Whole Grains, Legumes, and the Subsequent Meal Effect: Implications for Blood Glucose Control and the Role of Fermentation

Whole grains and legumes are known to reduce postprandial glycemia and, in some instances, insulinemia. However, the subsequent meal effect of ingesting whole grains and legumes is less well known. That is, inclusion of whole grains or legumes at breakfast decreases postprandial glycemia at lunch and/or dinner on the same day whereas consumption of a whole grain or lentil dinner reduces glycemia at breakfast the following morning. This effect is lost upon milling, processing, and cooking at high temperatures. The subsequent meal effect has important implications for the control of day-long blood glucose, and may be partly responsible for the reduction in diabetes incidence associated with increased whole grain and legume intake. This paper describes the subsequent meal effect and explores the role of acute glycemia, presence of resistant starch, and fermentation of indigestible carbohydrate as the mechanisms responsible for this effect

Youth Labour Markets in Post-1984 New Zealand: Young People Negotiating School to Work Transitions

This paper is part of a larger project exploring the school to post-school choices of New Zealand’s first post-1984 generation. In this paper we analyse census data relating to the employment of young people (aged 15-24 years) in two of the project’s sites, Southland and Auckland. We then discuss out participants’ perceptions of the labour market and find that these perceptions are broadly in line with general labour market trends, and that they incorporate a reasonable sense of the local opportunities for part time employment while at school. But participants lacked this ‘local literacy’ when considering future employment possibilities. That is, they lack a clear sense of engagement with ‘place’ in relation to their imagined working futures

Youth Labour Markets in Post-1984 New Zealand: Young People Negotiating School to Work Transitions

This paper is part of a larger project exploring the school to post-school choices of New Zealand’s first post-1984 generation. In this paper we analyse census data relating to the employment of young people (aged 15-24 years) in two of the project’s sites, Southland and Auckland. We then discuss out participants’ perceptions of the labour market and find that these perceptions are broadly in line with general labour market trends, and that they incorporate a reasonable sense of the local opportunities for part time employment while at school. But participants lacked this ‘local literacy’ when considering future employment possibilities. That is, they lack a clear sense of engagement with ‘place’ in relation to their imagined working futures

Consumption of resistant starch decreases postprandial lipogenesis in white adipose tissue of the rat

Chronic consumption of diets high in resistant starch (RS) leads to reduced fat cell size compared to diets high in digestible starch (DS) in rats and increases total and meal fat oxidation in humans. The aim of the present study was to examine the rate of lipogenesis in key lipogenic organs following a high RS or DS meal. Following an overnight fast, male Wistar rats ingested a meal with an RS content of 2% or 30% of total carbohydrate and were then administered an i.p bolus of 50 μCi (3)H(2)O either immediately or 1 hour post-meal. One hour following tracer administration, rats were sacrificed, a blood sample collected, and the liver, white adipose tissue (WAT), and gastrocnemius muscle excised and frozen until assayed for total (3)H-lipid and (3)H-glycogen content. Plasma triglyceride and NEFA concentrations and (3)H-glycogen content did not differ between groups. In all tissues, except the liver, there was a trend for the rate of lipogenesis to be higher in the DS group than the RS group which reached significance only in WAT at 1 h (p < 0.01). On a whole body level, this attenuation of fat deposition in WAT in response to a RS diet could be significant for the prevention of weight gain in the long-term

Resistant starch consumption promotes lipid oxidation

BACKGROUND: Although the effects of resistant starch (RS) on postprandial glycemia and insulinemia have been extensively studied, little is known about the impact of RS on fat metabolism. This study examines the relationship between the RS content of a meal and postprandial/post-absorbative fat oxidation. RESULTS: 12 subjects consumed meals containing 0%, 2.7%, 5.4%, and 10.7% RS (as a percentage of total carbohydrate). Blood samples were taken and analyzed for glucose, insulin, triacylglycerol (TAG) and free fatty acid (FFA) concentrations. Respiratory quotient was measured hourly. The 0%, 5.4%, and 10.7% meals contained 50 μCi [1-(14)C]-triolein with breath samples collected hourly following the meal, and gluteal fat biopsies obtained at 0 and 24 h. RS, regardless of dose, had no effect on fasting or postprandial insulin, glucose, FFA or TAG concentration, nor on meal fat storage. However, data from indirect calorimetry and oxidation of [1-(14)C]-triolein to (14)CO(2 )showed that addition of 5.4% RS to the diet significantly increased fat oxidation. In fact, postprandial oxidation of [1-(14)C]-triolein was 23% greater with the 5.4% RS meal than the 0% meal (p = 0.0062). CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that replacement of 5.4% of total dietary carbohydrate with RS significantly increased post-prandial lipid oxidation and therefore could decrease fat accumulation in the long-term

Reproducibility of Dietary Intake Measurement From Diet Diaries, Photographic Food Records, and a Novel Sensor Method

Objective: No data currently exist on the reproducibility of photographic food records compared to diet diaries, two commonly used methods to measure dietary intake. Our aim was to examine the reproducibility of diet diaries, photographic food records, and a novel electronic sensor, consisting of counts of chews and swallows using wearable sensors and video analysis, for estimating energy intake. Method: This was a retrospective analysis of data from a previous study, in which 30 participants (15 female), aged 29 ± 12 y and having a BMI of 27.9 ± 5.5, consumed three identical meals on different days. Four different methods were used to estimate total mass and energy intake on each day: (1) weighed food record; (2) photographic food record; (3) diet diary; and (4) novel mathematical model based on counts of chews and swallows (CCS models) obtained via the use of electronic sensors and video monitoring system. The study staff conducted weighed food records for all meals, took pre- and post-meal photographs, and ensured that diet diaries were completed by participants at the end of each meal. All methods were compared against the weighed food record, which was used as the reference method. Results: Reproducibility was significantly different between the diet diary and photographic food record for total energy intake (p = 0.004). The photographic record had greater reproducibility vs. the diet diary for all parameters measured. For total energy intake, the novel sensor method exhibited good reproducibility (repeatability coefficient (RC) of 59.9 (45.9, 70.4), which was better than that for the diet diary [RC = 79.6 (55.5, 103.3)] but not as repeatable as the photographic method [RC = 43.4 (32.1, 53.9)]. Conclusion: Photographic food records offer superior precision to the diet diary and, therefore, would be valuable for longitudinal studies with repeated measures of dietary intake. A novel electronic sensor also shows promise for the collection of longitudinal dietary intake data.Fil: Fontana, Juan Manuel. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Instituto para el Desarrollo Agroindustrial y de la Salud. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto para el Desarrollo Agroindustrial y de la Salud; ArgentinaFil: Pan, Zhaoxing. University of Colorado; Estados UnidosFil: Sazonov, Edward S.. University of Alabama; Estados UnidosFil: McCrory, Megan A.. Boston University; Estados UnidosFil: Thomas, J. Graham. University Brown; Estados UnidosFil: McGrane, Kelli S.. University of Colorado; Estados UnidosFil: Marden, Tyson. University of Colorado; Estados UnidosFil: Higgins, Janine A.. University of Colorado; Estados Unido

Resistant starch and exercise independently attenuate weight regain on a high fat diet in a rat model of obesity

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Long-term weight reduction remains elusive for many obese individuals. Resistant starch (RS) and exercise may be useful for weight maintenance. The effects of RS, with or without exercise, on weight regain was examined during relapse to obesity on a high carbohydrate, high fat (HC/HF) diet.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Obesity-prone rats were fed <it>ad libitum </it>for 16 weeks then weight reduced on a low fat diet to induce a 17% body weight loss (weight reduced rats). Weight reduced rats were maintained on an energy-restricted low fat diet for 18 weeks, with or without a daily bout of treadmill exercise. Rats were then allowed free access to HC/HF diet containing low (0.3%) or high (5.9%) levels of RS. Weight regain, energy balance, body composition, adipocyte cellularity, and fuel utilization were monitored as rats relapsed to obesity and surpassed their original, obese weight.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Both RS and exercise independently attenuated weight regain by reducing the energy gap between the drive to eat and suppressed energy requirements. Exercise attenuated the deposition of lean mass during relapse, whereas its combination with RS sustained lean mass accrual as body weight returned. Early in relapse, RS lowered insulin levels and reduced the deposition of fat in subcutaneous adipose tissue. Exercise cessation at five weeks of relapse led to increased weight gain, body fat, subcutaneous adipocytes, and decreased lean mass; all detrimental consequences to overall metabolic health.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These data are the first to show the complimentary effects of dietary RS and regular exercise in countering the metabolic drive to regain weight following weight loss and suggest that exercise cessation, in the context of relapse on a HC/HF diet, may have dire metabolic consequences.</p

Gene Capture by Helitron Transposons Reshuffles the Transcriptome of Maize

Helitrons are a family of mobile elements that were discovered in 2001 and are now known to exist in the entire eukaryotic kingdom. Helitrons, particularly those of maize, exhibit an intriguing property of capturing gene fragments and placing them into the mobile element. Helitron-captured genes are sometimes transcribed, giving birth to chimeric transcripts that intertwine coding regions of different captured genes. Here, we perused the B73 maize genome for high-quality, putative Helitrons that exhibit plus/minus polymorphisms and contain pieces of more than one captured gene. Selected Helitrons were monitored for expression via in silico EST analysis. Intriguingly, expression validation of selected elements by RT–PCR analysis revealed multiple transcripts not seen in the EST databases. The differing transcripts were generated by alternative selection of splice sites during pre-mRNA processing. Selection of splice sites was not random since different patterns of splicing were observed in the root and shoot tissues. In one case, an exon residing in close proximity but outside of the Helitron was found conjoined with Helitron-derived exons in the mature transcript. Hence, Helitrons have the ability to synthesize new genes not only by placing unrelated exons into common transcripts, but also by transcription readthrough and capture of nearby exons. Thus, Helitrons have a phenomenal ability to “display” new coding regions for possible selection in nature. A highly conservative, minimum estimate of the number of new transcripts expressed by Helitrons is ∼11,000 or ∼25% of the total number of genes in the maize genome

Statistical models for meal-level estimation of mass and energy intake using features derived from video observation and a chewing sensor

Accurate and objective assessment of energy intake remains an ongoing problem. We used features derived from annotated video observation and a chewing sensor to predict mass and energy intake during a meal without participant self-report. 30 participants each consumed 4 different meals in a laboratory setting and wore a chewing sensor while being videotaped. Subject-independent models were derived from bite, chew, and swallow features obtained from either video observation or information extracted from the chewing sensor. With multiple regression analysis, a forward selection procedure was used to choose the best model. The best estimates of meal mass and energy intake had (mean ± standard deviation) absolute percentage errors of 25.2% ± 18.9% and 30.1% ± 33.8%, respectively, and mean ± standard deviation estimation errors of −17.7 ± 226.9 g and −6.1 ± 273.8 kcal using features derived from both video observations and sensor data. Both video annotation and sensor-derived features may be utilized to objectively quantify energy intake.DK10079604 - Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, Inc.); DK10079604 - Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, Inc.); DK10079604 - Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, Inc.); DK10079604 - Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, Inc.); DK10079604 - Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, Inc.); DK10079604 - Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, Inc.)Published versio