Weight loss in individuals with metabolic syndrome given DASH diet counseling when provided a low sodium vegetable juice: a randomized controlled trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Metabolic syndrome, a constellation of metabolic risk factors for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, is one of the fastest growing disease entities in the world. Weight loss is thought to be a key to improving all aspects of metabolic syndrome. Research studies have suggested benefits from diets rich in vegetables and fruits in helping individuals reach and achieve healthy weights.</p> <p>Objective</p> <p>To evaluate the effects of a ready to serve vegetable juice as part of a calorie-appropriate Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet in an ethnically diverse population of people with Metabolic Syndrome on weight loss and their ability to meet vegetable intake recommendations, and on their clinical characteristics of metabolic syndrome (waist circumference, triglycerides, HDL, fasting blood glucose and blood pressure).</p> <p>A secondary goal was to examine the impact of the vegetable juice on associated parameters, including leptin, vascular adhesion markers, and markers of the oxidative defense system and of oxidative stress.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A prospective 12 week, 3 group (0, 8, or 16 fluid ounces of low sodium vegetable juice) parallel arm randomized controlled trial. Participants were requested to limit their calorie intake to 1600 kcals for women and 1800 kcals for men and were educated on the DASH diet. A total of 81 (22 men & 59 women) participants with Metabolic Syndrome were enrolled into the study. Dietary nutrient and vegetable intake, weight, height, leptin, metabolic syndrome clinical characteristics and related markers of endothelial and cardiovascular health were measured at baseline, 6-, and 12-weeks.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There were significant group by time interactions when aggregating both groups consuming vegetable juice (8 or 16 fluid ounces daily). Those consuming juice lost more weight, consumed more Vitamin C, potassium, and dietary vegetables than individuals who were in the group that only received diet counseling (p < 0.05).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The incorporation of vegetable juice into the daily diet can be a simple and effective way to increase the number of daily vegetable servings. Data from this study also suggest the potential of using a low sodium vegetable juice in conjunction with a calorie restricted diet to aid in weight loss in overweight individuals with metabolic syndrome.</p

The role of amino acids in the amplification and quality of DNA vectors for industrial applications

In this study, we have demonstrated that the type and feeding regimen of amino acids have a significant impact on the quality as well as the quantity of DNA vectors produced. Nutrient pool and factorial design experiments were carried out in order to identify the amino acids involved in increased biomass and induction of plasmid amplification. Leucine, glycine, and histidine were responsible for increased biomass and leucine starvation in the presence of histidine was implicated in plasmid amplification. Supercoiling of the plasmid was optimised using a dual feeding strategy. As a result of this, a fed-batch fermentation strategy for the production of a 6.9kb plasmid, pSVß, in Escherichia coli DH5α was developed. In batch fermentation, a maximum plasmid yield of 39.4mg/L equivalent to 11.3mg/g DCW was achieved with casein hydrolysate limitation. 90% of plasmid was in the supercoiled form after 31h of fermentation but only remained so for a short period, leading to a very brief window for harvesting cells at scale. Subsequently, a fed-batch fermentation using a dual feeding strategy was employed. A mean maximum plasmid yield of 44 mg/L equivalent to 9.1 mg plasmid/g DCW was achieved. After 25h, 90% of plasmid was in the supercoiled form and remained at this level for the remaining 10h of the fermentation, allowing adequate time for the harvesting of cells without the loss of supercoiling of product. This study emphasized that optimizing fermentation strategy and identifying the essential nutrients are beneficial for bioprocessing of plasmid DNA for therapeutic applications. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved