Experiments studied the effect of yoghurt on the recovery of defence mechanisms against Streptococcus pneumoniae respiratory infection in malnourished mice. Weaned mice were malnourished with a protein-free diet (PFD) for 21d. Malnourished mice were made replete with a balanced diet (BD), yoghurt, or the BD with supplemental yoghurt (BD+Y) for 7, 14 or 21d. The normal control (NC) group was fed the BD whereas malnourished control (MC) mice consumed only the PFD. Mice were challenged with pneumococci at the end of each dietary treatment. MC mice showed increased susceptibility to pneumococcal infection. Blood leucocytes, phagocyte activity and serum and bronco-alveolar anti-pneumococcal IgG and IgA were significantly lower in the MC than in the NC group. Repletion of malnourished mice with the BD for 21d was necessary to obtain a response to infection similar to that of NC mice; however, administration of the BD+Y for 14d was enough to normalise the immune defence mechanisms. Histological examination of MC lungs showed progressive loss of alveolar architecture. Lung injuries were significantly less pronounced in NC mice. Mice treated with the BD+Y for 14d showed histological signs similar to the NC group. The present study showed that administration of yoghurt to malnourished mice induced an early recovery of the immunological parameters studied. Despite the uncertainties about the mechanisms involved and about the human relevance of the effects observed in animal models, the present study provides a strong rationale for the hypothesis that yoghurt consumption by malnourished hosts will accelerate the recovery of the immune mechanisms involved in the protection against respiratory infections

We studied dietary risk factors by analysing a questionnaire administered at birth, 1 year and 2½ years of age, as well as the level of glutamic acid decarboxylase autoantibodies (GADA) and tyrosine phosphatase autoantibodies (IA-2A), in 7208 2½-year-old children from the All Babies in Southeast Sweden cohort, using the 95th percentile cut-off for autoantibodies to identify children at risk of type 1 diabetes. A total of 657 children had either IA-2A (n 360) or GADA (n 335), and thirty-eight children had both GADA and IA-2A. In univariate analysis, male gender and maternal coeliac disease implied a risk of possessing IA-2A. Maternal type 2 diabetes, a high consumption of fresh cows milk at the age of 1 year and a late introduction of gluten were associated with a risk of GADA. Early cessation of breast-feeding (≤2 months of age) was associated with a risk of the simultaneous occurrence of both IA-2A and GADA. In logistic regression analysis, a high consumption of milk at the age of 1 year (odds ratio 2·6) represented a risk for GADA, and maternal coeliac disease (odds ratio 2·9) represented a risk for IA-2A. The combination of an early introduction of cows milk formula and a late introduction of gluten-containing food gave an odds ratio of 6·0 for positivity for at least one autoantibody at 1 and 2½ years of age. The induction of autoantibodies by the age of 2½ years has a male preponderance and is more common in children with maternal type 2 diabetes or maternal coeliac disease. Dietary risk factors for the induction of β-cell autoantibodies in 2½-year-old children are a short duration of breast-feeding, an early introduction of cows milk formula and a late introduction of gluten, as well as a high consumption of milk at the age of 1 year.

A reduced protein diet (RPD) is known to increase the level of intramuscular lipid in pig meat with a smaller effect on the amount of subcutaneous adipose tissue. This might be due to tissue-specific activation of the expression of lipogenic enzymes by the RPD. The present study investigated the effect of a RPD, containing palm kernel oil, soyabean oil or palm oil on the activity and expression of one of the major lipogenic enzymes, stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) and on the level of total lipids and the fatty acid composition of muscle and subcutaneous adipose tissue in pigs. The RPD significantly increased SCD protein expression and activity in muscle but not in subcutaneous adipose tissue. The level of MUFA and total fatty acids in muscle was also elevated when the RPD was fed, with only small changes in subcutaneous adipose tissue. A positive significant correlation between SCD protein expression and total fatty acids in muscle was found. The results suggest that an increase in intramuscular but not subcutaneous adipose tissue fatty acids under the influence of a RPD is related to tissue-specific activation of SCD expression. It is suggested that the SCD isoform spectra in pig subcutaneous adipose tissue and muscle might be different.

An increased activity of ATP-binding cassette transporter (ABC) A1 has been proposed as a mechanism underlying the hypocholesterolaemic effect of phytosterols. In the present study, ABCA1-deficient mice (ABCA1−/− mice) were used to examine the involvement of the ABCA1 in the reduction of intestinal cholesterol absorption in response to a phytosterol-enriched diet. A decrease in intestinal cholesterol absorption of 39 and 35% was observed after phytosterol treatment in ABCA1+/+ mice and in ABCA1−/− mice, respectively. No statistically significant changes in plasma lipoprotein profile or in intestinal ABCG5, ABCG8 and Niemann-Pick C1-Like 1 gene expression levels were found when phytosterol-treated ABCA1−/− mice and untreated ABCA1−/− mice were compared. We conclude that phytosterol inhibition of cholesterol absorption in mice is independent of ABCA1

Previous studies have shown stimulatory effects of linoleic acid (LA, C18:2) on differentiation of rat muscle cells in culture (Allen et al.1985), but there appears to be little investigation of the effects of other fatty acids. The present study therefore compared the effects of different fatty acids on muscle cell differentiation in vitro. L6 myoblasts were cultured (Dulbecco's Modified Eagles Medium+10% fetal calf serum) in six-well plates until 80% confluent (day 0). Cells were then either harvested or the medium switched to differentiation medium (Dulbecco's Modified Eagles Medium+2% horse serum), supplemented with fatty acid or drug treatments. Cells were harvested on days 0–5 and assayed for creatine kinase (CK), protein and DNA contents, to give a measure of differentiation (CK/DNA). Initial studies indicated a stimulatory effect of the cis9trans11 (c9, t11) isomer of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) relative to control. By contrast, the trans10, cis12 (t10, c12) isomer of CLA inhibited differentiation. Further experiments indicated that inhibition of differentiation by the t10, c12 CLA isomer was dose-dependent (up to 200μm) and may be via increased cell proliferation. LA and c9, t11 CLA stimulated differentiation at low concentrations (up to 50μm), but inhibited differentiation at high concentrations (200μm). In contrast, oleic acid stimulated differentiation at all concentrations, whereas the saturated fatty acid, palmitic acid, had no effect. The mechanism appeared not to involve either peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors α or γ. The data suggest that only unsaturated fatty acids have an effect and the presence or absence of a cis-9 double bond may be important.

The aim of the present study was: (1) to develop a new method for total energy expenditure (TEE) assessment, using accelerometry (ACC) and heart rate (HR) telemetry in combination; (2) to validate the new method against the criterion measure (DLW) and to compare with two of the most common methods, FLEX-HR and ACC alone. In the first part of the study VO2, HR and ACC counts were measured in twenty-seven subjects during walking and running on a treadmill. Considering the advantages and disadvantages of the HR and ACC methods an analysis model was developed, using ACC at intensities of low and medium levels and HR at higher intensities. During periods of inactivity, RMR is used. A formula for determining TEE from ACC, HR and RMR was developed: TEE =1·1×(EQHR×TTHR+EQACC1×TTACC1+EQACC2×TTACC2+RMR×TTRMR). In the validation part of the study a sub-sample of eight subjects wore an accelerometer, HR was logged and TEE was measured for 14d with the DLW method. Analysis of the Bland–Altman plots with 95% CI indicates that there are no significant differences in TEE estimated with HR–ACC and ACC alone compared with TEE measured with DLW. It is concluded that the HR–ACC combination as well as ACC alone has potential as a method for assessment of TEE during free-living activities as compared with DLW

The aim of the present study was to determine the accuracy of reported energy intake according to a food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and dietary records (DR) in obese subjects with metabolic syndrome risk factors. Subjects were twenty-three men and twenty-seven women with mean BMI of 35·7 (range 30·5–43·8) kg/m2 who participated in a dietary interview based on a FFQ and completed weighed DR. Total energy expenditure was measured with the doubly labelled water method. Total energy expenditure, measured RMR and physical activity level did not differ between under-reporters (50% of the sample) and non-under-reporters. Under-reporters had lower median intake of sweets, desserts and snacks than non-under-reporters (100 V.. 161g/d (P=0·0008) and 61 V.. 128g/d (P.=0·0002) according to the FFQ and DR, respectively). The DR also showed lower energy density (6·7 (sd 1·3) V 7·9 (sd 1·6) kJ/g; P=0·0064), lower intake of sugary drinks (0 V. 167g/d; P=0·0063) and higher scores for dietary restraint (9·0 (sd 5·0) V. 6·1 (sd 3·5); P=0·0285) in under-reporters. Energy density was associated with accuracy according to the FFQ (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient (RS) 0·406; P=0·0034) and the DR (RS 0·537; P<0·0001). In multivariate analysis, consumption of bread and sweets, desserts and snacks measured by the FFQ was positively associated with accuracy (I2adjusted 0·46 (95% CI 0·32, 0·70)). According to the DR, consumption of sweets, desserts and snacks was also associated with accuracy, as was dietary restraint (inversely) (I2adjusted 0·67 (95% CI 0·54, 0·83)). In obese subjects with metabolic risk factors, intake of sweets, desserts and snacks, bread and dietary restraint were determinants of reporting accuracy.