Alessandra Bordoni

Dairy Products and Inflammation: A Review of the Clinical Evidence

ABSTRACT Inflammation is a major biological process regulating the interaction between organisms and the environment, including the diet. Because of the increase in chronic inflammatory diseases, and in light of the immune-regulatory properties of breastfeeding, the ability of dairy products to modulate inflammatory processes in humans is an important but unresolved issue. Here, we report a systematic review of 52 clinical trials investigating inflammatory markers in relation to the consumption of dairy products. An inflammatory score (IS) was defined to quantitatively evaluate this interaction. The IS was significantly positive for the entire data set, indicating an anti-inflammatory activity in humans. When the subjects were stratified according to their health status, the IS was strongly indicative of an anti-inflammatory activity in subjects with metabolic disorders and of a pro-inflammatory activity in subjects allergic to bovine milk. Stratifying the data by product categories associated both low-fat and high-fat products, as well as fermented products, with an anti-inflammatory activity. Remarkably, the literature is characterized by a large gap in knowledge on bioavailability of bioactive nutrients. Future research should thus better combine food and nutritional sciences to adequately follow the fate of these nutrients along the gastrointestinal and metabolic axes.

Foodomics for healthy nutrition.

Purpose of reviewTo understand how the principles of foodomics could improve the assessment of the nutritional status and needs. Recent findingsThe knowledge that metabolic pathways may be altered in individuals with genetic variants in the presence of certain dietary exposures offers great potential for personalized nutrition advice, and epigenetics and nutrigenetics have been used to assess the need and status of specific nutrients. MicroRNAs profiling and genome-wide association studies have also contributed. Since nutritional effects of complex diets emerge only if dietary assessments are validated, nutrimetabolomics offers the validation tools on the basis of food intake biomarkers. SummaryApart from the provision, via a high-throughput approach, of objective measurable parameters to be used as biomarkers, a consensus must be reached on the definition of health and wellness. Health (and wellness) can be considered a position having specific coordinates in a multiple-dimension space, and many factors contribute to our movements in this space. Foodomics is the science aiming at studying, through the evaluation of different biomarkers, the entity and the direction of the movements across the healthy or unhealthy space, developing models that are able to explain how food components, food, diet and lifestyle can influence our trajectory toward the healthy condition. Only considering the ‘health space’ as a multidimensional one, we have the possibility of understanding the complex relationship linking nutrition and health, and of reaching healthier conditions by personalized balanced diets in a foodomics vision.

Fatty acid composition of chicken breast meat is dependent on genotype-related variation of FADS1 and FADS2 gene expression and desaturating activity

In Western countries the dietary guidance emphasizes the need to decrease the intake of saturated fatty acids and to replace them with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), particularly long chain n-3 PUFA (LC-PUFA). The production of poultry meat having a lower fat content and healthier fatty acid (FA) profile is a hot topic for the poultry industry, and the possibility to identify genotypes able to produce meat with a higher LC-PUFA content deserves attention. The aims of the present study were to evidence in chicken (i) a genotype-related different expression of the desaturating enzymes delta-6 (Δ6, EC 1.14.99.25), delta-5 (Δ5, EC 1.14.19.) and delta-9 (Δ9, EC 1.14.19.1); (ii) the impact of the hypothesized different expression on the meat FA composition; (iii) the distribution of desaturase products in the different lipid classes. Slow (SG), medium (MG) and fast (FG) growing chickens fed the same diet were evaluated either for the relative expression of FADS1, FADS2 and SCD1 genes in liver (by q-PCR), or for the FA composition of breast meat. MG and particularly SG birds showed a greater expression of FADS2 and FADS1 genes, a higher Δ6 and Δ5 activity (estimated using desaturase indices), and consequently a higher LC-PUFA content in the breast meat than FG birds. The relationship between genotype and desaturating ability was demonstrated, with a significant impact on the PUFA content of breast meat. Due to the high consumption rate of avian meat, the identification of the best genotypes for meat production could represent an important goal not only for the food industry, but also for the improvement of human nutrition.

PUFA and oxidative stress. Differential modulation of the cell response by DHA

Abstract Although 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.

Bioaccessibility of the Bioactive Peptide Carnosine during in Vitro Digestion of Cured Beef Meat

A bioactive compound is a food component that may have an impact on health. Its bioaccessibility, defined as the fraction released from the food matrix into the gastrointestinal tract during digestion, depends on compound stability, interactions with other food components, and supramolecular organization of food. In this study, the effect of pH on the bioaccessibility of the bioactive dipeptide carnosine was evaluated in two commercial samples of the Italian cured beef meat bresaola at two key points of digestion: before the gastric and after the duodenal phases. The digestion process was simulated using an in vitro static system, whereas capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) were used for quantitative analysis. The gap between the total carnosine content, measured by CZE, and its free diffusible fraction observable by NMR spectroscopy, was 11 and 19% for two independent bresaola products, where such percentages represent the fraction of carnosine not accessible for intestinal absorption because it was adsorbed to the food matrix dispersed in the digestion fluid.

Effects of selected bioactive food compounds on human white adipocyte function

BackgroundPrevious studies suggest that intake of specific bioactive compounds may have beneficial clinical effects on adipose tissue partly due to their anti-inflammatory and insulin-sensitizing properties. With the overall aim to contribute to better understanding of the mechanisms of selected bioactive nutrients on fat metabolism, we investigated their role on human white adipocyte function.MethodsThe influence of the omega-3-fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), the anthocyanin (AC) cyanidin-3-glucoside and its metabolite protocatechuic acid, and the beta-glucan metabolite propionic acid (PI) on adipokine secretion, fatty acid metabolism (lipolysis/lipogenesis) and adipocyte differentiation (lipid accumulation) was studied in human fat cells differentiated in vitro. To investigate possible synergistic, additive or antagonistic effects, DHA was also combined with AC or PI.ResultsEach compound, alone or together with DHA, suppressed basal adipocyte lipolysis compared to control treated cells. DHA alone attenuated the secretion of pro-inflammatory adipokines such as chemerin, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1/CCL2), whereas AC suppressed only the latter two. Treatment with PI decreased IL-6, tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) and adiponectin secretion. A combination of DHA and AC decreased TNFα secretion and increased insulin-stimulated lipogenesis. No effect was found on adipocyte differentiation. At the selected concentrations, none of the compounds was found to be cytotoxic.ConclusionThe studied bioactive food compounds or their metabolites have beneficial effects in human primary fat cells measured as decreased basal lipolytic activity and secretion of inflammatory markers. A minor effect was also observed on insulin-stimulated glucose uptake albeit only with the combination of DHA and AC. Taken together, our results may link the reported health benefits of the selected bioactives on metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance, hypertension and dyslipidemia to effects on white adipocytes.

Identifying Critical Nutrient Intake in Groups at Risk of Poverty in Europe: The CHANCE Project Approach

The aim of the CHANCE project is to develop novel and affordable nutritious foods to optimize the diet and reduce the risk of diet-related diseases among groups at risk of poverty (ROP). This paper describes the methodology used in the two initial steps to accomplish the project’s objective as follows: 1. a literature review of existing data and 2. an identification of ROP groups with which to design and perform the CHANCE nutritional survey, which will supply new data that is useful for formulating the new CHANCE food. Based on the literature review, a low intake of fruit and vegetables, whole grain products, fish, energy, fiber, vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, B12 and C, folate, calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium and zinc and a high intake of starchy foods, processed meat and sodium were apparent. However, the available data appeared fragmented because of the different methodologies used in the studies. A more global vision of the main nutritional problems that are present among low-income people in Europe is needed, and the first step to achieve this goal is the use of common criteria to define the risk of poverty. The scoring system described here represents novel criteria for defining at-risk-of-poverty groups not only in the CHANCE-participating countries but also all over Europe.

The food matrix affects the anthocyanin profile of fortified egg and dairy matrices during processing and in vitro digestion

The aim of the present study was to understand to what extent the inclusion of anthocyanins into dairy and egg matrices could affect their stability after processing and their release and solubility during digestion. For this purpose, individual and total anthocyanin content of four different enriched matrices, namely custard dessert, milkshake, pancake and omelettete, was determined after their manufacturing and during in vitro digestion. Results showed that anthocyanin recovery after processing largely varied among matrices, mainly due to the treatments applied and the interactions developed with other food components. In terms of digestion, the present study showed that the inclusion of anthocyanins into food matrices could be an effective way to protect them against intestinal degradation, and also the incorporation of anthocyanins into matrices with different compositions and structures could represent an interesting and effective method to control the delivery of anthocyanins within the different compartments of the digestive tract.

Ancient wheat and health: a legend or the reality? A review on KAMUT khorasan wheat

Abstract After WWII, the industrialized agriculture selected modern varieties of Triticum turgidum spp. durum and spp. aestivum (durum wheat and common wheat) based on higher yields and technological characteristics. Nowadays, the use of whole ancient grains and pseudo cereals is considered nutritionally important. How ancient grains have positive effects is not entirely known, the fragmentation of the scientific knowledge being also related to the fact that ancient grains are not a homogeneous category. The KAMUT® trademark indicates a specific and ancient variety of grain (Triticum turgidum ssp. turanicum, commonly khorasan wheat), and guarantees certain attributes making studies sufficiently comparable. In this work, studies on KAMUT® khorasan wheat have been systematically reviewed, evidencing different aspects supporting its benefits. Although it is not possible to establish whether all ancient grains share these positive characteristics, in total or in part, this review provides further evidences supporting the consumption of ancient grains.

Evidence of a DHA Signature in the Lipidome and Metabolome of Human Hepatocytes

Cell supplementation with bioactive molecules often causes a perturbation in the whole intracellular environment. Omics techniques can be applied for the assessment of this perturbation. In this study, the overall effect of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation on cultured human hepatocyte lipidome and metabolome has been investigated using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) in combination with traditional techniques. The effect of two additional bioactives sharing with DHA the lipid-lowering effect—propionic acid (PRO) and protocatechuic acid (PCA)—has also been evaluated in the context of possible synergism. NMR analysis of the cell lipid extracts showed that DHA supplementation, alone or in combination with PCA or PRO, strongly altered the cell lipid profile. The perfect discrimination between cells receiving DHA (alone or in combination) and the other cells reinforced the idea of a global rearrangement of the lipid environment induced by DHA. Notably, gas chromatography and fluorimetric analyses confirmed the strong discrimination obtained by NMR. The DHA signature was evidenced not only in the cell lipidome, but also in the metabolome. Results reported herein indicate that NMR, combined with other techniques, represents a fundamental approach to studying the effect of bioactive supplementation, particularly in the case of molecules with a broad spectrum of mechanisms of action.