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Canola (Brassica napusL.,B. rapaL. andB. junceaL.) produces one of the vegetable oils most beneficial for human health. Consequently, canola is a valuable crop for Canada. The canola industry in Canada is estimated at an annual average value of C$15.4 billion between 2007–08 and 2009–10. Farm cash receipts of canola were valued at C$8.9 billion in 2012. The value of this crop is now threatened by clubroot disease caused byPlasmodiophora brassicae(Woronin.), which has expanded dramatically since its discovery on canola in Alberta in 2003. Since this pathogen moves with infested soil from field to field, control can be very costly to farmers. Even with new control options such as pathogen resistance, the proactive management of clubroot will represent a challenge to the canola industry. Continued research into pathogen control is a necessity for the sustained success of the Canadian canola industry. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: Dietary energy restriction (ER) offers certain health benefits, particularly when ER is controlled through manipulation of dietary fats. Our hypothesis is that cellular immunity is modulated by dietary ER. Furthermore, we believe that the immune response may differ between spleen and colon because their lymphatic and vascular organization is different. The objective of the study was to test this hypothesis by determining the effects of dietary ER through manipulation of energy intake from high-fat (HF) diets on the expression and frequency of the CD4+ (T-helper/T-inducer) and CD8+ (T-cytotoxic/T-suppressor) cells, CD45RA (B-cell–specific marker), and immunoglobulins (Ig) A-, G-, and M-bearing cells in spleen and colon in rats by immunohistochemical method. Rats fed the HF diet had a significantly (P < .05) reduced number of immune cells as compared with those fed ER diets. Energy-restricted diet–fed rats showed higher (P < .05) numbers of CD4+, CD8+, IgA, IgM, IgG, and CD45RA cells in spleen and CD4+, IgA, and CD45RA cells in colonic lamina propria. The IgA-containing cells were markedly higher in the colon compared with the spleen. No change occurred in the number of IgM- and IgG-containing cells in colonic tissues between groups, except for the 20% ER group where IgM-labeled cells were higher (P < .05) compared with HF and 40% ER groups. These findings suggest that ER may modulate adaptive immune function and that CD4+ and IgA cells may serve as biological indicators for dietary energy-modulated immunoresponse in spleen and colon, respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Resistant starch (RS) has been well characterized for its glycemic control properties; however, there is little consensus regarding the influence of RS on blood lipid concentrations and lipoprotein distribution and size. Therefore, this study aimed to characterize the effect of daily RS supplementation in a controlled capsule delivery on biomarkers of cardiovascular (blood lipids, lipoproteins) and diabetes (glucose, insulin) risk in a pig model. Twelve 8-week-old male Yorkshire pigs were placed on a synthetic Western diet and randomly divided into two groups (n = 6/group) for 30 days: (1) a placebo group supplemented with capsules containing unmodified pre-gelatinized potato starch (0 g/RS/day); and (2) an RS group supplemented with capsules containing resistant potato starch (10 g/RS/day). Serum lipids including total-cholesterol (C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglycerides did not differ (p > 0.05) between the RS and placebo groups. Although the total numbers of very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles were similar (p > 0.05) between the two groups, total high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles were higher (+28%, p < 0.05) in the RS group compared with placebo, resulting from an increase (p < 0.05) in the small HDL subclass particles (+32%). Compared with the placebo group, RS supplementation lowered (p < 0.05) fasting serum glucose (−20%) and improved (p < 0.05) insulin resistance as estimated by Homeostatic Model Assessment-Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) without a change in insulin. Additionally, total serum glucagon-like-peptide 1 (GLP-1) was higher (+141%, p < 0.05) following RS supplementation compared with placebo. This data suggests that in addition to the more well-characterized effect of RS intake in lowering blood glucose and improving insulin sensitivity, the consumption of RS may be beneficial in lipid management strategies by enhancing total HDL particle number. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Given the highly debated role of dairy food consumption in modulating biomarkers of metabolic syndrome, this study was conducted to examine the influence of long-term (6 month) dairy consumption on metabolic parameters in healthy volunteers under free-living conditions without energy restriction. Methods: Twenty-three healthy subjects completed a randomized, crossover trial of 12 months. Participants consumed their habitual diets and were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: a high dairy supplemented group instructed to consume 4 servings of dairy per day (HD); or a low dairy supplemented group limited to no more than 2 servings of dairy per day (LD). Baseline, midpoint, and endpoint metabolic responses were examined. Results: Endpoint measurements of body weight and composition, energy expenditure, blood pressure, blood glucose, and blood lipid and lipoprotein responses did not differ (p > 0.05) between the LD and HD groups. HD consumption improved (p < 0.05) plasma insulin (-9%) and insulin resistance (-11%, p = 0.03) as estimated by HOMA-IR compared with the LD group. Conclusions: Study results suggest that high dairy consumption (4 servings/d) may improve insulin resistance without negatively impacting bodyweight or lipid status under free-living conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is increasingly clear that North Americans prefer dietary approaches to enhance health in favour of pharmaceutical approaches. Although the incorporation of phytosterols (PS) into various food matrices has been effective in lowering cholesterol, the lipid-lowering potential of PS-enriched soymilk has not been investigated. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the lipid-lowering efficacy of a PS-enriched soymilk beverage in comparison to a 1% dairy milk control. Twenty-three hypercholesterolemic subjects consumed 3 tetrapacks per day of a PS-enriched soy beverage (1.95g PS/d) or a 1% dairy milk control. The study was conducted as a 28 d controlled dietary intervention according to a two-period cross-over design. Total cholesterol was reduced by 12% (P< 0.0001) in the PS-enriched soymilk group (5.59±0.27 mmol/L) in comparison to the milk control (6.28±0.27 mmol/L). PS-enriched soymilk consumption did not affect HDL cholesterol concentrations but did reduce (P<0.0001) LDL cholesterol by 16% compared to the control group (3.60 vs. 4.20 mmol/L). Plasma triglyceride concentration was reduced (P =0.02) by 9.4% in response to the PS-enriched soy beverage in comparison to the milk control. We conclude that consumption of a PS-enriched soy beverage is an effective dietary strategy to reduce circulating lipid levels in hypercholesterolemic individuals. Supported by WhiteWave Foods Company. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Given the highly debated role of dairy food consumption in modulating biomarkers of metabolic syndrome, this study was conducted to examine the influence of long-term (6 month) dairy consumption on metabolic parameters in healthy volunteers under free-living conditions without energy restriction.Methods: Twenty-three healthy subjects completed a randomized, crossover trial of 12 months. Participants consumed their habitual diets and were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: a high dairy supplemented group instructed to consume 4 servings of dairy per day (HD); or a low dairy supplemented group limited to no more than 2 servings of dairy per day (LD). Baseline, midpoint, and endpoint metabolic responses were examined.Results: Endpoint measurements of body weight and composition, energy expenditure, blood pressure, blood glucose, and blood lipid and lipoprotein responses did not differ (p > 0.05) between the LD and HD groups. HD consumption improved (p < 0.05) plasma insulin (-9%) and insulin resistance (-11%, p = 0.03) as estimated by HOMA-IR compared with the LD group.Conclusions: Study results suggest that high dairy consumption (4 servings/d) may improve insulin resistance without negatively impacting bodyweight or lipid status under free-living conditions.Trial Registration: Clinical Trials.gov: NCT01761955. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]