A natural diet versus modern Western diets? A new approach to prevent "well-being syndromes"

A Nanotechnology-Based Approach to Biosensor Application in Current Diabetes Management Practices

Diabetes mellitus is linked to both short-term and long-term health problems. Therefore, its detection at a very basic stage is of utmost importance. Research institutes and medical organizations are increasingly using cost-effective biosensors to monitor human biological processes and provide precise health diagnoses. Biosensors aid in accurate diabetes diagnosis and monitoring for efficient treatment and management. Recent attention to nanotechnology in the fast-evolving area of biosensing has facilitated the advancement of new sensors and sensing processes and improved the performance and sensitivity of current biosensors. Nanotechnology biosensors detect disease and track therapy response. Clinically efficient biosensors are user-friendly, efficient, cheap, and scalable in nanomaterial-based production processes and thus can transform diabetes outcomes. This article is more focused on biosensors and their substantial medical applications. The highlights of the article consist of the different types of biosensing units, the role of biosensors in diabetes, the evolution of glucose sensors, and printed biosensors and biosensing systems. Later on, we were engrossed in the glucose sensors based on biofluids, employing minimally invasive, invasive, and noninvasive technologies to find out the impact of nanotechnology on the biosensors to produce a novel device as a nano-biosensor. In this approach, this article documents major advances in nanotechnology-based biosensors for medical applications, as well as the hurdles they must overcome in clinical practice.

Effect of Low-Carbohydrate Diet on Beta-Hydroxybutyrate Ketogenesis Metabolic Stimulation and Regulation of NLRP3 Ubiquitination in Obese Saudi Women

The effects of a ketogenic diet (KD) on anthropometric indices, the lipid profile, and the benefits of the ketone body beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) as an inhibitor of the NOD-like receptor pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in obese women were investigated in this study. From January to March 2021, 23 obese adult women (n = 23) with an average age of 35.30 years and BMI of 33.96 kg/m² followed a KD. Instructions for the KD were given to eligible participants, with a typical plan and a menu for all the main meals, snacks, and drinks permitted over seven days. They were also free to change meals according to their preferences provided that they followed the plan. The participants attended six times throughout the intervention for measurements of their anthropometric indices, BHB levels, interleukin-1beta (1L-1β) levels, and completion of a questionnaire (pre-intervention, mid-intervention, and post-intervention). Following the KD caused significant weight loss, a reduction in waist circumference and BHB levels, as well as a reduction in BMI and appetite. Cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) increased slightly. However, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in serum increased significantly (p < 0.05), and 1L-1β decreased significantly (p < 0.0001). The results show that the KD effectively encouraged weight loss and NLRP3 inflammasome inhibition. Based on the questionnaire results, it was found that a variety of physical symptoms, including overall energy, physical activity, mood, sleep, focus, skin conditions, and menstruation, had significantly improved.

Tandem mass tag-based proteomics for studying the effects of a biotechnologically produced oyster mushroom against hepatic steatosis in obese Zucker rats

Hepatic steatosis is a very common response to liver injury and often attributed to metabolic disorders. Prior studies have demonstrated the efficacy of a biotechnologically produced oyster mushroom (Pleurotus sajor-caju, PSC) in alleviating hepatic steatosis in obese Zucker rats. This study aims to elucidate molecular events underlying the anti-steatotic effects of PSC. Tandem mass tag (TMT) peptide labeling coupled with LC-MS/MS/MS was used to quantify and compare proteins in the livers of lean Zucker rats fed a control diet (LC), obese Zucker rats fed the same control diet (OC) and obese Zucker rats fed the control diet supplemented with 5% PSC (OPSC) for 4 weeks. Using this technique 3128 proteins could be quantified, out of which 108 were differentially abundant between the OPSC and OC group. Functional enrichment analysis of the up-regulated proteins showed that these proteins were mainly involved in metabolic processes, while the down-regulated proteins were involved in inflammatory processes. Results from proteomic analysis were successfully validated for two up-regulated (carbonic anhydrase 3, regucalcin) and two down-regulated (cadherin-17, ceruloplasmin) proteins by means of immunoblotting. SIGNIFICANCE: Valorization of low-grade agricultural waste by edible fungi, such as the mushroom Pleurotus sajor-caju (PSC), represents a promising strategy for the production of protein rich biomass since they boast of a unique enzyme system that has the ability to recover nutrients and energy from biodegradable waste. Herein, we describe the metabolic effects of PSC feeding using a combined quantitative proteomics and bioinformatics approach. In total, 108 proteins were identified to be regulated by PSC feeding in the liver of the obese rats. Complementary usage of a bioinformatics approach allowed us to decipher the mechanisms underlying the recently observed lipid-lowering and anti-inflammatory activity of PSC feeding in obese Zucker rats, namely a reduction of fatty acid synthesis, an improvement of hepatoprotective mechanisms and an enhancement of anti-inflammatory effects.

Nutritional habits among nursing students using Moore Index for Nutrition Self Care: A cross-sectional study from the nursing school Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Background

The topics of under-nutrition and over-nutrition are important and have significant roles in adolescent life. These concepts must be explored in adolescents owing to the undesirable effects that being underweight or overweight causes.

Purpose

To evaluate the nutrition habits among adolescents from King Saud University nursing school in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia using the Arabic Version of Moore Index for Nutrition Self Care.

Method

This was a cross-sectional study carried out at a King Saud University nursing school campus to evaluate the Nutrition habits among adolescents. Self-care practises related to nutrition were assessed by using a self-report questionnaire that consisted of 50 items assessed on a five-point Likert scale. Data were collected between January to March 2019.

Findings

The study results revealed that most students 120 (85.7%) had fair nutritional habits, while 11 (7.9%) had good nutritional habits and 9 (7.9%) had poor nutritional habits. There was a significant difference between those who exercised regularly (mean 53.42) and those who did not exercise regularly (mean 46.83; p = .002). In addition, simple linear regression revealed that working out regularly was associated with the score on the nutritional questionnaire (β = -6.41; SE 2.5, p = .01). Results revealed no significant associations between gender or age and (p = .8; p = .9) nutritional score.

Conclusion

To increase levels of good nutritional habits and awareness, it may be useful to adopt educational programs for dietary consumption and physical training promotion.

The association of dietary behaviors and practices with overweight and obesity parameters among Saudi university students

Background

Western dietary habits, coupled with a sedentary lifestyle, are potential contributors to the prevalence and rapid increase in the incidence of obesity in Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to investigate the association between students' weight status and their eating behaviors and practices. Another aim was to assess students' awareness of the health risks associated with obesity.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a sample of 416 (53% male and 47% female) undergraduate students, aged 18–26 years old, between January 6 and April 6, 2019, from colleges of Health Sciences at Jazan University in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (K.S.A). Students completed a self‐administered questionnaire and recorded their measured anthropometric parameters.

Results

The prevalence of overweight (20.4%) and obesity (14.9%) were relatively high among the participants. There were statistically significant associations between Body Mass Index (BMI) and the different settings of food consumption (i.e., dining on a table (or) in the Islamic way: squatting on the ground) (p<0.001)). BMI was also associated with students' dietary habits regarding consuming food, snacks, and drinking carbonated beverages while watching television (p<0.001), as well as consuming the same pattern of food/drink while watching television, playing video games on mobile phones or computers (p<0.001). Nearly most of the students were oblivious to the fact that metabolic syndrome, reproductive disorders, respiratory disorders along with liver and gallbladder diseases are some of the health risks associated with obesity.

Conclusion

The prevalence of obesity and overweight were reasonably high in our study sample and were affected by several factors related to students' eating behaviors and practices. This warrants the need for rigorous and frequent health education interventions on healthy eating behaviors, dietary practices, with an emphasis on the importance of adopting an active, healthy lifestyle.

Effects of potentially modifiable risk factors on the health of adults in the Eastern Province of KSA

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between selected major modifiable risk factors including life style habits, household income and smoking on health.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted during 2015-2016 among 104 healthy men aged 38 ± 8 years. The data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire that enquired about clinical information about blood pressure and body mass index. Venous blood samples were taken to assess the fasting blood glucose (FBG), lipid profile, high density lipoprotein and triglyceride.

Results

Current smoking status and consumed energy drinks were significantly positive risk factors for increased systolic blood pressure and FBG, respectively. Participants with monthly income of more than 10,000 Saudi Riyals showed significantly lower diastolic pressure than those with lower income. However, there was a significant decrease in body weight among those who consumed vegetables.

Conclusion

This study highlights the effect of major modifiable risk factors on health. There is a great need for improving and enhancing a healthy lifestyle behaviour.

Reduced adiponectin expression after high-fat diet is associated with selective up-regulation of ALDH1A1 and further retinoic acid receptor signaling in adipose tissue

Adiponectin is an adipocyte-derived adipokine with potent antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, and antiatherogenic activity. Long-term, high-fat diet results in gain of body weight, adiposity, further inflammatory-based cardiovascular diseases, and reduced adiponectin secretion. Vitamin A derivatives/retinoids are involved in several of these processes, which mainly take place in white adipose tissue (WAT). In this study, we examined adiponectin expression as a function of dietary high-fat and high–vitamin A conditions in mice. A decrease of adiponectin expression in addition to an up-regulation of aldehyde dehydrogenase A1 (ALDH1A1), retinoid signaling, and retinoic acid response element signaling was selectively observed in WAT of mice fed a normal–vitamin A, high-fat diet. Reduced adiponectin expression in WAT was also observed in mice fed a high–vitamin A diet. Adipocyte cell culture revealed that endogenous and synthetic retinoic acid receptor (RAR)α- and RARγ-selective agonists, as well as a synthetic retinoid X receptor agonist, efficiently reduced adiponectin expression, whereas ALDH1A1 expression only increased with RAR agonists. We conclude that reduced adiponectin expression under high-fat dietary conditions is dependent on 1) increased ALDH1A1 expression in adipocytes, which does not increase all-trans-retinoic acid levels; 2) further RAR ligand–induced, WAT-selective, increased retinoic acid response element–mediated signaling; and 3) RAR ligand–dependent reduction of adiponectin expression.—Landrier, J.-F., Kasiri, E., Karkeni, E., Mihály, J., Béke, G., Weiss, K., Lucas, R., Aydemir, G., Salles, J., Walrand, S., de Lera, A. R., Rühl, R. Reduced adiponectin expression after high-fat diet is associated with selective up-regulation of ALDH1A1 and further retinoic acid receptor signaling in adipose tissue.

The Association Between Body Mass Index and Dental Caries: Cross-Sectional Study

Background

Obesity is a growing health-related problem worldwide. Both obesity and dental caries are important health issues with multifactorial aspects. Some studies have shown an association between body mass index (BMI) and caries in childhood/adolescence but limited data about such an association are available in adults. The primary goal of this study was to assess the prevalence of dental caries and its relationship to BMI.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study at Taif University Outpatient Clinic, for adults who had a visit to the dental clinic. Baseline characteristics were obtained by the participating physician. The decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) index was used to determine the prevalence of dental caries. Information about healthy eating, smoking, exercise, sleep patterns, media consumption, and brushing habits were collected.

Results

A total of 385 patients were enrolled with a mean age of 28.39 years, 72.8% were male, mean DMFT index score was 6.55, and 85.5% reported brushing their teeth at least once daily. Of the participants, 55.3% were either overweight or obese, and 42.2% demonstrated a high prevalence of dental caries with no significant difference in BMI when compared to the low dental caries group.

Conclusions

A high prevalence of overweight/obesity and dental caries was observed among the participants. After controlling for potential confounders like smoking and brushing habits, significant positive correlation between BMI and DMFT was observed.

Prevalence and association of female weight status and dietary habits with sociodemographic factors: a cross-sectional study in Saudi Arabia

OBJECTIVE

Research about the prevalence of underweight and overweight/obesity in the Saudi Arabian female population is limited. The aim of the present study was to examine the dietary habits and the prevalence of underweight and overweight/obesity and associated factors among female university students.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study.

SETTING

A university centre for female students in south-western Saudi Arabia.

SUBJECTS

The study involved 663 randomly selected female university students who self-reported their physical activities, nutritional habits and socio-economic factors. Multiple linear and logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with the students' BMI, dietary variables, underweight and overweight/obesity.

RESULTS

The majority of the university females were normal weight (56.9%), but a high prevalence of underweight (19.2%) and overweight/obesity (23.8%) occurred. Social factors significantly associated with BMI were the presence of obese parents and siblings as well as physical activity levels, marital status, number of sisters, father's level of education and more frequent intake of French fries/potato chips (>3 times/week). Several variables were found to correlate with dietary habits, underweight and overweight/obesity. Of special interest is the association between the number of siblings and the participants' BMI and dietary intake in both negative and positive ways.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of this research have implications for health promotion and prevention of malnutrition among college-aged females. Health-care providers and policy makers need to involve the whole family when promoting females' physical activity. The study serves as an evidence-based background for planning and implementation of interventions targeting improvement of highly educated populations' nutritional habits.

The Red Flour Beetle Tribolium castaneum as a Model to Monitor Food Safety and Functionality

: Food quality is a fundamental issue all over the world. There are two major requirements to provide the highest quality of food: having the lowest reachable concentrations of health-threatening ingredients or contaminants and having the optimal concentrations of health-improving functional ingredients. Often, the boundaries of both requirements are blurred, as might be best exemplified by nutraceuticals (enriched food products invented to prevent or even treat diseases), for which undesirable side effects have been reported sometimes. Accordingly, there is an increasing need for reliable methods to screen for health effects of wanted or unwanted ingredients in a complex food matrix before more complex model organisms or human probands become involved. In this chapter, we present the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum as a model organism to screen for effects of complex foods on healthspan or lifespan by assessing the survival of the beetles under heat stress at 42 °C after feeding different diets. There is a higher genetic homology between T. castaneum and humans when compared to other invertebrate models, such as Drosophila melanogaster or Caenorhabditis elegans. Therefore, the red flour beetle appears as an interesting model to study interactions between genes and food ingredients, with relevance for stress resistance and lifespan. In that context, we provide data showing reduced lifespans of the beetles when the food-relevant contaminant benz(a)pyrene is added to the flour they were fed on, whereas a lifespan extension was observed in beetles fed on flour enriched with an extract of red wine.

Obesity and eating habits among college students in Saudi Arabia: a cross sectional study

Background

During the last few decades, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) experienced rapid socio-cultural changes caused by the accelerating economy in the Arabian Gulf region. That was associated with major changes in the food choices and eating habits which, progressively, became more and more "Westernized". Such "a nutritional transition" has been claimed for the rising rates of overweight and obesity which were recently observed among Saudi population. Therefore, the objectives of the current work were to 1) determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in a sample of male college students in KSA and 2) determine the relationship between the students' body weight status and composition and their eating habits.

Methods

A total of 357 male students aged 18-24 years were randomly chosen from College of Health Sciences at Rass, Qassim University, KSA for the present study. A Self-reported questionnaire about the students' eating habits was conducted, and their body mass index (BMI), body fat percent (BF%), and visceral fat level (VFL) were measured. Data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software, and the Chi-square test was conducted for variables.

Results

The current data indicated that 21.8% of the students were overweight and 15.7% were obese. The total body fat exceeded its normal limits in 55.2% of the participants and VFL was high in 21.8% of them. The most common eating habits encountered were eating with family, having two meals per day including breakfast, together with frequent snacks and fried food consumption. Vegetables and fruits, except dates, were not frequently consumed by most students. Statistically, significant direct correlations were found among BMI, BF% and VFL (P < 0.001). Both BMI and VFL had significant inverse correlation with the frequency of eating with family (P = 0.005 and 0.007 respectively). Similar correlations were also found between BMI and snacks consumption rate (P = 0.018), as well as, between VFL and the frequency of eating dates (P = 0.013).

Conclusions

Our findings suggest the need for strategies and coordinated efforts at all levels to reduce the tendency of overweight, obesity and elevated body fat, and to promote healthy eating habits in our youth.

Nutritional correlates and dynamics of diabetes in the Nile rat (Arvicanthis niloticus): a novel model for diet-induced type 2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome

Background

The prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome and related chronic diseases, among them non-insulin-dependent (type 2) diabetes mellitus, are on the rise in the United States and throughout the world. Animal models that respond to environmental stressors, such as diet, are useful for investigating the outcome and development of these related diseases.

Objective

Within this context, growth and energy relationships were characterized in the Nile rat, an exotic African rodent, as a potential animal model for diet-induced type 2 diabetes mellitus and Metabolic Syndrome.

Methods

Compiled data from several studies established the relationship between age, body weight gain (including abdominal adiposity), food and water consumption, and blood glucose levels as determinants of diabetes in male and female Nile rats. Glucose Tolerance Testing, insulin, HbA1c, blood pressure measurements and plasma lipids further characterized the diabetes in relation to criteria of the Metabolic Syndrome, while diet modification with high-fat, low-fiber or food restriction attempted to modulate the disease.

Results

The Nile rat fed lab chow demonstrates signs of the Metabolic Syndrome that evolve into diet-induced non-insulin-dependent (type 2) diabetes mellitus characterized by hyperinsulinemia with rising blood glucose (insulin resistance), abdominal adiposity, and impaired glucose clearance that precedes increased food and water intake, as well as elevated HbA1c, marked elevation in plasma triglycerides and cholesterol, microalbuminuria, and hypertension. Males are more prone than females with rapid progression to diabetes depending on the challenge diet. In males diabetes segregated into early-onset and late-onset groups, the former related to more rapid growth and greater growth efficiency for the calories consumed. Interestingly, no correlation was found between blood glucose and body mass index (overall adiposity) in older male Nile rats in long term studies, whereas blood glucose and the perirenal fat pad, as well as liver and kidney weight, were positively related to early-onset diabetes. Rats weaned early (4-5 wks) and challenged with a high-fat Western-type diet developed diabetes faster, and body fat accumulation was more apparent, whereas food restriction curtailed it.

Conclusion

The Nile rat fed typical rodent diets develops hyperinsulinemia that precedes hyperglycemia (insulin resistance) leading to diet-induced type 2 diabetes associated with hypertriglyceridemia, hypercholesterolemia, and hypertension. Dietary modulation affected growth rate (weight gain and central adiposity) to impact disease progression. This rodent model represents a novel system of gene-diet interactions affecting energy utilization that can provide insight into the prevention and treatment of the type 2 diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome.