Feeding Cues and Injected Nutrients Induce Acute Expression of Multiple Clock Genes in the Mouse Liver

The circadian clock is closely associated with energy metabolism. The liver clock can rapidly adapt to a new feeding cycle within a few days, whereas the lung clock is gradually entrained over one week. However, the mechanism underlying tissue-specific clock resetting is not fully understood. To characterize the rapid response to feeding cues in the liver clock, we examined the effects of a single time-delayed feeding on circadian rhythms in the liver and lungs of Per2::Luc reporter knockin mice. After adapting to a night-time restricted feeding schedule, the mice were fed according to a 4, 8, or 13 h delayed schedule on the last day. The phase of the liver clock was delayed in all groups with delayed feeding, whereas the lung clock remained unaffected. We then examined the acute response of clock and metabolism-related genes in the liver using focused DNA-microarrays. Clock mutant mice were bred under constant light to attenuate the endogenous circadian rhythm, and gene expression profiles were determined during 24 h of fasting followed by 8 h of feeding. Per2 and Dec1 were significantly increased within 1 h of feeding. Real-time RT-PCR analysis revealed a similarly acute response in hepatic clock gene expression caused by feeding wild type mice after an overnight fast. In addition to Per2 and Dec1, the expression of Per1 increased, and that of Rev-erbα decreased in the liver within 1 h of feeding after fasting, whereas none of these clock genes were affected in the lung. Moreover, an intraperitoneal injection of glucose combined with amino acids, but not either alone, reproduced a similar hepatic response. Our findings show that multiple clock genes respond to nutritional cues within 1 h in the liver but not in the lung

Japanese-Style Diet and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies

This systematic review and meta-analysis elucidate the effects of the Japanese-style diet and characteristic Japanese foods on the mortality risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), cerebrovascular disease (stroke), and heart disease (HD). This review article followed the PRISMA guidelines. A systematic search in PubMed, The Cochrane Library, JDreamIII, and ICHUSHI Web identified prospective cohort studies on Japanese people published till July 2020. The meta-analysis used a random-effects model, and heterogeneity and publication bias were evaluated with I2 statistic and Egger’s test, respectively. Based on inclusion criteria, we extracted 58 articles, including 9 on the Japanese-style diet (n = 469,190) and 49 (n = 2,668,238) on characteristic Japanese foods. With higher adherence to the Japanese-style diet, the pooled risk ratios (RRs) for CVD, stroke, heart disease/ischemic heart disease combined (HD/IHD) mortality were 0.83 (95% CI, 0.77–0.89, I2 = 58%, Egger’s test: p = 0.625, n = 9 studies), 0.80 (95% CI, 0.69–0.93, I2 = 66%, Egger’s test: p = 0.602, n = 6 studies), and 0.81 (95% CI, 0.75–0.88, I2 = 0%, Egger’s test: p = 0.544, n = 6 studies), respectively. Increased consumption of vegetables, fruits, fish, green tea, and milk and dairy products decreased the RR for CVD, stroke, or HD mortality. Increased salt consumption elevated the RR for CVD and stroke mortality. Increased consumption of dietary fiber and plant-derived protein decreased the RR for CVD, stroke, and HD/IHD mortality. The Japanese-style diet and characteristic Japanese foods may reduce CVD mortality. Most studies conducted diet surveys between 1980 and the 1990s. This meta-analysis used articles that evaluated the same cohort study by a different method. A new large-scale cohort study matching the current Japanese dietary habits is needed to confirm these findings

Identification of Factors Necessary for Enabling Technology-Based Dietary Record Surveys: A Qualitative Focus Group Interview with Japanese Dietitians

Weighed food records together with an in-person interview approach constitute the most basic methods used to estimate energy and nutrient intakes in dietary surveys. In the background of the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic, the need for non-face-to-face dietary surveys using information and communication technology (ICT) is increasing. We aimed to evaluate ICT-based dietary record surveys and identify factors that may enable this survey method to become more widely used in the future. We conducted a non-face-to-face survey of dietary records of 44 Japanese individuals, maintained by dietitians using dietary photography and video conferencing services. We conducted a focus group interview with the six dietitians who conducted that survey. Their opinions on the factors necessary to popularize ICT-based dietary survey method were analyzed. In the focus group interview, dietitians highlighted fewer restrictions on time and place as positive aspects. Negative aspects included insufficient skills to operate computers, difficulty in hearing, and understanding facial expressions using ICT. We identified three main factors for enabling widespread use of ICT-based dietary record survey: individual skill, device and technology, and social environmental factors. This suggests that a comprehensive approach is necessary for popularizing the use of ICT in dietary surveys

Quercetin metabolism by fecal microbiota from healthy elderly human subjects.

Quercetin is a polyphenol found in food that has numerous health benefits. This study investigated the relationship between quercetin metabolism, gut microbiota composition, and dietary intake in elderly Japanese subjects. A food frequency questionnaire was used to assess dietary intake during the week prior to stool sample collection. Fecal suspensions from 56 subjects were anaerobically incubated with quercetin and fecal microbiota composition was analyzed by next-generation sequencing. Inter-individual variations in quercetin concentration and fecal microbiota composition at family level suggested differences in microbial quercetin metabolism. The abundance of Sutterellaceae (r = -0.292) and Oscillospiraceae (r = -0.334) was negatively correlated whereas that of Fusobacteriaceae (r = 0.361) and Enterobacteriaceae (r = 0.321) was positively correlated with quercetin concentration. Niacin (r = -0.313), vitamin B6 (r = -0.297), vitamin B12 (r = -0.266), vitamin D (r = -0.301), and ratio of animal protein to total protein (r = -0.27) were also negatively correlated with quercetin concentration. Bacterial abundance was positively or negatively related to intake of food components. This is the first report describing the relationship between fecal quercetin metabolism, human microbiota, and dietary intake in the elderly

Reply to the Letter to the Editor by Li et al.: Bioinformatics Analysis in Mice with Diet-Induced Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Treated with Astaxanthin and Vitamin E

Reply: Thank you for the valuable comments. The purpose of our study is not to prove the significant difference between the groups.[...

Hepatic Transcriptome Profiles of Mice with Diet-Induced Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Treated with Astaxanthin and Vitamin E

Astaxanthin alleviates hepatic lipid accumulation and peroxidation, inflammation, and fibrosis in mice with high-cholesterol, high-cholate, and high-fat (CL) diet-induced nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) [...