Nutrition Research Research Articles

Research priorities for improving menstrual health across the life-course in low- and middle-income countries

ABSTRACT Background Research on menstrual health is required to understand menstrual needs and generate solutions to improve health, wellbeing, and productivity. The identification of research priorities will help inform where to invest efforts and resources. Objectives To identify research priorities for menstrual health across the life-course, in consultation with a range of stakeholder groups from a variety of geographic regions, and to identify if menstrual health research priorities varied by expertise. Methods A modified version of the Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative approach was utilized to reach consensus on a set of research priorities. Multisector stakeholders with menstrual health expertise, identified through networks and the literature, were invited to submit research questions through an online survey. Responses were consolidated, and individuals were invited to rank these questions based on novelty, potential for intervention, and importance/impact. Research priority scores were calculated and evaluated by participants’ characteristics. Results Eighty-two participants proposed 1135 research questions, which were consolidated into 94 unique research questions. The mean number of questions did not differ between low- and middle-income country (LMIC) and high-income country (HIC) participants, but significantly more questions were raised by participants with expertise in mental health and WASH. Sixty-six participants then ranked these questions. The top ten-ranked research questions included four on ‘understanding the problem’, four on ‘designing and implementing interventions’, one on ‘integrating and scaling up’, and one on ‘measurement’. Indicators for the measurement of adequate menstrual health over time was ranked the highest priority by all stakeholders. Top ten-ranked research questions differed between academics and non-academics, and between participants from HICs and LMICs, reflecting differences in needs and knowledge gaps. Conclusions A list of ranked research priorities was generated through a consultative process with stakeholders across LMICs and HICs which can inform where to invest efforts and resources.

David Kritchevsky Graduate Student Award for Nutrition Research

David Kritchevsky Graduate Student Award for Nutrition Research

Development of a Comprehensive Food Data Citation Standard: A Surprising Gap in the Nutrition Research Literature

Currently, there is no standard for the citation of food composition data. This leads to the questions: how are food and nutrient data cited in research papers, and are they presented in a way that allows studies to be reproduced? To answer these questions, we performed a review of the literature and quantified the accuracy and completeness of data citations from publications (January to December 2020) in the top 5 nutrition journals as ranked by the Scimago Journal Rankings. We then performed a review of citation guidelines currently in place in other disciplines. Similar to the requirement of completing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses checklist for systematic reviews, we have developed a comprehensive data citation checklist, the Comprehensive Food Data Citation (CFDC) checklist. The CFDC checklist was developed through a benchmarking assessment against established data citation standards. Its purpose is to establish a standardized, best-practice approach for reporting food composition data. The CFDC checklist has been designed to cater to both publishers and authors, ensuring consistency and accuracy in food composition data reporting. The CFDC checklist is also available as an interactive citation generator to facilitate the adoption of consistent and comprehensive citation of food composition data and is available at https://www.nutrientinstitute.org/cfdc. Despite general agreement that accurate data citation is paramount, this is the first citation standard specifically developed to capture food composition data. Because food composition data are the foundation of nutrition research, our proposed guidelines aim to provide the field with a much-needed foundation for acknowledging and sharing data in a way that fosters reproducibility.

Effect of Feeding Moringa oleifera Replacing TMR on Nutrients Intake, Rumen Fermentation and Economics in Adult Cattle

A study was undertaken at Animal Nutrition Research Station, College of Veterinary Science & Animal Husbandry, Anand Agricultural University, Anand, Gujarat, India during January–March, 2020 to determine effect of feeding Moringa oleifera on nutrient intake, rumen fermentation and economics in adult cattle. Fourteen adult cattle were randomly divided into two groups on the basis of body weight viz., T1 (control): TMR (Wheat straw-70% and Concentrate-30%) and T2 (Treatment): Control TMR+Green Moringa oleifera (replacing TMR with 20% of total protein requirement of animal from green Moringa oleifera). The daily dry matter intake (kg), crude protein intake (g), digestible crude protein intake (g), TDN intake (kg) was found non-significant in both the groups, whereas dry matter intake and TDN intake (kg 100 kg- BW and g kg-1 W0.75) were significantly higher in control group. The crude protein intake (g 100 kg-1 BW) and DCP intake (g 100 kg-1 BW and g kg-1 W0.75) were significantly higher in Moringa supplemented group. The average ruminal pH, ammonical nitrogen (NH3-N) (mg dl-1), Non-protein nitrogen (NPN) (mg dl-1), soluble nitrogen (mg dl-1) and TCA precipitable nitrogen (mg dl-1) were found non-significant. However, the concentration of TVFA (mM dl-1) and total nitrogen (mg dl-1) were significantly higher in Moringa supplemented group. The daily feed cost was reduced by 8.93% in Moringa oleifera supplemented group but statistically the difference was found non-significant.

Advancing carotenoid Quantification: A new method for semi-quantitative assessment of β -Carotene and lycopene content in food extracts

Carotenoids, such as lycopene and β-carotene, have been widely recognized for their antioxidant properties and potential health benefits. Accurate quantification of carotenoids in plant extracts is essential for nutritional assessment, quality control, and research investigations. This study introduces an innovative method for quantifying lycopene and β-carotene, in plant extracts and aims to bridge the gap between complex and expensive carotenoid quantification techniques and the need for accessible methods that can be widely adopted. The primary difference between HPLC and HPTLC lies in the medium used for separation. HPLC employs a liquid phase within columns, while HPTLC utilizes a thin layer of adsorbent on a plate. This distinction impacts factors like equipment, cost, and analysis time. The VisionCats software, combined with the CAMAG Visualizer-2, allows the semi-quantification of metabolites using an image-based evaluation method enabling the simultaneous assessment of qualitative and semi-quantitative information from the HPTLC images.Sample preparation involves washing and drying the vegetal material, followed by dichloromethane extraction. HPTLC analysis is performed using the CAMAG Advanced Herbal System, and the validation studies include establishing calibration curves and determining the detection threshold and minimum quantification threshold for lycopene and β-carotene. Specificity and precision were evaluated to ensure accurate identification and repeatability of the method. Data analysis involves selecting the regression method based on the nature of the data and assessing the goodness of fit using the R2 value. The results showed distinct peaks corresponding to lycopene and β-carotene in the chromatograms of the plant extract samples. The visualizer-based method demonstrates good specificity and precision, with no interfering peaks observed and low relative standard deviation. The method shows promising results regarding specificity, precision, and reliability. It has the potential for broader implementation in carotenoid research and rapid monitoring of carotenoid content in various agricultural and food products, particularly in resource-limited settings. Further optimization and validation on a wider range of samples would enhance the applicability of this method in carotenoid research.Sample preparation involves washing and drying the vegetal material, followed by dichloromethane extraction. HPTLC analysis is performed using the CAMAG Advanced Herbal System, and the validation studies include establishing calibration curves and determining the detection threshold and minimum quantification threshold for lycopene and β-carotene. Specificity and precision were evaluated to ensure accurate identification and repeatability of the method. Data analysis involves selecting the regression method based on the nature of the data and assessing the goodness of fit using the R2 value. The results showed distinct peaks corresponding to lycopene and β-carotene in the chromatograms of the plant extract samples. The visualizer-based method demonstrates good specificity and precision, with no interfering peaks observed and low relative standard deviation. The method shows promising results regarding specificity, precision, and reliability. It has the potential for broader implementation in carotenoid research and for rapid screening and monitoring of carotenoid content in various agricultural and food products, particularly in resource-limited settings. Further optimization and validation on a wider range of samples would enhance the applicability of this method in carotenoid research.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the clinimetric properties of the core outcome measurement instruments for clinical effectiveness trials of nutritional and metabolic interventions in critical illness (CONCISE)

BackgroundCONCISE is an internationally agreed minimum set of outcomes for use in nutritional and metabolic clinical research in critically ill adults. Clinicians and researchers need to be aware of the clinimetric properties of these instruments and understand any limitations to ensure valid and reliable research. This systematic review and meta-analysis were undertaken to evaluate the clinimetric properties of the measurement instruments identified in CONCISE.MethodsFour electronic databases were searched from inception to December 2022 (MEDLINE via Ovid, EMBASE via Ovid, CINAHL via Healthcare Databases Advanced Search, CENTRAL via Cochrane). Studies were included if they examined at least one clinimetric property of a CONCISE measurement instrument or recognised variation in adults ≥ 18 years with critical illness or recovering from critical illness in any language. The COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) checklist for systematic reviews of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures was used. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses were used in line with COSMIN guidance. The COSMIN checklist was used to evaluate the risk of bias and the quality of clinimetric properties. Overall certainty of the evidence was rated using a modified Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach. Narrative synthesis was performed and where possible, meta-analysis was conducted.ResultsA total of 4316 studies were screened. Forty-seven were included in the review, reporting data for 12308 participants. The Short Form-36 Questionnaire (Physical Component Score and Physical Functioning), sit-to-stand test, 6-m walk test and Barthel Index had the strongest clinimetric properties and certainty of evidence. The Short Physical Performance Battery, Katz Index and handgrip strength had less favourable results. There was limited data for Lawson Instrumental Activities of Daily Living and the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition criteria. The risk of bias ranged from inadequate to very good. The certainty of the evidence ranged from very low to high.ConclusionsVariable evidence exists to support the clinimetric properties of the CONCISE measurement instruments. We suggest using this review alongside CONCISE to guide outcome selection for future trials of nutrition and metabolic interventions in critical illness.Trial registration : PROSPERO (CRD42023438187). Registered 21/06/2023.

Quality Characterization of Instant Pounded Yam Flour and its Composites Using Principal Component Analysis

The importance of producing acceptable composite instant pounded yam flour has been challenging in todays’ consumer market due to various substitutes been utilized during its production process as a way of reducing the production cost hence the need to carry out quality assessment of the products.
 Aims: This study examined the functional and pasting characteristics of composite Instant Pounded Yam Flour (IPYF) made from varying substitution levels (15%, 30% and 45%) of Dehulled White Sorghum Flour (DWSF), White Rice Flour (WREF) and High Quality Cassava Flour (HQCF).
 Study Design: The study was a factorial design.
 Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out at Food Technology Department, Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi, Lagos State and Department of Food, Nutrition and Home Science, University of Port Harcourt (Processing and analysis of raw materials) between September, 2022 and May, 2023.
 Methodology: Raw materials were processed into flours and combined with at varying levels. The functional and pasting properties of the flours (individual and composite samples) were subsequently determined and then subjected to Principal Component Analysis.
 Results: Significant differences (P≤0.05) were found between the functional and pasting characteristics of the various flour samples, with IPYF having the highest mean value of 0.85 ± 0.02, 243.00 ± 3.00, 79.50 ± 1.00, 7.00 ± 0.56 and 83.10 ± 0.75 for pack bulk density, water absorption capacity, water binding capacity, peak time and pasting temperature respectively among others while HQCF has the highest mean value for oil absorption capacity (104.95 ± 2.77) and peak viscosity (350.75 ± 1.04), DWSF has the highest mean value setback viscosity (140.33 ± 0.92) and white rice flour has the highest mean value for trough viscosity (227.75 ± 1.84) and final viscosity (334.67 ± 1.62). Significant variations (P≤0.05) were also seen across the composite flours, with the peak viscosity of the HQCF-IPYF increasing with the level of replacement.
 Conclusion: HQCF substitution level of 15% would be recommended for the production of composite IPYF that has the nearly similar and pasting characteristics of 100% Instant Pounded Yam Flour.

Synthetic Communities of Gut Microbes for Basic Research and Translational Approaches in Animal Health and Nutrition.

Microbes and animals have a symbiotic relationship that greatly influences nutrient uptake and animal health. This relationship can be studied using selections of microbes termed synthetic communities, or SynComs. SynComs are used in many different animal hosts, including agricultural animals, to investigate microbial interactions with nutrients and how these affect animal health. The most common host focuses for SynComs are currently mouse and human, from basic mechanistic research through to translational disease models and live biotherapeutic products (LBPs) as treatments. We discuss SynComs used in basic research models and findings that relate to human and animal health and nutrition. Translational use cases of SynComs are discussed, followed by LBPs, especially within the context of agriculture. SynComs still face challenges, such as standardization for reproducibility and contamination risks. However, the future of SynComs is hopeful, especially in the areas of genome-guided SynCom design and custom SynCom-based treatments.

Response to JPEN Journal Club 80. Prespecified outcomes.

We thank Dr. Koretz for critically reviewing and discussing the results of the prealbumin analysis,1,2 a prespecified analysis asking the question whether low prealbumin levels may help to identify patients that have more pronounced benefits from nutritional support within a subgroup of patients included in the EFFORT trial.3 Indeed, finding specific biomarkers that help to better phenotype patients and improve nutritional treatment decisions has become an important priority of current nutritional research and has recently been advocated in the revised ESPEN guidelines on nutrition in polymorbid patients.4 Dr. Koretz raises several questions and concerns, which I would like to comment and provide some rational for decisions that have been taken. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Health research prioritization in Somalia: setting the agenda for context specific knowledge to advance universal health coverage.

Despite recognition that health research is an imperative to progress toward universal health coverage, resources for health research are limited. Yet, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, more than 85% of the resources available for health research are spent on answering less relevant research questions. This misalignment is partially due to absence of locally determined health research priorities. In this study, we identified health research priorities which, if implemented, can inform local interventions required to accelerate progress toward universal health coverage in Somalia. We adapted the child health and nutrition research initiative method for research priority setting and applied it in 4 major phases: (1) establishment of an exercise management team, (2) a web-based survey among 84 respondents to identify health research questions; (3) categorization of identified health research questions; and (4) a workshop with 42 participants to score and rank the identified health research questions. Ethical approval was received from ethics review committee of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (Ref:26524) and the Somali Research and Development Institute (Ref: EA0143). Two hundred and thirty-one unique health research questions were identified and categorized under health systems, services and social determinants (77), communicable diseases (54), non-communicable diseases (41) and reproductive, maternal, new-born, child, adolescent health and nutrition (59). A priority score ranging from 1 to 9 was assigned to each of the questions. For each category, a list of 10 questions with the highest priority scores was developed. Across the four categories, an overall list of 10 questions with the highest priority scores was also developed. These related to bottlenecks to accessing essential health services, use of evidence in decision making, antimicrobial resistance, distribution and risk factors for non-communicable diseases, post-traumatic stress disorder and factors associated with low antenatal care attendance among others. The developed priority research questions can be used to focus health research and to inform appropriation of health research resources to questions that contribute to generation of local health system knowledge which is required to accelerate progress toward universal health coverage in Somalia. The Somalia national institute of health should set up a consortium for provision of technical and financial support for research addressing the identified priority research questions, establish a mechanism to continuously monitor the extent to which new health interventions in Somalia are informed by knowledge generated through conducting prioritized health research and prioritize interventions aimed at strengthening the broader national health research system for Somalia.

Bridging the gap: Using CHNRI to align migration health research priorities in India with local expertise and global perspectives.

Migration and health are increasingly recognised as a global public health priority, but concerns have been raised on the skewed nature of current research and the potential disconnect between health needs and policy and governance responses. The Migration Health South Asia (MiHSA) network led the first systematic research priority-setting exercise for India, aligned with the global call to develop a clearly defined migration health research agenda that will inform research investments and guide migrant-responsive policies by the year 2030. We adapted the Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative (CHNRI) method for this priority setting exercise for migration health. Guided by advisory groups established at international and country levels, we sought research topics from 51 experts from diverse disciplines and sectors across India. We consolidated 223 responses into 59 research topics across five themes and scored them against five predefined criteria: answerability, effectiveness, feasibility, impact, and effect on equity. We then calculated research priority scores (RPS) and average expert agreement (AEA) each research topic and theme. A third of the 59 research topics were on migrants' health and health care access, 12 on social determinants of migrants' health, 10 on policies, law and migration health governance, eight on health systems' responsiveness, and five on migration health discourse. Three of the top five priority topics pertained to migrants' health care access. The policies, law, and governance theme had the highest overall RPS score. There is a noticeable gap between research priorities identified by experts at the country-level and the current research focus and priorities set globally. This disconnect between the global and local perspectives in migration health scholarship hinders the development of context-specific and suitable policy agendas for improving migrants' health. Our co-developed agenda emphasises the need to prioritise research on the capacity of existing systems and policies so as to make them more migration-aware and responsive to migrants' health needs.

Discretizing continuous variables in nutrition and obesity research: a practice that needs to be cut short

Background/objectivesNutrition and obesity researchers often dichotomize or discretize continuous independent variables to conduct an analysis of variance to examine group differences. We describe consequences associated with dichotomizing and discretizing continuous variables using two cross-sectional studies related to nutrition.Subjects/methodsStudy 1 investigated the effects of health literacy and nutrition knowledge on nutrition label accuracy (n = 612). Study 2 investigated the effects of cognitive restraint and BMI on fruit and vegetable (F/V) intake (n = 586). We compare analytic approaches where continuous independent variables were either discretized/dichotomized or analyzed as continuous variables.ResultsIn Study 1, dichotomization of health literacy and nutrition knowledge for 2 × 2 ANOVA revealed health literacy had an effect on nutrition label accuracy. Nutrition knowledge has an effect on nutrition label accuracy, but the health literacy by nutrition knowledge interaction was not significant. When analyzed using regression, the nutrition knowledge effect was significant. The simple effect of health literacy was also significant when health literacy equals zero. Finally, the quadratic effect of health literacy was negative and significant. In Study 2, dichotomization and discretization of cognitive restraint and BMI were used for three ANOVAs, which discretized BMI in three ways. For all ANOVAs, the BMI main effect for predicting fruit and vegetable intake was significant, the interaction between BMI and cognitive restraint was non-significant, and cognitive restraint was only significant when both variables were dichotomized. When analyzed using regression, the continuous mean-centered variables, and their interaction each significantly predicted F/V intake.ConclusionsDichotomizing continuous independent variables resulted in distortions of effect sizes across studies, an inability to assess the quadratic effect of health literacy, and an inability to detect the moderating effect of BMI. We discourage researchers from dichotomizing and discretizing continuous independent variables and instead use multiple regression to examine relationships between continuous independent and dependent variables.

430 Awardee Talk: Recent Breakthroughs in Mineral Nutrition Research That Are Influencing Commercial Swine Diet Formulation

Abstract Mineral nutrition research continues to be of great importance to swine nutritionists because of the direct impact on swine performance and health, and consequently producer profitability. The emphasis of recent mineral research has often been focused on trying to overcome areas of concern in commercial production as opposed to the foundational work that historically was designed to establish basal nutrient requirements. Increased prevalence of post-wean diarrhea has stimulated a renewed interest in adding pharmacological levels of Zn from ZnO in nursery diets. However, environmental and regulatory concerns are creating the need to find ZnO alternatives that will yield similar growth promotional benefits while also reducing diarrhea. Additionally, formulating nursery diets with an ABC-4 formulation concept considers the influence of dietary mineral concentrations and could allow for less dependence on high ZnO inclusion in nursery pig diets. Interest in identifying the correct Ca and P inclusion rate and relationship that supports optimum growth, feed efficiency, and bone mineralization continues to be of high importance, especially with the increased observation of lameness in commercial barns. Properly adjusting dietary P with the use of phytase is increasing in complexity as the number of new phytase sources enter the market. Research comparing different sources of minerals such as Zn, Cu, Mn, Se, and Fe continues to be conducted to identify the combination of source and inclusion rate that yields the greatest return for the producer. The trend for mineral research conducted in commercial barns with pigs exposed to a wide range of stressors will continue in the future. Additionally, an enhanced focus on research conducted with the goal of improving sustainability through life-cycle assessment analysis will drive future mineral research interests. While mineral-focused research has a long history in swine nutrition, the evolution of commercial production needs and consumer demands means that there will be heightened interest in studies that demonstrate optimum mineral feeding strategies in the future.

Publication trends in nutrition research for sarcopenic obesity: A 20-year bibliometric analysis.

We used bibliometric methods to evaluate publications on the role of nutrition in sarcopenic obesity and analyzed the current situation and developmental trends over the past 2 decades. Publications from 2002 to 2022 related to the role of nutrition in sarcopenic obesity were extracted from the Web of Science Core Collection database. CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and the Bibliometrix R package were applied to build relevant network diagrams. One thousand ninety-four articles from 64 countries were included. The annual number of publications in this field has shown an intense growth trend. The University of Alberta, Yonsei University, and Korea University are the major research institutions. Clinical Nutrition has published the most papers on the role of nutrition in sarcopenic obesity, and the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition is the most co-cited journal. A total of 5834 authors conducted the relevant studies. Yves Boirie has published the most papers in this field, and AJ Cruz-Jentoft is the most co-cited author. This is the first bibliometric study of the role of nutrition in sarcopenic obesity. This study systematically summarizes the research hotspots and development directions in this field, and provides a reference for scholars studying the role of nutrition in sarcopenic obesity.

David Kritchevsky Graduate Student Award for Nutrition Research

David Kritchevsky Graduate Student Award for Nutrition Research

High-throughput multitarget quantitative assay to profile the whole grain-specific phytochemicals alkylresorcinols, benzoxazinoids and avenanthramides in whole grain and grain-based foods.

Currently, there is a growing interest in using whole grain (WG)-specific phytochemicals to perform WG research, including research on dietary assessment, health mechanisms, and quality control. However, the current approaches used for WG-specific phytochemical analysis cannot simultaneously achieve coverage, specificity, and sensitivity. In the present study, a series of WG-specific phytochemicals (alkylresorcinols (ARs), benzoxazinoids (BXs) and avenanthramides (AVAs)) were identified, and their mass spectrometry (MS) fragmentation mechanism was studied by TOF MS. Based on diagnostic fragmentation ions and retention time prediction models, a LC-MS/MS method was developed. Through this method, 56 ARs, 13 BXs, and 19 AVAs in WGs and grain-based foods were quantified for the first time. This method was validated and yielded excellent specificity, high sensitivity and negligible matrix effects. Finally, we established WG-specific phytochemical fingerprints in a variety of WG and grain-based foods. This method can be used for WG quality control and WG precision nutrition research.

DETERMINANTS OF INPATIENT SATISFACTION IN FOOD SERVING AND FOOD SERVICE AT MELATI HOSPITAL TANGERANG

Hospital is one of the health service industries that has an important role in providing health services to the community. One of the services at the hospital is hospital nutrition service activities which consist of outpatient nutrition care, inpatient nutrition care, food administration, and research and development. Many parties often pay attention to the organization of food in hospitals, in this case, inpatient food services because it is related to patient satisfaction. This study aims to determine the determinants associated with inpatient satisfaction in serving and serving food. The research method used is the chi-square correlation. The sample in this study were inpatients at Melati Hospital Tangerang, totaling 193 patients. The sampling technique used purposive sampling and was taken using a questionnaire. The significance values of the variables age, gender and education were 0.035, 0.048 and 0.018 less than ? (0.05) while the significance values of the variables of work and type of diet were 0.637 and 0.642 more than ? (0.05). This study obtained the results that there was a significant relationship between age, gender and education with service satisfaction and food serving, while work and type of diet did not have a significant relationship with food serving and service.
 Keywords: Food Service, Food Serving, Patient Satisfaction, Chi-square

Nutritional uniformity of cell wall and lignin fractions in grass and red clover silage evaluated by the Lucas test with application to forage feed evaluation

The objective of this study was to investigate relationships between different cell wall (CW) fractions and in vivo digestibility of grass and red clover silages. The material consisted of 28 silages (6 primary growth grass, 16 regrowth grass and 6 red clover). Different fibre fractions predicted organic matter (OM) and neutral detergent fibre (aNDFom) digestibility reasonably well among the three forage types, but uniformly the digestibility predictions were not accurate enough for estimating the feeding value. Isolation of total CW did not improve digestibility predictions compared with aNDFom. The fraction insoluble in CW isolation, but soluble in aNDFom extraction was a uniform feed fraction with almost complete true digestibility. Isolation of CW fraction from faecal samples was not able to solubilize endogenous and metabolic components. True crude protein (CP) digestibility was higher than 0.90 when estimated by the Lucas test and by assuming that only N bound to neutral detergent fibre in faeces was of feed origin. Acid detergent lignin was more closely related to digestibility than lignin isolated from neutraldtergent fibre or CW (but all were inferior compared to indigestible NDF (iNDF) determined by 12-d ruminal in situ incubation. Lignin to iNDF ratio varied both within and between forage types. For evaluating nutritive value of forages actual measurements of iNDF (or undigested NDF) is recommended over detailed analysis of fibre and lignin fractions. Despite some CW fractions are solubilized in ND extractions, analysis of total CW is not a useful tool in ruminant nutrition research.

Electrochemistry of Flavonoids: A Comprehensive Review.

Flavonoids represent a large group of aromatic amino acids that are extensively disseminated in plants. More than six thousand different flavonoids have been isolated and identified. They are important components of the human diet, presenting a broad spectrum of health benefits, including antibacterial, antiviral, antimicrobial, antineoplastic, anti-mutagenic, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, immunomodulatory, vasodilatory and cardioprotective properties. They are now considered indispensable compounds in the healthcare, food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and biotechnology industries. All flavonoids are electroactive, and a relationship between their electron-transfer properties and radical-scavenging activity has been highlighted. This review seeks to provide a comprehensive overview concerning the electron-transfer reactions in flavonoids, from the point of view of their in-vitro antioxidant mode of action. Flavonoid redox behavior is related to the oxidation of the phenolic hydroxy groups present in their structures. The fundamental principles concerning the redox behavior of flavonoids will be described, and the phenol moiety oxidation pathways and the effect of substituents and experimental conditions on flavonoid electrochemical behavior will be discussed. The final sections will focus on the electroanalysis of flavonoids in natural products and their identification in highly complex matrixes, such as fruits, vegetables, beverages, food supplements, pharmaceutical compounds and human body fluids, relevant for food quality control, nutrition, and healthcare research.

Optimizing Polycystic Ovarian Disorder (PCOD) Treatment with Personalized Lifestyle and Nutrition Strategies

Introduction: Polycystic Ovarian Disorder (PCOD) is a prevalent endocrine illness in women of reproductive age. It has hormonal abnormalities, irregular menstrual cycles and tiny ovarian cysts. Lifestyle and food affect PCOD development and maintenance, coupled with medical therapies. Lifestyle, diet and PCOD are interconnected in this thorough assessment. Methodology: The evaluation comprises PCOD, lifestyle, diet, exercise, stress management and nutrition research published between January 1, 2000 and May 1, 2023. Result: PCOS management requires lifestyle changes including frequent exercise, a healthy weight, nutritious diet and no cigarettes. While lifestyle modifications cannot substitute medical care, they improve well-being. Low-GI, ketogenic and omega-3 fatty acid diets may reduce insulin resistance and PCOS symptoms. Eating no Saturated Fats (SFAs) is also important. Exercise improves insulin sensitivity, but high-intensity sessions improve cardiorespiratory fitness, insulin resistance and body composition more. We propose intense aerobic and strength training. PCOS might worsen insulin resistance due to sleep disruptions. Getting enough sleep is important for metabolism. PCOS sufferers may have reduced melatonin, which regulates the body’s 24-hour schedule, underlining the significance of sleep. Vitamin D, inositol, folate, B-group vitamins, vitamin K and vitamin E may improve insulin sensitivity and hormonal balance. Vitamins including bioflavonoids, carnitine and alpha-lipoic acid and minerals like chromium picolinate, calcium, magnesium, selenium and zinc may also help PCOS sufferers. More study is required to prove their effectiveness. Conclusion: PCOD is complicated and needs comprehensive treatment. Lifestyle, food and medical therapies should be combined for best outcomes. Healthcare practitioners and PCOD patients must collaborate to create tailored lifestyle, diet and supplement recommendations. Improve these remedies for the PCOD community with further study.