Low glycemic index (GI) diets play a pivotal role in the prevention and management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study investigated the effects of a low GI multigrain meal replacement powder, primarily composed of scarlet runner beans (Phaseolus coccineus L.), on glycolipid metabolic disorders and gut dysbiosis in T2DM rats. A T2DM rat model was induced by a high-fat diet combined with streptozotocin, and rats were randomized into model control (MC), positive control (PC), low-, medium-, and high-dose intervention (LD/MD/HD) and normal control (NC) groups based on fasting blood glucose and body weight. After 8 weeks of intervention, the powder significantly ameliorated glycolipid dysmetabolism, attenuated inflammatory responses, and reduced histopathological damage in T2DM rats. Compared with MC, all intervention groups showed reduced fasting blood glucose (FBG), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and glucagon, along with increased insulin (INS) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) (P < 0.05). The HD group further reduced the serum total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), while increasing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (P < 0.05). The MD group also decreased serum TG and LDL-C and increased HDL-C (P < 0.05). Pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-1β) were suppressed, whereas transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) was upregulated in all intervention groups (P < 0.05). The intervention also restored gut microbial homeostasis, characterized by increased abundances of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA)-producing genera (Intestinimonas, Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group, Ruminococcus) and reduced levels of potentially pathogenic genera (Allobaculum, Faecalibaculum) (P < 0.05). Fecal SCFA concentrations increased in all intervention groups, with acetic acid significantly elevated in LD (P < 0.05). These findings suggest that this low GI meal replacement powder improves metabolic dysregulation, alleviates inflammation and tissue injury, and restores gut microbiota balance in T2DM, supporting its potential utility in T2DM management.

The pathophysiology of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) was characterized by alterations in the intestinal microbiota and bile acids (BAs). Flaxseed powder (FLA) was rich in active components such as α-linolenic acid, dietary fiber, and lignans, which had lipid-lowering and anti-inflammatory effects. Here, we investigated whether FLA reduced liver fat and improved inflammation by modulating the gut microbiota, enriching bacteria involved in the production of 6α-hydroxylated BAs, and activating the gut-liver-BA metabolic pathway-specific receptor Takeda G protein-coupled receptor 5 (TGR5). Wild-type (WT) and TGR5 knockout mice were set up in a low-fat control group, a high-fat model group and a flaxseed powder intervention group for 12 weeks. At the end of the experiment, we examined the levels of lipids (TC, LDL-C, HDL-C, and TG), the levels of inflammatory factors (TNF-α and IL-6), the pathological changes in the liver, and the differences in the expression of key proteins (CYP7A1, TLR4, and NF-κB) in the liver of TGR5^–/– and WT mice. In the current study, we found that 12 weeks of FLA intervention significantly attenuated the progression of NAFLD in WT mice, whereas TGR5 knockout exacerbated the extent of disease in mice with NAFLD. TGR5 gene knockout blocked the anti-inflammatory effect of FLA, but did not block its lipid-lowering effect. The TGR5 gene may be a key protein in the anti-inflammatory pathway of FLA, rather than a key protein in the lipid-lowering pathway of FLA. FLA intervention altered the relative abundance of gut microbiota with BA metabolizing enzymes, which in turn regulated the composition of intestinal BA, particularly the proportion of the key functional BAs 6α-hydroxylated BAs, thereby activating the intestinal BA-specific receptor TGR5, which might play a role in ameliorating inflammation. FLA might be a promising functional food for the prevention of NAFLD by modulating the microbiota and BAs.

Background Sarcopenia is a major health concern among the elderly over 60. Understanding the relationship between fat and skeletal muscle mass (SMM) and sarcopenia risk is crucial for its prevention and management.Methods This cross-sectional study involved the selection of 1523 participants from the baseline data of a health examination project for the elderly in Rugao and Dongtai City, Jiangsu Province, China, conducted between April and December 2024. The body composition parameters such as fat mass (FM) and SMM were measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Results Among the 1523 participants, the prevalence rates of sarcopenia among people aged 60 to 70, 71 to 80, and over 80 were 7.42%, 13.39%, and 46.15% respectively. The results of multivariate logistic regression showed that age, gender, body mass index (BMI), left calf circumference, FM and body fat percentage remained significantly associated with sarcopenia. Age was significantly positively correlated with the risk of sarcopenia (P < 0.001), BMI (P < 0.001) and FM (P < 0.001) were both significantly negatively correlated with the risk of sarcopenia. When age exceeded 79.90, age was significantly negatively correlated with BMI (P < 0.001). When age exceeded 73.43, it was significantly negatively correlated with FM (P < 0.001). In the age range above 80.00, age was significantly negatively correlated with body fat percentage (P = 0.025). In the age range below 82.00, age remained significantly negatively correlated with appendicular muscle mass (P < 0.001).Conclusions Among the elderly aged 60 and above, age, BMI, FM, body fat percentage and calf circumference were all independent influencing factors of sarcopenia. Detecting the body composition of the elderly is crucial for the early identification and intervention of sarcopenia.

Background: Phytosterols are known for their cholesterol-lowering properties, yet the comparative effects of high-phytosterol diet (HPS diet) and low-phytosterol diet (LPS diet) on blood lipids, fasting blood glucose (FBG) and estimated 10-year cardiovascular disease risk (estimated 10-y CVD risk) in Chinese adults with dyslipidemia remain largely unknown.Objective: This trial was to investigate the effects of HPS diet on blood lipids, FBG and estimated 10-y CVD risk in Chinese adults with dyslipidemia compared with LPS diet. Methods: A three-month, outcome assessor-blinded, randomized controlled feeding trial was conducted in Chinese adults with dyslipidemia. 104 participants were randomly assigned to either the HPS diet group (n = 52, use HPS cooking oil) or the LPS diet group (n = 52, use LPS cooking oil) after a 2-week run-in period. The primary outcomes were serum total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), Non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (NON-LDL-C). Secondary outcomes included FBG and estimated 10-y CVD risk. Results: All participants were included in the intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis. After three months of intervention, serum TC (adjusted mean difference = -0.44 mmol/L; 95% CI: -0.67 to -0.20), TG (adjusted mean difference = -1.01 mmol/L; 95% CI: -1.67 to -0.35), LDL-C (adjusted mean difference = -0.25 mmol/L; 95% CI: -0.50 to -0.01) , Non-HDL-C (adjusted mean difference = -0.46 mmol/L; 95% CI: -0.73 to -0.19) and FBG (adjusted mean difference = -0.14 mmol/L; 95% CI: -0.28 to -0.002) were significantly lower in the HPS diet group compared to the LPS diet group (P < 0.05). Additionally, compared to the LPS diet group, the estimated 10-y CVD risk attributed to TC, BMI and all factors in the HPS diet group after intervention decreased by 0.10%, 0.13% and 0.97%, respectively. Sensitivity analysis showed that the main results from the per-protocol population were consistent with the ITT population. Conclusions: The HPS Chinese diet significantly lowers blood lipids, FBG and the estimated 10-y CVD risk in Chinese adults with mild dyslipidemia. These findings highlight potential cardiovascular health benefits associated with increased phytosterol intake in daily diets. Further long-term studies are warranted. Clinicaltrials.gov ID: NCT06060509

Background: Dyslipidemia is a chronic, metabolic disease characterized by elevated level of serum total cholesterol (TC) or low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and acts as a key contributor to the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Our previous work has shown that whole grain oat supplementation exerted cholesterol-lowering properties by modulating gut microbiota in individuals with hyperlipidemia. However, it is not clear that whether the cholesterol-lowering effect of whole grain oat depends on gut microbiota and its metabolites. In this study, we leverage a high-fat and high-cholesterol (HFHC) diet induced model of dyslipidemia that exhibits significant remission following whole grain oat intervention, to conduct an animal experiment that integrates clinical parameters, 16S rRNA sequencing, targeted metabolomic profiling and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) to investigate the relationship between whole grain oat diet, gut microbiota, and dyslipidemia.

Results: We demonstrated that the improvements in blood circulating TC and LDL-C level induced by a whole grain oat diet is accompanied by alterations in gut microbiota diversity and structure marked by increased abundance of probiotics (e.g., Bifidobacterium and Parabacteroides). Targeted metabolomic profiling analysis showed that whole grain oat supplementation increases the ratio of non-12OH/12-OH bile acid (BA), level of hyodeoxycholic acid (HDCA), glycochenodeoxycholic acid-3S (GCDCA-3S), isodeoxycholic acid (IDCA), and propionate acid. Correlation analysis showed that the alteration in the metabolic profiles is closely related to the changed microbial taxa. Consistently, the expression level of proteins involved in BAs synthesis (especially the alternative pathway) was significantly activated by whole grain oat supplementation. Subsequently, FMT treatment attenuated the abnormal increase of serum lipid in the model rat. Finally, when HDCA was administered to rats for 8 weeks, the circulating TC and LDL-C level were significantly ameliorated.

Conclusions: These data revealed that whole grain oat supplementation ameliorated the dyslipidemia in a gut microbiota-dependent manner, via promoting the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), activating the alternative pathway of BAs metabolism and increase the ratio of non-12OH/12-OH BAs. Our findings provide a promising, and novel therapeutic strategy for gut microbiota to prevent and treat dyslipidemia.

Objective: Low-carbohydrate diets have gained considerable popularity, but its association with metabolic syndrome (MetS) remains contradictory. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between dietary macronutrient intake and MetS. Methods: We conducted the cross-sectional analysis of data from UK Biobank (UKB, 2006-2010), and Jiangsu Nutrition Survey (JNS, 2021), encompassing 104,665 (age from 40 to 69 years old) and 7,464 (age≥40 years old) participants, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression was utilized to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95%CI) for the association between dietary macronutrient intake and MetS. The restricted cubic spline (RCS) was used to analyze the linear or nonlinear relationship between macronutrient intake and MetS Results: The prevalence of MetS was 34.73% (95%CI: 34.08%-35.38%) in Jiangsu Province of China and 25.4% (95%CI: 25.1%-25.6%) in UK. The relationship between dietary macronutrient and MetS varied among different populations. In UKB (2006-2010), we found a positive association between higher-carbohydrate intake and MetS (compared to Q1, OR = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.28-1.42, P < 0.001). From the RCS plots, it is also apparent that the OR of MetS increases with a higher-carbohydrate intake. In JNS (2021), we found that higher-carbohydrate intake was negatively associated with MetS (compared to Q1, OR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.64-0.89, P < 0.001), while higher-fat intake was positively associated with MetS (compared to Q1, OR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.05-1.46, P = 0.010). We observed a decreasing trend in the prevalence of MetS with increasing carbohydrate intake, while the opposite was true for fat intake from the RCS. Conclusion: MetS is prevalent and its relationship with macronutrient intake varies among populations. In the middle-aged and elderly population of Jiangsu, higher-carbohydrate intake is negatively associated with MetS, whereas in the UK population, it shows a positive association. These findings are particularly relevant given the current phenomenon of carbohydrate “phobia” in the Chinese population. More prospective studies are needed to validate these findings and to further explore the complex relationship between macronutrient intake and MetS.

Homologous substances of food and medicine (HSFM) are substances that are both food and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), implementing the TCM concept of “food and medicine homology”. Due to the improvement of people's standard of living and the high demand for improving the quality of life, the usage of HSFM is becoming more and more common, and the legislative issue of HSFM is becoming more and more urgent. HSFM now have a clearer definition and related management policies, which are constantly being improved and updated. However, there is little research to sort out and analysis the current status of management in each country. Therefore, this paper aims to collect the relevant policies that are publicly available in several country and, in particular, elucidates explicitly the historical traceability of HSFM in China, the evolution of the relevant policies, and the catalogue of HSFM that has been updated to date. The data show that the management of HSFM is similar but not identical among different countries, and that there are areas that can be learnt from each other as well as areas that need to be improved. By analysing the policies of different countries, this paper finds that South Korea, Singapore and China have adopted a catalogue for the management of HSFM, which has avoided the current situation of market scrutiny through a clearer catalogue management.It also points out that there is no country that makes health claims on HSFM in terms of policy, which also limits the development of the HSFM industry to a certain extent. A comparison of policies in different countries shows that policymakers can optimise policies to meet consumer demand and stimulate product development in the market by accelerating the addition of substances to the catalogue of HSFM and attempting to make health claims, among other measures.

Background:

Despite the established influence of the planetary health diet (PHD) on mortality and chronic disease outcomes, evidence linking it to mental health remains sparse.

Objective：

This study aimed to investigate the potential association between PHD and the incidence of depression or anxiety among adults enrolled in the UK biobank (UKB).

Setting and participants:

Utilizing data from the UKB, the study focused on participants who were free from depression or anxiety at baseline (2006-2010). All participants had signed the informed consent form.

Methods:

PHD scores were calculated using data from 24-hour dietary recall questionnaires (ranging from 0 to 140). Multivariable Cox regression models were used to examine the association between PHD and depression or anxiety.

Results:

A total of 173,699 individuals were included in this study. Over a median follow-up of 15.9 years, 4,757 depression and 3,657 anxiety incidents were recorded. In the fully adjusted model, participants with high adherence to PHD had a 9% and 10% reduced risk of developing depression (HR_{Q4 vs. Q1}: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.84-0.99, P_trend=0.037) and anxiety disorders (HR_{Q4 vs. Q1}: 0.90, 95% CI: 0.82-0.99, P_trend=0.074), respectively.

Conclusion:

Our findings suggest that adherence to the PHD may contribute to reducing the risk of depression. However, further validation through rigorously designed large-scale population studies is required to confirm these preliminary results.

This study aimed to develop a low-glycemic index (GI) multi-grain meal replacement powder containing scarlet runner bean and evaluate the postprandial blood glucose response to it. The formulation, featuring scarlet runner bean as the major ingredient, combined with oats, job’s tears, adzuki beans and quinoa, was optimized by the combined use of fuzzy mathematical sensory evaluation and response surface methodology (RSM). By referencing to the Chinese Health Industry Standard for determination of food glycemic index (WS/T 652-2019), the GI of the optimized formulation was measured by a double-blind crossover trial using glucose as the reference food. The results showed that the optimal formulation contained 23.5 g of scarlet runner bean powder, 13.5 g of adzuki bean powder, 4.0 g of wolfberry powder, 15.0 g of oat powder, 15.0 g of job’s tears powder, 15.0 g of quinoa powder, and 14.0 g of flaxseed powder per 100 g. The GI value of the meal replacement powder was 51.84. Compared with glucose, blood glucose levels at 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes after consumption of the meal replacement powder and peak blood glucose levels all significantly decreased, while the blood glucose level at 120 minutes significantly increased (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the meal replacement powder is a low GI food. After the consumption of this product relative to glucose, the peak postprandial blood glucose concentration is lower, blood glucose levels decline more slowly, and blood glucose fluctuations are relatively more stable.