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Abstract Background This cross-sectional study performed to clarify the relationship between periodontal disease and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) by introducing dental examinations into the annual health examinations conducted by Japanese companies, and to highlights the importance of a medical system that connects dental and medical professionals. Methods A total of 1.022 Hitachi Ltd. employees were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. We examined correlations and odds ratios (ORs) between the dental and overall health of employees using stratification and multiple logistic regression analyses based on the periodontal health indicators, general health indicators, and occlusal force. Results The adjusted OR of PPD for obesity (OR, 1.42; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09–1.84; p = 0.009), IGT (OR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.00–2.20; p = 0.049), and COPD (OR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.02–1.88; p = 0.038) significantly differed. The adjusted OR of body mass index (OR, 1.28; 95% CI 1.15–1.42; p

Abstract Short-chain fatty acids produced by the gut bacterial fermentation of non-digestible carbohydrates, e.g., fructo-oligosaccharide (FOS), contribute to the maintenance of skeletal muscle mass and oxidative metabolic capacity. We evaluated the effect of FOS ingestion on protein expression of soleus (Sol) and extensor digitorum longus muscles in mice exposed to microgravity (μ-g). Twelve 9-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were raised individually on the International Space Station under μ-g or artificial 1-g and fed a diet with or without FOS (n = 3/group). Regardless of FOS ingestion, the absolute wet weights of both muscles tended to decrease, and the fiber phenotype in Sol muscles shifted toward fast-twitch type following μ-g exposure. However, FOS ingestion tended to mitigate the μ-g-exposure-related decrease in oxidative metabolism and enhance glutathione redox detoxification in Sol muscles. These results indicate that FOS ingestion mildly suppresses metabolic changes and oxidative stress in antigravity Sol muscles during spaceflight.

Several lines of evidence, including those from epidemiological studies, have suggested that coffee intake reduces the risks of diabetes and obesity, although the detailed mechanisms of such effects are not clearly understood. The present study was conducted to examine the effects of three types of coffee (caffeinated, decaffeinated, and green unroasted coffee) on the livers of C57BL/6J mice fed a high-fat diet, and to elucidate the detailed physiological responses to coffee intake by analysing the data obtained from a transcriptomic analysis using DNA microarrays. The results showed that the three types of coffee suppressed the weight gain and fat accumulation induced by a high-fat diet. A remarkable finding was a down-regulation of PPARγ and related molecules. Furthermore, the protein levels of hepatic peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) were revealed by Western blot analysis to be lower in all of the coffee-fed groups compared to the high-fat group. Since overexpression of PPARγ in the liver has been implicated in adipogenic hepatic steatosis, we hypothesised that the alterations in PPARγ and its target molecules, which play pivotal roles in adipogenic hepatic steatosis, might be involved in the anti-obesity effect of coffee.