ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Timing of food intake impacts on metabolic diseases. Few data are available about post-meal changes in epinephrine (E), norepinephrine (NE), and acylated ghrelin (AG) at different times of the day. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This randomized cross-over trial investigated E/NE/AG concentrations after identical meals consumed at 0800 or 2000 hours in 20 healthy volunteers, by standardizing diet, exercise, duration of fast, and resting. Participants randomly received the test meal at 0800 or 2000 hours, and vice versa after 1 week. Blood samples were collected before and up to 180-min post-meal, every 30 min, with participants supine, motionless, but awake. RESULTS: Median E levels increased at 30-60 min, then declined and rose again at 150 min; values at 60 min (19.0 vs. 15.0 ng/l, p = 0.03) and 180 min (25.0 vs. 11.0 ng/l, p < 0.001) were higher after the morning meals. NE rose at 30-60 min and then progressively declined; median values at 60 min (235.3 vs. 206.3 ng/l, p = 0.02) and 120 min (208.8 vs. 142.0 ng/l, p = 0.04) increased more after morning meals. AG progressively declined to increase again at 90 min after meal; median AG area-under-the-curve (AUC) values were lower at morning (7206.8 vs. 8828.3 pg/mL×h). AG-AUC was inversely associated with diet-induced thermogenesis (ß = -121.6; 95% CI -201.0 to 42.2; p = 0.009 for each unit increase), while log NE-AUC was inversely associated with log-triglyceride AUC (ß = -0.57; 95% CI -0.98 to 0.16; p = 0.015) in a multiple regression model, after multiple adjustments. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, E/NE concentrations were higher after the morning meal, while AG showed an opposite behavior. These data, although requiring confirmation in larger samples, suggest an adjunctive possible mechanism explaining the unfavorable effects of evening eating on metabolic risk.
Subject(s)
Eating/physiology , Epinephrine/blood , Ghrelin/blood , Meals , Norepinephrine/blood , Acylation , Adult , Blood Glucose/metabolism , Cross-Over Studies , Diet , Female , Humans , Insulin/blood , Male , Pilot Projects , Postprandial Period , Time Factors , Young AdultABSTRACT
Many women have incorrect knowledge about nutrition in pregnancy owing to false beliefs derived from popular practices. More than 90% of our cohort of pregnant women during early pregnancy (<12 weeks of gestational age) gave at least one incorrect answer to the five questions relative to common myths about nutrition in pregnancy. Education was inversely associated with the percentage of incorrect answers, and the lowest percentage of any mistakes was found in the small number of women who received nutritional information by a dietician. In conclusion, the usual sources of information about nutrition in pregnancy are not adequate to overcome the false beliefs acquired by traditions.
