[The role of cereals in nutrition and health for a sustainable diet]. / El papel de los cereales en la nutrición y en la salud en el marco de una alimentación sostenible.

Introduction: Over the last years, the impact of food systems on human and planetary health has been appointed. The transition towards more sustainable and healthier diets is postulated as an urgent measure to address the increasing environmental and health concerns related to the current food production and consumption systems. This work reviews recent developments to integrate sustainability into dietary recommendations and food-based dietary guidelines, recognising the role of cereals as the basis for healthy sustainable dietary patterns. It is worth noting that a change in current eating patterns, to achieve greater adherence to existing official dietary guidelines, is proposed as a more realistic and feasible goal to improve the environmental and health impact of food systems. In this context, cereals play a key role as fundamental pillar of healthy and sustainable dietary patterns, due to their energy and nutrient contribution to human diet worldwide, and the different health benefits associated with an adequate intake of grain fibre and wholegrains.

Introducción: En los últimos años se ha puesto en evidencia el impacto de los sistemas alimentarios en la salud humana y en la del planeta. La transición hacia dietas más saludables y sostenibles se postula como una medida necesaria para abordar las crecientes preocupaciones medioambientales y de salud relacionadas con los sistemas actuales de producción y de consumo de los alimentos. Este trabajo revisa los avances recientes para integrar la sostenibilidad en las recomendaciones dietéticas y en las guías alimentarias poniendo en valor el papel de los cereales como la base de patrones dietéticos saludables y sostenibles. Como particularmente importante se analiza un enfoque que propone un mayor apego a las guías alimentarias existentes como un objetivo más realista y factible para mejorar el impacto medioambiental y de salud de los sistemas alimentarios. En este contexto, los cereales tienen un papel clave al ser un pilar fundamental de los patrones dietéticos saludables y sostenibles por su aporte de energía y de nutrientes a nivel global, así como por los diferentes beneficios para la salud que se asocian con un consumo adecuado de cereales integrales y fibra de cereales.

El papel de los cereales en la nutrición y en la salud en el marco de una alimentación sostenible / The role of cereals in nutrition and health for a sustainable diet

En los últimos años se ha puesto en evidencia el impacto de los sistemas alimentarios en la salud humana y en la del planeta. La transición hacia dietas más saludables y sostenibles se postula como una medida necesaria para abordar las crecientes preocupaciones medioambientales y de salud relacionadas con los sistemas actuales de producción y de consumo de los alimentos.Este trabajo revisa los avances recientes para integrar la sostenibilidad en las recomendaciones dietéticas y en las guías alimentarias poniendo en valor el papel de los cereales como la base de patrones dietéticos saludables y sostenibles. Como particularmente importante se analiza un enfoque que propone un mayor apego a las guías alimentarias existentes como un objetivo más realista y factible para mejorar el impacto medioambiental y de salud de los sistemas alimentarios. En este contexto, los cereales tienen un papel clave al ser un pilar fundamental de los patrones dietéticos saludables y sostenibles por su aporte de energía y de nutrientes a nivel global, así como por los diferentes beneficios para la salud que se asocian con un consumo adecuado de cereales integrales y fibra de cereales. (AU)

Over the last years, the impact of food systems on human and planetary health has been appointed. The transition towards more sustainable and healthier diets is postulated as an urgent measure to address the increasing environmental and health concerns related to the current food production and consumption systems.This work reviews recent developments to integrate sustainability into dietary recommendations and food-based dietary guidelines, recognising the role of cereals as the basis for healthy sustainable dietary patterns. It is worth noting that a change in current eating patterns, to achieve greater adherence to existing official dietary guidelines, is proposed as a more realistic and feasible goal to improve the environmental and health impact of food systems. In this context, cereals play a key role as fundamental pillar of healthy and sustainable dietary patterns, due to their energy and nutrient contribution to human diet worldwide, and the different health benefits associated with an adequate intake of grain fibre and wholegrains. (AU)

[Gut microbiota and grain fiber: evidence and practical recommendations]. / Microbiota intestinal y fibra de cereales: evidencia y recomendaciones prácticas.

INTRODUCTION: Modulation of the human gut microbiota is emerging as a plausible approach to promoting health and preventing and treating disease. Changes in dietary macronutrients, mainly in carbohydrates, exert specific effects on the human gut microbiota. Specifically, there is evidence that supports that dietary fiber may influence the abundance, diversity, and metabolism of the human gut microbiota. This work contributes to the understanding of the impact of intact cereal fiber consumption on the gut microbiota of healthy adults. The strongest evidence points to the role of wheat bran and wholegrain wheat fiber promoting gut microbiota diversity, since wheat fiber demonstrated the most consistent prebiotic effects, with demonstrable effects, with an increase in wheat fiber as low as 6 g/day.

INTRODUCCIÓN: La modulación de la microbiota intestinal está emergiendo como un enfoque plausible para promover la salud así como la prevención y el tratamiento de las enfermedades. Los cambios en los macronutrientes de la dieta tienen efectos específicos sobre la microbiota intestinal de los individuos. Específicamente, existe evidencia que sugiere que la fibra dietética puede modificar la abundancia, la diversidad y el metabolismo de la microbiota intestinal. Este trabajo contribuye a la comprensión del impacto del consumo de las fibras intactas de los cereales sobre la microbiota intestinal. La evidencia más sólida apunta al papel del salvado de trigo y la fibra de trigo integral como promotores de la diversidad de la microbiota intestinal, ya que la fibra de trigo demostró los efectos prebióticos más consistentes, con un aumento de tan solo 6 g al día.

Microbiota intestinal y fibra de cereales: evidencia y recomendaciones prácticas / Gut microbiota and grain fiber: evidence and practical recommendations

La modulación de la microbiota intestinal está emergiendo como un enfoque plausible para promover la salud así como la prevención y el tratamiento de las enfermedades. Los cambios en los macronutrientes de la dieta tienen efectos específicos sobre la microbiota intestinal de los individuos. Específicamente, existe evidencia que sugiere que la fibra dietética puede modificar la abundancia, la diversidad y el metabolismo de la microbiota intestinal.Este trabajo contribuye a la comprensión del impacto del consumo de las fibras intactas de los cereales sobre la microbiota intestinal. La evidencia más sólida apunta al papel del salvado de trigo y la fibra de trigo integral como promotores de la diversidad de la microbiota intestinal, ya que la fibra de trigo demostró los efectos prebióticos más consistentes, con un aumento de tan solo 6 g al día. (AU)

Modulation of the human gut microbiota is emerging as a plausible approach to promoting health and preventing and treating disease. Changes in dietary macronutrients, mainly in carbohydrates, exert specific effects on the human gut microbiota. Specifically, there is evidence that supports that dietary fiber may influence the abundance, diversity, and metabolism of the human gut microbiota.This work contributes to the understanding of the impact of intact cereal fiber consumption on the gut microbiota of healthy adults. The strongest evidence points to the role of wheat bran and wholegrain wheat fiber promoting gut microbiota diversity, since wheat fiber demonstrated the most consistent prebiotic effects, with demonstrable effects, with an increase in wheat fiber as low as 6 g/day. (AU)

La fibra y sus beneficios a la salud / Fiber and health benefits

La fibra ha mostrado ser un componente de la dieta esencial para un estado óptimo de salud. El consumo de ésta se encuentra muy por debajo de las recomendaciones por lo que es de suma importancia promover su consumo. En este trabajo se abordan los aspectos más importantes y generales de la fibra dietética, los diferentes tipos y sus funciones, así como su importancia en la prevención de enfermedades no transmisibles como la diabetes, las enfermedades cardiovasculares, así como los desórdenes gastrointestinales y su efecto beneficioso en el control de peso corporal(AU)

Fiber is an essential dietary factor to maintain an optimal health status. Given that current fiber consumption does not achieve the recommended daily intake of fiber, the promotion of fiber intake becomes priority. In this work, the most relevant aspects regarding dietary fiber will be summarized, comprising a general overview, definition and functionality, its relevant role in prevention of noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, as well as gastrointestinal disorders and weight management benefits(AU)

Chemical composition, starch digestibility and antioxidant capacity of tortilla made with a blend of quality protein maize and black bean.

Tortilla and beans are the basic components in the diet of people in the urban and rural areas of Mexico. Quality protein maize is suggested for tortilla preparation because it presents an increase in lysine and tryptophan levels. Beans contain important amounts of dietary fiber. The objective of this study was to prepare tortilla with bean and assesses the chemical composition, starch digestibility and antioxidant capacity using a quality protein maize variety. Tortilla with bean had higher protein, ash, dietary fiber and resistant starch content, and lower digestible starch than control tortilla. The hydrolysis rate (60 to 50%) and the predicted glycemic index (88 to 80) of tortilla decreased with the addition of bean in the blend. Extractable polyphenols and proanthocyanidins were higher in the tortilla with bean than control tortilla. This pattern produced higher antioxidant capacity of tortilla with bean (17.6 µmol Trolox eq/g) than control tortilla (7.8 µmol Trolox eq/g). The addition of bean to tortilla modified the starch digestibility and antioxidant characteristics of tortilla, obtaining a product with nutraceutical characteristics.

Grape antioxidant dietary fiber stimulates Lactobacillus growth in rat cecum.

UNLABELLED: The digesta is a highly active biological system where epithelial cells, microbiota, nondigestible dietary components, and a large number of metabolic products interact. The gut microbiota can be modulated by both endogenous and exogenous substrates. Undigested dietary residues are substrates for colonic microbiota and may influence gut microbial ecology. The objective of this work was to study the capacity of grape antioxidant dietary fiber (GADF), which is rich in polyphenols, to modify the bacterial profile in the cecum of rats. Male adult Wistar rats were fed for 4 wk with diets containing either cellulose or GADF as dietary fiber. The effect of GADF on bacterial growth was evaluated in vitro and on the cecal microbiota of rats using quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The results showed that GADF intake stimulates proliferation of Lactobacillus and slightly affects the composition of Bifidobacterium species. GADF was also found to have a stimulative effect on Lactobacillus reuteri and Lactobacillus acidophilus in vitro. These findings suggest that the consumption of a diet rich in plant foods with high dietary fiber and polyphenol content may enhance the gastrointestinal health of the host through microbiota modulation. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Grape antioxidant fiber combines nutritional and physiological properties of dietary fiber and natural antioxidants from grapes. Grape antioxidant fiber could be used as an ingredient for functional foods and as a dietary supplement to increase the intake of dietary fiber and bioactive compounds.

Contribution of beverages to the intake of polyphenols and antioxidant capacity in obese women from rural Mexico.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of the present work were to study beverage consumption among obese women from rural communities in Mexico and to estimate daily polyphenol intake and dietary antioxidant capacity from beverages. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was used to analyse the beverage intake of 139 premenopausal obese women estimated through repeated 24 h food recalls. Total polyphenol content and antioxidant capacity were determined in eighteen beverages, representing 71 % of total beverage consumption, in order to estimate the intake of polyphenols (mg/person per d) and the dietary antioxidant capacity (µmol Trolox equivalents/person per d) from beverages. SETTING: Five rural communities located in Queretaro State, Mexico, in 2008. SUBJECTS: A total of 139 premenopausal women identified as obese (BMI 35·0 (se 0·4) kg/m2), aged 25-45 years. RESULTS: The contribution of beverages to dietary energy was 1369 kJ/d (18 % of total energy intake). Soft drinks were consumed the most (283 (se 17) ml/d), followed by coffee and fresh fruit beverages. Polyphenol intake and dietary antioxidant capacity from beverages was 180·9 (se 12·5) mg/person per d and >1000 µmol Trolox equivalents/person per d, respectively. The items that contributed most to this intake were coffee, roselle drink, peach and guava juices and infusions. CONCLUSIONS: There is an urgent need to reduce the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages among obese women from rural Mexico. Low-sugar beverages rich in polyphenols and antioxidants may be healthier options to replace sweetened drinks and increase the intake of bioactive compounds. Nutritional advice on this topic could be a viable strategy to tackle obesity in rural areas in Mexico.

Intake of milk with added micronutrients increases the effectiveness of an energy-restricted diet to reduce body weight: a randomized controlled clinical trial in Mexican women.

BACKGROUND: Micronutrient deficiencies have been associated with an increase in fat deposition and body weight; thus, adding them to low-fat milk may facilitate weight loss when accompanied by an energy-restricted diet. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to evaluate the effect of the intake of low-fat milk and low-fat milk with added micronutrients on anthropometrics, body composition, blood glucose levels, lipids profile, C-reactive protein, and blood pressure of women following an energy-restricted diet. DESIGN: A 16-week randomized, controlled intervention study. PARTICIPANTS/SETTINGS: One hundred thirty-nine obese women (aged 34±6 years) from five rural communities in Querétaro, Mexico. INTERVENTION: Women followed an energy-restricted diet (-500 kcal) and received in addition one of the following treatments: 250 mL of low-fat milk (LFM) three times/day, 250 mL of low-fat milk with micronutrients (LFM+M) three times/day, or a no milk control group (CON). Weight, height, and hip and waist circumferences were measured at baseline and every 4 weeks. Body composition measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, blood pressure, and blood analysis were done at baseline and at the end of the 16 weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Changes in weight and body composition. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: One-factor analysis of variance, adjusted by age, baseline values, and community random effects. RESULTS: After the 16-week intervention, participants in the LFM+M group lost significantly more weight (-5.1 kg; 95% CI: -6.2 to -4.1) compared with LFM (-3.6 kg; 95% CI: -4.7 to -2.6) and CON (-3.2 kg; 95% CI: -4.3 to -2.2) group members (P=0.035). Body mass index change in the LFM+M group (-2.3; 95% CI: -2.7 to -1.8) was significantly greater than LFM group members (-1.5; 95% CI: -2.0 to -1.1) and CON group members (-1.4; 95% CI: -1.9 to -0.9) (P=0.022). Change in percent body fat among LFM+M group members (-2.7%; 95% CI: -3.2 to -2.1) was significantly higher than LFM group members (-1.8%; 95% CI: -2.3 to -1.3) and CON group members (-1.6%; 95% CI: -2.2 to -1.0) (P=0.019). Change in bone mineral content was significantly higher in LFM group members (29 mg; 95% CI: 15 to 44) and LFM+M group members (27 mg; 95% CI: 13 to 41) compared with CON group members (-2 mg; 95% CI: -17 to -14) (P=0.007). No differences were found between groups in glucose level, blood lipid profile, C-reactive protein level, or blood pressure. CONCLUSIONS: Intake of LFM+M increases the effectiveness of an energy-restricted diet to treat obesity, but had no effect on blood lipid levels, glucose levels, C-reactive protein, or blood pressure.

By-products of Opuntia ficus-indica as a source of antioxidant dietary fiber.

Dietary fiber and bioactive compounds are widely used as functional ingredients in processed foods. The market in this field is competitive and the development of new types of quality ingredients for the food industry is on the rise. Opuntia ficus-indica (cactus pear) produces edible tender stems (cladodes) and fruits with a high nutritional value in terms of minerals, protein, dietary fiber and phytochemicals; however, around 20% of fresh weight of cladodes and 45% of fresh weight of fruits are by-products. The objective of this study was therefore to determine the nutritional value of by-products obtained from cladodes and fruits from two varieties of Opuntia ficus-indica, examining their dietary fiber and natural antioxidant compound contents in order to obtain quality ingredients for functional foods and increase the added value of these by-products.

Bioactive compounds of four hot pepper varieties (Capsicum annuum L.), antioxidant capacity, and intestinal bioaccessibility.

Pepper fruits (Capsicum annuum) contain a wide array of phytochemicals with well-known antioxidant properties. Since bioactive compounds depend on their bioavailability to exert beneficial effects, it was crucial to estimate the extent of release from the food matrix and thus their bioaccessibility. Accordingly, we determined the individual carotenoid and phenolic content as well as the antioxidant properties of four red hot dried cultivars (Capsicum annuum L.) of high consumption in Mexico and estimated the extent of intestinal bioaccessibility of carotenoids with significance in human health, beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, and zeaxanthin, using an in vitro gastrointestinal model. Hot dried peppers at ripe stage had a high content of bioactive compounds that exhibited significant antioxidant properties (26-80 micromol trolox equivalents/g of dry matter), such as polyphenols (>2000 mg/100 g of dry matter) and carotenoids (95-437 mg/100 g of dry matter), which were partially bioaccessible. The amount released from the food matrix by the action of digestive enzymes was about 75% for total polyphenols, up to 49% for both beta-carotene and zeaxanthin, and up to 41% for beta-cryptoxanthin. The results suggest that from 50 to 80% of these carotenoids could reach the colon to be potentially fermented or could remain unavailable.

Stimulatory role of grape pomace polyphenols on Lactobacillus acidophilus growth.

Grape pomace is a natural product rich in dietary fiber and polyphenols. A major part of dietary polyphenols is not absorbed in the small intestine and can interact with colonic microbiota. The influence of grape polyphenols on Lactobacillus acidophilus CECT 903 growth was investigated through agar diffusion assays and cultures in liquid media. Grape phenolic extracts and some standards of phenolic compounds (caffeic acid, gallic acid, tannic acid, catechin, epicatechin, and quercetin) were assayed. All phenolic compounds tested did not exert an inhibitory effect on L. acidophilus growth at a maximum concentration of 5000 microg/disk in agar diffusion assays. In addition, a stimulatory trend in bacterial growth was observed in both grape phenolic extracts and tannic acid. The major finding was that grape pomace phenolic extract (1mg/mL) induced a significant biomass increase of L. acidophilus grown in liquid culture media. Further research into the interaction between phenolic compounds and other intestinal bacteria, as well as healthy consequences, is required.

Inactivation of betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Amaranthus hypochondriacus L. leaves by disulfiram.

Betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase (BADH) activity might be crucial for the growth of the human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa under conditions of infection and therefore appears to be a suitable target for antimicrobial agents. As a first step in the search for BADH inhibitors, we have tested the effects of the known aldehyde dehydrogenase inhibitor disulfiram (DSF) on the activity of P. aeruginosa and Amaranthus hypochondriacus (amaranth) leaf BADHs. DSF totally inactivated both enzymes in a time- and dose-dependent manner. In the case of the Pseudomonas enzyme, inactivation kinetics were monophasic with a second-order inactivation rate constant at pH 6.9 of 4.9+/-0.4 M(-1) s(-1), whereas the plant enzyme was inactivated in a biphasic process with second-order inactivation rate constants at pH 7.5 of 6.8+/-0.6 and 0.33+/-0.04 M(-1) s(-1). At pH 8.8, the second-order rate constants for inactivation of the bacterial enzyme was 1 x 10(3) M(-1) s(-1), which compare well with that reported for human liver mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2), the target of DSF inhibition in the aversion therapy of alcoholism. Both BADHs were inactivated faster in the presence of NAD(P)(+) than in its absence, whereas NAD(P)H and betaine aldehyde protected the bacterial, but increased the inactivation rate of the plant enzyme. The inactivated enzymes were reactivated by dithiothreitol, but not by a high concentration of the physiological reductant glutathione. The high in vitro sensitivity of the Pseudomonas BADH to DSF, particularly in the presence of NAD(P)(+), together with the lack of reversibility of DSF modification by glutathione, makes this inhibitor a potential antimicrobial agent and suggests that it might be worth testing its effects and those of its metabolites in vivo, under culture conditions in which the activity of BADH is required for growth of the bacteria.