Tag Archives: diet choices

Maternal Consumption of Dietary Fatty Acids in Early Pregnancy Influences Gene Expression in Adult Offspring in Rats

It is well known that what a pregnant woman puts in her body, it will have some influence on the developing fetus (either good or bad). Not only does the mother’s diet affect the baby during development in utero, but it can also have a long-term effect on the child throughout her or his life.

These long-term changes are likely influence by changes in the DNA profile of the developing fetus, particularly in the microRNAs, which are responsible for regulating gene expression in the body. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are responsible for the everyday normal functioning of cells, however, any mutation or other dysfunction of these miRNAs can lead to disease either in the near future or over the long term.

A new study published in the journal PLOS One sought to determine if different dietary fats consumed by the mother influenced miRNA expression of the child when these fats were ingested during pregnancy. (Note: rats were used during this study for ethical reasons).

Photo by Flickr user  Jim Kenefick (https://www.flickr.com/photos/stark23x/55575455)
Photo by Flickr user Jim Kenefick (https://www.flickr.com/photos/stark23x/55575455)

Rats were split into groups and each group fed one of the following fatty acid-based diets: soybean oil, olive oil, fish oil, linseed oil, or palm-oil.

Rats were fed one of the above diets from conception during gestational day 12. After, all rats were fed a standard diet.

Rats that were not pregnant were used as controls.

Liver concentrations of miRNAs were measured for pregnant and control rats, as well as the offspring produced from the pregnancies.

Specific miRNAs studied were those that are involved in insulin signaling.

Important Findings:

  • Liver concentrations of fatty acids in pregnant and non-pregnant rats reflected that of the specific diet consumed by the rats in early pregnancy.
  • Liver concentrations of fatty acids in rat pups marginally reflected that of the specific diet consumed by their mothers during early pregnancy.
  • Liver concentrations of fatty acids of adult offspring were similar to one another, regardless of what their mothers ate during early pregnancy.
  • miRNA expression in adult offspring were influenced by the specific diet consumed by their mothers during early pregnancy.
    • Specifically, the following miRNAs were influenced by maternal dietary fatty acid intake: miR-215, miR-10b, miR-26, miR-377-3p, miR-21, and miR-192 (plus several others).
  • There was reduced expression of miR-192, miR-215, and miR-10b insulin-signaling miRNAs in adult offspring whose mothers were fed the fish oil diet.

The overall results of this study show that maternal fatty acid intake during pregnancy influences the miRNA expression of insulin-signaling genes in offspring. While insulin-signaling genes were the only ones studied, it can be assumed that maternal fatty acid intake might influence much more.

This study also showed that maternal dietary fatty acid intake influences gene expression in adult offspring, indicating that what

Photo By Ken Hammond (USDA) (http://www.usda.gov/oc/photo/02cs2059.htm) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Photo By Ken Hammond (USDA) (http://www.usda.gov/oc/photo/02cs2059.htm) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
the mother eats during early pregnancy has a life-long influence on gene expression and possible disease risk in the resulting offspring.

As an example, over-expression of certain miRNAs and other genes has been linked to increased risk of diabetes, cancer, and many other diseases. In this study, pregnant rats eating a fish oil-based diet had pups who had reduced expression of several insulin-signaling miRNAs when they reached adulthood, potentially decreasing their risk for various metabolic diseases (like diabetes) that might be associated with those same miRNAs.

It was not determined which maternal diet was “better” in terms of miRNA expression in adult offspring, but would certainly make a fascinating follow-up study.

Source:

Casas-Agustench, P., Fernandes, F.S., Tavares do Carmo, M.G., Visioli, F., Herrera, E., and Dávalos, A. 2015. Consumption of distinct dietary lipids during early pregnancy differentially modulates the expression of microRNAs in mothers and offspring. PLOS One 10(2): doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0117858.

Simple Dietary Changes (ex. Increasing Fiber) May Be Just As Effective in Losing Weight Than Complicated Changes

Most of the studies on diet effectiveness one reads are focused on the more broad aspect of the diet. Specifically, there are many studies out there on the Mediterranean Diet, the Western Diet, the Paleo Diet, et cetera, however, what is less often studied is specific

Photo by Flickr user  Scott Teresi (http://www.flickr.com/photos/scott-teresi/4199022650)
Photo by Flickr user Scott Teresi (http://www.flickr.com/photos/scott-teresi/4199022650)

aspects within an individual diet, and how that specific aspect may or may not affect the health of the consumer.

A new study published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine aimed to assess a diet based on the complex recommendations by the American Heart Association (AHA) compared with a more simple diet focused on high-fiber foods on adults with metabolic syndrome.

240 adults in the Worcester, MA area with metabolic syndrome were recruited for this study. Participants had BMIs between 30 and 40 kg/m2 and were between the ages of 21 and 70. Participants were mainly women, white, and well-educated.

Participants were randomly assigned a high-fiber diet or a diet based on AHA recommendations. Caloric intake for meals was determined to be appropriate for weight loss for each participant.

Weight and height was measured at the beginning of the study, and then at 3, 6, and 12 months post diet intervention.

Other information collected at each visit included: use of medications, use of dietary supplements, adherence to the study diets, fasting glucose levels, fasting plasma insulin levels, hemoglobin A1c, lipid profile, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels, interleukin-6 levels, tumor necrosis factor-α receptor 2 levels, and blood pressure.

Important Findings:

  • After 12 months, average weight loss for the high-fiber group was 2.1kg, while average weight loss for the AHA group was 2.7kg. These differences were not found to be significant.
  • 8 participants developed diabetes during the study (7 in the high-fiber group and 1 in the AHA group).
  • Reduction of caloric intake was greater in the AHA group than the high-fiber group.
  • Blood pressure and all metabolic measurements were similar between the two groups throughout the study, with both groups showing improvements.

The results of this study suggest that following a complex diet based on AHA recommendations is statistically similar to a more simple diet of just increasing the amount of fiber consumed. Technically, the amount of weight lost following the AHA diet was greater than the high-fiber diet, however, the loss was not statistically significant.

It is important to note that the number of calories consumed in the

Photo by Flickr user  mooglet (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mooglet/4663090967)
Photo by Flickr user mooglet (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mooglet/4663090967)

high-fiber group was higher, so it would make sense that the participants in that group would not lose as much weight. Keeping caloric intake constant between the two groups may have provided a more accurate comparison, but that was not done in this study.

Another caveat to this study is that the participant pool was mostly white women who are well-educated, making generalizations to other groups difficult (if not impossible).

In the end, the authors concluded that the results of this study suggest that a simplified dietary approach (such as increasing the fiber in one’s diet) may be just as beneficial as a more complicated diet regime, making weight loss and improvements in metabolic measurements more accessible and easier to follow for the general population.

Source:

Yunsheng, M., Olendzki, B.C., Wang, J., Persuitte, G.M., Li, W., Fang, H., Merriam, P.A., Wedick, N.M., Ockene, I.S., Culver, A.L., Schneider, K.L., Olendzki, G., Carmody, J., Ge, T., Zhang, Z., and Pagoto, S.L. 2015. Single-Component Versus Multicomponent Dietary Goals for the Metabolic Syndrome. Annals of Internal Medicine 162(4): 249-259.

Healthy Diet Associated with Better Quality of Life in Older Adults

As we age and increase our risk for a variety of ailments and diseases, quality of life becomes very important to our overall well-being. Healthy diets have been shown to decrease the risk

Photo by Flickr user U.S. Department of Agriculture (https://www.flickr.com/photos/usdagov/13473984523)
Photo by Flickr user U.S. Department of Agriculture (https://www.flickr.com/photos/usdagov/13473984523)

and/or severity of many of these diseases, which begs the question “does a healthy diet result in an overall increase in quality of life as we age?”

A new study accepted into the journal Experimental Gerontology asked this very question and examined associations between diet and reported quality of life in older adults.

2457 (53% women) Australian adults between the ages of 55 and 65 participated in this study. Diet and quality of life were determined via a self-reported mail-in questionnaire.

Diet quality was scored based on the Dietary Guideline Index (DGI), recommended food score (RFS), and the Mediterranean diet score (MDS).

Quality of life was scored based on the RAND-36 test.

Important Findings:

  • For men, higher DGI and RFS scores were associated with higher energy.
  • For men, higher DGI scores were associated with better overall health, both physical and mental.
  • Photo by Flickr user  moodboard (https://www.flickr.com/photos/67835627@N05/7267002470/)
    Photo by Flickr user moodboard (https://www.flickr.com/photos/67835627@N05/7267002470/)

    For women, higher DGI and RFS scores were associated with better physical function, and better overall health.

  • For women, higher DGI, RFS, and MDS scores were associated with better emotional well-being and better energy.

The results of this study suggest that diet quality is positively associated with a better quality of life in older adults. Specifically, a better diet (and one that focuses on Mediterranean-style diet patterns) resulted in happier, more physically fit, and self-reported overall better health in older Australian adults.

Source:

Milte, C.M., Thorpe, M.G., Crawford, D., Ball, K., and McNaughton, S.A. 2015. Associations of diet quality with health-related quality of life in older Australian men and women. Experimental Gerontology http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.exger.2015.01.047

Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet in Greek Youths Associated with Mother’s Education Level and Two-Parent Households

The Mediterranean diet is frequently touted as being highly beneficial toward human health, however, some studies have

Photo courtesy wikimedia.com (Public Domain)
Photo courtesy wikimedia.com (Public Domain)

suggested that in the locations where this type of diet originated, adherence has dropped as more people adopt a more Western-style diet.

A new study in the journal Nutrition aimed to examine adherence to the Mediterranean diet by Greek youths and to attempt to understand possible trends by comparing adherence to a variety of demographic, lifestyle, and socio-economic factors.

A total of 525 Greek youths living in Athens or Heraklion, between the ages of 12 and 18, were included in this study.

Adherence to the Mediterranean diet was determined by questionnaires. Other data used in the analysis included: gender, age, height, weight, place of residence, parents education, parents employment, family structure, number of times “going out” per week, hobbies, TV watching, and sleeping habits.

Important Findings:

  • 21% of Greek youths had a strong adherence to the Mediterranean diet.
  • Strong adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with:
    • Mother’s educational level.
    • Living with both parents.
    • Living in a smaller city.
  • Weak adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with:
    • Using the computer 4 or more hours per day.
    • A lack of physical activity.
  • There was no correlation with adherence to the Mediterranean diet and body mass index.

The results of this study show that only 21% of Greek youths maintain a relatively strict Mediterranean diet. Youths with mothers

Photo By Fredler Brave (Fredler Brave; uploaded to Wikipedia) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Photo By Fredler Brave (Fredler Brave; uploaded to Wikipedia) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
having higher education levels, youths living with both parents, and youths living in a smaller city all seemed to correlate positively with strong adherence to the Mediterranean diet, while youths with mothers who had lower educational levels resulted in a poor adherence to the Mediterranean diet.

Not included in this study was economic information, which, as we’ve seen in previous studies, may also have a strong influence on adherence to the Mediterranean diet.  Economic factors could also have associations with the factors in this study shown to have influence on Mediterranean diet adherence.

Source:

Papadaki, S., and Mavrikaki, E. 2015. Greek adolescents and the Mediterranean diet: factors affecting quality and adherence. Nutrition 31: 345-349.

Mediterranean-Style Diets Have Lower Carbon Footprints Than High-Protein Diets

When you think of the Mediterranean diet and other diets in general, you tend to think of the health impacts on those that eat it. One thing that does not always come to mind is how specific diet choices affect the environment. In this time of climate change, understanding how diet choices impact the environment, and in particular carbon emissions or “carbon footprints”, is just as important as how it affects us as individuals.

A new study in the Journal of Health Services Research & Policy

Photo from wikimedia.com.  Public domain.
Photo from wikimedia.com. Public domain.

aimed to evaluate the carbon footprints of various diets in the setting of a Spanish hospital, in a preliminary attempt to possibly provide menu change recommendations in other industries.

Diet data was collected from Juan Ramón Jiménez Hospital in Huelva, Spain. In addition to the typical diet found at this hospital (one weeks’ worth in the winter), information on 17 other therapeutic diets published by Benidorm Clinical Hospital was used for this analysis.

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