Zn is an essential nutrient for humans; however, a sensitive biomarker to assess Zn status has not been identified. The objective of this study was to determine the reliability and sensitivity of Zn transporter and metallothionein (MT) genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to Zn exposure ex vivo and to habitual Zn intake in human subjects. In study 1, human PBMCs were cultured for 24 h with 0–50 µm ZnSO4 with or without 5 µm N,N,N′,N′-tetrakis(2-pyridylmethyl)ethylenediamine (TPEN), and mRNA expression of SLC30A1-10, SLC39A1-14, MT1 subtypes (A, B, E, F, G, H, L, M and X), MT2A, MT3 and MT4 mRNA was determined. In study 2, fifty-four healthy male and female volunteers (31·9 (sd 13·8) years, BMI 25·7 (sd 2·9) kg/m2) completed a FFQ, blood was collected, PBMCs were isolated and mRNA expression of selected Zn transporters and MT isoforms was determined. Study 1: MT1E, MT1F, MT1G, MT1H, MT1L, MT1M, MT1X, MT2A and SLC30A1 increased with increasing concentrations of Zn and declined with the addition of TPEN. Study 2: Average daily Zn intake was 16·0 (sd 5·3) mg/d (range: 9–31 mg/d), and plasma Zn concentrations were 15·5 (SD 2·8) μmol/l (range 11–23 μmol/l). PBMC MT2A was positively correlated with dietary Zn intake (r 0·306, P = 0·03) and total Zn intake (r 0·382, P < 0·01), whereas plasma Zn was not (P > 0·05 for both). Findings suggest that MT2A mRNA in PBMCs reflects dietary Zn intake in healthy adults and may be a component in determining Zn status.

The role of adiponectin and leptin signalling pathways has been suggested to play important roles in the protective effects of energy restriction (ER) on mammary tumour (MT) development. To study the effects of ER on the methylation levels in adiponectin receptor 1 (AdipoR1) and leptin receptor overlapping transcript (Leprot) genes using the pyrosequencing method in mammary fat pad tissue, mouse mammary tumour virus-transforming growth factor-α (MMTV-TGF-α) female mice were randomly assigned to ad libitum (AL), chronic ER (CER, 15 % ER) or intermittent ER (3 weeks AL and 1 week 60 % ER in cyclic periods) groups at 10 weeks of age until 82 weeks of age. The methylation levels of AdipoR1 in the CER group were higher than those in the AL group at week 49/50 (P < 0·05), while the levels of methylation for AdipoR1 and Leprot genes were similar among the other groups. Also, the methylation levels at CpG2 and CpG3 regions of the promoter region of the AdipoR1 gene in the CER group were three times higher (P < 0·05), while CpG1 island of Leprot methylation was significantly lower compared with the other groups (P < 0·05). Adiponectin and leptin gene expression levels were consistent with the methylation levels. We also observed a change with ageing in methylation levels of these genes. These results indicate that different types of ER modify methylation levels of AdipoR1 and Leprot in different ways and CER had a more significant effect on methylation levels of both genes. Epigenetic regulation of these genes may play important roles in the preventive effects of ER against MT development and ageing processes.

The purpose of the present study was to compare next-morning responses of RMR and appetite to pre-sleep consumption of casein protein (CP) in pre- and postmenopausal women. The study was a randomised, crossover, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Seven sedentary premenopausal (age: 19·9 (sd 1·2) years; BMI: 23·1 (sd 2·6) kg/m2) and seven sedentary postmenopausal (age: 56·4 (sd 4·9) years; BMI: 26·3 (sd 3·5) kg/m2) women participated. During visit one, anthropometrics and body composition were measured. Following visit one, subjects consumed either CP (25 g) or placebo (PL) ≥2 h after their last meal and ≤30 min prior to sleep on the night before visits two and three. Visits two and three occurred ≥1 week after visit one and were 48 h apart. During visits two and three, RMR (VO2), RER and appetite were measured via indirect calorimetry and visual analogue scale, respectively. Anthropometrics and body composition were analysed by one-way ANOVA. RMR and measures of appetite were analysed using a 2 × 2 (menopause status × CP/PL) repeated-measures ANOVA. Significance was accepted at P ≤ 0·05. RMR was significantly lower in postmenopausal compared with premenopausal women under both conditions (P = 0·003). When consumed pre-sleep CP did not alter RMR, RER or appetite compared with PL when assessed next morning in pre- and postmenopausal women. These data contribute to growing evidence that pre-sleep consumption of protein is not harmful to next-morning metabolism or appetite. In addition, these data demonstrate that menopause may not alter next-morning RMR, RER or appetite after pre-sleep consumption of CP.

The present study investigated the influence of berberine (BBR) supplementation in normal and high-lipid (HL) diets on lipid metabolism and accumulation in black sea bream (Acanthopagrus schlegelii). BBR was supplemented at 50 mg/kg to control (Con, 11·1 % crude lipid) and high-lipid (HL, 20·2 % crude lipid) diets and named as ConB and HLB, respectively. After the 8-week feeding trial, fish body length and specific growth rate were significantly reduced by HL diets (P < 0·05). Muscle and whole-body crude lipid contents were significantly influenced by both BBR supplementation and dietary lipid level. Fish fed the HLB diet had significantly lower serum TAG, LDL-cholesterol contents and alanine aminotransferase activity compared with the HL group. The HL group presented vast lipid accumulation in the liver, and hypertrophied hepatocytes along with large lipid droplets, and translocation of nuclear to the cell periphery. These abnormalities in black sea bream were alleviated in the HLB group. BBR supplementation in the HL diet significantly down-regulated the hepatic expression levels of acetyl-CoA carboxylase α, sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and pparγ, whereas the lipoprotein lipase, hormone-sensitive lipase and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1a expression levels were significantly up-regulated. However, the expression levels of these genes showed opposite trends in muscle (except for pparγ). In conclusion, dietary BBR supplementation in the HL diet reduced hepatic lipid accumulation by down-regulating lipogenesis gene expression and up-regulating lipolysis gene expression, and it increased muscle lipid contents with opposite trends of the mechanism observed in the liver.

The present study investigated the association between fibre degradation and the concentration of dissolved molecular hydrogen (H2) in the rumen. Napier grass (NG) silage and corn stover (CS) silage were compared as forages with contrasting structures and degradation patterns. In the first experiment, CS silage had greater 48-h DM, neutral-detergent fibre (NDF) and acid-detergent fibre degradation, and total gas and methane (CH4) volumes, and lower 48-h H2 volume than NG silage in 48-h in vitro incubations. In the second experiment, twenty-four growing beef bulls were fed diets including 55 % (DM basis) NG or CS silages. Bulls fed the CS diet had greater DM intake (DMI), average daily gain, total-tract digestibility of OM and NDF, ruminal dissolved methane (dCH4) concentration and gene copies of protozoa, methanogens, Ruminococcus albus and R. flavefaciens, and had lower ruminal dH2 concentration, and molar proportions of valerate and isovalerate, in comparison with those fed the NG diet. There was a negative correlation between dH2 concentration and NDF digestibility in bulls fed the CS diet, and a lack of relationship between dH2 concentration and NDF digestibility with the NG diet. In summary, the fibre of CS silage was more easily degraded by rumen microorganisms than that of NG silage. Increased dCH4 concentration with the CS diet presumably led to the decreased ruminal dH2 concentration, which may be helpful for fibre degradation and growth of fibrolytic micro-organisms in the rumen.

Se, an essential biological trace element, is required for fish growth. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Protein deposition in muscle is an important determinant for fish growth. This study was conducted on juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) to explore the nutritional effects of Se on protein deposition in fish muscle by analysing the postprandial dynamics of both protein synthesis and protein degradation. Trout were fed a basal diet supplemented with or without 4 mg/kg Se (as Se yeast), which has been previously demonstrated as the optimal supplemental level for rainbow trout growth. After 6 weeks of feeding, dietary Se supplementation exerted no influence on fish feed intake, whereas it increased fish growth rate, feed efficiency, protein retention rate and muscle protein content. Results of postprandial dynamics (within 24 h after feeding) of protein synthesis and degradation in trout muscle showed that dietary Se supplementation led to a persistently hyperactivated target of rapamycin complex 1 pathway and the suppressive expression of numerous genes related to the ubiquitin–proteasome system and the autophagy–lysosome system after the feeding. However, the ubiquitinated proteins and microtubule-associated light chain 3B (LC3)-II:LC3-I ratio, biomarkers for ubiquitination and autophagy activities, respectively, exhibited no significant differences among the fish fed different experimental diets throughout the whole postprandial period. Overall, this study demonstrated a promoting effect of nutritional level of dietary Se on protein deposition in fish muscle by accelerating postprandial protein synthesis. These results provide important insights about the regulatory role of dietary Se in fish growth.

Fat is one of the six types of taste. Perceived taste intensity could affect the preference for a food and whether or not it is consumed. Cluster of differentiation 36 (CD36) translocates fatty acids on the cellular membrane and is involved in the oral fat-sensing mechanism. Therefore, genetic variation rs1761667 in CD36 is known to be associated with the perception of fat taste and, hence, its dietary intake. This study examined whether CD36 rs1527479 T>C, a proxy of rs1761667, is associated with fat intake and related dietary behaviour in Koreans. Using the data of the Ansan/Ansung Study, a part of the Korean Genome Epidemiology Study, the association of rs1527479 with the intake of macronutrients, including fat and selected foods, and fat-related dietary behaviours were investigated in 3194 males and 3425 females grouped by their degree of obesity. The findings suggested that rs1527479 did not have a meaningful effect on the intake of fat or other macronutrients or on the selection of food among non-obese females and males. However, in males with obesity, the genetic variation showed a significant association with vegetable intake. Obese males with the mutant CC genotype had substantially lower cruciferous vegetable consumption (adjusted P = 0·0015) than individuals with the TT and CT genotypes. Rs1527479 had no significant effect on the frequency of consuming fried foods or commonly used types of seasoning and cooking oils. In conclusion, CD36 genetic variation was associated with the intake of cruciferous vegetables but not fat intake in obese Korean males.

Feeding mice in early life a diet containing an experimental infant milk formula (Nuturis®; eIMF), with a lipid structure similar to human milk, transiently lowered body weight (BW) and fat mass gain upon Western-style diet later in life, when compared with mice fed diets based on control IMF (cIMF). We tested the hypothesis that early-life eIMF feeding alters the absorption or the postabsorptive trafficking of dietary lipids in later life. Male C57BL/6JOlaHsd mice were fed eIMF/cIMF from postnatal day 16–42, followed by low- (LFD, American Institute of Nutrition (AIN)-93 G, 7 wt% fat) or high-fat diet (HFD, D12451, 24 wt% fat) until day 63–70. Lipid absorption rate and tissue concentrations were determined after intragastric administration of stable isotope (2H or 13C) labelled lipids in separate groups. Lipid enrichments in plasma and tissues were analysed using GC-MS. The rate of triolein absorption was similar between eIMF and cIMF fed LFD: 3·2 (sd 1·8) and 3·9 (sd 2·1) and HFD: 2·6 (sd 1·7) and 3·8 (sd 3·0) % dose/ml per h. Postabsorptive lipid trafficking, that is, concentrations of absorbed lipids in tissues, was similar in the eIMF and cIMF groups after LFD. Tissue levels of absorbed TAG after HFD feeding were lower in heart (–42 %) and liver (–46 %), and higher in muscle (+81 %, all P < 0·05) in eIMF-fed mice. In conclusion, early-life IMF diet affected postabsorptive trafficking of absorbed lipids after HFD, but not LFD. Changes in postabsorptive lipid trafficking could underlie the observed lower BW and body fat accumulation in later life upon a persistent long-term obesogenic challenge.

Excess body weight confers a high risk to human health. Body weight variation between subjects can be partially explained by genetic differences. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association of genetic variants in the ADIPOQ (rs2241766) and LEP (rs7799039) genes with body weight trajectories in children from birth to 6 years of age. This was a prospective cohort (PREDI Study). Socio-economic, biological and anthropometric data were collected at four time points: at birth in the maternity unit; 1–2, 4–5 and 6 years old at the participants’ homes. Genotyping was performed by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Poisson regression and linear mixed-effect regression models were used to address the association of ADIPOQ and LEP genotypes with BMI. Excessive body weight at pre-pregnancy (β = 0·339, P = 0·01) and excessive gestational weight gain (β = 0·51, P < 0·001) were associated with children’s BMI trajectory from birth to 6 years. The ADIPOQ-rs2241766 TG or GG genotype was associated with a higher risk of excess body weight in the first 6 years of life (both sexes relative risk 1·25, 95 % CI 1·01, 1·56; female relative risk 1·67, 95 % CI 1·20, 2·31). BMI increased over the years according to the presence of the TG or GG genotype (β = 0·01, 95 % CI 0·01, 0·02), particularly in females (β = 0·02, 95 % CI 0·01, 0·04). The ADIPOQ-rs2241766 TG and GG genotypes increased the risk of excess body weight in children from birth to 6 years of age and had a positive effect on body weight trajectories in girls. The LEP-rs7799039 genetic variant was not associated with body weight trajectory in children.

Energy restriction (ER) has anti-ageing effects and probably protects from a range of chronic diseases including cancer, diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Specifically, ER has a positive impact on experimental kidney ageing, CKD (diabetic nephropathy, polycystic kidney disease) and acute kidney injury (nephrotoxic, ischaemia–reperfusion injury) through such mechanisms as increased autophagy, mitochondrial biogenesis and DNA repair, and decreased inflammation and oxidative stress. Key molecules contributing to ER-mediated kidney protection include adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase, sirtuin-1 and PPAR-γ coactivator 1α. However, CKD is a complex condition, and ER may potentially worsen CKD complications such as protein–energy wasting, bone–mineral disorders and impaired wound healing. ER mimetics are drugs, such as metformin and Na–glucose co-transporter-2 which mimic the action of ER. This review aims to provide comprehensive data regarding the effect of ER on CKD progression and outcomes.

Coated copper sulphate (CCS) could be used as a Cu supplement in cows. To investigate the influences of copper sulphate (CS) and CCS on milk performance, nutrient digestion and rumen fermentation, fifty Holstein dairy cows were arranged in a randomised block design to five groups: control, CS addition (7·5 mg Cu/kg DM from CS) or CCS addition (5, 7·5 and 10 mg Cu/kg DM from CCS, respectively). When comparing Cu source at equal inclusion rates (7·5 mg/kg DM), cows receiving CCS addition had higher yields of fat-corrected milk, milk fat and protein; digestibility of DM, organic matter (OM) and neutral-detergent fibre (NDF); ruminal total volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration; activities of carboxymethyl cellulase, cellobiase, pectinase and α-amylase; populations of Ruminococcus albus, Ruminococcus flavefaciens and Fibrobacter succinogenes; and liver Cu content than cows receiving CS addition. Increasing CCS addition, DM intake was unchanged, yields of milk, milk fat and protein; feed efficiency; digestibility of DM, OM, NDF and acid-detergent fibre; ruminal total VFA concentration; acetate:propionate ratio; activity of cellulolytic enzyme; populations of total bacteria, protozoa and dominant cellulolytic bacteria; and concentrations of Cu in serum and liver increased linearly, but ruminal propionate percentage, ammonia-N concentration, α-amylase activity and populations of Prevotella ruminicola and Ruminobacter amylophilus decreased linearly. The results indicated that supplement of CS could be substituted with CCS and addition of CCS improved milk performance and nutrient digestion in dairy cows.

Kefir consumption has been demonstrated to improve lipid and cholesterol metabolism; however, our previous study identified that benefits vary between different commercial and traditional kefir. Here, we investigate the ability of pitched culture kefir, that is, kefir produced by a small number of specific strains, to recapitulate health benefits of a traditional kefir, in a diet-induced obesity mouse model, and examine how microbial composition of kefir impacts these benefits. Eight-week-old female C57BL/6 mice were fed a high-fat diet (40 % energy from fat) supplemented with one of five kefir varieties (traditional, pitched, pitched with no Lactobacillus, pitched with no yeast and commercial control) at 2 ml in 20 g of food for 8 weeks prior to analysis of plasma and liver lipid profiles, and liver gene expression profiles related to lipid metabolism. Both traditional and pitched kefir lowered plasma cholesterol by about 35 % (P = 0·0005) and liver TAG by about 55 % (P = 0·0001) when compared with commercial kefir despite no difference in body weight. Furthermore, pitched kefir produced without either yeast or Lactobacillus did not lower cholesterol. The traditional and pitched kefir with the full complement of microbes were able to impart corresponding decreases in the expression of the cholesterol and lipid metabolism genes encoding 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase, PPARγ and CD36 in the liver. These results demonstrate that traditional kefir organisms can successfully be utilised in a commercial process, while highlighting the importance of microbial interactions during fermentation in the ability of fermented foods to benefit host health.

The present study aimed to investigate an interaction between energy intake, physical activity and UCP2 gene variation on weight gain and adiposity changes in Indonesian adults. This is a prospective cohort study conducted in 323 healthy adults living in the city of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Energy intake, physical activity, body weight, BMI, percentage body fat and waist:hip ratio (WHR) were measured at baseline and after 2 years while UCP2 -866G/A gene variation was determined at baseline. We reported that after 2 years subjects had a significant increment in body weight, BMI, body fat and reduction in WHR (all P < 0·05). In all subjects, total energy intake was significantly correlated with changes in body weight (β = 0·128, P = 0·023) and body fat (β = 0·123, P = 0·030). Among subjects with the GG genotype, changes in energy intake were positively correlated with changes in body weight (β = 0·232, P = 0·016) and body fat (β = 0·201, P = 0·034). These correlations were insignificant among those with AA + GA genotypes (all P > 0·05). In summary, we show that UCP2 gene variation might influence the adiposity response towards changes in energy intake. Subjects with the GG genotype of UCP2 -866G/A gene were more responsive to energy intake, thus more prone to weight gain due to overeating.

Two trials were conducted to evaluate the effects of soyabean meal replacement by maize distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) in diets for pacu juveniles. Five diets were formulated with 0, 100, 200, 300 and 400 g of DDGS/kg diet replacing up to total dietary soyabean meal. In trial 1, the experimental diets were fed to five groups of fish to evaluate the apparent digestibility coefficients (ADC). In trial 2, four groups of fish were fed each experimental diet for 100 d to evaluate the effects of these diets on digestive enzyme activity, intestine oxidative stress and intestine morphology. The ADC of DM and energy was reduced with dietary DDGS inclusion, while the ADC of lipids was increased, and no differences were observed for the ADC of protein. Independent of dietary treatment, pH increased from anterior to the distal intestine with dietary DDGS inclusion. Digestive enzyme activities were higher on anterior than the distal intestine. Dietary DDGS decreased lipase, amylase, chymotrypsin and trypsin activities, while no differences were observed for total protease activity. Intestine glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase was reduced in fish fed the DDGS diets, while catalase activity increased. Lipid peroxidation was lower in fish fed DDGS diets than the control. Intestine histomorphology improved with dietary DDGS inclusion. Overall, the negative effects of soyabean meal could be decreased by dietary replacement with maize DDGS which may have a prebiotic effect, improving intestine health.

The present study investigated the effect of Bacillus subtilis DSM 29784 (Ba) and enzymes (xylanase and β-glucanases; Enz), alone or in combination (BE) as antibiotic replacements, on the growth performance, digestive enzyme activity, immune response and the intestinal barrier of broiler chickens. In total, 1200 1-d-old broilers were randomly assigned to five dietary treatments, each with six replicate pens of forty birds for 63 d as follows: (a) basal diet (control), supplemented with (b) 1 × 109 colony-forming units (cfu)/kg Ba, (c) 300 mg/kg Enz, (d) 1 × 109 cfu/kg Ba and 300 mg/kg Enz and (e) 250 mg/kg enramycin (ER). Ba, Enz and BE, similar to ER, decreased the feed conversion rate, maintained intestinal integrity with a higher villus height:crypt depth ratio and increased the numbers of goblet cells. The BE group exhibited higher expression of claudin-1 and mucin 2 than the other four groups. BE supplementation significantly increased the α-diversity and β-diversity of the intestinal microbiota and markedly enhanced lipase activity in the duodenal mucosa. Serum endotoxin was significantly decreased in the BE group. Compared with those in the control group, increased superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities were observed in the jejunal mucosa of the Ba and BE groups, respectively. In conclusion, the results suggested that dietary treatment with Ba, Enz or BE has beneficial effects on growth performance and anti-oxidative capacity, and BE had better effects than Ba or Enz alone on digestive enzyme activity and the intestinal microbiota. Ba or Enz could be used as an alternative to antibiotics for broiler chickens.

n-3 Long-chain PUFA (LCPUFA) can improve cardiometabolic blood markers, but studies in children are limited. SNP in the FADS genes, which encode fatty acid desaturases, influence endogenous LCPUFA production. Moreover, SNP in genes that encode PPAR and apoE may modulate the effects of n-3 LCPUFA. We explored whether FADS polymorphisms were associated with blood cholesterol and TAG, insulin and glucose and whether polymorphisms in PPAR and APOE modified associations between FADS or n-3 LCPUFA status and the cardiometabolic blood markers. We measured fasting cholesterol and TAG, insulin, glucose and n-3 LCPUFA in 757 Danish 8–11-year-old children and genotyped SNP in FADS (rs1535 and rs174448), PPARG2 (rs1801282), PPARA (rs1800206) and APOE (rs7412+rs429358). Carriage of two FADS rs174448 major alleles was associated with lower TAG (P = 0·027) and higher HDL-cholesterol (P = 0·047). Blood n-3 LCPUFA was inversely associated with TAG and insulin in PPARG2 minor allele carriers and positively with LDL-cholesterol in major allele homozygotes (Pn-3 LCPUFA × rs180182 < 0·01). Associations between n-3 LCPUFA and cardiometabolic markers were not modified by APOE genotype (Pn-3 LCPUFA × APOE > 0·11), but interaction between FADS rs1535 and APOE showed that rs1535 major allele homozygotes who also carried APOE2 had higher HDL-cholesterol than all other genotype combinations (Prs1535 × APOE = 0·019, pairwise-P < 0·05). This indicates that FADS genotypes, which increase endogenous LCPUFA production, may beneficially affect children’s cardiometabolic profile in a partly APOE-dependent manner. Also, the degree to which children benefit from higher n-3 LCPUFA intake may depend on their PPARG2 genotype.

It is unclear if mild-to-moderate dehydration independently affects mood without confounders like heat exposure or exercise. This study examined the acute effect of cellular dehydration on mood. Forty-nine adults (55 % female, age 39 (sd 8) years) were assigned to counterbalanced, crossover trials. Intracellular dehydration was induced with 2-h (0·1 ml/kg per min) 3 % hypertonic saline (HYPER) infusion or 0·9 % isotonic saline (ISO) as a control. Plasma osmolality increased in HYPER (pre 285 (sd 3), post 305 (sd 4) mmol/kg; P < 0·05) but remained unchanged in ISO (pre 285 (sd 3), post 288 (sd 3) mmol/kg; P > 0·05). Mood was assessed with the short version of the Profile of Mood States Questionnaire (POMS). The POMS sub-scale (confusion-bewilderment, depression-dejection, fatigue-inertia) increased in HYPER compared with ISO (P < 0·05). Total mood disturbance score (TMD) assessed by POMS increased from 10·3 (sd 0·9) to 16·6 (sd 1·7) in HYPER (P < 0·01), but not in ISO (P > 0·05). When TMD was stratified by sex, the increase in the HYPER trial was significant in females (P < 0·01) but not in males (P > 0·05). Following infusion, thirst and copeptin (surrogate for vasopressin) were also higher in females than in males (21·3 (sd 2·0), 14·1 (sd 1·4) pmol/l; P < 0·01) during HYPER. In conclusion, cellular dehydration acutely degraded specific aspects of mood mainly in women. The mechanisms underlying sex differences may be related to elevated thirst and vasopressin.