Shiftworkers have a higher risk of CHD and type 2 diabetes. They consume a large proportion of their daily energy and carbohydrate intake in the late evening or night-time, a factor which could be linked to their increase in disease risk. We compared the metabolic effects of varying both dietary glycaemic index (GI) and the time at which most daily energy intake was consumed. We hypothesised that glucose control would be optimal with a low-GI diet, consumed predominantly early in the day. A total of six healthy lean volunteers consumed isoenergetic meals on four occasions, comprising either high- or low-GI foods, with 60 % energy consumed predominantly early (breakfast) or late (supper). Interstitial glucose was measured continuously for 20 h. Insulin, TAG and non-esterified fatty acids were measured for 2 h following every meal. Highest glucose values were observed when large 5021 kJ (1200 kcal) high-GI suppers were consumed. Glucose levels were also significantly higher in predominantly late high- v. low-GI meals (P < 0·01). Using an estimate of postprandial insulin sensitivity throughout the day, we demonstrate that this follows the same trend, with insulin sensitivity being significantly worse in high energy consumed in the evening meal pattern. Both meal timing and GI affected glucose tolerance and insulin secretion. Avoidance of large, high-GI meals in the evening may be particularly beneficial in improving postprandial glucose profiles and may play a role in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes; however, longer-term studies are needed to confirm this.

It is becoming well established that poor fetal and early postnatal growth can have long-term effects on adult health, including susceptibility to non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease and hypertension. It is suggested that this results from poor nutrition during early life having permanent effects on the structure and metabolism of certain organs and tissues. In the present study we investigated the effect of a low-protein diet during pregnancy and lactation on adipocyte properties and glucose tolerance. Rat dams were fed on a diet containing either 200 (control) or 80 (low protein) g protein/kg during pregnancy and lactation. In addition cross-fostering techniques were employed to enable a separate evaluation of the prenatal and postnatal periods. All offspring were weaned onto a 200 g protein/kg diet at 21 d of age and then studied at 6 weeks of age. The mothers' protein supply during lactation appeared to be the most critical time window for longterm growth. In contrast, the offspring of mothers fed on a low-protein diet during pregnancy or lactation were significantly more glucose tolerant than controls, suggesting that both time windows can have long-term effects on glucose tolerance. In addition off spring of mothers fed on a lowprotein diet during pregnancy or lactation had significantly smaller adipocytes than controls. However the largest reduction in adipocyte size was observed when there was a low-protein diet during both pregnancy and lactation. The amount of insulin receptor present in adipocyte membranes was increased in the three animal groups that had been exposed to the low-protein diets while levels of the insulin responsive glucose transporter (GLUT 4) were similar in adipocyte membranes from all groups.

1. Digesta passage and retention were measured in heifers, sheep, goats, equines and rabbits of varying body-weights when given timothy (Phleum pratense) hay.

2. Two passage markers were compared, cobalt (III) ethylene diamine tetraacetate (CoEDTA) and chromiummordanted timothy fibre for liquid and solid phase respectively. Both markers were injected into the rumen of the ruminants and into the caecum of the equines andrabbits.

3. In ruminants, two different sets of rate constants (k1 and k2) were derived from a two-pool model for marker passage, using a graphical approach and a computer-based non-linear least-squares curve-fitting technique.

4. Retention times, due to unidirectional flow through the gastrointestinal tract (transit time) and due to pool effects (mean retention time, MRT), were calculated.

5. Curve fitting was only successful for the excretion of liquids in ruminants. The two-pool model was not applicable to the passage of solids.

6. Apparent retention of liquid was always shorter than for solids in all species, except in rabbits. However absorption of CoEDTA was too large in the rabbits to determine liquid retention accurately. Times for first appearance of the two markers were similar within animal groups.

7. MRT values were lowest in the rabbit, intermediate in equines and high in the ruminants. The MRT values (h) of solids and liquid respectively were: large heifers 65, 18; small heifers 48, 20; goats 41, 28: sheep 57, 26: equines 23, 18; rabbits 5·3, not determined.

8. Liquid retention seemed to decrease somewhat with increasing body-weight in the ruminants. Solids retention decreased with decreasing body-weight in the ruminants, but sheep had longer retention times than goats of similar size. Equines exhibited large individual variation in retention of the liquid or solid markers, seemingly unrelated to size. Noeffect of size was seen in the retention of solids in the rabbits.

Ca and P are both essential nutrients for bone and are known to affect one of the most important regulators of bone metabolism, parathyroid hormone (PTH). Too ample a P intake, typical of Western diets, could be deleterious to bone through the increased PTH secretion. Few controlled dose–response studies are available on the effects of high P intake in man. We studied the short-term effects of four P doses on Ca and bone metabolism in fourteen healthy women, 20–28 years of age, who were randomized to four controlled study days; thus each study subject served as her own control. P supplement doses of 0 (placebo), 250, 750 or 1500mg were taken, divided into three doses during the study day. The meals served were exactly the same during each study day and provided 495mg P and 250mg Ca. The P doses affected the serum PTH (S-PTH) in a dose-dependent manner (P=0·0005). There was a decrease in serum ionized Ca concentration only in the highest P dose (P=0·004). The marker of bone formation, bone-specific alkaline phosphatase, decreased (P=0·05) and the bone resorption marker, N-terminal telopeptide of collagen type I, increased in response to the P doses (P=0·05). This controlled dose–response study showed that P has a dose-dependent effect on S-PTH and increases PTH secretion significantly when Ca intake is low. Acutely high P intake adversely affects bone metabolism by decreasing bone formation and increasing bone resorption, as indicated by the bone metabolism markers.

1. The intestinal absorption of [11,12 3H2] retinyl acetate was studied in five apparently normal children, eight children with respiratory infection and three with gastroenteritis.

2. The absorption of vitamin A was significantly lower in children with respiratory infection or gastroenteritis than in normal children.

3. In the light of these observations, it is suggested that repeated attacks of infections may significantly contribute to the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency in children of poor communities.

Food frequency questionnaire and socio-demographic data were collected from over 10000 Scottish men and women aged 40–59 years in a cross-sectional study of coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors. Dietary intake, including the antioxidant vitamins C and E and β-carotene, was assessed for different socio-economic groups. Trends in nutrient intakes were found with social-class (occupational) groups I–V. The non-manual-manual distinctions were clear even after standardizing for serum cotinine, and alternative classification by housing tenure and level of education did not confound the social-class effect. Total energy intake was significantly higher in the manual (men 10363 KJ, women 7507 KJ) than in the non-manual (men 9156 KJ, women 7169 KJ) groups, and all nutrient amounts except for vitamin C, vitamin E, β-carotene and fiber were significantly higher in the manual than the non-manual groups. Alcohol intake was lower in manual women, but higher in manual men compared with their respective non-manual groups. Sex and social-class differences were maintained after adjusting for total energy. Women in general, and manual women in particular, had the highest percentage energy from total fat (40.2) and saturated fat (18.2), while the percentage energy from polyunsaturated fat was lower in men than women, and lowest in manual men (4.4). The polyunsaturated: saturated fat (P:S) ratios were, for non-manual and manual men 0.32 and 0.31, and for non-manual and manual women 0.31 and 0.28. Fibre and antioxidant vitamin intakes, when expressed as nutrient densities, were lower in men than women, and lowest in manual men. Overall, men and women in manual occupations had a poorer-quality diet than did those in non-manual occupations. The coincident low P:S ratios and low antioxidant vitamin intakes in manual groups may contribute to an increased risk of CHD. Thus, the findings are compatible with the view that poor diet may be a contributory factor to the higher mortality rates for CHD which occur in the lower socio-economic groups.

Age-related cognitive decline (ARCD) and dementia are of increasing concern to an ageing population. In recent years, there has been considerable research focused on effective dietary interventions that may prevent or ameliorate ARCD and dementia. While a number of studies have considered the impact that dairy products may have on physiological health, particularly with regard to the metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular health, further research is currently needed in order to establish the impact that dairy products have in the promotion of healthy brain function during ageing. The present review considers the available evidence for the positive effects of dairy products on the metabolic syndrome and glucose regulation, with consideration of the implications for neurocognitive health. A literature search of current (September 2010) meta-analyses/reviews and original research regarding dairy products and cognition was conducted through SCOPUS using the following search terms for dairy consituents: dairy, milk, cheese, yoghurt, probiotics, whey protein, alpha lactalbumin, calcium, B-12, bioactive peptides and colostrinin (CLN). These search terms for dairy products were combined with the following search terms related to cognition and health: cognition, cognitive decline, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, insulin resistance and glucose regulation. Concerns regarding SFA and other fatty acids found in dairy products are also reviewed in relation to different forms of dairy products. The review also considers recent evidence for positive neurocognitive effects associated with bioactive peptides, CLN and proline-rich polypeptides, α-lactalbumin, vitamin B12, calcium and probiotics. Future directions for the extraction and purification of beneficial constituents are also discussed. It is concluded that low-fat dairy products, when consumed regularly as part of a balanced diet, may have a number of beneficial outcomes for neurocognitive health during ageing.

Modulation of the cellular response by the administration of probiotic bacteria may be an effective strategy for preventing or inhibiting tumour growth. We orally pre-inoculated mice with probiotics Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM (La) for 14 d. Subcutaneous dorsal-flank tumours and segmental orthotopic colon cancers were implanted into mice using CT-26 murine colon adenocarcinoma cells. On day 28 after tumour initiation, the lamina propria of the colon, mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) and spleen were harvested and purified for flow cytometry and mRNA analyses. We demonstrated that La pre-inoculation reduced tumour volume growth by 50·3 %, compared with untreated mice at 28 d after tumour implants (2465·5 (sem 1290·4) v. 4950·9 (sem 1689·3) mm3, P < 0·001). Inoculation with La reduced the severity of colonic carcinogenesis caused by CT-26 cells, such as level of colonic involvement and structural abnormality of epithelial/crypt damage. Moreover, La enhanced apoptosis of CT-26 cells both in dorsal-flank tumour and segmental orthotopic colon cancer, and the mean counts of apoptotic body were higher in mice pre-inoculated with La (P < 0·05) compared with untreated mice. La pre-inoculation down-regulated the CXCR4 mRNA expressions in the colon, MLN and extra-intestinal tissue, compared with untreated mice (P < 0·05). In addition, La pre-inoculation reduced the mean fluorescence index of MHC class I (H-2Dd, -Kd and -Ld) in flow cytometry analysis. Taken together, these findings suggest that probiotics La may play a role in attenuating tumour growth during CT-26 cell carcinogenesis. The down-regulated expression of CXCR4 mRNA and MHC class I, as well as increasing apoptosis in tumour tissue, indicated that La may be associated with modulating the cellular response triggered by colon carcinogenesis.

Butyrate is recognised as efficient in healing colonic inflammation, but cannot be used as a long-term treatment. Dietary fibre that produces a high-butyrate level when fermented represents a promising alternative. We hypothesised that different types of dietary fibre do not have the same efficiency of healing and that this could be correlated to their fermentation characteristics. We compared short-chain fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) and type 3 resistant starch (RS) in a previously described dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis model. Seventy-two Sprague–Dawley rats received water (control rats) or DSS (50g DSS/l for 7d then 30g DSS/l for 7 (day 7) or 14 (day 14) d). The rats were fed a basal diet (BD), or a FOS or RS diet creating six groups: BD-control, BD-DSS, FOS-control, FOS-DSS, RS-control and RS-DSS. Caeco-colonic inflammatory injuries were assessed macroscopically and histologically. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) were quantified in caeco-colon, portal vein and abdominal aorta. At days 7 and 14, caecal and distal macroscopic and histological observations were improved in RS-DSS compared with BD-DSS and also with FOS-DSS rats. Caeco-colonic SCFA were reduced in FOS-DSS and RS-DSS groups compared with healthy controls. The amount of butyrate was higher in the caecum of the RS-DSS rats than in the BD-DSS and FOS-DSS rats, whereas distal butyrate was higher in FOS-DSS rats. Partially explained by higher luminal levels of SCFA, especially butyrate, the healing effect of RS confirms the involvement of some types of dietary fibre in inflammatory bowel disease. Moreover, the ineffectiveness of FOS underlines the importance of the type of dietary substrate.

Dietary patterns analysis is an emerging area of research. Identifying distinct patterns within a large dietary survey can give a more accurate representation of what people are eating. Furthermore, it allows researchers to analyse relationships between non-communicable diseases (NCD) and complete diets rather than individual food items or nutrients. However, few such studies have been conducted in developing countries including India, where the population has a high burden of diabetes and CVD. We undertook a systematic review of published and grey literature exploring dietary patterns and relationships with diet-related NCD in India. We identified eight studies, including eleven separate models of dietary patterns. Most dietary patterns were vegetarian with a predominance of fruit, vegetables and pulses, as well as cereals; dietary patterns based on high-fat, high-sugar foods and more meat were also identified. There was large variability between regions in dietary patterns, and there was some evidence of change in diets over time, although no evidence of different diets by sex or age was found. Consumers of high-fat dietary patterns were more likely to have greater BMI, and a dietary pattern high in sweets and snacks was associated with greater risk of diabetes compared with a traditional diet high in rice and pulses, but other relationships with NCD risk factors were less clear. This review shows that dietary pattern analyses can be highly valuable in assessing variability in national diets and diet–disease relationships. However, to date, most studies in India are limited by data and methodological shortcomings.

Mild metabolic acidosis, which can be caused by diet, may adversely affect cardiometabolic risk factors, possibly by increasing cortisol production. Methodologies for estimating diet-induced acid–base load using dietary-intake information have been established. To our knowledge, however, the possible association between dietary acid–base load and cardiometabolic risk factors has not been investigated. We cross-sectionally examined associations between dietary acid–base load and cardiometabolic risk factors in a free-living population. The subjects were 1136 female Japanese dietetic students aged 18–22 years. Dietary acid–base load was characterized as the potential renal acid load (PRAL), which was determined using an algorithm including dietary protein, P, K, Ca and Mg, as well as the ratio of dietary protein to K (Pro:K). Estimates of each nutrient were obtained from a validated comprehensive self-administered diet history questionnaire. Body height and weight, waist circumference and blood pressure were measured. Fasting blood samples were collected. After adjustment for potential confounding factors, higher PRAL and Pro:K (more acidic dietary acid–base loads) were associated with higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure (P for trend = 0·028 and 0·035 for PRAL and 0·012 and 0·009 for Pro:K, respectively). PRAL was also independently positively associated with total and LDL-cholesterol (n 1121; P for trend = 0·042 and 0·021, respectively). Additionally, Pro:K showed an independent positive association with BMI and waist circumference (P for trend = 0·024 and 0·012, respectively). In conclusion, more acidic dietary acid–base load was independently associated with adverse profile of several cardiometabolic risk factors in free-living young Japanese women.

Within the EURopean micronutrient RECommendations Aligned Network of Excellence (EURRECA), a scoring system was developed to assess the quality of dietary intake validation studies. The scoring system included three steps. The first step was to give each study a quality score, which included five components: sample size, statistics used, data collection procedure, consideration of seasonality and supplement use. Scores ranged from 0 to 7, and validation studies classified as very good ( ≥ 5), good (5–3·5), acceptable/reasonable (3·5–2·5) and poor ( < 2·5). The second and third steps included an adjustment/weighting of the correlation coefficient according to the quality score and moreover a rating of the adjusted/weighted correlation. The scoring system was tested in 124 validation studies that included at least one vitamin. Only 5·6 % of the 124 studies were judged to be of very good quality according to the quality score, 41·9 % of good quality and 16·9 % had a poor rating. When adjusting for the study quality scores, crude and adjusted mean correlations of vitamins A, C, D and E intakes were similar, but the percentage of correlation values classified as poor or very good was higher after adjustment. These results show the importance of considering the quality of studies validating dietary assessment methods and the correlations obtained for the micronutrient of interest when interpreting effects observed in epidemiological studies using dietary assessment methods. Without a doubt, this subject constitutes a key topic for research in nutritional epidemiology.

Studies of diet and health focus increasingly on dietary patterns. Although the traditional Mediterranean diet is perceived as being healthy, there is little information on its possible benefit to young people. We studied whether closer adherence to the traditional Mediterranean dietary pattern was associated with overall and cancer mortality in a cohort of 42237 young women, aged 30–49 years at enrolment, who were recruited in 1991–2 from the general population in the Uppsala Health Care Region, Sweden, and followed up, almost completely, for about 12 years. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet was assessed by a 10-point score incorporating the characteristics of this diet. Among women less than 40 years old at enrolment – whose causes of death are mainly cancer with probable genetic influences, injuries or suicide – there was no association of the Mediterranean diet score with total or cancer mortality. Among women 40–49 years old at enrolment, a 2-point increase in the score was associated with considerable reductions in overall mortality (13%; 95% CI 1%, 23%; P∼0·05) and cancer mortality (16%; 95% CI −1%, 29%; P∼0·06). Few cardiovascular deaths occurred in this cohort of young women. The findings of the present study in a northern European population of young women indicate that closer adherence to a Mediterranean dietary pattern reduces mortality even among young persons.

1. The effect of a palatable granulated guar-gum preparation (10 g twice daily) was studied in obese subjects. The acute effect of a single dose of guar gum to reduce the peak postprandial whole blood glucose levels (about 10%) was verified. Following long-term treatment, a further reduction was seen in the obese subjects with the highest postprandial glucose levels. Since the postprandial plasma insulin levels were essentially unchanged, this finding suggested an increased responsiveness to insulin. Total serum cholesterol levels were significantly reduced following long-term treatment but serum α-cholesterol levels, representing the high-density-lipoprotein fraction, was unchanged.

2. Body-weight was significantly reduced during guar-gum treatment even though the patients were asked to maintain their normal dietary habits. Daily hunger ratings recorded for up to 10 weeks showed that guar gum reduced hunger significantly better than commercially available bran taken in the same way.

3. Thus, guar gum seemed to influence carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in a beneficial way in obese subjects. The reduction in hunger would offer an additional benefit to these patients.

Raising the dietary PUFA:saturated fatty acids (SFA) ratio has been recommended for the prevention of CVD. However, a high PUFA:SFA (P:S) ratio diet enhances oxidative stress because PUFA are highly susceptible to lipid peroxidation. Thus, we focused on the role of the dietary P:S ratio and peroxidisability index (PI) value on serum and liver tissue and investigated the effects of dietary P:S ratios (0·4, 1·0, and 4·8) with a fixed PI value (81) on serum lipid parameters and hepatic enzyme activities (experiment 1). To elucidate whether those phenomena were unique to the P:S ratio, we examined the effects of dietary PI values (36, 81, 126, and 217) with a constant P:S ratio (1·0) (experiment 2). Female Sprague–Dawley rats weighing 240–280 g were fed experimental diets for 4 weeks. When dietary PI value was maintained at 81, serum HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) increased with increasing dietary P:S ratio. When the P:S ratio was fixed at 1·0, HDL-C was the lowest with mid–low PI (MLPI) (PI value of 81). In both experiments, serum LDL-cholesterol:HDL-C ratio kept in the range of 0–2. The hepatic superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) concentrations were the highest in the lowest dietary P:S ratio group (experiment 1). GSH-Px, glutathione-S-transferase, and TBARS were the lowest in rats fed the MLPI diet (experiment 2). In conclusion, these results indicate that a P:S ratio of 1·0–1·5 and a PI value of 80–90 in the diet are within a favourable range to reduce the risk of CVD.

The present rat balance study investigated Ca availability from the whole indigenous small fish species, mola (Amblypharyngodon mola) from Bangladesh and from skimmed milk. Four groups of six young male rats each were fed ad libitum with diets containing either small fish or milk, at 100 or 160 g crude protein/kg diet dry matter. The study was conducted for 28 d and faeces and urine samples were collected in two balance periods: days 8–14 and 22–28. The Ca and N contents of the diets, faeces and urine were analysed. Ca intake, fractional Ca absorption and Ca retention in relation to N retention were measured. Digestibility and protein utilization of the experimental diets, weight gain of the rats, femur bone weight and mineral composition as well as bone alkaline phosphatase activity were also determined. It was concluded from the values of these variables that Ca from small fish with bones was available and appeared to be a useful Ca source in rats, though perhaps not as available as Ca from milk. This study suggests that small fish with bones may be an important source of Ca in human diets. Promotion of the production and consumption of small fish in population groups with low intakes of milk and milk products should therefore be encouraged.

The increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity among children is of special concern. Inverse associations between sleep length and overweight have been found in children. Short sleeping hours result in hormonal changes, which increase perceived hunger and appetite. This could affect food intake, and consequently lead to overweight. The aim is to find out whether there is an association between adequate sleep and food consumption among 10–11-year-old school children in Finland. One thousand two hundred and sixty-five children (response rate 79 %), aged 9–11, from thirty-one schools filled in a questionnaire about their health behaviour. Inadequate sleep was measured as short sleeping hours during school nights and weekend nights, difficulties in waking up in the morning and tiredness during the day. Food consumption patterns were measured by two consumption indices, energy-rich foods and nutrient-dense foods, based on a short FFQ (sixteen items). Inadequate sleep is associated with food consumption patterns. Boys with shorter sleep duration during school nights, and who were felt tired during the day, were more likely to consume energy-rich foods. Girls with shorter sleep duration during school nights consumed more likely energy-rich foods and less likely nutrient-dense foods. Adjusting for physical activity and screen time weakened the explored associations. The associations with energy-rich foods were stronger for boys than for girls. Sleeping habits are associated with food consumption patterns. Shorter sleep duration during school nights in school children is associated with higher consumption of energy-rich foods.

Consumption of simple carbohydrates has markedly increased over the past decades, and may be involved in the increased prevalence in metabolic diseases. Whether an increased intake of fructose is specifically related to a dysregulation of glucose and lipid metabolism remains controversial. We therefore compared the effects of hypercaloric diets enriched with fructose (HFrD) or glucose (HGlcD) in healthy men. Eleven subjects were studied in a randomised order after 7 d of the following diets: (1) weight maintenance, control diet; (2) HFrD (3·5 g fructose/kg fat-free mass (ffm) per d, +35 % energy intake); (3) HGlcD (3·5 g glucose/kg ffm per d, +35 % energy intake). Fasting hepatic glucose output (HGO) was measured with 6,6-2H2-glucose. Intrahepatocellular lipids (IHCL) and intramyocellular lipids (IMCL) were measured by 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Both fructose and glucose increased fasting VLDL-TAG (HFrD: +59 %, P < 0·05; HGlcD: +31 %, P = 0·11) and IHCL (HFrD: +52 %, P < 0·05; HGlcD: +58 %, P = 0·06). HGO increased after both diets (HFrD: +5 %, P < 0·05; HGlcD: +5 %, P = 0·05). No change was observed in fasting glycaemia, insulin and alanine aminotransferase concentrations. IMCL increased significantly only after the HGlcD (HFrD: +24 %, NS; HGlcD: +59 %, P < 0·05). IHCL and VLDL-TAG were not different between hypercaloric HFrD and HGlcD, but were increased compared to values observed with a weight maintenance diet. However, glucose led to a higher increase in IMCL than fructose.

Incubation trials were carried out with the rumen simulation technique (RUSITEC) to study the effects of four forms of N on the growth of ruminal micro-organisms and the fermentation variables when an all-fibre basal diet was incubated. The basal diet consisted of 10 g neutral-detergent fibre (NDF) from grass hay plus 2 g NDF from sugarbeet pulp. N forms were isolated soyabean protein, soyabean peptides, amino acids blended to profile soyabean protein and NH3 as NH4Cl. Half of the daily N supply was infused as NH4Cl and the other half was infused as each of the four treatments described. Non-NH3 N (NAN) forms increased NDF (P = 0·006), acid-detergent fibre (P = 0·003) and cellulose (P = 0·015) disappearance after 48 h incubation, CO2 (P < 0·001), CH4 (P = 0·002) and total volatile fatty acids production (P < 0·001), as well as the molar percentages of isobutyrate, isovalerate and valerate, which reflected the fermentation of amino acid C skeletons. NAN treatments also increased microbial N flow (P < 0·001) compared with NH3, with peptides and protein supporting more (P = 0·036) than amino acids. The proportion of microbial N derived from NH3 decreased successively (P < 0·05) with NH3 > amino acids > peptides > protein treatments, indicating preferential uptake of peptides without passage through the NH3 pool. Microbial efficiency (g microbial N/kg organic matter apparent disappearance) was greater (P = 0·002) for the NAN forms than for the NH3 treatment, with peptides and protein treatments supporting higher (P = 0·009) values than amino acid treatment. These results indicate that N forms other than NH3 are required for optimal fibre digestion and microbial growth.

Tomato fruit has assumed the status of ‘functional food’ due to the association between its consumption and a reduced likelihood of certain types of cancers and CVD. The nutraceutical value of tomatoes can be affected by the cultivation conditions, e.g. the phytochemical content of the fruits may increase with the establishment of beneficial mycorrhizal symbioses in the plants. A multidisciplinary study was carried out to gain knowledge on the antioxidant, oestrogenic/anti-oestrogenic and genotoxic activity of tomato fruits produced by mycorrhizal plants. The present results showed that the symbiosis positively affected the growth and mineral nutrient content of tomato plants and enhanced the nutritional and nutraceutical value of tomato fruits through modifications of plant secondary metabolism, which led to increased levels of lycopene in fruits obtained from mycorrhizal plants, compared with controls. Moreover, such changes did not result in the production of mutagenic compounds, since tomato extracts induced no in vitro genotoxic effects. Fruit extracts, both hydrophilic and the lipophilic fractions, originating from mycorrhizal plants strongly inhibited 17-β-oestradiol–human oestrogen receptor binding, showing significantly higher anti-oestrogenic power compared with controls. The present study shows that beneficial plant symbionts, such as mycorrhizal fungi, can lead to the production of safe and high-quality food, which is an important societal issue strongly demanded by both consumers and producers.