Hormones regulating energy homeostasis in breastfeeding versus formula feeding mothers.

To meet energy demands for lactogenesis and to sustain homeostatic conditions post-partum, the organism of breastfeeding mother undergoes combined endocrine and metabolic regulation. The main objective of this study was to determine basal serum concentrations of hormones involved in the maintenance and defense of energy balance in breastfeeding (BF) and formula feeding (FF) mothers. Twenty healthy exclusively breastfeeding mothers at 3rd month of lactation (EBF3), 17 healthy partially breastfeeding at 6th month of lactation (PB6) and 17 healthy FF mothers participated in this study. Fasting serum prolactin (PRL), acylated ghrelin (aGhr), total ghrelin (tGhr), leptin, adiponectin, insulin, and cortisol were determined for all study participants and correlations between studied parameters were calculated for BF women. We found significantly lower basal insulin (p = 0.0048) and cortisol (p = 0.0002) and significantly elevated basal prolactin (p = 0.0020) and leptin (p = 0.0416) in BF when compared with FF women. The differences were not associated with the duration of lactation (3 vs. 6 months), except for PRL, which was highest in EBF3. Levels of Ghr and adiponectin did not differ between study groups. In the BF group, the negative correlations were found between: aGhr and insulin, aGhr and adiponectin, leptin and cortisol, leptin and adiponectin, insulin and adiponectin, cortisol and adiponectin. Positive associations were noted between: insulin and leptin, leptin and aGhr, PRL and leptin, PRL and aGhr. Leptin and insulin correlated positively, whereas adiponectin negatively with BMI. These data may suggest that EBF3 and PB6 as compared with FF mothers, exhibit hormonal regulation which tends to be more advantageous for their metabolic profile and is not related to the duration of breastfeeding within the first 6 months of lactation.

Regular cold water swimming during winter time affects resting hematological parameters and serum erythropoietin.

Recreational winter swimming in cold sea water evokes body responses to regularly repeated cold water immersion. However, the understanding of adaptive changes is still limited and data regarding very short-term exposure to severe cold stress are scarce. The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of regular active cold water exposure on resting blood elements and erythropoietin in male and female cold water swimmers (CWSs). Thirty four healthy subjects (18 men and 16 women) aged 50.0 ± 12.2 years were swimming in cold sea water during winter season at least twice a week. The average water temperature was 9.5°C in October, 1.0°C in January and 4.4°C at the end of April. Fasting blood samples were taken within the first weeks of October, January and April. Serum erythropoietin (EPO), complete blood count (CBC) including evaluation of: red blood cells (RBC count, hemoglobin, hematocrit and RBC indices), white blood cells (WBC count with WBC differential), platelets (PLT count), serum folate and serum immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, IgM) were determined. Between October and April an increase was observed in the following parameters: RBC (from 4.8 x 1012/L to 5.2 x 1012/L, P < 0.001), hemoglobin (from 8.6 mmol/L to 9.4 mmol/L, P < 0.001), MCH (from 1.8 fmol to 1.9 fmol, P = 0.003), MCHC (from 19.9 mmol/L to 20.6 mmol/L, P < 0.001), EPO (from 6.3 IU/L to 8.1 IU/L, P = 0.001). At the same time decreased concentrations of PLT (from 249.9 x 109/L to 221.6 x 109/L, P = 0.005), folate (from 10.5 ng/mL to 7.4 ng/mL, P < 0.001) and immunoglobulins (IgG: from 11.8 g/L to 10.9 g/L, P < 0.001; IgA: from 2.5 g/L to 2.2 g/L, P < 0.001; IgM: from 0.9 g/L to 0.8 g/L, P < 0.001). Statistically significant changes in EPO and PLT values were noted only in female CWSs. We conclude that regular cold water swimming induces adaptive changes in the resting blood elements and EPO concentrations which are more evident in female organism.

Circadian rhythms of melatonin and cortisol in manifest Huntington's disease and in acute cortical ischemic stroke.

Recent studies indicate disruptions to the circadian system in brain injury and neurodegeneration. The results, however, are often not consistent and limited by measurement of only one circadian marker and by infrequent sampling rates. In this study, we examined diurnal rhythmicity in different stages of Huntington (HD) disease and in patients with acute moderate ischemic stroke (AIS) outside the retinohypothalamic pathway by evaluating serum concentrations of melatonin and cortisol at twelve timepoints. All study participants were subjected to the same study protocol of 12-hour light/dark cycle and controlled room conditions. Using cosinor analysis of data and comparing the results with the controls we found melatonin phase delay with lowered amplitude and mesor in stage III HD patients. These changes coexisted with phase advanced rhythm and elevated values of mesor and amplitude for cortisol. Early and mid-stages of HD showed only a phase advance in cortisol secretion. In AIS the circadian rhythm of serum melatonin was sustained without any phase shift and exhibited more flattened profile (lowered mesor and amplitude values), while advanced rhythm with higher mesor for cortisol was present. In conclusion, 1) abnormal pattern of melatonin release in the late stages of HD and in moderate AIS occurs in conjunction with phase-advanced rhythm of cortisol; 2) changes observed in late stages of HD are similar to those that occur with ageing; 3) brain regions other than the presumptive retinopineal neural pathway may play an important role in the pineal production of melatonin in humans; 4) lesion in extrahypothalamic region is related to the strong adrenal stimulation in response to AIS.

Spirulina maxima improves insulin sensitivity, lipid profile, and total antioxidant status in obese patients with well-treated hypertension: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study.

OBJECTIVE: Spirulina maxima consumption is known to be associated with enhanced cardiovascular and metabolic health. Human studies on this topic have recently been described in a few papers; however, potential protective cardiovascular properties of Spirulina in obese patients receiving standard pharmacological antihypertensive treatment remain to be elucidated. Putative beneficial cardiovascular effects of Spirulina supplementation in well treated, obesity-related hypertension were studied in a double-blind placebo-controlled trial. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Total 50 obese subjects with treated hypertension, each randomized to receive 2 g of Spirulina or a placebo daily, for three months. At baseline and after treatment anthropometric parameters, plasma lipid levels, inflammation, and oxidative stress biomarkers along with insulin sensitivity estimated by euglycemic clamp were assessed. RESULTS: After three months of Spirulina supplementation significant decrease in body mass (p < 0.001), body mass index (BMI; p < 0.001) and waist circumference (WC; p = 0.002) were observed in Spirulina group. Spirulina had also significant, lowering effect on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C; p < 0.001) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) concentration (p = 0.002) in supplemented patients compared to placebo group. Spirulina supplementation considerably improved total antioxidant status (TAS; p = 0.001) and insulin sensitivity ratio (M; p < 0.001) in Spirulina group compared to placebo-treated individuals. CONCLUSIONS: The favorable influence of Spirulina supplementation on insulin sensitivity, plasma lipid levels along with inflammation and oxidative stress biomarkers reported in this study creates the promise for new therapeutic approaches in obese patients with well-treated hypertension.

Gender-related effect of cold water swimming on the seasonal changes in lipid profile, ApoB/ApoA-I ratio, and homocysteine concentration in cold water swimmers.

It has been proposed that regular cold swimming is associated with health benefits. However, the effect of cold adaptation on particular cardiovascular risk factors, within a single swimming season, remains unknown. Our aim was to evaluate the impact of cold water swimming on the seasonal changes in lipid profile and on apolipoprotein and homocysteine concentration in 34 cold water swimmers (CWS) aged 48 - 68 years. Blood samples were collected at the beginning (October), the middle (January), and the end (April) of the swimming season. Body mass (BM), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), triglycerides (TG), ApoB/ApoA-I ratio, and homocysteine concentrations were evaluated. In October, female CWS showed lower BM (P = 0.01), TG concentrations (P = 0.03), and ApoB/ApoA-I ratios (P = 0.008), and higher HDL (P = 0.01) than in men. Similar trends in BM (P = 0.002), HDL (P = 0.0006), and ApoB/ApoA-I ratio (P = 0.01) were seen in January, and for BM (P = 0.002), TG (P = 0.005), HDL (P = 0.003), and ApoB/ApoA-I (P = 0.01) in April. A decrease in TG concentration between January and April (P = 0.05), lower homocysteine concentration between October and January (P = 0.01), and between October and April (P = 0.001) were documented in CWS. A strong drop in homocysteine concentration was observed in female versus male CWS (P = 0.001 versus P = 0.032), particularly between October and April in women (P = 0.001) and October and January in men (P = 0.05). The ApoB/ApoA-I ratio in female CWS decreased over the season (P = 0.02), particularly between October and January (P = 0.05), and a trend toward the TG concentration to reduce over the swimming season was also observed in female CWS. No beneficial changes were noticed in the control group over the season. Our results suggest that the favorable effect of cold swimming on the cardiovascular risk factors may be gender-dependent; further studies are thus needed to draw a precise conclusion.

Plasma ghrelin and interleukin-6 levels correlate with body mass index and arterial blood pressure in males with essential hypertension.

We examined an association between ghrelin, including its major isoforms, interleukin-6 (IL-6), body mass index (BMI), and mean arterial pressure (MAP) in male overweight patients with essential hypertension. Twenty hypertensive male patients with newly diagnosed essential hypertension (EH) before starting drug treatment and 22 age-matched healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Fasting total plasma ghrelin (TGhr), acyl ghrelin (AGhr), des-acyl ghrelin (DGhr) and IL-6 were determined and correlations between studied parameters were calculated. We found significantly lower total plasma ghrelin and higher plasma IL-6 in hypertensives when compared with the control. In patients with hypertension the negative correlations were found: between TGhr and BMI, DGhr and BMI, TGhr and MAP, and between DGhr and MAP. IL-6 positively correlated with BMI and MAP in hypertensive subjects. No correlations between all forms of ghrelin and IL-6 were noted. The changes in plasma ghrelin and IL-6 contribute independently to the elevated blood pressure in essential hypertension. Negative correlation of DGhr and MAP may suggest its hemodynamic involvement in regulation of blood pressure.