Although motor coordination or motor skill learning are improved by taking vitamin D in the animal experiment, muscle function have not been estimated. Here we examined the effect of vitamin D₃ administration on motor coordination and motor skill learning, muscle strength, and muscle volume in mice fed a vitamin D deficient diet. In mice fed a vitamin D deficient diet, serum calcium and 25(OH)D₃ concentrations were measured. We then conducted Rotarod test, beam walking assay, micro-CT analysis, and forelimb grip strength test. Administration of vitamin D₃ elongated the retention time in the Rotarod test in a time dependent manner. In contrast, the time to reach a beam goal box in beam walking assay was not changed in mice administered with vitamin D₃, compared to the control. Oral administration of vitamin D₃ did not affect muscle strength nor muscle volume. Oral administration of vitamin D₃ promotes not motor coordination but motor skill learning and does not affect muscle function.

Concerns about the negative intergenerational effects of excessive fructose intake are being raised, with evidence suggesting that prenatal fructose intake increases susceptibility to metabolic and cognitive dysfunction later in life. In the present study, we hypothesized that prenatal and postnatal fructose intake acts synergistically to impact on hippocampus of adult offspring. Female Sprague-Dawley rats received distilled water or 20% high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) solution in addition to standard chow throughout gestation and lactation. Male offspring were weaned at postnatal day 21 (PD21) and were randomized to receive distilled water or 20% HFCS solution until PD60. The following experimental groups were: CC: distilled water dams and post-weaning distilled water, CH: distilled water dams and post-weaning HFCS solution, HC: HFCS solution dams and post-weaning distilled water and HH: HFCS solution dams and post-weaning HFCS solution. The synergistic effect of maternal and post-weaning HFCS intake on the hippocampus was investigated by studying the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine genes (Tnfa, Il1b, and Il6). At weaning, expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines between the offspring of the distilled water and HFCS solution fed dams were not significantly different. At PD60, Tnfa expression was significantly higher in the HH group than in the CC, HC and CH groups, whereas no significant differences were found between the CC, HC, and CH groups. These results suggest that postnatal fructose intake negatively impacts the hippocampus by acting synergistically with prenatal fructose intake.

This study examined the relationship between dietary intake and stage of change for “combining the five food groups” (grains, fish and meat, vegetables, milk, and fruits) and examined characteristics of dietary intake by stage of change among fifth and sixth graders in elementary and junior high school in sports clubs. The 395 children who completed the self-reported dietary consumption form and questionnaire on stage of change for combining the five food groups were analyzed. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to analyze the relationship between intake of the combined five food groups and stage of change, with frequency of the five meals as dependent variable and stage of change as independent variable. Compared to the precontemplation stage, action (A) and maintenance stages (M) were associated with a higher frequency of the number of meals combining the five food groups (A, stage adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 5.11, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.50–17.36, p=0.009; M, AOR: 3.84, 95%CI: 1.58–9.33, p=0.003). In breakfast, the number of and each of combining the five food groups meal, and in dinner, the number of combining the five food groups meal, vegetable dishes and fruits were significantly higher in the A and M than in the pre-action stages. These findings suggest that the number of times meals combining the five food groups are consumed was associated with stage of change while breakfast and dinner showed differences in meal consumption between stages in the fifth and sixth grades elementary and junior high school students belonging to sports clubs.

Dietary patterns, such as selecting what food to regularly eat, may play role in reducing the incidence of metabolic syndrome (MetS). This study examined the causal relationships of Japanese dietary patterns and the relationship with the risk of MetS onset using a prospective cohort design. Data of annual health checks between 2008 and 2017 were analyzed, and middle-aged men and women (n=3,298 and 3,925, respectively) were followed up for 15,498 and 19,459 person-years, respectively. We investigated six dietary patterns using a questionnaire, and the participants were divided into low, middle, and high dietary score groups. During the follow-up period, cases of new-onset MetS were found in 698 men (21.2%) and 350 women (8.2%). Covariate-adjusted Cox proportional hazard models revealed that the risk of new-onset MetS was significantly lower in the male participants who responded that they “often eat vegetables” (HR: 0.77, 95% CI: 0.66–0.91). For dietary score, the male participants had significantly lower adjusted HRs of MetS onset in the middle-score group (HR: 0.80, 95% CI: 0.69–0.94) and high-score group (HR: 0.54, 95% CI: 0.41–0.72) compared to the low-score group. On the other hand, there was no association of each dietary pattern and dietary score with new-onset MetS among the female participants. This study found that favorable dietary patterns are associated with a lower risk of MetS; thus, education that aims to encourage a favorable diet may have an important role in reducing the incidence of MetS in middle-aged men.

Luteolin (LU), a natural compound, has diverse bioactivities; it alleviates lipid accumulation by enhancing the oxidation of fatty acids in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Mitochondrial dysfunction promotes the development of steatosis in NAFLD. However, few studies have focused on the mechanism by which LU affects mitochondrial function in NAFLD. In the present study, we investigated whether LU could ameliorate hepatic steatosis and affect mitochondrial function in Western diet-fed mice. After LU treatment, the indicators of hepatic function and markers of mitochondrial biogenesis were evaluated. The results showed that LU intervention 1) decreased the levels of serum triglyceride, total cholesterol, alanine aminotransferase, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; 2) increased the succinate dehydrogenase activity of mitochondrial enzyme; and 3) increased mitochondrial biogenesis by upregulating the AMPK/PGC-1α pathway. Therefore, LU might have the potential to prevent NAFLD.

Protein is an essential nutrient that plays several roles in the maintenance of the human body. A high-protein diet is also known to play an important role in weight management in obese individuals and in maintaining muscle strength in the elderly. However, over-consumption of protein can have negative effects on health, including deterioration of the intestinal environment by the production of amino acid metabolites such as phenols. Interest in the regulation of the intestinal environment to maintain health has gained attention recently. Resistant maltodextrin (RMD) is a prebiotic dietary fiber. Therefore, we investigated whether RMD suppressed the production of amino acid metabolites through intestinal regulation in rats. Wistar rats were fed either an AIN-93G diet or a modified AIN-93G diet containing 5% tyrosine. RMD (2.5% or 5.0%) was provided with drinking water. The rats were fed these diets and water ad libitum for 3 wk. Urine was collected overnight, after which serum, liver, kidneys, and the whole cecum were collected from rats under anesthesia with isoflurane for analysis of phenols and microbiota. RMD decreased the cecal, serum, and urinary levels of phenols, especially phenol. Moreover, the relative abundance of intestinal Romboutsia ilealis showed a significant correlation with the cecal phenols levels, and RMD decreased the abundance of this species. Thus, RMD may suppress phenols production and decrease serum phenols levels by altering the intestinal environment in rats.

Children with cow’s milk allergy (CMA) have lower bone mineral density and shorter height than children without CMA or non-food allergy (FA), and their final height is also affected. Appropriate nutritional guidance for CMA children is therefore needed. The purpose of this study was to conduct a dietary survey of CMA children and to compare their characteristics according to the degree of elimination. A dietary survey of FA children attending the allergy clinic at Shiga Medical Center for Children, Shiga, Japan, was conducted using the brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire for Japanese children and adolescents (BDHQ15y). To objectively assess the intake of fruit and vegetables, skin carotenoid levels were measured using the Veggie Meter^®. Regarding the degree of CM elimination, of the 147 FA children (89 boys, 58 girls) recruited, 38, 27, and 82 children were allocated to complete-, partial-, and non-elimination groups, respectively. In analyzing the data, boys and girls were combined because there was no difference in sex ratio among the groups. Significantly lower intakes of calcium, animal proteins, and vitamin B2 were observed with increasing degree of CM elimination. Conversely, significantly greater intakes of vegetable proteins, β carotene, α tocopherol, vitamin C, and polyunsaturated fatty acids, as well as significantly higher levels of skin carotenoids, were observed with increasing degree of CM elimination. Intakes of many nutrients with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects were higher with increasing degree of CM elimination, presumably reflecting the efforts of caregivers in identifying alternative foods. However, calcium intake was still inadequate, indicating a need for further encouragement of calcium intake in CMA children.

Skeletal muscle mass is maintained by a balance between the synthesis and degradation of muscle proteins, the collapse of which causes muscle wasting. The prevention of muscle wasting improves the quality of life and extends a healthy life. The methyl xanthine theophylline showed strong preventive activity against dexamethasone-induced muscle atrophy, as determined using the expression level of myosin heavy chain in C2C12 myotubes. Mechanistically, theophylline inhibited the expression of ubiquitin ligases MuRF1 and Cbl-b, but not that of atrogin-1. Furthermore, theophylline inhibits glucocorticoid receptor translocation to the nucleus. A pull-down assay using a theophylline probe revealed that theophylline and dexamethasone competitively interacted with the glucocorticoid receptor, suggesting an antagonistic activity of theophylline on glucocorticoid receptors. Additionally, theophylline inhibited the dexamethasone-induced phosphorylation of p38 and FoxO3a in C2C12 myotubes. These findings suggest that theophylline is an effective food ingredient in the prevention of glucocorticoid-induced skeletal muscle atrophy.

We investigated the effects of adding umami and sour components to the taste characteristics of NaCl (75 mM and 100 mM) using sensory evaluation. Here, we employed a mixture of 1 mM monosodium glutamate (MSG) and 0.5 mM inosine 5′-monophosphate (IMP) as the umami component and 3 mM citric acid as the sour component. We confirmed that the addition of MSG+IMP significantly enhanced the salty taste intensity of the NaCl solutions. In addition, the addition of MSG+IMP increased the total taste intensity and percentage of participants who sensed umami. The addition of citric acid increased the salty taste intensity of 100 mM NaCl. The addition of citric acid also increased the total taste intensity, a greater percentage of participants discerned a sour taste. Furthermore, we observed the taste characteristics when adding lemon flavor, which evokes sourness, to the citric acid and NaCl mixture. Although the addition of lemon flavor did not affect the salty taste intensity, the number of participants who perceived a sour taste increased compared to those given only citric acid with the NaCl, and improvement in palatability was also observed. These results suggest that the addition of MSG+IMP and citric acid complicates the taste of NaCl solutions, and that they may enhance the salty taste.

Curcumin (Cur) has various biological effects, including anti-obesity and anti-diabetic properties. However, the molecular mechanisms by which Cur exerts these effects remain unclear. In addition, high doses of Cur have been administered in most animal and human trials to date, due mainly to the poor water solubility of native Cur and its low oral bioavailability. In our previous study, we demonstrated that a highly bioavailable Cur formulation (4.5 mg/kg) induces the formation of beige adipocytes in inguinal white adipose tissue (iWAT) in mice. In the present study, to enhance Cur-mediated beige adipocyte formation and reduce the required functional Cur dose, we investigated whether a low dose of Cur combined with exercise synergistically induced beige adipocyte formation. Cur (1.5 mg Cur/kg, daily) combined with exercise for 4 wk significantly induced beige adipocyte formation in iWAT in mice. This effect was associated with the elevation of interleukin-6 level following subsequent Cur administration combined with exercise. These results indicate that exercise combined with Cur synergistically enhances biological activity and reduces the required Cur dose. These findings suggest that Cur could be used as a dietary supplement during exercise to enhance exercise-mediated health benefits.