PurposeDietary fibers differ in their molecular structure, which influences their breakdown under digestive conditions. This study investigates how fiber molecular structure affects resistance to digestion using in vitro models. MethodsHigh-, medium-, and low-molecular-weight (Mw) corn arabinoxylans, resistant maltodextrin, and inulin were characterized by carbohydrate composition following acid hydrolysis and analyzed for sugar release during simulated digestion using the standardized InfoGest protocol and rat small intestinal extract (RSIE). ResultsHigh-Mw corn arabinoxylan (208.8 kDa) remained largely stable, with minor, non-significant increases in glucose and galactose. Medium- (25.5 kDa) and low-Mw (2.5 kDa) arabinoxylans showed partial hydrolysis, with increases in trisaccharides and maltose and decreases in glucose and arabinose. Resistant maltodextrin (1.9 kDa) displayed significant increases in glucose, trisaccharides, and maltose. Inulin (0.75 kDa) remained mostly intact, with only partial decreases in fructose and sucrose. Sugar release during 4 h of simulated digestion followed these trends: high-Mw arabinoxylan released 11.1 mg/g, medium-Mw released 5.20 mg/g/h, low-Mw released 9.84 mg/g, resistant maltodextrin released 6.83 mg/g/h, and inulin released 59.9 mg/g. ConclusionThese findings demonstrate that fiber structural variations critically influence the degree of hydrolysis during digestion and the resulting simple sugar release.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00394-025-03853-0.

to evaluate the effects of three interventions (conventional yogurt; probiotic yogurt, and isolated probiotic) on bone and heart parameters in a chronic kidney disease (CKD) model. male Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups: Nephrectomized Group (Nx, n = 8); Nx + Yogurt Group (NxY, n = 8); Nx + Probiotic-enriched Yogurt Group (NxPY, n = 8) and Nx + Probiotic Group (NxP, n = 8). Lactobacillus acidophilus La-05 (108 -109 log CFU/mL) was used as a probiotic. Cardiac electrical activity was measured by electrocardiogram, and body composition was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Additional measurements included bone biomechanical and atherogenic parameters, histomorphometry of the heart and aorta, hypertrophy, oxidative stress, inflammation parameters, and p-cresyl sulfate (pCS) levels. The NxPY group presented improvements in tibia parameters such as maximum strength (p = 0.02), maximum tension (p = 0.02), and breaking tension (p = 0.04) than the Nx group. On the other hand, NxY and NxP did not affect bone parameters. The NxPY group showed lower heart relative weight than the NxP group (p = 0.007). In the electrocardiogram, NxPY demonstrated shorter T wave duration (p = 0.002), QT (p = 0.006), and QTc (p = 0.003) interval duration compared to NxP. NxP worsened cardiac electrical activity as the increase in T wave duration (p = 0.03), QTc interval (p = 0.02), ST segment amplitude (p = 0.01), and raised cardiac hypertrophy including heart weight corrected for tibia length (p = 0.04) compared to Nx. Meanwhile, no significant difference was found between the NxY and Nx groups. Also, there were no significant differences in pCS levels among the groups Nx, NxY, NxPY and, NxP. This is the first study to compare these effects and revealed that supplementation of Lactobacillus acidophilus La‑05-enriched yogurt improved bone parameters, while isolated probiotic impaired electrical conduction and aggravated hypertrophy in the heart. On the other hand, conventional yogurt did not affect bone or heart parameters. These findings may help guide future clinical studies and recommendations, mainly about dairy products and probiotics in CKD.

We considered the secondary effects of medically tailored groceries high in fibre or healthy fats on sodium and potassium intakes. This is a secondary analysis of a trial that evaluated free medically tailored grocery provision on the cardiometabolic risk profile of adults recovering from an acute coronary event. Participants were randomly allocated to one of three groups for 12weeks: usual care, usual care and groceries high in healthy fats, or usual care and high dietary fibre groceries. Sodium and potassium intakes were assessed using food diaries at baseline, at the end of the 12-week intervention, and at 3months and 12months follow-up. Data from all 309 participants were analysed (Usual care: 101; Healthy fats: 105; High fibre: 103). High fibre participants increased potassium intake (+ 279mg (95%CI 0 to 558mg)) when compared with Usual care during the intervention period, but this was not maintained during follow-up. There was a decrease in sodium intake for High fibre participants than Usual care at three (- 257mg (95%CI - 512 to - 1mg)) and twelve (- 357mg (95%CI -644 to -71mg)) months. Healthy fats participants also decreased sodium intakes compared with Usual care, but only at 12months follow-up (- 342mg (95%CI - 625 to - 57mg)). Providing 12weeks groceries high in unsaturated fats or dietary fibre to adults recovering from an acute coronary event reduced sodium intakes in trial follow up when compared with no grocery provision. An increase in potassium was observed only during the intervention for participants receiving high fibre foods.

Consumption of seaweed products has become increasingly popular in certain consumer segments, but the high iodine content of some of these products is of concern. We aimed to 1) assess the amount of iodine present in a selection of seaweed products; 2) determine iodine bio-accessibility from these products; and 3) estimate the daily intake of iodine from seaweed-containing products by Dutch consumers. Seaweed products were purchased and analysed for iodine content by ICP-MS. Bio-accessibility (solubility) of iodine was determined by a static in vitro digestion model (INFOGEST), which mimics human digestive processes. Data on dietary intake of iodine from seaweed and other food products were collected from 80 regular consumers of seaweed products with an online food frequency questionnaire over the last month. Iodine content of the seaweed products ranged from < 0.1 to 7910µg/g of fresh weight (3.5 to 36,975µg/serving). Bio-accessibility of iodine ranged from 24 to 56%, and was higher in products that were processed to a higher degree. Median daily iodine intake of the respondents was 270µg/day (range: 68-16,544µg/day), with 25% of seaweed consumers exceeding the upper limit (UL) for iodine intake of 600µg/day over the last month. Iodine content was very high in several of the seaweed products, which was also reflected by the high proportion of seaweed consumers who structurally exceeded the UL. In vitro data suggest relatively low bioavailability of iodine from seaweed products, but this remains to be confirmed by in vivo studies.

Although recent studies suggest associations between temporal meal patterns, diet quality, and health outcomes such as obesity and cardiometabolic risk, the evidence remains inconclusive, highlighting the need for further investigation. This study aimed to evaluate meal patterns, including meal frequency, breakfast skipping and timing of energy intake (late or early), and their associations with diet quality and body mass index. The study was completed as asecondary analysis of two cross-sectional, national dietary surveys, Riksmaten Adults 2010-11 (n = 1796) and Riksmaten Adolescents 2016-17(n = 2967). Meal patterns were reported for 3-4days using two different web-based methods. Among adolescents, weight was measured using standardised methods, whereas adults provided self-reported weight. Diet quality was evaluated with the Swedish Healthy Eating Index 2025. Meal patterns differed according to weight status, where adults with obesity or adolescents with overweight or obesity reported a lower meal frequency and more often skipped breakfast. A low eating frequency, breakfast skipping, and a late energy distribution were negatively associated with diet quality. A high meal frequency (OR 0.44 CI 0.28-0.68) and a late energy distribution (OR 0.70 CI 0.57-0.85) were associated with a decreased risk for overweight or obesity in adolescents. Our study suggests that there may be a benefit in having a higher eating frequency and consuming breakfast, with regard to diet quality and weight.

A growing body of evidence suggests diets rich in flavonoids may protect against metabolic-dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) development and progression. As the gut microbiome is important in the biotransformation of flavonoids to their constituent bioactive metabolites, studies on the potential mediating role of the gut microbiome in the association between dietary flavonoid intakes and MASLD are warranted but lacking. Thus, this study aims to examine the associations between a diet rich in flavonoids and MASLD, and assess the potential mediating role of the gut microbiome. In a cross-sectional analysis (n = 531), using the FlavoDiet score (FDS), we assessed the association between a flavonoid-rich diet and MASLD (ascertained by magnetic resonance imaging) using multivariable logistic and linear regression. Additionally, we used mediation analysis to identify and assess potential 16S-derived gut microbiome mediators. Each doubling of the FDS was associated with a 27% lower odds of MASLD (OR: 0.73 [95% CI 0.54-0.98], p = 0.04) after multivariable adjustment. 9.2% of this association was mediated by a greater abundance of the genus Eisenbergiella (indirect effect ß = - 0.006 [95% CI - 0.019, to - 0.000], p = 0.04). These findings suggest that a flavonoid-rich diet is associated with better liver health, and that the abundance of the Eisenbergiella taxa may in part explain the association between a flavonoid-rich diet and MASLD.

Improving human and planetary health is one of the most important challenges of the current century. Demand-side food policy strategies can be implemented to achieve this dual objective. To develop and implement policy measures effectively, it is essential to conduct upfront analyses that demonstrate their potential impact. To explore the harmonised assessment of environmental impacts of national representative food consumption surveys using the MCRA software, and to demonstrate the framework by assessing the potential environmental impact of food policy strategies that aim to simultaneously improve human and planetary health. Individual-level food consumption data from 11 European countries were used to evaluate current diets and the potential impact of demand-side food policy scenarios designed to reflect health and sustainability objectives. Dutch life-cycle assessment data were used to estimate six environmental impact indicators. Food composition data were applied to estimate protein intake. Food consumption, dietary environmental impacts, and protein intake were estimated and modelled using the MCRA (Monte-Carlo Risk Assessment) software for baseline and alternative scenarios. In the baseline scenarios, daily average GHG emissions ranged from 4.01kg CO2-eq per person in Cyprus to 6.30kg CO2-eq in France. Blue water consumption averaged between 104 L per person per day in the Czech Republic and 256 L in Italy. Across all countries, the environmental impact of diets specific to each country demonstrated potential reductions up to 55% in GHG emissions, land use, blue water consumption, and animal protein, and reductions up to 70% in freshwater and marine eutrophication, acidification, when meat intake was reduced and/or replaced by legumes or meat substitutes. Strategies such as replacing dairy with dairy substitutes, soft drinks with water, and limiting confectionery foods demonstrated less pronounced effects on environmental indicators, with reductions ranging from 1 to 11%. Strategies aimed at increasing fruit and vegetable consumption had adverse environmental effects, increasing environment impacts by up to 7% and blue water consumption by up to 14%. Using the MCRA framework, this study demonstrates that harmonised assessment of current diets and the potential impacts of dietary scenarios can effectively inform policy development. Policies reducing animal food consumption and increasing plant-based intake offer the greatest environmental benefits, particularly when meat is substituted with plant-based alternatives. Implementation of coherent, multi-level policy instruments and tailored country-specific approaches will be essential for achieving both human and planetary health objectives.

One-carbon metabolism (OCM) nutrients are essential for methylation processes and may be involved in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but prospective evidence remains limited. This study aimed to investigate the association between dietary OCM nutrients and RA risk, and their interactions with genetic and lifestyle factors. A total of 189,440 participants from the UK Biobank were included. Dietary intake was assessed using repeated 24-hour recalls. Nutrient levels were estimated based on McCance and Widdowson's The Composition of Foods and the USDA Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies. Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate the independent and joint associations of OCM nutrients, genetic risk, and RA risk. Nonlinear associations were examined using restricted cubic spline. During a median follow-up of 13.43 years, 1,751 RA cases were identified. Participants in the highest quartile of OCM nutrient intake had a significantly lower risk of RA compared to those in the lowest quartile. The hazard ratios (95% CI) for methionine, folate, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 were 0.84 (0.74-0.97), 0.88 (0.76-1.00), 0.88 (0.78-0.98), and 0.84 (0.73-0.96), respectively. High OCM intake combined with low genetic risk was associated with a > 40% lower risk of RA. Additionally, significant interactions were observed between OCM nutrient intake and both smoking and alcohol consumption. Higher intake of OCM nutrients was associated with a reduced risk of RA and showed a joint effect with genetic risk. Individuals with certain lifestyle factors may benefit more from dietary OCM nutrient intake.