The effects of native whey and α-lactalbumin on the social and individual behaviour of C57BL/6J mice.

Milk proteins are the main components of everyday feeding and demonstrate a promising potential to change the mental condition. However, the effects of milk proteins after prolonged use remain poorly understood. The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of two whey proteins (alpha-lactalbumin (alpha-lac) and native whey) with casein on social and individual behaviour in mice. During a 30 d-long dietary intervention, male C57BL/6J mice had ad libitum access to an experimental diet containing 17% (w/w) of one of three protein sources: a-lac, native whey or casein. Mice had voluntary access to a running wheel. Social behaviour (group and resident-intruder activity) was tested at baseline and at the end of the intervention. Half of each dietary group was then withdrawn from the diet and running wheel for 7 d, and social activity and individual behaviour tests (open field, elevated-plus maze, light­dark box and forced swimming) were performed, to evaluate anxiety and depression-like status. The study shows that the long-term ingestion of whey proteins may modulate behaviour when compared with casein. Diet enriched with a-lac exhibited anxiolytic and antidepressive activities while the whey diet improved sociability. The differences between the diet groups were pronounced under the running wheel and the withdrawal of the experimental diet, suggesting that the beneficial effects of the milk proteins are clearer in stressful situations. Diet-induced behavioural changes remained visible for a week after feeding, which suggests that the proteins of the milk whey fraction have prolonged efficacy on the mental state of mice.

Similar effects of leucine rich and regular dairy products on muscle mass and functions of older polymyalgia rheumatica patients: a randomized crossover trial.

OBJECTIVES: Leucine-rich milk and whey proteins have been suggested for prevention of age related loss of muscle mass and strength i.e. sarcopenia. The effects of milk protein supplementation and low intensity home based physical exercise on body composition and muscle functions were investigated. DESIGN: A randomized double blind crossover trial. SETTING: Community dwelling members of Helsinki rheumatoid association. PARTICIPANTS: Older people (N=47, mean age 69.5 years) suffering from polymyalgia rheumatica. INTERVENTION: Patients performed as many stand ups as possible twice a day after which they ingested a regular (Control) or a whey protein enriched dairy product with high leucine content (Test). The 8-week intervention periods were separated by a 4-week wash-out. MEASUREMENTS: Body composition was measured by dual x-ray absorptiometry and muscle functions by hand grip strength, force platform countermovement jump performance, chair stand test, and walking speed. RESULTS: The 16-week home-based post-exercise supplementation resulted in a 1.8% increase (p = 0.052) in lower limb muscle mass. Walking speed (+5.3%, p = 0.007) and chair stand test performance (-12.2 %, p < 0.001) were also improved. Furthermore, a tendency for increased jump power (+3.0%, p = 0.084) was observed. However, significant and consistent differences were not found in the changes of muscle mass indices or muscle functions between supplements, but the test supplement tended to prevent accumulation of body fat. CONCLUSION: A low intensity home based exercise program combined with post-exercise milk protein supplementation is feasible despite some gastrointestinal complaints and seems effective in improving the muscle mass and functions of older persons with a inflammatory disease. Further studies are needed to establish, whether and to what extent the use of leucine-enriched whey products prevent or treat age-associated sarcopenia and whether they are superior to the present commercial milk products.

Zone-doubling technique to produce ultrahigh-resolution x-ray optics.

A method for the fabrication of ultrahigh-resolution Fresnel zone plate lenses for x-ray microscopy is demonstrated. It is based on the deposition of a zone plate material (Ir) onto the sidewalls of a prepatterned template structure (Si) using an atomic layer deposition technique. This results in a doubling of the effective zone density, thus improving the achievable resolution of x-ray microscopes. Test structures with lines and spaces down to 15 nm were resolved in a scanning transmission x-ray microscope at 1 keV photon energy.

Lupin protein attenuates the development of hypertension and normalises the vascular function of NaCl-loaded Goto-Kakizaki rats.

The beneficial cardiovascular effects of soy protein have been studied intensively in recent years. Another protein-rich legume is lupin, which has been shown to have similar effects to those of soy in lowering serum cholesterol levels. In this study we compared the effects of lupin and soy protein on hypertension and vascular functions in spontaneously diabetic Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rat, which develop hypertension when fed a high-salt diet. The rats were fed with a 6% NaCl diet containing either lupin or soy protein isolate (20% weight/weight) for two weeks. In the end of the study the SBP was 18.6 mmHg lower (p<0.001) in the lupin group, and 12.0 mmHg lower (p<0.01) in the soy group than in the control group. Lupin and soy treatments normalised the decreased vasocontraction observed in the NaCl-fed control group, but only lupin treatment improved the impaired endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation. The attenuation of hypertension is likely to be mediated by the corrected vascular dysfunction, whose precise mechanism and the possible clinical relevance remains to be studied further.