Effect of a GH Secretagogue, Anamorelin, on Serum Irisin and Inflammation Levels in Osteosarcopenic Adults.

Background: Data suggest an association between GH secretion and circulating levels of the myokine irisin and inflammatory cytokinesIL-6 and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP). The impact of GH secretagogues on these markers is unknown. Objectives: To determine the effect of treatment with the GH secretagogue anamorelin on 12-month changes in serum irisin, IL-6, and hsCRP levels and to assess whether baseline irisin levels modulate the glycemic response to treatment with anamorelin. Methods: This is an ancillary study in 26 older adults with osteosarcopenia who participated in a 12-month trial examining the effect of anamorelin 100 mg/day vs placebo on musculoskeletal outcomes. Serum irisin, IL-6, and hsCRP were measured at baseline and 12 months. Results: Treatment with anamorelin, compared with placebo, did not significantly alter irisin levels [12-month change = 0.50 ± 1.2 (SD) ng/mL in anamorelin group and -0.08 ± 2.3 ng/mL in placebo; P = .191]. Baseline irisin levels were not significantly correlated with 2-month change in fasting glucose levels in the anamorelin group (r = -0.222, P = .46) or the placebo group (r = 0.30, P = .34); however, the slopes of the 2 regression lines describing the relationship by group tended to differ (P = .0547). Anamorelin treatment for 12 months had no significant effect on serum IL-6 or hsCRP levels. Conclusion: In this small sample of older adults with osteosarcopenia, treatment with the GH secretagogue anamorelin did not significantly alter levels of irisin, IL-6, or hsCRP. Higher baseline irisin levels may attenuate the glycemic response to anamorelin treatment; however, a larger study is needed to confirm this possibility.

A systematic review of the impacts of post-harvest handling on provitamin A, iron and zinc retention in seven biofortified crops.

Post-harvest handling can affect micronutrient retention in biofortified crops through to the point of consumption. Here we conduct a systematic review identifying 67 articles examining the retention of micronutrients in conventionally bred biofortified maize, orange sweet potato, cassava, pearl millet, rice, beans and wheat. Provitamin A crops maintain high amounts compared with non-biofortified counterparts. Iron and zinc crops have more variability in micronutrient retention dependent on processing method; for maximum iron and zinc content, whole grain product consumption such as whole wheat flour or only slightly milled brown rice is beneficial. We offer preliminary suggestions for households, regulatory bodies and programme implementers to increase consumer awareness on best practices for preparing crops to maximize micronutrient content, while highlighting gaps in the literature. Our online, interactive Micronutrient Retention Dashboard ( https://www.cpnh.cornell.edu/mn-retention-db ) offers an at-a-glance view of the compiled minimum and maximum retention found, organized by processing method.

Sensory acceptability of biofortified foods and food products: a systematic review.

CONTEXT: It is important to understand the sensory acceptability of biofortified food products among target population groups if biofortification is to be realized as a sustainable strategy for mitigation of micronutrient deficiencies, able to be scaled up and applied through programs. OBJECTIVE: This systemic review aims to summarize and synthesize the sensory acceptability of conventionally bred iron-, zinc-, and provitamin A-biofortified food products. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE (PubMed), AGRICOLA, AgEcon, CABI Abstracts (Web of Science), and organizational websites (eg, those of HarvestPlus and CGIAR and their partners) were searched for relevant articles. No access to any market research that may have been internally conducted for the commercial biofortified food products was available. DATA EXTRACTION: This review identified articles measuring the sensory acceptability of conventionally bred biofortified food products. Extraction of the hedonic ratings of food products was performed. DATA ANALYSIS: An "Acceptability Index %" was defined based on hedonic scoring to determine an overall rating, and used to categorize biofortified food products as "acceptable" (≥70%) or "not acceptable" (<70%). Additionally, this review narratively synthesized studies using methods other than hedonic scoring for assessing sensory acceptability. CONCLUSIONS: Forty-nine studies assessed the acceptability of 10 biofortified crops among children and adults, in mostly rural, low-income settings across Africa, Latin America, and India; food products made from mineral and provitamin A-biofortified food products were generally acceptable. Compared with studies on provitamin-A biofortified food products, few studies (1 to 2 each) on mineral-enhanced crops such as rice, cowpeas, lentils, and wheat were found, limiting the generalizability of the findings. Similarly, few studies examined stored biofortified food products. Few commercial food products have so far been developed, although new varieties of crops are being continuously tested and released globally. Certain crop varieties were found to be acceptable while others were not, suggesting that particular varieties should be prioritized for scale-up. Determining sensory acceptability of biofortified food products is important for informing programmatic scale-up and implementation across diverse populations and settings.

Bioaccessibility and bioavailability of biofortified food and food products: Current evidence.

Biofortification increases micronutrient content in staple crops through conventional breeding, agronomic methods, or genetic engineering. Bioaccessibility is a prerequisite for a nutrient to fulfill a biological function, e.g., to be bioavailable. The objective of this systematic review is to examine the bioavailability (and bioaccessibility as a proxy via in vitro and animal models) of the target micronutrients enriched in conventionally biofortified crops that have undergone post-harvest storage and/or processing, which has not been systematically reviewed previously, to our knowledge. We searched for articles indexed in MEDLINE, Agricola, AgEcon, and Center for Agriculture and Biosciences International databases, organizational websites, and hand-searched studies' reference lists to identify 18 studies reporting on bioaccessibility and 58 studies on bioavailability. Conventionally bred biofortified crops overall had higher bioaccessibility and bioavailability than their conventional counterparts, which generally provide more absorbed micronutrient on a fixed ration basis. However, these estimates depended on exact cultivar, processing method, context (crop measured alone or as part of a composite meal), and experimental method used. Measuring bioaccessibility and bioavailability of target micronutrients in biofortified and conventional foods is critical to optimize nutrient availability and absorption, ultimately to improve programs targeting micronutrient deficiency.

Review of the Impact Pathways of Biofortified Foods and Food Products.

Biofortification is the process of increasing the concentrations and/or bioavailability of micronutrients in staple crops and has the potential to mitigate micronutrient deficiencies globally. Efficacy trials have demonstrated benefits of consuming biofortified crops (BFCs); and in this paper, we report on the results of a systematic review of biofortified crops effectiveness in real-world settings. We synthesized the evidence on biofortified crops consumption through four Impact Pathways: (1) purchased directly; (2) in informal settings; (3) in formal settings; or (4) in farmer households, from their own production. Twenty-five studies, covering Impact Pathway 1 (five studies), Impact Pathway 2 (three), Impact Pathway 3 (three), Impact Pathway 4 (21) were included. The review found evidence of an improvement in micronutrient status via Impact Pathway 4 (mainly in terms of vitamin A from orange sweet potato) in controlled interventions that involved the creation of demand, the extension of agriculture and promotion of marketing. In summary, evidence supports that biofortified crops can be part of food systems interventions to reduce micronutrient deficiencies in farmer households; ongoing and future research will help fully inform their potential along the other three Impact Pathways for scaling up.