Whole Grain, Bran, and Germ Intake and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: A Prospective Cohort Study and Systematic Review

Jeroen de Munter and colleagues found that, in women in the US Nurses' Health Studies, whole grain intake was inversely associated with risk of type 2 diabetes. The association was stronger for bran than for germ

Whole Grain Wheat Consumption Affects Postprandial Inflammatory Response in a Randomized Controlled Trial in Overweight and Obese Adults with Mild Hypercholesterolemia in the Graandioos Study

BACKGROUND: Whole grain wheat (WGW) consumption is associated with health benefits in observational studies. However, WGW randomized controlled trial (RCT) studies show mixed effects. OBJECTIVES: The health impact of WGW consumption was investigated by quantification of the body's resilience, which was defined as the "ability to adapt to a standardized challenge." METHODS: A double-blind RCT was performed with overweight and obese (BMI: 25-35 kg/m2) men (n = 19) and postmenopausal women (n = 31) aged 45-70 y, with mildly elevated plasma total cholesterol (>5 mmol/L), who were randomly assigned to either 12-wk WGW (98 g/d) or refined wheat (RW). Before and after the intervention a standardized mixed-meal challenge was performed. Plasma samples were taken after overnight fasting and postprandially (30, 60, 120, and 240 min). Thirty-one biomarkers were quantified focusing on metabolism, liver, cardiovascular health, and inflammation. Linear mixed-models evaluated fasting compared with postprandial intervention effects. Health space models were used to evaluate intervention effects as composite markers representing resilience of inflammation, liver, and metabolism. RESULTS: Postprandial biomarker changes related to liver showed decreased alanine aminotransferase by WGW (P = 0.03) and increased β-hydroxybutyrate (P = 0.001) response in RW. Postprandial changes related to inflammation showed increased C-reactive protein (P = 0.001), IL-6 (P = 0.02), IL-8 (P = 0.007), and decreased IL-1B (P = 0.0002) in RW and decreased C-reactive protein (P < 0.0001), serum amyloid A (P < 0.0001), IL-8 (P = 0.02), and IL-10 (P < 0.0001) in WGW. Health space visualization demonstrated diminished inflammatory (P < 0.01) and liver resilience (P < 0.01) by RW, whereas liver resilience was rejuvenated by WGW (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Twelve-week 98 g/d WGW consumption can promote liver and inflammatory resilience in overweight and obese subjects with mildly elevated plasma cholesterol. The health space approach appeared appropriate to evaluate intervention effects as composite markers. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02385149.</p

Effects of cereal breakfasts on postprandial glucose, appetite regulation and voluntary energy intake at a subsequent standardized lunch; focusing on rye products

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Rye products have been demonstrated to lower the acute insulin demand, induce a low and prolonged blood glucose response (high Glycemic Profile, GP) and reduce subclinical inflammation. These products may therefore contribute to a lowered risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardio vascular disease. The objective of the present paper was to evaluate the mechanism for a reduced postprandial insulin demand with rye products, and to explore possible appetite regulating properties.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>10 healthy subjects were served breakfast meals (50 g of available starch) with endosperm- or whole grain rye breads, with and without lactic acid, boiled whole grain rye- (RK) or wheat (WK) kernels, or white wheat bread reference (WWB) in random order in a cross-over design. Plasma concentrations of glucose, ghrelin, serum insulin, free fatty acids, adiponectin, breath hydrogen excretion (H₂), and subjective satiety was evaluated during the postprandial phase. 270 min after the breakfast, an ad lib lunch buffet was served and the voluntary energy intake (EI) was registered.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>All rye products and WK induced lower insulinemic indices (II) than WWB. A lower incremental insulin peak following breakfast correlated with a lower EI at lunch (r = 0.38). A low II was related to improved satiety in the early postprandial phase (fullness AUC 0-60 min, r = -0.36). RK induced a higher GP compared to WWB and WK. A higher GP was related to a lowered <it>desire to eat </it>before lunch (AUC 210-270) and to a lower concentration of ghrelin in the late postprandial phase after breakfast (270 min), r = -0.29 and -0.29), which in turn was related to a lower voluntary EI (r = 0.43 and 0.33). The RK breakfast improved satiety in the early postprandial phase (0-60 min) compared to WWB, and induced a lower EI at lunch (-16%). A high content of indigestible carbohydrates in the breakfast products was related to improved satiety (0-60 min, r = 0.68 for fullness), and a higher breath H₂in the late postprandial phase (120-270 and 270-390 min, r = 0.46 and 0.70). High H₂(AUC 120-270 min) also correlated with lower EI (r = -0.34).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Rye products, rich in indigestible carbohydrates, induce colonic fermentation already post the breakfast meal, and lowers acute insulin responses. A high excretion of breath H2 also correlated with a higher GP. Especially, rye kernels induced a high GP which was associated with a 16% lowering of energy intake at a subsequent lunch meal. The bulking effect of rye fiber, colonically derived fermentation metabolites, a high GP and a low insulin response possibly all contributes to the benefits on glucose- and appetite regulation seen in an acute and semi-acute perspective.</p

Die politische Aufgabe von Religion

Das Verhältnis von Religion und Politik ist in den vergangenen Jahren verstärkt in den Fokus der Forschung gerückt. Die Autoren dieses Bandes widmen sich diesem Verhältnis unter einer besonderen Zuspitzung. Ihre Beiträge analysieren, inwiefern es zum Selbstverständnis von Religionen gehört, einen Beitrag zur Gestaltung der gesellschaftlichen und politischen Wirklichkeit leisten zu sollen. Mit dieser Problematik verknüpft ist eine zentrale Frage: Wie erklärt und wie äußert sich der Anspruch von Religionen, eine »politische Aufgabe« zu besitzen? Im Fokus stehen die drei großen monotheistischen Religionen Judentum, Christentum und Islam, wobei für das Christentum zusätzlich die konfessionellen Differenzen in den Blick kommen, die zu ganz unterschiedlichen Einschätzungen der politischen Aufgabe des Christentums geführt haben.Für alle drei monotheistischen Religionen nehmen die Beiträger jeweils eine Doppelperspektive ein: historische Beispiele erhellen die jeweiligen Bedingungen und Kontexte für religiös motivierte Teilhabe an politischer Gestaltung und Verantwortung; Systematische Entfaltungen versuchen eine Einbettung dieser Beispiele in die spezifischen Denkhorizonte der jeweiligen Religionen. Das so erhobene politische Selbstverständnis der Religionen wird schließlich mit der Fremdwahrnehmung dieses Selbstverständnisses aus nichtreligiöser Perspektive kontrastiert

Die politische Aufgabe von Religion

Das Verhältnis von Religion und Politik ist in den vergangenen Jahren verstärkt in den Fokus der Forschung gerückt. Die Autoren dieses Bandes widmen sich diesem Verhältnis unter einer besonderen Zuspitzung. Ihre Beiträge analysieren, inwiefern es zum Selbstverständnis von Religionen gehört, einen Beitrag zur Gestaltung der gesellschaftlichen und politischen Wirklichkeit leisten zu sollen. Mit dieser Problematik verknüpft ist eine zentrale Frage: Wie erklärt und wie äußert sich der Anspruch von Religionen, eine »politische Aufgabe« zu besitzen? Im Fokus stehen die drei großen monotheistischen Religionen Judentum, Christentum und Islam, wobei für das Christentum zusätzlich die konfessionellen Differenzen in den Blick kommen, die zu ganz unterschiedlichen Einschätzungen der politischen Aufgabe des Christentums geführt haben.Für alle drei monotheistischen Religionen nehmen die Beiträger jeweils eine Doppelperspektive ein: historische Beispiele erhellen die jeweiligen Bedingungen und Kontexte für religiös motivierte Teilhabe an politischer Gestaltung und Verantwortung; Systematische Entfaltungen versuchen eine Einbettung dieser Beispiele in die spezifischen Denkhorizonte der jeweiligen Religionen. Das so erhobene politische Selbstverständnis der Religionen wird schließlich mit der Fremdwahrnehmung dieses Selbstverständnisses aus nichtreligiöser Perspektive kontrastiert

Dietary fiber intake and retinal vascular caliber in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study

Dietary fiber appears to decrease the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Microvascular abnormalities can be observed by retinal examination and contribute to the pathogenesis of various cardiovascular diseases. The impact of dietary fiber on the retinal microvasculature is not known

The Nachtlichter app: a citizen science tool for documenting outdoor light sources in public space

The relationship between satellite based measurements of city radiance at night and the numbers and types of physical lights installed on the ground is not well understood. Here we present the "Nachtlichter app", which was developed to enable citizen scientists to classify and count light sources along street segments over large spatial scales. The project and app were co-designed: citizen scientists played key roles in the app development, testing, and recruitment, as well as in analysis of the data. In addition to describing the app itself and the data format, we provide a general overview of the project, including training materials, data cleaning, and the result of some basic data consistency checks

Influence of Oil, Dispersant, and Pressure on Microbial Communities from the Gulf of Mexico

The Deepwater Horizon incident in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 released an unprecedented amount of petroleum hydrocarbons 1500 meters below the sea surface. Few studies have considered the influence of hydrostatic pressure on bacterial community development and activity during such spills. The goal of this study was to investigate the response of indigenous sediment microbial communities to the combination of increased pressure, hydrocarbons and dispersant. Deep-sea sediment samples collected from the northern Gulf of Mexico were incubated at atmospheric pressure (0.1 MPa) and at elevated pressure (10 MPa), with and without the addition of crude oil and dispersant. After incubations at 4 °C for 7 days, Colwellia and Psychrobium were highly abundant in all samples. Pressure differentially impacted members of the Alteromonadales. The influences of pressure on the composition of bacterial communities were most pronounced when dispersant was added to the incubations. Moritella and Thalassotalea were greatly stimulated by the addition of dispersant, suggesting their roles in dispersant biodegradation. However, Moritella was negatively impacted by increasing pressure. The presence of dispersant was shown to decrease the relative abundance of a known hydrocarbon degrader, Cycloclasticus, while increasing pressure increased its relative abundance. This study highlights the significant influence of pressure on the development of microbial communities in the presence of oil and dispersant during oil spills and related response strategies in the deep sea