Meal Replacement Research Articles

Associations between Shokuiku during School Years, Well-Balanced Diets, and Eating and Lifestyle Behaviours in Japanese Females Enrolled in a University Registered Dietitian Course.

This study comprehensively examined the associations between shokuiku (food and nutrition education) during school years, current well-balanced diets, and current eating and lifestyle behaviours of Japanese female university students. A hypothetical model was developed using factors potentially associated with well-balanced diets. A simultaneous multipopulational analysis was performed according to the living arrangements of 148 female Japanese students (48.6% living alone) from a registered dietitian course. The analysis showed acceptable goodness of fit and a significant positive path from shokuiku during school years (living alone: standardised estimate 0.29, p = 0.004; with family: 0.32, p = 0.006) and a negative path from eating out frequency (-0.19, p = 0.039; -0.24, p = 0.017) towards a well-balanced diet. A significant negative path was identified from late bedtimes (-0.45, p < 0.001) and home meal replacement use frequency (-0.24, p = 0.010) in those living alone and from late-night snacking frequency (-0.27, p = 0.007) in those living with family. Well-balanced diets in female university students may be positively associated with shokuiku during school years and limited by a late bedtime, eating out, and home meal replacement use in those living alone, and by late-night snacking and eating out in those living with family.

Development of non-destructive methods for the assessment of authenticity of sports whey protein supplements

In the category of sports supplements, whey protein powder is one of the popular supplements for muscle building applications. Therefore, verification of the sport supplements as authentic products has become a universal concern. This work aimed to propose vibrational spectroscopy including near infrared (NIR) and infrared (IR) as rapid and non-destructive testing tools for the detection and quantification of maltodextrin, milk powder and milk whey powder in whey protein supplements. Initially, principal component analysis was applied to data for pattern recognition and the results displayed a fine pattern of discrimination. Partial least square discrimination analysis (PLS-DA) and K-nearest neighbours (KNN) were exploited as supervised method modelling classification. This process was done in order to respond to two vital questions whether the sample is adulterated or not and what is the kind of adulteration. PLS-DA showed better classification results rather than KNN according to the figure of merits of the model. Partial least square regression (PLSR) was employed on pre-treated spectra to quantify the amount of adulteration in sport whey supplements. Eventually, it seems vibrational spectroscopy could be implemented as a simple, and low-cost analysis method for the detection and quantification of mentioned adulterants in whey protein supplements.

Effect of mixed meal replacement of soybean meal on growth performance, nutrient apparent digestibility, and gut microbiota of finishing pigs.

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of mixed meal (rapeseed meal, cotton meal, and sunflower meal) replacement soybean meal on growth performance, nutrient apparent digestibility, serum inflammatory factors and immunoglobulins, serum biochemical parameters, intestinal permeability, short-chain fatty acid content, and gut microbiota of finishing pigs. A total of 54 pigs with an average initial weight of 97.60 ± 0.30 kg were selected and randomly divided into 3 groups according to their initial weight, with 6 replicates in each group and 3 pigs in each replicate. The trial period was 26 days. The groups were as follows: control group (CON), fed corn-soybean meal type basal diet; Corn-soybean-mixed meal group (CSM), fed corn-soybean meal-mixed meal diet with a ratio of rapeseed meal, cotton meal, and sunflower meal of 1:1:1 to replace 9.06% soybean meal in the basal diet; Corn-mixed meal group (CMM), fed a corn-mixed meal diet with a ratio of Rapeseed meal, Cotton meal and Sunflower meal of 1:1:1 to replace soybean meal in the basal diet completely. The crude protein level of the three diets was maintained at 12.5%. Our findings revealed no significant impact of replacing soybean meal with the mixed meal (rapeseed meal, cotton meal, and sunflower meal) on the ADG (Average daily gain), ADFI (Average daily feed intake), and F/G (Feed gain ratio) (P > 0.05), or crude protein, crude fat, and gross energy (P > 0.05) in the diet of finishing pigs. Compared with the CON group, the serum interleukin 6 (IL-6) and interleukin 10 (IL-10) concentrations were significantly decreased in the CMM group (P < 0.05). However, there is no significant effect of the mixed meal (rapeseed meal, cotton meal, and sunflower meal) replacing soybean meal in the diet on the serum interleukin 1β (IL-1β), interleukin 8 (IL-8), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), immunoglobulin A (IgA), immunoglobulin G (IgG), and immunoglobulin M (IgM) concentrations (P > 0.05). Concordantly, there is no significant effect of mixed meal (rapeseed meal, cotton meal, and sunflower meal) replacing soybean meal in the diet on the serum antioxidant capacity, such as total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), catalase (CAT), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels of finishing pigs. Moreover, compared with the CON group, serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C) levels were significantly lower in the CSM group (P < 0.05) and their total bilirubin (TBIL) levels were significantly lower in the CMM group (P < 0.05). There is not a significant effect on serum D-lactate and diamine oxidase (DAO) concentrations (P > 0.05). The next section of the survey showed that the replacement of soybean meal with a mixed meal (rapeseed meal, cotton meal, and sunflower meal) in the diet did not significantly influence the acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, valeric acid, isobutyric acid, and isovaleric acid in the colon contents (P > 0.05). Furthermore, compared with the CON group, the CMM group diet significantly increased the abundance of Actinobacteria at the phylum level (P < 0.05), U_Actinobacteria at the class level (P < 0.05), and U_Bacteria at the class level (P < 0.05). The result also showed that the CMM group significantly reduced the abundance of Oscillospirales at the order level (P < 0.05) and Streptococcaceae at the family level (P < 0.05) compared with the CON group. The Spearman correlation analysis depicted a statistically significant positive correlation identified at the class level between the relative abundance of U_Bacteria and the serum T. BILI concentrations (P < 0.05). Moreover, a significant negative correlation was detected at the order level between the relative abundance of Oscillospirales and the levels of acetic and propionic acids in the colonic contents (P < 0.05). Additionally, there was a significant positive correlation between the serum concentrations of IL-6 and IL-10 and the relative abundance of the family Streptococcaceae (P < 0.05). This study demonstrated that the mixed meal (rapeseed meal, cotton meal, and sunflower meal) as a substitute for soybean meal in the diet had no significant negative effects on the growth performance, nutrient apparent digestibility, serum immunoglobulins, serum antioxidant capacity, intestinal permeability, short-chain fatty acid content, and diversity of gut microbiota of finishing pigs. These results can help develop further mixed meals (rapeseed meal, cotton meal, and sunflower meal) as a functional alternative feed ingredient for soybean meals in pig diets.

Effect of dry heat treatment of soy protein powder on aligned structure formation in soy protein-based food gels during freezing

Effect of dry heat treatment of soy protein powder on aligned structure formation in soy protein-based food gels during freezing

Potentially dangerous sport supplements seized in Australia

Potentially dangerous sport supplements seized in Australia

Multifunctional applications of natural colorants: Preservative, functional ingredient, and sports supplements

In the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries, artificial colorant is one of the most vital and frequently used additives due to its easy availability, low cost, and higher stability. However, the main adverse effect of using artificial colorants is its health hazard. For this reason, the food industry is seeking some healthy alternatives. The recent trend of using natural colorants is growing day by day. One of the most prominent components of the plant kingdom currently used in a variety of industries, including the food preservation industry, the cosmetics industry, and the sports sector is called natural colorant. The main objective of this review study is to explore the numerous applications of natural colorants with their proper classification. The usage of natural colorants for the intensification of functional properties of food, for food preservation, and the generation of innovative sports supplements were discussed in the entire manuscript. After the collection of relevant research regarding the topic, it was seen that betalain, anthocyanin, curcumin, and carotenoids are the most frequently discussed natural colorants, mainly used as a preservative and contains enormous health benefits (e.g. anthocyanin is responsible for the maintenance of healthy vision, normal blood glucose level, relaxation of vascular endothelial cells and also contains antioxidant properties). It is used in the food industry to enrich the color as well as nutritional quality of the food product. The uses of natural colors for the development of sports supplements are still limited and need further research in this particular area.

The American cockroach (Periplaneta americana) residue could partially replace the dietary fish meal in the juvenile Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

The American cockroach (Periplaneta americana) residue is a by-product of P. americana meal after extracting active ingredients with ethanol, and it still contains high protein, lipid, and a certain amount of active ingredients, may be a potential fish meal alternative. Five isonitrogenous and isolipidic experimental diets were formulated to replace 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of dietary fish meal with P. americana residue, and defined as Diet 1, Diet 2, Diet 3, Diet 4, and Diet 5, respectively. The juvenile Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) with an initial body weight of 2.98 ± 0.01 g was fed with respective diets for 10 weeks, which was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary fish meal replacement by P. americana residue on the growth performance, proximate composition, amino acid profile, metabolism, antioxidant capacity, and immunity of juvenile O. niloticus. There were no significant differences in the final body weight, weight gain rate, and specific growth rate among five diet groups, while the highest feed conversion ratio and the lowest protein efficiency ratio were recorded in Diet 4. There were no significant differences in the contents of crude protein, total lipid, ash, and total amino acid in the whole fish body among all groups. The Diet 1 and Diet 2 had higher activities of trypsin, α-amylase, and chitinase in the intestine and α-amylase in the liver. The highest serum urea content was detected in Diet 4, while the lowest liver urea content and the highest serum total protein content were detected in Diet 3. A higher liver catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and serum lysozyme activities were detected in Diet 2, and the lowest serum malondialdehyde content was detected in Diet 2. In conclusion, dietary fish meal replacement by the P. americana residue had no negative effects on the growth performance and body composition of juvenile O. niloticus, and significantly improved the antioxidant capacity and immunity, while feed utilization rate was reduced when dietary fish meal replacement levels exceeded 75%.

Investigation into the physiochemical properties of soy protein isolate and concentrate powders from different manufacturers

SummaryThe physiochemical properties of five commercially available soy protein isolates (SPI) from different manufacturers and one soy protein concentrate were analysed. Despite their identical botanical origin and an almost interchangeable molecular weight profile, remarkable differences were revealed in their solubility, protein dispersibility index (PDI), water holding capacity (WHC), zeta potential (measured at different pHs) and particle size distribution. Protein solubility and PDI values, which can be considered as a simple and reliable measure of soy protein powder's suitability for industrial formulations such as extrusion premixes, revealed to be strongly intercorrelated, with SPI A, B and E showing higher values at pH 7.0 and 9.0 as compared to their counterparts (sample C and D). WHC appeared to be less influenced by solubility, but greatly by particle size distribution. SPI A, B and E showed largest increase in diameter upon hydration (‘swelling’) and gave the highest WHC.

Pattern of Consumption of Sports Supplements of Spanish Handball Players: Differences According to Gender and Competitive Level.

(1) Background: Given the physiological characteristics of handball, players may require the use of certain sports supplements (SS). However, very few studies have investigated the consumption of SS in handball. The aims were to determine the number of handball players who consume SS, to analyze their SS consumption pattern according to gender and competitive level, and to assess whether the SS they consume are supported by scientific evidence, and to which group they belong according to the classification of the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). (2) Methods: A descriptive-correlational study was carried out on the habitual consumption of SS in 360 federated Spanish players by using a self-administered and validated questionnaire. (3) Results: These showed 65.8% of the sample consumed SS. According to the total number of participants, the most consumed supplements were from Group A: sports drinks (30.8%) and whey protein (30.4%). When analyzing the data by gender, the men's consumption was significantly higher for whey protein (p < 0.001), caffeine (p = 0.009), and creatine monohydrate (p < 0.001). When analyzed by competitive level, the provincial category players group showed a significantly lower consumption than the rest of the groups for protein bars (p = 0.038), whey protein (p = 0.005) and creatine monohydrate (p < 0.001), while the honor division group showed a significantly higher intake of creatine monohydrate than the remaining groups (p < 0.001). (4) Conclusions: The handball players showed a moderate consumption of SS, without using substances that were not supported by scientific evidence and opting in most cases for supplements belonging to group A from the AIS classification. Men tended to consume more SS, and SS consumption increased based on competitive level.

Wheat Germ Protein Powder: A Study on the Muscle Soreness Relief of Volleyball Players After Training

This paper briefly introduces wheat germ protein powder. The alleviating effect of wheat germ protein powder on muscle soreness was studied on 30 male athletes from the varsity volleyball team at the Faculty of Physical Education, Kunming University of Science and Technology. During the study, the athletes were divided into three groups: Group 1 received a kind of starch placebo, Group 2 received a low dose of wheat germ protein powder, and Group 3 received a high dose of wheat germ protein powder. Subjective pain, knee isokinetic muscle strength, and creatine kinase activity levels were measured at different time points before and after exercise. It was found that athletes who consumed wheat germ protein powder experienced faster alleviation of muscle soreness compared to those who took the starch placebo, and athletes who consumed a high dose of wheat germ protein powder demonstrated faster relief of muscle soreness compared to those who consumed a low dose.

Fish meal replacement by Brachytrupes portentosusas for Oreochromis niloticus: Effect on growth, feed utilization, fatty acid profiles, hematology, and histological changes

In the aquaculture section, the scarcity of sustainable feed components is the major challenge. Insects may become an important, sustainable resource for expanding the raw material repertoire. Herein, this study evaluated the effects of fish meal (FM) replacement with giant cricket meal (GCM) on growth, feed utilization, fatty acids profiles, hematology, and histological changes of Nile tilapia. Five isonitrogenous and isolipidic diets were formulated with a FM-based diet (without GCM or GCM0), the other four diets were prepared to replace FM with 55, 111, 164, and 217 g/kg of GCM (referred to as GCM55 - GCM217). A total of 300 fish (approximately 7.27 ± 0.01 g/fish) were randomly allocated to triplicate groups with 20 fish per tank and fed until satiation twice daily. The results showed a linear and quadratic relationship were observed between growth parameters and dietary replacement of GCM levels. Although the total replacement of FM by GCM217 significantly diminished, but GCM55 – GCM164 replacement was higher than a control group and improved the feed conversion ratio. The condition factor was similar among dietary treatments, but the hepatosomatic index and viscerosomatic index were affected by GCM inclusion levels (P < 0.05). Whole-body dry matter and ash were linearly and quadratically increased up to GCM164, and slightly decreased in the GCM217 group. Dietary GCM inclusion regulated whole-body composition in a dose-dependent manner. Muscle fatty acids were affected by dietary GCM replacement with a linearly decreased in 18:3n-3, 20:5n-3, and 22:6n-3, and the quadratic effect was observed for 22:6n-3. Dietary inclusion of GCM quadratically increased hemoglobin, total protein, albumin, and globulin, and linearly improved red blood cell and hemoglobin levels. However, GCM inclusions higher than 164 g/kg were linearly and quadratically increased aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase compared to a control group. A mild degree of vacuole enlargement was found in GCM164, while a high degree of irregular shape, cytoplasm vacuolization, and swelling was found in GCM217 group. In addition, intestinal morphometrics of GCM217 group detected a significantly linear and quadratic decrease in villi height. Results of the present study suggested that the dietary replacement of FM by GCM could replace up to 164 g/kg without negatively affecting growth, feed utilization, and improved blood hematology and serum proteins of Nile tilapia, even if mild histomorphological changes of hepatocytes were observed. In addition, replacing FM with GCM111 obtained the highest growth performance without any negative effects to Nile tilapia.

Flavored tears, soylent, and ecological commensality

ABSTRACT To Flavour Our Tears, an art project consisting mostly of unusual recipes, and Soylent, a meal replacement system available to individual consumers, are two representatives of recent food trends that have emerged in the Western culture. The article examines them in the framework of ecological commensality, which is a theoretical perspective based on the expansion of the principle of eating together to encompass the interconnectedness of all beings. Using this lens, the article identifies the two food phenomena as opposites. To Flavour Our Tears is shown as full realization of the holistic circulation of matter and energy, which allows people to question their position at the top of the food chain. Soylent, on the other hand, is revealed to rely on the stark denial of ecological commensality. The article suggests that both instances of novel food conceptualizations deserve examination as cultural responses to the cursed food futures.

The effect of diet-induced weight loss on circulating homocysteine levels in people with obesity and type 2 diabetes

Background/aimsHaving type 2 diabetes (T2D) in combination with being overweight results in an additional increase in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. In addition, T2D and obesity are associated with increased levels of total homocysteine (tHcy), possibly contributing to the CVD risk. Weight loss dieting has positive effects on several CVD risk factors, but whether it affects tHcy remains unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the effect of a calorie restricted diet on tHcy in overweight people with T2D.MethodsIn this post-hoc analysis of the POWER study, adults with T2D and a BMI greater than 27 kg/m² were included from the outpatient diabetes clinic of the Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam. The patients were subjected to a very low-calorie diet with fortified meal replacements for 20 weeks. Before and after this intervention, blood samples were collected to measure tHcy and other CVD risk factors like glycaemic and lipid parameters.Results161 overweight participants with T2D were included, with a mean age of 54 years (range 26–74), mean weight of 104.6 ± 19.9 kg and mean HbA1c of 62.7 ± 14.3 mmol/mol. At baseline, men displayed higher tHcy than women, and tHcy level was positively correlated with body weight and triglyceride levels, while it was negatively correlated with renal function and HDL cholesterol. During the intervention, bodyweight was reduced by a mean of 9.7% (from 104.6 ± 19.9 to 94.5 ± 18.1 kg p < 0.001), and all measured glycaemic and lipid blood parameters improved significantly. However, tHcy remained unchanged (from 12.1 ± 4.1 to 12.1 ± 4.2 umol/L, p = 0.880). The change in tHcy during the intervention was negatively associated with the change in weight and BMI (p = 0.01 and p = 0.008, respectively). People who lost < 10 kg (n = 92) had a mean tHcy change of -0.47 umol/L, while people who lost more than ≥ 10 kg (n = 69) had a mean tHcy change of 0.60 umol/L (p = 0.021).ConclusionIn conclusion, our data show that a calorie restricted diet does not affect tHcy in people with T2D and obesity, despite the use of meal replacements fortified with folic acid and vitamin B12. Our data showed a negative correlation between change in tHcy levels and weight loss, suggesting that people who lost more weight (> 10 kg) showed an increase in tHcy. Future studies should explore the potential increase in tHcy induced by weight loss dieting and target the question if tHcy reduction strategies during weight loss could be clinically beneficial.

Determination of Synephrine and Caffeine in Citrus Species Herbal Medicines and Weight-Loss Supplements from Taiwan by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)

Synephrine is widely found in Chinese herbs of the Rutaceae family and is commonly used as a primary substitute for ephedrine in sports supplements. However, its potential cardiotoxicity has necessitated governmental regulations regarding its use. This study determined the contents of synephrine, phenylephrine, and caffeine in 30 Chinese herbal preparations (including five single herbs) and 16 supplements promoted for weight loss. The presence of naturally occurring synephrine was detected in all Chinese herbal medicines, with immature bitter orange having the highest synephrine content (ranging from 233.1 to 505.3 mg/100 g). This was followed by three herbs with comparable amounts of up to 317.7 mg/100 g, namely bitter orange, red tangerine exocarp, and tangerine peel. Euodia fruit had the lowest synephrine content, measuring up to 4.9 mg/100 g. None of these herbal medicines were found to contain detectable phenylephrine. On the other hand, weight-loss supplements, comprising complex combinations of herbal extracts, were found to contain synephrine in concentrations up to 1159.0 mg/100 g and caffeine up to 1659.1 mg/100 g. The synephrine content of these products did not exceed the regulatory limit of six percent, nor did they surpass the respective daily consumption of 20 mg. However, one product was found to contain both synephrine and caffeine, albeit at low concentrations, which could potentially breach the regulation prohibiting the combined use of bitter orange and caffeine as food ingredients.

High School Athletes’ Use and Knowledge of (Safe) Nutritional Supplement Use: An Exploratory Study

The use of nutritional supplements can lead to doping risk and no data exist on high school athletes’ use of certified third-party tested supplements. A cross-sectional cohort design was developed using an anonymous survey. Descriptive data for supplement use, use of third-party tested supplements, and knowledge in high school athletes were reported. A total of 225 high school athletes, ranging from 14-19 years of age, from a private high school in the western US, were included in the analysis of the results. A total of 94% (n=211) of athletes reported nutritional supplement use within the past year with an average of six (interquartile range: 3-9) individual supplements, ranging from 0-20 supplements per person. Most frequently reported were sports drinks (72%), vitamins (65%), sports bars (60%), protein powder (58%), caffeine (37%, as part of normal beverages, or 13% as a supplement), followed by creatine (23%). A total of 24% claimed to know for sure that all their supplements were third-party tested. In addition, the recognition of third-party testing organization icons was low (46% in supplement users vs. 14% in nonusers). Athletes also scored low in reporting how to find (22%) and how to order (25%) third-party tested supplements. In conclusion, almost all athletes in this study reported the use of multiple nutritional supplements annually. Only one-fourth of the athletes reported consistently using third-party tested supplements. Knowledge of where and how tested supplements could be purchased was limited in this high school athlete population.

A LITERATURE REVIEW OF KARSHYA AND ITS MANAGEMENT THROUGH AYURVEDA

Karshya means the weakening of the "disease of malnutrition" [Apatarpanajanyavyadhi] resulting from reduced food intake. Rukshanapana (lack of food). Langhan (fasting). Pramitashana (Lack of nutrition). Shoka (sanity). Essentially it is vataja prakriti. Extreme filtering measures and Nidra (sleep) vegadharana, repressed impulses, many body functions etc. Other causes such as may cause negative effects of Vata. According to Ayurveda Shabdakosh the meaning of Krusha is Amedasvi, Durbala, Alpamamsa and Nirmamsa Aahar factors of this disease, Alpashana is especially responsible for the development of Karshya. Karshya is included in Vataj Nanatmaja Vatavyadhi. 2)) Charak and Sushrut classified it as Raspradoshaja Vyadhi. Karshya is Vata Pradhan Apatarpanajanya Vyadhi. In these diseases, the body gradually loses weight. It is governed by Rasa-pradoshaja Vyadhi. It is the worst health and nutrition problem in developing countries. Aahar is considered an important factor in disease, while Alpashana and Vishamashana are particularly responsible for the development of Karshya. Acharya Charaka explains the symptoms of Karshya very well and also explains in detail its causes such as Aharaja (diet), Viharaja (attitude) and Manasika (mental state). All these causes lead to changes in Vayu, Agni, inadequate production of Rasadhatu and other Dhatus and Karshya. Depending on the clinical location and pathogenesis, Karshya may be associated with severity. If emaciated people are not treated properly, they may experience splenomegaly, cough, weight loss, shortness of breath, gurgling, hemorrhoids, stomach infection, stomach infection, etc. It will improve. In today's medicine, weight loss can be treated with steroids and protein powders as well as a healthy diet. However, overuse of steroids and protein powders can cause serious problems. The same diet plan will not be effective for all patients if Agni is not included. Therefore, it is best to find a safer and better alternative treatment. An excellent diet plan and various medicines complete the treatment of Kasha in the Ayurvedic text Nidanparivarjana. This article describes the Ayurvedic perspective of Karshya, which will help in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

Effect of a novel drying method based on supercritical carbon dioxide on the physicochemical properties of sorghum proteins.

The aim of this research was to use supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) drying as a novel approach for generating sorghum protein concentrates/isolates with enhanced functional properties. Sorghum protein extracts were obtained from white whole-grain sorghum flour and were dried by two methods, namely, freeze-drying and SC-CO2 drying. The collected proteins were characterized for their morphology, color, crystallinity, surface hydrophobicity, emulsifying activity index (EAI), creaming index (CI), foaming capacity (FC), foaming stability (FS), protein solubility, chemical interactions, and viscosity. The SC-CO2-dried proteins exhibited higher porosity compared to the freeze-dried ones with smaller particle sizes (∼5.1 vs. 0.4 μm, respectively). The XRD patterns indicated that the SC-CO2-dried proteins had a lower crystallinity than the freeze-dried proteins. However, the surface hydrophobicities of the freeze-dried and SC-CO2-dried proteins were similar. The EAI results showed that the emulsifying activity of freeze-dried protein powder (40.6) was better than that of SC-CO2-dried protein powder (29.8). Nevertheless, the solubility of SC-CO2-dried proteins was higher than that of freeze-dried proteins in most of the pHs investigated. Overall, the proposed SC-CO2 drying method has the potential to generate porous protein powders with improved solubility that can be used in developing functional foods.

Relationship between consumption of sports supplements and addiction to sport in road and mountain runners

sports nutrition and supplementation (SD) are commonly used by road and mountain runners to achieve their goals and increased performance. However, sometimes sports practice can become an obsession and/or addiction, although the literature on the use of DS and sports addiction (SD) is scarce. to describe and analyse the relationship between SD use and AD in asphalt and mountain runners in the Canary Islands. a cross-sectional observational study in a sample of 613 adult athletes, using a self-administered online questionnaire that assessed SD use and AD, disseminated by federations, sports clubs, race organisers and social networks. 75.7 % of participants reported taking some form of SD and being younger was associated with a higher likelihood of taking SD. On the total SD scale (SAS-15) the mean was 9.19 (SD = 3.24), above the midpoint of the theoretical range (0-15). Among participants taking and not taking DS, there is higher AD in those taking versus those not; and among those taking DS, AD is significantly higher in those taking weight management recoverers and supplements. the sample had indicators of WD and, for the most part, were consuming some form of DS. In addition, there is a significant relationship between the use of DS and WD in road and mountain runners, with the level of WD being a predictor of DS consumption.

A Cross-Sectional Study on Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) toward Sport Supplements and Doping Agents in the Jordanian Community

A Cross-Sectional Study on Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) toward Sport Supplements and Doping Agents in the Jordanian Community

Albanian Gyms and Nutritional Supplements: Exploring Beliefs and Motivations for Product Sales

Context: Nutritional supplement sales in gyms have become a widespread practice, with financial incentives often driving these promotions. Problem: Little is known about the motivations behind Albanian gyms’ promotion of nutritional supplements and the factors influencing such sales. Methodology: This study surveyed 58 gyms across Albania using an 8-question survey to explore supplement sales practices, reasons for promotion, types of supplements sold, and promotional methods. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS, including Chi-Square tests to identify correlations. Results: Findings revealed that most gyms promote supplements, mainly protein powders, creatine, vitamins, and amino acids. Financial gain and customer demand were the primary motivators, especially among high-end and specialized gyms. A significant correlation was found between gym facilities and supplement sales practices. Implications: The results suggest a growing supplement market in Albanian gyms, emphasizing the need for clearer regulations, educational programs, and informed guidance to ensure responsible supplement promotion and use. Keywords: Nutritional supplements, Albanian gyms, fitness industry, promotion practices, gym facilities, supplement sales.