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Low mental energy can contribute to decreased productivity, altered life balance, decreased physical performance, and ultimately affect quality of life. As such, there is a great demand for food and beverage products that positively impact mental energy. Numerous products claim to alter mental energy making continued review of the scientific evidence critical. The objective of this study was to conduct a scoping review of randomized controlled trials to evaluate the effect of 18 dietary ingredients on mental energy outcomes in adults without severe disease. Methods: A literature search, completed using PubMed, resulted in the identification of 2261 articles, 190 of which met eligibility from initial abstract review. Full-text review was completed on the 190 studies which resulted in 101 articles that fully met eligibility for inclusion in this study. The search strategy for two ingredients did not yield any eligible studies, leaving studies for 16 ingredients that were extracted and summarized by reported significantly improved outcomes for cognition, mood and perceived feelings, and sleep assessments. The preliminary results for several dietary ingredients directionally suggested a mental energy benefit (≥20% of outcomes), including ashwagandha, chamomile, dark chocolate, ginseng, green tea, lavender, lion's mane mushroom, maca, tart cherries, turmeric, and valerian root. The results of this scoping review suggest that of the 16 dietary ingredients reviewed, 11 may be promising for further exploration on their potential benefits in supporting mental energy. Given consumer demand and market growth for food and beverage products that positively impact mental energy; continued efforts in assessment method alignment and additional evaluation in well-designed trials is warranted. Of the 16 dietary ingredients reviewed, 11 (ashwagandha, chamomile, dark chocolate, ginseng, green tea, lavender, lion's mane mushroom, maca, melatonin foods, turmeric, and valerian root) may be promising for further exploration on their potential mental energy benefits. Dark chocolate, ginseng, ashwagandha, and lion's mane mushroom were the most promising ingredients for further evaluation in the cognition domain of the ingredients evaluated. Turmeric, maca, lavendar, and ashwagandha were the most promising ingredients for further evaluation in the mood and perceived feelings domain of the ingredients evaluated. Ashwagandha, chamomile, green tea, melatonin foods, valerian root were the most promising ingredients for further evaluation in the sleep domain of the ingredients evaluated. Additional, well-designed, consistent, clinical trials and systematic reviews are warranted as the challenge of heterogeneity in mental energy study design remains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whole grain (WG) intake has been associated with reduced risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and may protect against T2D by lowering postprandial glycemia and insulinemia and improving insulin sensitivity. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the effect of WG intake, compared to refined grain (RG) intake, on postprandial glycemia and insulinemia and markers of glycemic control and insulin resistance in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in adults. A search of PubMed and Scopus yielded 80 relevant RCTs. Compared to RG, WG intake significantly reduced postprandial glycemia (SMD: −0.30; 95% CI: −0.43, −0.18; P < 0.001), insulinemia (SMD: −0.23; 95% CI: −0.35, −0.10; P < 0.001) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) (SMD: −0.21; 95% CI: −0.37, −0.06; P = 0.007). There was no effect of WG on fasting glucose, fasting insulin, or homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). These results suggest WG foods improve short-term glycemia and insulinemia, which may improve HbA1c, a marker of long-term glycemic control. This may partially explain the inverse association between WG intake and risk of T2D, but further investigations are needed to understand if short-term reductions in glycemia translate to longer term benefits in reducing the risk of T2D. Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO Registration CRD42020180069. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2021.2017838 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breakfast consumption is associated with a variety of nutritional and lifestyle-related health outcomes. The objective of the present study was to investigate how the consumption of breakfast affected blood glucose, insulin and NEFA profiles. A lower postprandial blood glucose, insulin and NEFA response is associated with a lower risk of development of metabolic diseases. In a randomised crossover non-blind design, thirteen pre-diabetic Chinese adult males (BMI 26·7 (sd 4·2) kg/m2) attended two sessions where they either consumed a high-glycaemic index breakfast or no breakfast consumption. Changes in glycaemic response over 27 h periods were measured using the Medtronic MiniMed iProTM2 continuous glucose monitoring system. Blood samples were collected using a peripheral venous catheter at fixed intervals for 3 h after the test meal and 3 h after standardised lunch consumption. Postprandial glucose, insulin and NEFA response was calculated as total AUC and incremental AUC using the trapezoidal rule that ignored the area under the baseline. It was found that breakfast consumption significantly decreased postprandial glucose, insulin and NEFA excursion response at lunch time (P = 0·001). Consumption of breakfast attenuated blood glucose profiles by minimising glycaemic excursions and reduced both insulinaemic and NEFA responses in pre-diabetic Asian males during the second meal. This simple dietary intervention may be a novel approach to help improve subsequent lunch glycaemic responses in Asians at high risk of developing diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs), first published in 1980, whose scientific base is developed by the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC). The 2010 DGAC, with subcommittees on energy balance, carbohydrates and protein, fats, nutrient adequacy, sodium and fluids, and food safety, using an evidence-based review process with a hierarchy of evidence, concluded that the intake of vegetable protein is generally linked to the lowering of blood pressure.

Background: Tube-fed patients frequently suffer from abnormal bowel function that affects intestinal bacteria and quality of life. Dietary fiber affects laxation and can be fermented by gut bacteria to metabolites that influence gut health and fecal moisture. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of a fiber-blend fortified enteral formula (FB, 15 g/L), a fiber-free formula (FF), and habitual diet on bowel function, fecal bacteria, and quality of life., Materials and Methods: In a randomized, double-blind, crossover design, 20 healthy subjects consumed both FF and FB for 14 days with a 4-week washout. A 5-day fecal collection was used to assess stool output, whole-gut transit time (WGTT), total bacteria, bifidobacteria, lactobacilli, clostridia, and bacteroides. Subject gastrointestinal quality of life index (GIQLI) and side effects were also measured., Results: On formula diets, 5-day fecal output decreased by >55% from habitual diet, but was 38% higher on FB than FF (P = .0321). WGTT was approximately 1.5 times longer on formula diets than habitual diet (P < .0004). Total bacteria declined from habitual diet on FF (P < .004), but not on FB. Numbers of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli declined from habitual diet on both formula diets, but bifidobacteria was higher on FB compared with FF (P < .0001). Bacteroides and clostridia numbers did not change between diets. GIQLI and incidence of gas symptoms did not differ between formulas., Conclusions: Addition of a fiber blend moderated changes in bowel function and gut bacteria observed in healthy subjects consuming FF. These results support adding mixed fiber sources to enteral nutrition if no contraindication exists., (© 2013 American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition.)