Decaffeinated green tea polyphenols supplementation had no adverse health effects in girls with obesity: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: While the health promoting effects of green tea polyphenols have been identi-fied among adult, research on children is scarce probably due to safety concerns about caffeine. This study aims to evaluate the safety of decaffeinated green tea polyphenols (DGTP) supplementation in girls with obesity and lay the foundation for its application in children population. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: This 12-week randomized, double-blinded, parallel-controlled trial was performed among 62 girls with obesity aged 6 to 10 years old. Participants were allocated to take 400 mg/d DGTP (DGTP group, n = 31) or isodose placebo (Control group, n = 31) at random. Anthropometric measurements and biochemical parameters including hepatic and renal function indicators, serum minerals concentrations, and routine blood parameters, were measured at baseline and the end of this trial. DGTP intake diary was required for each participant to record any abnormal reactions. RESULTS: After the 12-week supplementation, compared to Control group, the uric acid concentration in DGTP group showed a significant decrease (-48.0 ± 83.2 vs -0.01 ± 69.1, µmol/L), within the normal range. Regarding other biochemical indicators, there were no significant differences in changed values between the two groups. Throughout the trial, no adverse effects were reported in either group. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicated that the supplementation of 400 mg/d DGTP for 12 weeks had no adverse health effects in girls with obesity, providing evidence for the DGTP adoption in children research.

The therapeutic role and potential mechanism of EGCG in obesity-related precocious puberty as determined by integrated metabolomics and network pharmacology.

Objective: (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) has preventive effects on obesity-related precocious puberty, but its underlying mechanism remains unclear. The aim of this study was to integrate metabolomics and network pharmacology to reveal the mechanism of EGCG in the prevention of obesity-related precocious puberty. Materials and methods: A high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization ion-trap tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) was used to analyze the impact of EGCG on serum metabolomics and associated metabolic pathways in a randomized controlled trial. Twelve weeks of EGCG capsules were given to obese girls in this trail. Additionally, the targets and pathways of EGCG in preventing obesity-related precocious puberty network pharmacology were predicted using network pharmacology. Finally, the mechanism of EGCG prevention of obesity-related precocious puberty was elucidated through integrated metabolomics and network pharmacology. Results: Serum metabolomics screened 234 endogenous differential metabolites, and network pharmacology identified a total of 153 common targets. These metabolites and targets mainly enrichment pathways involving endocrine-related pathways (estrogen signaling pathway, insulin resistance, and insulin secretion), and signal transduction (PI3K-Akt, MAPK, and Jak-STAT signaling pathways). The integrated metabolomics and network pharmacology indicated that AKT1, EGFR, ESR1, STAT3, IGF1, and MAPK1 may be key targets for EGCG in preventing obesity-related precocious puberty. Conclusion: EGCG may contribute to preventing obesity-related precocious puberty through targets such as AKT1, EGFR, ESR1, STAT3, IGF1, and MAPK1 and multiple signaling pathways, including the estrogen, PI3K-Akt, MAPK, and Jak-STAT pathways. This study provided a theoretical foundation for future research.

Effect of Decaffeinated Green Tea Polyphenols on Body Fat and Precocious Puberty in Obese Girls: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Obesity has been reported to be an important contributing factor for precocious puberty, especially in girls. The effect of green tea polyphenols on weight reduction in adult population has been shown, but few related studies have been conducted in children. This study was performed to examine the effectiveness and safety of decaffeinated green tea polyphenols (DGTP) on ameliorating obesity and early sexual development in girls with obesity. Design: This is a double-blinded randomized controlled trial. Girls with obesity aged 6-10 years old were randomly assigned to receive 400 mg/day DGTP or isodose placebo orally for 12 weeks. During this period, all participants received the same instruction on diet and exercise from trained dietitians. Anthropometric measurements, secondary sexual characteristics, B-scan ultrasonography of uterus, ovaries and breast tissues, and related biochemical parameters were examined and assessed pre- and post-treatment. Results: Between August 2018 and January 2020, 62 girls with obesity (DGTP group n = 31, control group n = 31) completed the intervention and were included in analysis. After the intervention, body mass index, waist circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio significantly decreased in both groups, but the percentage of body fat (PBF), serum uric acid (UA), and the volumes of ovaries decreased significantly only within the DGTP group. After controlling confounders, DGTP showed a significantly decreased effect on the change of PBF (ß = 2.932, 95% CI: 0.214 to 5.650), serum UA (ß = 52.601, 95% CI: 2.520 to 102.681), and ovarian volumes (right: ß = 1.881, 95% CI: 0.062 to 3.699, left: ß = 0.971, 95% CI: 0.019 to 1.923) in girls with obesity. No side effect was reported in both groups during the whole period. Conclusion: DGTP have shown beneficial effects of ameliorated obesity and postponed early sexual development in girls with obesity without any adverse effects. Clinical Trial Registration: [https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03628937], identifier [NCT03628937].

Early-life exposure to aluminum and fine motor performance in infants: a longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: Aluminum (Al) is a well-established neurotoxicant. However, little is known about its effects on the neurodevelopment of infants. OBJECTIVES: To examine early-life exposure to Al in relation to neurodevelopment in healthy infants. METHODS: Nail Al concentrations were measured among 747 newborn babies within 6 months of delivery in the Shanghai Birth Cohort. Neurodevelopment was assessed using Ages and stages questionnaire (third edition, ASQ-3) at ages 6 and 12 months. General linear regression models were performed to estimate the associations between Al concentrations and ASQ-3 scores. RESULTS: After adjustment for potential confounders, early-life exposure to Al was not associated with any neurodevelopmental performance at age 6 months. However, Al level was associated with an increased risk of having a low fine motor score (quartile 4 vs. quartile 1, mean difference (MD): -1.63; 95% confidence interval (CI): -3.22, -0.05; P-trend < 0.01) at 12 months. No association was found for communication, gross motor, problem-solving, or personal-social score at 12 months. SIGNIFICANCE: Early-life exposure to Al may be associated with poor fine motor skills in a dose-response manner among apparently healthy infants at age 12 months.

Healthy adult vegetarians have better renal function than matched omnivores: a cross-sectional study in China.

BACKGROUND: An appropriate diet is an important determinant of kidney health. However, the association between vegetarian diets and renal function is unclear. We aimed to study the association between vegetarian diets and renal function in healthy adults. METHODS: A total of 269 vegetarians and 269 sex- and age-matched nonvegetarian omnivores were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Basic characteristics and daily dietary intakes were assessed by face-to-face interviews. Blood samples were collected, and renal function was assessed by measuring blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (SCr), uric acid (UA) and the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Blood pressure, fasting blood glucose and blood lipid profiles were also assessed. RESULTS: The average age of the vegetarians was 35.4 ± 8.6 years, 82.2% of whom were female. We evaluated the association between vegetarian diets and renal function using multivariate analysis. Compared with omnivores, vegetarians had lower BUN [ß = - 0.63, 95% confidence interval (CI): (- 0.88, - 0.38)], SCr [ß = - 2.04, 95% CI:(- 4.10, 0.02)], and UA levels [ß = - 15.15, 95% CI: (- 27.81, - 2.50)] and higher eGFRs [ß = 4.04, 95% CI: (0.30, 7.78)] after adjusting for sex, age, body mass index (BMI), physical activity, alcohol consumption, smoking status, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), systolic pressure and fasting blood glucose. Further analysis of food composition and renal function showed that dietary fiber intake was significantly negatively associated with BUN [ß = - 0.02, 95% CI: (- 0.03, 0.00)], SCr [ß = - 0.14, 95% CI: (- 0.25, 0.04)], and UA levels [ß = - 0.72, 95% CI: (- 1.36, 0.07)] and positively associated with the eGFR [ß = 0.20, 95% CI: (0.00, 0.40)]. CONCLUSIONS: Healthy adult vegetarians have better renal function than omnivores, and the higher dietary fiber intake associated with vegetarian diets may contribute to the protective effect on renal function.

Neck circumference is associated with hyperuricemia: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Neck circumference (NC) is associated with metabolic abnormalities, independent of other obesity indices. However, data are limited regarding the potential relation between NC and serum uric acid (UA) concentrations. Therefore, we evaluated the cross-sectional association between NC and UA concentration, and odds of having hyperuricemia in a community-based cohort. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The current study included 87,782 participants (16,317 women and 71,465 men, 52.2 ± 14.1 y) of the Kailuan Study. NC and UA concentration were measured in 2014. We used generalized linear model to investigate the association between NC and serum UA concentration and logistic regression model to investigate the association between NC and likelihood of having hyperuricemia (≥ 7 mg/dl in men and ≥ 6 mg/dl in women), adjusting for demographic factor, anthropometric indices, plasma lipid profiles, blood glucose, blood pressure, physical exercise, snoring, smoking, diet quality, and alcohol consumption. RESULTS: Higher NC was associated with higher serum UA concentration, and higher odds of hyperuricemia in both men and women after adjusting for potential confounders (both p < 0.001). Each additional 5-cm increase in NC was associated with 6% higher likelihood of having hyperuricemia (adjusted OR = 1.06; 95% CI 1.02, 1.1) in men and 17% in women (adjusted OR = 1.17; 95% CI 1.06, 1.28) (p interaction = 0.01). Similar pattern was observed after excluding participants who reported use of anti-hypertensive drugs, participants with obesity or higher waist circumference, and participants with history of gout and chronic kidney diseases. CONCLUSIONS: Higher NC was associated with higher serum UA concentration and higher risk of hyperuricemia in Chinese adult population. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Kailuan Study (ChiCTR-TNRC-11001489).

COMPARATIVE EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF THREE CURRENT CLINICAL TREATMENTS FOR GIRLS WITH CENTRAL PRECOCIOUS PUBERTY: A NETWORK META-ANALYSIS.

Objective: The optimal treatment for girls with central precocious puberty (CPP) is unknown. We conducted a network meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of existing treatments to provide credible clinical guidelines. Methods: We compared gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue (GnRHa) therapy, GnRHa plus growth hormone (GH) combination therapy, and no-treatment therapy for girls with CPP by performing an electronic search for studies in PubMed, Embase, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure databases, and Wanfang Data from their inception until September 30, 2018. Six outcomes, including bone maturation ratio, final height, final height compared with target height, growth velocity, height gain, and gain in predicted adult height (ΔPAH), were expressed as the mean difference with 95% confidence interval. The surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) value illustrated the rank probability of each treatment under different outcomes. Results: Twenty-two studies with 1,268 patients were included. GnRHa plus GH had the best performance on final height, final height compared with target height, growth velocity, height gain, and ΔPAH, with the highest SUCRA values of 0.919, 0.975, 0.909, 0.999, and 0.957, respectively. For bone maturation ratio, GnRHa ranked the highest, with a SUCRA value of 0.663. No severe adverse effects were reported. Conclusion: For girls with CPP, GnRHa plus GH had the highest probability of being the optimal therapy for improving final height, and no severe adverse effects were reported. Abbreviations: BMI = body mass index; CI = confidence interval; CPP = central precocious puberty; GH = growth hormone; GnRHa = gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue; HPG = hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal; LH = luteinizing hormone; NMA = network meta-analysis; PAH = predicted adult height; PCOS = polycystic ovary syndrome; RCT = randomized controlled trial; SUCRA = surface under the cumulative ranking curve.

Could tea polyphenols be beneficial for preventing the precocious puberty?

Precocious puberty which impacts children physically and psychologically has become one of the health problem over the world. However, the mechanism and preventive measures of precocious puberty is still not clear. Recent studies suggested that leptin may act as the 'permissive factor' to initiate the puberty by regulating gonadotrophin-releasing hormone secretion. Previous evidence from animal and human studies found that tea polyphenols can reduce serum leptin levels in vivo and inhibit the expression of leptin in adipose tissue. This article focus on whether tea polyphenols could delay the onset of puberty by reducing leptin levels. To verify the possibility of tea polyphenols on preventing precocious puberty, animal experiment can be used. Our hypothesis that tea polyphenols could prevent the precocious puberty may provide important potential way for the prevention and control of children precocious puberty.

Real Time Monitoring of Inhibition of Adipogenesis and Angiogenesis by (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes and Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells.

Little is known about the effect of (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) on angiogenesis in adipocytes. We aimed to test the effect of EGCG on the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in adipocytes. The levels of VEGF secretion, the expression of VEGF message ribonucleic acid (mRNA) and VEGF protein in 3T3-L1 cells were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and immunofluorescence staining, respectively. The xCELLigence real time cell analysis system was used to study the growth and differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. A coculture system was used to test the effects of 3T3-L1 cells on proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The conditioned media derived from 3T3-L1 cells treated with or without EGCG was used to culture the HUVECs for a tube formation assay. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein α (C/EBPα), two transcription factors related to both adipogenesis and angiogenesis, were examined to explore the potential mechanism. We found that all the three measurements of VEGF expression in adipocytes (mRNA, protein and secretion in media) were reduced after EGCG treatment. The growth of HUVECs co-cultured with 3T3-L1 cells was significantly increased and the conditioned media from EGCG treated 3T3-L1 adipocytes inhibited tube formation in HUVECs. Both PPARγ and C/EBPα expression in adipocytes were decreased with EGCG treatment. In conclusion, findings from this study suggest that EGCG may inhibit angiogenesis by regulating VEGF expression and secretion in adipocytes.

Radioprotective effects of genistein on HL-7702 cells via the inhibition of apoptosis and DNA damage.

Radiation induced normal tissue damage is the most important limitation for the delivery of a high potentially curative radiation dose. Genistein (GEN), one of the main soy isoflavone components, has drawn wide attention for its bioactivity in alleviating radiation damage. However, the effects and molecular mechanisms underlying the radioprotective effects of GEN remain unclear. In the present study, we showed that low concentration of GEN (1.5 µM) protected L-02 cells against radiation damage via inhibition of apoptosis, alleviation of DNA damage and chromosome aberration, down-regulation of GRP78 and up-regulation of HERP, HUS1 and hHR23A. In contrast, high concentration of GEN (20 µM) demonstrated radiosensitizing characteristics through the promotion of apoptosis and chromosome aberration, impairment of DNA repair, up-regulation of GRP78, and down-regulation of HUS1, SIRT1, RAD17, RAD51 and RNF8. These findings shed light on using low, but not high-concentration GEN, as a potential candidate for adjuvant therapy to alleviate radiation-induced injuries to human recipients of ionizing radiation.

[Prevalence of vegetarians and vegetarian's health dietary behavior survey in Shanghai].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of vegetarians in the whole Shanghai population, and to know the vegetarians' brief and behavior on diet, nutrition and health. METHODS: First, a multi-staged, stratified, clustered random sampling design was used. A total representative sample of 4 004 Shanghai resident subjects were asked if they were vegetarians and what type of vegetarian they were by a well-designed questionnaire. Second, from ten vegetarian restaurants located in Shanghai. 473 adult vegetarians completed a questionnaire about vegetarian status, among whom 274 vegetarians completed a detailed questionnaire about their brief and behaviors on diet, nutrition and health status. RESULTS: Of 4 004 subjects, 0.77% were vegetarians (0.45% were lacto-vegetarians and 0. 12% were vegans). The average age was 65. 0 years. 74. 2% of the vegetarians were female. Of 473 vegetarians, 70. 2% of the vegetarians had college or higher education. Compared to vegans, lacto-ovo-vegetarians were significantly younger and had higher educational level. The main reasons for choosing a vegetarian lifestyle were religion (49. 3%) and health (31. 3%). Furthermore, more vegan tend to be Buddhist. Vegetarians were more concerned about their health (209/274, 76. 5%) , the consumption of balance diets (183/274, 66. 8%). Comparing with lacto-ovo-vegetarians (58. 3%) more vegans (70. 4%) believed in that vegetarian diet is a kind of healthy dietary pattern and will not have any nutrients deficiency (P = 0. 037). Vegetarians consumed more healthy foods (e. g.,whole grains, vegetables, soy products, and nuts) than the general population (P < 0. 01). Only 5. 8% of the vegetarians took dietary supplements. CONCLUSION: 0. 77% of population in Shanghai was vegetarian. The two main reasons for adopting a vegetarian lifestyle were religion and health. The vegetarians tend to have more nutrition knowledge, better attitude and behavior on health. However, most of the vegetarians had not realized the nutrient deficiency risk of vegetarian diets.

Effects of a summer program for weight management in obese children and adolescents in Shanghai.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of a combined intervention of diet and physical activity on body composition, resting energy expenditure (REE) and metabolic factors in obese children and adolescents. METHODS: Twenty obese children and adolescents aged 7 to 17 years completed a 4-week summer camp program which focussed on personal behaviour, including energy-restricted diets and supervised physical activity. Anthropometry, bioelectrical impedance, ultrasonography (US) for subcutaneous and hepatic fat, and abdominal Magnetic Resonance Imaging assessments were made and blood pressure (BP) recorded before and after the 4-week intervention. RESULTS: 1) Weight loss was 7.2 ± 2.2 kg, with losses of 5.5 ± 2.2 kg and 1.7 ± 1.2 kg in fat mass (FM) and fat free mass (FFM), respectively, with associated reductions in abdominal and hip fat and in the waist/hip circumference ratio and in BP. 2) There were no significant changes in REE or in its ratio with weight. 3) Reductions in uric acid, total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, HbA1C, insulin, C-Peptide and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and the ratio of fatty liver were observed, but not in the inflammatory marker hsCRP. CONCLUSIONS: With behavioural intervention during a summer camp, body fat and its distribution were favourably changed, but with some loss of lean mass. However, there were no detectable reductions in REE. Weight management programs which achieve fat loss with maintenance of REE ought to be more sustainable.

[Effect of antioxidant on hepatic stellate cell proliferation and apoptosis during recovery from liver fibrosis].

OBJECTIVE: Effects of dietary supplementation of vitamin E and selenium on proliferation and apoptosis of activated hepatic stellate cell(HSC) were investigated in the rat model of liver fibrosis induced by intraperitoneal injection with CCl4. METHODS: Activated HSC was determined by alpha-smooth muscle actin immunohistochemistry staining and apoptotic HSC determined by dual staining both of the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase UTP nick end labeling(TUNEL) and of alpha-smooth muscle actin immunohistochemistry. RESULT: During fibrosis recovery, the number of activated HSCs both in pathological group and in intervention group went down gradually,meanwhile, both the number of apoptotic HSCs and the collagen liver also descend little by little. These data confirmed that HSCs had the core effect on liver fibrogenesis and apoptosis may be a major factor regulating HSCs numbers during the injury-fibrosis-recovery sequence. At each time point, the number of activated HSCs in pathological group is more than intervention group, while apoptotic HSCs are less, which suggested dietary supplement with antioxidative nutrients had effect on HSC apoptosis but more studies are necessary to make the mechanism clearer. CONCLUSION: Dietary supplement with proper vitamin E and selenium can effectively lighten the hepatic fibrosis and promote the recovery of hepatocyte and the degradation of the existing collagens, ie, it is beneficial to the recovery of hepatic fibrosis.