Low Protein Consumption Research Articles

Subclinical Kwashiorkor in Adults: A New Age Paradigm.

Childhood protein-energy undernutrition (PEU) is a well-recognized problem and therefore a lot of work has been done to identify and manage paediatric PEU. Though there have been several reports of low protein consumption in adults from developing countries, PEU and its subtle forms (subclinical PEU) are not yet recognized as adult disorders. Physicians and public perception do not favour easy recognition and action. In this review, the authors provide a scoping review of the existing literature on this entity providing insights into its recognition, pathogenesis and management. Adult subclinical PEU is an enormous under-recognized challenge that can have detrimental consequences if not recognized and corrected in time. PEU has grave health and economic impact on the patient and society. Therefore, it is important to recognize subclinical PEU and prevent its progression to full-blown form.

Kidney disease risk factors do not explain impacts of low dietary protein on kidney function and structure

SummaryThe kidneys balance many byproducts of the metabolism of dietary components. Previous studies examining dietary effects on kidney health are generally of short duration and manipulate a single macronutrient. Here, kidney function and structure were examined in C57BL/6J mice randomized to consume one of a spectrum of macronutrient combinations (protein [5%–60%], carbohydrate [20%–75%], and fat [20%–75%]) from weaning to late-middle age (15 months). Individual and interactive impacts of macronutrients on kidney health were modeled. Dietary protein had the greatest influence on kidney function, where chronic low protein intake decreased glomerular filtration rates and kidney mass, whereas it increased kidney immune infiltration and structural injury. Kidney outcomes did not align with cardiometabolic risk factors including glucose intolerance, overweight/obesity, dyslipidemia, and hypertension in mice with chronic low protein consumption. This study highlights that protein intake over a lifespan is an important determinant of kidney function independent of cardiometabolic changes.

Key Predictors of Anemia in Under Five Children in Rural Setting of Bangladesh: A Cross Sectional Study

Introduction: Anemia is a substantial public health problem that happens worldwide with higher prevalence noted in children less than 5 years and rural children. The studywas aimed to explore the keypredictors of anemia of study population in rural setting of Bangladesh. Methodology & Materials: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the rural Bangladesh from 1 July 2018 to December 2019. Under-five children aged six months to below sixty months were enrolled in the study. Data were collected through face-to-face interview from attending primary caregiver and from the results of laboratory tests of blood sample from target children. Data were analyzed through SPSS 23 software. Initially univariate analysis was done to identify predictors of anaemia followed by multivariate analysis to explore the key predictors through logistic regression. Results: A total data of258 under-five children aged 6-59 month were included in this study from the rural areas of Bangladesh. Among the studied children overall prevalence of anaemia was found 61.8%. The significant predictors (p <0.05) of anaemia through univariate analysis are age, maternal education level, monthly family income, exclusive breast feeding, proper complementary feeding practice as well as regular consumption of animal protein, fruits and vegetables. In addition, children who were under-weight stunted and wasted. Through multivariate analysis the key factors were explored as age group 6-24 month (AOR=0.02; p=0.006), family income less than 10000 BDT group-i.e 5000BDT or below (AOR=0.27;p=0.01) and 5001- 10000 BDT (AOR=8.84; 0.02), early and late weaning practiced children (AOR=0.23;p=0.002), low consumption of animal protein (AOR=0.05; p=0.001), and vegetables (AOR=0.18; p<0.001), stunting (AOR=0.18;p<0.001), wasting (AOR=0.14; p=0.03) and children who have chronic or recent infection (AOR=0.33; p=0.008). Conclusion: The keypredictors of anaemia are explored in this study are age below 2 year, family income less than 10000 BDT (in 2018 AD) or below, early and late weaning practice, low consumption of animal protein and vegetables, chronic malnutrition, acute malnutrition and chronic or recent infection. Rising mass awareness among the caregiver group on child care, nutrition and special focus to the children below age of two years will be the key strategies to prevent and control this extensive public health problem in Bangladesh.

Socio-cultural beliefs influence feeding practices of mothers and their children in Grand Popo, Benin

BackgroundMalnutrition is a major public health problem. It contributes to the high death rate among children in developing countries despite the various advocacies of institutions such as WHO and FAO and many other organisations. More research needs to be done in order to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The aim of this study was to explore socio-cultural practices and their influence on feeding practices of mothers and their children in Grand Popo, Benin.MethodsA qualitative research methodology was used with an inductive approach. A pretested discussion guide was used to conduct focus group discussions with participants in their local language. Four focus group discussions were held in 4 villages located in both the rural and the semi-urban areas with each focus group comprising seven to eight participants. The study protocol was approved by the Health Research Ethics Committee of Stellenbosch University. Focus group discussions were recorded, transcribed and translated to English. The data was analysed following the Creswell data analysis steps.ResultsAll the children were breastfed, and 56.1% of children under 6 months received breast milk exclusively. Children were introduced to family foods at 5 months with very low consumption of animal protein and fruits. Mothers and children had monotonous diets with high consumption of vegetables and maize-based meals. Food taboos, particularly during pregnancy, were revealed. Those cultural beliefs were still followed by some mothers, and food rich in nutrients were pushed aside.ConclusionsThere is a need for educational interventions to raise awareness of the negative impacts of some socio-cultural practices on the health of the mother and child.

Factors Related to Depression Associated with Chewing Problems in the Korean Elderly Population.

Unlike younger adults, depression in older adults is sometimes related to chewing problems. This study examined the risk factors related to depression associated with chewing problems in 3747 elderly individuals using the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Approximately 41.2% of the total subjects reported chewing problems. There were significant differences in age, education, marital status, individual income, current smoking status, and aerobic physical activity in relation to chewing problems (p < 0.001 for all). The subjects who experienced chewing problems showed a higher score on the EuroQoL 5 Dimension index (p < 0.001) but a lower health-related quality of life than those with no chewing problems (p < 0.001). The prevalence of depression, which was classified by the patient health questionnaire—9, in subjects with chewing problems was approximately 2 times higher than that in those with no chewing problems (p < 0.001). Subjects with chewing problems were found to have a 1.945-fold higher adjusted risk of depression than those who did not have chewing problems (95% CI = 1.583–2.390, p < 0.001), and subjects with high protein consumption showed a 1.410-fold greater risk of depression (95% CI = 1.144–1.739, p = 0.001) than those with low protein consumption.

FAKTOR-FAKTOR YANG MEMPENGARUHI STATUS GIZI BURUK PADA BALITA DI KELURAHAN SEI.LAKAM BARAT KECAMATAN KARIMUN KABUPATEN KARIMUN

Malnutrition is a severe level of malnutrition due to low consumption of energy and protein from daily food that occurs for quite a long time. Poor nutrition can affect children's growth and development, as well as children's intelligence. At a more severe level, when combined with poor care, poor sanitation, and the emergence of other diseases, malnutrition can lead to death. Data from Karimun district health office, there are 0.9% cases of malnutrition, 0.4% in Karimun sub-district and 1% in West Sei.Lakam sub-district in 2017. The purpose of this study is to determine the factors that influence malnutrition status in toddlers. This study used an analytical survey with a cross sectional approach. This research was conducted in February-July in Sei.Lakam Barat Subdistrict, Karimun Subdistrict, with a population of all mothers who have children aged 0-59 months totaling 869 people. The sampling technique is quota sampling with a total sample of 90 people. The measuring instrument used was a questionnaire which was analyzed univariately and bivariately using the chi-square statistical test at α 0.05. The results showed that there was a relationship between maternal knowledge and nutritional status of children under five (p = 0.047). There is no relationship between maternal education and nutritional status of children under five (p = 0.581). There is a relationship between the economy and the nutritional status of toodlers (p = 0.037). It is recommended that there be continuous health education activities on toddler nutrition for mothers of toddlers so that mothers can provide nutritious food for toddlers

Searching for conditions of protein self-assembly by protein crystallization screening method

The self-assembly of biomacromolecules is an extremely important process. It is potentially useful in the fields of life science and materials science. To carry out the study on the self-assembly of proteins, it is necessary to find out the suitable self-assembly conditions, which have always been a challenging task in practice. Inspired by the screening technique in the field of protein crystallization, we proposed using the same screening technique for seeking suitable protein self-assembly conditions. Based on this consideration, we selected 5 proteins (β-lactoglobulin, hemoglobin, pepsin, lysozyme, α-chymotrypsinogen (II) A) together with 5 screening kits (IndexTM, BML, Morpheus, JCSG, PEG/Ion ScreenTM) to investigate the performance of these crystallization screening techniques in order to discover new optimized conditions of protein self-assembly. The screens were all kept at 293 K for certain days, and were analyzed using optical microscope, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, atomic force microscope, fluorescence microscope, and atomic absorption spectroscope. The results demonstrated that the method of protein crystallization screening can be successfully applied in the screening of self-assembly conditions. This method is fast, high throughput, and easily implemented in an automated system, with a low protein consumption feature. These results suggested that such strategy can be applied to finding new conditions or forms in routine research of protein self-assembly. KEY POINTS: • Protein crystallization screening method is successfully applied in the screening of self-assembly conditions. • This screening method can be applied on various kinds of proteins and possess a feature of low protein consumption. • This screening method is fast, high throughput, and easily implemented in an automated system.

Deficiência de vitamina A em crianças brasileiras: uma revisão sistemática da literatura

RESUMO: Introdução: A deficiência de vitamina A (DVA) é considerada um problema de saúde pública em muitos países em desenvolvimento, como o Brasil, acometendo principalmente a população infantil. Objetivo: Revisar os artigos que abordavam a hipovitaminose A em crianças pré-escolares no Brasil nos anos seguintes a implementação do “Programa Vitamina A Mais”. Procedimentos metodológicos: Foi realizada uma revisão sistemática de artigos de delineamento transversal, publicados no período de janeiro de 2005 a abril 2020, nas bases de dados eletrônicas SciELO, MedLine e LILACS. A estratégia de busca incluiu os seguintes descritores em português: “deficiência de vitamina A”, “criança” e “Brasil” (e seus respectivos correspondentes nos idiomas inglês e espanhol). Resultados: Foram identificados 183 artigos, dos quais 15 foram incluídos. O percentual de crianças com DVA variou de 7,0% a 45,4%. A prevalência média ponderada de DVA pelos respectivos tamanhos amostrais foi de 20,6%. Os principais fatores associados à ocorrência de DVA englobaram aspectos relacionados à criança (menor idade, sexo masculino, baixo peso ao nascer, elevadas concentrações de proteína C-reativa, baixas concentrações de ferritina e de hemoglobina, e baixo consumo de proteína), fatores maternos (menor idade materna, baixo peso e baixa concentração de hemoglobina), e fatores socioeconômicos e ambientais desfavoráveis. Conclusão: Estudos apontam a DVA como um problema de saúde pública grave em crianças brasileiras menores de cinco anos, mesmo após a implementação do Programa Nacional de Suplementação de Vitamina A.&#x0D; PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Nutrição da Criança, Deficiência de Vitamina A, Brasil.

PENERAPAN DATA MINING DENGAN ALGORITMA NEURAL NETWORK PADA SISTEM INFORMASI PREDIKSI KASUS BALITA GIZI BURUK DI PROVINSI NUSA TENGGARA BARAT

One of the main objectives of national development is to improve the quality of human resources sustainably. This effort begins with a majors focus on the child's development from conception to adulthood. During this period of growth, the fulfillment of children's basic needs such as care and nutritious food to make them healthy, intelligent, and productive human resources. The case of malnutrition among toddlers and children is one of the priority issues handled by the government. Although from year to year there is a decrease in the number of children with malnutrition, the incidence rate in Indonesia is still high compared to other developing countries. Malnutrition is a condition caused by low consumption of energy and protein in daily food intake so that it does not meet the Nutritional Adequacy Rate (RDA). West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) is a province with high cases of malnutrition, namely 29.5% above the tolerance limit set by WHO, which is 20% of the total number of children under five. Data from the NTB Health Office states that in 2018 there were 217 cases of malnutrition spread across ten districts/cities. In this study, the authors researched the distribution and factors causing malnutrition in the West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) region. The data processed in this study comes from the website of the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) NTB which is processed using the Neural Network algorithm to produce predictive information on cases of malnutrition in the 2014-2017 period in NTB Province

Characterization of emerging food patterns, with a focus on the vegetarian food pattern

Rationale: At the same time that there is a high consumption of animal proteins, it is possible to identify an increasing number of individuals who choose to reduce or even suppress this consumption. In this sense, it is intended to analyze current consumption trends, from dietary patterns, which are characterized by a low consumption or absence of animal protein, focusing on the vegetarian dietary pattern.

Anthropometric, Biochemical, and Food Consumption Parameters are Associated with Venous Leg Ulcer Area and Duration.

To describe the dietary habits and anthropometric and biochemical parameters of patients with active venous leg ulcers and to verify the association of these variables with wound duration and area. A cross-sectional study conducted with 33 participants diagnosed with venous leg ulcers in outpatient care. Socioeconomic data, anthropometric parameters, biochemical parameters, food consumption, and wound characteristics were analyzed by an interprofessional team. Participants were an average of 58 ± 13 years, 57.6% women, 84.8% overweight, and had a median wound duration of 10 months (range, 1-192 months) and an average wound area of 5 cm (range, 0.22-61.1 cm). Diets were typically hypocaloric and hypoproteic, with a low amount of vitamin A and magnesium. Wound duration was negatively associated with polyunsaturated fat intake (P = .032), whereas wound area was significantly associated with lipid intake (P = .002) and C-reactive protein (P = .040). Patients with active venous leg ulcers were overweight (leading to systemic inflammation) and had low consumption of calories, protein, and micronutrients that could support cicatrization. Wound area was associated with a high-fat diet, whereas wound duration was negatively associated with polyunsaturated fat intake.

Association of life style and dietary habits with blood choline and cardiovascular outcome

Whole-blood choline, plasma choline and serum choline are emerging biomarkers in cardiovascular diseases (CVD). To examine the association of Whole-blood choline is an early predictor for cardiac events. In case control study, we enrolled 240 individuals including 120 normal (39 females and 82 males) and 120 cases (49 females and 71 males) where age limit was &gt;40 years) Information through interviews, family disease history, 24 recall diet assessment and blood sampling. Odds ratios express the associated risks with CVD and without CVD patients. In healthy populations, good dietary habits and active lifestyle were observed. The number of participants with CVD were smokers than normal. In men, and women the risk was observed highly significant. (p=0.0049) Different blood parameters like Triglycerides, Uric Acid, Urea, Creatinine, CRP and ESR were non-significant observed. In females the low carbohydrates and high protein and frequent salad vegetable consumption observed. On the other hand, men consume more carbohydrates. Body mass index was significantly with p= 0.036 (OD 1.12 95% 1.00-1.26). The total fats (p=0.017) (OD 1.3301 95% 1.05-1.69) total carbohydrate (p=0.076) (OD 1.1536 95% 0.98-1.35) and total proteins (p=0.287) (OD 1.1456 95% 0.89-1.47) effecting respectively. The Blood choline level was significant observed between cases (p=0.026) OD (0.944 95%0.89- 0.99).

Relationship of Food Intolerance 2Years After Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery for Obesity with Masticatory Efficiency and Protein Consumption.

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) is among the most performed bariatric surgery techniques. One known complication of RYGB surgery is food intolerance, which may limit the intake of protein. To investigate the relationship of food intolerance after RYGB surgery with masticatory efficiency, chewing time and cycles, and consumption of protein and red meat. A case-control study in subjects with and without food intolerance (regurgitation and/or vomiting more than once a week) aged over 18years old who had undergone RYGB more than 2years prior, with an absence of no more than 2 dental units and normal oral motor system evaluation. Masticatory efficiency was evaluated by the granulometry of red meat chewed by the study subject according to a predefined protocol using a sieving technique and classified from very poor to excellent. Protein and red meat consumption were evaluated by usual food recall and a 3-day dietary diary. The study population consisted of 24 cases (37.7 ± 7.57years old, 79.2% females) and 68 controls (38.0 ± 8.75years old, 61.8% females). There was a statistically significant association (p = 0.001 by the ranksum test) between food intolerance and masticatory efficiency, with 58.3% of cases and 23.5% of controls showing very poor masticatory efficiency. No evidence was found of an association of food intolerance with chewing time, chewing cycles, low protein or red meat consumption. Masticatory inefficiency is a contributing factor to food intolerance after RYGB, regardless of time and chewing cycles. No relationship was found between food intolerance and consumption of red meat and protein.

Miniaturized weak affinity chromatography for ligand identification of nanodiscs-embedded G-protein coupled receptors

Biophysical techniques that enable the screening and identification of weak affinity fragments against a target protein are at the heart of Fragment Based Drug Design approaches. In the case of membrane proteins, the crucial criteria for fragment screening are low protein consumption, unbiased conformational states and rapidity because of the difficulties in obtaining sufficient amounts of stable and functionally folded proteins. Here we show for the first time that lipid-nanodisc systems (membrane-mimicking environment) and miniaturized affinity chromatography can be combined to identify specific small molecule ligands that bind to an integral membrane protein. The approach was exemplified using the AA2AR GPCR. Home-made affinity nano-columns modified with nanodiscs-embedded AA2AR (only about 1 μg of protein per column) were fully characterized by frontal chromatographic experiments. This method allows (i) to distinguish specific and unspecific ligand/receptor interactions, (ii) to assess dissociation constants, (iii) to identify the binding pocket of uncharacterized ligands using a reference compound (whose binding site is known) with competition experiments. Weak affinity ligands with Kd in the low to high micromolar range can be detected. At last, the applicability of this method was demonstrated with 6 fragments recently identified as ligands or non-ligands of AA2AR.

Socio-cultural practices, eating patterns and presence of double burden of malnutrition in mothers and their children in Grand-popo, Benin

AbstractThe world faces today a double burden of malnutrition which includes both undernutrition and overweight, especially in developing countries. Managing these two aspects of malnutrition in developing countries is a heavy burden for their failing health systems. Data from FAO show that 161 million children under five years are stunted and at the same time 3.4 million people die each year due to overweight and obesity (FAO, 2013). The aim of this study is to investigate the sociocultural influence, feeding practices and the presence of double burden of malnutrition in children and their mothers in Grand-popo's community in Benin. A cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical approach was used. A sample of 408 children between 0- 59 months and their mothers were selected. A questionnaire was developed to get information on demographic and socio-economic status of the household, breastfeeding and infant feeding practices. Food frequency questionnaire was administrated to assess dietary patterns and four focus groups with mothers were held to determine care practices and food taboos. Weight and height measurements for children and weight, height and waist circumference for their mothers were taken. Height for Age and Weight for Height z scores were determined for children and body mass index (BMI) measurements were calculated for women. For statistics analysis, IBM SPSS 25 was used. The mean age of children was 24.45 ± 14.9 months with 53.2% of girls in the sample. The mean age of mothers was 27.99 ± 6.99 years. Majority of mothers (93.1%) are married or living with the spouse. About 91.7% of household had a monthly income of $60 and spent on average $24 ± $11.2 on food. Prevalence of wasting was 9.8% and stunting 29.7%. Waist circumference mean of mothers was 79.95 ± 10.35 cm and 19.3% were classified to be at high metabolic risk. BMI assessments revealed 16.9% of mothers were overweight and 7.4% obese. All children were breastfed. Children were introduced to family foods at 5 months on average with very low consumption of animal protein and fruits, and a high consumption of vegetables and maize based meals. Food taboos particularly during pregnancy were revealed and those cultural beliefs were still followed by some mothers. The findings showed the need for more effort on cultural sensitive interventions to reduce double burden of malnutrition.

The impact of exposure to cafeteria diet during pregnancy or lactation on offspring growth and adiposity before weaning

Exposure to maternal obesity during early-life can have adverse consequences for offspring growth and adiposity. We aimed to assess the relative contributions of exposure to maternal obesity, induced by a highly varied cafeteria diet, during pregnancy and lactation on these measures in rat offspring prior to weaning. Female Wistar rats were fed either a control (C) or cafeteria diet (O) for 8 weeks before mating, throughout pregnancy and lactation. Offspring were cross-fostered at birth to a dam on the same (CC,OO) or alternate diet prior to birth (CO,OC). Feeding a cafeteria diet based on 40 different foods, was associated with a sustained period of elevated energy intake before birth and during lactation (up to 1.7-fold), through increased sugar, total fat and saturated fat intake, and lower protein consumption. Cafeteria fed dams sustained greater weight than animals fed a control chow diet and greater perirenal adiposity by the end of lactation. Exposure to obesity during pregnancy was associated with lower offspring birth weight and body weight in early-postnatal life. In contrast, exposure during lactation alone reduced offspring weight but increased adiposity in male CO offspring before weaning. This research highlights that exposure to maternal obesity during lactation alone can programme adiposity in a sex specific manner.

Miniaturization of the Whole Process of Protein Crystallographic Analysis by a Microfluidic Droplet Robot: From Nanoliter-Scale Purified Proteins to Diffraction-Quality Crystals.

To obtain diffraction-quality crystals is one of the largest barriers to analyze the protein structure using X-ray crystallography. Here we describe a microfluidic droplet robot that enables successful miniaturization of the whole process of crystallization experiments including large-scale initial crystallization screening, crystallization optimization, and crystal harvesting. The combination of the state-of-the-art droplet-based microfluidic technique with the microbatch crystallization mode dramatically reduces the volumes of droplet crystallization reactors to tens nanoliter range, allowing large-scale initial screening of 1536 crystallization conditions and multifactor crystallization condition optimization with extremely low protein consumption, and on-chip harvesting of diffraction-quality crystals directly from the droplet reactors. We applied the droplet robot in miniaturized crystallization experiments of seven soluble proteins and two membrane proteins, and on-chip crystal harvesting of six proteins. The X-ray diffraction data sets of these crystals were collected using synchrotron radiation for analyzing the structures with similar diffraction qualities as conventional crystallization methods.

The Association Between 25-hyroxyvitmin D Concentration and Macronutrients Consumption with Obesity-related Variables in Korean Women (P18-062-19)

ObjectivesDeficiency of vitamin D is increasing in worldwide and has been reported to be associated with chronic disease such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension. The risk of vitamin D deficiency and chronic disease is related with higher prevalence after menopause. MethodsUsing a cross-sectional study of 8726 Korean women, this study was investigated combined interaction effect of vitamin D concentration and dietary macronutrients consumption on obesity-related variables in relation to menopausal status. ResultsThe percentage of vitamin D insufficient (vitamin D < 50 nmol/L) in premenopausal and postmenopausal women was 84.5% and 67.7%, respectively. The subjects with vitamin D insufficient group had higher obesity-related variables such as BMI (P = 0.019), FG (P = 0.019), TG (P < 0.001), and HDL-C (P = 0.006) than those in the vitamin D sufficient group (vitamin D ≥ 50 nmol/L). The interaction effect of menopausal status and vitamin D concentration on obesity-related variables significantly differ. The subjects with vitamin D insufficient group among postmenopausal women had higher BMI (P < 0.001), waist circumference (P = 0.011), fasting glucose (P = 0.035) and triglycerides (P = 0.001) compared to those with sufficient group. Also, among only postmenopausal women, the subjects who were vitamin D insufficient, the risk of obesity was significantly increased by 1.1297 (95% CI = 1.078–1.560) using the vitamin D sufficient as reference. However, the obesity-related variables and risk of obesity according to vitamin D concentration did not differ among premenopausal women. Moreover, among the subjects with a low dietary protein consumption, the subjects in vitamin D deficient had an increasing trend in the risk of obesity by 1.308 times (95% CI = 1.039–1.647) than those with sufficient group. However, those findings did not differ among premenopausal women. ConclusionsThus, the risk of obesity due to vitamin D deficient in postmenopausal women may be modified by the consumption of dietary protein. Funding SourcesThis study was supported by the research funds of Kunsan National University and the Basic Science Research Program of the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded.

Protein supplementation improves lean body mass in physically active older adults: a randomized placebo-controlled trial.

BackgroundAn inadequate protein intake may offset the muscle protein synthetic response after physical activity, reducing the possible benefits of an active lifestyle for muscle mass. We examined the effects of 12 weeks of daily protein supplementation on lean body mass, muscle strength, and physical performance in physically active older adults with a low habitual protein intake (<1.0 g/kg/day).MethodsA randomized double‐blinded controlled trial was performed among 116 physically active older adults [age 69 (interquartile range: 67–73) years, 82% male] who were training for a 4 day walking event of 30, 40, or 50 km/day. Participants were randomly allocated to either 31 g of milk protein or iso‐caloric placebo supplementation for 12 weeks. Body composition (dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry), strength (isometric leg extension and grip strength), quadriceps contractile function, and physical performance [Short Physical Performance Battery, Timed Up‐and‐Go test, and cardiorespiratory fitness (Åstrand–Rhyming submaximal exercise test)] were measured at baseline and after 12 weeks. We assessed vitamin D status and markers of muscle damage and renal function in blood and urine samples before and after intervention.ResultsA larger increase in relative lean body mass was observed in the protein vs. placebo group (∆0.93 ± 1.22% vs. ∆0.44 ± 1.40%, P Interaction = 0.046). Absolute and relative fat mass decreased more in the protein group than in the placebo group (∆−0.90 ± 1.22 kg vs. ∆−0.31 ± 1.28 kg, P Interaction = 0.013 and ∆−0.92 ± 1.19% vs. ∆−0.39 ± 1.36%, P Interaction = 0.029, respectively). Strength and contractile function did not change in both groups. Gait speed, chair‐rise ability, Timed Up‐and‐Go, and cardiorespiratory fitness improved in both groups (P < 0.001), but no between‐group differences were observed. Serum urea increased in the protein group, whereas no changes were observed in the placebo group (P Interaction < 0.001). No between‐group differences were observed for vitamin D status, muscle damage, and renal function markers.ConclusionsIn physically active older adults with relatively low habitual dietary protein consumption, an improvement in physical performance, an increase in lean body mass, and a decrease in fat mass were observed after walking exercise training. A larger increase in relative lean body mass and larger reduction in fat mass were observed in participants receiving 12 weeks of daily protein supplementation compared with controls, whereas this was not accompanied by differences in improvements between groups in muscle strength and physical performance.

Hydroxyproline and starch consumption and urinary supersaturation with calcium oxalate in cats

The effect of extruded foods intake with different contents of starch, protein and hydroxyproline were evaluated on water balance, oxalate renal excretion, urine chemical composition and the relative urine supersaturation with calcium oxalate (RSSCaOx) in cats. Three complete and balanced diets were formulated with different proportions of starch, protein and hydroxyproline: STARCH, high starch and low protein and hydroxyproline content diet; SOY, high protein and low hydroxyproline and starch content diet; HYDROX, high hydroxyproline and protein, and low starch content diet. Twenty-four cats were used, with 8 replicate cats per diet. Animals were submitted to an adaptation period of 10 days, followed by 7 days for total feces and urine collection and 1 day for blood collection. Data were submitted to analysis of variance and means compared by Tukey’s test (P < 0.05). Non-normal data were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn tests (P < 0.05). According to each treatment, cats had significantly different intake of starch, crude protein and hydroxyproline (P < 0.05). For diets higher in protein and lower in starch, coefficient of total tract apparent digestibility (CTTAD) of organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), and gross energy (GE) were higher (P < 0.05). The daily urinary volume and water intake via drinking bowl (P < 0.001) were higher for cats fed with high protein foods (SOY and HYDROX) (P < 0.05). Renal excretion of Cl, S, uric acid and urea increased for animals receiving SOY and HYDROX diets compared with cats on the STARCH diet (P < 0.05), following the increase in intake of protein and these minerals. Although high protein consumption is generally associated with low urinary pH, on the present study cats fed the SOY diet produced urine with higher pH values than those fed the STARCH diet, although the former is higher in protein (P = 0.004). Oxalate urine concentration and RSSCaOx were higher (P < 0.001) and oxalate renal excretion tended to be higher (P = 0.109) for cats fed STARCH and HYDROX diets than those fed with the SOY food, suggesting higher hepatocyte production of oxalate after higher starch and hydroxyproline consumption by cats. In conclusion, although the limitation of the use of practical diets with differences on chemical composition, elevated starch intake with low protein consumption reduced urine production, and the high starch and hydroxyproline increased oxalate urine concentration and RSSCaOx. However, none of these diets induced the production of supersaturated urine with calcium oxalate, because all cats produced urine in the undersaturated zone.