Partially Hydrolysed Whey-Based Infant Formula Improves Skin Barrier Function

Specific partially hydrolysed whey-based infant formulas (pHF-W) have been shown to decrease the risk of atopic dermatitis (AD) in infants. Historically, AD has been associated primarily with milk allergy; however, defective skin barrier function can be a primary cause of AD. We aimed to ascertain whether oral supplementation with pHF-W can improve skin barrier function. The effect of pHF-W was assessed on transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and antibody productions in mice epicutaneously exposed to Aspergillus fumigatus. Human primary keratinocytes were stimulated in vitro, and the expression of genes related to skin barrier function was measured. Supplementation with pHF-W in neonatal mice led to a significant decrease in TEWL and total IgE, but not in allergen-specific antibody levels. The whey hydrolysate was sufficient to decrease both TEWL and total IgE. Aquaporin-3 gene expression, linked with skin hydration, was modulated in the skin of mice and human primary keratinocytes following protein hydrolysate exposure. Skin barrier improvement may be an additional mechanism by which pHF-W may potentially reduce the risk of AD development in infants. Further human studies are warranted to confirm the clinical efficacy of these observations

A New Partially Hydrolyzed Whey-Based Follow-on Formula with Age-Adapted Protein Content Supports Healthy Growth during the First Year of Life.

International audienceBACKGROUND: Standard infant formulae often have higher protein content than breastmilk in order to compensate for potentially lower digestibility; excess protein intake may promote adverse effects later in life. A new partially hydrolyzed whey-based (pHF-W) follow-on formula (FoF) with age-adapted protein content was evaluated for growth and gastrointestinal (GI) tolerance in healthy infants. METHODS: Formula-fed (FF) infants (n = 108) received standard pHF-W formula (1.9 g protein/100 kcal) from enrollment (age ≤q 30 days) until age 120 days followed by new pHF-W FoF (1.6 g protein/100 kcal) until 360 days. Weight gain velocity (WGV) (mean daily WG from enrollment to age 180 days) was compared to WHO growth standards and a breastfed (BF) reference group (n = 86) (non-inferiority margin -3 g/day). GI tolerance was assessed using a validated questionnaire (scale range 13-65). RESULTS: WGV in FF infants (mean ± SD 24.0 ± 4.4 g/day) was non-inferior to BF (23.7 ± 3.9 g/day) and WHO standards (all p ≤q 0.013). Weight-for-age, length-for-age, weight-for-length, and head circumference-for-age z-scores of FF infants were not significantly different from BF at any timepoint. Symptoms of GI intolerance were low (≤q23) at all timepoints and similar between groups. CONCLUSION: A new pHF-W FoF with age-adapted protein content fed sequentially after standard pHF-W infant formula is safe, well-tolerated, and promotes a healthy growth pattern consistent with BF infants and WHO standards during the first year of life. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: [https://clinicaltrials.gov/], identifier [NCT03276663]

Dietary supplementation with fish oil and curcumin improves gait speed and mitochondrial function during aging

THEME: Nutrition and AgingBackgroundsSarcopenia is a progressive and generalized skeletal muscle disorder associated with adverse outcomes including falls,fractures, physical disability and mortality. Sarcopenia has multi-factorial causes going from life style changes to metabolic and cellular perturbations.ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to determine the functional benefits of a nutritional intervention with curcumin and fish oil alone or in combination on Sarcopenia and to characterize the underlying mechanisms of action. The concept of this study was to provide combination of ingredients targeting different patho-physiological mechanisms.MethodsTwenty month-old rats received a control diet supplemented with cellulose (CON), or a diet supplemented with either curcumin (CUR), fish oil (OM3) or a combination of both (CUR+OM3). Muscle functionality and metabolism was evaluated after chronic treatment during 3 months and molecular mechanisms were evaluated after short-term treatment over 4 weeks.ResultsWalking speed measured with the catwalk gait analyzer significantly improved in the CUR and CUR+OM3 vs CON groups, and also tended to improve with OM3 alone. These functional benefits involved an activation of the muscle antioxidant capacity by OM3 through SOD and catalase induction. This was associated with synergistic enhancement of mitochondrial bioenergetics by CUR+OM3 through increased activity of citrate synthase and respiratory complexes.ConclusionCurcumin and fish oil supplementation prevent the functional decline of muscle health during aging by directly targeting gait speed independently of muscle mass. The physiological benefits of these two ingredients are associated with the enhancement of muscle antioxidant capacity and the synergistic activation of mitochondrial energy production in aged muscle

Peptide Characterization and Functional Stability of a Partially Hydrolyzed Whey-Based Formula over Time

Human clinical trials have shown that a specific partially hydrolyzed 100% whey-based infant formula (pHF-W) reduces AD risk in the first yeast of life. Meta-analyses with a specific pHF-W (pHF-W1) confirm a protective effect while other meta-analyses pooling different pHF-W show conflicting results. Here we investigated the molecular composition and functional properties of the specific pHF-W1 as well as the stability of its manufacturing process over time. This specific pHF-W1 was compared with other pHF-Ws. We used size exclusion chromatography to characterize the peptide molecular weight (MW), a rat basophil degranulation assay to assess the relative level of beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) allergenicity and a preclinical model of oral tolerance induction to test prevention of allergic sensitization. To analyze the exact peptide sequences before and after an HLA binding assay, a mass cytometry approach was used. Peptide size allergenicity and oral tolerance induction were conserved across pHF-W1 batches of production and time. The median MW of the 37 samples of pHF-W1 tested was 800 ± 400 Da. Further oral tolerance induction was observed using 10 different batches of the pHF-W1 with a mean reduction of BLG-specific IgE levels of 0.76 log (95% CI = −0.95; −0.57). When comparing pHF-W1 with three other formulas (pHF-W2 3 and 4), peptide size was not necessarily associated with allergenicity reduction in vitro nor oral tolerance induction in vivo as measured by specific IgE level (p < 0.05 for pHF-W1 and 2 and p = 0.271 and p = 0.189 for pHF-W3 and 4 respectively). Peptide composition showed a limited overlap between the formulas tested ranging from 11.7% to 24.2%. Furthermore nine regions in the BLG sequence were identified as binding HLA-DR. In conclusion, not all pHF-Ws tested have the same peptide size distribution decreased allergenicity and ability to induce oral tolerance. Specific peptides are released during the different processes used by different infant formula producers