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Dietary Modifications from Benefits to Pathology

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A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutrition Methodology & Assessment".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2021) | Viewed by 27594

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Prof. Dr. Halina Car

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Department of Experimental Pharmacology, Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Białystok, Poland
Interests: prevention and therapy of diabetes or cancer, particularly colon, breast, and glioma; the supporting role of medical mushrooms in the treatment of cancer; individualized and precise therapy based on drug carriers; consequences of treatment or dietary modification in the brain; role of sphingolipid pathways in diseases; experimental models of disease; new opportunities to enhance brain function

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The nutritional values of dietary products are not only the amount of calories and the content of particular ingredients, but also their influence on metabolic pathways or genetic predisposition to diseases. Elimination diets in many pathologies such as phenylketonuria and celiac disease illustrate the huge benefits of proper nourishment. Carbohydrate and lipid metabolisms as well as immunological condition disturbances are involved in the pathophysiology of many civilization diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. This knowledge has made it possible to create animal models of diseases such as insulin resistance caused by a high-lipid diet. For this reason, there are strict recommendations to follow a proper diet in particular pathologies. Moreover, diets with extreme levels of additives or the overconsumption of dietary supplements—especially those of poor quality—may induce organ dysfunction and degeneration. However, some evidence in the literature suggests that the supplementation of proteins, minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, or pre/probiotics etc. in products, specifically compounds obtained from natural sources, can improve health and support treatment. Poor knowledge about the interaction of drugs and dietary products may worsen the health condition of organisms. Most diets or dietary modifications are not scientifically justified. Diet support based on well-performed diagnostic processes and the examined mechanisms of action of nutritional products may meet the criteria of personalized care. Basic, preclinical, and clinical studies should be used to show how diet, products, and natural substances influence living organisms in health and disease.

We invite researchers and clinicians to submit their relevant scientific work, either original articles or reviews, to this Special Issue of Nutrients entitled “Dietary Modification from Benefits to Pathology”.

We look forward to your active participation.

Prof. Dr. Halina Car
Guest Editor

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Keywords

dietary products and induction pathology
drug interactions with foods or dietary supplements
products from natural sources and their benefits in healthy and disease conditions.

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 2347 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Maternal High-Fat Diet during Early Development Provokes Molecular Changes Related to Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Rat Offspring Brain

by Kinga Gawlińska, Dawid Gawliński, Małgorzata Borczyk, Michał Korostyński, Edmund Przegaliński and Małgorzata Filip

Nutrients 2021, 13(9), 3212; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu13093212 - 16 Sep 2021

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4114

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a disruptive neurodevelopmental disorder manifested by abnormal social interactions, communication, emotional circuits, and repetitive behaviors and is more often diagnosed in boys than in girls. It is postulated that ASD is caused by a complex interaction between genetic and environmental factors. Epigenetics provides a mechanistic link between exposure to an unbalanced maternal diet and persistent modifications in gene expression levels that can lead to phenotype changes in the offspring. To better understand the impact of the early development environment on the risk of ASD in offspring, we assessed the effect of maternal high-fat (HFD), high-carbohydrate, and mixed diets on molecular changes in adolescent and young adult offspring frontal cortex and hippocampus. Our results showed that maternal HFD significantly altered the expression of 48 ASD-related genes in the frontal cortex of male offspring. Moreover, exposure to maternal HFD led to sex- and age-dependent changes in the protein levels of ANKRD11, EIF4E, NF1, SETD1B, SHANK1 and TAOK2, as well as differences in DNA methylation levels in the frontal cortex and hippocampus of the offspring. Taken together, it was concluded that a maternal HFD during pregnancy and lactation periods can lead to abnormal brain development within the transcription and translation of ASD-related genes mainly in male offspring. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Modifications from Benefits to Pathology)

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15 pages, 1284 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Individual Diet Modification Reduces the Metabolic Syndrome in Patients Before Pharmacological Treatment

by Małgorzata Elżbieta Zujko, Marta Rożniata and Kinga Zujko

Nutrients 2021, 13(6), 2102; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu13062102 - 19 Jun 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3553

Abstract

Modification of lifestyle, including healthy nutrition, is the primary approach for metabolic syndrome (MetS) therapy. The aim of this study was to estimate how individual nutrition intervention affects the reduction of MetS components. Subjects diagnosed with MetS were recruited in the Lomza Medical Centre. The study group consisted of 90 participants and was divided into one intervention group (individual nutrition education group (INEG)) and one control group (CG). The research was conducted over 3 months. The following measurements were obtained during the first visit and after completion of the 3 months intervention: body mass, waist circumference, body composition, blood pressure, fasting glucose, and blood lipids. Dietary assessments were performed before and post-intervention using 3-day 24-h dietary recalls. Dietary knowledge was evaluated with the KomPAN questionnaire. The total polyphenol content of the diet was calculated. Sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics were collected from a self-reported questionnaire. The physical activity was assessed by the short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). It was found that the individual nutrition education was an effective method to improve the knowledge, dietary habits, and physical activity of the study participants. The modification of the diet in terms of higher intake of polyphenols (flavonoids and anthocyanins), fiber, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), PUFA n-3, and lower intake of saturated fatty acids (SFA) had a significant impact on the improvement of some MetS risk factors (waist circumference, fasting glucose, and HDL-cholesterol). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Modifications from Benefits to Pathology)

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10 pages, 580 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of the First 2020 COVID-19 Lockdown on the Metabolic Control of Patients with Phenylketonuria

by Dariusz Walkowiak, Bożena Mikołuć, Renata Mozrzymas, Łukasz Kałużny, Bożena Didycz, Joanna Jaglowska, Danuta Kurylak and Jarosław Walkowiak

Nutrients 2021, 13(6), 2024; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu13062024 - 12 Jun 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2366

Abstract

The present study assessed patients’ metabolic control of phenylketonuria (PKU) during the first 2020 COVID-19 lockdown in Poland. Blood (phenylalanine) Phe results of the tests of 535 patients, performed in 2019 and in the first months of 2020, were analysed. The six-week lockdown period was compared to the preceding six-week period as well as to the two corresponding periods of 2019 (three non-lockdown periods). More patients failed to perform Phe tests in the lockdown period (32.7%) than in non-lockdown periods (15.6%, 15.1%, 17.2%; p < 0.001 for all). The median Phe levels for those patients who performed testing in all the four periods did not differ between periods. However, these patients tended to perform only one test during the lockdown (ORs: 1.43 to 1.60; 95% CI: from 1.01–2.04 to 1.11–2.30, p-value 0.02 to 0.005). Patients who did not take blood during the lockdown (46.7%) performed significantly fewer blood tests in the remaining periods (median <IQR>: 1 <0–1> vs. 2 <1–4>; p < 0.001). In conclusion, direct assessment of patients’ compliance based upon Phe levels during the pandemic lockdown was not possible. Pre-pandemic non-compliant patients frequently failed to perform the test during the lockdown, whereas the previously compliant ones were more likely to perform only one test. This strongly suggests that metabolic control might have worsened. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Modifications from Benefits to Pathology)

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17 pages, 3067 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dietary Macronutrient Intake May Influence the Effects of TCF7L2 rs7901695 Genetic Variants on Glucose Homeostasis and Obesity-Related Parameters: A Cross-Sectional Population-Based Study

by Witold Bauer, Edyta Adamska-Patruno, Urszula Krasowska, Monika Moroz, Joanna Fiedorczuk, Przemyslaw Czajkowski, Dorota Bielska, Maria Gorska and Adam Kretowski

Nutrients 2021, 13(6), 1936; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu13061936 - 4 Jun 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3095

Abstract

Transcription factor-7–like 2 (TCF7L2) is one of the most important susceptibility genes for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The aim of our cross-sectional population-based study was to analyze whether daily macronutrient intake may influence the effects of the TCF7L2 rs7901695 genotype on glucose homeostasis and obesity-related parameters. We recruited 810 participants (47.5% men and 52.5% women), 18–79 years old (mean age, 42.1 (±14.5) years), who were genotyped for the common TCF7L2 rs7901695 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), and anthropometric measurements, body composition, body fat distribution (visceral (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) content), blood glucose and insulin concentrations after fasting and during OGTTs, and HbA1c were assessed. The VAT/SAT ratio, HOMA-IR (homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance), HOMA-B (homeostatic model assessment of β-cell function), and CIR30 (corrected insulin response) were calculated. The daily macronutrient intake was evaluated based on 3-day food-intake diaries. Daily physical activity was evaluated based on a validated questionnaire. We performed ANOVA or Kruskal–Wallis tests, and multivariate linear regression models were created to evaluate the effects of dietary macronutrient intake on glucose homeostasis and obesity-related parameters in carriers of the investigated genotypes. This study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov as NCT03792685. The TT-genotype carriers stratified to the upper protein intake quantiles presented higher HbA1c levels than the CT- and CC-genotype participants in the same quantiles (p = 0.038 and p = 0.022, respectively). Moreover, we observed higher HOMA-IR (p = 0.014), as well as significantly higher blood glucose and insulin concentrations, during the OGTTs for those in the upper quantiles, when compared to subjects from the lower quantiles of protein intake, while the CC-genotype carriers presented significantly lower HbA1c (p = 0.033) and significantly higher CIR30 (p = 0.03). The linear regression models revealed that an increase in energy derived from proteins in TT carriers was associated with higher HbA1c levels (β = 0.37 (95% CI: 0.01–0.74, p = 0.05)), although, in general, carrying the TT genotype, but without considering protein intake, showed an opposite tendency—to lower HbA1c levels (β = −0.22 (95% CI: 0.47 to −0.01, p = 0.05). Among the subjects stratified to the lower quantile of carbohydrate intake, the TT-genotype individuals presented higher HbA1c (p = 0.041), and the CC-genotype subjects presented higher VAT (p = 0.033), lower SAT (p = 0.033), and higher VAT/SAT ratios (p = 0.034). In both the CC- and TT-genotype carriers, we noted higher VAT (p = 0.012 and p = 0.0006, respectively), lower SAT (p = 0.012 and p = 0.0006, respectively) and higher VAT/SAT ratios (p = 0.016 and p = 0.00062, respectively) when dietary fat provided more than 30% of total daily energy intake, without any differences in total body fat content. Our findings suggest that associations of the common TCF7L2 SNP with glucose homeostasis and obesity-related parameters may be dependent on daily macronutrient intake, which warrants further investigations in a larger population, as well as interventional studies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Modifications from Benefits to Pathology)

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17 pages, 3555 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Influence of Reducing Diets on Changes in Thyroid Parameters in Women Suffering from Obesity and Hashimoto’s Disease

by Lucyna Ostrowska, Dominika Gier and Beata Zyśk

Nutrients 2021, 13(3), 862; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu13030862 - 5 Mar 2021

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 8621

Abstract

Hashimoto’s disease is listed among the most common endocrine causes of obesity. As treatment of obesity in women with Hashimoto’s disease is frequently unsuccessful, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of two different reducing diets and their influence on changes in thyroid parameters in female patients. A six-month observational/interventional study was performed on 100 women aged 18–65 years, previously diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease and obesity and receiving L-thyroxine. The women were randomly assigned to the test group (group A, n = 50) following elimination/reducing diets, and the control group (group B, n = 50) following reducing diets with the same caloric content (without elimination). Anthropometric and thyroid parameters were evaluated at the beginning, after 3 months and after 6 months of treatment. In both groups a significant decrease in BMI and body fat percentage was achieved, but in test group A the decrease in BMI and body fat percentage was significantly greater than in control group B (p < 0.002 and p = 0.026, respectively). Serum TSH (thyroid stimulating hormon) levels decreased significantly more in group A than in group B (p < 0.001). Group A exhibited significantly greater increases in fT4 and fT3 levels than the control group (p < 0.001) as well as significantly greater decreases in the levels anti-TPO (thyroid peroxidase) (p < 0.001) and anti-TG (thyreoglobulin) antibodies (p = 0.048). The application of reducing diets with product elimination was found to be a more beneficial tool for changing anthropometric and thyroid parameters in women suffering from obesity and Hashimoto’s disease than classic reducing diets with the same energy values and macronutrient content. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Modifications from Benefits to Pathology)

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13 pages, 412 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of the Impact of a Multi-Strain Probiotic on Body Composition and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Long-Distance Runners

by Joanna Smarkusz-Zarzecka, Lucyna Ostrowska, Joanna Leszczyńska, Karolina Orywal, Urszula Cwalina and Damian Pogodziński

Nutrients 2020, 12(12), 3758; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12123758 - 7 Dec 2020

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4468

Abstract

Use of probiotic supplements, the benefits of which have not been proven in sportspeople, is becoming more widespread among runners. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a multi-strain probiotic on body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness and inflammation in the body. The randomised, double-blind study included 66 long-distance runners. The intervention factor was a multi-strain probiotic or placebo. At the initial and final stages of the study, evaluation of body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness was performed and the presence of inflammation determined. In the group of men using the probiotic, an increase in lean body mass (p = 0.019) and skeletal muscle mass (p = 0.022) was demonstrated, while in the group of women taking the probiotic, a decrease in the content of total body fat (p = 0.600) and visceral fat (p = 0.247) was observed. Maximum oxygen consumption (VO_2max) increased in women (p = 0.140) and men (p = 0.017) using the probiotic. Concentration of tumour necrosis factor-alpha decreased in women (p = 0.003) and men (p = 0.001) using the probiotic and in women (p = 0.074) and men (p = 0.016) using the placebo. Probiotic therapy had a positive effect on selected parameters of body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness of study participants and showed a tendency to reduce inflammation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Modifications from Benefits to Pathology)

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