Sorghum (Sorghum vulgare): an ancient grain, a novel choice for a healthy gluten-free diet.

Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune disease related to gluten consumption. To date, the only effective therapy that can reverse symptoms and prevent complications is the gluten-free diet (GFD), which is challenging to maintain and has potential health risks. Identifying foods that can help diversify the GFD and that best match the nutritional needs of people with CD may improve the health and quality of life of celiac patients. This review, conducted through a non-systematic search of the available literature, aims to gather the most recent research on nutritional issues in CD and GFD. Moreover, it highlights how sorghum characteristics could provide health benefits to CD patients that counteract the nutritional problems due to CD and the nutritional consequences of GFD acceptance. Sorghum contains a wide variety of bioactive compounds, such as flavones and tannins, that have shown anti-inflammatory activity in preclinical studies. They can also regulate blood sugar levels and lower cholesterol to reduce the effects of common chronic diseases such as metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. Because it is gluten-free, its use in making foods for celiac patients is increasing, especially in the United States. In conclusion, sorghum is a fascinating grain with nutritional properties and health benefits for supplementing GFD. However, only one study confirms the short-term safety of sorghum inclusion in the GFD, and further long-term studies with a large sample are needed.

Early oral vs parenteral nutrition in acute pancreatitis: a retrospective analysis of clinical outcomes and hospital costs from a tertiary care referral center.

Nutritional support is a crucial issue in Acute Pancreatitis (AP) management. Recommendations on nutrition in AP are still not completely translated in the clinical practice. We aimed to compare and evaluate the effects of parenteral nutrition (PN) vs oral/enteral nutrition (EN) on several clinical and economic outcomes in AP. This is a retrospective monocentric study conducted in a tertiary care center for pancreatic diseases. The primary outcomes were length of hospital stay (LOS) and associated costs. The secondary outcomes were the use and cost of antibiotics and fluid therapy, and the complication's rates. One hundred seventy-one patients were included from January 2015 to January 2018. Patients were 69 (40.4%) in PN group and 102 (59.6%) in EN group. There was a significant reduction in LOS in EN vs PN group in both mild AP (p < 0.0001), and moderate-severe AP (p < 0.005). There was a significant reduction in the total hospitalization costs in EN group vs PN group in both mild AP (p < 0.0001), and moderate-severe AP (p < 0.005). There was a significant reduction in the total costs of antibiotics and pain therapy in EN vs PN group (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.05, respectively). Finally, a significant reduction in the infected peri-pancreatic fluid collections rate (p = 0.04) was observed in EN vs PN group. The use of EN in AP is associated with substantial clinical and economic benefits. Thus, the application of the standard of care in nutrition and following AP guidelines is the best way to cure patients and improve healthcare system costs.