Habitual total water intake and dimensions of mood in healthy young women.

Acute negative and positive mood states have been linked with the development of undesirable and desirable health outcomes, respectively. Numerous factors acutely influence mood state, including exercise, caffeine ingestion, and macronutrient intake, but the influence of habitual total water intake remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to observe relationships between habitual water intake and mood. One hundred twenty healthy females (mean ± SD; age = 20 ± 2 y, BMI = 22.9 ± 3.5 kg⋅m(-2) ) recorded all food and fluids consumed for 5 consecutive days. Investigators utilized dietary analysis software to determine Total Water Intake (TWI; total water content in foods and fluids), caffeine, and macronutrient consumption (i.e. protein, carbohydrate, fat). On days 3 and 4, participants completed the Profile of Mood State (POMS) questionnaire, which examined tension, depression, anger, vigor, and confusion, plus an aggregate measure of Total Mood Disturbance (TMD). For comparison of mood, data were separated into three even groups (n = 40 each) based on TWI: low (LOW; 1.51 ± 0.27 L/d), moderate (MOD; 2.25 ± 0.19 L/d), and high (HIGH; 3.13 ± 0.54 L/d). Regression analysis was performed to determine continuous relationships between measured variables. Group differences (p < 0.05) were observed for tension (MOD = 7.2 ± 5.4, HIGH = 4.4 ± 2.9), depression (LOW = 4.5 ± 5.9, HIGH = 1.7 ± 2.3), confusion (MOD = 5.9 ± 3.4, HIGH = 4.0 ± 2.1), and TMD (LOW=19.0 ± 21.8, HIGH=8.2 ± 14.2). After accounting for other mood influencers, TWI predicted TMD (r(2) = 0.104; p = 0.050). The above relationships suggest the amount of water a woman consumes is associated with mood state.

Efficacy of an MFGM-enriched complementary food in diarrhea, anemia, and micronutrient status in infants.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of a milkfat globule membrane (MFGM)-enriched protein fraction in a complementary food, on diarrhea, anemia, and micronutrient status. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A randomized, double-blind controlled design to study 550 infants, 6 to 11 months old, who received daily for 6 months a complementary food (40 g/day) with the protein source being either the MFGM protein fraction or skim milk proteins (control). Health and nutritional status of infants were examined monthly in the outpatient clinic; product intake, food patterns, and diarrhea morbidity were assessed by home visits twice per week. Hemoglobin and micronutrient status were measured at 0 and 6 months of intervention. Results are presented as the entire group and as 6 to 8 and 9 to 11 months subgroups. RESULTS: A total of 499 infants completed the study. Global prevalence of diarrhea was 3.84% and 4.37% in the MFGM group and control group, respectively (P < 0.05). Consumption of the MFGM protein fraction reduced episodes of bloody diarrhea (odds ratio 0.54; 95% confidence interval 0.31-0.93, P = 0.025) adjusting for anemia and potable water facilities as covariates. There were no differences between groups in anemia, serum ferritin, zinc, or folate. CONCLUSIONS: Addition of an MFGM-enriched protein fraction to complementary food had beneficial effects on diarrhea in infants and may thus help to improve the health of vulnerable populations.

Formula feeding skews immune cell composition toward adaptive immunity compared to breastfeeding.

The ontogeny of the immune system and the effect thereon by type of infant feeding is incompletely understood. We analyzed frequencies and composition of immune cells in blood of breastfed (BF) and formula-fed (FF) infants at 1.5, 4, and 6 mo of age. Three formulas with the same protein concentration but with varying levels of alpha-lactalbumin and caseinoglycomacropeptide were compared. Twenty-nine exclusively BF infants served as reference, and 17 infants in each formula group completed the study. Whole blood and PBMCs were analyzed by flow cytometry and immunoflow cytometry, respectively. Leukocyte count of BF infants increased with time due to increased frequency of neutrophils. Lymphocyte count was high at 1.5 mo and was unchanged over time, as were the relative proportions of CD4+ alphabetaT cells, CD8+ alphabetaT cells, B cells, NK cells, and gammadeltaT cells. Most CD45R0+CD3+ cells were HLA-DR- and hence memory cells. Compared with breastfeeding, formula feeding resulted in a significant decrease in proportion of NK cells, but a significant increase in naive CD4+ alphabetaT cells and an elevated CD4-to-CD8 ratio, that is, 3.3 in the combined FF groups compared with 2.6 in the BF group. No significant differences were found between the three groups of FF infants. In conclusion, blood cells of lymphoid lineage did not change significantly in frequencies or composition from 1.5 to 6 mo of age in BF infants. In contrast, FF infants displayed an ongoing maturation of adaptive immunity cells and a delayed recruitment of innate immunity cells as compared with BF infants.

Effects of alpha-lactalbumin-enriched formula containing different concentrations of glycomacropeptide on infant nutrition.

BACKGROUND: Formula-fed infants have growth and plasma amino acid patterns different from those of breastfed infants. OBJECTIVE: alpha-Lactalbumin is a major protein in human milk, and the addition of bovine alpha-lactalbumin to infant formula has been proposed to modify the plasma amino acid pattern of the recipient infant, possibly allowing a reduction in the protein content of the formula, which may affect growth. DESIGN: We compared breastfed infants and infants fed standard formula or alpha-lactalbumin-enriched formulas (25% of protein) with glycomacropeptide accounting for 15% or 10% of the protein. The protein content of each formula was 13.1 g/L. Ninety-six infants aged 6 +/- 2 wk were recruited. Anthropometric measures were recorded, and interviews were conducted at enrollment and monthly until 6 mo of age. Blood samples were collected at enrollment and at 4 and 6 mo. RESULTS: Formula intake did not differ between groups, and weight gain in the alpha-lactalbumin-enriched formula groups were similar to that of the breastfed infants. The standard formula group gained significantly more weight than did the breastfed infants. All formula-fed infants had significantly higher plasma concentrations of most essential amino acids at 4 and 6 mo than did the breastfed infants, and serum urea nitrogen was also higher in the formula-fed infants. Insulin and leptin concentrations did not differ between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with standard formula-fed infants, infants fed formula with a modified protein composition had growth patterns more similar to those of breastfed infants. All formula-fed groups had plasma amino acid concentrations similar to or higher than those of breastfed infants. This indicates that the protein content of alpha-lactalbumin-enriched formula can be further reduced, which should be evaluated.

Effects of bovine alpha-lactalbumin and casein glycomacropeptide-enriched infant formulae on faecal microbiota in healthy term infants.

OBJECTIVE: Certain milk factors may promote the growth of a host-friendly gastrointestinal microbiota, for example, one that is predominated by bifidobacteria, a perceived health-promoting genus. This may explain why breast-fed infants experience fewer intestinal infections than their formula-fed counterparts who are believed to have a more diverse microbiota, which is similar to that of adults. The effects of formulas supplemented with 2 such ingredients from bovine milk, alpha-lactalbumin (alpha-lac) and casein glycomacropeptide (GMP), on gut flora were investigated in this study. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Six-week-old (4-8 wk), healthy term infants were randomised to a standard infant formula or 1 of 2 test formulae enriched in alpha-lac with higher or lower GMP until 6 months. Faecal bacteriology was determined by the culture-independent procedure fluorescence in situ hybridisation. RESULTS: There was a large fluctuation of bacterial counts within groups with no statistically significant differences between groups. Although all groups showed a predominance of bifidobacteria, breast-fed infants had a small temporary increase in counts. Other bacterial levels varied in formula-fed groups, which overall showed an adult-like faecal microflora. CONCLUSIONS: It can be speculated that a prebiotic effect for alpha-lac and GMP is achieved only with low starting populations of beneficial microbiota (eg, infants not initially breast-fed.

The effects of alpha-lactalbumin and glycomacropeptide on the association of CaCo-2 cells by enteropathogenic Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium and Shigella flexneri.

Two milk components, alpha-lactalbumin (alpha-La) and glycomacropeptide (GMP) may inhibit intestinal infection/intoxification. (3)[H] thymidine-labeled enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC), Salmonella typhimurium (ATCC 6994) or Shigella flexneri (ATCC 9199) were introduced to CaCo-2 cultures and their association with CaCo-2 cells was assessed. Undigested, pepsin-digested and pepsin- and pancreatin-digested alpha-lactalbumin and glycomacropeptide inhibited association. Thus, milk supplemented with alpha-lactalbumin and glycomacropeptide might be effective in inhibiting associations of the pathogens EPEC, Salmonella typhimurium, and Shigella flexneri to intestinal cells.

Use of batch culture and a two-stage continuous culture system to study the effect of supplemental alpha-lactalbumin and glycomacropeptide on mixed populations of human gut bacteria.

Certain milk factors can promote the growth of a host-friendly gastrointestinal microflora. This may explain why breast-fed infants experience fewer intestinal infections than their formula-fed counterparts. The effect of formula supplementation with two such factors was investigated in this study. Infant faecal specimens were used to ferment formulas supplemented with glycomacropeptide and alpha-lactalbumin in a two-stage compound continuous culture model. Bacteriology was determined by fluorescence in situ hybridisation. Vessels that contained breast milk as well as alpha-lactalbumin and glycomacropeptide had stable counts of bifidobacteria while lactobacilli increased significantly only in vessels with breast milk. Bacteroides, clostridia and Escherichia coli decreased significantly in all runs. Acetate was the principal acid found along with high amounts of propionate and lactate. Supplementation of infant formulas with appropriate milk proteins may be useful in simulating the beneficial bacteriological effects of breast milk.