Beetroot juice — a suitable post-marathon metabolic recovery supplement?

Background Red beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.) is a multifunctional functional food that reportedly exhibits potent anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, vasodilation, and cellular regulatory properties. This vegetable has gained a fair amount of scientific attention as a possible cost-effective supplement to enhance performance and expedite recovery after physical exercise. To date, no study has investigated the effects of incremental beetroot juice ingestion on the metabolic recovery of athletes after an endurance race. Considering this, as well as the beneficial glucose and insulin regulatory roles of beetroot, this study investigated the effects of beetroot juice supplementation on the metabolic recovery trend of athletes within 48 h after completing a marathon. Methods By employing an untargeted two-dimensional gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry approach, serum samples (collected pre-, post-, 24 h post-, and 48 h post-marathon) of 31 marathon athletes that ingested a series (n = 7; 250 ml) of either beetroot juice (n = 15 athletes) or isocaloric placebo (n = 16 athletes) supplements within 48 h post-marathon, were analysed and statistically compared. Results The metabolic profiles of the beetroot-ingesting cohort recovered to a pre-marathon-related state within 48 h post-marathon, mimicking the metabolic recovery trend observed in the placebo cohort. Since random inter-individual variation was observed immediately post-marathon, only metabolites with large practical significance (p-value ≤0.05 and d-value ≥0.5) within 24 h and 48 h post-marathon were considered representative of the effects of beetroot juice on metabolic recovery. These (n = 4) mainly included carbohydrates (arabitol and xylose) and odd-chain fatty acids (nonanoate and undecanoate). The majority of these were attributed to beetroot content and possible microbial fermentation thereof. Conclusion Apart from the global metabolic recovery trends of the two opposing cohorts, it appears that beetroot ingestion did not expedite metabolic recovery in athletes within 48 h post-marathon.

New essential dietary lipids?

•Studies involving foods, like whole fat dairy, that contain odd-chain fatty acids show a correlation between good health and how much an individual consumes. There is a similar correspondence with whole grains intake, possibly an effect of odd-chain phenolic lipids in these foods.These bioactive compounds show antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capabilities in animal and in vitro studies, but clinical studies to determine efficacy and dosing have not yet been conducted. •Are odd-chain fatty acids the next omega-3s, and should consumers consider taking supplements?

Characterization of key enzymes involved in triacylglycerol biosynthesis in mycobacteria

Phosphatidic acid phosphatase (PAP) catalyzes the dephosphorylation of phosphatidic acid (PA) yielding diacylglycerol (DAG), the lipid precursor for triacylglycerol (TAG) biosynthesis. PAP activity has a key role in the regulation of PA flux towards TAG or glycerophospholipid synthesis. In this work we have characterized two Mycobacterium smegmatis genes encoding for functional PAP proteins. Disruption of both genes provoked a sharp reduction in de novo TAG biosynthesis in early growth phase cultures under stress conditions. In vivo labeling experiments demonstrated that TAG biosynthesis was restored in the ∆PAP mutant when bacteria reached exponential growth phase, with a concomitant reduction of phospholipid synthesis. In addition, comparative lipidomic analysis showed that the ∆PAP strain had increased levels of odd chain fatty acids esterified into TAGs, suggesting that the absence of PAP activity triggered other rearrangements of lipid metabolism, like phospholipid recycling, in order to maintain the wild type levels of TAG. Finally, the lipid changes observed in the ∆PAP mutant led to defective biofilm formation. Understanding the interaction between TAG synthesis and the lipid composition of mycobacterial cell envelope is a key step to better understand how lipid homeostasis is regulated during Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection.

Abstract P061: Dairy Consumption, Dairy Fat Biomarkers And Type 2 Diabetes Risk After Myocardial Infarction

Introduction: Dairy consumption, especially yogurt, and circulating biomarkers of dairy fat (odd chain fatty acids, OCFAs), have been associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in population-based studies. Whether these associations are also present in post-myocardial infarction (MI) patients is unknown. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that dairy consumption and circulating OCFAs (pentadecanoic [15:0] plus heptadecanoic acid [17:0]) may be inversely associated with incident T2D after MI. Methods: We included 3347 Dutch post-MI patients from the Alpha Omega Cohort, who were initially free of T2D. At baseline (2002-2006), dairy consumption was estimated with a 203-item food frequency questionnaire and plasma OCFAs were measured in cholesteryl esters using gas chromatography. Incident T2D was ascertained through self-reported physician diagnosis and medication use. Multivariable Cox models were used to obtain hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for incident T2D and dairy types and OCFAs (per 1 standard deviation (SD) increment). Results: At baseline, patients were on average 68.9 years old (± 5.5 SD), 80% were men and 87% used statins (2684 and 2908 of 3347 patients respectively). During a median follow-up time of 40 months (10,550 person-years), 181 patients developed T2D. Almost all patients consumed dairy (3300 of 3347), with a median intake of 273 g/d for total dairy. After multivariable adjustment, dairy and its subtypes consumption was not associated with T2D incidence, with HRs ranging from 1.01 to 1.07 per 1-SD increment (all p> 0.05). When analysed in categories (highest vs lowest intake), HRs (95% CI) were 1.05 (0.73-1.52) for milk and 1.08 (0.77-1.51) for yoghurt intake. In line with these findings, no significant association was found for circulating OCFAs 0.97 (0.83-1.12)( Figure 1 ). Conclusion: Dairy consumption, based on self-report and plasma biomarkers, was neutrally associated with T2D incidence in a population of Dutch post-MI patients with a relatively high habitual dairy intake.

Final Health and Environmental Risk Assessment of Genetically Modified Soybean 356043

Soybean 356043 expresses both the gat gene from the soil bacterium Bacillus licheniformis and the gm - hra gene, an optimised form of the endogenous acetolactate synthase (als) coding sequence from soybean (Glycine max; gm). The encoded GAT4601 protein, glyphosate acetyltransferase, confers the ability to inactivate the active herbicidal substances glyphosate and glyphosate-ammonium to N-acetyl glyphosate, which does not have herbicidal activity. The encoded GM-HRA protein confers increased tolerance to the active, ALS-inhibiting, herbicidal substances chlorimuron, thifensulfuron and sulfonylureas. Bioinformatics analyses of the inserted DNA and flanking sequences in soybean 356043 have not indicated a potential production of putative harmful proteins or polypeptides caused by the genetic modification. Genomic stability of the functional insert and consistent expression of the gat gene, have been shown over several generations of soybean 356043. Data from several field trials performed in USA, Canada, Chile and Argentina during 2005-2006 show that soybean 356043 contains higher levels of especially the acetylated amino acid N-acetyl aspartate, but also N-acetyl glutamate and the odd-chain fatty acids heptadecanoic, heptadecenoic and heptadecadienoic acids, in addition to expression of the newly expressed proteins. Otherwise the soybean 356043 is compositionally, morphologically and agronomically equivalent to its conventional counterpart and other commercial soybean cultivars. The acetylated amino acids and odd-chain fatty acids are normal constituents of plant and animal-derived foods and feeds, and an in-depth toxicity and intake assessment did not reveal safety concerns regarding consumer intake at the levels present in soybean 356043. Sub-chronic feeding studies with rats, repeated-dose toxicity studies with mice, as well as nutritional assessment trials with broilers and laying hens have not revealed adverse effects of soybean 356043. These studies indicate that soybean 356043 is nutritionally equivalent to and as safe as conventional soybean cultivars. The GAT4601 and GM-HRA proteins produced in soybean 356043 do not show sequence resemblance to known toxins or IgE-dependent allergens, nor has the whole GM plant been reported to cause changes in IgE-mediated allergic reactions in patients reactive to soybean or in non-ectopic control individuals. Soybean is not cultivated in Norway, and there are no cross-compatible wild or weedy relatives of soybean in Europe. Based on current knowledge and considering the intended uses, which exclude cultivation, the VKM GMO Panel concludes that soybean 356043 with the GAT4601 and GM-HRA proteins: - Is – with the exception of the novel traits and resulting increased content of the acetylated amino acids NAA and NAG, and the odd-chain fatty acids heptadecanoic, heptadecenoic and heptadecadienoic acids – compositionally, morphologically and agronomically equivalent to its conventional counterpart and other commercial soybean cultivars - Are unlikely to introduce toxic or allergenic potentials in food or feed compared to conventional soybean cultivars - Is nutritionally equivalent to and as safe as its conventional counterpart and other conventional soybean cultivars - Does not represent an environmental risk in Norway.

Odd chain fatty acids and odd chain phenolic lipids (alkylresorcinols): Essential for diet?

Odd chain fatty acids (C15:0 and C17:0) from dairy fat as well as odd chain phenolic lipids (alkylresorcinols) from whole grain are commonly reviewed as candidate biomarkers for dietary analysis and their ingestion are inversely related to chronic disease risks. Therefore, low levels of dietary intake of these odd chain molecules may be related to higher risk of physiological states that cause chronic diseases or mortality. It is a prerequisite to examine and understand their main role in beneficial health effects in disease prevention. We propose odd chain fatty acids (OC-FA) and most importantly odd chain phenolic lipids (OC-PL) as potential essential dietary compounds since they play key roles in physiological mechanisms. This review evaluates potential roles of OC-FA and OC-PL in mitigating chronic diseases in vitro and in vivo studies to support our hypothesis for odd chain molecules as essential dietary lipids. Further studies are needed to investigate the relationship between reduced intake of OC-FA and OC-PL containing foods and susceptibilities to chronic diseases.