Antibiotics are being proposed for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. In the past, antibiotics were advocated for the control of hypercholesterolemia. We have therefore investigated the ...relation between colonic bacterial activity and serum lipids. In a four-phase randomized crossover study, we fed a different starch supplement during each 2-week phase to 24 healthy subjects. In two phases, supplements containing resistant starches were fed that reach the colon and are largely fermented by colonic bacteria. Fecal starch recovery therefore reflects the metabolic activity of colonic microflora. The control treatments were conventional starches. Blood lipid levels were obtained at the start and 4-day fecal collections at the end of each phase. Resistant starch supplements increased fecal starch excretion by 3.8 ± 1.2 g/d more than conventional starches (P = .006). Mean starch excretion was related positively to pretreatment serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (r = −.57, P = .003) and negatively to low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (r = −.57, P = .004), apolipoprotein B:Al (r = −.56, P = .005), and fecal output of fusobacteria (r = −.73, P = .003) and bacteroides (r = −.72, P = .003). The ratio of fusobacteria to total anaerobes was also related to pretreatment LDL cholesterol (r = −.56, P = .037). Differences in starch excretion between healthy subjects, as a measure of bacterial activity, accounted for 32% of the variation of pretreatment LDL cholesterol. The activity of colonic microflora therefore appears to influence serum lipid levels. Alterations of bacterial number and activity may provide an additional strategy to control serum lipid risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
The second edition of _The Nonprofit Sector_ provides a novel **,** comprehensive, cross-disciplinary perspective on nonprofit organizations and their role and function in society. This new, updated ...edition keeps pace with industry trends and advances as well as with the changing interests and needs of students, practitioners, and researchers. As before, every chapter has been written to stand on its own, providing sufficient background for the reader to follow the argument without referring to other chapters—allowing readers to selectively choose those chapters that are most relevant to a particular course, interest, or issue. _The Nonprofit Sector: A Research Handbook_ includes twenty-seven new or updated chapters. Relevant chapters from the previous edition have been refined, and new chapters have been added to fill in gaps, making this the authoritative reference for all who want an accessible, perceptive, and all- inclusive rendering of the nonprofit sector. The contributors—prominent scholars in their respective fields—carefully reflect upon the variety of changes in the rapidly growing world of nonprofits, examining a wide array of organizations, international issues, social science theories, and philanthropic traditions and covering a broad range of topics including the history and scope of nonprofit activities in the United States and abroad, the relation of nonprofits to the marketplace, government-nonprofit issues, key activities of nonprofits, aspects of giving to and joining nonprofits, and nonprofit mission and governance. For anyone who wishes to have a deeper understanding of the nonprofit sector, this remains the essential guide.
We studied the western lowland gorilla diet as a possible model for human nutrient requirements with implications for colonic function. Gorillas in the Central African Republic were identified as ...consuming over 200 species and varieties of plants and 100 species and varieties of fruit. Thirty-one of the most commonly consumed foods were collected and dried locally before shipping for macronutrient and fiber analysis. The mean macronutrient concentrations were (mean ± SD, g/100 g dry basis) fat 0.5 ± 0.4, protein 11.8 ± 8.2, available carbohydrate 7.7 ± 6.3 and dietary fiber 74.0 ± 12.9. Assuming that the macronutrient profile of these foods was reflective of the whole gorilla diet and that dietary fiber contributed 6.28 kJ/g (1.5 kcal/g), then the gorilla diet would provide 810 kJ (194 kcal) metabolizable energy per 100 g dry weight. The macronutrient profile of this diet would be as follows: 2.5% energy as fat, 24.3% protein, 15.8% available carbohydrate, with potentially 57.3% of metabolizable energy from short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) derived from colonic fermentation of fiber. Gorillas would therefore obtain considerable energy through fiber fermentation. We suggest that humans also evolved consuming similar high foliage, high fiber diets, which were low in fat and dietary cholesterol. The macronutrient and fiber profile of the gorilla diet is one in which the colon is likely to play a major role in overall nutrition. Both the nutrient and fiber components of such a diet and the functional capacity of the hominoid colon may have important dietary implications for contemporary human health.
Objective: Due to perceived inferior fecal bulking ability, finely ground wheat bran is not recommended for treatment of colonic disorders, despite possible short chain fatty acid generation with ...potential benefits for colonic mucosal health. We therefore tested the effects of very fine particle size wheat bran on colonic function.
Methods: Two studies, each with three phases, were undertaken in healthy subjects in a randomized crossover design. In one study (metabolic, n=23) subjects took three diets containing either an additional 19 g/d dietary fiber with mean particle size (MPS) 50μm or 758μm in bread or a control low fiber bread. In the other study where the supplement was provided as a breakfast cereal (ad libitum, n=24) the respective wheat bran MPS were 692μm and 1158μm and the control was low fiber. Fecal collections were obtained during the last week of each diet. In the metabolic study, fecal short chain fatty acids were measured and 12-hour breath gas collections obtained.
Results: In both studies, wheat bran supplements significantly increased fecal bulk compared to the control (p<0.004), with no significant differences between brans of different particle size and no differences in fecal water content. However, higher fecal butyrate concentrations (p<0.007), butyrate output and breath CH
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levels (p=0.025) were seen on the low MPS wheat bran compared to the other two treatments, suggesting increased bacterial fermentation.
Conclusions: Fine MPS wheat bran is an effective fecal bulking agent and may have added advantages if increased butyrate concentrations promote colonic mucosal integrity.
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