Effect of Soy Protein Supplementation on Muscle Adaptations, Metabolic and Antioxidant Status, Hormonal Response, and Exercise Performance of Active Individuals and Athletes: A Systematic Review of Randomised Controlled Trials.

BACKGROUND: Protein supplements are important to maintain optimum health and physical performance, particularly in athletes and active individuals to repair and rebuild their skeletal muscles and connective tissues. Soy protein (SP) has gained popularity in recent years as an alternative to animal proteins. OBJECTIVES: This systematic review evaluates the evidence from randomised controlled clinical trials of the effects of SP supplementation in active individuals and athletes in terms of muscle adaptations, metabolic and antioxidant status, hormonal response and exercise performance. It also explores the differences in SP supplementation effects in comparison to whey protein. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Embase and Web of Science, as well as a manual search in Google Scholar and EBSCO, on 27 June 2023. Randomised controlled trials that evaluated the applications of SPs supplementation on sports and athletic-related outcomes that are linked with exercise performance, adaptations and biomarkers in athletes and physically active adolescents and young adults (14 to 39 years old) were included, otherwise, studies were excluded. The risk of bias was assessed according to Cochrane's revised risk of bias tool. RESULTS: A total of 19 eligible original research articles were included that investigated the effect of SP supplementation on muscle adaptations (n = 9), metabolic and antioxidant status (n = 6), hormonal response (n = 6) and exercise performance (n = 6). Some studies investigated more than one effect. SP was found to provide identical increases in lean mass compared to whey in some studies. SP consumption promoted the reduction of exercise-induced metabolic/blood circulating biomarkers such as triglycerides, uric acid and lactate. Better antioxidant capacity against oxidative stress has been seen with respect to whey protein in long-term studies. Some studies reported testosterone and cortisol fluctuations related to SP; however, more research is required. All studies on SP and endurance performance suggested the potential beneficial effects of SP supplementation (10-53.3 g) on exercise performance by improving high-intensity and high-speed running performance, enhancing maximal cardiac output, delaying fatigue and improving isometric muscle strength, improving endurance in recreational cyclists, increasing running velocity and decreasing accumulated lactate levels; however, studies determining the efficacy of soy protein on VO2max provided conflicted results. CONCLUSION: It is possible to recommend SP to athletes and active individuals in place of conventional protein supplements by assessing their dosage and effectiveness in relation to different types of training. SP may enhance lean mass compared with other protein sources, enhance the antioxidant status, and reduce oxidative stress. SP supplementation had an inconsistent effect on testosterone and cortisol levels. SP supplementation may be beneficial, especially after muscle damage, high-intensity/high-speed or repeated bouts of strenuous exercise.

Lipidomic Profiling of Rice Bran after Green Solid-Liquid Extractions for the Development of Circular Economy Approaches.

Rice bran is a rather underutilized by-product of the rice industry that nowadays is far from being valorized. In this study, the lipidomic profile of bran of the Italian rice variety, Roma, has been evaluated through ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Crude lipid extracts were obtained from rice bran treated with different green solvents (1-butanol, ethanol and methyl tert-butyl ether/methanol mixture) in combination with an ultrasonic pre-treatment, and then compared with extracts obtained with standard solvents (chloroform/methanol mixture). Lipid yield, number and type of lipids and composition of prevalent lipid classes extracted were evaluated in order to provide an exhaustive lipid profile of the rice bran and to identify the most efficient green solvent for solid-liquid extractions. Twelve different lipid classes and a maximum of 276 lipids were identified. Ethanol and methyl tert-butyl ether/methanol solvents provided higher lipid extraction yields, the former being the most effective solvent for the extraction of triglycerides and N-acylethanolamines and the latter the most effective for the extraction of diglycerides, phospholipids and ceramides at 4 °C. Moreover, extraction with ethanol at 20 °C gave similar results as at 4 °C in terms of lipid yield and for most of the classes of lipids extracted. Taken together, our results indicate ethanol and methyl tert-butyl ether/methanol as excellent solvents for lipid extraction from rice bran, with the aim to further valorize this food by-product in the perspective of a circular economy.

Beyond bariatric surgery and weight loss medicaments. A systematic review of the current practice in obesity rehabilitative inpatient programs in adults and pediatrics.

Background: Obesity treatment strategies mainly include outpatient lifestyle modification, drugs and bariatric surgery. Voluntary rehabilitative inpatient programs are gaining relevance as potential alternative settings of care that focus on weight loss and prevention of weight regain through a multidisciplinary approach, but their prevalence is still limited due to the high costs. Aim: Considering the lack of evidence in this area, the objective of this study is to systematically review the currently available literature on non-pharmacological and non-surgical inpatient programs aimed at weight loss, to clarify the efficacy and the characteristics of these interventions. Methods: Proper English language articles from 2000 to 2022 were searched on relevant databases. Quality assessment was performed by two different authors using ROB2 and robvis tools. Adult and pediatric studies were reviewed separately and their characteristics were systematically displayed. Results: 36 articles were included (20 on adults, 16 on children, and adolescents) for a total of 5,510 individuals. The multidisciplinary approach was mainly comprehensive of a low-calorie diet, scheduled physical activity, and psychological support based on behavioral treatment. Educational and cooking sessions were present at a lower rate. Globally, inpatient weight loss programs showed a consistent efficacy in reducing body weight and inducing beneficial effects on quality of life, psychological well-being, eating behavior, physical performance, and fatigue. Follow-up data were scarce, but with a high percentage of patients regaining weight after a short period. Conclusion: Weight loss inpatient rehabilitation is a promising area that has evidence of all-rounded success in the amelioration of several aspects related to obesity. Nevertheless, it appears to be quite inconsistent in preserving these benefits after the intervention. This might slow the innovation process in this area and preclude further investments from national healthcare. Personalized and enriched programs could show greater impact when focusing on the behavioral and educational aspects, which are crucial points, in particular in pediatrics, for setting up a long-lasting lifestyle modification. More studies are therefore necessary to evaluate long-term efficacy based on the different work-up models.