Intake Of High-energy Foods Research Articles

Umami taste sensitivity is associated with food intake and oral environment in subjects with diabetes

Dysgeusia is a serious problem in patients with diabetes because it often leads to overeating, which is associated with disease progression. This study aimed to investigate the association between taste sensitivity, eating habits, and the oral environment.In this cross-sectional study of 75 subjects with diabetes, gustatory function was assessed using the whole-mouth method, and lingual taste receptor gene expression was measured by real-time PCR. Food intake was evaluated using a food frequency questionnaire based on food groups. The oral environment was assessed using xerostomia and periodontal comprehensive examination.In total, 45.3%, 28.0%, and 18.7% of subjects showed lower umami taste sensitivity, low sweet taste sensitivity, and low salt taste sensitivity, respectively. Lower umami sensitivity correlated with lower estimated glomerular filtration rate and higher energy-source food intake. Subjects with diabetes with higher plaque control record showed significantly higher T1R3 gene expression than those with lower plaque control record.Reduced umami taste sensitivity is associated with decreased renal function and high energy food intake in diabetes. Subjects with diabetes with higher plaque control record showed significantly higher T1R3 gene expression, suggesting that the oral environment affects taste gene expression. J. Med. Invest. 70 : 241-250, February, 2023.

Relationship between Olfactory Function and BMI in Normal Weight Healthy Subjects and Patients with Overweight or Obesity.

Smell plays a critical role in food choice and intake by influencing energy balance and body weight. Malnutrition problems or modified eating behaviors have been associated with olfactory impairment or loss. The obesity epidemic is a serious health problem associated with an increased risk of mortality and major physical comorbidities. The etiopathogenesis of obesity is complex and multifactorial, and one of the main factors contributing to the rapid increase in its incidence is the environment in which we live, which encourages the overconsumption of foods rich in energy, such as saturated fats and sugars. By means of the “Sniffin’ Sticks” test, we measured the olfactory threshold, discrimination and identification score (TDI score) in patients of the Obesity Center of the University Hospital (OC; n = 70) and we compared them with that of healthy normal weight controls (HC; n = 65). OC patients demonstrated a significantly lower olfactory function than HC subjects both general and specific for the ability to discriminate and identify odors, even when they were considered separately as females and males. For OC patients, a negative correlation was found between body mass index (BMI) and olfactory scores obtained by each subject, both when they were divided according to gender and when they were considered all together. Besides, normosmic OC patients showed a significantly lower BMI than hyposmic ones. A reduced sense of smell may contribute to obesity involving the responses of the cephalic phase, with a delay in the achievement of satiety and an excessive intake of high-energy foods and drinks.

The influence of acute partial sleep deprivation on liking, choosing and consuming high- and low-energy foods

A wealth of cross-sectional studies found a link between sleep deprivation and food-related outcomes like energy intake and BMI. Recent experimental studies suggest that this link is causal. However, the mechanisms through which sleep deprivation influences intake remain unclear. Here, we tested two prevailing hypotheses: that sleep deprivation leads to 1) increased food reward sensitivity and 2) decreased food-related self-control.In a within-subject study (n = 60 normal-weight females), we compared outcome measures under normal sleep and partial sleep deprivation conditions. Our outcome measures were 1) proxies for food reward sensitivity – liking of high and low energy foods, 2) binary food choices ranging in level of self-control conflict, and 3) intake of high and low energy foods. Eye-movements during food choice were measured with an eye-tracker to gain insights in implicit food choice processes.Food reward sensitivity outcomes showed a lower liking of low energy foods after partial sleep deprivation. More high energy foods were chosen after partial sleep deprivation independent of the level of self-control conflict. Intake of high energy foods was higher in the partial sleep deprivation condition. Lastly, the number of gaze switches between high and low energy foods, an implicit measure of conflict in choice, was lower in the high-conflict trials after sleep deprivation than after a normal night sleep.To conclude, the increased intake of high energy foods after sleep deprivation may be driven by a decreased liking of low energy foods, rather than an increased liking of high energy foods. Further, sleep deprivation may affect self-control conflict detection as indicated by a lower number of gaze switches between food options.

Fructose vs glucose decreased liking/wanting and subsequent intake of high-energy foods in young women

Recent research on the health impacts of added sugar has prompted the comparison of the effects of its 2 major components: glucose and fructose. Fructose was identified as a risk factor for obesity and metabolic syndrome. However, because of the differences in metabolic responses and responsivity of reward circuitry to palatable food, it is unknown if glucose and fructose induce similar appetite-related responses in humans with varying weights. This study compared the behavioral responses to food in young women of a healthy weight (n = 31) and with excess weight (n = 28). We hypothesized that (1) the inhibitory effect of glucose (vs fructose) on food-related responses would be greater in subjects of a healthy weight than in those with overweight/obesity and (2) subjects with overweight/obesity would exhibit a stronger preference for food than subjects with a healthy weight. After an overnight fast, the subjects ingested a glucose or equienergetic fructose beverage on 2 separate days, respectively. Then, they completed liking and wanting ratings and 2 decision-making tasks followed by ad libitum food intake. The results revealed that fructose reduced both liking and wanting for food in subjects with overweight/obesity and also decreased energy intake in all subjects. Relative to the healthy-weight group, subjects with overweight/obesity preferred the immediate reward. Moreover, only in the healthy-weight group were liking and wanting scores for food positively associated with actual food consumption. Overall, fructose (vs glucose) showed an acute inhibitory effect on appetite-related responses in subjects with excess weight.

P115 Eating Regulation, Diet-Related Autonomy and Competence, and Body Image Among African American Women

Background African Americans experience cardiovascular disease at a higher rate than other racial groups due to co-morbid conditions. Eating regulation has been shown to influence cardiovascular disease risk factors; however, this has not been adequately explored in African American female caretakers with young children. Objective Identify eating regulation behaviors among African American female caretakers with young children at risk for cardiovascular disease. Study Design, Settings, Participants This cross-sectional research surveyed individuals that identified as low-income, African American, adult females, and primary caretaker of young children in Central North Carolina. Five nutrition professionals and two community members content and face validated the survey. Measurable Outcome/Analysis Utilizing constructs from the Social Cognitive Theory and Self-Determination Theory, eating self-efficacy, dietary autonomy and competence, overeating, dietary intake, concepts related to body image (Western “thin” beauty standard), food security and sociodemographic characteristics were assessed. Autonomy describes the degree of internalization of dietary behaviors. Competence is the perceived ability to perform personally relevant dietary behaviors. Descriptive analyses included means and frequencies. Results The sample (n = 81) had a mean age of 36 years with an average BMI of 32 kg/m2. Reported cardiovascular disease risk factors included hypertension (48%), obesity (29%) and diabetes (12%). Well above 60% of participants reported frequent intake of high-energy foods. Overeating and eating self-efficacy were not perceived to impact dietary behaviors (96%). Diet-related autonomy ranged from extrinsic to intrinsic motivation (97%). Competence in performing routine tasks was reported by 99% of the participants. Acceptance of the Western beauty standard was reported by 18% of participants. Conclusion Despite being largely overweight or obese, results suggest this group does not believe they overeat and eating behaviors are intrinsically motivated. Discrepancies in weight status, dietary intake, and perceptions of eating behaviors highlight the need to target nutrition education interventions in ways that address specific beliefs about diet and overall health. Funding None.

Sex dependent effects of physical activity on diet preference in rats selectively bred for high or low levels of voluntary wheel running

Considering the current obesity epidemic is due in large part to an energy imbalance, it is crucial to explore biological mechanisms that mediate palatable high energy food intake and physical activity behavior levels. Previous research demonstrates a unique sex dependent influence of physical activity on diet preference, specifically changes in palatable high-fat diet intake. Therefore, factors of motivation may be underlying the differential effect of physical activity in male and female rats on their diet preference. The present study extends this hypothesis by assessing diet preference in male and female Wistar rats selectively bred for high (HVR) and low (LVR) levels of voluntary wheel running distances. HVR and LVR rats were housed under either sedentary (SED) or voluntary wheel running access (RUN) conditions for the duration of the study. Following a 1 week acclimation period to these conditions, standard chow was replaced with concurrent ad libitum access to a choice of 3 pelleted diets (high-fat, high-sucrose, and high-corn starch); all 3 were provided in the home cage. Body weight, running distance, and intake of each diet was measured daily. At the conclusion of the 4 week diet preference test, animals were sacrificed and ventral striatum tissue was collected for later analysis. Results demonstrated intake patterns of diets were uniquely influenced by physical activity dependent on both the sex and the selectively bred line of rat. In addition, reward related ventral striatal mRNA expression was also dependent on both the sex and the selectively bred line of rat. Overall, the pattern of both behavioral and mRNA results suggest that voluntary wheel running behavior differentially mediates palatable diet consumption in males and females. Considering the pervasive abundance of both physical inactivity, combined with over-consumption of energy dense palatable diets, it is vital to understand the nature of these behavioral interactions.

PO-224 Effect of high-fat diet on body weight and spontaneous physical activity of SD rats

Objective Excessive intake of high-energy foods and insufficient levels of physical activity are important causes of obesity. In addition, inadequate physical activity is also a major cause of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Relevant data suggests that most adults fail to achieve the level of physical activity needed to improve their health. Therefore, understanding the reasons for the lack of physical activity levels is essential for developing a reduction in sedentary and thus preventing chronic acute illnesses. It is well known that physical activity is good for health, but little is known about the genetic and biological factors that may affect this complex behavior. Some studies have shown that diet-induced obesity may alter dopaminergic activity and thus reduce physical activity levels, suggesting that obesity and diet may be inversely related to dopamine signaling. Therefore, it is necessary to further study the correlation between obesity, dopamine and physical activity levels, and to explore the relationship between high-fat diet and body weight changes and physical activity levels.
 Methods Sixteen male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into two groups. The control group (n=8) was fed with basal diet for 8 weeks, and the high-fat group (n=8) was fed with high-fat diet for 8 weeks. To compare the difference in body weight and physical activity between SD rats fed with high-fat diet and normal diet, and the relationship between body weight and body activity level; in order to study the effect of obesity on exercise behavior, use the open field experimental recorder for each The movements of the rats in the group were recorded (autonomic activity for 30 min), and the correlation between the effects of high-fat diet on body weight and spontaneous activities of SD rats was analyzed.
 Results High-fat diet and normal-fed rats were in energy intake (high-fat group 4583.94±349.85; control group 3201±298.58), body weight (high-fat group 406.23±29.35; control group 306.66±31.44) and Lee's index (high-fat group 26.17 ± 0.57; control group 24.35 ± 0.97) were significantly different. There was a high correlation between energy intake and body weight in rats, correlation coefficient r=0.911 (p<0.01); correlation coefficient between body weight and physical activity level r = 0.576 (p < 0.05). In addition, by comparing the exercise time and average speed of rats in each group, the difference in exercise time between the two groups was not significant, and the average speed difference was significant (p<0.05); exercise time was significantly correlated with physical activity level, r= 0.734 (p<0.01); and the mean speed was also positively correlated with physical activity level, and the correlation coefficient was 0.660 (P<0.01).
 Conclusions Obesity is greatly affected by dietary factors, and long-term high-fat diets lead to a decline in physical activity, which in turn promotes further deterioration of obesity. This interaction can create a vicious circle between obesity and physical activity. Further research on the mechanisms of obesity, lack of physical activity and their interaction may provide a theoretical basis for increasing the level of physical activity in obese people.

Altered neural inhibition responses to food cues after Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass

BackgroundRoux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery is a highly effective weight-loss intervention that often reduces preference and intake of high-energy foods. Research into the neural mechanisms behind this shift has mainly focused on reward processing of food cues. However, the ability to successfully control food intake and thereby weight-loss also depends on inhibitory control capacity. We investigated whether RYGB leads to alterations in neural inhibitory control in response to food cues. MethodsA food-specific go/no-go task with pictures of high-energy (desserts) and low-energy foods (vegetables), was used to assess neural inhibition responses before and after RYGB with functional magnetic resonance imaging. Data from 18 morbidly obese patients (15 females; age 41 ± 11 years; BMI 42 ± 4 kg/m2 before; BMI 36 ± 4 kg/m2 after) were analysed. Pre- and post-RYGB BOLD fMRI responses were compared for response inhibition towards high- and low-energy foods. Participants were tested in a satiated state. ResultsResponse inhibition to high-energy foods was associated with increased activation of the right lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC), right medial PFC, dorsolateral PFC, right middle cingulate cortex and the right inferior frontal operculum (involved in inhibitory control), after compared to before surgery. Response inhibition to low-energy foods elicited diminished post- compared to pre-surgery responses in the left superior temporal pole, right parahippocampal gyrus and right hypothalamus (involved in metabolic control). ConclusionNeural changes indicate improved response inhibition towards high-energy food cues, altered influence of metabolic control during response inhibition towards low-energy food cues and a more positive attitude to both high-energy and low-energy food after RYGB. Alterations in neural circuits involved in inhibitory control, satiety signalling and reward processing may contribute to effective weight-loss after RYGB.

Satiation and satiety in the regulation of energy intake

The study of the factors that regulate high energy food intake is especially relevant nowadays due to the high prevalence of overweight and obesity. Food intake regulation can be divided in two basic processes, namely satiation and satiety. Satiation is the process that determines the moment in which feeding stops and regulates the amount of ingested food during a single meal. Satiety is the interval between meals and regulates the time elapsed between two meals. The longer the interval, the lower energy intake. Each of these processes are regulated by different factors, which are here reviewed.

Implications of Palmitoleic Acid (Palmitoleate) On Glucose Homeostasis, Insulin Resistance and Diabetes.

Obesity is a metabolic, multifactorial disease that is underpinned by factors such as genetics, epigenetics, as well as high-energy food intake and sedentarism. Obesity is often associated with, and exacerbated by, other metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). A hallmark of T2DM is failure of insulin secretion from pancreatic β-cell to regulate blood glucose disposal into peripheral tissues, such as skeletal muscle, termed insulin resistance, as well as deregulation of pancreatic α-cell function. It has been proposed that insulin resistance is, in part, a consequence of impaired signal transduction of insulin caused by several molecules released from adipose tissue that include (adipo)cytokines and fatty acids. However, not all fatty acids exert a negative impact on insulin sensitivity. In fact, it has been suggested that palmitoleic acid (16:1n-7) has hormone-like properties and improves some metabolic parameters that are impaired in obesity and T2DM. Moreover, in vitro approaches reveal that cis-16:1n-7 can influence pancreatic β-cell survival, insulin secretion, and skeletal muscle insulin response and adipocyte metabolism. In vivo experiments using animal models show that the ingestion of cis-16:1n-7 or sources of it (e.g., macadamia oil) can partially prevent the metabolic alterations caused by high-fat/carbohydrate diets. In general, studies in humans found positive associations between higher trans-16:1n-7 proportion in plasma phospholipids and improved insulin sensitivity or decreased the onset of T2DM. However, plasma cis-16:1n-7 data are still controversial. In this brief review, we discuss the main studies on 16:1n-7 effects on obesity and T2DM and their potential for clinical application.

Differential hypothalamic leptin sensitivity in obese rat offspring exposed to maternal and postnatal intake of chocolate and soft drink

Background/objective:Intake of high-energy foods and maternal nutrient overload increases the risk of metabolic diseases in the progeny such as obesity and diabetes. We hypothesized that maternal and postnatal intake of chocolate and soft drink will affect leptin sensitivity and hypothalamic astrocyte morphology in adult rat offspring.Methods:Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were fed ad libitum chow diet only (C) or with chocolate and high sucrose soft drink supplement (S). At birth, litter size was adjusted into 10 male offspring per mother. After weaning, offspring from both dietary groups were assigned to either S or C diet, giving four groups until the end of the experiment at 26 weeks of age.Results:As expected, adult offspring fed the S diet post weaning became obese (body weight: P<0.01, %body fat per kg: P<0.001) and this was due to the reduced energy expenditure (P<0.05) and hypothalamic astrogliosis (P<0.001) irrespective of maternal diet. Interesting, offspring born to S-diet-fed mothers and fed the S diet throughout postnatal life became obese despite lower energy intake than controls (P<0.05). These SS offspring showed increased feed efficiency (P<0.001) and reduced fasting pSTAT3 activity (P<0.05) in arcuate nucleus (ARC) compared with other groups. The findings indicated that the combination of the maternal and postnatal S-diet exposure induced persistent changes in leptin signalling, hence affecting energy balance. Thus, appetite regulation was more sensitive to the effect of leptin than energy expenditure, suggesting differential programming of leptin sensitivity in ARC in SS offspring. Effects of the maternal S diet were normalized when offspring were fed a chow diet after weaning.Conclusions:Maternal intake of chocolate and soft drink had long-term consequences for the metabolic phenotype in the offspring if they continued on the S diet in postnatal life. These offspring displayed obesity despite lowered energy intake associated with alterations in hypothalamic leptin signalling.

Pattern of Nutritional Intake among Obese Undergraduate in Faculty of Communication Studies Universitas Padjadjaran

Background: Obesity has become the 5th leading cause of death worldwide in 2010. It is a combination of genetic susceptibility, increased availability of high energy food intake and decreased requirements for physical activity in modern society. The increase in calorie intake among obese people often leads to many chronic diseases. Therefore, the aim of this study was to observe calorie intake pattern among obese undergraduates. Methods: This study was conducted at Faculty of Communication Studies Universitas Padjadjaran, from September to November 2013. This cross-sectional study used anthropometric measurement based on Asian Body Mass cut-off points, which the screening was conducted on 512 undergraduate students, consisting of 103 undergraduates, overweight (50) and obese (53). From 53 undergraduates, 30 respondents were randomly selected. The respondents were then interviewed using 3x24 hours Food Recall questionnaire, conducted on two weekdays and one weekend to observe their pattern of nutritional intake. Total number of calories was categorized into few groups according to the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) 2012. Results: From the thirty obese undergraduates, both male (11) and female (9) consumed more excess protein in daily life. Consumption of carbohydrate and energy was significantly normal. Common consumption of food as daily basis contained more carbohydrate then protein, fats or energy. Conclusions: Prevalence of obesity is still high. Frequent meal and high intake of carbohydrates has become factors to nutritional imbalance of obese undergraduates. Types of food most widely consumed are white rice, fried chicken, tofu, tempe (asian food made from fermenting soybeans) and sweetened tea. [AMJ.2016;3(3):486–92] DOI: 10.15850/amj.v3n3.860

Medical Nutrition Therapy for Chronic Kidney Disease in Pregnancy: A Case Report

Medical Nutrition Therapy for Chronic Kidney Disease in Pregnancy: A Case Report

Nutrition transition and chronic diseases in Nigeria.

Nutrition transition goes with industrialisation that fosters human development which is usually desirable, especially in developing nations. However, the health consequences of this development include high rates of preventable non-communicable diseases which are usually undermined in the quest for industrialisation. The goal of the present paper is to provide evidence-based information that will promote healthy lifestyle including healthy consumption pattern among urban dwellers. Relevant local and international literature was accessed and reviewed to harvest evidence-based information through the use of validated review guide in addition to observation from the field experience. Industrialisation promotes creation of more job opportunities and this facilitates proliferation of fast-food eateries in the cities. However, it was also observed that many of the available workplaces in urban areas are not health-promoting because employees have poor access to preventive health information and sensitisation to healthy lifestyle has been poorly considered. Ironically, weight gain among urban workers which may be linked with increased intake of high-energy foods and low participation in physical activities as a result of accessibility to many energy saving devices have been highlighted as some of the pull-pull factors that attract many people to the cities. Using the concept of health promoting workplace, the workforce in urban areas can be trained as agent of change in health-promoting lifestyle. Consumption of healthy indigenous foods through aggressive promotion of its health potentials should be seriously advocated through the use of existing structure of urban fast-food vendors who constitute a strong stakeholder in nutrition transition.

Body Weight Status among Urban High School Girls and Its Related Determinants in Urmia, IRAN, 2005

Background & Aims: To date, it has been well known that high body weight, weather in adulthood or in growing ages, is related to some serious medical conditions. So, this study tried to investigate the body weight status among urban high school girl students of Urmia, Iran. Material and Methods: In this cross sectional study, we measured weight, height and BMI of 956 girl students. Then a questionnaire was completed based on their dietary habits and behaviors related to their physical activity. Results: Underweight prevalence in the studied population was 8.47% (95% CI: 8.3%-8.9%). The prevalence of overweight and obesity among the studied students were 14.33% (95% CI: 13.46%-15.2%), and 5.02% (95% CI: 4.4%-5.6%) respectively. Factors that are significantly correlated with the participants' body weight, are the frequency of high energy foods intake time during a week(P<0.001), duration of computer use per day(P<0.01), educational state of their mothers (P<0.01), feeding pattern in the infancy (breastfed or non-breastfed) (P<0.05) and the kind of their schools (P<0.05).No significant association was found between other studied dietary variables (such as the time spent for eating over 24-hours, and breakfast eating times per week) and overweight / obesity. Conclusion: In this study, we have shown there were two changeable parameters (i.e. the number of times for intake of high energy foods during a week, and working with computers) which influence the high schoolgirls' body weight in the region of study.

A Bio-mathematical Approach to Evaluate the Risk Burden of Hypertension and Hyperlipidemia in Diabetic Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major cause of mortality in both developed and developing countries, owing to significant increase in the intake of high-energy foods, reduced physical activity, and an increase in psychosocial stress, which in turn lead to dysglycemia, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. The incidence of CVD in diabetics is very high that is further aggravated by co-morbidities such as hyperlipidemia and/or hypertension. The purpose of this study is to mathematically model the dynamics of CVD in diabetic population with hyperlipidemia and hypertension. Here, the mathematical model is a system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs). The steady states of the model are computed and their stability is studied. Numerical simulations are performed on the model, and conditions for controlling CVD in diabetics are derived. The results of this analysis suggest that the extent of control of hyperlipidemia and hypertension directly correlates with decrease in CVD development in the diabetic population. Early diagnosis of the modifiable risk factors such as hyperlipidemia and hypertension, followed by effective clinical management to regulate blood lipid levels and blood pressure in diabetics would greatly reduce the burden of cardiovascular complications in diabetic populations.

Bariatric Surgery and the Central Nervous System

Bariatric procedures are now known to have an effect on hunger as well as on metabolism. The role of central nervous pathways in causing these effects after bariatric surgery is now being elucidated. A brief overview of these pathways has been presented for the sake of bariatric surgeons. A PubMed search was made using various search phrases to retrieve all original articles concerning the effect of bariatric surgery on the neural pathways. The mechanisms regulating the food intake and energy expenditure can be broadly divided into homeostatic and hedonic systems. The effect of bariatric surgery on the homeostatic system in animal models is not clear. A decrease in preference for sweet taste and high calorie foods has been demonstrated in animal models. The effect of bariatric surgery on the hedonic system in humans has been consistent with decreased activation of the hedonic system being demonstrated by functional MRI and decreased preference for intake of high energy foods also being observed post-surgery. The effect of bariatric surgery on dopamine signaling, which is involved in the hedonic system, is however not clear. Functional MRI studies have also demonstrated increased activation of the hypothalamus after surgery. Various studies utilizing questionnaires have demonstrated increased satiety and decreased hunger after bariatric surgery.

Osteoporosis in Patients With Diabetes Mellitus

Demographic trends with longer life expectancy and a lifestyle characterized by low physical activity and high-energy food intake contribute to an increasing incidence of diabetes mellitus and osteoporosis. Diabetes mellitus is a risk factor for osteoporotic fractures. Patients with recent onset of type 1 diabetes mellitus may have impaired bone formation because of the absence of the anabolic effects of insulin and amylin, whereas in long-standing type 1 diabetes mellitus, vascular complications may account for low bone mass and increased fracture risk. Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus display an increased fracture risk despite a higher BMD, which is mainly attributable to the increased risk of falling. Strategies to improve BMD and to prevent osteoporotic fractures in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus may include optimal glycemic control and aggressive prevention and treatment of vascular complications. Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus may additionally benefit from early visual assessment, regular exercise to improve muscle strength and balance, and specific measures for preventing falls.

Dietary Intake of Hospitalized, Activity-Restricted Pregnant Women

Approximately 18 % of pregnant women are activity restricted (AR) in hospital each year for high-risk pregnancies, with many of these women carrying multiple fetuses. There are no specific Institute of Medicine Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) recommendations for women with multi-fetal pregnancies (MFP). Current evidence suggests that women with MFP may have additional need for energy, essential fatty acids (EFAs), iron, calcium, vitamins D, C, and folic acid. Given the lack of specific guidelines for women with MFP, it has been suggested that the use of current DRI recommendations for singleton pregnancies is the prudent course of action for managing diet in these women. PURPOSE: The purpose was to a) compare dietary intake between women with singleton and MFP who were AR in hospital for a high-risk pregnancy, as well as b) determine if the women with MFP were meeting current DRI recommendations for a singleton pregnancy. METHODS: Dietary intake was analyzed over 7 days in hospitalized AR pregnant women (n=14). All subjects were in the 3rd trimester, and had been AR for at least 3 days. All women in the MFP group (n=5), and 7/9 women in the singleton pregnancy group were taking daily micronutrient supplementation. Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare groups. Mean intake of energy and nutrients by the MFP group was compared to DRI recommendations for singleton pregnancy using one sample t-tests. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the singleton and MFP groups, with the exception of the MFP group having a greater intake of protein (p=0.03). There were also no significant differences between mean MFP group intake and DRI recommendations for energy, linolenic acid, iron, vitamin C and folic acid. The MFP group had a significantly higher (p<0.05) intake of protein, calcium and vitamin D, compared to DRI recommendations, while significantly lower (p<0.05) intake of linoleic acid. CONCLUSION: AR women with MFP do not have significantly greater intake of energy and nutrients compared to AR women with singleton pregnancies. Women with MFP may benefit from increased intake of high energy foods, and those containing linoleic acid (vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains, and seeds).

Neural representations of hunger and satiety in Prader–Willi syndrome

To investigate the neural basis of the abnormal eating behaviour in Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), using brain imaging. We predicted that the satiety response in those with PWS would be delayed and insensitive to food intake. The design of this study was based on a previous investigation of the neural activation associated with conditions of fasting and food intake in a nonobese, non-PWS group. The findings were used to generate specific hypotheses regarding brain regions of interest for the current study, in which 13 adults with PWS took part (mean +/- s.d. age = 29 +/- 6; BMI = 31.5 +/- 5.1; IQ = 71 +/- 8, six were female). Regional cerebral blood flow was measured using positron emission tomography in three sessions: one following an overnight fast and two following disguised energy controlled meals of similar volume and appearance--one of 1674 kJ (400 kcal) and another of 5021 kJ (1200 kcal). Subjective ratings of hunger, fullness and desire to eat, and blood plasma levels of glucose, insulin, leptin, ghrelin and PYY were measured before and after each imaging session. The neural representation of hunger, after an overnight fast, was similar to that found in nonobese individuals in the control study. In contrast, after food intake, the patterns of neural activation previously associated with satiety were not found, even after the higher-energy load. Lateral and medial orbitofrontal cortical activation was associated with consumption of the 400- and 1200-kcal meals, respectively. The medial orbitofrontal activation, however, was only found in those who had shown a large percentage change in fullness ratings following the higher-energy meal. We conclude that there is a dysfunction in the satiety system in those with PWS. These findings suggest that brain regions associated with satiety are insensitive even to high-energy food intake in those with the syndrome. This may be the neural basis of the hyperphagia seen in PWS.