News Round-up
Diet Quality is Associated with Metabolites Indicative of Cardiovascular Health Already in Childhood
A healthier diet is associated with serum metabolite concentrations indicative of better cardiovascular health already in school-aged children, a study from the University of Eastern Finland shows. Published in European Journal of Nutrition, the findings are from the ongoing Physical Activity and Nutrition in Children study, PANIC.
The study showed that a better overall diet quality – especially higher intake of plant-based fats and fibre-rich grains – was associated with a higher serum concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids than monounsaturated and saturated fatty acids. Children who ate more fish had higher serum omega-3 fatty acid concentrations. In addition, a better overall diet quality, especially higher intake of plant-based fats and lower intake of sugary products, was associated with a smaller size of serum VLDL particles.
“An interesting finding from our study is that besides serum fatty acids, a healthier diet was also reflected in lower serum alanine, glycine and histidine concentrations. Some studies in adults have linked higher serum alanine levels to an increased risk of coronary artery disease,” says Doctoral Researcher Suvi Laamanen of the University of Eastern Finland.
Previous studies on the associations between diet and metabolites in children are scarce. The present study shows that diet is associated with several serum metabolites already in childhood. In other words, diet quality may play a role in the development of diseases starting from childhood. Metabolomic methods that measure metabolites can provide new insight into the early mechanisms between diet and lifestyle-related diseases.
The study involved 403 children aged 6–8 years who participated in PANIC study. Launched in 2007, PANIC is an ongoing lifestyle intervention study that provides new information on the lifestyles, health and well-being of children and adolescents.
Study participants’ food consumption was assessed by four-day food records, and concentrations of metabolites were measured from blood samples using NMR spectroscopy. Diet quality was assessed using the Finnish Children Healthy Eating Index, which considers the consumption of vegetables, berries and fruit, plant-based fats, skimmed milk, fish and sugary products. The 16-year follow-up measurements of the PANIC study will begin in January 2024, at which time the participants will be young adults.
View: https://news.cision.com/university-of-eastern-finland/r/diet-quality-is-associated-with-metabolites-indicative-of-cardiovascular-health-already-in-childhood,c3909345.
Study Sheds Light on the Connection Between the Microbiome and Kidney Stones
A study from Lawson Health Research Institute and Western University published in the journal Microbiome has found changes in the microbiome in multiple locations in the body are linked to the formation of kidney stones.
The research team examined the gut, urinary and salivary microbiomes in 83 patients who had kidney stones and compared them to 30 healthy controls. They found changes in all three microbiomes were linked to kidney stone formation.
“Kidney stone disease has been rising in recent years, affecting roughly 10 per cent of people,” says Dr. Jeremy Burton, Lawson Scientist and Research Chair of Human Microbiome and Probiotics at St. Joseph’s Health Care London (St. Joseph’s). “While previous research has shown a connection between the gut microbiome and kidney stones in those who have taken antibiotics, we also wanted to explore the connection to other microbiomes in the hopes we can advance understanding and potential treatments.”
Study participants included people who had formed kidney stones, had not had antibiotic exposure in the last 90 days and were having the stones removed surgically at St. Joseph’s.
“Our testing – called shotgun metagenomic sequencing – allowed us to discover which bacteria were present in the gut and the genetic capabilities of those bacteria, or how it functions. We also did a simpler sequencing of the oral and urinary samples,” explains Dr. Kait Al, lead author on the study and Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Western’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry.
“It’s a more complex story. The microbes form a kind of network that’s stable and beneficial in healthy people, but in those with kidney stones, that network is broken down. They’re not producing the same vitamins and useful metabolites, not just in the gut but also in the urinary tract and oral cavity,” Dr. Al explains.
There was also evidence that those with kidney stones had been exposed to more antimicrobials, as they had more antibiotic-resistant genes.
“We found not only that those who got kidney stones had an unhealthy microbiome, including a gut microbiome that was more likely to excrete toxins to the kidneys, but also that they were antibiotic resistant,” explains Dr. Burton, also an Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry.
The research team says that although more research is needed, these initial findings shed light on the overall importance of a person’s microbiome and keeping it as healthy as possible, with a microbiome-friendly diet and minimal antibiotic use potentially part of the solution.
The study was funded in part through the Weston Foundation and supported by the American Urological Association.
Visit: https://microbiomejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40168-023-01703-x
Increased Body and Abdominal Fat Caused Insulin Resistance Already in Teenagers, Raising Type 2 Diabetes Risk
High fat mass in adolescence causes insulin resistance, which can lead to a vicious cycle of worsening insulin resistance and obesity by young adulthood, a study shows. However, having a high muscle mass partially protects against insulin resistance.
The study was conducted in collaboration between the Université de Montréal in Canada, the University of Bern in Switzerland, Aarhus University in Denmark, the University of Bristol in the UK, the University of Exeter in the UK and the University of Eastern Finland, and the results were published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
The current study used data from the University of Bristol’s Children of the 90’s cohort, also known as the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Altogether 3,160 adolescents, 1,546 males and 1,614 females, were included in the analyses. The adolescents were 15 years old at baseline, and they were followed up for 9 years until young adulthood at age 24 years. Total body fat mass, abdominal fat, and muscle mass were measured with dual-energy Xray absorptiometry at age 15 years, and repeated at age 17 and 24 years. Similarly, fasting glucose and insulin were measured from blood samples taken at ages 15, 17, and 24 years, and insulin resistance was calculated.
With extensive control for inflammation, lipids, blood pressure, smoking status, sedentary time, physical activity, socio-economic status and family history of cardiovascular disease, it was observed that each 1 kg cumulative increase in total body fat mass from mid-adolescence through young adulthood increased the risk of excessive blood glucose (hyperglycaemia) by 4%, abnormally high insulin level (hyperinsulinemia) by 9%, and insulin resistance by 12%.
Each 1 kg increase in abdominal fat had even more pronounced effects, increasing the risk of hyperglycaemia by 7%, hyperinsulinemia by 13%, and insulin resistance by 21%. However, each 1 kg increase in muscle mass reduced the risk of both hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance by 2%.
It was also found that a high amount of total body fat mass at age 15 years caused high insulin resistance at age 17 years. A high amount of body fat mass at age 17 years caused high insulin resistance at age 24 years, and, simultaneously, high insulin resistance at age 17 years caused high total body fat mass at age 24 years, resulting in a vicious cycle. The results were consistent in both males and females, regardless of BMI.
“This is the first long-term evidence of the morbid danger of high total body and abdominal fat in the young population, with abdominal fat twice as dangerous as total body fat. To observe a vicious cycle of fat mass and insulin resistance between the ages of 17 and 24 years is extremely disheartening. Fat mass contributes 75%, while insulin resistance contributes 25% to the fat mass-insulin resistance vicious cycle. Therefore, preventing weight gain is the best way to break this cycle,” says Andrew Agbaje, an award-winning physician and paediatric clinical epidemiologist at the University of Eastern Finland.
“Nonetheless, there is good news: we recently established that sedentary time contributes 10% to the total body fat mass gained in youth years, which can be completely reversed by 3-4 hours/day of light physical activity. Although the increase in muscle mass lowers insulin resistance only by a small amount, its protective effect when combined with light exercise may be critical to reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. This is why teenagers should be encouraged to take up light physical activity as discussed in a recent podcast,” Agbaje continues.
Dr Agbaje’s research group (urFIT-child) is supported by research grants from Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation, the Finnish Cultural Foundation Central Fund, the Finnish Cultural Foundation North Savo Regional Fund, the Orion Research Foundation, the Aarne Koskelo Foundation, the Antti and Tyyne Soininen Foundation, the Paulo Foundation, the Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation, the Paavo Nurmi Foundation, the Finnish Foundation for Cardiovascular Research, Ida Montin Foundation, Kuopio University Foundation, the Foundation for Pediatric Research, and Alfred Kordelin Foundation.
View: https://academic.oup.com/jcem/advance-article/doi/10.1210/clinem/dgae004/7508458.
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Research Shows Plant-Based Diet Significantly Reduces the Risk of Developing Type Two Diabetes
Research led by Queen’s University Belfast has found that a substantial number of type two diabetes cases could be avoided through adopting a healthy plant-based diet. The study, published in Diabetes & Metabolism, a high-quality plant-based diet, characterised by a higher intake of fruits, vegetables and wholegrains, can significantly reduce the risk of developing type two diabetes compared to a plant-based diet high in snacks, desserts, refined grains and sugary beverages.
The research observed 113,097 participants over a 12-year period. It found that a diet with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as wholegrains, can reduce the risk of diabetes by 24%, even for those genetically predisposed to diabetes and those with other risk factors such as obesity.
Co-lead author, Professor Aedín Cassidy, from the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen’s, said: “For the first time we have shown that improvements in both metabolism and the function of the liver and the kidney as a result of a healthy plant-based diet, may explain how this diet can reduce the risk of type two diabetes.”
Professor Tilman Kuhn, co-lead author from Queen’s University from the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen’s and Chair in Public Health Nutrition at University of Vienna, said: “This is one of the first studies to try and identify how a healthful plant-based diet might reduce the risk. Our results suggest that such a diet exerts anti-diabetic effects via a range of mechanisms including blood sugar and lipid levels and lower body fatness. In contrast, obesity is a key mediator underlying greater type two diabetes risk among individuals following unhealthful plant-based diets.”
Queen’s University PhD candidate and first author of the story, Alysha Thompson, added: “These data are really important, particularly for those thought to be at high risk of developing type two diabetes as it demonstrates they can greatly reduce their risk by following a healthy plant-based diet.”
Visit: www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1262363623000812?via%3Dihub