Flavonoids and cellular stress: a complex interplay affecting human health.

Flavonoid consumption has beneficial effects on human health, however, clinical evidence remains often inconclusive due to high interindividual variability. Although this high interindividual variability has been consistently observed in flavonoid research, the potential underlying reasons are still poorly studied. Especially the knowledge on the impact of health status on flavonoid responsiveness is limited and merits more investigation. Here, we aim to highlight the bidirectional interplay between flavonoids and cellular stress. First, the state-of-the-art concerning inflammatory stress and mitochondrial dysfunction is reviewed and a comprehensive overview of recent in vitro studies investigating the impact of flavonoids on cellular stress, induced by tumor necrosis factor α, lipopolysaccharide and mitochondrial stressors, is given. Second, we critically discuss the influence of cellular stress on flavonoid uptake, accumulation, metabolism and cell responses, which has, to our knowledge, never been extensively reviewed before. Next, we advocate the innovative insight that stratification of the general population based on health status can reveal subpopulations that benefit more from flavonoid consumption. Finally, suggestions are given for the development of future cell models that simulate the physiological micro-environment, including interindividual variability, since more mechanistic research is needed to establish scientific-based personalized food recommendations for specific subpopulations.

The Influence of Salt Sensitivity Phenotype on Sodium Excretion and Diuresis: A Chrononutrition Pilot Study.

Background: Chrononutrition studies on interaction of diet/nutrients on endogenous circadian clocks and meal timing on metabolic homeostasis may be of importance in the management of nocturnal polyuria (NP), owing to loss of circadian rhythm in nighttime urination. Dietary salt restriction is an increasingly popular lifestyle recommendation for NP patients. Aim: This study aims to evaluate the effect of an acute salt load on diuresis and to study the phenomenon of salt sensitivity. Methodology. Young, healthy men (n = 21, fasted and sober) ingested 500 ml of water on the control day and 8 g and 12 g of salt with water (500 ml) on two other days. Blood and urine samples were collected at 0 hrs, 2 hrs, and 4 hrs and voided volumes were recorded. Diuresis, serum and urine osmolality, sodium, potassium, urea, and creatinine were measured. Salt sensitivity was determined based on the rate of sodium excretion. Results: Compared to 8 g, ingestion of 12 g of salt significantly increased diuresis after 4 hrs. Pure water load induced fast diuresis, whereas salt and water load initially reduced diuresis and promoted late increase in diuresis. The total voided volume was significantly lower in the salt sensitive individuals. Conclusion: Taken together, salt sensitivity profile and type and time of fluid intake are important considerations to build effective personalized lifestyle recommendations for NP patients, which needs further investigation.

Rare mono- and disaccharides as healthy alternative for traditional sugars and sweeteners?

Obesity and type 2 diabetes are major health problems affecting hundreds of millions of people. Caloric overfeeding with calorie-dense food ingredients like sugars may contribute to these chronic diseases. Sugar research has also identified mechanisms via which conventional sugars like sucrose and fructose can adversely influence metabolic health. To replace these sugars, numerous sugar replacers including artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols have been developed. Rare sugars became new candidates to replace conventional sugars and their health effects are already reported in individual studies, but overviews and critical appraisals of their health effects are missing. This is the first paper to provide a detailed review of the metabolic health effects of rare sugars as a group. Especially allulose has a wide range of health effects. Tagatose and isomaltulose have several health effects as well, while other rare sugars mainly provide health benefits in mechanistic studies. Hardly any health claims have been approved for rare sugars due to a lack of evidence from human trials. Human trials with direct measures for disease risk factors are needed to allow a final appraisal of promising rare sugars. Mechanistic cell culture studies and animal models are required to enlarge our knowledge on understudied rare sugars.

Valorization of byproducts from tropical fruits: A review, Part 2: Applications, economic, and environmental aspects of biorefinery via supercritical fluid extraction.

The global trade of tropical fruits is expected to increase significantly in the coming years. In 2018, the production was approximately 100 million tones, an increase of 3.3% compared to the previous year. Nevertheless, according to the Food and Agricultural Organization, every year one-third of the food produced in the world for human consumption is lost or wasted. More specifically, around 45% of the fruits, constituted mainly by peels, seeds, and pulps after juice extraction, are discarded mainly in the agricultural and processing steps. Therefore, decreasing and/or using these byproducts, which are often rich in bioactive components, have become an important focus for both the scientific community and the fruit processing industry. In this line, supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) technology is expected to play a significant role in the valorization of these byproducts. This review presents the concepts of a tropical fruit biorefinery using supercritical CO2 extraction and the potential applications of the isolated fractions. There is a specific focus on the extraction of bioactive compounds, that is, carotenoids and phenolics, but also oils and other valuable molecules. Moreover, the techno-economic and environmental performance is assessed. Overall, the biorefinery of tropical fruits via SFE provides new opportunities for development of food and pharmaceutical products with improved economic and environmental performance.

Oral Microbiota Display Profound Differential Metabolic Kinetics and Community Shifts upon Incubation with Sucrose, Trehalose, Kojibiose, and Xylitol.

This study compares the metabolic properties of kojibiose, trehalose, sucrose, and xylitol upon incubation with representative oral bacteria as monocultures or synthetic communities or with human salivary bacteria in a defined medium. Compared to sucrose and trehalose, kojibiose resisted metabolism during a 48-h incubation with monocultures, except for Actinomyces viscosus Incubations with Lactobacillus-based communities, as well as salivary bacteria, displayed kojibiose metabolism, yet to a lesser extent than sucrose and trehalose. Concurring with our in vitro findings, screening for carbohydrate-active enzymes revealed that only Lactobacillus spp. and A. viscosus possess enzymes from glycohydrolase (GH) families GH65 and GH15, respectively, which are associated with kojibiose metabolism. Donor-dependent differences in salivary microbiome composition were noted, and differences in pH drop during incubation indicated different rates of sugar metabolism. However, functional analysis indicated that lactate, acetate, and formate evenly dominated the metabolic profile for all sugars except for xylitol. 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis and α-diversity markers revealed that a significant shift of the microbiome community by sugars was more pronounced in sucrose and trehalose than in kojibiose and xylitol. In Streptococcus spp., a taxon linked to cariogenesis dominated in sucrose (mean ± standard deviation, 91.8 ± 6.4%) and trehalose (55.9 ± 38.6%), representing a high diversity loss. In contrast, Streptococcus (5.1 ± 3.7%) was less abundant in kojibiose, which instead was dominated by Veillonella (26.8 ± 19.6%), while for xylitol, Neisseria (29.4 ± 19.1%) was most abundant. Overall, kojibiose and xylitol incubations stimulated cariogenic species less yet closely maintained an abundance of key phyla and genera of the salivary microbiome, suggesting that kojibiose has low cariogenic properties.IMPORTANCE This study provides a detailed scientific insight on the metabolism of a rare disaccharide, kojibiose, whose mass production has recently been made possible. While the resistance of kojibiose was established with monocultures, delayed utilization of kojibiose was observed with communities containing lactobacilli and A. viscosus as well as with complex communities of bacteria from human saliva. Kojibiose is, therefore, less metabolizable than sucrose and trehalose. Moreover, although conventional sugars cause distinct shifts in salivary microbial communities, our study has revealed that kojibiose is able to closely maintain the salivary microbiome composition, suggesting its low cariogenic properties. This study furthermore underscores the importance and relevance of microbial culture and ex vivo mixed cultures to study cariogenicity and substrate utilization; this is in sharp contrast with tests that solely rely on monocultures such as Streptococcus mutans, which clearly fail to capture complex interactions between oral microbiota.

Valorization of byproducts from tropical fruits: Extraction methodologies, applications, environmental, and economic assessment: A review (Part 1: General overview of the byproducts, traditional biorefinery practices, and possible applications).

Tropical fruits represent one of the most important crops in the world. The continuously growing global market for the main tropical fruits is currently estimated at 84 million tons, of which approximately half is lost or wasted throughout the whole processing chain. Developing novel processes for the conversion of these byproducts into value-added products could provide a viable way to manage this waste problem, aiming at the same time to create a sustainable economic growth within a bio-economy perspective. Given the ever-increasing concern about sustainability, complete valorization through a bio-refinery approach, that is, zero waste concept, as well as the use of green techniques is therefore of utmost importance. This paper aims to report the status on the valorization of tropical fruit byproducts within a bio-refinery frame, via the application of traditional methodologies, and with specific attention to the extraction of phenolics and carotenoids as bioactive compounds. The different types of byproducts, and their content of bioactives is reviewed, with a special emphasis on the lesser-known tropical fruits. Moreover, the bioactivity of the different types of extracts and their possible application as a resource for different sectors (food, pharmaceutical, and environmental sciences) is discussed. Consequently, this review presents the concepts of tropical fruit biorefineries, and the potential applications of the isolated fractions.

Synthesis of 1,4-Thiazepane-Based Curcuminoids with Promising Anticancer Activity.

Curcumin, the main component of turmeric (Curcuma longa) is known to display an interesting bioactivity profile, including pronounced anticancer properties. However, its low bioavailability, metabolic instability and nonspecific activity are concerns that have to be addressed before curcuminoids can be considered for therapeutic applications. Within that framework, intensive research has been carried out in the last decades to develop new curcumin derivatives, generally centered on standard modifications of the sp2 curcumin framework, with the aim to augment its bioavailability while maintaining or improving its anticancer properties. To find potential hit molecules by moving away from the classical flat curcumin framework, we investigated an unexplored modification to produce novel, out-of-plane 1,4-thiazepane-based curcuminoids and assessed the impact of this modification on the biological activity. In this way, 21 new, structurally diverse thiazepane scaffolds (4-aryl-1-(7-aryl-1,4-thiazepan-5-ylidene)but-3-en-2-ones) were synthesized, as well as some biologically interesting unexpected reaction products (such as 5-aryl-6-arylmethylene-3-ethoxycyclohex-2-en-1-ones and 4-acetyl-5-aryl-2-(3-arylacryloyl)-3-methylcyclohex-2-en-1-ones). All these analogues were subsequently tested on their antioxidant capacity, their cytotoxicity properties and their ROS (reactive oxygen species) production. Many compounds demonstrated interesting activities, with ten curcuminoids, whereof eight 1,4-thiazepane-based, showing better antiproliferative properties compared to their mother compounds, as well as an increased ROS production. This unprecedented 3D curcumin modification has thus delivered promising new hit compounds with good activity profiles eligible for further exploration.

A Novel Approach to Optimize Vitamin D Intake in Belgium through Fortification Based on Representative Food Consumption Data.

BACKGROUND: Food fortification is a promising means to improve vitamin D intake of a population. Careful selection of food vehicles is needed to ensure that nearly all individuals within the population benefit from the fortification program. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to develop and apply a model that simultaneously selects the optimal combination of food vehicles and defines the optimal fortification level that adequately increases vitamin D intake in the population without compromising safety. METHODS: Food consumption data from the Belgian Food Consumption Survey 2014 (n = 3200; age 3-64 y) were used. The optimization model included 63 combinations of 6 potential vehicles for food fortification, namely "bread," "breakfast cereals," "fats and oils," "fruit juices," "milk and milk beverages," and "yogurt and cream cheese." The optimization procedure was designed to minimize inadequate or excessive vitamin D intake in each of the food combinations. This allowed the relative ranking of the different combinations according to their fortification utility. The estimated average requirement and upper intake level were used as thresholds. An age-specific and population-based approach enabled the sensitivity of the population subgroups to adverse health effects to be taken into account. Feasibility, technical aspects, and healthiness of the food vehicles were used to select the optimal combination. RESULTS: Multiple combinations of food vehicles significantly reduced the prevalence of inadequate vitamin D intake within the Belgian population (from 92-96% to <2%). Taking other aforementioned criteria into account, the fortification of "milk and milk beverages" and "bread" with 6.9 µg vitamin D/100 kcal was proposed as an optimal fortification scenario. CONCLUSIONS: The optimization model allows identification of an effective fortification scenario to improve vitamin D intake within the Belgian population based on acceptable risks of inadequate and excessive intake. The model can be extended to other micronutrients and other populations.

Rational Design of Amyloid-Like Fibrillary Structures for Tailoring Food Protein Techno-Functionality and Their Potential Health Implications.

To control and enhance protein functionality is a major challenge for food scientists. In this context, research on food protein fibril formation, especially amyloid fibril formation, holds much promise. We here first provide a concise overview of conditions, which affect amyloid formation in food proteins. Particular attention is directed towards amyloid core regions because these sequences promote ordered aggregation. Better understanding of this process will be key to tailor the fibril formation process. Especially seeding, that is, adding preformed protein fibrils to protein solutions to accelerate fibril formation holds promise to tailor aggregation and fibril techno-functionality. Some studies have already indicated that food protein fibrillation indeed improves their techno-functionality. However, much more research is necessary to establish whether protein fibrils are useful in complex food systems and whether and to what extent they resist food processing unit operations. In this review the effect of amyloid formation on gelation, interfacial properties, foaming, and emulsification is discussed. Despite their prevalent role as functional structures, amyloids also receive a lot of attention due to their association with protein deposition diseases, prompting us to thoroughly investigate the potential health impact of amyloid-like aggregates in food. A literature review on the effect of the different stages of the human digestive process on amyloid toxicity leads us to conclude that food-derived amyloid fibrils (even those with potential pathogenic properties) very likely have minimal impact on human health. Nevertheless, prior to wide-spread application of the technology, it is highly advisable to further verify the lack of toxicity of food-derived amyloid fibrils.

Cu isotope fractionation response to oxidative stress in a hepatic cell line studied using multi-collector ICP-mass spectrometry.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are generated in biological processes involving electron transfer reactions and can act in a beneficial or deleterious way. When intracellular ROS levels exceed the cell's anti-oxidant capacity, oxidative stress occurs. In this work, Cu isotope fractionation was evaluated in HepG2 cells under oxidative stress conditions attained in various ways. HepG2 is a well-characterised human hepatoblastoma cell line adapted to grow under high oxidative stress conditions. During a pre-incubation stage, cells were exposed to a non-toxic concentration of Cu for 24 h. Subsequently, the medium was replaced and cells were exposed to one of three different external stressors: H2O2, tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα) or UV radiation. The isotopic composition of the intracellular Cu was determined by multi-collector ICP-mass spectrometry to evaluate the isotope fractionation accompanying Cu fluxes between cells and culture medium. For half of these setups, the pre-incubation solution also contained N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) as an anti-oxidant to evaluate its protective effect against oxidative stress via its influence on the extent of Cu isotope fractionation. Oxidative stress caused the intracellular Cu isotopic composition to be heavier compared to that in untreated control cells. The H2O2 and TNFα exposures rendered similar results, comparable to those obtained after mild UV exposure. The heaviest Cu isotopic composition was observed under the strongest oxidative conditions tested, i.e., when the cell surfaces were directly exposed to UV radiation without apical medium and in absence of NAC. NAC mitigated the extent of isotope fractionation in all cases.

Protein hydrolysate from canned sardine and brewing by-products improves TNF-α-induced inflammation in an intestinal-endothelial co-culture cell model.

PURPOSE: The anti-inflammatory activity of sardine protein hydrolysates (SPH) obtained by hydrolysis with proteases from brewing yeast surplus was ascertained. METHODS: For this purpose, a digested and desalted SPH fraction with molecular weight lower than 10 kDa was investigated using an endothelial cell line (EA.hy926) as such and in a co-culture model with an intestinal cell line (Caco-2). Effects of SPH <10 kDa on nitric oxide (NO) production, reactive oxygen species (ROS) inhibition and secretion of monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), chemokine IL-8 (IL-8) and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) were evaluated in TNF-α-treated and untreated cells. RESULTS: Upon TNF-α treatment, levels of NO, MCP-1, VEGF, IL-8, ICAM-1 and endothelial ROS were significantly increased in both mono- and co-culture models. Treatment with SPH <10 kDa (2.0 mg peptides/mL) significantly decreased all the inflammation markers when compared to TNF-α-treated control. This protective effect was more pronounced in the co-culture model, suggesting that SPH <10 kDa Caco-2 cells metabolites produced in the course of intestinal absorption may provide a more relevant protective effect against endothelial dysfunction. Additionally, indirect cross-talk between two cell types was established, suggesting that SPH <10 kDa may also bind to receptors on the Caco-2 cells, thereby triggering a pathway to secrete the pro-inflammatory compounds. CONCLUSION: Overall, these in vitro screening results, in which intestinal digestion, absorption and endothelial bioactivity are simulated, show the potential of SPH to be used as a functional food with anti-inflammatory properties.

Feasibility and impact study of a reward-based mobile application to improve adolescents' snacking habits.

OBJECTIVE: Adolescents' snacking habits are driven by both explicit reflective and implicit hedonic processes. Hedonic pathways and differences in sensitivity to food rewards in addition to reflective determinants should be considered. The present study evaluated the feasibility and impact of a mobile phone-delivered intervention, incorporating explicit reflective and implicit rewarding strategies, on adolescents' snack intake. DESIGN: Adolescents (n 988; mean age 14·9 (sd 0·70) years, 59·4 % boys) completed a non-randomized clustered controlled trial. Adolescents (n 416) in the intervention schools (n 3) were provided with the intervention application for four weeks, while adolescents (n 572) in the control schools (n 3) followed the regular curriculum. Outcomes were differences in healthy snacking ratio and key determinants (awareness, intention, attitude, self-efficacy, habits and knowledge). Process evaluation data were collected via questionnaires and through log data of the app. RESULTS: No significant positive intervention effects on the healthy snack ratio (b=-3·52 (se 1·82), P>0·05) or targeted determinants were observed. Only 268 adolescents started using the app, of whom only fifty-five (20·5 %) still logged in after four weeks. Within the group of users, higher exposure to the app was not significantly associated with positive intervention effects. App satisfaction ratings were low in both high and low user groups. Moderation analyses revealed small positive intervention effects on the healthy snack ratio in high compared with low reward-sensitive boys (b=1·38 (se 0·59), P<0·05). CONCLUSIONS: The intervention was not able to improve adolescents' snack choices, due to low reach and exposure. Future interventions should consider multicomponent interventions, teacher engagement, exhaustive participatory app content development and tailoring.

Adding a reward increases the reinforcing value of fruit.

Adolescents' snack choices could be altered by increasing the reinforcing value (RV) of healthy snacks compared with unhealthy snacks. This study assessed whether the RV of fruit increased by linking it to a reward and if this increased RV was comparable with the RV of unhealthy snacks alone. Moderation effects of sex, hunger, BMI z-scores and sensitivity to reward were also explored. The RV of snacks was assessed in a sample of 165 adolescents (15·1 (sd 1·5) years, 39·4 % boys and 17·4 % overweight) using a computerised food reinforcement task. Adolescents obtained points for snacks through mouse clicks (responses) following progressive ratio schedules of increasing response requirements. Participants were (computer) randomised to three experimental groups (1:1:1): fruit (n 53), fruit+reward (n 60) or unhealthy snacks (n 69). The RV was evaluated as total number of responses and breakpoint (schedule of terminating food reinforcement task). Multilevel regression analyses (total number of responses) and Cox's proportional hazard regression models (breakpoint) were used. The total number of responses made were not different between fruit+reward and fruit (b -473; 95 % CI -1152, 205, P=0·17) or unhealthy snacks (b410; 95 % CI -222, 1043, P=0·20). The breakpoint was slightly higher for fruit than fruit+reward (HR 1·34; 95 % CI 1·00, 1·79, P=0·050), whereas no difference between unhealthy snacks and fruit+reward (HR 0·86; 95 % CI 0·62, 1·18, P=0·34) was observed. No indication of moderation was found. Offering rewards slightly increases the RV of fruit and may be a promising strategy to increase healthy food choices. Future studies should however, explore if other rewards, could reach larger effect sizes.

A school-based intervention improved dietary intake outcomes and reduced waist circumference in adolescents: a cluster randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: In Ecuador, adolescents' food intake does not comply with guidelines for a healthy diet. Together with abdominal obesity adolescent's inadequate diets are risk factors for non-communicable diseases. We report the effectiveness of a school-based intervention on the dietary intake and waist circumference among Ecuadorian adolescents. METHODS: A pair-matched cluster randomized controlled trial including 1430 adolescents (12-14 years old) was conducted. The program aimed at improving the nutritional value of dietary intake, physical activity (primary outcomes), body mass index, waist circumference and blood pressure (secondary outcomes). This paper reports: (i) the effect on fruit and vegetable intake, added sugar intake, unhealthy snacking (consumption of unhealthy food items that are not in line with the dietary guidelines eaten during snack time; i.e. table sugar, sweets, salty snacks, fast food, soft drinks and packaged food), breakfast intake and waist circumference; and, (ii) dose and reach of the intervention. Dietary outcomes were estimated by means of two 24-h recall at baseline, after the first 17-months (stage one) and after the last 11-months (stage two) of implementation. Dose and reach were evaluated using field notes and attendance forms. Educational toolkits and healthy eating workshops with parents and food kiosks staff in the schools were implemented in two different stages. The overall effect was assessed using linear mixed models and regression spline mixed effect models were applied to evaluate the effect after each stage. RESULTS: Data from 1046 adolescents in 20 schools were analyzed. Participants from the intervention group consumed lower quantities of unhealthy snacks (-23.32 g; 95% CI: -45.25,-1.37) and less added sugar (-5.66 g; 95% CI: -9.63,-1.65) at the end of the trial. Daily fruit and vegetable intake decreased in both the intervention and control groups compared to baseline, albeit this decrease was 23.88 g (95% CI: 7.36, 40.40) lower in the intervention group. Waist circumference (-0.84 cm; 95% CI: -1.68, 0.28) was lower in the intervention group at the end of the program; the effect was mainly observed at stage one. Dose and reach were also higher at stage one. CONCLUSIONS: The trial had positive effects on risk factors for non-communicable diseases, i.e. decreased consumption of unhealthy snacks. The program strategies must be implemented at the national level through collaboration between the academia and policy makers to assure impact at larger scale. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrial.gov-NCT01004367 .

Oxidation During Digestion of Meat: Interactions with the Diet and Helicobacter pylori Gastritis, and Implications on Human Health.

The last decade has seen epidemiological evidence of a positive association between high consumption of red meat and processed meat and the risk of developing a range of chronic diseases, such as colorectal cancer, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes. Oxidative stress is potentially involved in this association; however, oxidative stress is likely limited if red meat and processed meat are consumed in moderation, and combined with high intake of fruits and vegetables and low intake of refined sugars. In addition, it appears that some subgroups of the population are more prone to developing oxidative stress-related diseases as a consequence of high red and processed meat consumption. For example, the gastric juice in the inflamed stomach of individuals infected with Helicobacter pylori may be an excellent site for enhanced oxidation following meat consumption. Similarly, patients with inflammatory bowel disease may be at increased risk. Oxidative stress resulting from red or processed meat consumption may mediate the onset and/or progression of a wide range of diseases through various mechanisms, which are discussed in this review.

Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology-Nutritional Epidemiology (STROBE-nut): An Extension of the STROBE Statement.

BACKGROUND: Concerns have been raised about the quality of reporting in nutritional epidemiology. Research reporting guidelines such as the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement can improve quality of reporting in observational studies. Herein, we propose recommendations for reporting nutritional epidemiology and dietary assessment research by extending the STROBE statement into Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology-Nutritional Epidemiology (STROBE-nut). METHODS AND FINDINGS: Recommendations for the reporting of nutritional epidemiology and dietary assessment research were developed following a systematic and consultative process, coordinated by a multidisciplinary group of 21 experts. Consensus on reporting guidelines was reached through a three-round Delphi consultation process with 53 external experts. In total, 24 recommendations for nutritional epidemiology were added to the STROBE checklist. CONCLUSION: When used appropriately, reporting guidelines for nutritional epidemiology can contribute to improve reporting of observational studies with a focus on diet and health.

Sensitivity to reward and adolescents' unhealthy snacking and drinking behavior: the role of hedonic eating styles and availability.

BACKGROUND: Although previous research found a positive association between sensitivity to reward (SR) and adolescents' unhealthy snacking and drinking behavior, mechanisms explaining these associations remain to be explored. The present study will therefore examine whether the associations between SR and unhealthy snack and/or sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) intake are mediated by external and/or emotional eating and if this mediation is moderated by availability at home or at school. METHODS: Cross-sectional data on snacking, availability of snacks at home and at school, SR (BAS drive scale) and external and emotional eating (Dutch eating behavior questionnaire) of Flemish adolescents (n = 1104, mean age = 14.7 ± 0.8 years; 51 % boys; 18.0% overweight) in 20 schools spread across Flanders were collected. Moderated mediation analyses were conducted using generalized structural equation modeling in three steps: (1) direct association between SR and unhealthy snack or SSB intake, (2) mediation of either external or emotional eating and (3) interaction of home or school availability and emotional or external eating. RESULTS: Partial mediation of external eating (a*b = 0.69, p < 0.05) and of emotional eating (a*b = 0.92, p < 0.01) in the relation between SR and intake of unhealthy snacks was found (step 2). The relation between SR and SSB intake was not mediated by external or emotional eating (step 2). No moderation effects of home or school availability were found (step 3). CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that the association between SR and the consumption of unhealthy snacks is partially explained by external and emotional eating in a population-based sample of adolescents irrespective of the home or school availability of these foods.

Synthesis and biological assessment of novel N-(hydroxy/methoxy)alkyl ß-enaminone curcuminoids.

Curcumin, a natural compound extracted from the rhizomes of Curcuma Longa, is known to display pronounced anticancer activity but lacks good pharmacokinetic properties. In that respect, augmenting the water solubility by structural modification of the curcumin scaffold may result in improved bioavailability and pharmacokinetics. A possible scaffold modification, especially important for this study, concerns the imination of the labile ß-diketone moiety in curcumin. Previous work revealed that novel N-alkyl ß-enaminones showed a similar water solubility as compared to curcumin, accompanied by a stronger anti-proliferative activity. To extend this ß-enaminone compound library, new analogues were prepared in this work using more polar amines (hydroxyalkylamines and methoxyalkylamines instead of alkylamines) with the main purpose to improve the water solubility without compromising the biological activity of the resulting curcuminoids. Compared to their respective parent compounds, i.e. curcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin, the bisdemethoxycurcumin N-(hydroxy/methoxy)alkyl enaminone analogues showed better water solubility, antioxidant and anti-proliferative activities. In addition, the curcumin enaminones displayed activities comparable to or better than curcumin, and the water solubility was improved significantly. The constructed new analogues may thus be of interest for further exploration concerning their impact on oxidative stress related diseases such as cancer.

Sensitivity to reward is associated with snack and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption in adolescents.

PURPOSE: High intake of palatable foods, such as energy-dense snacks and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), is common among adolescents. An individual's sensitivity to reward (SR) may influence these intakes. The main objective of this study was to investigate the association between SR and both snack and SSB intake among adolescents. METHODS: A representative cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1104 14- to 16-year-olds (mean age = 14.7 ± 0.8 years; 50.9 % boys; 18.0 % overweight) in Flanders. Daily intakes were measured by a food frequency questionnaire. SR was assessed using the behavioral activation system (BAS) scales. Multilevel regression analyses (two level: adolescent school) were conducted using STATA version 13. RESULTS: BAS drive was positively associated with daily intakes of SSBs (13.79 %, p < 0.01), unhealthy snacks (5.42 %, p < 0.001), and energy and nutrients derived from SSBs (p < 0.001) and snacks (p < 0.01). BAS reward responsiveness (RR) was only positively associated with intake of unhealthy snacks (3.85 %, p < 0.05), healthy snacks (6.41 %, p < 0.05), and fat (4.05 %, p < 0.01) and Na (3.89 %, p < 0.05) from snacks. Interaction effects of gender and BAS RR (p < 0.05) were found. Significant positive associations between BAS RR and daily intakes of energy from snacks (6.48 %, p < 0.01) and fat from snacks (7.22 %, p < 0.001) were found only for girls. CONCLUSION: SR was associated with snack and SSB consumption in adolescents, especially in girls. These findings suggest that SR should be taken into account when designing interventions to improve the snack and SSB intake of adolescents.

Two years of school-based intervention program could improve the physical fitness among Ecuadorian adolescents at health risk: subgroups analysis from a cluster-randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: Adolescents with overweight and poor physical fitness have an increased likelihood of developing cardiovascular diseases during adulthood. In Ecuador, a health promotion program improved the muscular strength and speed-agility, and reduced the decline of the moderate-to-vigorous physical activity of adolescents after 28 months. We performed a sub-group analysis to assess the differential effect of this intervention in overweight and low-fit adolescents. METHODS: We performed a cluster-randomized pair matched trial in schools located in Cuenca-Ecuador. In total 20 schools (clusters) were pair matched, and 1440 adolescents of grade 8 and 9 (mean age of 12.3 and 13.3 years respectively) participated in the trial. For the purposes of the subgroup analysis, the adolescents were classified into groups according to their weight status (body mass index) and aerobic capacity (scores in the 20 m shuttle run and FITNESSGRAM standards) at baseline. Primary outcomes included physical fitness (vertical jump, speed shuttle run) and physical activity (proportion of students achieving over 60 min of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity/day). For these primary outcomes, we stratified analysis by weight (underweight, normal BMI and overweight/obese) and fitness (fit and low fitness) groups. Mixed linear regression models were used to assess the intervention effect. RESULTS: The prevalence of overweight/obesity, underweight and poor physical fitness was 20.3 %, 5.8 % and 84.8 % respectively. A higher intervention effect was observed for speed shuttle run in overweight (ß = -1.85 s, P = 0.04) adolescents compared to underweight (ß = -1.66 s, P = 0.5) or normal weight (ß = -0.35 s, P = 0.6) peers. The intervention effect on vertical jump was higher in adolescents with poor physical fitness (ß = 3.71 cm, P = 0.005) compared to their fit peers (ß = 1.28 cm, P = 0.4). The proportion of students achieving over 60 min of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity/day was not significantly different according to weight or fitness status. CONCLUSION: Comprehensive school-based interventions that aim to improve diet and physical activity could improve speed and strength aspects of physical fitness in low-fit and overweight/obese adolescents. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT01004367 . Registered October 28, 2009.