Safety and Protective Activities of Manufactured Alcohol-Free Beers

Lower Strength Alcohol Products—A Realist Review-Based Road Map for European Policy Making

This paper reports the result of a realist review based on a theory of change that substitution of higher strength alcohol products with lower strength alcohol products leads to decreases in overall levels of alcohol consumption in populations and consumer groups. The paper summarizes the results of 128 publications across twelve different themes. European consumers are increasingly buying and drinking lower strength alcohol products over time, with some two fifths doing so to drink less alcohol. It tends to be younger more socially advantaged men, and existing heavier buyers and drinkers of alcohol, who take up lower strength alcohol products. Substitution leads to a lower number of grams of alcohol bought and drunk. Although based on limited studies, buying and drinking lower strength products do not appear to act as gateways to buying and drinking higher strength products. Producer companies are increasing the availability of lower strength alcohol products, particularly for beer, with extra costs of production offset by income from sales. Lower strength alcohol products tend to be marketed as compliments to, rather than substitutes of, existing alcohol consumption, with, to date, the impact of such marketing not evaluated. Production of lower strength alcohol products could impair the impact of existing alcohol policy through alibi marketing (using the brand of lower strength products to promote higher strength products), broadened normalization of drinking cultures, and pressure to weaken policies. In addition to increasing the availability of lower strength products and improved labelling, the key policy that favours substitution of higher strength alcohol products with lower strength products is an alcohol tax based on the dose of alcohol across all products.

The Effects of Star Fruit (Averrhoa carambola Linn.) Extract on Body Mass Index, Fasting Blood Glucose, and Triglyceride Levels in Male Rats with Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

BACKGROUND: Obesity is the main risk factor of diabetes by which induces insulin resistance. Epicatechin gallate can virtually interact with sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 as same as dapagliflozin and is found in green tea and star fruits. AIM: This study aimed to investigate the effects of methanol extract of star fruit (MES) on body weight (BW), body mass index (BMI), fasting blood glucose (FBG), and triglyceride levels in male rats with obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: Twenty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to normal and high-fat diet (HFD) groups. Obesity was induced with a HFD diet for 5 weeks and followed by induction of T2DM with 230 mg/kg BW nicotinamide and 65 mg/kg BW streptozotocin injections. Twenty-one obesity and T2DM rats were randomly assigned to negative control (n = 3) and the remaining rats in the MES1-3 groups, which were given 250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg BW/day MES. Data of BW, BMI, FBG, and triglyceride levels were collected at day 1, 14, and 28 interventions. Data were statistically analyzed using parametric and non-parametric tests with p < 0.05 considered significant. RESULTS: The MES3 group (282.56 ± 10.75 g) had significantly lower mean BW than the MES2 group (331.33 ± 13.17 g, p = 0.035). The duration of MES administration significantly decreased BW (p = 0.009) and BMI (p = 0.034) compared with the negative control. The mean triglyceride levels in MES1 (93.72 ± 53.69 mg/dl, p = 0.020), MES2 (71.98 ± 35.72 mg/dl, p = 0.025), and MES3 (56.68 ± 16.37 mg/dl, p = 0.020) groups significantly lower than the control group (1042.13 ± 681.74 mg/dl) on day 14. The mean FBG levels in MES1 (437.85 ± 33.04 mg/dl) and MES2 (353 ± 33.04 mg/dl) groups were also lower than the control group (470.97 ± 33.04 mg/dl). CONCLUSION: Administrations of 250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg BW/day MES decrease BW, BMI, and triglyceride level but increase FBG level in male rats with obesity and T2DM for 14 and 28 days.