The nutritional support to prevent sarcopenia in the elderly

Sarcopenia has been described as a muscle disease, with multiple adverse consequences on human health. Recommendations aimed at supporting awareness, prevention, early detection and treatment of this disease are needed. This review focuses on the epidemiology, pathophysiology and early detection of elderly sarcopenia. As far as treatment is concerned, physical activity and nutritional support are specifically evaluated. An individually tailored resistance exercise training program appears to be crucial for a positive outcome of the sarcopenia prevention and treatment. The nutritional intervention is mostly based on the supplementation with high-quality proteins (i.e., whey protein) in order to increase the intake of essential amino acids and in particular of leucine. In addition, of relevant importance appears to be the supplementation with vitamin D, with omega-3 fatty acids and probiotics. This review evaluates the results of the most qualified studies on the nutritional supplementation of sarcopenic elderly subjects and shows that promising results have been achieved in community elderly subjects, or subjects followed in rehabilitation centers and in nursing homes, with additional resistance exercise programs

Benign ovarian cysts and breast cancer risk

Benign ovarian cysts have been suggested to influence breast cancer risk. To provide a comprehensive picture of the relation between ovarian cysts and breast cancer, we analyzed the data of 3 case-control studies conducted in northern Italy and the Swiss Canton of Vaud between 1983 and 2001. These studies included 6,315 incident, histologically confirmed breast cancer cases and 6,038 hospital-based controls. Odds ratios (OR) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using unconditional multiple logistic regression models, including terms for sociodemographic, menstrual and reproductive factors. Overall, 4.9% of breast cancer cases and 6.6% of controls reported a history of ovarian cysts, with a multivariate OR of 0.72 (95% CI 0.62-0.85). The inverse association between ovarian cysts and breast cancer was consistent in separate strata of age at menarche, parity, age at menopause status and family history of breast cancer. No meaningful differences were also found across strata of menstrual cycle length, oral contraceptive use, history of oophorectomy and body mass index. Thus, the inverse relation between ovarian cysts and breast cancer risk was not accounted for by earlier menopause, or by any difference in reproductive and menstrual characteristics. Although some hormonal correlates of ovarian cysts may have a role on breast cancer risk, a biological explanation of this inverse association is still unclear. [Ed.]]]> Breast Neoplasms; Ovarian Cysts eng oai:serval.unil.ch:BIB_60E7401120E0 2022-05-07T01:19:00Z openaire documents urnserval <oai_dc:dc xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:oai_dc="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/ http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc.xsd"> https://serval.unil.ch/notice/serval:BIB_60E7401120E0 Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor beta regulates acyl-CoA synthetase 2 in reaggregated rat brain cell cultures. info:doi:10.1074/jbc.274.50.35881 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1074/jbc.274.50.35881 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pmid/10585473 Basu-Modak, S. Braissant, O. Escher, P. Desvergne, B. Honegger, P. Wahli, W. info:eu-repo/semantics/article article 1999 Journal of Biological Chemistry, vol. 274, no. 50, pp. 35881-35888 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pissn/0021-9258[print], 0021-9258[linking] <![CDATA[Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are nuclear hormone receptors that regulate the expression of many genes involved in lipid metabolism. The biological roles of PPARalpha and PPARgamma are relatively well understood, but little is known about the function of PPARbeta. To address this question, and because PPARbeta is expressed to a high level in the developing brain, we used reaggregated brain cell cultures prepared from dissociated fetal rat telencephalon as experimental model. In these primary cultures, the fetal cells initially form random aggregates, which progressively acquire a tissue-specific pattern resembling that of the brain. PPARs are differentially expressed in these aggregates, with PPARbeta being the prevalent isotype. PPARalpha is present at a very low level, and PPARgamma is absent. Cell type-specific expression analyses revealed that PPARbeta is ubiquitous and most abundant in some neurons, whereas PPARalpha is predominantly astrocytic. We chose acyl-CoA synthetases (ACSs) 1, 2, and 3 as potential target genes of PPARbeta and first analyzed their temporal and cell type-specific pattern. This analysis indicated that ACS2 and PPARbeta mRNAs have overlapping expression patterns, thus designating the ACS2 gene as a putative target of PPARbeta. Using a selective PPARbeta activator, we found that the ACS2 gene is transcriptionally regulated by PPARbeta, demonstrating a role for PPARbeta in brain lipid metabolism

Trends in laryngeal cancer mortality in Europe

After a steady increase since the 1950s, laryngeal cancer mortality had tended to level off since the early 1980s in men from most European countries. To update trends in laryngeal cancer mortality in Europe, age-standardized (world standard) mortality rates per 100,000 were derived from the WHO mortality database for 33 European countries over the period 1980-2001. Jointpoint analysis was used to identify significant changes in mortality rates. In the European Union (EU) as a whole, male mortality declined by 0.8% per year between 1980 and 1989, by 2.8% between 1989 and 1995, by 5.3% between 1995 and 1998, and by 1.5% thereafter (rates were 5.1/100,000 in 1980-1981 and 3.3/100,000 in 2000-2001). This mainly reflects a decrease in rates in men from western and southern European countries, which had exceedingly high rates in the past. Male laryngeal mortality rose up to the early 1990s, and leveled off thereafter in several countries from central and eastern Europe. In 2000-2001 there was still a 10-15-fold variation in male laryngeal mortality between the highest rates in Croatia (7.9/100,000) and Hungary (7.7/100,000) and the lowest ones in Sweden (0.5/100,000) and Finland (0.8/100,000). Laryngeal cancer mortality was comparatively low in women from most European countries, with stable rates around 0.3/100,000 in the EU as a whole over the last 2 decades. Laryngeal cancer trends should be interpreted in terms of patterns and changes in exposure to alcohol and tobacco. Despite recent declines, the persistence of a wide variability in male laryngeal cancer mortality indicates that there is still ample scope for prevention of laryngeal cancer in Europe. [Ed.]]]> Laryngeal Neoplasms; Mortality eng oai:serval.unil.ch:BIB_E23DFD6660FA 2022-05-07T01:28:48Z openaire documents urnserval <oai_dc:dc xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:oai_dc="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/ http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc.xsd"> https://serval.unil.ch/notice/serval:BIB_E23DFD6660FA Why is there philosophy in India? Johannes, Bronkhorst Johannes, Bronkhorst (ed.) info:eu-repo/semantics/book book 1999 Indian philosophy, Indian history eng https://serval.unil.ch/resource/serval:BIB_E23DFD6660FA.P001/REF.pdf http://nbn-resolving.org/urn/resolver.pl?urn=urn:nbn:ch:serval-BIB_E23DFD6660FA3 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/urn/urn:nbn:ch:serval-BIB_E23DFD6660FA3 info:eu-repo/semantics/submittedVersion info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Copying allowed only for non-profit organizations https://serval.unil.ch/disclaimer application/pdf oai:serval.unil.ch:BIB_E23E086D3432 2022-05-07T01:28:48Z <oai_dc:dc xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:oai_dc="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/ http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc.xsd"> https://serval.unil.ch/notice/serval:BIB_E23E086D3432 Compte-rendu : « Gwénola Réto, La bienveillance à l’école » https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-03452642 Camille, Roelens info:eu-repo/semantics/article article 2021 Le Télémaque. Philosophie, Education, Société, no. 60 fre oai:serval.unil.ch:BIB_E23F61C3E477 2022-05-07T01:28:48Z openaire documents urnserval <oai_dc:dc xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:oai_dc="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/ http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc.xsd"> https://serval.unil.ch/notice/serval:BIB_E23F61C3E477 Bioterrorism: myth or reality? info:doi:10.1111/1469-0691.12713 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1111/1469-0691.12713 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pmid/24920295 Greub, G. Grobusch, M.P. info:eu-repo/semantics/article article 2014 Clinical Microbiology and Infection, vol. 20, no. 6, pp. 485-487 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/eissn/1469-0691 urn:issn:1198-743X eng https://serval.unil.ch/resource/serval:BIB_E23F61C3E477.P001/REF.pdf http://nbn-resolving.org/urn/resolver.pl?urn=urn:nbn:ch:serval-BIB_E23F61C3E4776 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/urn/urn:nbn:ch:serval-BIB_E23F61C3E4776 info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess Restricted: indefinite embargo Copying allowed only for non-profit organizations https://serval.unil.ch/disclaimer application/pdf oai:serval.unil.ch:BIB_E24085AADE3D 2022-05-07T01:28:48Z openaire documents <oai_dc:dc xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:oai_dc="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/ http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc.xsd"> https://serval.unil.ch/notice/serval:BIB_E24085AADE3D De la communauté à l’utopie : l’impact sociopolitique des théâtres postdramatiques https://www.fabula.org/revue/document12988.php Aurélien, Maignant info:eu-repo/semantics/article article 2020-06-01 Acta Fabula, vol. 6, no. 21 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pissn/1496-9610 fre https://serval.unil.ch/resource/serval:BIB_E24085AADE3D.P001/REF.pdf http://nbn-resolving.org/urn/resolver.pl?urn=urn:nbn:ch:serval-BIB_E24085AADE3D7 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/urn/urn:nbn:ch:serval-BIB_E24085AADE3D7 info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersion info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Copying allowed only for non-profit organizations https://serval.unil.ch/disclaimer application/pdf oai:serval.unil.ch:BIB_E24153DBE7DF 2022-05-07T01:28:48Z <oai_dc:dc xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:oai_dc="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/ http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc.xsd"> https://serval.unil.ch/notice/serval:BIB_E24153DBE7DF Assurance maladie et dépenses de santé : présentation Mougeot, Michel info:eu-repo/semantics/article article 2000 Revue d'économie politique, vol. 110, no. 4, pp. 447-456 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pissn/0373-2630 oai:serval.unil.ch:BIB_E241922E4472 2022-05-07T01:28:48Z <oai_dc:dc xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:oai_dc="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/ http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc.xsd"> https://serval.unil.ch/notice/serval:BIB_E241922E4472 Energy expenditure and whole body protein synthesis in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pmid/6580179 Schutz, Y. Catzeflis, C. Gudinchet, F. Micheli, J. Welsch, C. Arnaud, M. J. Jequier, E. info:eu-repo/semantics/article article 1983 Experientia Suppl, vol. 44, pp. 45-56 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pissn/0071-335X <![CDATA[To examine the rates of whole body protein synthesis and energy expenditure during the rapid growing period, premature infants of very low birth weight (VLBW) (less than 1500 g), appropriate for gestational age were kept under standard thermoneutrality conditions and received a formula diet providing 110 kcal/kg.d metabolisable energy (ME) and 3.3 g protein/kg.d. Their energy expenditure was measured by open circuit indirect calorimetry. Nitrogen turnover and whole body protein synthesis and catabolism were determined using repeated oral administration of 15N-glycine for 60-72 h followed by the analysis of 15N-enrichment in urinary urea. These VLBW infants grew at an average rate of 15 g/kg.d. About half of the ME intake (i.e. 50 kcal/kg.d) was invested in weight gain while the remainder (i.e. 60 kcal/kg.d) was oxidised. The energy equivalent of the weight gain (i.e. the amount of energy stored per g weight gain) and the N balance indicated that lean tissue made up approximately 2/3 of the weight gained and fat tissue the remaining 1/3. The plateau value for 15N enrichment reached on the third day of administration allowed us to calculate a rate of protein synthesis of 14 g/kg.d and protein breakdown of 12 g/kg.d in five VLBW fed a formula diet. The elevated energy expenditure of the very low birth weight infant seems to be related to its rapid rate of weight gain which is accompanied by a high rate of body protein synthesis. More than 20% of the total energy expenditure of the VLBW infants was accounted for by whole body protein synthesis

Mediterranean Diet and Breast Cancer Risk

Abstract: The Mediterranean diet has been related to a reduced risk of several common cancers but its role on breast cancer has not been quantified yet. We investigated the association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and breast cancer risk by means of a hospital-based case-control study conducted in Italy and Switzerland. 3034 breast cancer cases and 3392 controls admitted to the same network of hospitals for acute, non-neoplastic and non-gynaecologic diseases were studied. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet was quantitatively measured through a Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS), summarizing the major characteristics of the Mediterranean dietary pattern and ranging from 0 (lowest adherence) to 9 (highest adherence). We estimated the odds ratios (ORs) of breast cancer for the MDS using multiple logistic regression models, adjusting for several covariates. Compared to a MDS of 0–3, the ORs for breast cancer were 0.86 (95% confidence interval, CI, 0.76–0.98) for a MDS of 4–5 and 0.82 (95% CI, 0.71–0.95) for a MDS of 6–9 (p for trend = 0.008). The exclusion of the ethanol component from the MDS did not materially modify the ORs (e.g., OR = 0.81, 95% CI, 0.70–0.95, for MDS ≥ 6). Results were similar in pre- and post-menopausal women. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with a reduced breast cancer risk

Association of prebiotic fiber intake with colorectal cancer risk: the PrebiotiCa study

Purpose. To evaluate the association between the intake of specific fibers with prebiotic activity, namely inulin-type fructans (ITFs), fructooligosaccharides (FOSs) and galactooligosaccharides (GOSs), and colorectal cancer risk. Methods. Within the PrebiotiCa study, we used data from a multicentric case–control study conducted in Italy and including 1953 incident, histologically confirmed, colorectal cancer patients and 4154 hospital controls. The amount of six prebiotic molecules [ITFs, nystose (FOS), kestose (FOS), 1F-β-fructofuranosylnystose (FOS), raffinose (GOS) and stachyose (GOS)] in a variety of foods was quantified via laboratory analyses. Subjects’ prebiotic fiber intake was estimated by multiplying food frequency questionnaire intake by the prebiotic content of each food item. The odds ratios (OR) of colorectal cancer for quintiles of intakes were derived from logistic regression models including terms for major confounders and total energy intake. Results. GOSs intake was inversely associated with colorectal cancer risk. The OR for the highest versus the lowest quintile of intake were 0.73 (95% confidence interval, CI 0.58–0.92) for raffinose and 0.64 (95% CI 0.53–0.77) for stachyose, with significant inverse trends across quintiles. No association was found with total ITFs and FOSs. The association with stachyose was stronger for colon (continuous OR = 0.74, 95% CI 0.66–0.83) than rectal cancer (OR = 0.89, 95% CI 0.79–1.02). Conclusion. Colorectal cancer risk was inversely associated with the intake of dietary GOSs, but not ITFs and FOSs

Fried foods, olive oil and colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND: The epidemiologic evidence for an etiologic role of fried foods and heterocyclic amines in colorectal carcinogenesis is inconsistent. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We have investigated the relation between fried foods and colorectal cancer risk using data from a large, multicentric case-control study conducted in Italy and Switzerland between 1992 and 2000, with 1394 cases of colon cancer, 886 cases of rectal cancer and 4765 controls. RESULTS: After allowing for major relevant covariates, the multivariate odds ratios (ORs) for an increment of one portion per week of fried foods were 0.97 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.93-1.01] for colon cancer and 1.04 (95% CI = 1.00-1.09) for rectal cancer. When we analyzed the type of fats mainly used for frying, we found that olive oil, but not other types of oils, appeared to protect from colon cancer risk (OR = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.82-0.98). CONCLUSIONS: Our results do not indicate a relevant role of fried foods on colorectal cancer risk. We found a possible favorable effect of (fried) olive oil on colon cancer risk but not on rectal cancer risk. [Authors]]]> Colonic Neoplasms ; Cookery ; Dietary Fats ; Food ; Plant Oils ; Rectal Neoplasms eng https://serval.unil.ch/resource/serval:BIB_CE97D8453D33.P001/REF.pdf http://nbn-resolving.org/urn/resolver.pl?urn=urn:nbn:ch:serval-BIB_CE97D8453D338 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/urn/urn:nbn:ch:serval-BIB_CE97D8453D338 info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Copying allowed only for non-profit organizations https://serval.unil.ch/disclaimer application/pdf oai:serval.unil.ch:BIB_CE97E075B266 2022-05-07T01:27:21Z <oai_dc:dc xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:oai_dc="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/ http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc.xsd"> https://serval.unil.ch/notice/serval:BIB_CE97E075B266 A direct pathway from thalamus to visual callosal neurons in cat info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pmid/7351225 Hornung, J. P. Garey, L. J. info:eu-repo/semantics/article article 1980 Experimental Brain Research, vol. 38, no. 1, pp. 121-3 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pissn/0014-4819 <![CDATA[Horseradish peroxidase was injected in the right visual cortex and a large electrolytic lesion made in the left lateral geniculate nucleus of an adult cat. Neurons of origin of the callosal projection to the injected cortex were identified by retrograde labelling and selected for electron microscopic study. Degenerating thalamo-cortical axon terminals were found to contact a labelled stellate cell in layer IV and a labelled pyramidal cell in layer III at the border region of areas 17 and 18. We conclude that there is a monosynaptic pathway from lateral geniculate nucleus to the cells of origin of callosal axons to the contralateral visual cortex

The Effect of Ginger (Zingiber officinalis) and Artichoke (Cynara cardunculus) Extract Supplementation on Functional Dyspepsia: A Randomised, Double-Blind, and Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial

Objective. Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a frequent clinical finding in western world. The aim of this study is to compare the efficacy of a ginger and artichoke supplementation versus placebo in the treatment of FD. Methods. A prospective multicentre, double blind, randomized, placebo controlled, parallel-group comparison of the supplement and placebo over a period of 4 weeks was performed. Two capsules/day were supplied (before lunch and dinner) to 126 FD patients (supplementation/placebo: 65/61). Results. After 14 days of treatment, only supplementation group (SG) showed a significant amelioration (SG: S = +1.195 MCA score units (u), = 0.017; placebo: P = +0.347 u, = 0.513). The intercept ( ) resulted to be significantly higher in SG than in placebo ( S − P = +0.848 u, &lt; 0.001). At the end of the study, the advantage of SG versus placebo persists without variation ( S − P = +0.077 u, = 0.542). In SG, a significant advantage is observed for nausea ( S − P = −0.398 u, &lt; 0.001), epigastric fullness ( S − P = −0.241, &lt; 0.001), epigastric pain ( S − P = −0.173 u, = 0.002), and bloating ( S − P = −0.167 u, = 0.017). Conclusions. The association between ginger and artichoke leaf extracts appears safe and efficacious in the treatment of FD and could represent a promising treatment for this disease

Mediterranean diet and colorectal cancer risk : A pooled analysis of three Italian case-control studies

Background: Adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) is associated with a reduced risk of several cancers. However, studies conducted in Mediterranean regions are scanty. Methods: To investigate the relation between MD and colorectal cancer risk in Italy, we pooled data from three case-control studies, including a total of 3745 colorectal cancer cases and 6804 hospital controls. Adherence to the MD was assessed using an a priori Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS), based on nine components. Results: Compared with the lowest adherence to the MD (0-2 MDS), the odds ratio (OR) was 0.52 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.43-0.62) for the highest adherence (7-9 MDS), with a significant inverse trend in risk (P<0.0001). The OR for a 1-point increment in the MDS was 0.89 (95% CI 0.86-0.91). The inverse association was consistent across studies, cancer anatomical subsites and strata of selected covariates. Conclusions: This Italian study confirms a favourable role of MD on colorectal cancer risk

The right fiber for the right disease: an update on the psyllium seed husk and the metabolic syndrome.

The metabolic syndrome (MS) is a clustering of hyperglycemia/insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, overweight and hypertension. MS identifies patients who are at high risk of developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Based on current data dietary fibre intake from whole foods or supplements may lower blood pressure, may improve serum lipid levels, may reduce indicators of inflammations,may lower serum glucose levels and favour body weight loss. US Food and Drug Administration in 2006 authorized a health claim that psyllium husk, beta glucan in oats and beta glucan in barley can reduce the risk of heart disease. Solubility in water, viscosity, fermentability, and the kind and amounts of protein and tocotrienols have been explored as possible basis for this effect. In particular, many experimental and clinical studies suggest that psyllium does lower serum and liver cholesterol concentrations and may increase HDL-cholesterol levels- Moreover,water soluble fibres, such as psyllium, moderate post prandial glucose and insulin concentrations in non-insulin dependent diabetic patients, if taken with meals and favour the reduction of body weight and hypertension. Therefore, the favourable effect of various fibres and particularly of psyllium, on body weight reduction and satiety, on cholesterol and tryglycerides levels, on fasting glycaemia and on blood pressure suggests a potential role of these fibres in the treatment of M