1,721,385 research outputs found
The foodomics approach for discovering biomarkers of food consumption in nutrition studies
No full textFood consumption surveys are often used to evaluate both the compliance of volunteers to the dietary intervention, and the effectiveness of a nutrient/bioactive compound. However, there is the need of selecting, within the whole food metabolome, specific dietary biomarkers as more objective measures of dietary exposure. At present, the only possibility to manage the enormous number of compounds constituting the metabolome is the non-targeted metabolite profiling as a tool of the foodomics approach. On the other hand, targeted analyses on a predetermined set of clinical biomarkers can provide important mechanistic information. Both targeted and non-targeted analyses should be considered complementary to each other, the use of the former or the latter depending on the specific scientific question at hand
Data on the potential of nutrition-information apps from a consumer behaviour perspective
Full text linkThis paper presents data on the influence of the use of a nutrition-information app (Edo) on healthy eating. The methodology adopted included a baseline (t0) and a follow-up online questionnaire (t1). The first survey was sent to 7000 consumers who had already downloaded the app. This survey collected data on users’ perceived healthiness of their own diet, food purchasing habits, sociodemographic information, concern for appearance, perception of the Health Belief Model constructs, and objective and perceived healthy food knowledge. The follow-up survey (t1) was sent to the respondents who had used the app for 12 weeks. It collected data on app satisfaction, recommended additional app features, consumers’ perception on the Health Belief Model constructs, and consumers’ objective and perceived healthy food knowledge. Data elaboration included two factor analyses elaboration, one for t0 data and one for t1 data. The aim was the identification of constructs as latent factors of the data. The value of each construct was calculated and compared between t0 and t1. The data presented in this article can help the replication of studies about similar apps and enhance the cooperation among app developers, consumer behaviour scientists, nutritionists and marketing experts for apps development. For conclusion and interpretation of data, the original article can be consulted (DOI:10.1016/j.foodres.2019.108766)
Understanding the Kinetics of Nutrients Bioaccessibility by Modelling Foodomics Data
Full text linkHolistic methods at the basis of the foodomics approach are allowing the in-depth understanding, at molecular and supramolecular level, of the complexity of food matrix. The latter, in turn, affects the nutrient bioaccessibility, one of the crucial factors impacting on the final effect of diets. However, many levels of complexity are emerging, relating to food-human interactions, while bolus descends along the whole gastrointestinal tract. Such complexity makes in-vitro and in-silico models still unable to fully describe intertwined kinetics between food matrix and human compartments. A possible framework to unravel complexity is outlined, starting from bioaccessibility modelling all the way down the to inter-compartmental kinetics. The aim is enhancing algorithms and models for prediction of the impact of a food category on a class of individuals. The proposed framework can consider many levels of complexity, provided that time-resolved experiments, suitable for integration with food matrix description, are correctly designed for this purpose
Balancing Nutritional and Environmental Sustainability Through the Evaluation of the Water Footprint of the Recommended Italian, Spanish, and American Diets
Full text linkBackground/Objectives: The water footprint (WF) provides information on the impact of individual foods on water consumption, but to better direct food production toward water saving, we need to understand how to reduce the WF of our diets while keeping it healthy. In this study, we compared the WF of healthy diets based on national food-based dietary guidelines with the aim of highlighting changes in dietary patterns that could reduce water requirements without compromising nutritional adequacy. Methods: Three 2000 kcal/day dietary patterns were elaborated following the Italian, Spanish, and American dietary guidelines, and their total, green, blue, and grey WFs were calculated. Results: The Italian dietary pattern showed the lowest total WF (2806 L per capita/day), with the American and Spanish patterns being 8% and 10.5% higher, respectively. The food groups contributed differently to the total WF. In the USA, animal foods were the main contributor (56% versus 41% in Spain and 38% in Italy). The contribution of plant foods was higher in Italy (61%) than in Spain (54%) and the USA (38%). The distribution of the total WF between WFgreen, WFblue, and WFgrey was similar across the dietary patterns. Within each food group, and mainly in the animal-origin food group, the type of product significantly modulated the WF. Conclusions: Different diets can be equally nutritionally sustainable but have different impacts on environmental sustainability. The comparison of their WFs can be the starting point to promote dialogue between nutritionists, operators in the environmental sector, and the agri-food industry to ensure a healthy and balanced approach
Poultry Meat Nutritive Value and Human Health
No full textAlthough the composition of poultry meat significantly depends on the bird species, the feeding, the cuts, and the presence of skin, overall it is considered of good nutritional value and low energy content. Besides containing good amounts of proteins and many micronutrients, poultry meat is relatively low in fats and cholesterol, particularly when it is consumed without skin. An interesting nutritional characteristic of the poultry meat is to be rich in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. The content of these fatty acids can be further increased using appropriate feeding, and a genotype-based selection has been also suggested to produce chicken meat with high eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) content, possibly representing an alternative to fish. Poultry meat also contains several bioactive components such as glutathione, taurine, anserine, and others, and the content of most of them can also be increased by appropriate feeding. Future perspective indicates poultry meat as a promising functional food
PUFA and oxidative stress. Differential modulation of the cell response by DHA
Full text linkAlthough an increased dietary intake of long-chain n-3 PUFA is considered an effective preventive strategy, a theoretical concern related to the possible increase of lipid peroxidation induced by a PUFA-rich diet still remains a problem. In this study, the effects of different PUFA (linoleic, α-linolenic, arachidonic, eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid) on cytotoxicity, lipid oxidation, and modulation of antioxidant defenses were evaluated in HepG2 cells submitted to an oxidative stress (H2O2). Results clearly evidenced that all supplemented PUFA, but DHA, enhanced cell susceptibility to H2O2. Overall, our results underline that PUFA cannot be considered as a single category but as individual compounds, and research on mechanisms of action and preventive effects should deal with the individual fatty acids, particularly in the case of DHA
The molecular mechanism of the cholesterol-lowering effect of dill and kale: The influence of the food matrix components
Full text linkFoods are complex matrices containing many different compounds, all of which contribute to the overall effect of the food itself, although they have different mechanisms of action. While evaluating the effect of bioactive compounds, it is important to consider that the use of a single compound can hide the effects of the other molecules that can act synergistically or antagonistically in the same food. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of food matrix components by comparing two edible plants (dill and kale) with cholesterol-lowering potential and similar contents of their most representative bioactive, quercetin. The molecular effects of the extracts were evaluated in HepG2 cells by measuring the expression of sterol-regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBPs), 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGCR) and low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) at the mRNA and protein level. The results reported here show that both extracts reduced the cellular cholesterol level with a similar trend and magnitude. It is conceivable that the slightly different results are due to the diverse composition of minor bioactive compounds, indicating that only by considering food as a whole is it possible to understand the complex relationship between food, nutrition, and health in a foodomics vision
Shift of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in Gluten-Free Hemp-Enriched Sourdough Bread: A Metabolomic Approach
Full text linkHemp seed flour represents a potential ingredient for protein enrichment of gluten-free bakery products, the nutritional value of which could be further increased by fermentation with sourdough or with beneficial lactic acid bacteria strains. In this study, a metabolomic approach was used to evaluate the effect of hemp seed flour addition and sourdough fermentation on the production of flavoring and health-related volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in a gluten-free bread. Multivariate analysis of VOCs provided an in-depth description of the effects of hemp seed flour addition and sourdough fermentation on flavoring and bioactive compounds. In particular, an increased concentration of antimicrobial compounds, a larger spectrum of bioactive VOCs and a typical flavoring profile was evidenced in comparison to standard products. Furthermore, an increase of fermentation metabolites was observed in comparison to a standard dough, relating to abundances of 2-butanone-3-hydroxy, acetic acid, ethanol, and 1,4-butanediol. This study provides new insights on the evolution of flavoring and bioactive hemp seed flour constituents during sourdough fermentation, evidencing their retention in baked goods, and describes a new approach that could guide the formulation of innovative, fermented food with enhanced nutritional value
Modulation of Adipocyte Differentiation and Proadipogenic Gene Expression by Sulforaphane, Genistein, and Docosahexaenoic Acid as a First Step to Counteract Obesity
Full text linkObesity is characterized by excess body fat accumulation due to an increase in the size and number of differentiated mature adipocytes. Adipocyte differentiation is regulated by genetic and environmental factors, and its inhibition could represent a strategy for obesity prevention and treatment. The current study was designed with two aims: (i) to evaluate the changes in the expression of adipogenic markers (C/EBPα, PPARγvariant 1 and variant 2, and GLUT4) in 3T3-L1 murine preadipocytes at four stages of the differentiation process and (ii) to compare the effectiveness of sulforaphane, genistein, and docosahexaenoic acid in reducing lipid accumulation and modulating C/EBPα, PPARγ1, PPARγ2, and GLUT4 mRNA expression in mature adipocytes. All bioactive compounds were shown to suppress adipocyte differentiation, although with different effectiveness. These results set the stage for further studies considering natural food constituents as important agents in preventing or treating obesity.</jats:p
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