The Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) is the dietary pattern par excellence for managing and preventing metabolic diseases, such as Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM). The MedDiet incorporates spices and aromatic ...herbs, which are abundant sources of bioactive compounds. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of all aromatic herbs and spices included in the MedDiet, such as black cumin, clove, parsley, saffron, thyme, ginger, black pepper, rosemary, turmeric, basil, oregano, and cinnamon, on the glycemic profile in T2DM subjects.
PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases were searched for interventional studies investigating the effect of these aromatic herbs and spices on the glycemic profile in T2DM subjects.
This systematic review retrieved 6958 studies, of which 77 were included in the qualitative synthesis and 45 were included in the meta-analysis. Our results showed that cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, black cumin, and saffron significantly improved the fasting glucose levels in T2DM subjects. The most significant decreases in fasting glucose were achieved after supplementation with black cumin, followed by cinnamon and ginger, which achieved a decrease of between 27 and 17 mg/dL.
Only ginger and black cumin reported a significant improvement in glycated hemoglobin, and only cinnamon and ginger showed a significant decrease in insulin.
Dyslipidemia is a well-established modifiable cardiovascular risk. Although statins can reduce LDLc by 50-60%, less than 20% of patients with high risk of CVD achieve LDL targets. The aim of this ...systematic review is to evaluate the effect of the nutraceutical, bergamot (Citrus bergamia), on lipid parameters in humans. PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar databases were searched for interventional and observational studies investigating the effect of bergamot on lipid profile in humans. This systematic review retrieved a total of 442 studies of which 12 articles fulfilled the eligibility criteria and were included in the qualitative synthesis. Based on data, 75% of studies showed a significant decrease in total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDLc. The decrease in total cholesterol varied from 12.3% to 31.3%, from 7.6% to 40.8% in LDLc and from 11.5% to 39.5% in triglycerides. Eight trials reported HDLc increase after intervention with bergamot. Overall, a dose-dependent and possible synergistic effect when administering with statins can be deducted from these trials. It is essential to point out that studies had heterogeneous designs and scientific quality of studies was quite limited. Promising findings reveal an alternative therapeutic option in dyslipidemia management with bergamot supplementation, especially in subjects with statins intolerance.
The objective of this meta-analysis was to explore the effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) compared with control conditions (CON) or moderate intensity continuous training (MICT) on ...glycemic parameters in diabetes subjects.
Pubmed, Embase and Google Scholar databases were searched for HIIT interventions that were carried out in diabetic subjects and exploring fasting glucose, glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting insulin and/or HOMA-IR.
This systematic review retrieved a total of 1741 studies of which 32 articles fulfilled the eligibility criteria. Nineteen trials were included in the meta-analysis since they compared HIIT intervention with CON or MICT group. There was a significantly reduction of fasting glucose of 13.3 mg/dL (p < 0.001), Hb1Ac −0.34% (p < 0.001), insulin −2.27 UI/L (p = 0.003), HOMA-IR −0.88 (p = 0.005) in the HIIT-group compared with CON-group. Nevertheless, this reduction was not significantly different when comparing HIIT with MICT (p = 0.140, p = 0.315, p = 0.520 and p = 0.389). Besides, there was a significant increase of absolute VO2max of 0.21 L/min (p < 0.001) and relative VO2max of 2.94 ml/kg/min (p < 0.001) in the HIIT-group compared with the CON-group and the MICT-group (0.22 L/min, p = 0.025) and (0.97 ml/kg/min, p = 0.045).
These findings revealed that HIIT intervention led to significant improvement in glycemic control and insulin resistance in subjects with diabetes compared with CON-group.
The quality of carbohydrates has an essential role in nutritional management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) because of its substantial impact on glucose homeostasis. Alcohol-free beer has ...beneficial bioactive components but it has a relatively high glycemic-index so its consumption is restricted in diabetic subjects. We aimed to explore the effect of an alcohol-free beer with modified carbohydrate composition almost completely eliminating maltose and adding isomaltulose (16.5 g/day) and a resistant maltodextrin (5.28 g/day) in comparison to a regular alcohol-free beer on glycemic control of diabetic subjects with overweight or obesity.
We randomized 41 subjects into two groups: a) consumption of 66 cL/day of; regular alcohol-free beer for the first 10 weeks and 66 cL/day of alcohol-free beer with modified carbohydrate composition for the next 10 weeks; b) the same described intervention in opposite order. There was a washout period for 6–8 weeks between the two interventions. Participants were counseled to adhere to a healthy diet for cardiovascular health and to increase physical activity. Clinical, biochemical, anthropometric, lifestyle and satiety assessments were performed at the beginning and at the end of each period.
Subjects showed significantly weight loss after the two ten weeks periods (−1.69 ± 3.21% and −1.77 ± 3.70% after experimental and regular alcohol-free beers, respectively, P = 0.881). Glucose and glycated hemoglobin did not significantly change after any period. Insulin concentrations and HOMA-IR significantly decreased (−11.1 –21.3−4.64% and −1.92 ± 32.8% respectively) after the intake of experimental alcohol-free beer but not after regular alcohol-free beer. Reductions remained statistically significant after adjusting for weight loss, energy intake, physical activity and intervention order. Subjects reported higher satiety scores after consuming experimental alcohol-free beer.
An alcohol-free beer including the substitution of regular carbohydrates for low doses of isomaltulose and the addition of a resistant maltodextrin within meals led to an improvement in insulin resistance in subjects with T2DM and overweight or obesity.
The clinical trial has been registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT03337828).
Autosomal dominant familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is caused by mutations in LDLR,APOB and PCSK9. Two new putative loci causing FH have been identified recently, the p.(Leu167del) mutation in APOE ...and new mutations in the signal transducing adaptor family member STAP1. We aimed at investigating the role of STAP1 mutations in the etiology of FH.
We sequenced LDLR, APOB, PCSK9, LDLRAP1, APOE, LIPA and STAP1 with the LipidInCode platform in 400 unrelated subjects from Spain with a clinical diagnosis of FH. All subjects carrying rare predicted pathogenic variants in STAP1 gene, described as pathogenic by at least three bioinformatic analysis and having an allelic frequency lower than 1% in general population, were selected for family study. Available relatives were recruited, including both hypercholesterolemic and non-hypercholesterolemic family members.
Sequencing analysis of STAP1 gene revealed seventeen rare variants, four of them being described as pathogenic by bioinformatic analysis. We studied the cosegregation with hypercholesterolemia of four rare predicted pathogenic variants, c.-60A > G, p.(Arg12His), p.(Glu97Asp), p.(Pro176Ser) in seven families. We did not observe any cosegregation between genotype and phenotype, even carriers of rare variants in STAP1 had lower LDL cholesterol levels than non-carriers.
This study analyzes the family cosegregation of four rare predicted pathogenic variants of STAP1, p.(Arg12His), p.(Glu97Asp), p.(Pro176Ser) and c.-60A > G, in seven families, showing absence of cosegregation in all of them. These results would suggest that STAP1 gene is not involved in hypercholesterolemia of these families.
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•STAP1 has been proposed as a candidate gene for FH with controversial results.•Predicted pathogenic mutations in STAP1 in genetic negative FH were studied.•These mutations in STAP1 did not cosegregate with hypercholesterolemia in families.•STAP1 does not seem to play a major role in the etiology of FH.
It has not been elucidated if an energy-restricted diet with high protein content could induce a benefit in insulin resistance in subjects with type 2 diabetes (T2DM); and if an adipose tissue ...functionality improvement could mediate this effect. We aimed to assess the effect of energy-restricted diets with standard (18% from total calories; SP) vs high (35%) protein (HP), mainly coming from lean animal source, composition on glucose metabolism and adipokine concentration in overweight and obese subjects with T2DM. HOMA-IR change was the primary outcome.
Six-month weight-loss intervention including 73 subjects (43.8% men, 55.6 ± 8.37 aged and 32.8 ± 3.67 of BMI) with T2DM that were randomized to follow one of two calorie-restricted diets with the following distribution of calories: 18% (0.75 95%CI: 0.71–0.78 g/kg/day) protein, 52% carbohydrates and 30% fat, or 35% (1.34 95%CI: 1.27–1.41 g/kg/day) protein, 35% carbohydrates, and 30% fat. Anthropometric, clinical, biochemical (involving leptin, RBP4 and adiponectin) and lifestyle assessments were performed.
Sixty-seven participants completed the study. Weight loss homogenously decreased among diets. HOMA-IR in HP diminished 2-fold than in SP diet (P = 0.023 and P = 0.004 at 3 and 6-months between diets). Participants following HP diet showed higher decrease in insulin, in glucose at 6-months (P = 0.004) and in HbA1c at 3-months (P = 0.003). RBP4 and leptin significantly decreased in both diets although no differences were found between diets. Adiponectin increased by 6.05% and 29.9% at 3-months in SP and HP diets, respectively (P = 0.167), and 23.7% and 53.5% at 6-months in SP and HP diets (P = 0.219). Adiponectin variation was inversely correlated with HbA1c, insulin and HOMA-IR changes at 6-months.
An energy-restricted diet containing 35% of total calories coming from protein lead to a greater improvement in glucose homeostasis, indicated by HOMA-IR and fasting plasma insulin concentrations, irrespective of weight loss in subjects with prediabetes or early stages of T2DM. This effect cannot be explained by changes in plasma concentration of adipokines.
The clinical trial has been registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT02559479).
To describe the design of the Feel4Diabetes-intervention and the baseline characteristics of the study sample.
School- and community-based intervention with cluster-randomized design, aiming to ...promote healthy lifestyle and tackle obesity and obesity-related metabolic risk factors for the prevention of type 2 diabetes among families from vulnerable population groups. The intervention was implemented in 2016-2018 and included: (i) the 'all-families' component, provided to all children and their families via a school- and community-based intervention; and (ii) an additional component, the 'high-risk families' component, provided to high-risk families for diabetes as identified with a discrete manner by the FINDRISC questionnaire, which comprised seven counselling sessions (2016-2017) and a text-messaging intervention (2017-2018) delivered by trained health professionals in out-of-school settings. Although the intervention was adjusted to local needs and contextual circumstances, standardized protocols and procedures were used across all countries for the process, impact, outcome and cost-effectiveness evaluation of the intervention.
Primary schools and municipalities in six European countries.
Families (primary-school children, their parents and grandparents) were recruited from the overall population in low/middle-income countries (Bulgaria, Hungary), from low socio-economic areas in high-income countries (Belgium, Finland) and from countries under austerity measures (Greece, Spain).
The Feel4Diabetes-intervention reached 30 309 families from 236 primary schools. In total, 20 442 families were screened and 12 193 'all families' and 2230 'high-risk families' were measured at baseline.
The Feel4Diabetes-intervention is expected to provide evidence-based results and key learnings that could guide the design and scaling-up of affordable and potentially cost-effective population-based interventions for the prevention of type 2 diabetes.
Purpose
The activity of stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD1) is increased in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) inhibit SCD1, but clinical studies on whether ...all dietary PUFA species are equal in SCD1 inhibition are scarce. Serum phospholipids are an objective proxy of dietary intake of plant-derived PUFA (C18:2n-6, C18:3n-3) and marine-derived PUFA (C20:5n-3, C22:6n-3). In 355 participants with primary dyslipidemia, we cross-sectionally investigated whether the presumed association between surrogate markers of NAFLD and SCD1 activity is mediated by intake of PUFA, and, if it is, what PUFA species are relevant in this regard.
Methods
We determined the fatty acid profile of serum phospholipids by gas chromatography, and used the ratio C16:1n-7/C16:0 as a marker of SCD1 activity. NAFLD was diagnosed by values ≥ 60 in the fatty liver index (FLI), a surrogate recently validated against ultrasonography.
Results
FLI ≥ 60 was detected in 37.5% (
n
= 133) of study participants. In a multivariate model, SCD1 activity showed an expected significant association with the risk of NAFLD, with odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval) of 1.44 (1.04–2.01) for each 0.01 increase. In a model further allowing the stepwise inclusion of plant-derived PUFA, marine-derived PUFA, and total PUFA (vegetable + marine), total PUFA replaced SCD1 activity as a significant (inverse) association of NAFLD, with OR 0.89 (0.81–0.99).
Conclusions
Total PUFA, regardless of their origin, mediates the relationship between SCD1 activity and NAFLD. This provides a new insight in the protective effects of PUFA against NAFLD, heretofore mostly focussed on PUFA species from marine origin.
Primary hypercholesterolemia of genetic origin, negative for mutations in LDLR, APOB, PCSK9 and APOE genes (non-FH GH), and familial combined hyperlipidemia (FCHL) are polygenic genetic diseases that ...occur with hypercholesterolemia, and both share a very high cardiovascular risk. In order to better characterize the metabolic abnormalities associated with these primary hypercholesterolemias, we used noncholesterol sterols, as markers of cholesterol metabolism, to determine their potential differences. Hepatic cholesterol synthesis markers (desmosterol and lanosterol) and intestinal cholesterol absorption markers (sitosterol and campesterol) were determined in non-FH GH (n=200), FCHL (n=100) and genetically defined heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia subjects (FH) (n=100) and in normolipidemic controls (n=100). FCHL subjects had lower cholesterol absorption and higher cholesterol synthesis than non-FH GH, FH and controls (P<.001). When noncholesterol sterols were adjusted by body mass index (BMI), FCHL subjects had higher cholesterol synthesis than non-FG GH, FH and controls (P<.001). An increase in BMI was accompanied by increased cholesterol synthesis and decreased cholesterol absorption in non-FH GH, FH and controls. However, this association between BMI and cholesterol synthesis was not observed in FCHL. Non-high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol showed a positive correlation with cholesterol synthesis markers similar to that of BMI in non-FH GH, FH and normolipemic controls, but there was no correlation in FCHL. These results suggest that FCHL and non-FH GH have different mechanisms of production. Cholesterol synthesis and absorption are dependent of BMI in non-FH GH, but cholesterol synthesis is increased as a pathogenic mechanism in FCHL independently of age, gender, APOE and BMI.