Autophagy (involving degradation and clearance of damaged organelles and compounds) plays a role in type 2 diabetes (T2D). There are three main types of autophagy and several genes involved. These ...genes have been well studied in animal models, but there are few transcriptomic studies in humans. Our aim is to analyze the differential gene expression, and the functional enrichment of the main autophagy-related genes (ARG) in T2D subjects from a Mediterranean population
We analyzed 120 White-European subjects (mean age 61,4 years; 50% women; 24 T2D) from Valencia, Spain. Clinical and lifestyle data were obtained. ARN was isolated from blood. Transcriptome-wide gene expression was analyzed with the GeneChip Human Gene 2.0 ST Array, according to standardized procedures. Differential gene expression between T2D and non-T2D subjects was estimated with multivariable models adjusted for covariates (sex, age, BMI, batch effect and leukocytes). A list of 111 ARG was selected to specifically study gene expression in terms of the log fold change. Gene ontology (GO) and pathway analysis using Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), were undertaken.
For T2D vs. non-T2D subjects, we detected several differentially expressed ARG. The top-ranked genes were: HTT (p=0.0005), MTOR (p=0.0006), UVRAG (p=0.0028), NCOR1 (p=0.0031), APP (p=0.0034), AMBRA1 (p=0.0034), GABARAPL2 (p=0.0038), NFE2L2 (p=0.0111), BCL2 (p=0.0134) and ATG16L1 (p=0.0145). GO analysis showed that the 18 differentially expressed genes were primarily involved in regulation of catabolic process (p=1.19E-13), regulation of autophagy (p=5.80E-12) and response to starvation(p=2.88E-10). KEGG results revealed Autophagy (p=1.24E-12) and Autophagy-other (p=4.26E-09) as the hits.
The health benefits of the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) have been linked to the presence of beneficial gut microbes and related metabolites. However, its impact on the fecal metabolome remains poorly ...understood.
Our goal was to investigate the weight-loss effects of a 1-y lifestyle intervention based on an energy-reduced MedDiet coupled with physical activity (intervention group), compared with an ad libitum MedDiet (control group), on fecal metabolites, fecal microbiota, and their potential association with cardiovascular disease risk factors.
A total of 400 participants (200 from each study group), aged 55–75 y, and at high cardiovascular disease risk, were included. Dietary and lifestyle information, anthropometric measurements, blood biochemical parameters, and stool samples were collected at baseline and after 1 y of follow-up. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to profile endogenous fecal metabolites, and 16S amplicon sequencing was employed to profile the fecal microbiota.
Compared with the control group, the intervention group exhibited greater weight loss and improvement in various cardiovascular disease risk factors. We identified intervention effects on 4 stool metabolites and subnetworks primarily composed of bile acids, ceramides, and sphingosines, fatty acids, carnitines, nucleotides, and metabolites of purine and the Krebs cycle. Some of these were associated with changes in several cardiovascular disease risk factors. In addition, we observed a reduction in the abundance of the genera Eubacterium hallii group and Dorea, and an increase in alpha diversity in the intervention group after 1 y of follow-up. Changes in the intervention-related microbiota profiles were also associated with alterations in different fecal metabolite subnetworks and some cardiovascular disease risk factors.
An intervention based on an energy-reduced MedDiet and physical activity promotion, compared with an ad libitum MedDiet, was associated with improvements in cardiometabolic risk factors, potentially through modulation of the fecal microbiota and metabolome.
This trial was registered at https://www.isrctn.com/ as ISRCTN89898870 (https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN89898870).
Dietary patterns can produce an environmental impact. Changes in people's diet, such as the increased consumption of ultra-processed food (UPF) can not only influence human health but also ...environment sustainability.
Assessment of the impact of 2-year changes in UPF consumption on greenhouse gas emissions and water, energy and land use.
A 2-year longitudinal study after a dietary intervention including 5879 participants from a Southern European population between the ages of 55–75 years with metabolic syndrome.
Food intake was assessed using a validated 143-item food frequency questionnaire, which allowed classifying foods according to the NOVA system. In addition, sociodemographic data, Mediterranean diet adherence, and physical activity were obtained from validated questionnaires. Greenhouse gas emissions, water, energy and land use were calculated by means of the Agribalyse® 3.0.1 database of environmental impact indicators for food items. Changes in UPF consumption during a 2-year period were analyzed. Statistical analyses were conducted using computed General Linear Models.
Participants with major reductions in their UPF consumption reduced their impact by −0.6 kg of CO2eq and −5.3 MJ of energy. Water use was the only factor that increased as the percentage of UPF was reduced.
Low consumption of ultra-processed foods may contribute to environmental sustainability. The processing level of the consumed food should be considered not only for nutritional advice on health but also for environmental protection.
ISRCTN, ISRCTN89898870. Registered 05 September 2013, http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN89898870.
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•Decreasing consumption of ultra-processed foods may improve environmental sustainability.•The lower ultra-processed food dietary contents, the lower the environmental footprints of the diet consumed.•Decreasing ultra-processed food consumption should be considered for health and for environmental protection.
Transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) polymorphisms are strongly associated with type 2 diabetes, but controversially with plasma lipids and cardiovascular disease. Interactions of the Mediterranean ...diet (MedDiet) on these associations are unknown. We investigated whether the TCF7L2-rs7903146 (C>T) polymorphism associations with type 2 diabetes, glucose, lipids, and cardiovascular disease incidence were modulated by MedDiet.
A randomized trial (two MedDiet intervention groups and a control group) with 7,018 participants in the PREvención con DIetaMEDiterránea study was undertaken and major cardiovascular events assessed. Data were analyzed at baseline and after a median follow-up of 4.8 years. Multivariable-adjusted Cox regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for cardiovascular events.
The TCF7L2-rs7903146 polymorphism was associated with type 2 diabetes (odds ratio 1.87 95% CI 1.62-2.17 for TT compared with CC). MedDiet interacted significantly with rs7903146 on fasting glucose at baseline (P interaction = 0.004). When adherence to the MedDiet was low, TT had higher fasting glucose concentrations (132.3 ± 3.5 mg/dL) than CC+CT (127.3 ± 3.2 mg/dL) individuals (P = 0.001). Nevertheless, when adherence was high, this increase was not observed (P = 0.605). This modulation was also detected for total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides (P interaction < 0.05 for all). Likewise, in the randomized trial, TT subjects had a higher stroke incidence in the control group (adjusted HR 2.91 95% CI 1.36-6.19; P = 0.006 compared with CC), whereas dietary intervention with MedDiet reduced stroke incidence in TT homozygotes (adjusted HR 0.96 95% CI 0.49-1.87; P = 0.892 for TT compared with CC).
Our novel results suggest that MedDiet may not only reduce increased fasting glucose and lipids in TT individuals, but also stroke incidence.
Current approaches to studying relations between taste perception and diet quality typically consider each taste—sweet, salt, sour, bitter, umami—separately or aggregately, as total taste scores. ...Consistent with studying dietary patterns rather than single foods or total energy, an additional approach may be to study all 5 tastes collectively as “taste perception profiles.”
We developed a data-driven clustering approach to derive taste perception profiles from taste perception scores and examined whether profiles outperformed total taste scores for capturing individual variability in taste perception.
The cohort included 367 community-dwelling adults 55–75 y; 55% female; BMI (kg/m2): 32.2 ± 3.6 with metabolic syndrome from PREDIMED-Plus, Valencia. Cluster analysis identified subgroups of individuals with similar patterns in taste perception (taste perception profiles); quantitative criteria were used to select the cluster algorithm, determine the optimal number of clusters, and assess the profiles’ validity and stability. Goodness-of-fit parameters from adjusted linear regression evaluated the individual variability captured by each approach.
A k-means algorithm with 6 clusters best fit the data and identified the following taste perception profiles: Low All, High Bitter, High Umami, Low Bitter & Umami, High All But Bitter and High All But Umami. All profiles were valid and stable. Compared with total taste scores, taste perception profiles explained more variability in bitter and umami perception (adjusted R2: 0.19 vs. 0.63, respectively; 0.40 vs. 0.65, respectively) and were comparable for sweet, salt, and sour. In addition, taste perception profiles captured differential perceptions of each taste within individuals, whereas these patterns were lost with total taste scores.
Among older adults with metabolic syndrome, taste perception profiles derived via data-driven clustering may provide a valuable approach to capture individual variability in perception of all 5 tastes and their collective influence on diet quality. This trial was registered at https://www.isrctn.com/ as ISRCTN89898870.
Scope
Dairy consumption has been suggested to impact cognition; however, evidence is limited and inconsistent. This study aims to longitudinally assess the association between dairy consumption with ...cognitive changes in an older Spanish population at high cardiovascular disease risk.
Methods and results
Four thousand six hundred sixty eight participants aged 55–75 years, completed a validated food frequency questionnaire at baseline and a neuropsychological battery of tests at baseline and 2‐year follow‐up. Multivariable linear regression models are used, scaled by 100 (i.e., the units of β correspond to 1 SD/100), to assess associations between baseline tertile daily consumption and 2‐year changes in cognitive performance. Participants in the highest tertile of total milk and whole‐fat milk consumption have a greater decline in global cognitive function (β: –4.71, 95% CI: –8.74 to –0.69, p‐trend = 0.020 and β: –6.64, 95% CI: –10.81 to –2.47, p‐trend = 0.002, respectively) compared to those in the lowest tertile. No associations are observed between low fat milk, yogurt, cheese or fermented dairy consumption, and changes in cognitive performance.
Conclusion
Results suggest there are no clear prospective associations between consumption of most commonly consumed dairy products and cognition, although there may be an association with a greater rate of cognitive decline over a 2‐year period in older adults at high cardiovascular disease risk for whole‐fat milk.
Higher intakes of milk, in particular whole‐fat milk, may be associated with a greater rate of cognitive decline. This is observed in a large cohort of older Spanish adults at risk for heart disease. Participants are followed for 2‐years and during this time completed validated food frequency questionnaires and a comprehensive set of cognitive tests. No associations are observed with cognitive performance when analyzing dairy products by subtypes, including fermented dairy or low‐fat dairy.
In humans, perception for each taste (sweet, salt, sour, bitter and umami) has been independently related to food preferences and intake. Yet, the collective influence of perception of all 5 tastes ...on diet and cardiometabolic health remains unexplored. Therefore, our objective was to investigate the relations between a collective measure of taste perception – “taste perception profiles” – and adiposity.
We analyzed baseline data of 367 older adults (55–75 years; 55% female) with metabolic syndrome (MetS) participating in the PREDIMED-Plus Valencia trial. Taste perception was assessed for sweet, salt, sour, bitter and umami using sucrose, NaCl, citric acid, phenylthiocarbamide and monopotassium L-glutamate, respectively, and evaluated on a 0–5 scale. Taste perception profiles were derived from perception scores using predictive modeling and k-means clustering (KCA). Multivariable linear regression was used to evaluate the relations between taste perception profiles and BMI, body weight (BW) and waist circumference (WC), after adjustment for confounders.
KCA identified 7 taste perception profiles: Low All (n = 79), High Umami (n = 61), High Bitter (n = 49), High Bitter & Umami (n = 44), High Sweet, Salt & Sour (n = 51), High All But Bitter (n = 49) and High All But Umami (n = 34). After adjusting for age, sex, physical activity, smoking, diabetes, medication use and energy intake, BMI, BW and WC were highest for the Low All profile (adjusted means: 33.4 kg/m2, 87.5 kg and 108.4 cm; reference). Comparatively, mean BMI and BW were lower for High Bitter (–1.9 kg/m2; –5.4 kg), High Bitter & Umami (–1.7; –4.7), High Sweet, Salt & Sour (–1.3; –4.6) and High All But Bitter (–1.7; –5.0) profiles; and WC was lower for High Bitter & Umami (–3.4 cm) and High All But Bitter (–4.9) profiles (all P < 0.05).
Taste perception profiles derived via multivariable clustering were related to adiposity in older adults with MetS – individuals with the Low All profile had higher BMI, BW and WC; others had more complex relations. Thus, perception of and interactions among the 5 tastes may collectively influence diet and cardiometabolic health.
ARS/USDA, HNRCA Cassidy Student Research Award, Spanish Ministry of Health (Instituto de Salud Carlos III; SAF2016–80,532-R) and Generalitat Valenciana.
Abstract only
Objective:
Evidence suggests perception of sweet, salt, sour, bitter, and umami tastes may be independently related to food preferences and intake. Our objective was to determine ...whether a collective measure of taste perception for all 5 tastes—“taste perception profiles”—was related to adherence to a Mediterranean diet (MedD).
Methods:
Participants were 367 older adults (55-75 years; 55% female) with metabolic syndrome from PREDIMED-Plus, Valencia. A data-driven clustering approach identified six taste perception profiles from baseline taste perception scores: Low All (
n =
85), High Bitter (
n
= 41), High Umami (
n
= 61), Low Bitter & Umami (
n
= 59), High All But Bitter (
n
= 72) and High All But Umami (
n
= 49). A MedD adherence score was tabulated from a questionnaire which captured adherence to 17 pre-determined MedD criteria (range = 0-17; 1 point per criteria met). Generalized linear models were used to determine the relations between taste perception profiles and MedD adherence scores, with confounder adjustment.
Results:
Across profiles, there were no significant differences in MedD adherence scores (unadjusted mean range = 8.1-8.6; ANOVA, p
=
0.97); however, there were significant differences in the criteria met by each profile. For High All But Bitter and Low All profiles, 71% vs. 42% of individuals, respectively, met criteria for adequate vegetable intake (chi square = 12.8, p = 0.03); and for High All But Umami and High All But Bitter profiles, 95% vs. 65% of individuals, respectively, reported preferring lean over red meat (chi square = 12.5, p = 0.03). After adjusting for age, sex, physical activity, smoking status, diabetes, medication use and energy intake, compared to individuals with Low All (reference), those with High All But Bitter were more likely to meet criteria for adequate vegetable (OR 95% CI = 2.9 1.3, 6.6), adequate sofrito (2.4 1.1, 5.4) and moderate wine (4.1 1.5, 11.3) intakes, and less likely to meet criteria for low non-whole grain pasta/rice (0.3 0.1, 0.8), white bread (0.3 0.1, 0.6) and red/processed meat (0.3 0.2, 0.7) intakes, and to report preferring lean over red meat (0.3 0.1, 0.8) and using extra virgin olive oil as a main cooking fat (0.4 0.2, 0.95); individuals with High Bitter were more likely to meet criteria for adequate fruit (2.7 1.3, 5.5) and less likely to meet criteria for low sugar-sweetened beverage (0.4 0.2, 0.8) intakes, while those with High Umami were more likely to meet criterion for adequate vegetable intake (2.2 1.1, 4.5). Neither Low Bitter & Umami nor High All But Umami were significantly associated with MedD adherence.
Conclusions:
Among older adults with metabolic syndrome, taste perception profiles were associated with differential patterns of adherence to a MedD, supporting the use of taste perception profiles when developing individualized dietary modification strategies to improve cardiometabolic risk factors.
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