Maternal dietary supplementation with saturated, but not monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fatty acids, leads to tissue-specific inhibition of offspring Na+,K+-ATPase

In rats, a maternal diet rich in lard is associated with reduced Na+,K+-ATPase activity in adult offspring kidney. We have addressed the role of different fatty acids by evaluating Na+,K+-ATPase activity in offspring of dams fed diets rich in saturated (SFA), monounsaturated (MUFA) or polyunsaturated (PUFA) fatty acids. Female Sprague–Dawley rats were fed, during pregnancy and suckling, a control diet (4% w/w corn oil) or a fatty acid supplemented diet (24% w/w). Offspring were reared on chow (4% PUFA) and studied at 6 months. mRNA expression (real-time PCR) of Na+,K+-ATPase α subunit and protein expression of Na+,K+-ATPase subunits (Western blot) were assessed in kidney and brain. Na+,K+-ATPase activity was reduced in kidney (P < 0.05 versus all groups) and brain (P < 0.05 versus control and MUFA offspring) of the SFA group. Neither Na+,K+-ATPase α1 subunit mRNA expression, nor protein expression of total α, α1, α2, α3 or β1 subunits were significantly altered in kidney in any dietary group. In brains of SFA offspring α1 mRNA expression (P < 0.05) was reduced compared with MUFA and PUFA offspring, but not controls. Also in brain, SFA offspring demonstrated reduced (P < 0.05) α1 subunit protein and increased phosphorylation (P < 0.05) of the Na+,K+-ATPase modulating protein phospholemman at serine residue 63 (S63 PLM). Na+,K+-ATPase activity was similar to controls in heart and liver. In utero and neonatal exposure to a maternal diet rich in saturated fatty acids is associated with altered activity and expression of Na+,K+-ATPase in adulthood, but mechanisms appear tissue specific.

Gender-specific inhibition of platelet aggregation following omega-3 fatty acid supplementation

Background and Aims : Increased platelet aggregation is a major risk factor for heart attacks, stroke and thrombosis. Long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCn-3PUFA; eicosapentaenoic acid, EPA; docosahexaenoic acid, DHA) reduce platelet aggregation; however studies in the published literature involving EPA and/or DHA supplementation have yielded equivocal results. Recent in vitro studies have demonstrated that inhibition of platelet aggregation by LCn-3PUFA is gender specific. We examined the acute effects of dietary supplementation with EPA or DHA rich oils on platelet aggregation in healthy male and females.

Methods and Results : A blinded placebo controlled trial involving 15 male and 15 female subjects. Platelet aggregation was measured at 0, 2, 5 and 24 h post-supplementation with a single dose of either a placebo or EPA or DHA rich oil capsules. The relationship between LCn-3PUFA and platelet activity at each time point was examined according to gender vs. treatment. EPA was significantly the most effective in reducing platelet aggregation in males at 2, 5 and 24 h post-supplementation (−11%, −10.6%, −20.5% respectively) whereas DHA was not effective relative to placebo. In contrast, in females, DHA significantly reduced platelet aggregation at 24 h (−13.7%) while EPA was not effective. An inverse relationship between testosterone levels and platelet aggregation following EPA supplementation was observed.

Conclusion : Interactions between sex hormones and omega-3 fatty acids exist to differentially reduce platelet aggregation. For healthy individuals, males may benefit more from EPA supplementation while females are more responsive to DHA.

Neurocognitive effects of multivitamin supplementation on the steady state visually evoked potential (SSVEP) measure of brain activity in elderly women

OBJECTIVE: Growing evidence suggests that dietary supplementation with selected micronutrients and nutraceuticals may have the potential to improve cognition in older adults. Fewer studies have investigated the effects of these substances on brain activity. METHODS: This study was a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, conducted to explore the effects of 16 weeks supplementation with a combined multivitamin, mineral and herbal formula on the steady state visually evoked potential (SSVEP) measure of brain electrical activity. Participants were elderly women aged between 64 and 79 years, with subjective memory complaints. Baseline and post-treatment SSVEP data was obtained for 22 participants in the multivitamin group and 19 in the placebo group. A spatial working memory delayed response task (DRT) was performed during the recording of the SSVEP. RESULTS: The results revealed that when compared to placebo, multivitamin supplementation delayed SSVEP latency during retrieval, interpreted as an increase in inhibitory neural processes. Behavioural performance on the DRT was not improved by the multivitamin, however improved performance accuracy was associated with increased midline central SSVEP latency. There were no multivitamin-related effects on SSVEP amplitude. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that in the elderly, multivitamin supplementation may enhance neural efficiency during memory retrieval.

Characteristics of soy bread users and their beliefs about soy products

A two-stage random telephone/mail survey was conducted during the last quarter of 1998 among Adelaide residents to determine consumers' use of soy bread and other soy products and their health expectations of soy products. One in five (21%) of 1477 telephone subscribers usually consumed soy bread and related soy products. Comparisons of soy bread consumers and non-consumers, based on the mail survey sample, showed that more soy bread consumers used dietary supplements and ate low fat and vegetarian diets, though their experiences of ill health were similar. Soy bread consumers held stronger universalism (pro-nature) values than non-consumers. They also held more positive expectations about the benefits of soy consumption, including reductions in menstrual and menopausal symptoms, increased bowel regularity and reductions in the risk of heart disease and cancer. The findings are discussed in relation to the psychology of dietary supplementation, values orientations and physiological plausibility. Further investigations are suggested.

Short-term changes in endogenous estrogen levels and consumption of soy isoflavones affect working and verbal memory in young adult females

Estrogen is known to modulate certain cognitive functions, most notably improving working memory and verbal memory. Soy foods contain isoflavones, phytoestrogens structurally similar to estrogen that weakly bind to estrogen receptors.We investigated the effects of natural variations in estrogen levels and short-term dietary supplementation with soy isoflavones on cognitive function in 28 young women. Performance was examined across a range of cognitive tasks on three occasions during separate menstrual cycles: during a menses phase (low estrogen), during a luteal phase (highest estrogen), and once during a menses phase after a 3-day phytoestrogen-rich dietary intervention. Soy supplementation during menses led to an improvement in working memory and verbal memory. The menstrual cycle effects were mixed, with high estrogen improving performance on a verbal memory task but not on working memory. Our results suggest that soy phytoestrogens may improve working memory through estrogen-independent mechanisms.

CoQ10 conveys protection from oxidative stress in plasma but not skeletal muscle

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is commonly consumed as an antiaging supplement at doses of 30–210 mg/day. The aim of the study was to determine if CoQ10 alters markers of antioxidant status, oxidative damage, and gene expression in aging skeletal muscle. Female guinea pigs aged 26 months were supplemented for 6 weeks with CoQ10 at a human equivalent dose of 10 mg/kg/day. Body weight, plasma CoQ10 concentration, and WBC DNA abasic sites were measured at weeks 0, 2, 4, and 6 of the supplementation period. At the end of supplementation, concentrations of skeletal muscle CoQ10, glutathione, malondialdehyde, protein carbonyls, DNA abasic sites, activities of catalase and glutathione peroxidase, and the gene expression of cyctochrome c oxidase subunits were measured. Dietary supplementation with CoQ10 elevated plasma CoQ10 levels (pre 73 ± 3 nmol/L, post 581 ± 15 nmol/L, P < 0.05) and decreased abasic sites in WBC DNA (pre 16.8 ± 0.5 Ap/100000 bp, post 9.7 ± 0.4 Ap/100000 bp, P < 0.05). In contrast, all of the measures made in skeletal muscle were not different between groups (P > 0.05). These results indicate that dietary supplementation with CoQ10 at a dose of 10 mg/kg/day may be capable of increasing antioxidant protection and reducing oxidative damage in the plasma, but may have no effect in skeletal muscle.

Calcium intakes among Australian women : Geelong Osteoporosis Study

Background: Dietary calcium deficiency may be a risk factor for osteoporosis.

Aims: To estimate habitual calcium intakes and prevalence of calcium supplementation among free-living Australian women and validate a calcium-specific food-frequency questionnaire.

Methods: Calcium intakes for 1045 randomly selected women (20–92 years) were estimated by questionnaire which was tested against estimates from four day weighed records kept by 32 randomly selected women.

Results: The mean difference between calcium estimates was not statistically significantly different from zero (mean difference=121 mg; standard deviation of differences=357 mg; p>0.05). There was moderate agreement (weighted κ=0.4) between methods in ranking subjects into tertiles of calcium intake. Mean dietary calcium intakes were 615 mg/day for 20–54 years, 646 mg/day for 55–92 years and 782 mg/day for lactating women. Seventy-six per cent of women aged 20–54 years, 87% of older and 82% of lactating women had intakes below the recommended dietary intake (RDI). There was no association detected between calcium intake and age. Dairy foods provided 79.0% of dietary calcium intake. Calcium supplements were used by 6.6% and multivitamins by a further 4.3% of women. Supplementation was independent of dietary calcium intake and more likely used by postmenopausal women.

Conclusions: Our results suggest that 76% of women consume less than the RDI even when supplemental calcium is included. Furthermore, 14% have less than the minimal requirement of 300 mg/day and would, therefore, be in negative calcium balance and at risk of bone loss. Despite advertising campaigns promoting better nutrition and increased awareness of osteoporosis, many women are failing to achieve an adequate calcium intake.

Differential effects of natural palm oil, chemically and enzymatically-modified palm oil on weight gain, blood lipid metabolites and fat deposition in a pediatric pig model

Background: Increasing prevalence of obesity and overweight in the Western world, continue to be a major health threat and is responsible for increased health care costs. Dietary intervention studies show a strong positive association between saturated fat intake and the development of obesity and cardiovascular disease. This study investigated the effect of positional distribution of palmitic acid (Sn-1, 2 & 3) of palm oil on cardiovascular health and development of obesity, using weaner pigs as a model for young children.

Methods: Male and female weaner piglets were randomly allocated to 4 dietary treatment groups: 1) pork lard (LRD); 2) natural palm olein (NPO); 3) chemically inter-esterified PO (CPO) and 4) enzymatically inter-esterified PO (EnPO) as the fat source. Diets were formulated with 11% lard or with palm olein in order to provide 31% of digestible energy from fat in the diet and were balanced for cholesterol, protein and energy across treatments.

Results: From 8 weeks onwards, pigs on EnPO diet gained (P < 0.05) more weight than all other groups. Feed conversion efficiency (feed to gain) over the 12 week experimental period did not vary between treatment groups. Plasma LDL-C content and LDL-C/HDL-C ratio in pigs fed natural PO tended to be lower compared to all other diets. The natural PO lowered (P < 0.02) the plasma triglyceride (TG) content relative to the lard or EnPO diets, but was not different from the CPO diet. The natural PO diet was associated with lower (P < 0.05) saturated fat levels in subcutaneous adipose tissue than the CPO and EnPO diets that had lower saturated fat levels than the lard diet. Female pigs had lower lean and higher fat and fat:lean ratio in the body compared with male pigs. No difference in weight gain or blood lipid parameters was observed between sexes.

Conclusions: The observations on plasma TG, muscle and adipose tissue saturated fatty acid contents and back fat (subcutaneous) thickness suggest that natural palm oil may reduce deposition of body fat. In addition, dietary supplementation with natural palm oil containing palmitic acid at different positions in meat producing animals may lead to the production of meat and meat products with lower saturated fats. An increase in fat content and a decrease in lean content in female pigs resulted in an increased body fat:lean ratio but gender had no effect on blood lipid parameters or insulin concentrations.

Leukocyte numbers and function in subjects eating n-3 enriched foods: selective depression of natural killer cell levels

Introduction : While consumption of omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LCPUFA) has been recommended for those at risk of inflammatory disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, the mechanism of their anti-inflammatory effect remains to be clearly defined, particularly in relation to the dose and type of n-3 LCPUFA. The objective of this study was to determine whether varying the levels of n-3 LCPUFA in erythrocyte membrane lipids, following dietary supplementation, is associated with altered numbers and function of circulating leukocytes conducive to protection against inflammation. Methods : In a double-blind and placebo-controlled study, 44 healthy subjects aged 23 to 63 years consumed either standard or n-3 LCPUFA-enriched versions of typical processed foods, the latter allowing a target daily consumption of 1 gram n-3 LCPUFA. After six months, peripheral blood leukocyte and subpopulation proportions and numbers were assessed by flow cytometry. Leukocytes were also examined for lymphoproliferation and cytokine production, neutrophil chemotaxis, chemokinesis, bactericidal, adherence and iodination activity. Erythrocytes were analyzed for fatty-acid content. Results : Erythrocyte n-3 LCPUFA levels were higher and absolute leukocyte and lymphocyte numbers were lower in subjects consuming n-3 enriched foods than in controls. There were no changes in the number of neutrophils, monocytes, T cells (CD3+), T-cell subsets (CD4+, CD8+) and B cells (CD19+). However, natural killer (NK) (CD3-CD16+CD56+) cell numbers were lower in n-3 supplemented subjects than in controls and were inversely related to the amount of eicosapentaenoic acid or docosahexaenoic acid in erythrocytes. No significant correlations were found with respect to lymphocyte lymphoproliferation and production of IFN-γ and IL-2, but lymphotoxin production was higher with greater n-3 LCPUFA membrane content. Similarly, neutrophil chemotaxis, chemokinesis, bactericidal activity and adherence did not vary with changes in erythrocyte n-3 LCPUFA levels, but the iodination reaction was reduced with higher n-3 LCPUFA content. Conclusion : The data show that regular long-term consumption of n-3 enriched foods leads to lower numbers of NK cells and neutrophil iodination activity but higher lymphotoxin production by lymphocytes. These changes are consistent with decreased inflammatory reaction and tissue damage seen in patients with inflammatory disorders receiving n-3 LCPUFA supplementation.

Increased erythrocyte eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid are associated with improved attention and behavior in children with ADHD in a randomized controlled three-way crossover trial

OBJECTIVE: To investigate effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) on attention, literacy, and behavior in children with ADHD.

METHOD: Ninety children were randomized to consume supplements high in EPA, DHA, or linoleic acid (control) for 4 months each in a crossover design. Erythrocyte fatty acids, attention, cognition, literacy, and Conners' Parent Rating Scales (CPRS) were measured at 0, 4, 8, 12 months.

RESULTS: Fifty-three children completed the treatment. Outcome measures showed no significant differences between the three treatments. However, in children with blood samples (n = 76-46), increased erythrocyte EPA + DHA was associated with improved spelling (r = .365, p < .001) and attention (r = -.540, p < .001) and reduced oppositional behavior (r = -.301, p < .003), hyperactivity (r = -.310, p < .001), cognitive problems (r = -.326, p < .001), Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; DSM-IV) hyperactivity (r = -.270, p = .002) and DSM-IV inattention (r = -.343, p < .001).

CONCLUSION: Increasing erythrocyte DHA and EPA via dietary supplementation may improve behavior, attention, and literacy in children with ADHD.

Effects of Dietary Vitamin B6 Supplementation on Fillet Fatty Acid Composition and Fatty Acid Metabolism of Rainbow Trout Fed Vegetable Oil Based Diets

Fish oil replacement in aquaculture feeds results in major modifications to the fatty acid makeup of cultured fish. Therefore, in vivo fatty acid biosynthesis has been a topic of considerable research interest. Evidence suggests that pyridoxine (vitamin B₆) plays a role in fatty acid metabolism, and in particular, the biosynthesis of LC-PUFA has been demonstrated in mammals. However, there is little information on the effects of dietary pyridoxine availability in fish fed diets lacking LC-PUFA. This study demonstrates a relationship between dietary pyridoxine supplementation and fatty acid metabolism in rainbow trout. In particular, the dietary pyridoxine level was shown to modulate and positively stimulate the activity of the fatty acid elongase and Δ-6 and Δ-5 desaturase enzymes, deduced by the whole-body fatty acid balance method. This activity was insufficient to compensate for a diet lacking in LC-PUFA but does highlight potential strategies to maximize this activity in cultured fish, especially when fish oil is replaced with vegetable oils.

Maternal dietary creatine supplementation does not alter the capacity for creatine synthesis in the newborn spiny mouse

We have previously reported that maternal creatine supplementation protects the neonate from hypoxic injury. Here, we investigated whether maternal creatine supplementation altered expression of the creatine synthesis enzymes (arginine:glycine amidinotransferase [AGAT], guanidinoaceteate methyltransferase [GAMT]) and the creatine transporter (solute carrier family 6 [neurotransmitter transporter, creatine] member 8: SLC6A8) in the term offspring. Pregnant spiny mice were fed a 5% creatine monohydrate diet from midgestation (day 20) to term (39 days). Placentas and neonatal kidney, liver, heart, and brain collected at 24 hours of age underwent quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis. Maternal creatine had no effect on the expression of AGAT and GAMT in neonatal kidney and liver, but mRNA expression of AGAT in brain tissues was significantly decreased in both male and female neonates born to mothers who were fed the creatine diet. SLC6A8 expression was not affected by maternal dietary creatine loading in any tissues. Maternal dietary creatine supplementation from midgestation in the spiny mouse did not alter the capacity for creatine synthesis or transport.