Adherence to a Mediterranean diet is associated with significant improvements in health status. However, to date no systematic review and meta-analysis has summarized the effects of Mediterranean ...diet adherence on the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Electronic searches for randomized controlled trials and cohort studies were performed in MEDLINE, SCOPUS, EMBASE and the Cochrane Trial Register until 2 April 2014. Pooled effects were calculated by an inverse-variance random-effect meta-analysis using the statistical software Review Manager 5.2 by the Cochrane Collaboration.
Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and cohort studies.
19+years of age.
One randomized controlled trial and eight prospective cohort studies (122 810 subjects) published between 2007 and 2014 were included for meta-analysis. For highest v. lowest adherence to the Mediterranean diet score, the pooled risk ratio was 0.81 (95 % CI 0.73, 0.90, P<0.0001, I 2=55 %). Sensitivity analysis including only long-term studies confirmed the results of the primary analysis (pooled risk ratio=0.75; 95 % CI 0.68, 0.83, P<0.00001, I 2=0 %). The Egger regression test provided no evidence of substantial publication bias (P=0.254).
Greater adherence to a Mediterranean diet is associated with a significant reduction in the risk of diabetes (19 %; moderate quality evidence). These results seem to be clinically relevant for public health, in particular for encouraging a Mediterranean-like dietary pattern for primary prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Emerging evidence points to a major role of salivary flow and viscoelastic properties in taste perception and mouthfeel. It has been proposed that sweet-tasting compounds influence salivary ...characteristics. However, whether perceived differences in the sensory properties of structurally diverse sweet-tasting compounds contribute to salivary flow and saliva viscoelasticity as part of mouthfeel and overall sweet taste perception remains to be clarified. In this study, we hypothesized that the sensory diversity of sweeteners would differentially change salivary characteristics in response to oral sweet taste stimulation. Therefore, we investigated salivary flow and saliva viscoelasticity from 21 healthy test subjects after orosensory stimulation with sucrose, rebaudioside M (RebM), sucralose, and neohesperidin dihydrochalcone (NHDC) in a crossover design and considered the basal level of selected influencing factors, including the basal oral microbiome. All test compounds enhanced the salivary flow rate by up to 1.51 ± 0.12 g/min for RebM compared to 1.10 ± 0.09 g/min for water within the 1st min after stimulation. The increase in flow rate was moderately correlated with the individually perceived sweet taste (
= 0.3,
< 0.01) but did not differ between the test compounds. The complex viscosity of saliva was not affected by the test compounds, but the analysis of covariance showed that it was associated (
< 0.05) with mucin 5B (Muc5B) concentration. The oral microbiome was of typical composition and diversity but was strongly individual-dependent (permutational analysis of variance (PERMANOVA):
= 0.76,
< 0.001) and was not associated with changes in salivary characteristics. In conclusion, this study indicates an impact of individual sweet taste impressions on the flow rate without measurable changes in the complex viscosity of saliva, which may contribute to the overall taste perception and mouthfeel of sweet-tasting compounds.
Abstract
We demonstrate how to derive Maxwell’s equations, including Faraday’s law and Maxwell’s correction to Ampère’s law, by generalizing the description of static electromagnetism to dynamical ...situations. Thereby, Faraday’s law is introduced as a consequence of the relativity principle rather than an experimental fact, in contrast to the historical course and common textbook presentations. As a by-product, this procedure yields explicit expressions for the infinitesimal Lorentz and, upon integration, the finite Lorentz transformation. The proposed approach helps to elucidate the relation between Galilei and Lorentz transformations and provides an alternative derivation of the Lorentz transformation without explicitly referring to the speed of light.
We develop a perturbative renormalization-group method in real time to describe nonequilibrium properties of discrete quantum systems coupled linearly to an environment. We include energy broadening ...and dissipation and develop a cutoff-independent formalism. We present quantitatively reliable results for the linear and nonlinear conductance in the mixed-valence and empty-orbital regime of the nonequilibrium Anderson impurity model with finite on-site Coulomb repulsion.
Background/Aims: The Pro Children Project was designed to assess fruit and vegetable consumption in European schoolchildren and their parents, as well as determinants of the children’s consumption ...patterns. A second objective was to develop and test strategies, applicable across Europe, for promoting consumption of fruits and vegetables among schoolchildren and their parents. In this paper, the rationale, theoretical background, overall design and implementation of the project is presented. Methods: Surveys of national, representative samples of 11-year-old schoolchildren and their parents were conducted in 9 countries, i.e. in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. Comprehensive school-based educational programmes have been developed and tested in three settings, i.e. in Spain, the Netherlands and in Norway. A precoded 24-hour recall form combined with a set of food frequency questions assessing regular intake were used to assess fruit and vegetable consumption. Determinants were assessed employing a comprehensive theoretical framework including personal, social and environmental factors related to fruit and vegetable consumption. The intervention programmes have been tested employing a group-randomized trial design where schools have been randomly allocated to an intervention arm and a delayed intervention arm. Surveys among all participating children and their parents were conducted prior to the initiation of the intervention, immediately after the end of the intervention and at the end of the subsequent school year. Conclusion: The project is expected to provide new information of great importance for improving our understanding of consumption patterns of fruits and vegetables and for guiding future efforts to promote increased consumption patterns across Europe.
Background Peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are nuclear receptors for fatty acids and their derivatives. PPAR subtypes PPARγ and PPARβ/δ are suspected to modulate cancer ...development in the colon, but their exact role is still discussed controversially. Methods The present study investigated the impact of PPARγ and PPARβ/δ on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) expressions induced by synthetic and physiological agonists in the colorectal tumor cell lines SW480 and HT29 using reporter gene assays, qRT-PCR and ELISA. Results Activation of both PPARγ and PPARβ/δ induced expression of VEGF mRNA and protein in a PPAR-dependent way. The PPARγ agonists ciglitazone and PGJ₂ were the most effective inducers with up to ninefold and threefold increases in VEGF mRNA in SW480 and HT29 cultures, respectively. VEGF secretion was doubled in both cell lines. The PPARβ/δ agonists GW501516 and PGI₂ caused stimulations of only 1.5-fold in both cell lines. In addition, all PPAR agonists induced COX-2 mRNA and secretion of the COX-2 product PGE₂ in HT29 cells. However, this effect was not blocked by knock-down of PPAR expression nor was it essential for VEGF expression as shown by the lack of effect of the COX-2 inhibitor SC236. Conclusion In summary, our results identify both PPARγ and PPARβ/δ as an alternative COX-independent mechanism of VEGF induction in colorectal tumor cells.
Aims/hypothesis
This study aimed to systematically review randomised controlled trials comparing the effects of aerobic exercise training (AET), resistance training (RT) and combined training (CT) on ...glycaemic control and blood lipids in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Methods
Searches were performed in MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library. Inclusion criteria were: type 2 diabetes mellitus, adult, supervised training and a minimum intervention period of 8 weeks. Pooled effects were calculated by fixed/random effect pairwise and Bayesian fixed/random effects network meta-analyses.
Results
A total of 14 trials enrolling 915 participants were included. AET was more effective than RT in improving HbA
1c
levels (mean difference MD −0.20% −2.2 mmol/mol; 95% CI −0.32, −0.08;
p
= 0.0007, 10 trials/515 participants) and fasting glucose (MD −0.9 mmol/l; 95% CI −1.71, −0.09;
p
= 0.03, 8 trials/245 participants). Compared with AET, CT resulted in a significantly more pronounced reduction in HbA
1c
(MD −0.17% −1.87 mmol/mol; 95% CI −0.31, −0.03;
p
= 0.02, 9 trials/493 participants). Compared with RT, the MD of the change in HbA
1c
(MD −0.62%, −6.82 mmol/mol; 95% CI −0.95, −0.30;
p
= 0.0002, 5 trials/362 participants, fasting glucose (MD −1.99 mmol/l; 95% CI −3.07, −0.90;
p
= 0.0003, 3 trials/99 participants) and triacylglycerols (MD −0.28 mmol/l; 95% CI −0.46, −0.10;
p
= 0.003, 4 trials/213 participants) were all in favour of CT. The exclusion of trials with a high risk of bias yielded only non-significant results.
Conclusions/interpretation
The present data suggest that CT might be the most efficacious exercise modality to improve glycaemic control and blood lipids. Interpretation with respect to clinical relevance is limited by the low quality of the studies included and the limited information on the clinically important outcomes or adverse effects of exercise.
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