The scale of the evidence base on the health effects of conventional yogurt consumption: findings of a scoping review

New insights into perceptions of technology claims in greek-style yogurt: A view in the COVID-19 pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic has strongly impacted people's lives and the food industry. In this sense, food products claiming nutritional and health-promoting benefits due to the presence of bioactive peptides and probiotics, such as Greek-style yogurt, have been in demand. The objective of this work was to investigate, through word association, the perception of the consumers regarding the seven concepts related to Greek-style yogurt (traditional, ultra-creamy, zero fat, high content proteins, zero lactose, light and with no added sugars), in the context of social isolation due to Covid-19. In this online survey, 346 participants completed a questionnaire. The participants were divided according to health concerns (increased, not changed, or decreased) and eating habits (improved, not changed, or worsened) during the Covid-19 pandemic. Chi-square and prototypical analysis were used as statistical tests. During the Covid-19 pandemic, based on self-report, around 66% of the participants had their eating habits and their concerns about health changed. The general associations were related to the categories pleasure, health, creamy, pleasant texture, food restriction, and loss of sensory quality. 'Health' and 'pleasure' were negatively associated with the conceptualization of Greek-style yogurt. For the zero-fat, light, and sugar-free Greek-style yogurts, the terms creamy and ultra-creamy are sensory appealing to the consumers. In general, the price and concerns about health are factors that strongly influence the purchase intention of Greek-style yogurts. The yogurts were associated with sensory and non-sensory characteristics, which can be useful for marketing strategies for of different product concepts.

Underlying evidence for the health benefits of fermented foods in humans

Fermented foods (FFs) have been a part of our diets for millennia and comprise highly diverse products obtained from plants and animals all over the world. Historically, fermentation has been used to preserve food and render certain raw materials edible. As our food systems evolve towards more sustainability, the health benefits of FFs have been increasingly touted. Fermentation generates new/transformed bioactive compounds that may occur in association with probiotic bacteria. The result can be specific, advantageous functional properties. Yet, when considering the body of human studies on the topic, whether observational or experimental, it is rare to come across findings supporting the above assertion. Certainly, results are lacking to confirm the widespread idea that FFs have general health benefits. There are some exceptions, such as in the case of lactose degradation via fermentation in individuals who are lactose intolerant; the impact of select fermented dairy products on insulin sensitivity; or the benefits of alcohol consumption. However, in other situations, the results fail to categorically indicate whether FFs have neutral, beneficial, or detrimental effects on human health. This review tackles this apparent incongruity by showing why it is complex to test the health effects of FFs and what can be done to improve knowledge in this field.

Wild mushrooms showed analgesic and cytotoxic properties along with phytoconstituent's binding affinity to COX-1, COX-2 and cytochrome P450 2C9

This study was designed to evaluate the cytotoxic and analgesic potential of methanol extracts of five wild mushrooms available in the University of Chittagong, Bangladesh. The acetic acid-induced writhing method was used for the analgesic activity, while cytotoxicity was tested using brine shrimp lethality bioassay. In silico molecular docking and ADME/T study have been employed by using Schrodinger v11.1, BIOVIA Discovery Studio 2020 and online tool (AdmeSAR) respectively. The methanol extracts of Daldinia concentrica, Trametes lactinea, Fomitopsis cajanderi and Daedaleopsis confragosa exhibited a significant (p < 0.001) decrease in the number of writhing when compared to the control group. Except for Lentinus squarrosulus at 200 mg/kg body weight, the remaining mushroom extracts showed equal to or above 50 % inhibition of writhing. Daldinia concentrica showed the lowest LC50 values with 0.63 μg/mL, while Daedaleopsis confragosa showed the highest LC50 values of 2.33 μg/mL, indicating decisive cytotoxic action all mushrooms extracts. Considering the secondary metabolites, daldinan A and fomlactone A were found the most promising myco-compounds in analgesic and cytotoxic molecular docking studies. Besides, all the selected metabolites meet the rule of Lipinski's drug-likeliness. These results concluded that each mushroom extracts except Lentinus squarrosulus possess a potential analgesic. All the mushroom extracts embrace a promising cytotoxic activity that may guide the progress of a new drug.

Pasteurized non-fermented cow's milk but not fermented milk is a promoter of mTORC1-driven aging and increased mortality

Recent epidemiological studies in Sweden, a country with traditionally high milk consumption, revealed that the intake of non-fermented pasteurized milk increased all-cause mortality in a dose-dependent manner. In contrast, the majority of epidemiological and clinical studies report beneficial health effects of fermented milk products, especially of yogurt. It is the intention of this review to delineate potential molecular aging mechanisms related to the intake of non-fermented milk versus yogurt on the basis of mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling. Non-fermented pasteurized milk via its high bioavailability of insulinotropic branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), abundance of lactose (glucosyl-galactose) and bioactive exosomal microRNAs (miRs) enhances mTORC1 signaling, which shortens lifespan and increases all-cause mortality. In contrast, fermentation-associated lactic acid bacteria metabolize BCAAs and degrade galactose and milk exosomes including their mTORC1-activating microRNAs. The Industrial Revolution, with the introduction of pasteurization and refrigeration of milk, restricted the action of beneficial milk-fermenting bacteria, which degrade milk's BCAAs, galactose and bioactive miRs that synergistically activate mTORC1. This unrecognized behavior change in humans after the Neolithic revolution increased aging-related over-activation of mTORC1 signaling in humans, who persistently consume large quantities of non-fermented pasteurized cow's milk, a potential risk factor for aging and all-cause mortality.

Health Risk Assessment of Metals in Selected Drinks from Abeokuta, Southwestern Nigeria

The present study assessed the human health risk of metals in selected drinks from Abeokuta, southwestern Nigeria. Fifteen different brands of drinks (alcoholic, non-alcoholic, herbal and non-herbal) were purchased from notable markets in Abeokuta between June and August, 2018. A total of sixty drink samples were analysed for metals using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Data were subjected to descriptive and inferential statistics. Human health risks were assessed for cancer risk (CR) and non-carcinogenic indices of hazard quotient (HQ) and hazard index (HI). Results showed acidic medium for most of the samples ranging from 3.12 ± 0.29 to 6.14 ± 0.17. The highest concentrations of Fe (5.53 ± 2.81 mg/L) and Mn (6.63 ± 8.33 mg/L) were found in Kunnu and Zobo, respectively. The HQ and HI values of Cu in bottled water indicated non-carcinogenic adverse effects, while the CR of Co in bottled water and bitters demonstrated carcinogenic effects. Regular monitoring of metals in drinks from the study area is recommended.

Dairy food intake, diet patterns, and health: Findings from the Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Study

This study compared the intake of yogurt and other dairy foods in relation to other dietary habits, and associations with cardiovascular health indicators. Comparative analyses of dietary intakes and cardiometabolic health indicators were conducted in participants from the Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Study, conducted in 2001-2006 (n = 699). Participants (10.2% of sample) who consumed yogurt more frequently (≥ 5 serves per week) also consumed more fruit, vegetables, nuts, and fish, but fewer sweets, sugar-sweetened soft drinks, and alcohol. The yogurt-healthy food score was significantly inversely associated with fasting plasma glucose (p = 0.044), waist circumference (p = 0.004), and smoking (p = 0.004), and significantly positively associated with physical activity (p < 0.001). In addition, the yogurt-healthy food score was associated with protection against MetS abdominal obesity (OR: 0.80, 95% CI: 0.66-0.07, p = 0.02). The yogurt-healthy dietary pattern was significantly associated with a better cardiometabolic profile.

The Effects of an Olive Fruit Polyphenol-Enriched Yogurt on Body Composition, Blood Redox Status, Physiological and Metabolic Parameters and Yogurt Microflora

In the present study we investigated the effects of an olive polyphenol-enriched yogurt on yogurt microflora, as well as hematological, physiological and metabolic parameters, blood redox status and body composition. In a randomized double-blind, crossover design, 16 (6 men, 10 women) nonsmoking volunteers with non-declared pathology consumed either 400 g of olive fruit polyphenol-enriched yogurt with 50 mg of encapsulated olive polyphenols (experimental condition—EC) or 400 g of plain yogurt (control condition—CC) every day for two weeks. Physiological measurements and blood collection were performed before and after two weeks of each condition. The results showed that body weight, body mass index, hip circumference and systolic blood pressure decreased significantly (p < 0.05) following the two-week consumption of yogurt regardless of condition. A tendency towards significance for decreased levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (p = 0.06) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (p < 0.05) following two weeks of polyphenol-enriched yogurt consumption was observed. The population of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and production of lactate in yogurt were significantly enhanced after addition of olive polyphenols, contrary to the population of yeasts and molds. The results indicate that consumption of the polyphenol-enriched yogurt may help individuals with non-declared pathology reduce body weight, blood pressure, LDL cholesterol levels and lipid peroxidation, and promote growth of beneficial LAB.