Effects of chronic consumption of specific fruit (berries, citrus and cherries) on CVD risk factors: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

Purpose: This review aims to compare the magnitude of the effects of chronic consumption of fruits; specifically berries, citrus and cherries on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and psycARTICLES were searched from inception until January 2020. Forty-five chronic (≥ 1 week) randomised controlled trials assessing CVD risk factors including endothelial (dys)function, blood pressure (BP), blood lipids and inflammatory biomarkers were included. Results: Investigated interventions reported improvements in endothelial function (n = 8), inflammatory biomarkers and lipid status (n = 14), and BP (n = 10). Berries including juice of barberry, cranberry, grape, pomegranate, powder of blueberry, grape, raspberry and freeze-dried strawberry significantly reduced SBP by 3.68 mmHg (95% CI − 6.79 to − 0.58; P = 0.02) and DBP by 1.52 mmHg (95% CI − 2.87 to − 0.18, P = 0.04). In subgroup analysis, these associations were limited to cranberry juice (SBP by 1.52 mmHg [95% CI − 2.97 to − 0.07; P = 0.05], DBP by 1.78 mmHg [95% CI − 3.43 to − 0.12, P = 0.04] and cherry juice (SBP by 3.11 mmHg [95% CI − 4.06 to − 2.15; P = 0.02]). Berries also significantly elevated sVCAM-1 levels by 14.57 ng/mL (85% CI 4.22 to 24.93; P = 0.02). Conclusion: These findings suggest that supplementing cranberry or cherry juice might contribute to an improvement in blood pressure. No other significant improvements were observed for other specified fruits. More research is warranted comparing different classes of fruit and exploring the importance of fruit processing on their cardiovascular-protective effects

Acute and chronic effects of multivitamin/mineral supplementation on objective and subjective energy measures

Background: Vitamins and minerals play an essential role within many cellular processes including energy production and metabolism. Previously, supplementation with a multivitamin/mineral (MVM) for ≥28 days resulted in improvements to cognition and subjective state. We have also demonstrated shifts in metabolism during cognitively demanding tasks following MVM in females, both acutely and following 8-week supplementation. The current study aimed to assess these effects further in males and females using metabolically challenging exercise and cognitive tasks. Methods: The current randomised, placebo-controlled, parallel groups study investigated the effects of a MVM complex in 82 healthy young (18-35y) exercisers. Subjective ratings and substrate metabolism were assessed during 30 min each of increasingly effortful incremental exercise and demanding cognitive tasks. Assessments took place on acute study days following a single dose (Day 1) of MVM, containing 3 times recommended daily allowance of water-soluble vitamins plus CoQ10, and following 4-week supplementation (Day 28). Results: Energy expenditure (EE) was increased during cognitive tasks following MVM across Day 1 and Day 28, with greater effects in males. In males, MVM also increased carbohydrate oxidation and energy expenditure during exercise across Day 1 and Day 28. In females, mental tiredness was lower during exercise; increases in physical tiredness following 30 min of exercise were attenuated; and stress ratings following cognitive tasks were reduced following MVM. In males, MVM only lowered mental tiredness following 10 min of exercise. These effects were apparent irrespective of day, but effects on mental tiredness were greater on Day 28. Ferritin levels were also higher on Day 28 in those receiving MVM. Conclusion: These findings extend on existing knowledge, demonstrating increased carbohydrate oxidation and increased energy expenditure in males following MVM supplementation for the first time. Importantly, they show modulation of energy expenditure and subjective tiredness following a single dose, providing further evidence for acute effects of MVM. Differential effects in men and women suggest that sex may play an important role in the effects of MVM on energy metabolism and should be considered in future research. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03003442. Registered 22nd November 2016 – retrospectively registere

The effects of Covid-19 lockdown on health and psychosocial functioning in older adults aged 70 and over

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a state-imposed lockdown in the UK; there are many psychosocial consequences of pandemics, with older adults potentially at an increased risk. The current study assessed psychosocial functioning in a sample of older adults in the UK with baseline data collected pre-lockdown and follow-up 12 weeks later during lockdown. Thus, allowing investigation of the effect of COVID-19 and associated lockdown on psychosocial well-being. Thirty-five older adults (Mean age = 76.06, sex = 12 males) participated in this repeated measures study. A final follow-up was then conducted post-lockdown to capture any factors that were viewed as helpful to well-being during lockdown. From pre- to during lockdown, perceived stress, well-being, depressive symptoms, mood disturbance and memory were all significantly worsened. There were significant improvements in self-reported physical health symptoms, social interaction, time spent engaging in physical activity and certain aspects of relationship quality. Follow-up showed that well-being, depression and mood were still negatively affected post-lockdown. Given the sample were all ‘healthy’ at baseline in comparison to established norms, there may be greater impairment in more vulnerable populations. Support for older populations is needed to mitigate the negative effects shown, particularly in light of the endurance of some of these effects post-lockdown

The Effectiveness of Nutritional Education Interventions on Dietary Intake in Young Black Males: A Near-Empty Systematic Review

The incidence of several diet and lifestyle-related diseases, previously seen only in adults, is increasing in prevalence in young people. The Black population, and particularly Black males, are at high risk of developing lifestyle-related diseases. Adolescence and young adulthood are considered a transitional period with increasing independence and responsibility, along with the development of lifelong lifestyle habits. This systematic review aimed to establish which methods and approaches to nutritional education interventions are the most effective in improving the nutritional/dietary intake in healthy young Black males. Eligibility criteria were designed using PICOS and included controlled trials of nutrition education interventions designed to improve dietary intake in healthy young Black or mixed-race males aged 14–21 years old. Medline, Cinahl and Scopus were searched in April 2021, resulting in 20,375 records being screened, and subsequently 72 full-text articles were reviewed. Risk of bias was assessed using the ROBINS-I tool. One study met the eligibility criteria. Results are presented in a narrative format as meta-analysis was not possible. This systematic review revealed a lack of evidence on the effectiveness of nutritional education interventions in this high-risk population. Limitations are noted and recommendations have been made

Effects of Blueberry Consumption on Cardiovascular Health in Healthy Adults: A Cross-Over Randomised Controlled Trial

Blueberries are rich in polyphenols, and their effect on cardiovascular health, including risk factors for endothelial dysfunction and hypertension, has been investigated in interventional studies. However, the difference between blueberry treatments in varied forms for their cardiovascular-protective effect remains poorly understood. The current study assessed the effects of whole blueberry and freeze-dried blueberry powder compared to a control on cardiovascular health in young adults. A cross-over randomised controlled trial (RCT) was implemented with 1 week of treatment for three treatment groups, each followed by 1 week of wash out period. Systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), pulse wave velocity (PWV), plasma cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and total cholesterol) and triglyceride levels (TAG), and glucose and nitrite (NO2-) concentrations were compared following fresh blueberry, freeze-dried blueberry powder, and control treatments. Thirty-seven participants with a mean age of 25.86 ± 6.81 completed the study. No significant difference was observed among fresh blueberry, blueberry powder, and the control arm. Plasma NO2- levels were improved by 68.66 and 4.34 separately following whole blueberry and blueberry powder supplementations compared to the baseline, whereas the control supplementation reported a decrease (−9.10), although it was not statistically significant. There were no other effects shown for SBP, DBP, total cholesterol, HDL-C, LDL-C, TAG, or glucose. No difference was shown between whole blueberry and freeze-dried blueberry powder consumption for improving cardiovascular health

Effects of chronic consumption of specific fruit (berries, cherries and citrus) on cognitive health: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

Objectives The cognitive-protective effects related to the consumption of a variety of fruits are supported by several intervention studies. This systematic review and meta-analysis compared the magnitude of effects following chronic (≥1 week) consumption of frozen, freeze-dried powder including extracts and juices of fruits, covering berries, cherries and citrus, on cognition and mood in adults. Methods PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and psycARTICLES were searched from inception until February, 2021. Inclusion criteria were randomised controlled trials assessing memory, executive function, psychomotor speed, mood and mini mental state examination in adult participants ≥18 years of age. Cognition was tested by global or domain specific tasks. Results Out of 13,861 articles identified, 16 papers were included; 11 studies provided suitable data for meta-analysis. Fourteen studies reported improvement or trend for improvement in cognition, five studies assessed mood and one study supplementing grape juice found trend for mood improvement. From the meta-analysis, cherry juice supplementation was suggested to improve psychomotor speed by −0.37 of standardised mean difference (95% CI [−0.74, 0.01]) in reaction time (P = 0.05). Conclusions The meta-analysis did not sufficiently support a role for fruits or fruit forms to improve cognition and mood

Correction to: Effects of chronic consumption of specific fruit (berries, citrus and cherries) on CVD risk factors: a systematic review and meta‑analysis of randomised controlled trials

In the original publication, a study supplementing orange juice by Morand, et al., 2011 (France) was incorrectly reported for the diastolic blood pressure (DBP) outcome. We originally reported no improvement in DBP as results were reported as least square means, when actually Morand and investigators found a significant improvement in DBP by orange juice compared to placebo. The study should have been reported in Table 1 as “significant improvement compared to the control”, and therefore there should be 11 interventions in the review reporting improvements on blood pressures. We include here an updated forest plot of the citrus juice group, that includes the correct findings of the Morand study investigating the outcome of DBP (Fig. 6). In our updated meta-analysis there was no significant improvement in DBP by the citrus juice interventions compared to the control. The I2 test suggested significant substantial heterogeneities for citrus juice group investigating the effects on DBP (I2 = 83%, P < 0.01) (Fig. 6). The sensitivity analysis also suggested no effect of grapefruit concentrate juice in the citrus juice group on the result of DBP (Supplemental Table 6). We apologise for this error in misreporting the study results of Morand and investigators

Inter-individual responses to a blueberry intervention across multiple endpoints

Inter-individual variation exists in response to diet and in the endpoints related to vascular diseases and cognitive impairment. Therefore, the evaluation and characterisation of responses to a dietary intervention targeting these endpoints is important. A dietary intervention with 37 participants has been performed comparing two forms of blueberry, either whole fresh blueberry (160 g), freeze-dried blueberry powder (20 g) or a placebo control (microcrystalline cellulose), in a 1-week single-blinded cross-over randomised controlled trial (RCT) in a healthy population. The response to the intervention was calculated for each endpoint using the percentage change (±%) compared to the baseline. Extensive inter-individual variation was found in vascular health parameters (−141 to +525%) and cognitive domains (−114 to +96%) post-intervention, but there was no consistent response following the two interventions between and within participants for each endpoint measured. No significant putative discriminating urinary metabolites between interventions were found using supervised multivariate analysis. Although several discriminatory metabolites were found between the responder and non-responder groups, it was not possible to identify predictors of the response using receiver operating curve analysis. To conclude, this is the first blueberry intervention applying quartile divisions to characterise individual responses in vascular and cognitive endpoints following a specific dietary intervention; however, we did not find any consistency in the individual responses to the interventions, and we could not identify a predictive urinary metabolite as a potential biomarker for differentiation between responders and non-responders. However, the overall approach of defining a metabolic signature of response could be used in the future for tailored personalised nutritional advice

The effects of chronic trans-resveratrol supplementation on aspects of cognitive function, mood, sleep, health and cerebral blood flow in healthy, young humans

Single doses of resveratrol have previously been shown to increase cerebral blood flow (CBF) with no clear effect on cognitive function or mood in healthy adults. Chronic resveratrol consumption may increase the poor bioavailability of resveratrol or otherwise potentiate its psychological effects. In this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-groups study, a total of sixty adults aged between 18 and 30 years received either placebo or resveratrol for 28 d. On the 1st and 28th day of treatment, the performance of cognitively demanding tasks (serial subtractions, rapid visual information processing and 3-Back) (n 41 complete data sets) was assessed, alongside blood pressure (n 26) and acute (near-IR spectroscopy (NIRS)) and chronic (transcranial Doppler) measures of CBF (n 46). Subjective mood, sleep quality and health questionnaires were completed at weekly intervals (n 53/54). The results showed that the cognitive effects of resveratrol on day 1 were restricted to more accurate but slower serial subtraction task performance. The only cognitive finding on day 28 was a beneficial effect of resveratrol on the accuracy of the 3-Back task before treatment consumption. Subjective ratings of ‘fatigue’ were significantly lower across the entire 28 d in the resveratrol condition. Resveratrol also resulted in modulation of CBF parameters on day 1, as assessed by NIRS, and significantly increased diastolic blood pressure on day 28. Levels of resveratrol metabolites were significantly higher both before and after the day’s treatment on day 28, in comparison with day 1. These results confirm the acute CBF effects of resveratrol and the lack of interpretable cognitive effects

Effects of chronic consumption of specific fruit (berries, cherries and citrus) on cognitive health: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

Objectives: The cognitive-protective effects related to the consumption of a variety of fruits are supported by several intervention studies. This systematic review and meta-analysis compared the magnitude of effects following chronic (≥1 week) consumption of frozen, freeze-dried powder including extracts and juices of fruits, covering berries, cherries and citrus, on cognition and mood in adults. Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and psycARTICLES were searched from inception until February, 2021. Inclusion criteria were randomised controlled trials assessing memory, executive function, psychomotor speed, mood and mini mental state examination in adult participants ≥18 years of age. Cognition was tested by global or domain specific tasks. Results: Out of 13,861 articles identified, 16 papers were included; 11 studies provided suitable data for meta-analysis. Fourteen studies reported improvement or trend for improvement in cognition, five studies assessed mood and one study supplementing grape juice found trend for mood improvement. From the meta-analysis, cherry juice supplementation was suggested to improve psychomotor speed by -0.37 of standardised mean difference (95% CI [-0.74, 0.01]) in reaction time (P = 0.05). Conclusions: The meta-analysis did not sufficiently support a role for fruits or fruit forms to improve cognition and mood