Acute Consumption of Cooked Green Banana Pulp Beverage (Musa cavendishii) Decreases Plasma Glucose in Healthy Women: A Cross-Sectional Controlled Study.

This study aimed at comparing the carbohydrate composition of three banana varieties (cv. Nanica, Nanicão, and Prata) and investigating the effect of a single dose of cooked green banana pulp beverage (GBPd) on plasma glycemic homeostasis indexes (glucose, PYY, GIP, insulin) and hunger and satiety sensation (visual analog scale-VAS). The bananas were classified according to the color scale. The fiber, total carbohydrate, and resistant starch (RS) were determined using validated methods. Glucose homeostasis indexes and hunger/satiety sensation were determined in ten healthy women in two stages before and after intake: (1) glucose solution (250 g/L); (2) one week later, consumption of the glucose solution plus 75 g/L of GBPd. Blood samples were collected twice in stage-1 and every 15 min for 2 h in stage-2. Cv. Nanicão was selected, because it presented a higher content in RS and dietary fiber on dry base than the other cultivars. Thus, it was used to test glycemic response. After 2 h of GBPd intake, no difference was observed in hunger/satiety sensation and plasma glycemic homeostasis indexes, except for a decrease in plasma glucose concentration (-15%, p = 0.0232) compared to stage-1. These results suggest that cv. Nanicão has a higher potential as a functional ingredient and can influence the reduction in the glycemic index of a meal compared to other cultivars. However, it had not a short-term effect on hormones GIP and PYY in healthy women. Further research is needed to understand the long-term effects and mechanisms of green banana on glycemic control and satiety.

Green banana flour supplementation improves obesity-associated systemic inflammation and regulates gut microbiota profile in mice fed high-fat diets.

This study evaluated the effect of green banana flour (GBF) consumption on obesity-related conditions in mice fed high-fat diets. GBF was prepared using stage 1 green banana pulp, which was dehydrated and milled. Mice were fed a control diet (n = 20; 10% of energy from lipids) or a high-fat diet (n = 20; 50% of energy from lipids). After 10 weeks, mice were divided into 4 groups based on feed: standard chow (SC; n = 10), standard with 15% GBF (SB; n = 10), high-fat diet (HF; n = 10) and high-fat diet with 15% GBF (HFB; n = 10) for 4 weeks. HFB exhibited lower gains in body weight (-21%; p < 0.01) and in all fat pads (p < 0.01) compared with the HF group. SC, SB, and HFB showed smaller retroperitoneal white adipose tissue diameters (p < 0.001). SB and HFB-treated mice showed lower levels of leptin, IL-6, and TNF-α compared with the SC and HF groups (p < 0.01). In the GBF-fed groups, there was a reduction in the abundance of Firmicutes (SB: -22%; HFB: -23%) and an increase in Bacteroidetes (SB: +25%; HFB: +29%) compared with their counterparts. We demonstrated that GBF consumption attenuated inflammation and improved metabolic status, adipose tissue remodeling, and the gut microbiota profile of obese mice. Novelty: Green banana flour (GBF) consumption, rich in resistant starch, regulates body weight in mice fed high-fat diets. GBF consumption improves fat pad distribution in mice fed high-fat diets. GBF improves obesity-associated systemic inflammation and regulates gut microbiota profile in mice fed high-fat diets.

Resistant starch from green banana (Musa sp.) attenuates non-alcoholic fat liver accumulation and increases short-chain fatty acids production in high-fat diet-induced obesity in mice.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of resistant starch from green banana (GB) on steatosis and short-chain fatty acid (SCFAs) production in high fat diet-induced obesity in mice. High-fat green banana group (HFB) exhibited lower gains in BM (body mass; -6%; P < 0.01) compared with High-fat diet group (HF). Additionally, HFB mice showed reduction in liver steatosis (-28%, P < 0.01) with reduction of 93% in hepatic triacylglycerol (P < 0.01) compared to HF-diet-fed mice. In addition, the protein abundance of AMPKp/AMPK, HMGCoA-r and FAS were downregulated in livers of HFB mice (P < 0.01), relatively to the HF-diet-fed mice. ABCG8 and ABCG5 were up-regulated in HFB group compared to HF group (P < 0.01). Furthermore, the HFB fed-mice produced the highest amount of SCFAs (p < 0.05) compared to its counterpart HFD. In conclusion, we demonstrated that resistant starch from GB improved metabolic parameters by modulating the expression of key proteins involved in liver lipid metabolism.

Concepções de mães sobre a alimentação da criança pequena: o aleitamento materno e a introdução de alimentos complementares / Mothers' concepts on toddlers' nourishment: breast feeding and the introduction of food supplements

Este trabalho tem como objetivo analisar as práticas alimentares de crianças menoresde dois anos, a partir da compreensão das concepções das mães sobre a alimentaçãoe dos fatores associados a ela. Esta é uma pesquisa qualitativa que utilizou a técnicado grupo focal com mães de crianças de 8 a 16 meses que freqüentam uma unidadede atenção à saúde, na cidade do Rio de Janeiro. O grupo discutiu o assunto a partirda questão: Como se deu a introdução de alimentos para seus filhos? A análise dasfalas revelou que, ao se tratar da alimentação da criança pequena, necessariamente sefala da prática do aleitamento materno e da ambigüidade da experiência para acondução da vida da mulher. Em relação à alimentação complementar, destacam-se:o conceito de comida, o manejo da alimentação, as dificuldades para oferta doalimento, a criança que não come e as preferências de mães e crianças. Os resultadosapontam lacunas no trabalho de incentivo à amamentação e em relação à introduçãode alimentos complementares, evidenciando a necessidade de implementação de medidaspara o incentivo e apoio dessas práticas pelos profissionais de saúde, assim como deatualização destes.

This article aims to analyze food practices among children aged less than two years, based on the comprehension of mothers' concepts on nutrition and associated factors. This is a qualitative research that used the focal group technique, carried out withmothers of children aged 8-16 months who attend to a primary care unit in Rio de Janeiro. The group discussed the issue based on the question How was food introducedto your children?. The analysis of speeches revealed that, concerning toddlers' nourishment, breast feeding is always mentioned, as well as the ambiguous experiences related to women's life. Concerning supplementary nourishment, some topics were highlighted: food concept, food manipulation, difficulties to offer food, the child who does not eat, and mothers' and children's preferences. The results point out gaps in thetask of foster breast feeding and in the introduction of food supplements, showing theneed for actions to foster and support these practices by healthcare professionals, as well as for their continuing education.