Thylakoid membranes from green plants affect appetite and promote body weight loss

The incidence of overweight and obesity has reached alarming proportions. Today, overweight, obesity and the metabolic diseases cause more death than starvation. To counteract an increasing body weight gain, regulation of appetite and a controlled food intake is of greatest importance. Simply put, body weight is regulated by the amount of energy ingested, and the amount of energy expended. In todays sedentary lifestyle, we tend to have a much higher food intake than the amount of energy used by the body, resulting in body weight gain. Thylakoids are membranes extracted from chloroplasts of green leaves. They have previously been found to prolong the lipolysis and affect food intake and body weight gain in rodents, as well as affect appetite-regulating hormones in healthy volunteers. This thesis aims to explain mechanisms underlying the effects of thylakoids on food intake and body weight gain, as well as present longer time effects in humans. Results show that thylakoids promote body weight loss in humans after three months of daily supplementation. Several factors important for body weight regulation are affected by thylakoids. The digestion of dietary nutrients is prolonged after thylakoid supplementation, resulting in prolonged glucose and insulin responses. In the long run, fasting blood-glucose concentrations are also decreased. Thylakoids stimulate the release of the satiety promoting hormones cholecystokinin (CCK) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), while decreasing levels of the hunger promoting hormone ghrelin. Moreover, circulating levels of leptin and blood lipids are decreased after thylakoid supplementation for two and three months. Finally, thylakoids affect the subjective ratings of appetite and urge for specific food. The urge for energy dense, so called palatable food rich in fat and sugar, is specifically decreased after thylakoid intake. In conclusion, the results presented in this thesis show that thylakoids exert positive effects for body weight and appetite regulation and may thus be used as an effective tool for novel treatment of overweight, obesity and the metabolic diseases

Heat-treated and homogenised potato pulp suspensions as additives in low-fat sausages

Differently homogenised and heat treated potato pulp, used as a dietary fibre additive in low-fat sausages, gave rise to an enhanced instrumentally and sensory measured firmness and compactness, respectively. This is believed to be due to the high content of insoluble fibre, which creates a fibrous network that enhances the texture of the sausage, while not interfering with the meat protein network. The process and frying losses of the sausages, using potato pulp as an additive, were not significantly different compared to the reference. Comparing the different potato pulp sausages using various kinds of heat treatment of the potato pulp significantly lowered the frying loss and increased the firmness. An explanation to these observations could be that the potato pulp exposed to shorter heat treatment compared with longer gave rise to a lower amount of amylase-leakage from the swelling starch granules caught in the potato pulp matrix. (C) 2010 The American Meat Science Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Intake of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum HEAL9 Improves Cognition in Moderately Stressed Subjects : A Randomized Controlled Study

Background: The usage of probiotics has expanded beyond the areas of gut and immune health improvement. Several studies have shown the positive impact associated between probiotics and stress, cognition, and mood; a relationship referred to as the gut–brain axis. Method: The aim of this exploratory study was to evaluate the effect of the probiotic strain Lactiplantibacillus plantarum HEAL9 (LPHEAL9) on the gut–brain axis in subjects with moderate stress. One hundred and twenty-nine subjects aged 21–52 years completed the study, randomized to consume either LPHEAL9 (n = 65) or placebo (n = 64) for 12 weeks. Results: Perceived stress and awakening cortisol were significantly reduced over time in both groups. A significant improvement in four cognition tests after consumption of LPHEAL9 compared to placebo was observed (rapid information processing test, numeric working memory test, paired associated learning, and word recall, p < 0.05). There was a tendency for a significantly better improvement in the LPHEAL9 group for three mood subscales (Confusion–Bewilderment, Anger–Hostility, and Depression–Dejection) and for fewer subjects with poor sleep in the LPHEAL9 group compared to placebo (p < 0.10). Conclusions: Intake of LPHEAL9 significantly improved cognitive functions compared to the placebo, potentially by ameliorating aspects of mood and sleep

Obese children aged 4–6 displayed decreased fasting and postprandial ghrelin levels in response to a test meal

Aim: Ghrelin is a hunger hormone that plays a role in glucose homoeostasis and its levels increase before a meal and decrease during and after eating. This study compared the fasting ghrelin and insulin levels of obese children aged 4–6 with those of normal weight children and tested postprandial ghrelin levels in the obese children after a standard breakfast. Methods: We recruited 67 children at Lund University Hospital from 2008 to 2011. They comprised 30 obese children from a weight study and 37 normal weight children receiving minor elective surgery. Their mean ages were 4.7 ± 0.6 and 4.3 ± 0.8 years, respectively. The obese children ate a standard breakfast, and postprandial ghrelin was measured after 60 minutes. Results: The obese children had lower ghrelin levels than the controls (p < 0.01). A significant inverse relation was found between body mass index and fasting ghrelin levels. Obese children had significantly lower fasting ghrelin levels after a standard breakfast (p < 0.01), but there were no gender-related differences. Conclusion: Obese children aged 4–6 years had reduced ghrelin and increased insulin levels in the fasting state and postprandial ghrelin was suppressed, suggesting that their energy metabolism was already dysregulated at this young age. Early obesity interventions are essential

Thylakoids reduce body fat and fat cell size by binding to dietary fat making it less available for absorption in high-fat fed mice

Background: Dietary thylakoids derived from spinach have beneficial effects on body fat accumulation and blood lipids as demonstrated in humans and rodents. Important mechanisms established include delayed fat digestion in the intestine, without causing steatorrhea, and increased fatty acid oxidation in intestinal cells. The objective of our study was to elucidate if increased fecal fat excretion is an important mechanism to normalize adipose tissue metabolism during high-fat feeding in mice supplemented with thylakoids. Methods: Mice were randomized to receive HFD or thylHFD for 14 days (n = 14 for the control group and 16 for the thylakoid group). The effect of thylakoids on body fat distribution, faecal and liver fat content, and adipose tissue metabolism was investigated following high-fat feeding. Results: Thylakoid supplementation for 14 days caused an increased faecal fat content without compensatory eating compared to control. As a result, thylakoid treated animals had reduced fat mass depots and reduced liver fat accumulation compared to control. The size distribution of adipocytes isolated from visceral adipose tissue was narrowed and the cell size decreased. Adipocytes isolated from thylakoid-treated mice displayed a significantly increased lipogenesis, and protein expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ), down-stream target FAS, as well as transcription factor coactivators PGC1-α and LPIN-1 were upregulated in adipose tissue from thylakoid-fed mice. Conclusions: Together, these data suggest that thylakoid supplementation reduces body fat and fat cell size by binding to dietary fat and increasing its fecal excretion, thus reducing dietary fat available for absorption

Dietary green-plant thylakoids decrease gastric emptying and gut transit, promote changes in the gut microbial flora, but does not cause steatorrhea

Green-plant thylakoids increase satiety by affecting appetite hormones such as ghrelin, cholecystokinin (CCK) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). The objective of this study was to investigate if thylakoids also affect gastrointestinal (GI) passage and microbial composition. To analyse the effects on GI passage, 16 rats were gavage-fed a control or thylakoid-supplemented high-fat diet (HFD) 30 min before receiving Evans blue. Another 16 rats were fed a control HFD or thylakoid HFD for two weeks prior to the intragastric challenge with Evans blue. The amount of Evans blue in the stomach and the distance of migration in the intestines after 30 min were used as a measurement of gastric emptying and intestinal transit. These were reduced by thylakoid supplementation in the acute study, and however not significantly also after the two-week diet study. The second aim of the study was to investigate if thylakoid-supplementation affects the gut microbiota and amount of faecal fat in healthy human volunteers (n = 34) receiving thylakoid or placebo treatments for three months. Microbiota was analysed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and qPCR, and faecal fat was extracted by dichloromethane. The total bacteria, and specifically the Bacteriodes fragilis group, were increased by thylakoid treatment versus placebo, while thylakoids did not cause steatorrhea. Dietary supplementation with thylakoids thus affects satiety both via appetite hormones and GI fullness, and affects the microbial composition without causing GI adverse effects such as steatorrhea. This suggests thylakoids as a novel agent in prevention and treatment of obesity

Intake of Lactobacillus plantarum HEAL9 reduces the inflammatory markers soluble fractalkine and CD163 during acute stress : a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study

The intestine and the brain are connected via the brain-gut axis and the intestinal microbiota influences the immune activation and signaling molecules that are involved in the stress response. The aim of the study was to investigate if intake of the probiotic strain Lactobacillus plantarum HEAL9 (LPHEAL9) for four weeks could counteract elevated cortisol and inflammation levels in subjects with chronic stress that are exposed to an acute stress test (Trier Social Stress Test, TSST). Seventy participants were included, and 63 participants completed the study (LPHEAL9, n=32; placebo, n=31). Cardiovascular reactivity and cortisol levels were affected by the TSST, but no differences between the groups were observed. Intake of LPHEAL9 did, however, result in significantly decreased plasma levels of two inflammatory markers (soluble fractalkine and CD163) compared to placebo. In conclusion, intake of LPHEAL9 for four weeks may reduce inflammatory markers coupled to acute stress in chronically stressed individuals

Body weight loss, reduced urge for palatable food and increased release of GLP-1 through daily supplementation with green-plant membranes for three months in overweight women.

The frequency of obesity has risen dramatically in recent years but only few effective and safe drugs are available. We investigated if green-plant membranes, previously shown to reduce subjective hunger and promote satiety signals, could affect body weight when given long-term. 38 women (40-65 years of age, body mass index 25-33 kg/m(2)) were randomized to dietary supplementation with either green-plant membranes (5 g) or placebo, consumed once daily before breakfast for 12 weeks. All individuals were instructed to follow a three-meal paradigm without any snacking between the meals and to increase their physical activity. Body weight change was analysed every third week as was blood glucose and various lipid parameters. On days 1 and 90, following intake of a standardized breakfast, glucose, insulin and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) in plasma were measured, as well as subjective ratings of hunger, satiety and urge for different palatable foods, using visual analogue scales. Subjects receiving green-plant membranes lost significantly more body weight than did those on placebo (p < 0.01). Mean weight loss with green-plant extract was 5.0 ± 2.3 kg compared to 3.5 ± 2.3 kg in the control group. Consumption of green-plant membranes also reduced total and LDL-cholesterol (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05 respectively) compared to control. Single-meal tests performed on day 1 and day 90 demonstrated an increased postprandial release of GLP-1 and decreased urge for sweet and chocolate on both occasions in individuals supplemented with green-plant membranes compared to control. Waist circumference, body fat and leptin decreased in both groups over the course of the study, however there were no differences between the groups. In conclusion, addition of green-plant membranes as a dietary supplement once daily induces weight loss, improves obesity-related risk-factors, and reduces the urge for palatable food. The mechanism may reside in the observed increased release of GLP-1