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Aim The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a comprehensive overweight intervention program, which utilizes hot bathing, on overweight, community-dwelling middle-aged and older adults in a randomized controlled trial. Methods The program was carried out in a hot bath facility and included 66 community-dwelling middle-aged and older Japanese adults (mean age 61.6 years, SD 7.5, 77.3% were women). The participants were randomly assigned to an exercise, diet and hot bathing intervention group (group A), exercise and diet intervention group (group B), a hot-bathing intervention group (group C) and a control group (group D). The participants in groups A and B participated in a comprehensive intervention program (including exercise and diet classes) twice a week for 3 months, and groups A and C had hot bathing. Results After 3 months, the participants in group A showed a reduction in weight, abdominal circumference, body mass index and body fat percentage compared with the other intervention groups. And the lower extremity function (i.e. walking speed) had greater improvement in the participants in groups A and B compared with groups C and D. In group C, in which only hot bathing was the intervention, there were no significant improvements in measurement items. Conclusions Our study provides preliminary evidence that a comprehensive intervention program, including hot bathing, is useful for community residents with a tendency toward overweight. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2013; 13: 638–645.

The effect on weight reduction of fish oil combined with food restriction in comparison with that of beef tallow was investigated in high-fat diet-induced obese KKAy mice. Although the reduction of body and white adipose tissue weight was similar in the two groups, fish oil increased adiponectin levels in the plasma, improved dyslipidemia accompanied by suppression of lipid synthesis in the liver when compared with beef tallow.

Trigonella foenum-graecum L. (fenugreek) has been described earlier and its use in ancient medicinal practice is well known. The hypoglycemic effects of fenugreek have been studied in many animal models and diabetic patients. The purpose of this study was to examine the preventive efficiency of dietary fenugreek on diet-induced metabolic diseases in rats. The diets used in this study were a standard diet, a high-fat high-sucrose (HFS) diet, and a HFS diet containing 0.5 g/kg b. w./day fenugreek based on the modified version of the AIN-93G purified diet, for 12 weeks, respectively. The rats fed the HFS diet containing fenugreek showed significantly lower fasting insulin levels and HOMA-IR than the rats fed the HFS diet. Therefore, fenugreek improved insulin sensitivity in rats. The triglyceride and total cholesterol levels in the plasma were significantly lower in the fenugreek-administered group. Moreover, distinct reductions of triglyceride, total cholesterol, free fatty acid, and phospholipid levels in the liver were found in the rats fed the HFS diet containing fenugreek. These results suggest that fenugreek enhanced insulin sensitivity at least partly by improving lipid metabolism disorders in the plasma and the liver in the rats induced by the HFS diet.

The components bringing the effects of fish oil on glucose and lipid metabolism are unclear. We used hydrogenated fish oil, which has saturated fatty acids with the same carbon chain lengths as the unsaturated fatty acids in fish oil, to clarify the functions of these unsaturated fatty acids on the improvements in lipid and glucose metabolism in mice. Mice divided into 3 groups were fed different diets: fish oil diet (FO), hydrogenated fish oil diet (HFO), and soybean oil diet (SBO) as a control. Body weight gain and white adipose tissue weight in the HFO and FO groups were significantly decreased compared with those in the SBO group. However, in the HFO group, the triglyceride (TG) levels in plasma were significantly decreased, while the lipids levels in the liver were remarkably increased compared with those in the FO group. Regarding the fatty acid composition in the liver and white adipose tissue in the HFO group, in parallel with the up-regulation of stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 mRNA, relative amounts of C16 : 1 and C18 : 1 were significantly increased. By contrast, blood glucose levels in the oral glucose tolerance test had not deteriorated in the HFO group. Our results indicate that unsaturated fatty acids in the FO diet decrease lipid levels in the liver and maintain the balance of lipid levels in plasma, liver and white adipose tissue; in addition, in the HFO group, C16 : 1 and C18 : 1 synthesized in the liver and white adipose tissue may improve glucose tolerance and lipid metabolism.

香辛料の一種であるフェヌグリーク (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) の生活習慣病予防効果を検討した。標準食 (STD) および高脂肪・高ショ糖食 (HFS) の2種類の実験食を作成し, それぞれの実験食にフェヌグリーク添加群を加えて計4群とし, 正常なSD系ラットに摂食させた。HFSではフェヌグリーク添加によって, 体重増加量, エネルギー効率比および精巣周囲白色脂肪組織重量は減少した。また, 肝臓中の総コレステロール量も減少し, 糞中への総胆汁酸排泄量が増加した。しかしながら, 耐糖能に関してはフェヌグリーク添加による大きな影響はみられなかった。以上のことから, フェヌグリークは食餌中脂質の糞中への排泄を促進することによって, 肝臓および白色脂肪組織への脂肪蓄積を抑制し, その結果として体重増加を抑制することが推察された。

魚油のウェイトリバウンドに及ぼす影響について検討を行った。KK-Ayマウスを用い, 増量期・減量期・リバウンド期を再現した。脂質源として牛脂 (B食) または魚油 (F食) を含有した2種の高脂肪食を作成した。増量期はすべてB食を与え, B食で減量しB食でリバウンドした群をB-B群, 同様にB-F群, F-B群, F-F群およびB食をアドリブにて全期間摂取させた群 (Control群) を設けた。リバウンド後の体重は, B-B, F-B群に比べ, B-F, F-F群でそれぞれ減少した。肝臓重量および肝臓中脂質量は, Control群と比べ, B-B, F-B群では増加したが, B-F, F-F群では減少した。またB-B, F-B群と比べ, B-F, F-F群では肝臓のSREBP-1c, FAS mRNA量が低下し, PPAR-α, HSL mRNA量およびMTPタンパク質量が増加した。以上より, リバウンド期の魚油摂取は, 体重増加と肝臓への脂肪蓄積を抑制することが示唆された。肝臓での脂肪蓄積抑制の機序として, 肝臓での脂肪酸合成の抑制, 脂肪分解や脂肪酸酸化の亢進および肝臓からのリポタンパク質分泌の正常化が関与すると推察された。

A questionnaire survey was performed on college athletes (n2=255) and students of the faculty of pharmaceutical sciences (n=346) to clarify the relationship between dietary supplements and eating behavior and attitudes. The athletes had better dietary behavior and attitudes than the students. The ratio of supplement users among the male athletes was significantly higher than that among the male students. The supply of nutrients and keeping fit and healthy were common frequent purposes of supplement use by both groups. Fatigue recovery and muscular development were also frequent purposes by the athletes. The most frequently used supplements were protein, iron and amino acids by the athletes, and multivitamins, vitamin B and vitamin C by the students.Among the male athletes, most supplement users did not have the habit of eating instant foods and snacks, and would eat even disliked foods for nutritional balance, in comparison with the non-users. Among the male students, although most supplement users understood about their poor nutritional intake, they preferred to take tablets instead of having more nutritious foods and thought of their diet only as a way of filling the stomach, in comparison with the supplement non-users.These results suggest a different relationship between dietary supplement use and eating behavior and attitudes between male athletes and male students.

We investigated whether oral administration of palmitoleate ameliorates disorders of lipid metabolism to clarify the effects of one of the components of fish oil. Lipid levels in the liver and plasma were significantly decreased by palmitoleate and by EPA administration. These results suggest that palmitoleate, in addition to EPA, plays a role in the regulation of lipid metabolism by fish oil.

To study the effects of a comprehensive intervention program comprising exercise, diet, and hot bathing in community-dwelling older adults by using a randomized controlled trial. The program included 61 community-dwelling healthy older adults (mean [SD] age, 69.9 [5.3] years) who were using a hot bath facility. The participants were randomly assigned to four groups as follows: an exercise, diet, and hot bath intervention group (A); an exercise and diet intervention group (B); a hot bath intervention group (C); and a control group (D). Individuals in groups A and B participated in a comprehensive intervention program (including exercise and diet classes) twice a week for 3 months, and those in groups A and C took hot baths. After 3 months, the participants in groups A and B showed a significantly greater improvement in their timed up and go test and stepping test scores than the participants in groups C and D. However, the participants in groups A and C did not show any dependent or independent effects of hot bathing. Three months after the intervention, a follow-up assessment indicated that the group A participants maintained the effect of the intervention and showed improved lower extremity function and health-related quality of life. The present study suggests that a comprehensive intervention program involving hot bathing may improve lower extremity function and that its effects can be maintained even in healthy older adults. However, the dependent or independent effects of hot bathing may not be expected for healthy older adults.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a comprehensive overweight intervention program, which utilizes hot bathing, on overweight, community-dwelling middle-aged and older adults in a randomized controlled trial.The program was carried out in a hot bath facility and included 66 community-dwelling middle-aged and older Japanese adults (mean age 61.6 years, SD 7.5, 77.3% were women). The participants were randomly assigned to an exercise, diet and hot bathing intervention group (group A), exercise and diet intervention group (group B), a hot-bathing intervention group (group C) and a control group (group D). The participants in groups A and B participated in a comprehensive intervention program (including exercise and diet classes) twice a week for 3 months, and groups A and C had hot bathing.After 3 months, the participants in group A showed a reduction in weight, abdominal circumference, body mass index and body fat percentage compared with the other intervention groups. And the lower extremity function (i.e. walking speed) had greater improvement in the participants in groups A and B compared with groups C and D. In group C, in which only hot bathing was the intervention, there were no significant improvements in measurement items.Our study provides preliminary evidence that a comprehensive intervention program, including hot bathing, is useful for community residents with a tendency toward overweight.

Background: Various therapeutic effects of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) on metabolic disorders have been reported. However, the bitterness of fenugreek makes it hard for humans to eat sufficient doses of it for achieving therapeutic effects. Fenugreek contains bitter saponins such as protodioscin. Fenugreek with reduced bitterness (FRB) is prepared by treating fenugreek with beta-glucosidase. This study has been undertaken to evaluate the effects of FRB on metabolic disorders in rats., Open Access http://www.lipidworld.com/content/11/1/58 ? 2012 Muraki et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

The administration of such a transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) agonist as capsaicin, which is a pungent ingredient of red pepper, promotes energy metabolism and suppresses visceral fat accumulation. We have recently identified monoacylglycerols (MGs) having an unsaturated long-chain fatty acid as the novel TRPV1 agonist in foods. We investigated in this present study the effects of dietary MGs on uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) expression in interscapular brown adipose tissue (IBAT) and on fat accumulation in mice fed with a high-fat, high-sucrose diet. The MG30 diet that substituted 30% of all lipids for MGs (a mixture of 1-oleoylglycerol, 1-linoleoylglycerol and 1-linolenoylglycerol) significantly increased the UCP1 content of IBAT and decreased the weight of epididymal white adipose tissue, and the serum glucose, total cholesterol and free fatty acid levels. The diet containing only 1-oleoylglycerol as MG also increased UCP1 expression in IBAT. MGs that activated TRPV1 also therefore induced the expression of UCP 1 and prevented visceral fat accumulation as well as capsaicin.

It has long been believed that an intake of cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) alleviates diabetic pathological conditions. However, it is still controversial whether the beneficial effect is insulin-dependent or insulin-mimetic. This study was aimed at determining the insulin-independent effect of cinnamon. Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were divided into four groups and orally administered with an aqueous cinnamon extract (CE) for 22 d. The diabetic rats that had taken CE at a dose of more than 30 mg/kg/d were rescued from their hyperglycemia and nephropathy, and these rats were found to have upregulation of uncoupling protein-1 (UCP-1) and glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) in their brown adipose tissues as well as in their muscles. This was verified by using 3T3-L1 adipocytes in which CE upregulates GLUT4 translocation and increases the glucose uptake. CE exhibited its anti-diabetic effect independently from insulin by at least two mechanisms: i) upregulation of mitochondrial UCP-1, and ii) enhanced translocation of GLUT4 in the muscle and adipose tissues.

Increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a key event leading to microvascular complications, including nephropathy, in diabetes mellitus (DM). Excessive ROS and oxidative stress in DM have been reported to be associated with subsequent impaired nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability. The aim of this study is to examine the beneficial function of dietary nitrite supplementation as an interventional NO donor to attenuate early progression of diabetic nephropathy. To test this hypothesis, male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups: non-diabetic rats given water with or without nitrite (nitrite-treated or untreated, respectively), and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats given water with or without nitrite (nitrite-treated or untreated, respectively). After a 4 week experimental period, untreated diabetic rats exhibited significantly higher malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in the kidney compared with untreated non-diabetic rats, accompanied by a reduction in levels of endogenous NO synthase-derived nitrite. However, dietary nitrite supplementation to diabetic rats not only decreased MDA levels but also increased nitrite levels in the kidney to the same levels as in the non-diabetic kidney. These improvements accompanied an improvement in the parameters of glomerular injury, including urinary protein and albumin excretion, histopathological glomerular hypertrophy, and mesangial matrix accumulation. These results indicate that dietary nitrite is effective in the prevention of early diabetic glomerular injury in which NO bioavailability is impaired.

BackgroundWe previously reported that fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) improved diet-induced metabolic disorders in rats. The purpose of the present study was to examine the dose-dependent effects, safety and tolerability of fenugreek. MethodsThe diets used in this study were the high-fat high-sucrose diet (HFS; lard 50%kcal, sucrose 25%kcal) as a control (Ctrl group) or the HFS containing 0.25% (VL group), 1.25% (L group), 2.50% (M group), 5.00% (H group) or 12.30% (VH group) fenugreek based on the modified version of the AIN-93G purified diet. ResultsFenugreek dose-dependently reduced the hepatic triglyceride and total cholesterol levels. Fenugreek also dose-dependently increased the excretion of cholesterol and total bile acids into the feces. However, the glucose tolerance showed no significant change by fenugreek administration. The VL and L groups did not significantly change triglyceride or total cholesterol levels in the liver. The VL group showed no increase in excretion of triglyceride, total cholesterol or bile acids in the feces. The VH group showed appetite reduction and diarrhea, while no adverse effect or symptoms were observed in the M group. ConclusionThese results suggest that fenugreek inhibited lipid accumulation in the liver by increasing the lipid excretion in the feces. The effective, safe and tolerable dose of fenugreek was found to be around 2.50% (w/w)., Open Access http://www.lipidworld.com/content/10/1/240 (6p.) ? 2011 Muraki et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.