Isolated Soy Protein Supplementation and Exercise Improve Fatigue-Related Biomarker Levels and Bone Strength in Ovariectomized Mice

Therapeutic effect of dietary ingredients on cellular senescence in animals and humans: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Cellular senescence has been regarded as a therapeutic target for ageing and age-related diseases. Several senotherapeutic agents have been proposed, including compounds derived from natural products which hold the translational potential to promote healthy ageing. This systematic review examined the association of dietary ingredients with cellular senescence in animals and humans, with an intent to identify dietary ingredients with senotherapeutic potential.

METHODS

This systematic review was registered at PROSPERO International prospective register of systematic reviews (Reg #: CRD42022338885). The databases PubMed and Embase were systematically searched for key terms related to cellular senescence, senescence markers, diets, nutrients and bioactive compounds. Intervention and observational studies on human and animals investigating the effects of dietary ingredients via oral administration on cellular senescence load were included. The SYRCLE's risk of bias tool and Cochrane risk of bias tool v2.0 were used to assess the risk of bias for animal and human studies respectively.

RESULTS

Out of 5707 identified articles, 83 articles consisting of 78 animal studies and 5 human studies aimed to reduce cellular senescence load using dietary ingredients. In animal studies, the most-frequently used senescence model was normative ageing (26 studies), followed by D-galactose-induced models (17 studies). Resveratrol (8 studies), vitamin E (4 studies) and soy protein isolate (3 studies) showed positive effects on reducing the level of senescence markers such as p53, p21, p16 and senescence-associated ß-galactosidase in various tissues of physiological systems. In three out of five human studies, ginsenoside Rg1 had no positive effect on reducing senescence in muscle tissues after exercise. The risk of bias for both animal and human studies was largely unclear.

CONCLUSION

Resveratrol, vitamin E and soy protein isolate are promising senotherapeutics studied in animal models. Studies testing dietary ingredients with senotherapeutic potential in humans are limited and translation is highly warranted.

Prevalence of osteosarcopenic obesity and related factors among Iranian older people: Bushehr Elderly Health (BEH) program

Osteosarcopenic obesity is a new syndrome that has been recently discussed in the scientific community. It is a condition that affects the elderly and involves the loss of bone, muscle, and fat tissue. The few studies that have been done on this disease showed that it has a high prevalence among the elderly and can cause various complications. This study was the first one to investigate this syndrome in Iran, and found that its prevalence was 19.83%.

BACKGROUND

Osteosarcopenic obesity syndrome (OSO) is a condition that involves osteopenia/osteoporosis, sarcopenia, and obesity. It leads to a reduction in the quality of life of the elderly and an increase in hospitalization which has attracted the attention of physicians. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors of osteosarcopenic obesity in people over 60 years of age in Bushehr.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We used data from the Bushehr study, which included 2426 participants aged ≥ 60 years. We assessed osteoporosis/osteopenia based on T-score; sarcopenia based on hand grip strength, skeletal muscle mass index (SMI), and walking speed; and obesity based on fat mass and BMI for diagnosing OSO. We first examined the factors related to OSO in the univariable analysis and then fitted the multiple logistic regression model, separately for women and men. The result was summarized as adjusted odds ratios with a 95% confidence interval.

RESULTS

In total, 2339 elderly were examined in our study, of which 464 elderly were suffering from osteosarcopenic obesity. The standardized prevalence of OSO was 23.66% (95% CI: 21.15-26.16) in women and 18.53% (95% CI 16.35-20.87) in men. Age was positively linked to osteosarcopenic obesity in both genders and so was diabetes in men. However, education, physical activity, and protein intake were negatively linked to osteosarcopenic obesity in both genders, as well as hypertriglyceridemia and hypertension in women.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of OSO among men and women of Bushehr city is high and is related to increasing age, low levels of education, physical activity, and protein intake among women and men.

Effects of adherence to the Mediterranean diet on fatigue and activities of daily living in geriatric individuals with COPD

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Fatigue is a commonly diagnosed symptom in cancers and many other chronic debilitating diseases. The second most important complaint after dyspnea in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is the feeling of fatigue. Fatigue can have significant consequences on health status as it can limit patients' activities of daily living, lead to worsening prognosis, and is an indicator of mortality. It remains unclear how fatigue affects the daily life of COPD patients and what physical, social, and emotional challenges it brings. Some studies are showing that adhering to the Mediterranean diet significantly improves fatigue. In this study, the relationship between fatigue and adherence to a Mediterranean diet in COPD patients was investigated.

METHODS

The present study is a descriptive, cross-sectional, and correlational study. The study population included ≥65-year-old patients with a diagnosis of COPD who were hospitalized in Chest Diseases Clinics of İzmir Dr. Suat Seren Chest Diseases and Surgery Training and Research Hospital and Chest Diseases Clinic of Sivas Cumhuriyet University Hospital. The Personal Information Form, Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS), COPD and Asthma Fatigue Scale (CAFS), and KATZ Activities of Daily Living Scale (Katz ADL) were used as data collection tools.

RESULTS

Of the total 526 participants, 58.7% were men, 52.1% were overweight, 54.3% were ex-smokers, and 65.8% were non-drinkers. In the variables related to the disease, the mean duration of having COPD was 16.41 (SD 5.26) years. According to the GOLD classification of the participants, the severity of the disease was determined as Stage III in 57.4% of them, and the severity of dyspnea was determined as "3" (moderate severity) in 54.5% of them according to the mMRC scale. According to the results of the analysis, the mean MEDAS score was 7.84 (SD: 2.76). According to the participants' levels of adherence to the MD, of them, 43.8% had high adherence to MD and 29% had low adherence to MD. The mean CAFS score indicating the level of disease-related fatigue was 69.17 (SD: 15.73), and the lowest and highest scores were 25 and 100 respectively. According to the independence in activities of daily living of the participants, 77.3% were semi-dependent and 6.4% were independent. The comparison of the level of the participant's adherence to the MD according to their mean CAFS scores demonstrated that those who had high adherence to the MD obtained significantly lower scores than the participants in the other groups (p < 0.05). The comparison of the participants' mean MEDAS scores according to their KATZ ADL independence status demonstrated that there was a significant difference (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Adherence to the MD was associated with fatigue and independence in older COPD patients. It was found that high adherence to MD is associated with decreased fatigue and increased independence in activities of daily living in older COPD patients.

Compound of Cynanchum wilfordii and Humulus lupulus L. Ameliorates Menopausal Symptoms in Ovariectomized Mice

Cynanchum wilfordii and Humulus lupulus L. have been used for their various pharmacological properties in South Korea as a traditional medicine or health functional food, respectively, and their intake may relieve menopausal symptoms. The purpose of current study was to determine the effect of compound of Cynanchum wilfordii and Humulus lupulus L. (CWHL) in menopausal symptoms of ovariectomized (OVX) mice. OVX mice received CWHL or caudatin (an active ingredient of CWHL) once daily for 7 weeks. Values for hypothalamic serotonin (5-HT), dopamine, norepinephrine, estrogen receptor (ER)-β, 5-HT1A, and 5-HT2A were significantly enhanced, while value for hypothalamic monoamine oxidase A was reduced in CWHL and caudatin groups compared with the OVX group. CWHL and caudatin significantly reduced tail skin temperature and rectal temperature of OVX mice through partial recovering of the levels of serum estrogen, nitric oxide, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and receptor-activator of the NF-κB ligand (RANKL). Moreover, CWHL and caudatin improved bone mineral density via decreasing levels of serum RANKL, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase, and collagen type 1 cross-linked N-telopeptide and improving levels of serum alkaline phosphatase, osteoprotegerin, and osteocalcin compared with the OVX group without adverse effects such as dyslipidemia. CWHL increased uterine ER-β levels but did not change uterus and vaginal weights. Taken together, the results indicate that CWHL may relieve menopausal symptoms by controlling depression-, hot flashes-, and osteoporosis-associated biomarkers. Therefore, we propose that CWHL might be a safe and potential candidate for management of menopause as a health functional food.

Effects of Soy–Whey Protein Nutritional Supplementation on Hematopoiesis and Immune Reconstitution in an Allogeneic Transplanted Mice

Profound malnutrition and immunodeficiency are serious negative effects of radiotherapy and bone marrow transplantation for hematologic malignancy patients. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of nutritional supplementation with a soy–whey protein mixture on hematopoietic and immune reconstitution in an allogeneic transplant mouse model. Male BALB/c (H-2Kd) mice, 6–8 weeks-old, were divided randomly into five groups and then provided with different protein nutrition support. After 28 days, blood samples, bone marrow, spleen, and thymus were harvested to measure the effects. The results showed that soy–whey blended protein supplements promoted hematopoietic stem cell engraftment, body weight recovery, and the recovery of white blood cells, lymphocytes, and neutrophils; triggered the expansion of hematopoietic stem cells and progenitor cell pools by increasing the numbers of the c-kit⁺ progenitor, Lin-Sca1⁺c-kit⁺, short-term hematopoietic stem cells, and multipotent progenitors; enhanced thymus re-establishment and splenic subset recovery in both organ index and absolute number; improved overall nutritional status by increasing total serum protein, albumin, and globulin; protected the liver from radiation-induced injury, and increased antioxidant capacity as indicated by lower concentrations of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, malondialdehyde, and 4-hydroxynonenal. This study indicated that soy–whey blended protein as important nutrients, from both plant and animal sources, had a greater positive effect on patients with hematological malignancies to accelerate hematopoiesis and immune reconstitution after bone marrow transplantation.

Sea Bass Essence from Lates calcarifer Improves Exercise Performance and Anti-Fatigue in Mice

Sea bass (Lates calcarifer) is rich in protein, amino acids, and long-chain omega 3 (omega-3), which have many health benefits. In East Asian food culture, soup is often eaten as a nutritional supplement. The purpose of this study was to investigate the benefits of Hi-Q sea bass essence (SBE) supplementation for improved exercise performance and anti-fatigue. Fifty male Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) mice were divided to five groups (10 mice/group) and administered different doses of SBE (EC): (1) vehicle (water); (2) isocaloric (0.94 g casein/kg/mice/day); (3) SBE-1X (1.04 g/kg/mice/day); (4) SBE-2X (2.08 g/kg/mice/day); and (5) SBE-4X (4.16 g/kg/mice/day). We found that SBE supplementation significantly improved more than 1.96-fold endurance exercise performance (p < 0.05) and more than 1.13-fold glycogen storage in the liver and muscles (p < 0.05), and had dose-dependent by SBE dose (p < 0.05). In addition, supplementation with SBE at different doses had significant effects on the fatigue-related biochemical markers, i.e., lactate, ammonia, and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels were reduced significantly (p < 0.05), and were also dose-dependent. In conclusion, supplementation with SBE for 4 weeks was able to effectively improve exercise performance and had an anti-fatigue effect. In addition, it did not cause any physiological or histopathological damage.

Isolated Soy Protein Supplementation Combined With Resistance Training Improves Muscle Strength, Mass, and Physical Performance of Aging Female Mice

Background/Purpose: In recent years, the aging population has gradually increased, and the aging process is accompanied by health-associated problems, such as loss of muscle mass and weakness. Therefore, it is important to explore alternative strategies for improving the health status and physical fitness of the aged population. In this study, we investigated the effect of soy protein supplementation combined with resistance training on changes in the muscle mass, muscle strength, and functional activity performance of aging mice. Methods: Female Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) mice were divided into four groups (n = 8 per group): sedentary control (SC), isolated soy protein (ISP) supplementation, resistance training (RT), and a combination of ISP and RT (ISP + RT). The mice in designated groups received oral ISP supplementation (0.123 g/kg/day), RT (5 days/week for a period of 4 weeks), or a combination of both ISP plus RT for 4 weeks. Afterward, we assessed muscle strength, endurance, and anaerobic endurance performance and analyzed blood biochemical and pathological tissue sections to investigate whether there were adverse effects or not in mice. Results: ISP supplementation effectively improved the muscle mass, muscle endurance, and endurance performance of aging female mice. The RT group not only showed similar results with ISP but also increased muscle strength and glycogen content. Nevertheless, the combination of ISP supplementation and RT had greater beneficial effects on muscle strength, physical performance, and glycogen levels (p < 0.05). In addition, the combination of ISP supplementation and RT had significantly increased type II muscle percentage and cross-sectional area (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Although ISP or RT alone improved muscle mass and performance, the combination of ISP with RT showed greater beneficial effects in aging mice. Our findings suggest that regular exercise along with protein supplementation could be an effective strategy to improve overall health and physical fitness among the elderly.

Effects of Perch Essence Supplementation on Improving Exercise Performance and Anti-Fatigue in Mice

Silver perch (Bidyanus bidyanus) has many nutrition and health benefits, being a rich source of macro and micronutrients, phospholipids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and a variety of essential minerals while having a high protein content. In addition to direct consumption, it is often made into a soup as an important nutritional supplement for strengthening the body and delaying fatigue. By extracting the essence, its quality can be controlled, and it is convenient to supplement. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of supplementation with Santé premium silver perch essence (SPSPE) on improving exercise performance and anti-fatigue. Fifty male institute of cancer research (ICR) mice were divided into five groups (n = 10/group): (1) vehicle (vehicle control or water only), (2) isocaloric (0.93 g casein/kg/mice/day), (3) SPSPE-1X (0.99 g/kg/mice/day), (4) SPSPE-2X (1.98 g/kg/mice/day), and (5) SPSPE-5X (4.95 g/kg/mice/day). A sample or an equal volume of liquid was fed orally for four consecutive weeks. Grip strength and swimming exhaustion tests were used as exercise performance assessments. After 10 and 90 min of unloaded swimming, biochemical parameters of fatigue were evaluated. We found that supplementation with SPSPE for four consecutive weeks could significantly improve mice’s grip strength, exercise endurance performance, and glycogen content (p < 0.05), and significantly reduced post-exercise fatigue biochemical parameters, such as lactate, blood ammonia (NH₃), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) concentration, and muscle damage index creatine kinase (CK) activity (p < 0.05). In summary, supplementation with SPSPE for 4 weeks could effectively improve exercise performance, reduce sports fatigue, and accelerate fatigue recovery. In addition, it did not cause any physiological or histopathological damage.

Mediterranean Diet and Fatigue among Community-Dwelling Postmenopausal Women

We investigated cross-sectional relationships between the Mediterranean diet and overall fatigue, energy, and weariness scores among 4,563 women aged 65+ from the Women's Health Initiative study. We also used the Isocaloric Substitution approach to explore whether the substitution of fish for red and processed meat, whole for non-whole grains, and whole fruit for fruit juice relate to RAND-36 measured overall fatigue and its subdomains. The alternate Mediterranean Diet (aMED) Index quintiles (Q1-Q5) and selected Mediterranean foods available on a Food Frequency Questionnaire were exposure measures. Results showed aMED Q5 was associated with 2.99 (95% CI: 0.88, 5.11), 4.01 (95% CI: 1.51, 6.53), and 2.47 (95% CI: 0.24, 4.70) point improvements in fatigue, energy, and weariness scores, respectively, compared with aMED Q1. Substituting fish for red and processed meat and whole for non-whole grains was associated with more favorable fatigue scores, whereas substituting whole fruit for juice was not.

Effects of Isolated Soy Protein Supplementation Combined with Aerobic Exercise Training on Improving Body Composition, Anthropometric Characteristics and Cardiopulmonary Endurance in Women: A Pilot Study

Today, women are concerned with health promotion but also with improvements in body weight and shape. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of aerobic exercise training (AET) combined with isolated soy protein (ISP) supplementation on the body composition, anthropometric characteristics, and cardiopulmonary endurance of women. The qualified subjects were randomly assigned to AET or AET + ISP groups. Women in the AET + ISP group were given an ISP-rich supplement (40 g/day) 5 days a week for 8 weeks; those in the AET group were given the same amount of water in an identical manner. All women received 60 min of AET twice a week for 8 weeks at an intensity of 40–65% heart rate reserve (HRR) and their body composition, anthropometric characteristics, and physical fitness were measured one week before and after the 8-week AET class. A total of 16 subjects (age: 36.13 ± 5.76 years) completed the study and were included in the dataset. The results of this study show that the AET + ISP group obtained greater reductions in body weight (effect size = 0.99), body mass index (BMI, effect size = 1.04), percentage body fat (PBF, effect size = 1.18), circumferences (waist and hip, all effect sizes > 0.8), and greater gains in the percentage lean body mass (PLBM, effect size = 0.89), compared with the AET group, without significant differences in 20 m multi-stage shuttle run test (20 m MST). We conclude that there is a trend for the consumption of ISP following AET to improve the body composition and anthropometric characteristics in women, compared with those who received the same AET without ISP supplementation.

Low-Intensity Exercise Routine for a Long Period of Time Prevents Osteosarcopenic Obesity in Sedentary Old Female Rats, by Decreasing Inflammation and Oxidative Stress and Increasing GDF-11

The loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength is known as sarcopenia; it is characterized as a progressive and generalized muscle disorder associated with aging. This deterioration can seriously compromise the elderly's health and reduce their quality of life. In addition to age, there are other factors that induce muscle mass loss, among which are sedentary lifestyle, chronic diseases, inflammation, and obesity. In recent years, a new clinical condition has been observed in older adults that affects their physical capacities and quality of life, which is known as osteosarcopenic obesity (OSO). Osteoporosis, sarcopenia, and obesity coexist in this condition. Physical exercise and nutritional management are the most widely used interventions for the treatment and prevention of sarcopenia. However, in older adults, physical exercise and protein intake do not have the same outcomes observed in younger people. Here, we used a low-intensity exercise routine for a long period of time (LIERLT) in order to delay the OSO appearance related to sedentarism and aging in female Wistar rats. The LIERLT routine consisted of walking at 15 m/min for 30 min, five days a week for 20 months. To evaluate the effects of the LIERLT routine, body composition was determined using DXA-scan, additionally, biochemical parameters, inflammatory profile, oxidative protein damage, redox state, and serum concentration of GDF-11 at different ages were evaluated (4, 8, 12, 18, 22, and 24 months). Our results show that the LIERLT routine delays OSO phenotype in old 24-month-old rats, in a mechanism involving the decrease in the inflammatory state and oxidative stress. GDF-11 was evaluated as a protein related to muscle repair and regeneration; interestingly, rats that perform the LIERLT increased their GDF-11 levels.

Combined Effects of Exercise and Phytoanabolic Extracts in Castrated Male and Female Mice

Dry extracts from the Eurasian plants, Ajuga turkestanica, Eurycoma longifolia, and Urtica dioica have been used as anabolic supplements, despite the limited scientific data on these effects. To assess their actions on early sarcopenia signs, male and female castrated mice were supplemented with lyophilized extracts of the three plants, isolated or in association (named TLU), and submitted to resistance exercise. Ovariectomy (OVX) led to body weight increase and non-high-density cholesterol (HDL) cholesterol elevation, which had been restored by exercise plus U. dioica extract, or by exercise and TLU, respectively. Orchiectomy (ORX) caused skeletal muscle weight loss, accompanied by increased adiposity, being the latter parameter reduced by exercise plus E. longifolia or U. dioica extracts. General physical activity was improved by exercise plus herbal extracts in either OVX or ORX animals. Exercise combined with TLU improved resistance to fatigue in OVX animals, though A. turkestanica enhanced the grip strength in ORX mice. E. longifolia or TLU also reduced the ladder climbing time in ORX mice. Resistance exercise plus herbal extracts partly altered gastrocnemius fiber size frequencies in OVX or ORX mice. We provide novel data that tested ergogenic extracts, when combined with resistance exercise, improved early sarcopenia alterations in castrated male and female mice.

Effect of the protein hydrolysate of rice syrup meal on the endurance exercise performance of BALB/c mice

Rice is a staple food in Korea. The protein in rice reportedly contains higher levels of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) than proteins in other grains. Taking BCAAs during exercise can reduce muscle fatigue by reducing muscle glycogen depletion. However, there are limited studies reporting the anti-fatigue effect of rice protein. We investigate the muscular endurance and anti-fatigue effects of the protein hydrolysate of rice syrup meal in mouse models. BALB/C mice were divided into the following groups: control (CON), low and high dose rice syrup meal (RL: 1.5 g kg-1; RH: 3.0 g kg-1), and low and high dose protein hydrolysate of rice syrup meal (PL: 1.5 g kg-1; PH: 3.0 g kg-1). The total activity during a forced swimming test was analyzed by a behavioral assay. The mutual relationship between the anti-fatigue activity and energy metabolism was assessed by biochemical, enzyme activity, and gene expression analyses. The protein hydrolysate of rice syrup meal contained 32.18 mg g-1 BCAAs, such as leucine, isoleucine, and valine, and its BCAA ratio (2.5 : 1.0 : 1.4) was considered effective for endurance exercise. Furthermore, PH administration significantly increased the change in the maximum swimming duration by 4.2 min (3.77 ± 0.74 min) compared to that of the CON group (-0.42 ± 0.55 min, p < 0.01). The PH group showed significantly different changes in the blood glucose and lactate levels compared with the CON group; similarly, the aspartate amino transferase and alanine amino transferase levels were significantly lower in the protein hydrolysate of rice syrup meal group than the CON group (p < 0.001 and p < 0.01, respectively). The protein hydrolysate of rice syrup meal-mediated improvement of endurance performance was accompanied by an increased in adenosine triphosphate content in the muscle and decreased reactive oxygen species accumulation in the liver. In addition, mRNA and protein levels of phospho-AMP activated protein kinase (p-AMPK)/AMPK and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC1-α), the major energy-related factors of protein hydrolysate of rice syrup meal, were significantly increased. The protein hydrolysate of rice syrup meal can be utilized as an efficacious natural resource for its muscular-endurance-enhancing and anti-fatigue effects.

Effects of Soy Foods in Postmenopausal Women: A Focus on Osteosarcopenia and Obesity

Chronic diseases in postmenopausal women are caused by rapid changes in hormones and are accompanied by rapid changes in body composition (muscle, bone, and fat). In an aging society, the health of postmenopausal women is a social issue, and people’s interest in ingesting high-quality protein is increasing in order to maintain a healthy body composition. This review aims to summarize the efficacy of soy foods and their impact on body composition. The soy protein and isoflavones contained in soy foods can improve muscle and bone density quality and reduce body weight. It is considered a breakthrough in preventing osteosarcopenia and obesity that may occur after menopause.

Amino Acid Nutrition and Metabolism in Health and Disease

Here an overview of the special issue "Amino acid nutrition and metabolism in health and disease" is given. In addition to several comprehensive and timely reviews, this issue had some original research contributions on fundamental research in animal models as well as human clinical trials exploring how the critical nutrients amino acids affect various traits.

Keto-Adaptation and Endurance Exercise Capacity, Fatigue Recovery, and Exercise-Induced Muscle and Organ Damage Prevention: A Narrative Review

A ketogenic diet (KD) could induce nutritional ketosis. Over time, the body will acclimate to use ketone bodies as a primary fuel to achieve keto-adaptation. Keto-adaptation may provide a consistent and fast energy supply, thus improving exercise performance and capacity. With its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties, a KD may contribute to muscle health, thus preventing exercise-induced fatigue and damage. Given the solid basis of its potential to improve exercise capacity, numerous investigations into KD and exercise have been carried out in recent years. This narrative review aims to summarize recent research about the potential of a KD as a nutritional approach during endurance exercise, focusing on endurance capacity, recovery from fatigue, and the prevention of exhaustive exercise-induced muscle and organ damage.