Spinach consumption and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease among adults: a case�control study

Background: Spinach has high antioxidants and polyphenols and showed protective effects against liver diseases in experimental studies. We aimed to assess the association between dietary intake of spinach and odds of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in a case�control study among Iranian adults. Methods: Totally 225 newly diagnosed NAFLD patients and 450 controls, aged 20�60 years, were recruited in this study. Participants� dietary intakes were collected using a valid and reliable 168-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). The logistic regression test was used for assessing the association between total, raw, and boiled dietary spinach with the odds of NAFLD. Results: The mean (SD) age and BMI of participants (53 male) were 38.1 (8.8) years and 26.8 (4.3) kg/m2, respectively. In the final adjusted model for potential confounders, the odds (95 CI) of NAFLD in individuals in the highest tertile of daily total and raw spinach intake was 0.36 (0.19�0.71), P_trend = 0.001 and 0.47 (0.24�0.89), P_trend = 0.008, respectively compared with those in the lowest tertile. Furthermore, in the adjusted analyses, an inverse association was observed between the highest yearly intake versus no raw spinach consumption and odds of NAFLD (OR 0.41; 95% CI 0.18�0.96), P for trend = 0.013. However, there was no significant association between higher boiled spinach intake and odds of NAFLD. Conclusions: The present study found an inverse association between total and raw spinach intake with the odds of NAFLD. © 2021, The Author(s)

The effects of ginger supplementation on biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

The current systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RTCs) was conducted to summarize the effect of ginger supplementation on biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress in adults. Electronic databases including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar were systematically searched up to February 2018 to identify eligible RCTs which assessed the effect of ginger on C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6) tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and lipid peroxidation products like malondialdehyde (MDA). Fourteen studies were eligible to be included in the quantitative analysis. Results from meta-analysis suggested that CRP (−0.8 mg/L, 95 % CI: −1.17 to −0.43; I2 = 53 %), IL-6 (−2.26 pg/mL; 95 % CI: −4.00 to −0.52; I2 = 58 %) and TNF-α (−1.33 pg/mL; 95 % CI: −1.85 to −0.80; I2 = 55%) were significantly reduced by ginger supplementation. The pooled effect size indicated a significant increase in blood TAC levels after ginger consumption (1.26 μmol/L; 95 % CI: 0.17–2.35; I2 = 84%). Ginger had no significant effect on MDA (−0.29 μmol/L; 95 % CI: −1.06 to 0.47; I2 =78%). Subgroup analysis showed that the effect of ginger on CRP and TNF-α is more pronounced in studies with >80-days’ intervention. When studies were categorized based on hs-CRP/CRP, the effect of ginger was significant in both subgroups. In conclusion, the present study suggested that supplementation with ginger can improve health status in adults by lowering inflammatory and oxidative stress markers. Future trials with high methodological quality are needed to support the beneficial potential (anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects) of ginger

Dietary polyphenols and the odds of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A case-control study

Objectives: Few epidemiological data are available regarding the associations of dietary intakes of polyphenols with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We sought to examine the associations of dietary intake of polyphenols with the prevalence of NAFLD. Methods: We analyzed data from a case-control study of 225 patients with NAFLD cases and 450 controls. All participants completed a validated 168-item food frequency questionnaire, the results of which were subsequently used to calculate dietary polyphenol. Results: Based on multivariate logistic regression analysis, after adjustment for age and sex, it was shown that participants who were in the highest tertile of total flavonoids (OR = 0.65, 95 CI = 0.44�0.98) and total phenolic acids (OR = 0.63, 95 CI = 0.42�0.94) were associated with a lower odds of NAFLD compared with the lowest tertile. Although the association of total flavonoids and the odds of NAFLD disappeared after additional adjustment for BMI, physical activity, smoking, SES, dietary fat, and energy intake (OR = 0.67, 95 CI = 0.38�1.19). The odds of NAFLD was 66 lower (OR = 0.44, CI = 0.24�0.78, p for trend = 0.006) among participants who were in the highest tertile of lignans intake compared with the lowest tertile. Conclusion: Our study showed that a high intake of lignans lowers the odds of NAFLD. We strongly recommend that the concepts proposed in this study must be tested in future longitudinal researches, to determine the association of total and subgroup of polyphenol intake with different stages of fatty liver diseases. © 2020 European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolis

The Influence of Fasting and Energy Restricting Diets on Blood Pressure in Humans: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Introduction: To the best of our knowledge, no comprehensive meta-analysis has been carried out to investigate the effect of different approaches of fasting and calorie restriction on blood pressure. Aim: Thus, the present systematic review and meta-analysis was designed to examine the effect of fasting and energy restricting diets on blood pressure in adult subjects. Methods: We searched PubMed/Medline, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar up to June 2019. The clinical trials that examined the effects of fasting and energy restricting diets on Blood Pressure was identified using MESH and non-MESH terms. Results: 23 studies, including a total of 1397 participants, reported SBP and DBP as an outcome measure. Overall results from the random-effects model indicated that fasting and energy restricting administration elicited significant changes in SBP (weight mean difference (WMD): � 1.88 mmHg, 95 CI � 2.50, � 1.25) and DBP (WMD � 1.32 mmHg, 95 CI � 1.81, � 0.84, p = 0.000). Subgroup analyses displayed that intervention duration � 12 weeks more effectively reduced SBP (WMD: -3.26 mmHg) and DBP (WMD � 1.32 mmHg). In addition, these analyses showed that fasting regimens (WMD � 3.26 mmHg) more effectively reduced SBP than energy restricting diets (WMD � 1.09 mmHg). Conclusion: The principal finding of this study was that fasting and energy restricting diets elicited, overall, significant reductions in SBP and DBP. Subsequent subgroup analyses revealed that intervention duration � 12 weeks and fasting regimens more effectively reduced SBP and DBP. © 2020, Italian Society of Hypertension

The influence of fasting and energy-restricted diets on leptin and adiponectin levels in humans: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background & aims: Fasting and energy-restricted diets have been evaluated in several studies as a means of improving cardiometabolic biomarkers related to body fat loss. However, further investigation is required to understand potential alterations of leptin and adiponectin concentrations. Thus, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to derive a more precise estimate of the influence of fasting and energy-restricted diets on leptin and adiponectin levels in humans, as well as to detect potential sources of heterogeneity in the available literature. Methods: A comprehensive systematic search was performed in Web of Science, PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane, SCOPUS and Embase from inception until June 2019. All clinical trials investigating the effects of fasting and energy-restricted diets on leptin and adiponectin in adults were included. Results: Twelve studies containing 17 arms and a total of 495 individuals (intervention = 249, control = 246) reported changes in serum leptin concentrations, and 10 studies containing 12 arms with a total of 438 individuals (intervention = 222, control = 216) reported changes in serum adiponectin concentrations. The combined effect sizes suggested a significant effect of fasting and energy-restricted diets on leptin concentrations (WMD: �3.690 ng/ml, 95 CI: �5.190, �2.190, p � 0.001; I2 = 84.9). However, no significant effect of fasting and energy-restricted diets on adiponectin concentrations was found (WMD: �159.520 ng/ml, 95 CI: �689.491, 370.451, p = 0.555; I2 = 74.2). Stratified analyses showed that energy-restricted regimens significantly increased adiponectin (WMD: 554.129 ng/ml, 95 CI: 150.295, 957.964; I2 = 0.0). In addition, subsequent subgroup analyses revealed that energy restriction, to �50 normal required daily energy intake, resulted in significantly reduced concentrations of leptin (WMD: �4.199 ng/ml, 95 CI: �7.279, �1.118; I2 = 83.9) and significantly increased concentrations of adiponectin (WMD: 524.04 ng/ml, 95 CI: 115.618, 932.469: I2 = 0.0). Conclusion: Fasting and energy-restricted diets elicit significant reductions in serum leptin concentrations. Increases in adiponectin may also be observed when energy intake is �50 of normal requirements, although limited data preclude definitive conclusions on this point. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolis