The Effects of Prebiotic Fiber Inulin on Satiety and Gastrointestinal Tolerance and Prebiotic Properties of a Yeast Fermentate In Vitro

University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. August 2020. Major: Nutrition. Advisors: Joanne Slavin, Marcia Endres. 1 computer file (PDF); xiii, 93 pages.The prevalence of chronic non-communicable diseases continues to rise in the United States. Cardiovascular disease (CVD), type 2 diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and associated inflammatory conditions threaten the health and wellbeing of the population. One dietary strategy to combat this trend is the promotion of dietary fiber intake. Dietary fiber offers numerous health benefits with consumption including the reduced risk of certain cancers and CVD, maintenance of healthy blood glucose levels, promotion of healthy bodyweight through enhanced satiety, and promotion of healthy blood lipid profiles. Prebiotics are a subcategory of fiber which offer all mentioned health benefits in addition to selective stimulation of beneficial gut bacteria, immuno-protective properties, attenuation of inflammatory pathways, and promotion of epithelial barrier integrity. Inulin is an extensively studied prebiotic fiber and is most often seen as an isolated powder derived from chicory roots. Inulin is also found abundantly in Jerusalem artichokes, and to a lesser extent in onions, bananas, garlic, leeks, and wheat. Jerusalem artichokes offer a whole food fiber source which can be incorporated into meals or blended into beverages. However, little work has been done evaluating the gastrointestinal tolerance (GIT) and satiety properties of Jerusalem artichokes. Given a recent consumer interest of incorporating more healthful whole foods into the diet, Jerusalem artichokes serve as an available, affordable, whole food vegetable offering a rich source of prebiotic fiber and health benefits upon consumption. The objective of our first study was to compare two forms of inulin, an isolated powder and a whole food source (Jerusalem artichokes), and to identify their effects on satiety and GIT when blended into a breakfast smoothie. We hypothesized that Jerusalem artichokes would promote greater satiety and be better tolerated when compared to inulin powder. In a randomized, single-blind, crossover designed study, 26 participants (13 females, 13 males) fasted for 12 hours and then consumed a chocolate breakfast smoothie with inulin powder or Jerusalem artichoke puree mixed in. A plain smoothie without fiber was used as a control. The primary outcome was to observe satiety using a visual analog scale (VAS) to assess hunger, satiety, fullness, and then assess prospective food intake. The secondary outcome was to observe GIT through surveys probing the presence and severity of common adverse gastrointestinal symptoms. Satiety was generally not different based on treatment group within four hours of smoothie consumption, with one exception at the 60-minute timepoint where those consuming Jerusalem artichokes indicated greater feelings of fullness than those receiving the inulin powder or control smoothie (P = 0.016). No significant differences in GIT were observed other than a slight increase in reported flatulence for both treatment groups when compared to a control at the 30-minute timepoint (P = 0.042). These data indicate that neither treatment promoted greater satiety than a control, and that both sources of inulin were well tolerated without producing adverse gastrointestinal symptoms in healthy adults. As efforts to identify new prebiotics continue, the objective of our second study was to measure prebiotic properties of a yeast fermentate in an in vitro system. Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) is used widely in human and animal nutrition for the contribution of micronutrients, antioxidants, amino acids, and other bioactive compounds. The fiber content of yeast fermentates has been shown to have prebiotic effects and the ability to alter the gut microbiota in a positive direction for gut health in several animal species, although data with human subjects is lacking. We hypothesized that a yeast fermentate would selectively stimulate the growth of Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus, while also increasing short chain fatty acid (SCFA) production in an in vitro simulated human microbiome environment. In our trial, human fecal samples were used with practical doses of a yeast fermentate, 0.5 g/L and 1.5 g/L, to compare SCFA, lactate, Bifidobacteria, Lactobacillus, ammonium (NH4+) and branched SCFA production. Maltodextrin was a placebo treatment. The yeast fermentate demonstrated prebiotic properties by beneficially altering microbiome activity and increasing Lactobacillus, butyrate, and propionate in a dose-dependent manner with the strongest effects being observed for the highest test dose (P < 0.05). This research supports that a yeast fermentate has prebiotic activity. Further, the changes we observed in gut microbiota and levels of SCFAs may be the mechanism by which yeast fermentate improves immune response and gut health seen in animal species. The results from these two studies provide valuable data towards the continued evaluation of prebiotic compounds. Even though we did not see an effect on satiety from the two inulin sources tested, we found that Jerusalem artichokes were well tolerated and easy to blend into a beverage. With the current interest of incorporating healthy whole foods into the diet, this information will be valuable to consumers and provide a new option for achieving greater fiber intake. Our yeast fermentate data provide evidence of prebiotic properties in vitro using human fecal donors, which indicates a likelihood of prebiotic health benefits for humans upon consumption that are currently demonstrated in animal species. And while there are currently a limited number of supporting studies to officially classify yeast fermentates as prebiotics for humans, these data strengthen that argument

Lipoic Acid Supplementation in the Ovariectomized Ewe

Inadequate concentrations of progesterone during gestation can result in impaired embryonic growth and losses. These losses may be attributed to an overactive mechanism of progesterone catabolism or improper luteal function, which results in low concentration of progesterone. Progesterone catabolism occurs to the greatest extent by the liver, which holds a vast supply of cytochrome P450 enzymes and aldo-keto reductases that are involved in steroid inactivation. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that is involved in glucose uptake and metabolism. Progesterone catabolism is decreased in the presence of elevated insulin levels. Lipoic acid is a naturally occurring antioxidant and multienzyme cofactor which has been shown to increase insulin sensitivity and enhance glucose uptake in a number of species. The objectives of the current experiments were to 1) determine if administering a racemic mixture of lipoic acid by gavage at a dose of 32 mg/kg BW would increase peripheral progesterone concentrations, decrease progesterone clearance rates, or modulate cytochrome P450 2C (CYP2C), cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A), or aldo-keto reductase 1 C (AKRIC) hepatic enzyme activity, and 2) determine if dosing lipoic acid directly into the rumen at 32 mg/kg BW or 64 mg/kg BW would increase progesterone in the blood, decrease progesterone clearance rates, or modulate insulin. In the first trial, Katahdin cross ovariectomized ewes were randomly assigned to a control or a lipoic acid treatment group. In this experiment, a controlled internal drug release (CIDR) device was inserted in all ewes and serum samples were collected daily for five days to determine progesterone. Liver biopsies were performed on day 10 to measure CYP2C, CYP3A, and AKRI C activity. Following liver biopsies, CIDRs were removed and an intensive blood sampling was performed to measure progesterone decay from peripheral circulation. We found that while lipoic acid does not have an effect on peripheral progesterone concentrations or hepatic enzyme activity, lipoic acid supplemented ewes have decreased progesterone clearance rates compared to control ewes. In the second trial, ovariectomized Katahdin cross ewes were randomly assigned to a control, low lipoic acid (32 mg/kg BW), or a high lipoic acid (64 mg/kg BW) treatment group. A CIDR was inserted in all ewes and blood samples were taken daily for 4 days. Following CIDR removal on day 11, an intensive blood sampling was performed to measure progesterone decay from peripheral circulation. One week following CIDR removal, ewes underwent an intravenous glucose tolerance test. It was found that lipoic acid supplementation did not affect progesterone concentrations, progesterone clearance, or insulin area under the curve. There was a treatment effect such that high lipoic acid dosed ewes had higher area under the curve for glucose when compared to control and low lipoic acid dosed ewes. Although no differences in progesterone concentrations were seen in the second trial, we speculate that the administration method rather than the efficacy of lipoic acid may account for the lack of differences observed. This theory is based on evidence from our first trial that oral lipoic acid supplementation did in fact reduce progesterone catabolism, as well as published data demonstrating that ruminally dosed lipoic acid is less effective than the equivalent oral dose

Évaluation des transitions vers des systèmes agricoles et alimentaires durables : un outil pour l'évaluation des performances agroécologiques (TAPE)

International audienceAgroecology is subject to a growing interest as a way to move toward more sustainable agriculture and food systems. However, the evidence of agroecology's contribution to sustainability remains fragmented because of heterogeneous methods and data, differing scales, and knowledge gaps. For facing these challenges, 70 representatives of agroecology-related organizations worldwide participated in the development of the Tool for Agroecology Performance Evaluation (TAPE), to produce and consolidate evidence on the multidimensional performances of agroecological systems. TAPE is a comprehensive analytical framework that uses agroecology for measuring the sustainability and the multi-dimensional performance of agricultural systems. Being based on the 10 Elements of Agroecology and strictly linked to the Sustainable Development Goals, TAPE can be used, among other, to characterize the level of agroecological transition of any kind of agricultural systems, to monitor and evaluate the impacts of projects for sustainable development, and/or to evaluate how agroecology contributes to the achievement of the SDGs. Its application can support the co-creation and sharing of knowledge among producers, favour the adoption of more sustainable practices of production, and inspire the formulation of public policies that support agroecological transitions. Preliminary results from pilot applications show that TAPE can perform in a variety of regions and agroecosystems and that it allows assessment of performances of various criteria that move beyond classic indicators to begin to build a global evidence base for agroecology and support transformation to sustainable agricultural production and food systems. This study is based on a more complete article in English originally published in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems under the title “Assessing Transitions to Sustainable Agricultural and Food Systems: A Tool for Agroecology Performance Evaluation (TAPE)”.L'agroécologie fait l’objet d’un intérêt grandissant comme moyen de progresser vers une agriculture et des systèmes alimentaires plus durables. Cependant, les preuves de la contribution de l'agroécologie à la durabilité restent fragmentées en raison de méthodes et de données hétérogènes, d'échelles différentes et de lacunes dans la recherche. Pour faire face à ces défis, 70 représentants d'organisations liées à l'agroécologie dans le monde ont participé au développement de l'Outil pour l’Évaluation des Performances de l'Agroécologie (TAPE de son acronyme en Anglais), afin de produire et de consolider des preuves sur les performances multidimensionnelles des systèmes agroécologiques. TAPE est un cadre analytique global qui utilise l'agroécologie pour mesurer la durabilité et la performance multi-dimensionnelle des systèmes agricoles. Basé sur les 10 Éléments de l'Agroécologie et étroitement lié aux Objectifs de Développement Durable, TAPE peut être utilisé, entre autres, pour caractériser le niveau de transition agroécologique de tout type de système agricole, pour suivre et évaluer les impacts de projets de développement durable, et/ou pour évaluer comment l’agroécologie contribue à la réalisation des ODD. Son application peut soutenir la co-création et le partage des connaissances entre les producteurs, favoriser l'adoption de pratiques de production plus durables et inspirer la formulation de politiques publiques qui soutiennent les transitions agroécologiques. Les résultats préliminaires des applications pilotes montrent que TAPE peut fonctionner dans une variété de régions et d'agroécosystèmes et qu'il permet d'évaluer les performances de divers critères qui vont au-delà des indicateurs classiques pour commencer à construire une base de données globale pour l'agroécologie et soutenir la transformation vers une production agricole et des systèmes alimentaires durables. Cette étude est basée sur un article plus complet en Anglais originellement publié dans Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems sous le titre « Assessing Transitions to Sustainable Agricultural and Food Systems: A Tool for Agroecology Performance Evaluation (TAPE) »

Assessing Transitions to Sustainable Agricultural and Food Systems: A Tool for Agroecology Performance Evaluation (TAPE)

International audienceThere is increasing interest in agroecology as a way to move toward more sustainable agriculture and food systems. However, the evidence of agroecology's contribution to sustainability remains fragmented because of heterogeneous methods and data, differing scales and timeframes, and knowledge gaps. Facing these challenges, 70 representatives of agroecology-related organizations worldwide participated in the development of the Tool for Agroecology Performance Evaluation (TAPE), to produce and consolidate evidence on the multidimensional performances of agroecological systems. TAPE is composed of: Step 0, the preliminary step that includes a description of the main socio-economic and demographic characteristics of the agricultural and food systems and an analysis of the enabling environment in terms of relevant policy, market, technology, socio-cultural and/or historical drivers; Step 1, the Characterization of Agroecological Transitions (CAET), based on the 10 Elements of Agroecology adopted by FAO and its member countries, using descriptive scales to establish scores and assessing the degree of transition, with information from the farm/household and community/territory scale; Step 2, the Core Criteria of Performance listing the key dimensions considered relevant to address the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Environment & climate change; Health & nutrition; Society & culture; Economy and Governance. Finally Step 3, a participatory validation of the results obtained from the previous steps with the producers and relevant stakeholders. TAPE can be used (i) to assess the extent of agroecological transition among agricultural producers in a community or a territory, (ii) to monitor and evaluate projects by characterizing the initial and subsequent steps in an agroecological transition, and/or (iii) to evaluate widely diverse agricultural systems against agroecological elements and how they contribute to the achievement of the SDGs. Its application can support the transition of all forms of agricultural systems toward more sustainable practices and the formulation of adequate policies to enable this transformation. Preliminary results from pilot applications show that TAPE can perform in a variety of geographic regions and agroecosystems and that it allows assessment of performances of various criteria that move beyond classic indicators to begin to build a global evidence base for agroecology and support transformation to sustainable agricultural production and food systems

TAPE - Outil pour l’évaluation de la performance de l’agroécologie - Version test: Processus de développement et guide d’application

With the help of multiple partners, FAO has developed a global analytical framework for the multidimensional assessment of the performance of agroecology: the Tool for Agroecology Performance Evaluation (TAPE), which aims to: · Inform policy makers, development institutions, and other stakeholders by creating references to the multidimensional performance of agroecology and its potential to contribute to multiple SDGs; · Build knowledge and empower producers through the collective process of producing and sharing data and evidence based on their own practices; · Support agroecological transition processes at different scales, in different locations and different timeframes by proposing a diagnostic of performances over time and by identifying areas of strengths/weaknesses and enabling/disabling environments. This document provides guidance on how to assess agroecology by carrying out a diagnostic of production systems with regard to various dimensions (environmental, social, economic) and in a variety of contexts (production systems, communities, territories, agro-ecological zones, etc.). It explains how the analytical framework proposed by FAO was developed, what its underlying principles are and what its methodological components are. This document can be used to develop projects aiming to build evidence and collect data about sustainable agriculture and the particular role of agroecological approaches. It can also be used to analyze how existing efforts to measure agroecology can contribute to building globally relevant and harmonized evidence.La agroecología tiene el potencial de transformar nuestros sistemas alimentarios y hacerlos más sostenibles. Está generando un creciente interés político a nivel nacional e internacional y la evidencia armonizada de su impacto positivo podría apoyar el proceso de transición. Desarrollada a través de un extenso proceso participativo de múltiples partes interesadas, el Instrumento para la Evaluación del Desempeño Agroecológico (TAPE) de la FAO tiene como objetivo evaluar el desempeño multidimensional de la agroecología en diversos contextos, territorios y regiones. Este documento explica cómo se desarrolló el instrumento y cuáles son sus principios subyacentes y componentes metodológicos. Proporciona orientación sobre cómo utilizar TAPE para realizar un diagnóstico de los sistemas productivos, su transición agroecológica y sus contribuciones a las diversas dimensiones de la sostenibilidad.Avec l'aide de multiples partenaires, la FAO a développé un cadre analytique global pour l'évaluation multidimensionnelle des performances de l'agroécologie : l'Outil d'évaluation des performances agro-écologiques (TAPE en anglais), qui vise à : · Informer les décideurs politiques, les institutions de développement et les autres parties prenantes en créant des références sur les performances multidimensionnelles de l'agroécologie et sur son potentiel à contribuer à de multiples ODD. · Développer les connaissances et l’autonomie des producteurs grâce au processus collectif de production et de partage de données et de preuves basées sur leurs propres pratiques. · Accompagner les processus de transition agroécologique à différentes échelles, dans différents lieux et différentes échelles de temps en proposant un diagnostic des performances et en identifiant les points forts/faiblesses et les environnements favorisants/défavorisants. Ce document donne des orientations sur la manière d'évaluer l'agroécologie en réalisant un diagnostic des systèmes de production au regard de différentes dimensions (environnementales, sociales, économiques) et dans des contextes variés (systèmes de production, communautés, territoires, zones agro-écologiques, etc. ). Il explique comment le cadre analytique proposé par la FAO a été élaboré, quels sont ses principes sous-jacents et quelles sont ses composantes méthodologiques. Ce document peut être utilisé pour développer des projets visant à construire des preuves et à collecter des données sur l'agriculture durable et le rôle particulier des approches agroécologiques. Il peut également être utilisé pour analyser comment les efforts existants pour mesurer l'agroécologie peuvent contribuer à la construction de preuves pertinentes et harmonisées à l'échelle mondiale

TAPE - Outil pour l’évaluation de la performance de l’agroécologie - Version test: Processus de développement et guide d’application

With the help of multiple partners, FAO has developed a global analytical framework for the multidimensional assessment of the performance of agroecology: the Tool for Agroecology Performance Evaluation (TAPE), which aims to: · Inform policy makers, development institutions, and other stakeholders by creating references to the multidimensional performance of agroecology and its potential to contribute to multiple SDGs; · Build knowledge and empower producers through the collective process of producing and sharing data and evidence based on their own practices; · Support agroecological transition processes at different scales, in different locations and different timeframes by proposing a diagnostic of performances over time and by identifying areas of strengths/weaknesses and enabling/disabling environments. This document provides guidance on how to assess agroecology by carrying out a diagnostic of production systems with regard to various dimensions (environmental, social, economic) and in a variety of contexts (production systems, communities, territories, agro-ecological zones, etc.). It explains how the analytical framework proposed by FAO was developed, what its underlying principles are and what its methodological components are. This document can be used to develop projects aiming to build evidence and collect data about sustainable agriculture and the particular role of agroecological approaches. It can also be used to analyze how existing efforts to measure agroecology can contribute to building globally relevant and harmonized evidence.La agroecología tiene el potencial de transformar nuestros sistemas alimentarios y hacerlos más sostenibles. Está generando un creciente interés político a nivel nacional e internacional y la evidencia armonizada de su impacto positivo podría apoyar el proceso de transición. Desarrollada a través de un extenso proceso participativo de múltiples partes interesadas, el Instrumento para la Evaluación del Desempeño Agroecológico (TAPE) de la FAO tiene como objetivo evaluar el desempeño multidimensional de la agroecología en diversos contextos, territorios y regiones. Este documento explica cómo se desarrolló el instrumento y cuáles son sus principios subyacentes y componentes metodológicos. Proporciona orientación sobre cómo utilizar TAPE para realizar un diagnóstico de los sistemas productivos, su transición agroecológica y sus contribuciones a las diversas dimensiones de la sostenibilidad.Avec l'aide de multiples partenaires, la FAO a développé un cadre analytique global pour l'évaluation multidimensionnelle des performances de l'agroécologie : l'Outil d'évaluation des performances agro-écologiques (TAPE en anglais), qui vise à : · Informer les décideurs politiques, les institutions de développement et les autres parties prenantes en créant des références sur les performances multidimensionnelles de l'agroécologie et sur son potentiel à contribuer à de multiples ODD. · Développer les connaissances et l’autonomie des producteurs grâce au processus collectif de production et de partage de données et de preuves basées sur leurs propres pratiques. · Accompagner les processus de transition agroécologique à différentes échelles, dans différents lieux et différentes échelles de temps en proposant un diagnostic des performances et en identifiant les points forts/faiblesses et les environnements favorisants/défavorisants. Ce document donne des orientations sur la manière d'évaluer l'agroécologie en réalisant un diagnostic des systèmes de production au regard de différentes dimensions (environnementales, sociales, économiques) et dans des contextes variés (systèmes de production, communautés, territoires, zones agro-écologiques, etc. ). Il explique comment le cadre analytique proposé par la FAO a été élaboré, quels sont ses principes sous-jacents et quelles sont ses composantes méthodologiques. Ce document peut être utilisé pour développer des projets visant à construire des preuves et à collecter des données sur l'agriculture durable et le rôle particulier des approches agroécologiques. Il peut également être utilisé pour analyser comment les efforts existants pour mesurer l'agroécologie peuvent contribuer à la construction de preuves pertinentes et harmonisées à l'échelle mondiale