Daily ingestion of alginate reduces energy intake in free-living subjects

Sodium alginate is a seaweed-derived fibre that has previously been shown to moderate appetite in models of acute feeding. The mechanisms underlying this effect may include slowed gastric clearance and attenuated uptake from the small intestine. In order to assess whether alginate could be effective as a means of appetite control in free-living adults, 68 males and females (BMI range: 18.50-32.81 kgl M-2) completed this randomised, controlled two-way crossover intervention to compare the effects of 7 day daily ingestion of a strong-gelling sodium alginate formulation against a control. A sodium alginate with a high-guluronate content was chosen because, upon ingestion, it forms a strong gel in the presence of calcium ions. Daily preprandial ingestion of the sodium alginate formulation produced a significant 134.8 kcal (7%) reduction in mean daily energy intake. This reduced energy intake was underwritten by significant reductions in mean daily carbohydrate, sugar, fat, saturated fat and protein intakes. The absence of any significant interaction effects between the main effect of preload type and those of gender, BMI classification and/or timing of preload delivery indicates the efficacy of this treatment for individuals in different settings. These findings suggest a possible role for a strong-gelling sodium alginate formulation in the future management of overweight and obesity. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Alginate reduces the increased uptake of cholesterol and glucose in overweight male subjects: a pilot study

Dietary fibers are of particular interest in the prevention and management of obesity and consequent pathologies. Among the proposed mechanisms of action of fiber is the modulation of nutrient uptake from the small intestine. We have used a crossover study design in human subjects to monitor the uptake of glucose, cholesterol, and triacylglycerols in human subjects with normal and high body mass index. Our data demonstrate that uptakes of glucose, triacylglycerols, and cholesterol are all increased with increasing body fat. We demonstrate that treatment with a 1.5-g dose of a strong-gelling alginate may restore uptake of cholesterol and glucose to the levels of healthy subjects. These data indicate a potential therapeutic application of gelling fibers. (C) 2008 Published by Elsevier Inc

Elevmedvirkningens rolle : å fremme elevers handlingskompetanse i en helskoletilnærming til bærekraft

The world is facing significant environmental and social challenges, so the need for education that empowers students to actively contribute to a more sustainable future is broadly recognized. The question then becomes, how can schools contribute to such education? So called whole school approaches are often advocated as a means for schools to address sustainability in a comprehensive manner in all aspects of the school. Student participation is considered critical within such an approach. In this thesis, I investigate how students perceive the possibilities for student participation in a whole school approach, and how this relates to their self-perceived action competence for sustainability. I explored this aim through three articles. In the first article, I used mixed methods to explore student participation in a whole school approach. First, I developed a ‘student whole school approach participation’ questionnaire drawing on a previous model of the whole school approach and by focus group interviews with students. To develop a student whole school approach model from a student perspective, I performed exploratory factor analysis using student data. The model showed that students perceive four pathways of participation in a whole school approach, and these pathways were discussed in light of the results from the focus group interviews. The pathways of participation were: (1) School and Leadership (for example, how leadership fosters participation and the degree of student influence about the school’s vision and institutional practices), (2) Teaching and Learning (for example, how students can influence what they learn, how they work and how they are assessed), (3) Community Connections (for example, how students can influence who to collaborate with in the local area), and (4) Student Council (for example, how much the school involves the student council when making decisions and how the student council represents the student body). The second article builds on the first by examining the relation between the four identified pathways of whole school approach participation and students’ self-perceived action competence for sustainability. I use a definition of action competence building on three core components: (1) knowledge of action possibilities, (2) confidence in one’s own influence and (3) willingness to act. The results showed that student participation through teaching and learning pathway was positively related to students’ knowledge of action possibilities, and their confidence in one’s own influence. Student participation through the student council pathway was positively related to all the action competence factors. However, there was no statistically significant relationship between students’ self-perceived action competence and the two pathways of school and leadership or community connections in the student whole school approach model. As the research literature in sustainability education often focuses on the importance of students gaining experience in addressing authentic sustainability issues, the third article investigates participation through school experiences in influencing society. The results showed that these experiences positively relate to all action competence components. Together, the three articles highlight the importance of meaningful student participation across different aspects of the school environment, and of extending such participation into the wider society to foster students’ action competence for sustainability.Verden står overfor betydelige miljømessige og sosiale utfordringer, så behovet for utdanning som setter elevene i stand til å bidra aktivt til en mer bærekraftig fremtid er bredt anerkjent. Spørsmålet blir da, hvordan kan skolene bidra til slik utdanning? Såkalte helskoletilnærminger blir ofte fremmet som et middel for skoler til å adressere bærekraft på en gjennomgående måte i alle aspekter av skolen. Elevmedvirkning anses som sentralt innenfor en slik tilnærming. I denne oppgaven undersøker jeg hvordan elever oppfatter mulighetene for elevmedvirkning i en helskoletilnærming, og hvordan dette henger sammen med deres selvopplevde handlingskompetanse for bærekraft. Jeg utforsket dette målet gjennom tre artikler. I den første artikkelen brukte jeg mixed metods for å utforske elevmedvirkning i et helskoleperspektiv. Først utviklet jeg et spørreskjema om elevmedvirkning i et helskoleperspektiv basert på en tidligere modell for helskoletilnærminger og fokusgruppeintervjuer med elever. For å utvikle en helskoletilnærmingsmodell fra et elevperspektiv, utførte jeg utforskende faktoranalyse ved hjelp av elevdata. Modellen viste at elevene oppfatter fire veier til medvirkning (pathways of participation) i en helskoletilnærming, og disse fire veiene ble diskutert i lys av resultatene fra fokusgruppeintervjuene. Veiene til medvirkning var: (1) Skole og ledelse (for eksempel hvordan ledelse fremmer elevmedvirkning og graden av elevmedvirkning angående skolens visjon og institusjonelle praksis), (2) Undervisning og læring (for eksempel hvordan elever kan påvirke hva de lærer, hvordan de jobber og hvordan de blir vurdert), (3) Forbindelser med samfunnet (for eksempel hvordan elever kan påvirke hvem de skal samarbeide med i nærområdet), og (4) Elevråd (for eksempel hvor mye skolen involverer elevrådet når de tar avgjørelser og hvordan elevrådet representerer elevene). Den andre artikkelen bygger på den første ved å undersøke sammenhengen mellom de fire identifiserte veiene til medvirkning i helskoletilnærmingen og elevenes selvopplevde handlingskompetanse for bærekraft. Jeg bruker en definisjon av handlingskompetanse som bygger på tre kjernekomponenter: (1) kunnskap om handlingsmuligheter, (2) tillit til egen innflytelse, og (3) vilje til å handle. Resultatene viste at elevmedvirkning gjennom undervisning og læring var positivt relatert til elevenes kunnskap om handlingsmuligheter og deres tillit til egen innflytelse. Elevmedvirkning gjennom elevrådet var positivt relatert til alle handlingskompetansefaktorene. Det var imidlertid ingen statistisk signifikant sammenheng mellom elevenes selvopplevde handlingskompetanse og de to medvirkningsveiene skole og ledelse eller forbindelser med samfunnet. Ettersom forskningslitteraturen om bærekraftsutdanning ofte fokuserer på viktigheten av at elever får erfaring med å arbeide med autentiske bærekraftspørsmål, undersøker den tredje artikkelen medvirkning gjennom skoleerfaringer i å påvirke samfunnet. Resultatene viste at disse erfaringene er positivt relatert til alle handlingskompetansekomponentene. Sammen fremhever de tre artiklene viktigheten av meningsfull elevmedvirkning på tvers av ulike aspekter av skolemiljøet, og av å utvide slik medvirkning til det bredere samfunnet for å fremme elevenes handlingskompetanse for bærekraft

Ceruloplasmin and Iron Proteins in the Serum of Patients with Alzheimer's Disease

To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field.BACKGROUNDS/AIMS: The oxidative activity of ceruloplasmin (CP) in serum has been found to be lowered in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). We investigated whether changes in CP were reflected by altered iron parameters in AD patients. METHODS: Iron parameters, and CP concentration, activity and specific activity were determined in the serum of 41 AD patients and controls. RESULTS: CP activity and specific activity were significantly lower in the AD patients. CP concentration and activity were negatively correlated with the ferritin concentration in both groups. CP concentration was positively correlated with age in the control group but not in the patients group. CONCLUSION: The lowered CP activity in the serum of AD patients was not reflected by the iron parameters. As CP concentration only rises with age in the controls, this may indicate failing adaption to age-related alterations in iron metabolism in AD patients

The addition of locust bean gum but not water delayed the gastric emptying rate of a nutrient semisolid meal in healthy subjects

BACKGROUND: Most of the previous studies regarding the effects of gel-forming fibres have considered the gastric emptying of liquid or solid meals after the addition of pectin or guar gum. The influence of locust bean gum, on gastric emptying of nutrient semisolid meals in humans has been less well studied, despite its common occurrence in foods. Using a standardised ultrasound method, this study was aimed at investigating if the gastric emptying in healthy subjects could be influenced by adding locust been gum, a widely used thickening agent, or water directly into a nutrient semisolid test meal. METHODS: The viscosity of a basic test meal (300 g rice pudding, 330 kcal) was increased by adding Nestargel (6 g, 2.4 kcal), containing viscous dietary fibres (96.5%) provided as seed flour of locust bean gum, and decreased by adding 100 ml of water. Gastric emptying of these three test meals were evaluated in fifteen healthy non-smoking volunteers, using ultrasound measurements of the gastric antral area to estimate the gastric emptying rate (GER). RESULTS: The median value of GER with the basic test meal (rice pudding) was estimated at 63 %, (range 47 to 84 %), (the first quartile = 61 %, the third quartile = 69 %). Increasing the viscosity of the rice pudding by adding Nestargel, resulted in significantly lower gastric emptying rates (p < 0.01), median GER 54 %, (range 7 to 71 %), (the first quartile = 48 %, the third quartile = 60 %). When the viscosity of the rice pudding was decreased (basic test meal added with water), the difference in median GER 65 %, (range 38 to 79 %), (the first quartile = 56 %, the third quartile = 71 %) was not significantly different (p = 0.28) compared to the GER of the basic test meal. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the addition of locust bean gum to a nutrient semisolid meal has a major impact on gastric emptying by delaying the emptying rate, but that the addition of water to this test meal has no influence on gastric emptying in healthy subjects

Adding neutral or anionic hydrocolloids to dairy proteins underin vitro gastric digestion conditions

The effect of adding uncharged polysaccharides such as konjac glucomannan (KGM) or negatively charged polysaccharides such as alginate to dairy protein ingredients - milk, whey proteins and calcium caseinate - was investigated through simulated in vitro gastric digestion. The apparent viscosity, microstructure (light microscopy), particle size distribution and degradation (SDS-PAGE) of the proteins were monitored after different in vitro gastric digestion times (0, 30, 60 and 120 min). The addition of KGM increased the viscosity values of the samples during gastric digestion, which probably would increase gastric distention affecting satiety. The microstructure and particle size distribution results showed that the aggregates formed in the dairy protein-konjac glucomannan mixtures at the start of gastric digestion were broken down into smaller ones over time. However, the aggregates formed with the addition of alginate were larger and remained almost unchanged throughout gastric digestion, due to the strong interaction between the opposite charges of the protein and alginate. The SDS-PAGE results showed that whey proteins were more resistant to pepsin digestion than caseins and that the alginate slowed down protein degradation. These findings suggest that a combination of whey proteins and alginate could be used to delay gastric emptying and promote satiety. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.The authors are grateful to the Spanish Ministry of the Economy and Competitiveness for financial support (AGL2012-36753-C02) and gratefully acknowledge the financial support of EU FEDER funds. They would also like to thank Mary Georgina Hardinge for assistance in correcting the English manuscript.Borreani, JAA.; Llorca Martínez, ME.; Larrea Santos, V.; Hernando Hernando, MI. (2016). Adding neutral or anionic hydrocolloids to dairy proteins underin vitro gastric digestion conditions. Food Hydrocolloids. 57:169-177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodhyd.2016.01.030S1691775

Antihypertensive Properties of Plant-Based Prebiotics

Hypertension is one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Although various drugs for its treatment have been synthesized, the occurring side effects have generated the need for natural interventions for the treatment and prevention of hypertension. Dietary intervention such as the administration of prebiotics has been seen as a highly acceptable approach. Prebiotics are indigestible food ingredients that bypass digestion and reach the lower gut as substrates for indigenous microflora. Most of the prebiotics used as food adjuncts, such as inulin, fructooligosaccharides, dietary fiber and gums, are derived from plants. Experimental evidence from recent studies has suggested that prebiotics are capable of reducing and preventing hypertension. This paper will discuss some of the mechanisms involved, the evidence generated from both in-vitro experiments and in-vivo trials and some controversial findings that are raised