Changes in cholesterol kinetics following sugar cane policosanol supplementation: a randomized control trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Sugar cane policosanols (SCP) have been shown to exert cholesterol-modulating properties in various studies conducted in Cuba by substantially reducing cholesterol synthesis. Independent research examining changes in cholesterol kinetics in response to SCP is limited to few studies, none of which was able to replicate findings of the original research. Moreover, no data are available on the effect of SCP on cholesterol absorption to date. The present study was undertaken to determine effects on cholesterol kinetics, namely synthesis and absorption, within hypercholesterolemic individuals consuming a SCP treatment. Twenty-one otherwise healthy hypercholesterolemic subjects participated in a randomized double-blind crossover study where they received 10 mg/day of policosanols or a placebo incorporated in margarine as an evening snack for a period of 28 days. The last week of the study phase, subjects were given ¹³C labelled cholesterol and deuterated water for the measurement of cholesterol absorption and synthesis respectively. Blood was collected on the first two and last five days of the trial. Cholesterol absorption and synthesis were determined by measuring red cell cholesterol ¹³C and deuterium enrichment, respectively.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There was no significant change in LDL cholesterol levels as compared to control. In addition, the area under the curve for red cell cholesterol ¹³C enrichment across 96 hours was not significantly different in the SCP group as compared to control. Similarly, no difference was observed in the fractional rate of cholesterol synthesis over the period of 24 hours between the two treatment groups.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The findings of the present study fail to support previous research concerning efficacy and mechanism of action for policosanols.</p

Is the Gut Microbiota a New Factor Contributing to Obesity and Its Metabolic Disorders?

The gut microbiota refers to the trillions of microorganisms residing in the intestine and is integral in multiple physiological processes of the host. Recent research has shown that gut bacteria play a role in metabolic disorders such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. The mechanisms by which the gut microbiota affects metabolic diseases are by two major routes: (1) the innate immune response to the structural components of bacteria (e.g., lipopolysaccharide) resulting in inflammation and (2) bacterial metabolites of dietary compounds (e.g., SCFA from fiber), which have biological activities that regulate host functions. Gut microbiota has evolved with humans as a mutualistic partner, but dysbiosis in a form of altered gut metagenome and collected microbial activities, in combination with classic genetic and environmental factors, may promote the development of metabolic disorders. This paper reviews the available literature about the gut microbiota and aforementioned metabolic disorders and reveals the gaps in knowledge for future study

Local and systemic effects of bioactive food ingredients: is there a role for functional foods to prime the gut for resilience?

Scientific advancements in understanding the impact of bioactive components in foods on the gut microbiota and wider physiology create opportunities for designing targeted functional foods. The selection of bioactive ingredients with potential local or systemic effects holds promise for influencing overall well-being. An abundance of studies demonstrate that gut microbiota show compositional changes that correlate age and disease. However, navigating this field, especially for non-experts, remains challenging, given the abundance of bioactive ingredients with varying levels of scientific substantiation. This narrative review addresses the current knowledge on the potential impact of the gut microbiota on host health, emphasizing gut microbiota resilience. It explores evidence related to the extensive gut health benefits of popular dietary components and bioactive ingredients, such as phytochemicals, fermented greens, fibres, prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics. Importantly, this review distinguishes between the potential local and systemic effects of both popular and emerging ingredients. Additionally, it highlights how dietary hormesis promotes gut microbiota resilience, fostering better adaptation to stress—a hallmark of health. By integrating examples of bioactives, this review provides insights to guide the design of evidence-based functional foods aimed at priming the gut for resilience

A meta-analysis comparing the effectiveness of alternate day fasting, the 5:2 diet, and time-restricted eating for weight loss.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this meta-analysis was to compare the effectiveness of different intermittent fasting (IF) regimens on weight loss, in the general population, and compare these to traditional caloric energy restriction (CER). METHODS Three databases were searched from 2011 to June 2021 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that assessed weight loss and IF, including alternate day fasting (ADF), the 5:2 diet, and time-restricted eating (TRE). A random effect network analysis was used to compare the effectiveness between the three regimens. Meta-regression analysis was presented as weighted mean differences of body weight loss. RESULTS The exploratory random effects network analysis of 24 RCTs (n = 1768) ranked ADF as the most effective, followed by CER and TRE. The meta-analysis showed that IF regimens resulted in similar weight loss to CER (mean difference 0.26 kg, 95% CI: -0.31 to 0.84; p = 0.37). Compliance was generally high (>80%) in trials shorter than 3 months. CONCLUSIONS The present meta-analysis concludes that IF is comparable to CER and a promising alternative for weight loss. Among the three regimens, ADF showed the highest effectiveness for weight loss, followed by CER and TRE. Further well-powered RCTs with longer durations of intervention are required to draw solid conclusions

A randomised controlled school-based nutritional intervention in five Middle Eastern countries: Ajyal Salima improved students’ dietary and physical activity habits

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this study was to measure the impact of the Ajyal Salima school intervention on nutrition and physical activity outcomes in children aged 9–11 years. Design: The study was a 1-year cluster-randomised controlled trial. Ajyal Salima used a multi-component approach including classroom activities, family programme and food service adaptation. Outcomes included daily intake of breakfast, frequency of healthy and unhealthy food consumption, frequency of physical activity, knowledge score and self-efficacy score. Intervention and control groups were compared for all main outcomes and a post-intervention qualitative evaluation assessed strengths and limitations of the intervention components. Setting: Schools in five countries – Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Participants: Schools were selected by Ministries of Health and Education within their jurisdictions. Forty-five intervention schools (6052 students) and forty-six control schools (6200 students) were included in the analysis. Results: The intervention group had a significantly higher odds of consuming breakfast daily (OR 95 % CI = 1·60, 1·35, 1·90), consuming healthy foods (OR 95 % CI = 1·60, 1·39, 1·84) and a decreased odds of consuming unhealthy foods and sweetened beverages (OR, 95 % CI = 0·70, 0·60, 0·81). Additionally, school children in the intervention group, as compared with the control group, were 47 % more likely to exercise outside school hours (OR 95 % CI = 1·47, 1·23, 1·76). Lastly, children in the intervention group had a significantly improved nutritional knowledge score and improved self-efficacy by 1·3 score unit and 1·1 score unit, respectively. Conclusions: The Ajyal Salima intervention led to significant improvements in dietary and physical activity habits among school children and increased nutritional knowledge scores

Evaluation of cholesterol-lowering and antioxidant properties of sugar cane policosanols in hamsters and humans

Atherosclerosis prevention is now a major focus of the scientific community and the pharmaceutical industry. Sugar cane policosanols (SCP) have gained increasing popularity over the last decade as a result of numerous studies conducted in Cuba considering SCP as the natural alternative to statin drugs. However, independent research on policosanols was not able to replicate cholesterol reductions reported by Cuban laboratories. No independent study to date has examined the cholesterol-lowering effect and antioxidant capacity of original SCP in humans. In addition, since independent research was criticized because of the use of alternative policosanol formulations, the source and composition of policosanol mixtures are now at the core of the policosanol controversy. The aim of the present thesis project was first to compare the composition and cholesterol-lowering effects of different SCP preparations in hamsters, and secondly to test the cholesterol-lowering efficacy, mechanism of action and antioxidant capacity of the original Cuban SCP in hypercholesterolemic humans. Study 1: Forty-eight male hamsters were randomly assigned to 4 groups for a period of 4 weeks (i) non-cholesterol control, (ii) cholesterol control, (iii) original SCP and (iv) alternative SCP. Hamsters were sacrificed and blood was collected at the end of the feeding period for lipid measurements. Study 2: Twenty-one hypercholesterolemic volunteers consumed 10 mg/day of SCP or a placebo for a period of 28 days in a crossover trial. Plasma lipid levels and LDL oxidation were measured at the start and end of supplementation phases. Cholesterol absorption and synthesis were assessed using single isotope single tracer technique and deuterium incorporation respectivelL'athérosclérose est actuellement la cible principale de la communauté scientifique ainsi que les companies pharmaceutiques. Les policosanols issus de la cane à sucre (SCP) ont gagné une importance majeure suite à une série d'études effectuées à Cuba et montrant que ces substances représentaient l'alternative naturelle aux statines. Cependant, des laboratoires indépendants ont récemment refuté les conclusions des chercheurs Cubains, n'ayant pas observé d'amélioration du profile lipidique suite à une supplémentation de SCP. Aucune étude indépendante n'a entrepris de mesurer les effets hypolipémiants et antioxidants des SCP dans une population hypercholestérolémique. De plus, les chercheurs indépendants ayant été critiques pour leur utilisation de préparations alternatives, la source et la composition des formulations de policosanols est actuellement au sein de la controverse sur les effets de ces statines naturelles. Les objectifs du projet de thèse présent était premièrement de comparer la composition de différentes sortes de policosanols ainsi que leurs effets réducteurs sur le niveau du cholestérol sanguins chez les hamsters, et deuxièmement d'évaluer la preparation de SCP originale en terme de réduction de cholestérol, méchanisme d'action, et pouvoir antioxidant, et cela chez des individus hypercholestérolémiques. Etude 1: Quarante-huit hamsters ont été randomisés pour recevoir 4 traitements differents (i) contrôle sans cholestérol (ii) contrôle avec cholestérol (iii) SCP originaux et (iv) SCP alternatifs. Les hamsters ont été sacrifiés et leur plasma a été utilisé pour la determination du profile lipidique. Etude 2: Vingt et un volontaires hypercholestérolémiques ont

Lack of cholesterol-lowering efficacy of Cuban sugar cane policosanols in hypercholesterolemic persons

Background: More than 50 studies have reported substantial reductions in plasma lipid concentrations in response to 2\u9640 mg Cuban sugar cane policosanol (SCP) mixtures/d. However, several animal and human trials conducted outside of Cuba that used non-Cuban mixtures have failed to reproduce the efficacy of policosanols observed in earlier studies. Objective: The objective was to evaluate lipid-modulating actions of the authentic Cuban SCPs on plasma lipids in healthy hypercholesterolemic volunteers. Design: Twenty-one volunteers consumed, under supervision, 10 mg SCPs/d or a placebo incorporated in margarine as an afternoon snack, for a period of 28 d with the use of a randomized, double-blind crossover study design. Subjects maintained their habitual diet and physical activity and were weighed daily throughout the study period. Blood was collected at days 1, 2, 28, and 29 of the feeding trial, and lipid concentrations were measured. Results: Body weights did not vary significantly throughout the trial and did not affect plasma lipid values. No significant difference was observed between treatment and control groups in plasma total, LDL-, HDL-cholesterol, and triacylglycerol concentrations. Conclusion: Present results show no beneficial effects of Cuban SCPs on lipid indicators in hypercholesterolemic persons and question the clinical usefulness of policosanol mixtures as cholesterol-lowering neutraceutical agents