Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

Functional Foods and Bioactive Compounds: A Review of Its Possible Role on Weight Management and Obesity’s Metabolic Consequences

Background: Weight management and obesity prevention is a basic aim of health organizations in order to decrease the prevalence of various metabolic disorders. The aim of the present review article was the evaluation of the possible role of functional foods and their bioactive compounds as alternative way to promote weight management and prevent obesity and its metabolic consequences. Methods: Approximately 100 articles were selected from Scopus, PubMed, Google Scholar, and Science Direct, by using relative key words, and based mainly on recent animal, clinical or epidemiological studies. Results: The literature review highlighted the possible effect of specific functional foods such as coffee, green tea, berries, nuts, olive oil, pomegranate, avocado, and ginger. Specific bioactive compounds of those foods—such as caffeine, catechins, gallic acid, anthocyanins, ascorbic acid, polyphenols, oleuropein, capsaicin, and quercetin—may contribute to weight management, obesity prevention, and obesity’s metabolic consequences. The possible mechanisms include effect on satiety, lipid absorption, fatty acids beta oxidation, stimulation of thermogenesis, etc. Conclusions: Functional foods, as part of a balanced diet, could be useful in the direction of weight management and decrease of obesity’s’ metabolic consequences. However, the scientific evidence is unclear and in most cases controversial and more clinical and epidemiological studies are needed in order to further investigate the mechanisms of their possible effect

Functional Foods’ Consumption in Children and Parents: A Literature Review

Among young children, parents are a main factor in children’s preferences for food served as they are responsible for purchasing and providing functional foods (FFs) and they are role models for them. This review study was conducted according to PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines and aimed at reviewing the recent data about the consumption of FFs in families as part of a balanced diet. The literature search was conducted via the online academic search engines PubMed, ResearchGate and Google Scholar. The search process was restricted to research papers published in English in reviewed journals from 2012 to 2023. Thirty-six articles were ultimately included in the present review. The findings indicated a relationship between several sociodemographic factors and a higher likelihood of purchasing FFs for children. Higher household annual income, education levels and purchase frequencies among females are all positively correlated with higher levels of nutritional knowledge and confidence in the validity of scientific research on FFs. Also, parents’ sociodemographic factors affect the children’s fruit/vegetable consumption. This study concludes that parents are role models for their children’s eating behavior and eating habits

Herbal Infusions as a Part of the Mediterranean Diet and Their Association with Psychological Resilience: The Paradigm of Greek Mountain Tea

Herbal infusions (HI) are a popular type of beverage known for their potential health benefits due to the extraction of phytochemicals and bioactive compounds. The Mediterranean Diet (MD) is a well-known dietary pattern with beneficial effects on health, and Psychological Resilience (PsyR) is a key indicator of mental health and human well-being. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to explore the relationship between HI and the MD, as well as their association with PsyR. The study included 398 healthy adults from Greece who participated voluntarily in an online research survey. The results indicated that 45.9% of participants consumed HI more than twice per week. There was a statistically significant association between the weekly consumption of HI and the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (14-MEDAS), which identified HI consumption as a prognostic factor of high adherence to the MD. Additionally, HI consumption was significantly associated with PsyR. St John’s wort, green tea, and Greek mountain tea were associated with higher levels of PsyR. Greek mountain tea was also associated with a healthful and sustainable lifestyle. These findings suggest that HI are an integral part of the Mediterranean Diet, and their consumption is associated with PsyR. Promoting the consumption of HI such as Greek mountain tea and other herbs could be an effective way to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors and sustainable practices. Further randomized control trials are needed to confirm the results of this study

Probiotics and Phytochemicals: Role on Gut Microbiota and Efficacy on Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Functional Dyspepsia, and Functional Constipation

Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs), such as irritable bowel syndrome, functional constipation, and functional dyspepsia, have had a high prevalence over the past few years. Recent evidence suggests that functional foods and bioactive compounds, such as probiotics and phytochemicals, may have a positive effect in treating the symptoms of the above diseases. In this systematic review study, 32 published studies were selected with the use of comprehensive scientific databases, according to PRISMA guidelines, with emphasis on recent interventional studies that reflect the effect of probiotics and selected phytochemicals on the improvement of FGID symptoms. The bioactive compounds in the selected studies were administered to patients either in capsule form or in enriched food products (yogurt, juice, etc.). According to the results, there is a correlation between the consumption of probiotics and phytochemicals, such as polyphenols, and the relief of symptoms in selected gastrointestinal disorders. Enriching foods that are regularly consumed by the population, such as fruit juices, yogurt, and cheese, with ingredients that may have a positive effect on gastrointestinal disorders, could be a possible novel goal for the management of these diseases. However, further evidence is required for the role of probiotics and phytochemicals in FGIDs to be fully understood

Association of Mean Daily Polyphenols Intake with Mediterranean Diet Adherence and Anthropometric Indices in Healthy Greek Adults: A Retrospective Study

Research data indicate the possible effect of both polyphenols consumption and Mediterranean diet adherence on metabolic diseases’ prevalence. The present retrospective study investigated the possible association of polyphenols mean daily intake with Mediterranean diet adherence and anthropometric indices in a sample of the Greek population. A total of 250 healthy volunteers, aged between 18 and 65 years, were randomly recruited from central and northern Greece. Total daily polyphenols intake was estimated using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) based on the NHANES study, while Med Diet Score was used for the degree of Mediterranean diet adoption. Daily polyphenols intake was identified by the Phenol Explorer database, and anthropometric measurements (BMI, waist-to-hip circumference, and body composition) were performed. The mean daily polyphenols intake was determined to be 1905 mg, while most of the participants had moderate or high mean consumption last year (67.5% of the sample were consuming more than 1000 mg/d). Moderate adherence to the Mediterranean diet (higher Med Diet Score) was associated with increased mean daily polyphenols intake (p = 0.016). Increased polyphenols intake and higher Med Diet Score were associated with decreased waist-to-hip circumference (p = 0.027, 0.004, respectively). Specific functional foods rich in polyphenols, such as sour cherry, tomatoes, black tea, and cocoa were associated with improved body composition indices. Larger epidemiological studies need to be performed for safer conclusions about whole population polyphenols intake and its association with metabolic disease biomarkers

Natural Functional Foods as a Part of the Mediterranean Lifestyle and Their Association with Psychological Resilience and Other Health-Related Parameters

Natural Functional Foods (NFFs) are unprocessed foods with proven health benefits beyond their nutritional value. The Mediterranean Diet (MD) and Mediterranean Lifestyle (MEDILIFE) are well known for their beneficial effects on health. Psychological Resilience (PsyR) is not only an important factor in human well-being; it is also regarded as a key indicator of mental health. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between NFFs and the MD and MEDILIFE in Greece, as well as their association with PsyR and other health-related parameters. In a cross-sectional design, 338 healthy adults participated voluntarily in an online research survey. There was a statistically significant association between the consumption of NFFs grown and produced in the Mediterranean region and the MD and MEDILIFE (p p p p p p < 0.01 compared with no weight loss). This study identified NFFs as a part of the MD and MEDILIFE. NFFs linked to the MEDILIFE could help predict the outcome of a weight loss diet and appear to have a positive effect on PsyR, sleep quality, and maintaining a healthy weight. Thus, the consumption of NFFs grown and produced in the Mediterranean region could be a natural, healthy, and sustainable way of enhancing physical–mental health. Randomised controlled trials should be conducted to confirm the findings of this cross-sectional study

Association between Serum Lipid Levels in Greek Children with Dyslipidemia and Mediterranean Diet Adherence, Dietary Habits, Lifestyle and Family Socioeconomic Factors

Background: Childhood dyslipidemia is an important risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease in adulthood. Our study aimed to investigate a possible correlation between nutritional, lifestyle, behavioral and socioeconomic factors and serum lipid levels in children with dyslipidemia. Methods: In this retrospective, observational study, in 31 children with dyslipidemia, aged 3&ndash;14 years, dietary habits, physical activity, hours watching television or playing video games, family&rsquo;s socioeconomic status, weight of children and parents, and duration of breastfeeding were recorded. The children&rsquo;s adherence to the Mediterranean diet was also evaluated by KidMed index. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS.22. Results: Children with increased physical activity had lower triglyceride levels, compared to those with lower physical activity (p = 0.001). Children who consumed only one meal per day, had increased levels of total cholesterol (p = 0.01), LDL-cholesterol (p = 0.01), ApoB (p = 0.001) and lipoprotein (a) (p = 0.018), compared to those who consumed more than 3 meals per day (p &lt; 0.05). Children who were breastfed less than 6 months had significantly increased LDL-C levels (p = 0.022), compared to children who were breastfed more than 6 months. All other parameters investigated did not differ significantly. Conclusions: This study showed association between lipid profile of children with dyslipidemia and specific nutritional and socioeconomic factors, such as increased physical activity, increased meals consumption during the day, and exclusive breastfeeding for more than 6 months. Nevertheless, further research is needed, in order to confirm these findings

Increased Functional Foods’ Consumption and Mediterranean Diet Adherence May Have a Protective Effect in the Appearance of Gastrointestinal Diseases: A Case–Control Study

Background: Epidemiological studies have suggested a possible correlation between nutritional factors and gastrointestinal diseases. Methods: A case&#8211;control study was designed in order to investigate if functional foods consumption and Mediterranean diet adherence have a positive effect in ulcerative colitis, Crohn&#8217;s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and gastroesophageal reflux disease. In total, 142 patients (cases) and 147 gender-matched healthy people (controls) participated in the study. Functional food consumption was screened by using a Food Frequency Questionnaire based on the NHANES study, while Mediterranean diet adoption was evaluated by a 14-item Med Diet Assessment tool based on the PREDIMED study. The statistical analysis was performed with SPSS-22. Results: In the previous 2&#8211;3 years, the controls had more frequently consumed some categories (probiotics, prebiotics-enriched, and low-fat foods) and some kinds of functional foods (mountain tea, berries, pomegranate, oats, mastics, turmeric, soybeans, and raisins) compared to the cases (p &lt; 0.05). Healthy people were more adherent to the Mediterranean diet than patients (p &lt; 0.05). A multifactor analysis showed that the augmented score of the Mediterranean diet and the augmented consumption of categories and kinds of functional foods were protective factors in the appearance of gastrointestinal diseases. Conclusions: More studies should be conducted in order to further investigate the possible association between specific food components and gastrointestinal diseases&#8217; pathophysiology