Short-term effects of replacing milk with cola beverages on insulin-like growth factor-I and insulin-glucose metabolism: a 10 d interventional study in young men.

In the Western world, a trend towards increased consumption of carbonated soft drinks combined with a decreasing intake of milk is observed. This may affect circulating insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and fasting insulin, as seen in pre-pubertal children. The present study was designed to reflect the trend of replacing milk with carbonated beverages in young men and to study the effects of this replacement on IGF-I, IGF-binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3), IGF-I:IGFBP-3 and glucose-insulin metabolism. A randomised, controlled crossover intervention study, in which eleven men aged 22-29 years were given a low-Ca diet in two 10 d periods with 10 d washout in between. In one period, they drank 2.5 litres of Coca Cola(R) per day and the other period 2.5 litres of semi-skimmed milk. Serum IGF-I, IGFBP-3 (RIA), insulin (fluoro immunoassay) and glucose (Cobas) were determined at baseline and end point of each intervention period. Insulin resistance and beta-cell function were calculated with the homeostasis model assessment. A decrease in serum IGF-I was observed in the cola period compared with the milk period (P < 0.05). No effects of treatment were observed on IGFBP-3, IGF-I:IGFBP-3, insulin, glucose, insulin resistance or beta-cell function. The present study demonstrates that high intake of cola over a 10 d period decreases total IGF-I compared with a high intake of milk, with no effect on glucose-insulin metabolism in adult men. It is unknown whether this is a transient phenomenon or whether it has long-term consequences.

Six weeks phylloquinone supplementation produces undesirable effects on blood lipids with no changes in inflammatory and fibrinolytic markers in postmenopausal women.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of death in the Western world, but some recent studies indicate that vitamin K may play a role in atherosclerosis protection. AIM OF STUDY: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of phylloquinone supplementation on blood lipids, inflammatory markers and fibrinolytic activity in postmenopausal women. METHODS: Thirty-one postmenopausal women completed this placebo-controlled, randomized crossover study and received 500 microg phylloquinone or placebo in addition to their habitual diet during two periods of 6 weeks' duration. Blood concentration of lipids, inflammatory markers and fibrinolytic parameters were measured after each period. RESULTS: Inflammatory markers, fibrinolytic parameters, total cholesterol and LDL-C were unaffected by the supplementation, whereas a 15% increase was seen in triacylglycerols (P = 0.015) and a 5% decrease in HDL-C (P = 0.06). CONCLUSIONS: Six weeks supplementation with a dose of phylloquinone similar to that obtainable from the diet induced a deterioration of the lipid profile with no improvement in any of the other risk markers analysed. Thus, these results do not support a cardioprotective effect of vitamin K as has been suggested by others.

Short-term effects on bone turnover of replacing milk with cola beverages: a 10-day interventional study in young men.

In the Western world, increased consumption of carbonated soft drinks combined with a decreasing intake of milk may increase the risk of osteoporosis. This study was designed to reflect the trend of replacing milk with carbonated beverages in a group of young men on a low-calcium diet and studies the effects of this replacement on calcium homeostasis and bone turnover. This controlled crossover intervention study included 11 healthy men (22-29 years) who were given a low-calcium basic diet in two 10-day intervention periods with an intervening 10-day washout. During one period, they drank 2.5 l of Coca Cola per day and during the other period 2.5 l of semi-skimmed milk. Serum concentrations of calcium, phosphate, 25-hydroxycholecalciferol, 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol (1,25(OH)2D), osteocalcin, bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (B-ALP) and cross-linked C-telopeptides (CTX), plasma intact parathyroid hormone (PTH) and urinary cross-linked N-telopeptides (NTX) were determined at baseline and endpoint of each intervention period. An increase in serum phosphate (P<0.001), 1,25(OH)2D (P<0.001), PTH (P=0.046) and osteocalcin (P<0.001) was observed in the cola period compared to the milk period. Also, bone resorption was significantly increased following the cola period, seen as increased serum CTX (P<0.001) and urinary NTX (P<0.001) compared to the milk period. No changes were observed in serum concentrations of calcium or B-ALP. This study demonstrates that over a 10-day period high intake of cola with a low-calcium diet induces increased bone turnover compared to a high intake of milk with a low-calcium diet. Thus, the trend towards a replacement of milk with cola and other soft drinks, which results in a low calcium intake, may negatively affect bone health as indicated by this short-term study.

Dietary intake of Lactobacillus rhamnosus HNOO1 enhances production of both Th1 and Th2 cytokines in antigen-primed mice.

Probiotic lactobacilli have been proposed as a potential oral bacteriotherapeutic means of modulating immune phenotype expression in vivo, via their ability to promote cytokine production. This study investigated the ability of a known interferon (IFN)gamma-promoting probiotic (Lactobacillus rhamnosus HNOOI) to modulate cytokine production in mice expressing an on-going Th2-type immune response. BALB/c mice were primed to ovalbumin in alum adjuvant to invoke antigen-specific Th2 cytokine-secreting cell populations. Mice that were fed Lb. rhamnosus HN001 during antigen sensitization produced higher levels of lymphocyte-derived IFNgamma, but also interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-5, in comparison to control animals. Although HN001 was additionally shown to induce pro-IFNgamma monokine (IL-12, IL-18) secretion in macrophages in vitro, its ability to invoke mixed lymphocyte cytokine production during an on-going Th2-type immune response in vivo suggests that this probiotic is a general immunostimulatory agent, in contrast to the pro-Th1/anti-Th2 immunoregulation reported for some strains of IFNgamma-promoting lactobacilli.