Impact of Intergenerational Shokuiku (Food and Nutrition Education) Programs on Alleviating Loneliness in Japanese Communities across Ages.

As loneliness is a risk factor for mental and physical health problems in various age groups, this study aimed to explore the impact of the intergenerational Shokuiku (food and nutrition education) program (IGSP) on loneliness in a Japanese community. This single-arm intervention study conducted between 2022 and 2023 included children (n = 21), guardians (n = 16), university students (n = 3), and older adults (n = 6). The IGSP was a one-day program that included participants making and eating their own bread, butter, and sorbet. Loneliness was measured using the Five-item Loneliness Scale for Children (Five-LSC; Japanese) and the three-item UCLA Loneliness Scale (Japanese; for adults) with other direct questions. Social capital, including civic participation, social cohesion, and reciprocity, was assessed using a self-administered questionnaire. The Five-LSC score significantly decreased post-intervention (p = 0.04). There was a significant increase in adults who reported not feeling lonely (p = 0.001). However, the UCLA Loneliness Scale scores did not show any significant changes. A positive change in social cohesion, including community contribution (p = 0.001) and attachment (p = 0.002), was observed among adults. This study suggests that IGSPs have a positive impact on loneliness in children and a partly positive one in adults. These findings emphasize the potential of intergenerational programs to reduce loneliness in communities.

Stress upregulates 2-arachidonoylglycerol levels in the hypothalamus, midbrain, and hindbrain, and it is sustained by green nut oil supplementation in SAMP8 mice revealed by DESI-MSI.

The endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2AG) is an important modulator of stress responses. Its level in the brain increases in response to stress, but region-specific effects of stress on brain 2AG are not well known yet. Moreover, green nut oil (GNO), oil extracted from the seeds of Plukenetia volubilis has several health benefits, but its effects on brain 2AG levels are unknown. Therefore, we conducted this study to explore the effects of stress and GNO supplementation on 2AG levels in specific brain regions of senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8). In this study, desorption electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry imaging (DESI-MSI) revealed that water-immersion stress for three days significantly increased 2AG levels in several brain regions of SAMP8 mice, including the hypothalamus, midbrain, and hindbrain. No significant change was observed in the relative abundance of brain 2AG in stress given SAMP8 mice after eighteen days of removing stress load compared to control SAMP8 mice. GNO supplementation also increased brain 2AG in SAMP8 mice without stress load. Additionally, GNO supplementation sustained the increased brain 2AG levels in stress given SAMP8 mice after eighteen days of removing stress load. Among all brain regions, a relatively higher accumulation of 2AG was noted in the hypothalamus, midbrain, and hindbrain of GNO-fed SAMP8. Our data explored the potentiality of GNO supplementation to improve brain 2AG levels which might be used to treat anxiety and depressive behaviors.

Changes in TCA cycle and TCA cycle-related metabolites in plasma upon citric acid administration in rats.

Recent studies have reported that plasma levels of tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle metabolites and TCA cycle-related metabolite change in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and in healthy humans after exercise. Exogenous dietary citric acid has been reported to alleviate fatigue during daily activities and after exercise. However, it is unknown whether dietary citric acid affects the plasma levels of these metabolites. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effects of exogenously administered citric acid on TCA cycle metabolites and TCA cycle-related metabolites in plasma. Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into control and citric acid groups. We evaluated the effect of exogenous dietary citric acid on the plasma TCA cycle and TCA cycle-related metabolites by metabolome analysis using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). TCA cycle metabolites, including plasma citrate, cis-aconitate, and isocitrate, were significantly elevated after exogenous administration of citric acid. Anaplerotic amino acids, which are converted to TCA cycle metabolites, such as serine, glycine, tryptophan, lysine, leucine, histidine, glutamine, arginine, isoleucine, methionine, valine, and phenylalanine, also showed significantly elevated levels. Citric acid administration significantly increased the levels of initial TCA cycle metabolites in the plasma. This increase after administration of citric acid was shown to be opposite to the metabolic changes observed in patients with CFS. These results contribute novel insight into the fatigue alleviation mechanism of citric acid.

Changes in expression of genes related to glucose metabolism in liver and skeletal muscle of rats exposed to acute hypoxia.

The aim of this study was to determine changes in gene expression associated with glucose metabolism in the liver and soleus muscles of rats exposed to hypoxia to improve work capacity under high altitude conditions. Rats were divided into normobaric normoxia (control) and normobaric hypoxia (hypoxia) groups (n = 7 each), and the hypoxia group was exposed to 10.5% oxygen for 90 min. Glucose metabolism-related gene expression was examined by real-time polymerase chain reaction. In the liver, the expression levels of the glucose utilization-related genes solute carrier family 2 member 1, glucokinase, and liver-type phosphofructokinase and the gluconeogenesis-related gene phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1 (Pck1) were significantly increased upon hypoxic exposure. In contrast, gene expression in the soleus was unchanged, with the exception of Pck1. The results suggest that under hypoxia, both glucose utilization and gluconeogenesis are accelerated in the liver, and liver glycogen is degraded to maintain blood glucose level.

Dietary Intake of Green Nut Oil or DHA Ameliorates DHA Distribution in the Brain of a Mouse Model of Dementia Accompanied by Memory Recovery.

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, has significant healthbenefits. Previous studies reported decreased levels of DHA and DHA-containing phosphatidylcholines inthe brain of animals suffering from Alzheimer's disease, the most common type of dementia; furthermore,DHA supplementation has been found to improve brain DHA levels and memory efficiency in dementia. Oilextracted from the seeds of Plukenetia volubilis (green nut oil; GNO) is also expected to have DHA like effectsas it contains approximately 50% α-linolenic acid, a precursor of DHA. Despite this, changes in the spatialdistribution of DHA in the brain of animals with dementia following GNO or DHA supplementation remainunexplored. In this study, desorption electrospray ionization imaging mass spectrometry (DESI-IMS) wasapplied to observe the effects of GNO or DHA supplementation upon the distribution of DHA in the brain ofmale senescence-accelerated mouse-prone 8 (SAMP8) mice, a mouse model of dementia. DESI-IMS revealedthat brain DHA distribution increased 1.85-fold and 3.67-fold in GNO-fed and DHA-fed SAMP8 mice,respectively, compared to corn oil-fed SAMP8 mice. Memory efficiency in SAMP8 mice was also improvedby GNO or DHA supplementation. In summary, this study suggests the possibility of GNO or DHAsupplementation for the prevention of dementia.

Long-term effect of an enteral diet with a different n-6/n-3 ratio on fatty acid composition and blood parameters in rats.

The n-6/n-3 ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in enteral feeding formulas is not considered to be important, because the short-term administration of these formulas has been the norm for postoperative digestive organs. However, the long-term administration of enteral feeding formulas has been increasingly recommended for patients with aging-associated aphagia. This study is aimed at investigating the effect of the long-term administration of an enteral feeding formula containing n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) on the fatty acid composition of endogenous phospholipids. Rats, which were initially fed a diet lacking n-3 PUFAs for 2 generations, were subsequently fed an enteral feeding formula containing or lacking n-3 PUFAs for 12 weeks (n = 10). Then, the fatty acid composition of phospholipids in the brain, liver, red blood cells, and plasma of the rats was analyzed. Although the fatty acid composition of neural tissues is suggested to be not affected by diet, the n-6/n-3 ratio of phospholipids in the brains of rats that were fed an enteral feeding formula containing n-3 PUFAs was significantly lower than those of rats that were fed a formula lacking n-3 PUFAs. The enteral feeding formula containing n-3 PUFAs may be effective for the regulation of brain functions and the prevention of atherosclerosis.