball, rowing, running, aerobic exercises, and strength training. When a dried extract was used, Astragalus was taken at a daily dose of 1 to 4 g for several weeks. Huangqi supplementation was associated with improvements in aerobic performance, oxidative status, reticulocytes percentage, and response to acclimatization, without a specific effect on the athletes’ strength. Better post-exercise immune functions were also observed, especially with regard to NK cell activity, IL-2 levels, CD4+/CD8+ ratio, and lymphocyte turnover. No adverse effects were described. In conclusion, Astragalus supplementation has the potential to decrease fatigue, enhance aerobic performance, and mitigate post-exercise immune suppression in athletes. It is advisable to conduct additional research on the subject to enhance the robustness of the existing evidence through larger-scale controlled trials.
  • 353
  • 30 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Nutraceuticals for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), the severest form of muscular dystrophy, is characterized by progressive muscle weakness with fatal outcomes most often before the fourth decade of life. Despite the recent addition of molecular treatments, DMD remains a disease without a cure, and the need persists for the development of supportive therapies aiming to help improve patients’ quality of life.
  • 351
  • 27 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Postprandial Gut Hormones
Gut-derived hormones have been suggested to play a role in bone homeostasis following food intake, although the associations are highly complex and not fully understood. In a randomized, two-day cross-over study on 14 healthy individuals, we performed postprandial time-course studies to examine the associations of the bone remodeling markers carboxyl-terminal collagen type I crosslinks (CTX) and procollagen type 1 N-terminal propeptide (P1NP) with the gut hormones glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), and peptide YY (PYY) using two different meal types—a standardized mixed meal (498 kcal) or a granola bar (260 kcal). Plasma concentrations of total GIP, total GLP-1, total PYY, CTX, and P1NP were measured up to 240 min after meal intake, and the incremental area under the curve (iAUC) for each marker was calculated. The iAUC of CTX and P1NP were used to assess associations with the iAUC of GIP, GLP-1, and PYY in linear mixed effect models adjusted for meal type. CTX was positively associated with GIP and GLP-1, and it was inversely associated with PYY (all p < 0.001). No associations of P1NP with GIP or GLP-1 and PYY were found. In conclusion, the postprandial responses of the gut hormones GIP, GLP-1, and PYY are associated with the bone resorption marker CTX, supporting a link between gut hormones and bone homeostasis following food intake.
  • 349
  • 16 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Cobalamin Status and Deficiency in Cats
Cobalamin is a water-soluble molecule that has an important role in cellular metabolism, especially in DNA synthesis, methylation, and mitochondrial metabolism. Cobalamin is bound by intrinsic factor (IF) and absorbed in the ileal tract. The IF in cats is synthesized exclusively by pancreatic tissue. About 75% of the total plasma cobalamin in cats is associated with transcobalamin II, while in this species, transcobalamin I is not present. In cats, the half-life of cobalamin is 11–14 days.
  • 349
  • 15 May 2023
Topic Review
Chemical Structure and Biological Functions of Dietary Polyphenols
Several thousand molecules with a polyphenol structure (i.e., several hydroxyl groups on aromatic rings) have been identified in higher plants, and several hundred are found in edible plants. These molecules are secondary metabolites of plants and are generally involved in defending against ultraviolet radiation or aggression by pathogens. These compounds may be classified into different groups as a function of the number of phenol rings that they contain, and of the structural elements that bind these rings to one another. Distinctions are thus made between phenolic acids, flavonoids, stilbenes, and lignans. The flavonoids, which share a common structure consisting of two aromatic rings (A and B) that are bound together by three carbon atoms that form an oxygenated heterocycle (ring C), may themselves be divided into six subclasses as a function of the type of heterocycle involved: flavonols, flavones, isoflavones, flavanones, antho-cyanidins, and flavanols (catechins and proanthocyanidins). In addition to this diversity, polyphenols may be associated with various carbohydrates and organic acids, and with one another.
  • 349
  • 12 Jun 2023
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.
  • 349
  • 11 Jan 2024
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