ALBERT

Description: (1) Background: Night shift workers have greater risks of developing cardiometabolic diseases compared to day workers due to poor sleep quality and dietary habits, exacerbated by circadian misalignment. Assessing effects of dietary interventions on health outcomes among this group will highlight gaps for future research. (2) Methods: A search of studies was conducted on PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Embase Classic, Ovid Emcare, and Google Scholar, from earliest to June 2019. The population–intervention–comparator–outcomes–study design format determined inclusion criteria. (3) Results: 756 articles were retrieved; five met inclusion and exclusion criteria. Six-hundred-and-seventy night shift workers were from healthcare, industrial, and public safety industries. Dietary interventions included two longer-term nutrition programs and three shorter-term adjustments of meal composition, type, and timing. Outcome measures were varied but included weight and cardiometabolic health measures. Nutrition programs found no weight improvement at both six and 12 months; low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol levels decreased at six months. Triglycerides peaked after meals at 7:30 pm; glucose and insulin area under the curve peaked after meals at 11:30 pm. (4) Conclusions: Weight loss was not achieved in the studies reviewed but LDL-cholesterol improved. Future studies should investigate the effects of energy reduction and altering meal timing on cardiometabolic risk factors of night shift workers in randomised controlled trials, while assessing hunger, sleepiness, and performance.

Description: Dietary advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are believed to contribute to pathogenesis of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The objective of this study was to determine if a diet high in red and processed meat and refined grains (HMD) would elevate plasma concentrations of protein-bound AGEs compared with an energy-matched diet high in whole grain, dairy, nuts and legumes (HWD). We conducted a randomized crossover trial with two 4-week weight-stable dietary interventions in 51 participants without type 2 diabetes (15 men and 36 women aged 35.1 ± 15.6 y; body mass index (BMI), 27.7 ± 6.9 kg/m2). Plasma concentrations of protein-bound Nε-(carboxymethyl) lysine (CML), Nε-(1-carboxyethyl) lysine (CEL) and Nδ-(5-hydro-5-methyl-4-imidazolon-2-yl)-ornithine (MG-H1) were measured by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The HMD significantly increased plasma concentrations (nmol/mL) of CEL (1.367, 0.78 vs. 1.096, 0.65; p 〈 0.01; n = 48) compared with the HWD. No differences in CML and MG-H1 between HMD and HWD were observed. HMD increased plasma CEL concentrations compared with HWD in individuals without type 2 diabetes.

Description: Aim We aimed to determine if nut consumption decreases mortality and/or the risk of cardiometabolic diseases based on updated meta-analyses of epidemiological and intervention studies. Methods. An updated electronic search was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and the Cochrane Library databases for original meta-analyses to investigate the effects of nut consumption on cardiometabolic disease in humans. Results. Seven new meta-analyses were included in this updated review. Findings similar to our previous review were observed, showing that nut consumption significantly decreased cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality (−19% to −25%; n = 4), coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality (−24% to −30%; n = 3), stroke mortality (−17% to −18%; n = 3), CVD incidence (−15% to −19 %; n = 4), CHD [or coronary artery disease (CAD)] incidence (−17% to −34%; n = 8), and stroke incidence (−10% to −11%; n = 6) comparing high with low categories of nut consumption. Fasting glucose levels (0.08 to 0.15 mmol/L; n = 6), total cholesterol (TC; 0.021 to 0.30 mmol/L; n = 10), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C; 0.017 to 0.26 mmol/L; n = 10) were significantly decreased with nut consumption compared with control diets. Body weight and blood pressure were not significantly affected by nut consumption. Conclusion. Nut consumption appears to exert a protective effect on cardiometabolic disease, possibly through improved concentrations of fasting glucose, total cholesterol, and LDL-C.

Description: The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of consuming 2 eggs for breakfast 5 days per week compared with eating breakfast cereal in a randomized parallel study. Two energy-restricted diets with a similar energy content were compared over a 6-month period. One hundred and ten participants—aged 56 ± 16 years, BMI 34 ± 6 kg·m2, 84 women and 26 men—commenced and 76 completed the study, 33 in the egg group and 43 in the cereal group. Weight loss in completers was 8.1 kg ± 7.0 kg (8.8 ± 6.4%) in the egg group and 7.3 kg ± 4.0 kg (7.6 ± 4.6%) in the cereal group (p 〈 0.001 for time) but there was no differential effect of diet (p = 0.56). Vitamin D was 55 ± 18 nmol/L at baseline rose at 3 months and fell at 6 months but remained higher than baseline (p 〈 0.001 for time) with no difference between the groups. Vitamin D levels were inversely correlated with BMI (r = −0.22 p = 0.025) and positively with age (r = 0.26 p = 0.009), and change in Vitamin D was positively correlated with weight change at 3 and 6 months (r = 0.46 and r = 0.41 both p 〈 0.001). In a post-hoc analysis of obese participants there was an effect of time (p 〈 0.01) and a time by diet interaction (p 〈 0.04), such that participants in the egg group maintained the increase in Vitamin D levels at 6-months. There was no effect on glucose and no adverse effects on total and LDL cholesterol, which did not change. In conclusion, both diets achieved clinically meaningful weight loss. There were no adverse effects on LDL-cholesterol, and there may be a beneficial effect on Vitamin D in people with obesity but this remains to be investigated in a prospective study.

Description: Weight loss after gestational diabetes (GDM) reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2DM); however, weight loss remains challenging in this population. In order to explore perceptions of T2DM risk, barriers to weight loss, and views of diet strategies in women with previous GDM, a cross-sectional online survey of n = 429 women in Australia aged ≥18 years with previous GDM was conducted. Opinions of intermittent energy restriction (IER) were of interest. Seventy-five percent of responders (n = 322) had overweight or obesity, and 34% (n = 144) believed they had a high risk of developing T2DM. Within the Theoretical Domains Framework, barriers to weight loss were prominently related to Environmental Context and Resources, Beliefs about Capabilities, and Behavioural Regulation. Exercising was the most tried method of weight loss over other diet strategies (71%, n = 234) and weight loss support by a dietician was appealing as individual appointments (65%, n = 242) or an online program (54%, n = 200). Most women (73%, n = 284) had heard of IER (the “5:2 diet”), but only 12% (n = 34) had tried it. Open comments (n = 100) revealed mixed views of IER. Women in Australia with previous GDM were found to lack a self-perceived high risk of developing T2DM and expressed barriers to weight loss related to their family environment, beliefs about their capabilities and behavioural regulation. IER is appealing for some women with previous GDM; however, views vary.

Description: Women consuming a strictly vegan/plant-based diet may be at increased risk of low iodine intake due to avoidance of animal products containing iodine. The aim of this pilot study was to determine the iodine excretion and intake in women consuming vegan/plant based diets compared with women consuming omnivore diets. Fifty-seven women (n = 31 plant-based, n = 26 omnivores), provided two spot urine samples to assess urinary iodine concentration (UIC). Two days of dietary intake were also recorded by participants. As the data were not normally distributed results are reported as median (IQR). UIC was significantly different between groups, 44 (26–66) µg/L in the vegan/plant-based group versus 64 (40–88) µg/L in omnivores (p 〈 0.05). UIC did not meet the 〉100 µg/L level recommended by the World Health Organization. Iodine intake was also significantly different, 78 (62–91) µg/day in the vegan/plant-based group and 125 (86–175) µg/day in the omnivores (p = 0.000). Iodine intake and bread intake were correlated with iodine excretion (CC 0.410–4.11, p = 0.003). These data indicate iodine insufficiency in both groups of women as the median values were below the minimum WHO recommendation. A larger study assessing iodine excretion in the Australian women of reproductive age who are not pregnant or breastfeeding is needed to confirm these findings.

Description: There is an association between the consumption of artificial sweeteners and Type 2 diabetes in cohort studies, but intervention studies do not show a clear elevation of blood glucose after the use of artificial sweeteners. The objective of this study was to examine whether two commonly used artificial sweeteners had an adverse effect on glucose control in normal-weight subjects, and in overweight and obese subjects when consumed for 2 weeks. In the study, 39 healthy subjects (body-mass index, kg/m2) (18–45) without Type 2 diabetes with an age of 18–75 years were randomly assigned to 0.6 L/day of an artificially sweetened soft drink containing acesulfame K (950) and aspartame (951) or 0.6 L/day of mineral water for 2 weeks each in a crossover study. There was a 4 week washout period with no drinks consumed. Glucose levels were read by a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) during each 2 week period. A 75 g oral glucose-tolerance test (OGTT) was performed at the beginning and end of each intervention period. Blood samples were collected at baseline, and 1 and 2 h for glucose and insulin. A 2 week intake of artificially sweetened beverage (ASB) did not alter concentrations of fasting glucose and fasting insulin, the area under the curve (AUC) for OGTT glucose and insulin, the incremental area under the curve (iAUC) for OGTT glucose and insulin, the homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and the Matsuda index compared with the baseline and with the changes after a 2 week intake of mineral water. Continuous 2 week glucose concentrations were not significantly different after a 2 week intake of ASB compared with a 2 week intake of mineral water. This study found no harmful effect of the artificially sweetened soft drink containing acesulfame K (950) and aspartame (951) on glucose control when consumed for 2 weeks by people without Type 2 diabetes.