News Round-up
Lifestyle Intervention From Childhood to Adolescence Affects Metabolism Even Years Later
A study from the University of Eastern Finland (UEF) uncovers how early lifestyle changes can have long-lasting impacts. A diet and physical activity intervention in childhood and adolescence was found to profoundly influence metabolism even years later.
The Physical Activity and Nutrition in Children (PANIC) study is the first lifestyle intervention study using advanced liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) metabolomics technology to analyse molecular mechanisms underlying the health effects of lifestyle changes from childhood to adolescence. By analysing blood samples, the researchers were able to identify changes in 80 metabolites. “These were metabolites linked to critical processes for the development of cardiometabolic diseases, such as lipid metabolism, inflammation and gut health,” says Postdoctoral Researcher Iman Zarei.
Visit: www.uef.fi/en/research-community/metabolic-diseases
High Cholesterol Levels at Young Age Can Be More Damaging than Later in Life
Our risk of developing atherosclerosis can begin much earlier in life than was previously thought, highlighting the need to keep cholesterol levels low even when we are young, new research has discovered.
The research also suggests that people who are taking lipid-lowering drugs, such as statins to lower their cholesterol levels, should remain on them even if their cholesterol levels have fallen, as stopping treatment could increase their risk of atherosclerosis.
Visit: www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07993-x
Study Using AI to Explore Links between Chronic Inflammation, Diet & Long-term Health Conditions
A £4.8m, eight-year programme will harness artificial intelligence (AI) to investigate the link between nutrition, health inequality and the development of multiple long-term conditions.
The study is being led by the University of East Anglia (UEA), with the support and engagement of an extensive patient network and funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
The study is investigating inflammation, a biological driver that underlies many chronic health conditions, such as diabetes, arthritis and high blood pressure. Inflammation could also explain how diet and nutrition are linked to these conditions and why they are more common in certain social and ethnic groups.
Visit: www.inflaim.com
Balancing Health: diabetes and obesity increase risk of liver cancer relapse
Hepatocellular carcinoma is known to have a high recurrence rate after cancer removal. Recent advances in antiviral therapy have reduced the number of patients affected, but obesity and diabetes are factors in hepatocellular carcinoma prevalence. However, these factors’ effects on patient survival and cancer recurrence have been unclear.
To gain insights, Dr. Hiroji Shinkawa’s research team at Osaka Metropolitan University’s Graduate School of Medicine analysed the relationship between diabetes mellitus, obesity and postoperative outcomes in 1,644 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who underwent liver resection.
The results revealed that the risk of recurrence after two years postoperatively was approximately 1.5 times higher in the case of comorbid obesity and 1.3 times higher in the case of diabetes mellitus. In addition, the risk of recurrence after five years postoperatively was 3.8 times higher in the case of comorbid obesity and 2 times higher in the case of comorbid diabetes alone.
Visit: https://karger.com/lic/article/doi/10.1159/000540858/912087/Impact-of-Diabetes-Mellitus-and-Obesity
Proteins in Meat, Milk and Other Foods Suppress Gut Tumours
Researchers led by Hiroshi Ohno at the RIKEN Center for Integrative medical sciences (IMS) in Japan have discovered that food antigens like milk proteins help keep tumours from growing in our guts, specifically the small intestines.
Experiments revealed how these proteins trigger the intestinal immune system, allowing it to effectively stop the birth of new tumours. The study was published in the scientific journal Frontiers in Immunology.
Visit: www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2024.1373766/full
Experts Propose Key Criteria to Classify Prebiotics
New paper clarifies scientific criteria for prebiotic substances, proposing a unified, global approach.
The concept of prebiotics – defined as substrates that are selectively utilised by host microorganisms conferring a health benefit – was introduced in the scientific community nearly 30 years ago. Today, prebiotic substances have gained significant attention as potential ways to enhance health through the gut microbiota. Although, given the rapid recent expansion in high resolution microbiome research technologies, and scientists’ growing understanding of the ways dietary compounds and nutrients might impact the microbiome, confusion for scientists and consumers has emerged around which substances have genuine prebiotic effects.
Now a group of eight leading international scientists has developed a comprehensive framework that outlines the criteria for establishing prebiotic status, providing much-needed clarity in this evolving field. This new expert recommendation, published in Nature Reviews Gastroenterology and Hepatology, addresses the key challenges related to scientific substantiation of prebiotics and offers practical guidelines for accurately identifying prebiotics and assessing their health effects. The publication resulted from collaborations coordinated through the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP).
The authors detail a clear scientific pathway for demonstrating prebiotic effects, emphasising that prebiotics must meet several essential criteria. First and foremost, a prebiotic must be a well-characterised substance that provides a measurable health benefit. In addition, it must be selectively utilised by host microorganisms, show measurable effects on microbiome composition or function, have a plausible mechanism linking the microbiome changes to the observed health benefit, and be safe for its intended use. Importantly, at least one study in the target host is required to demonstrate both microbiome modulation and a health benefit concurrently.
Two of the most important challenges addressed within the paper are validation of selective utilisation within the complexity of the microbial ecosystem’s response to a prebiotic intervention, as well as methods for delineating the mediation of health benefits via microbiome-based mechanisms.
“The criteria provide a foundation for understanding what prebiotics are and how to substantiate them, which is essential for the field going forward,” says lead author Prof. Robert Hutkins, University of Nebraska. “Our hope is that scientists around the world take a unified approach to demonstrating the prebiotic status of an ingredient, which will promote clarity and support informed decision-making around prebiotic products.”
To read the expert recommendation, visit: www.nature.com/articles/s41575-024-00981-6