Year: 2023
Type: editorial
Abstract: Joined by their collaborators and co-sponsors, the Chinese American Food Society (CAFS), China Food Publishing Co (CFPC), Guangdong Nutrition Society (GNS), Hebei Nutrition Society (HNS), and College of Food Science and Engineering at Nanjing University of Finance & Economics (NUFE), NACAN hosted the 4 th NACAN Frontiers in Nutrition Summit -The Joint Nutrition Scientific Symposia with meeting theme -"Nutrition for a healthy life: from the production of foods to healthy eating for everyone" in July of 2022. In collaboration with the journal Frontiers in Nutrition, NACAN launched a research topic to showcase the research contributed to the summit and beyond. This special issue collected research papers to address the following four themes: ▪ Emerging fields of research: New and innovative areas, especially revolutionary and/or multi-disciplinary approaches that address fundamental questions in nutrition, food, and health sciences.▪ Scientific base of nutrition: Mechanistic studies that decipher the underlying links between nutrients, diet, and chronic diseases.▪ Agriculture and food production: Functional foods, bioactive compounds, nutraceuticals, and novel food processing technologies that improve human health.▪ Nutrition and public health: Clinical and population-based studies that examine the role of diet, food, and nutrition in health and disease.Nutrition intervention is important for disease management. Li et al. reviewed the potential mechanisms of diabetes mellitus combined with Alzheimer's disease and suggested nutrition therapy to reduce the risk of the comorbidity of those two diseases, which include the management of dietary intake, dietary patterns (e.g., ketogenic diet, Mediterranean diet), and nutrition supplements (e.g., probiotics, vitamins, minerals, omega-3 fatty acids).Opportunities and challenges co-exist for nutritional intervention in childhood cancers. Obesity is a major public health concern, which is closely related to chronic inflammation and brown adipose tissue dysfunction. Bae et al. examined the effects of naringenin, a citrus flavanone, on adipocyte browning, thermogenic activation and brown adipogenesis in vitro. The results suggest that naringenin may promote the development of functional brown adipose tissue, in part through PPARγ activation.Cognition decline is associated with old age and chronic diseases, including neurodegenerative or neuropsychiatric disorders, diabetes and chronic kidney disease. Using an adenine-induced cognitive impairment mouse model, Abdolmaleky et al. demonstrated that mice treated with oligo-lactic acid (LAP) and fermented soy extract (IMB) had significantly improved cognitive performance. The neuroprotective effects of LAP and IMB are mediated by favorable alteration in the gut microbiome as well as through their anti-neuroinflammatory properties.Inflammation contributes to the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). While NAFLD is generally considered a benign condition, NASH can further progress to cirrhosis, liver failure, and liver cancer. Li et al. reviewed how hepatic and extra-hepatic signals activate the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) in macrophages, which triggers hepatic inflammation, a key factor driving the development of NAFLD/NASH. While more research is needed, current evidence suggests that STING plays a role in promoting liver inflammation and damage. Targeting the STING pathway may therefore represent a potential therapeutic approach for managing NAFLD/NASH in the future.Vitamin A (VA) is vital for an individual's general health. Zhang et al. found that VA status regulates body weight, glucose, lipid levels, and hepatic gene expression in Zucker lean and Zucker fatty male rats. Furthermore, replenishing VA through the diet can restore the expression levels of hepatic genes for glucose and lipid metabolism in Zucker lean male rats.Sphingomyelin and its metabolites have diverse biological functions. Yang and Chen explored their distribution, digestion, absorption, and metabolic pathways, and reviewed their nutritional functions in chronic metabolic diseases. While endogenous sphingomyelin production is linked to pathological changes, dietary supplementation has been shown to maintain lipid homeostasis. The paper also evaluated their possible implications in modern food preparations, skin improvement, delivery systems, and oil organogels.In summary, the Joint Nutrition Scientific Symposia and all papers collected in the research topic offer insights into the development of research in nutrition and food for a healthy life.
Source: Frontiers in Nutrition
Authors: Zhi Chai, Lei Hao, Sheau C. Chai, Guoxun Chen, Fanbin Kong, Chaodong Wu, Zhiping Yu, Ling Zhao, Jin-Rong Zhou
Institutions: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, University of Delaware, Huazhong Agricultural University, University of Georgia, Texas A&M University, University of North Florida, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard University
Language: English
Topic: Nutrition and Health Studies
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,295
OpenAlex ID: W4377565874