Guarana (Paullinia cupana) presents a safe and effective anti-fatigue profile in patients with chronic kidney disease: A randomized, double-blind, three-arm, controlled clinical trial

Metabolomic approaches to explore chemodiversity in seeds of guaraná (Paullinia cupana) using UPLC-QTOF-MSE and NMR analysis

The growing interest in health and well-being has spurred the evolution of functional foods, which provide enhanced health benefits beyond basic nutrition. Guaraná seeds (Paullinia cupana) have been widely studied and used as a functional food due to their richness in caffeine, phenolic compounds, amino acids, and other nutrients. This has established guaraná as a significant food supplement, with Brazil being the largest producer of the world. This study aims to propose a set of analytical methods to chemically evaluate fifty-six different guaraná clones, from the Guaraná Germplasm Active Bank, to accommodate the diverse requirements of the food industry. Metabolomic approaches were employed, in which a non-target metabolomic analysis via UPLC-QTOF-MSE led to the annotation of nineteen specialized metabolites. Furthermore, targeted metabolomics was also used, leading to the identification and quantification of metabolites by NMR. The extensive data generated were subjected to multivariate analysis, elucidating the similarities and differences between the evaluated guaraná seeds, particularly concerning the varying concentration levels of the metabolites. The metabolomics approach based on the combination of UPLC-QTOF-MSE, NMR and chemometric tools provided sensitivity, precision and accuracy to establish the chemical profiles of guaraná seeds. In conclusion, evaluating and determining the metabolic specificities of different guarana clones allow for their application in the development of products with different levels of specific metabolites, such as caffeine. This caters to various purposes within the food industry. Moreover, the recognized pharmacological properties of the annotated specialized metabolites affirm the use of guarana clones as an excellent nutritional source.

Movie watching during dialysis sessions reduces depression and anxiety and improves quality of life: A randomized clinical trial

OBJECTIVE

Evaluate the effect of watching comedy movies as a complementary practice during dialysis on levels of anxiety, depression, quality of life, stress, laboratory findings and intra-dialysis complications.

METHODS

A randomized clinical trial was conducted involving the practice of presenting comedy movies during dialysis. The primary outcome was depression. The secondary outcomes were anxiety, quality of life, stress, laboratory findings and intra-dialysis complications.ResultsTwenty-six patients were in the control group and 35 were in the experimental group. Significant intra-group differences [6.0 to 3.0 (p <0.001) and 8.0 to 4.0 (p <0.001), respectively] and inter-group differences [5.0 vs. 3.0 (p = 0.016) and 7.0 vs. 4.0 (p = 0.017), respectively] were found regarding anxiety and depression scores, with improvements in the experimental group. The experimental group was also less likely to have intra-dialysis complications, such as hypertension (p = 0.003) and headache (p = 0.020), and reported significant improvements in different domains of quality of life [symptoms/problems (p = 0.003); effects of the disease (p = 0.008); pain (p = 0.027); general health state (p = 0.004); and social function (p = 0.036)]. No significant differences were found in salivary cortisol or the results of the biochemical exams, with the exception of a reduction in hematocrit in the control group.ConclusionsThe proposed complementary practice was associated with reductions in anxiety and depression scores and intra-dialysis complications (hypertension and headache) as well as improvements in quality of life in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Biological Effects of Paullinia cupana (Guarana) in Combination with Whole-Body Vibration Exercise in Wistar Rats

In addition to its nutritional value, Paullinia cupana (guarana) is commonly used in traditional medicine, known for its stimulant and medicinal properties. This investigation evaluated the effects of a guarana extract in combination with whole-body vibration (WBV) exercises on Wistar rats. Rats (male, n = 20) were divided into the following four groups: control (CON), treated with guarana (GUA), submitted to 50 Hz of WBV (WBV-E), treated with guarana and submitted to 50 Hz of WBV (GUA + WBV-E), daily for 6-weeks. Guarana altered (p < 0.05) the uptake of the radiopharmaceutical sodium pertechnetate (Na99mTcO4) in muscle. Additionally, it modified the stool consistency, and in combination with WBV decreased the food intake without modifying body mass. The levels of calcium increased in the groups submitted to WBV exercises (WBV-E and GUA + WBV-E) as compared with the GUA group. The outcomes provide additional evidence of the biological effects of guarana separately or in combination with WBV and supports the use of guarana as a functional food.

Insoluble-Bound Polyphenols Released from Guarana Powder: Inhibition of Alpha-Glucosidase and Proanthocyanidin Profile

The Brazilian Food Supplement Law recently recognized that guarana (Paullinia cupana) contains bioactive substances, hence supporting its role as a functional food ingredient. The health benefits of guarana are associated, at least in part, to its phenolic compounds. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is no literature addressing the presence of phenolic compounds in the fraction containing insoluble-bound compounds and its contribution in terms of alpha-glucosidase inhibition. The concentration of phenolic extracts released from the insoluble-bound fraction required to inhibit 50% of alpha-glucosidase (IC₅₀) activity was 5.8-fold lower than that present in the soluble counterpart. Both fractions exhibited a mixed inhibition mode. Fourteen proanthocyanidins (dimers to tetramers) present in the insoluble-bound fraction were tentatively identified by MALDi-TOF-MS. Future studies aiming at increasing the concentration of the soluble counterpart are deemed necessary. The results presented here enhance the phenolic database of guarana and have a practical impact on the procurement of nutraceuticals and functional ingredients related to the prevention and/or management of type 2 diabetes. The Brazilian normative on food supplements has been recently revised. This study lends support to the future inclusion of guarana powder in the list of sources of proanthocyanidins for the industry of food supplements.