Spice Foods effects on Body Weight Reductions between Obese Animal Models

The aim of this study was determination and identification of phenolic and flavonoids fraction in addition to the antioxidant activities of used herbals (curcumin, black pepper and cumin) by HPLC in addition to evaluating the effects of such different spicy food consumptions on body weight reduction between obese animal models. Rats were randomly divided to ten groups fed; Black Papers, Cumin and Curcumin either alone or in different mixtures additionally to groups fed Orlistat (control body weight loss), Non-obese negative control group (C-ve) and Obese control positive group (C+ve). Blood glucose and body weight levels were measured at the beginning and end of the experimental in addition to rats’ lipid profiles (total cholesterol; triglycerides;, high dense lipoprotein cholesterol; low dense lipoprotein cholesterol; and very low dense lipoprotein cholesterol). Results presented that obese models received (Cumin)  Cu/( Curcumin ) Cur mixture have the biggest effective significant treatment (about -80% body weight reduction  ) followed by both groups fed mixtures of (Curcumin ) Cur/( Black Papers ) Bp  and (Curcumin) Cur/( Black Papers ) Bp/( Cumin ) Cu; decreased by -68.0 and -65.6g respectively. The study could be more valuable causing significant body weight reduction between obese models, however human studies are needed

Anti-Obesity Effects of Formulated Biscuits Supplemented with Date’s Fiber; Agro-Waste Products Used as a Potent Functional Food

Superabundant date fruit production in Al-Qassim in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), a plentiful region for producing date syrup resulting in massive amounts of date fiber (DF), causes environmental issues with what is considered dietary waste. However, no food producer or researcher has thought of the valorization of DF by extracting the crude polysaccharides that can be converted to nanoparticles (flours) to increase its functional group and enhance its functionality. Using the DF was the primary goal, with the new biscuits used within the current study investigated as a potent integrated approach for controlling obesity levels and its effects. Obesity is one of the most important human problems worldwide, connected to many metabolic diseases, e.g., diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. Its prevalence has recently increased among Saudi children and adolescents. An investigation of the biological effects of the formulated products was carried out by feeding the formulated biscuits with different DF levels (5, 10 and 15%) to obese albino rats, in addition to positive and negative control groups, to evaluate the effect of a reduced calorie product on controlling their body weight and health stats (lipid profile, blood sugars, kidney and liver functions). The collected data showed that the most positive results were obtained from rats fed diets supplemented with 10% DF biscuits. All TCHO, TrGs, HDL, and HDL were decreased to the best levels in this group compared to the positive control group (148.23, 145.30, 37.50, and 81.67 vs. 238.37, 199.07, 62.57, and 135.99, respectively). To conclude, DF supplementation presented anti-obesity properties in animal models; however, more epidemiological trials are needed

In vitro batch cultures of gut microbiota from healthy and ulcerative colitis (UC) subjects suggest that sulphate-reducing bacteria levels are raised in UC and by a protein-rich diet.

Imbalances in gut microbiota composition during ulcerative colitis (UC) indicate a role for the microbiota in propagating the disorder. Such effects were investigated using in vitro batch cultures (with/without mucin, peptone or starch) inoculated with faecal slurries from healthy or UC patients; the growth of five bacterial groups was monitored along with short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production. Healthy cultures gave two-fold higher growth and SCFA levels with up to ten-fold higher butyrate production. Starch gave the highest growth and SCFA production (particularly butyrate), indicating starch-enhanced saccharolytic activity. Sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) were the predominant bacterial group (of five examined) for UC inocula whereas they were the minority group for the healthy inocula. Furthermore, SRB growth was stimulated by peptone presumably due to the presence of sulphur-rich amino acids. The results suggest raised SRB levels in UC, which could contribute to the condition through release of toxic sulphide