Increased oxidative stress contributes to development and progression of several human chronic inflammatory diseases. Cherries are a rich source of polyphenols and vitamin C which have anti-oxidant ...and anti-inflammatory properties. Our aim is to summarize results from human studies regarding health benefits of both sweet and tart cherries, including products made from them (juice, powder, concentrate, capsules); all referred to as cherries here. We found 29 (tart 20, sweet 7, unspecified 2) published human studies which examined health benefits of consuming cherries. Most of these studies were less than 2 weeks of duration (range 5 h to 3 months) and served the equivalent of 45 to 270 cherries/day (anthocyanins 55-720 mg/day) in single or split doses. Two-thirds of these studies were randomized and placebo controlled. Consumption of cherries decreased markers for oxidative stress in 8/10 studies; inflammation in 11/16; exercise-induced muscle soreness and loss of strength in 8/9; blood pressure in 5/7; arthritis in 5/5, and improved sleep in 4/4. Cherries also decreased hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C), Very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) and triglycerides/high-density lipoprotein (TG/HDL) in diabetic women, and VLDL and TG/HDL in obese participants. These results suggest that consumption of sweet or tart cherries can promote health by preventing or decreasing oxidative stress and inflammation.
Abstract Exaggerated reactivity to food cues involving calorically-dense foods may significantly contribute to food consumption beyond caloric need. Chronic stress, which can induce palatable ...“comfort” food consumption, may trigger or reinforce neural pathways leading to stronger reactions to highly rewarding foods. We implemented functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to assess whether chronic stress influences activation in reward, motivation and executive brain regions in response to pictures of high calorie and low calorie foods in thirty women. On separate lab visits, we also assessed food intake from a snack food buffet and circulating cortisol. In women reporting higher chronic stress (HCS), pictures of high calorie foods elicited exaggerated activity in regions of the brain involving reward, motivation, and habitual decision-making. In response to pictures of high calorie food, higher chronic stress was also associated with significant deactivation in frontal regions (BA10; BA46) linked to strategic planning and emotional control. In functional connectivity analysis, HCS strengthened connectivity between amygdala and the putamen, while LCS enhanced connectivity between amygdala and the anterior cingulate and anterior prefrontal cortex (BA10). A hypocortisolemic signature and more consumption of high calorie foods from the snack buffet were observed in the HCS group. These results suggest that persistent stress exposure may alter the brain's response to food in ways that predispose individuals to poor eating habits which, if sustained, may increase risk for obesity.
Monocytes are innate immune cells that are continuously produced in bone marrow which enter and circulate the vasculature. In response to nutrient scarcity, monocytes migrate back to bone marrow ...where upon refeeding they are re-released back into the bloodstream to replenish the circulation. In humans, the variability in monocyte behavior in response to fasting and refeeding has not been characterized. To investigate monocyte dynamics in humans we measured blood monocyte fluctuations in 354 clinically healthy individuals after a 12-hour overnight fast and at 3- and 6-hours after consuming a mixed macronutrient challenge meal. Using cluster analysis, we identified three distinct monocyte behaviors. Group 1 was characterized by relatively low fasting monocyte counts that markedly increased after consuming the test meal. Group 2 was characterized by relatively high fasting monocyte counts which decreased after meal consumption. Group 3, like Group 1, was characterized by lower fasting monocyte counts but increased to a lesser extent after consuming the meal. While monocyte fluctuations observed in Groups 1 and 3 align with the current paradigm of monocyte dynamics in response to fasting and refeeding, the atypical dynamic observed in Group 2 does not. While generally younger in age, Group 2 subjects had lower whole-body carbohydrate oxidation rates, lower HDL-cholesterol levels, delayed postprandial declines in salivary cortisol, and reduced postprandial peripheral microvascular endothelial function. These unique characteristics were not explained by group differences in age, sex, or BMI. Taken together these results highlight distinct patterns of monocyte responsiveness to natural fluctuations in dietary fuel availability.
The effects of adrenal corticosteroids on subsequent adrenocorticotropin secretion are complex. Acutely (within hours), glucocorticoids (GCs) directly inhibit further activity in the ...hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis, but the chronic actions (across days) of these steroids on brain are directly excitatory. Chronically high concentrations of GCs act in three ways that are functionally congruent. (i) GCs increase the expression of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) mRNA in the central nucleus of the amygdala, a critical node in the emotional brain. CRF enables recruitment of a chronic stress-response network. (ii) GCs increase the salience of pleasurable or compulsive activities (ingesting sucrose, fat, and drugs, or wheel-running). This motivates ingestion of "comfort food." (iii) GCs act systemically to increase abdominal fat depots. This allows an increased signal of abdominal energy stores to inhibit catecholamines in the brainstem and CRF expression in hypothalamic neurons regulating adrenocorticotropin. Chronic stress, together with high GC concentrations, usually decreases body weight gain in rats; by contrast, in stressed or depressed humans chronic stress induces either increased comfort food intake and body weight gain or decreased intake and body weight loss. Comfort food ingestion that produces abdominal obesity, decreases CRF mRNA in the hypothalamus of rats. Depressed people who overeat have decreased cerebrospinal CRF, catecholamine concentrations, and hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal activity. We propose that people eat comfort food in an attempt to reduce the activity in the chronic stress-response network with its attendant anxiety. These mechanisms, determined in rats, may explain some of the epidemic of obesity occurring in our society.
The executive brain mediates and facilitates a set of cognitive functions, such as decision making, planning, self-regulation, emotional regulation, and attention. Executive dysfunction and related ...diseases are a rising public health concern. Evidence supports a link between nutritional factors and executive function (EF), but relatively little information exists about the relationship between diet patterns and this higher order cognitive ability. We and others have reported on the relationships between body weight regulation and affective decision making, as measured by performance in the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). However, little is known about the relationships between performance in this decision-making task and whole diet patterns. In this study, we tested whether data-derived diet patterns based on energy-adjusted food intake data from the Block Food Frequency Questionnaire were associated with decision-making performance in the IGT. Secondarily, we examined the influence of these diet patterns on self-reported chronic stress exposure and heart rate variability, which is a marker of autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity. In prior studies, stress and ANS activity were shown to influence decision-making performance in the IGT. In this study, five distinct diet patterns were identified by cluster and factor analyses. A diet pattern best characterized by elevated sugar-sweetened beverage and added sugar consumption was associated with the lowest decision-making performance (p = 0.0049) and higher stress exposure (p = 0.0097). This same diet pattern was associated (p = 0.0374) with an IGT-affiliated decline in high-frequency HRV and an increase in low-frequency HRV, suggesting diet-induced ANS regulatory shifts in response to performing the EF task. Compared to the sugar-sweetened beverage diet pattern, diet patterns defined by more fruits/vegetables and low red meat (p = 0.0048) or higher omega-3 fatty acids and seafood (p = 0.0029) consumption were associated with lower chronic stress exposure. All outcomes were statistically adjusted for differences in BMI, age, sex, education level, and sensorimotor ability. Our findings provide new information that further supports the potential importance of whole diet patterns on cognitive disease prevention.
► We examine executive function, emotion, and eating behavior in preschool children. ► Lower cognitive development is related to greater eating in the absence of hunger. ► Higher emotional arousal is ...related to greater eating for some children. ► Executive function affects the relationship between eating and emotional arousal.
Decreased executive function (EF) has been linked to unhealthy eating behaviors and obesity in older children and adults, however little is known about this relationship in young children. One possible reason for this association is that individuals with degraded EF are more vulnerable to emotional-based overeating. Emotional eating may thus be more likely to occur in persons with lower self-control or ability to regulate emotions. A pilot project in a research-based preschool was conducted to examine the relationships between executive function, emotional arousal and eating in the absence of hunger (EAH) in 3–6year-old children. Executive function was measured through child-completed tasks, parent questionnaires, and standardized teacher reports. Emotional arousal was measured via skin conductance. Children who had lower cognitive development scores as indicated by teacher reports had higher EAH. Increased emotional arousal was associated with increased EAH, but only in a subgroup of children who had a lower capacity for emotional regulation as suggested by lower delay of gratification scores, lower effortful control (parent questionnaire), and overall lower teacher-reported cognitive development. Further studies are necessary to determine whether interventions to improve executive function and emotional regulation in young children may also have the benefit of improving eating behaviors and decreasing risk of obesity in the long run.
Abstract
Youth obesity has become increasingly prevalent, with 34.5% of US adolescents 12–19 years old estimated to have overweight or obesity. Disordered eating and weight concern peak in ...adolescence, and overeating to cope with negative emotions can affect long-term health and obesity risk. Parents significantly influence adolescent diet quality, and parental stress may influence parenting behaviors that increase the risk for stress-motivated eating and obesity in adolescents. Chronic or repeated exposure to parental stress may lead to stress-related neurophysiological changes that promote consumption of palatable foods and obesogenic eating habits in adolescents. Understanding how parental stress influences adolescents’ eating behavior may reveal novel access points for reducing adolescent obesity. Here, we aim to provide a new stress-focused framework for developing intervention strategies targeted at obesity prevention in adolescents.
Very little is known about how whole food diets, such as those based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), influence psychological stress and physiological stress load. To better understand ...the effects of whole food diets on stress, we examined in a randomized control trial the effects of a DGA-based diet on markers of psychological and physiological stress. A randomized, double-blind, controlled 8-week intervention was conducted in overweight and obese women randomly assigned to one of two diet groups: a diet based on the 2010 DGA or a diet based on a Typical American Diet (TAD). The Perceived Stress Scale and allostatic load were used to assess stress load. Eight-week change in perceived stress did not significantly (
= 0.45) differ between the DGA (+0.53 ± 0.99) and TAD (-0.57 ± 0.99) groups. Likewise, 8-week change in allostatic load did not significantly (
= 0.79) differ between the two diet intervention groups (DGA: +0.001 ± 0.26 vs. TAD: +0.105 ± 0.28). However, we did find strong inverse associations between 8-week change in stress and intervention-based improvements in diet quality (lower sodium and higher vegetable consumption). When statistically accounting for these inverse associations, we found that perceived stress and allostatic load were higher (
< 0.04) in the DGA group. These findings suggest that improvements in dietary vegetable and sodium intake mediated effects of the diet intervention on psychological and physiological stress load. That is, adopting and adhering to a diet of higher quality (DGA) for 8 weeks may have been generally more stressful in the absence of improvements in vegetable or sodium consumption. This study provides further evidence for the mental health benefits of maximizing vegetable and minimizing sodium consumption.
Previous research supports a relationship between psychological stress and chronic disease in Puerto Rican adults living in the Boston, Massachusetts area. Stress may affect health by influencing ...dietary and physical activity patterns. Therefore, perceived stress and two hypothesized mediators of stress-related food intake, insulin and cortisol, were examined for possible associations with dietary and activity patterns in >1300 Puerto Ricans (aged 45–75 years; 70% women) living in the Boston, Massachusetts area. Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression and ANCOVA. Greater perceived stress was associated with lower fruit, vegetable, and protein intake, greater consumption of salty snacks, and lower participation in physical activity. Stress was associated with higher intake of sweets, particularly in those with type 2 diabetes. Cortisol and stress were positively associated in those without diabetes. Cortisol was associated with higher intake of saturated fat and, in those with diabetes, sweet foods. Independent of diabetes, perceived stress was associated with higher circulating insulin and BMI. Our findings support a link between stress, cortisol, and dietary and activity patterns in this population. For high-sugar foods, this relationship may be particularly important in those with type 2 diabetes. Longitudinal research to determine causal pathways for these identified associations is warranted.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) represents a significant source of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with expectations that AMR-associated consequences will continue to worsen throughout the coming ...decades. Since resistance to antibiotics is encoded in the microbiome, interventions aimed at altering the taxonomic composition of the gut might allow us to prophylactically engineer microbiomes that harbor fewer antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs). Diet is one method of intervention, and yet little is known about the association between diet and antimicrobial resistance. To address this knowledge gap, we examined diet using the food frequency questionnaire (FFQ; habitual diet) and 24-h dietary recalls (Automated Self-Administered 24-h ASA24
tool) coupled with an analysis of the microbiome using shotgun metagenome sequencing in 290 healthy adult participants of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Nutritional Phenotyping Study. We found that aminoglycosides were the most abundant and prevalent mechanism of AMR in these healthy adults and that aminoglycoside-
-phosphotransferases (
) correlated negatively with total calories and soluble fiber intake. Individuals in the lowest quartile of ARGs (low-ARG) consumed significantly more fiber in their diets than medium- and high-ARG individuals, which was concomitant with increased abundances of obligate anaerobes, especially from the family
, in their gut microbiota. Finally, we applied machine learning to examine 387 dietary, physiological, and lifestyle features for associations with antimicrobial resistance, finding that increased phylogenetic diversity of diet was associated with low-ARG individuals. These data suggest diet may be a potential method for reducing the burden of AMR.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) represents a considerable burden to health care systems, with the public health community largely in consensus that AMR will be a major cause of death worldwide in the coming decades. Humans carry antibiotic resistance in the microbes that live in and on us, collectively known as the human microbiome. Diet is a powerful method for shaping the human gut microbiome and may be a tractable method for lessening antibiotic resistance, and yet little is known about the relationship between diet and AMR. We examined this relationship in healthy individuals who contained various abundances of antibiotic resistance genes and found that individuals who consumed diverse diets that were high in fiber and low in animal protein had fewer antibiotic resistance genes. Dietary interventions may be useful for lessening the burden of antimicrobial resistance and might ultimately motivate dietary guidelines which will consider how nutrition can reduce the impact of infectious disease.
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