Influence of Green Leafy Vegetables in Diets with an Elevated ω-6:ω-3 Fatty Acid Ratio on Rat Blood Pressure, Plasma Lipids, Antioxidant Status and Markers of Inflammation

Effects of incorporating green leafy vegetables with meals on starch and lipid digestibility under simulated gastrointestinal digestion

Green leafy vegetables (GLV) are known for their cardiovascular health benefits. However, the effects of their serving size on delaying carbohydrate and lipid digestion remain unclear. This study investigated the impact of varying MyPlate-recommended GLV serving sizes on the digestibility of carbohydrates and lipids and antioxidant activity during in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. Eight GLV including Asteraceae (cos, green oak, red oak, loose-leaf) and Brassicaceae (cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Chinese cabbage) vegetables were incorporated into mixed meals at 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 times the MyPlate recommendation. The results showed that the total phenolic content (TPC) ranged from 5.77 to 9.46 mg GAE/g extract. Nitrate accumulation exhibited a higher content in Asteraceae (590.90-1155.04 mg NO3-NE/g extract) than in Brassicaceae families (244.96-726.20 mg NO3-NE/g extract). Incorporating ≥ 1 serving of all GLV significantly decreased rapidly and slowly digestible starch fractions, while undigestible starch significantly increased, resulting in delaying glucose release. Antioxidant activity was significantly enhanced with ≥ 1 serving and free fatty acid concentrations decreased with higher vegetable servings. Post-digestion nitrate concentrations ranged from 127.3 to 188.5 µg NO3-N/mL, positively correlating with GLV serving size. These effects were dose-dependent and varied across species. These findings suggest that incorporating GLV at or above the MyPlate recommendation may have protective effects on cardiovascular health.

Intrauterine exposure to long-chain perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) were associated with reduced primary bile acids in three-year-old children: Findings from a prospective birth cohort study

Bile acids (BAs) play a crucial role in lipid metabolism of children. However, the association between per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) exposure and BAs in children is scarce. To address this need, we selected 252 children from the Maoming Birth Cohort and measured 32 PFAS, encompassing short- and long-chain perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) and perfluorosulfonic acids (PFSAs) in the cord blood. Additionally, we analyzed nine primary and eight secondary BAs in the serum of three-year-old children. Generalized linear models with FDR-adjusted and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) were used to explore the associations of individual and mixture effects of PFAS and BAs. We found negative associations between cord blood long-chain PFCAs exposure and serum primary BAs in three-year-old children. For example, one ln-unit (ng/mL) increase of perfluoro-n-tridecanoic acid (PFTrDA), perfluoro-n-undecanoic acid (PFUnDA) and perfluoro-n-decanoic acid (PFDA) were associated with decreased taurochenodeoxycholic acid, with estimated percentage change of -24.28% [95% confidence interval (CI): -36.75%, -9.35%], -25.84% (95% CI: -39.67%, -8.83%), and -22.97% (95% CI: -34.45%, -9.47%) respectively. Notably, the observed associations were more pronounced in children with lower vegetable intake. Additionally, the BKMR model also demonstrated a monotonical decline in primary BAs as the PFAS mixture increased. We provided the first evidence of the association between intrauterine exposure to PFAS and its mixture with BAs in children. Further large-sample-size studies are needed to verify this finding.

Human nutritional relevance and suggested nutritional guidelines for vitamin A5/X and provitamin A5/X

In the last century, vitamin A was identified that included the nutritional relevant vitamin A1 / provitamin A1, as well as the vitamin A2 pathway concept. Globally, nutritional guidelines have focused on vitamin A1 with simplified recommendations and calculations based solely on vitamin A. The vitamin A / provitamin A terminology described vitamin A with respect to acting as a precursor of 11-cis-retinal, the chromophore of the visual pigment, as well as retinoic acid(s), being ligand(s) of the nuclear hormone receptors retinoic acid receptors (RARs) α, β and γ. All-trans-retinoic acid was conclusively shown to be the endogenous RAR ligand, while the concept of its isomer 9-cis-retinoic acid, being "the" endogenous ligand of the retinoid-X receptors (RXRs), remained inconclusive. Recently, 9-cis-13,14-dihydroretinoic acid was conclusively reported as an endogenous RXR ligand, and a direct nutritional precursor was postulated in 2018 and further confirmed by Rühl, Krezel and de Lera in 2021. This was further termed vitamin A5/X / provitamin A5/X. In this review, a new vitamin A5/X / provitamin A5/X concept is conceptualized in parallel to the vitamin A(1) / provitamin A(1) concept for daily dietary intake and towards dietary guidelines, with a focus on the existing national and international regulations for the physiological and nutritional relevance of vitamin A5/X. The aim of this review is to summarize available evidence and to emphasize gaps of knowledge regarding vitamin A5/X, based on new and older studies and proposed future directions as well as to stimulate and propose adapted nutritional regulations.

The value of the MIND diet in the primary and secondary prevention of hypertension: A cross-sectional and longitudinal cohort study from NHANES analysis

Background

The Mediterranean-Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension for neurodegenerative delay (MIND) has been regarded as a novel healthy dietary pattern with huge benefits. However, its value in preventing and treating hypertension has not been investigated. The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of adhering to the MIND diet on the prevalence of hypertension in the entire population and long-term mortality in hypertensive patients.

Methods

In this cross-sectional and longitudinal study, 6,887 participants consisting of 2,984 hypertensive patients in the National Health and Nutritional Examination Surveys were analyzed and divided into 3 groups according to the MIND diet scores (MDS; groups of MDS-low [<7.5], MDS-medium [7.5–8.0] and MDS-high [≥8.5]). In the longitudinal analysis, the primary outcome was all-cause death and the secondary outcome was cardiovascular (CV) death. Hypertensive patients received a follow-up with a mean time of 9.25 years (median time: 111.1 months, range 2 to 120 months). Multivariate logistics regression models and Cox proportional hazards models were applicated to estimate the association between MDS and outcomes. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) was used to estimate the dose–response relationship.

Results

Compared with the MDS-low group, participants in the MDS-high group presented a significantly lower prevalence of hypertension (odds ratio [OR] 0.76, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.58, 0.97, p = 0.040) and decreased levels of systolic blood pressure (β = −0.41, p = 0.033). Among hypertensive patients, 787 (26.4%) all-cause death consisting of 293 (9.8%) CV deaths were recorded during a 10-year follow-up. Hypertensive patients in the MDS-high group presented a significantly lower prevalence of ASCVD (OR = 0.71, 95% CI, 0.51, 0.97, p = 0.043), and lower risk of all-cause death (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.69, 95% CI, 0.58, 0.81, p < 0.001) and CV death (HR = 0.62, 95% CI, 0.46, 0.85, p for trend = 0.001) when compared with those in the MDS-low group.

Conclusion

For the first time, this study revealed the values of the MIND diet in the primary and secondary prevention of hypertension, suggesting the MIND diet as a novel anti-hypertensive dietary pattern.

Prospective Role of Indigenous Leafy Vegetables as Functional Food Ingredients

Indigenous leafy vegetables (ILVs) play a pivotal role in sustaining the lives of many people of low socio-economic status who reside in rural areas of most developing countries. Such ILVs contribute to food security since they withstand harsher weather and soil conditions than their commercial counterparts and supply important nutrients such as dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals. Furthermore, ILVs contain bioactive components such as phenolic compounds, flavonoids, dietary fibre, carotene content and vitamin C that confer health benefits on consumers. Several studies have demonstrated that regular and adequate consumption of vegetables reduces risks of chronic conditions such as diabetes, cancer, metabolic disorders such as obesity in children and adults, as well as cardiovascular disease. However, consumption of ILVs is very low globally as they are associated with unbalanced and poor diets, with being food for the poor and with possibly containing toxic heavy metals. Therefore, this paper reviews the role of ILVs as food security crops, the biodiversity of ILVs, the effects of processing on the bioactivity of ILVs, consumer acceptability of food derived from ILVs, potential toxicity of some ILVs and the potential role ILVs play in the future of eating.

Effects of Portulaca oleracea L. (purslane) on the metabolic syndrome: A review

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is defined as a disorder with multiple abnormalities, including obesity, high blood pressure, dyslipidemia, and high blood glucose. MetS is the best-known risk factor for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), cardiovascular disease (CVD), and obesity. With the globally increasing prevalence of MetS and its related abnormalities, attention to safe and effective prevention and treatment of this complex disorder has been increased. In particular, most treatments have been devoted to using natural agents that could provide more reliable and effective medicinal products with fewer side effects. Portulaca oleracea L. (purslane) is an herb whose therapeutic properties could be found in some ancient medical books. Purslane has shown analgesic, antispasmodic, skeletal muscle relaxant, bronchodilator, antiasthmatic, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, diuretic, antibacterial, antipyretic, and wound-healing properties. In addition, purslane's hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic properties have been reported in different studies. The positive effects of this plant include reducing stress oxidative and inflammation along with the atherogenic index, improving insulin level and glucose uptake, decreasing lipid profiles, and ameliorating weight gain. These activities could reduce MetS complications. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of various in vitro, animal, and human studies regarding the effect of Portulaca oleracea on metabolic syndrome to better understand the underlying mechanisms of action for designing more effective treatments.

Variation in Phenolic Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of Various Organs of African Cabbage (Cleome gynandra L.) Accessions at Different Growth Stages

The presence of nutritional and health-benefiting compounds has increased awareness of orphan leafy vegetables such as Cleome gynandra (CG), whose phytochemicals vary among accessions and organs during growth. This study investigated the polyphenol accumulation and antioxidant activities (AOA) of eight CG accessions from the vegetative stage to the seed set stage. Plants were separated into leaves and stem (LS), flowers, and silique organs, and extracts were analyzed for total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), rutin and astragalin content, and AOA using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl-hydrate (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS). There were significant interaction effects of growth stages and accessions that contributed to changes in compounds content and AOA. TPC accumulated in plant generative parts, whereas flavonoids accumulated in young plant organs. HPLC profiling revealed that rutin was the most abundant compound in all organs, with flowers having the highest levels, while astragalin was only found in flowers. Silique extracts, particularly accession KF-14, recorded the highest TPC, which corresponded to the strongest radical scavenging activity in ABTS and DPPH assays and a strong linear correlation. The germplasm contained accessions with significantly different and varying levels of bioactive compounds and AOA. These findings potentiate the exploitation of CG organs such as siliques for AOA, flowers for rutin and astragalin, and young shoots for flavonoids. Moreover, the significant accumulation of the compounds in particular accessions of the germplasms suggest that such superior accessions may be useful candidates in genetic breeding programs to improve CG vegetable.

Improving the Health-Benefits of Kales (Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala DC) through the Application of Controlled Abiotic Stresses: A Review

Kale (Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala DC) is a popular cruciferous vegetable originating from Central Asia, and is well known for its abundant bioactive compounds. This review discusses the main kale phytochemicals and emphasizes molecules of nutraceutical interest, including phenolics, carotenoids, and glucosinolates. The preventive and therapeutic properties of kale against chronic and degenerative diseases are highlighted according to the most recent in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies reported. Likewise, it is well known that the application of controlled abiotic stresses can be used as an effective tool to increase the content of phytochemicals with health-promoting properties. In this context, the effect of different abiotic stresses (saline, exogenous phytohormones, drought, temperature, and radiation) on the accumulation of secondary metabolites in kale is also presented. The information reviewed in this article can be used as a starting point to further validate through bioassays the effects of abiotically stressed kale on the prevention and treatment of chronic and degenerative diseases.

The effect of green Mediterranean diet on cardiometabolic risk; a randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND

A Mediterranean diet is favourable for cardiometabolic risk.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the residual effect of a green Mediterranean diet, further enriched with green plant-based foods and lower meat intake, on cardiometabolic risk.

METHODS

For the DIRECT-PLUS parallel, randomised clinical trial we assigned individuals with abdominal obesity/dyslipidaemia 1:1:1 into three diet groups: healthy dietary guidance (HDG), Mediterranean and green Mediterranean diet, all combined with physical activity. The Mediterranean diets were equally energy restricted and included 28 g/day walnuts. The green Mediterranean diet further included green tea (3-4 cups/day) and a Wolffia globosa (Mankai strain; 100 g/day frozen cubes) plant-based protein shake, which partially substituted animal protein. We examined the effect of the 6-month dietary induction weight loss phase on cardiometabolic state.

RESULTS

Participants (n=294; age 51 years; body mass index 31.3 kg/m2; waist circumference 109.7 cm; 88% men; 10 year Framingham risk score 4.7%) had a 6-month retention rate of 98.3%. Both Mediterranean diets achieved similar weight loss ((green Mediterranean -6.2 kg; Mediterranean -5.4 kg) vs the HDG group -1.5 kg; p<0.001), but the green Mediterranean group had a greater reduction in waist circumference (-8.6 cm) than the Mediterranean (-6.8 cm; p=0.033) and HDG (-4.3 cm; p<0.001) groups. Stratification by gender showed that these differences were significant only among men. Within 6 months the green Mediterranean group achieved greater decrease in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C; green Mediterranean -6.1 mg/dL (-3.7%), -2.3 (-0.8%), HDG -0.2 mg/dL (+1.8%); p=0.012 between extreme groups), diastolic blood pressure (green Mediterranean -7.2 mm Hg, Mediterranean -5.2 mm Hg, HDG -3.4 mm Hg; p=0.005 between extreme groups), and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (green Mediterranean -0.77, Mediterranean -0.46, HDG -0.27; p=0.020 between extreme groups). The LDL-C/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) ratio decline was greater in the green Mediterranean group (-0.38) than in the Mediterranean (-0.21; p=0.021) and HDG (-0.14; p<0.001) groups. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein reduction was greater in the green Mediterranean group (-0.52 mg/L) than in the Mediterranean (-0.24 mg/L; p=0.023) and HDG (-0.15 mg/L; p=0.044) groups. The green Mediterranean group achieved a better improvement (-3.7% absolute risk reduction) in the 10-year Framingham Risk Score (Mediterranean-2.3%; p=0.073, HDG-1.4%; p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The green MED diet, supplemented with walnuts, green tea and Mankai and lower in meat/poultry, may amplify the beneficial cardiometabolic effects of Mediterranean diet.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

This study is registered under ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier no NCT03020186.

Does a high intake of green leafy vegetables protect from NAFLD? Evidence from a large population study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Results of in vitro and in vivo studies showed that green leafy vegetables (GLV) could attenuate liver steatosis. However, little is known regarding the association between GLV intake and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in human. We examined the association of GLV intake with NAFLD in a large-scale adult population.

METHODS AND RESULTS

This cross-sectional study investigated 26,891 adults in China who participated in health examinations from 2013 to 2017. Newly diagnosed NAFLD was detected by liver ultrasonography. Dietary intake was assessed by using a validated and standardized food frequency questionnaire. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) across categories of GLV intake. After adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, and other dietary intakes, the OR (95% CI) for comparing the highest vs. lowest GLV intake categories (≥7 times/week vs. almost never) was 0.72 (0.59, 0.90) (P < 0.0001). In addition, a linear inverse association was demonstrated between GLV intake and NAFLD in women (P for trend = 0.04), but ORs for any intake category did not reach significance. Stratified analyses suggested a potential effect modification by obesity status; the ORs (95% CIs) for comparing the highest vs. lowest GLV intake categories was 0.72 (0.54, 0.97) in normal/overweight individuals and 1.04 (0.65, 1.65) in obese individuals (P-interaction < 0.0001).

CONCLUSION

This large population-based study shows that high GLV intake is inversely associated with NAFLD, particularly in women and non-obese participants.

Exploration of n-6 and n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Metabolites Associated with Nutritional Levels in Patients with Severe Stable Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Background and Objective

Severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the terminal stage of the disease characterized by declined lung function, malnutrition, and poor prognosis. Such patients cannot tolerate long-time sports rehabilitation owing to dyspnea and fail to achieve the desired therapeutic effect; therefore, increasing nutritional support will be an important strategy for them. The present study applied metabolomics technology to evaluate the correlation between serum concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) metabolites, nutritional status, and lung function in patients with COPD to provide a theoretical basis for accurate nutritional support.

Materials and Methods

We enrolled 82 patients with stable severe COPD in our hospital. The general characteristics including height, weight, and lung function were recorded. Metabolomics was used to detect the concentrations of serum metabolites of n-3 and n-6 at baseline and at 24 and 52 weeks after enrollment. The correlations between nutrition level and pulmonary function and clinical indicators were evaluated.

Results

The concentrations of n-3 and n-6 increased over time along with the progression of COPD. Body mass index (BMI) and percent of ideal body weight (IBW%) decreased with disease development, and BMI was found to be significantly correlated with FEV1% predicted and FEV1/FVC. Serum levels of n-6 metabolites such as linoleic acid (LA), γ-linoleic acid (GLA), and arachidonic acid (ARA) (all P < 0.01) and the n-3 metabolites such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (all P < 0.05) showed significant correlations with BMI and were closely correlated with FEV1% predicted and FEV1/FVC of lung function (all P< 0.05).

Conclusion

This study demonstrates that malnutrition in patients with severe COPD is progressive and is positively correlated with n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and lung function.