Current Nutrition & Food Science - Volume 21, Issue 3, 2025

Metabolic syndrome, which is characterized by a constellation of well-known risk factors, including obesity, hyperlipidemia, insulin resistance, and hypertension, is associated with an elevated risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Given the lifestyle change, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome has been growing worldwide in recent years. Accordingly, the pivotal role of diet in the progression of metabolic syndrome as a lifestyle modification is taken into account.

This systematic review aimed to explore the association of blueberry consumption with ameliorating metabolic syndrome.

We conducted this systematic review under PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines and performed a systematic literature search in several databases, including Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar.

Six clinical trial studies indicated that blueberries could not change components of metabolic syndrome, especially blood glucose. However, most of the animal studies indicated the protective effects of blueberries on these components.

There are evidence suggesting that blueberry may effectively impact metabolic syndrome, whereas some disputed findings have shown that there is no alteration of metabolic syndrome components. Further clinical trials are needed to be conducted to investigate the potential impact of blueberries on metabolic syndrome and address this question.

In Côte d’Ivoire, sorghum was most commonly used to produce beer. However, the population must focus on other sorghum uses. Sorghum possesses numerous health and nutritional benefits that must be explored, such as its involvement in diabetes management and prevention. Globally, the prevalence of diabetes is rising. Understanding the glycemic index (GI) is crucial for managing and preventing it. The GI gauges how quickly or slowly blood glucose rises in response to a meal.

The aim of this study was to investigate the glycemic index (GI) of sorghum household cookies.

The macro- and micronutrients and phytochemical compounds content of sorghum cookies have been determined. Microbiological analysis of sorghum cookies during storage at room temperature has been carried out by spoilage germ and pathogenic germ enumeration. The glycaemic index (GI) of sorghum cookies has been investigated by the blood sugar response method.

In this study, the results showed that the sorghum-based biscuit has an energy value of 515.655 ± 0.5 Kcal/GMS due to its carbohydrate content of 54.95 ± 0.028%, fat content of 30.05 ± 0.05%, and protein content of 6.34 ± 0.0141%. It also contains minerals such as sodium (3.21 ± 0.014 mg), phosphorus (14 ± 0.41 g), and calcium (122 ± 5.65 mg). The phenolic compound content was: total phenols 2756.72 ± 294.5 µg EAG/gMS, flavonoids 497.29 ± 13.016 µg EQ/gMS, and condensed tannins 651.59 ± 199.429 µg EC/gMS. The glycaemic index of household cookies made from sorghum was investigated. The results revealed that sorghum cookies exhibited a low glycaemic index of 40.82%, which is less than 55% in accordance with the norm. Also, microbiological analysis showed the total absence of spoilage germs and pathogenic germs during 30 days of storage at room temperature.

Sorghum cookies present a low glycaemic index and can be used in diabetes management and prevention. They are stored at room temperature for 30 days under hygienic conditions.

The study was set up to investigate the toxicological effects of the aqueous extract of onion (Allium cepa L.) peel (OP) in rats, in vivo.

A total of 30 rats were randomly divided into 4 groups. Acute oral toxicity was investigated using three different doses of OP, where the first group of rats was given distilled water and served as -ve control, the three rest groups given (250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg) of OP daily for 14 days orally. Rats were observed during the short term and the long term. On the 15^th day, the rats were anesthetized with diethyl ether and blood samples were taken to evaluate hematological, biochemical, liver and kidney function. All main organs were collected in formalin and sent for histopathological investigations.

OP exhibited a significant increase in the time of anesthesia among the group admitted with the lowest dose (250 mg/kg). It showed a significant increase in lymphocyte levels. OP showed an elevation in all liver function parameters except, albumin level. The blood glucose level was reduced after OP extract treatment. No renal effects were observed. Furthermore, histopathological results showed normal results comparable to the untreated group, except mild inflammation was observed in the lung.

We conclude that the dry onion peel aqueous extract was found to be free from any toxic effect on the rat’s main organs. However, it showed mild toxicity in the liver profile.

The present study aimed to investigate the awareness of practicing dietetic professionals regarding the nutritional management of cancer cachexia.

Due to the rising rates of cancer cachexia-related mortality, dietetic professionals have taken on an essential role in identifying and managing its associated symptoms through nutrition to reduce its escalating side effects.

To assess knowledge and awareness of nutritional management of cancer cachexia and understand the factors influencing them.

This cross-sectional survey among dietetic professionals was conducted using an online questionnaire. Both descriptive and parametric were used to analyze the data.

A total of 211 dietetic professionals were included in the study. Within the domain of awareness, the participants who scored more than the median (> 3.5) scores were considered to have good knowledge (36%, n= 76), and those less than the median (≤3.5) scores were considered to have poor knowledge (64%, n=135). Notably, knowledge scores were significantly influenced by the highest qualification attained (Ph.D. / Registered Dietitian), years of experience, the monthly caseload of cancer patients, level of confidence, and adherence to evidence-based guidelines for managing cancer cachectic patients (p-values all significant, ≤0.05). Dietetic Professionals suggested knowledge upgradation, mandatory dietitian referrals, and team optimization, among other strategies to raise awareness.

A high rate of incorrect responses was observed, with most participants demonstrating poor knowledge. Hence, there is an urgent need for training dietetic practitioners to improve specific knowledge about cancer cachexia and develop expertise in its nutritional care through designing different awareness programs.

Gambier leaf tea contains antioxidant compounds, but its astringent taste makes this tea less popular. The addition of coffee leaf powder and stevia not only reduces the astringent taste of this tea but can also increase the content of antioxidant compounds.

This research aimed to investigate the physical, chemical, functional, and organoleptic properties of gambir leaf tea incorporated with coffee and stevia leaf powder.

The investigation was carried out using a non-factorial, completely randomized design with 5 treatments, each repeated 5 times. These treatments were developed based on different ratios of gambir leaf formulations: coffee leaf powder:stevia leaf powder, namely F1= 100:0:0, F2= 95:1.5:3.5, F3= 90:3:7, F4= 85:4.5:10.5, and F5= 80:6:14.

The results indicated that gambir leaf tea has IC50 values, total phenols, pH, water content, and ash content ranging from 36.57-54.25 ppm, 304.5-376 mgGAE/g, 5.46-5.68, 10.06-12.56%, and 2.06-2.61%, respectively.

Gambir leaf tea incorporated with coffee and stevia leaf powder was found to contain antioxidant compounds, while water and ash content fulfilled SNI standards. Organoleptically, the color and aroma produced were well-received by the panelists.

Postbiotics, also called biogenics, metabiotics, or Cell-Free Supernatants (CFS), are soluble compounds produced by live probiotic microorganisms or released after the lysis of probiotics that could provide beneficial health effects to the host.

This study was conducted with the aim of investigating the antimicrobial, antibiofilm, antioxidant, and cytotoxic effects of postbiotics derived from Lactobacillus acidophilus.

In this study, the antimicrobial properties of the postbiotic of L. acidophilus on Staphylococcus aureus were investigated in different experimental settings, in-vitro, and pasteurized milk. The antioxidant effect of postbiotic was also evaluated by 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2, 20-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) method. Furthermore, the chemical composition of the postbiotics was identified via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The cytotoxic effects of the compounds were investigated using a human normal cell line.

According to the results, postbiotics had aconcentration-dependent antimicrobial effect, and the inhibitory effect increased with increasing concentrations. The antimicrobial activity was mainly linked with lactic acid and laurostearic acid. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of the prepared postbiotic was determined to be 100 mg/ml. The lowest Minimum Effective Concentration (MEC) of postbiotics significantly differed in the food matrix, and a low MEC (minimum effective concentration) index (150 mg/ml) was detected for postbiotic of L. acidophilus.

Therefore, the prepared postbiotic should be subjected to more in-depth analysis to examine its suitability as a food additive.

A blend of creatine nitrate and creatinine has demonstrated promising bioavailability; however, prior studies have not thoroughly examined its pharmacokinetics and safety profiles, particularly its impact on kidney stress indicators, such as serum cystatin C.

This study aimed to assess the effects of varying doses of creatine nitrate-creatinine intervention on pharmacokinetics and safety in healthy humans.

Ten young adults (mean age 26.1 ± 5.0 years; 5 females) volunteered for this double-blind, crossover, randomized controlled trial. The participants were randomly assigned to receive either a low-dose creatine nitrate-creatinine mixture (CN-CRN-Low; 1.5 g of creatine nitrate and 1.5 g of creatinine), a high-dose creatine nitrate-creatinine mixture (CN-CRN-High; 3 g of creatine nitrate and 3 g of creatinine), or 1.5 g of creatine nitrate (CONTROL) in both a single-dose pharmacokinetics experiment, and a 14-day safety trial.

Both CN-CRN-Low and CN-CRN-High interventions displayed increased volume of distribution and total clearance compared to the CONTROL intervention (P < 0.05) in a single-dose pharmacokinetics experiment. Additionally, the CN-CRN-High intervention showed significantly higher creatine maximum serum concentrations compared to the other interventions (P < 0.05). Serum cystatin C levels remained unchanged across all interventions (P = 0.65), with no participants experiencing abnormal cystatin C concentrations or major changes in other safety biomarkers.

The present study demonstrates dose-specific utilization of creatine nitrate-creatinine intervention, with the mixture induced no kidney damage. Further studies are needed to explore the potential functional and performance benefits of creatine nitrate-creatinine supplementation in diverse clinical and athletic cohorts.