Comprehensive Analysis of Lipid Composition in Human Foremilk and Hindmilk.

Precision nutrition, also referred to as personalized nutrition, focuses on the individual to determine the individual's most effective eating plan to prevent or treat disease. A precision nutrition for infants requires the determination of the profile of human milk. We compared the lipid profiles of the foremilk (i.e., the initial milk of a breastfeed) and hindmilk (the last milk) of six Japanese subjects and evaluated whether a human milk lipid profile is useful for precision nutrition even though the fat concentration fluctuates during lactation. We detected and quantified 527 species with a lipidome analysis by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The fat concentration in hindmilk (120.6 ± 66.7 µmol/mL) was significantly higher than that in foremilk (68.6 ± 33.3 µmol/mL). While the total carbon number of fatty acids in triglyceride (TG) was highest in C52 for all subjects, the second or third number differed among the subjects. Both the distribution of total carbon number of fatty acids included in TG and the distribution of fatty acids in TG classified by the number of double bonds were almost the same in the foremilk and hindmilk in each subject. The lipids levels containing docosahexaenoic acid and arachidonic acid in total lipids of the foremilk and the hindmilk were almost the same in each subject. Among the sphingolipids and glycerophospholipids, the level of sphingomyelin was the highest in four subjects' milk, and phosphatidylcholine was the highest in the other two subjects' milk. The order of their major species was the same in each foremilk and hindmilk. A clustering heatmap revealed the differences between foremilk and hindmilk in the same subject were smaller than the differences among individuals. Our analyses indicate that a human-milk lipid profile reflects individual characteristics and is a worthwhile focus for precision nutrition.

Analysis of Fatty Acid Esters of Hydroxyl Fatty Acid in Nut Oils and Other Plant Oils.

Oils and lipids are common food components and efficient sources of energy. Both the quantity and the quality of oils and lipids are important with regard to health and disease. Fatty acid ester of hydroxy fatty acid (FAHFA) is a novel lipid class that was discovered as an endogenous lipid; FAHFAs have shown anti-diabetic effects in a mammalian system. We analyzed the overall FAHFA composition in nut oils and other common oils: almond (raw, roasted), walnut, peanut, olive, palm, soybean, and rapeseed oils. We developed a method of liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC-ESI/MS/MS) for a comprehensive target analysis of FAHFAs. The analysis revealed wide variation in the FAHFA profiles (15 compounds and 62 peaks). For 7-11 compounds of FAHFA, a total level of 8-29 pmol/mg oil was detected in nuts oils; for 11 compounds, 4.9 pmol/mg oil was detected in olive oil, and for 4-9 compounds, < 2 pmol/mg oil was detected in palm, soy, and rapeseed oils. The major FAHFAs were FAHFA 36:3, FAHFA 36:2, and FAHFA 36:4 in nut oil, FAHFA 36:2, FAHFA 34:1, and FAHFA 36:1 in olive oil, and FAHFA 32:1, FAHFA 34:0, FAHFA 36:0, and FAHFA 36:1 in all of the common oils. The composition of FAHFAs in nut oils is mainly unsaturated fatty acids, whereas those in olive oil are unsaturated fatty acids and saturated fatty acids. The composition of FAHFAs in common oils was mainly saturated fats. This is the first report to demonstrate the quality and quantity of the FAHFAs in the nut oils. Nuts have been described to be a great source of many nutrients and to be beneficial for our health. Our present findings comprise additional evidence that the intake of nuts in daily diets may prevent metabolic and inflammatory-based diseases.

[Questionnaire research of the participants in a large scale walking event Fukuoka City analysis of walking habits and related factors].

PURPOSE: We examined the walking habits of the participants in the 'AIREF Spring Walk' which was held on March 9, 1997 in the western suburb of Fukuoka City. The aim of this walking event was to motivate the citizens, especially sedentary people, to walk by providing them an opportunity to enjoy walking. METHODS: The participants walked one of three distances (5 km, 10 km or 20 km) and answered anonymously a questionnaire immediately after finishing (100% response rare). The questionnaire items covered sex, age, district of residence, the distance of the walking course, the source of information on the event, experience of participating in other walking events in the past, and walking habits. RESULTS: The participants of this event (n = 1,039, mean age 49.4 +/- 18.9 [SD] years) were characterized by high rates for females (67%), those aged < 50 years (42%), residents of Fukuoka City (89%), those who chose to walk the shorter courses of 5 or 10 km (74%), and those who took part in a walking event for the first time (61%). Information on the event was obtained through other people (32%) such as friends, acquaintances, members of community walking groups or other family members, leaflets (21%) placed in the Fukuoka Health Promotion Center and seven Fukuoka City public health centers; a newspaper published biweekly by the municipal government (13%); and direct mail (11%). For those attending the 5 km course, more participants learned about the event through other family members compared with the other two courses. Participants who answered that they walked regularly constituted 56% of those aged 20 years or older. The rates for regular walkers significantly increased with the older participants (p < 0.01) and those who chose longer courses (p < 0.001). Compared with the regular walkers, those without a walking habit tended to have acquired information on the event from friends, acquaintances or other family members, or at their work sites (35%). The average amount of time spent was 249 +/- 175 min/week (n = 375). As a whole, only 30% of the participants aged 20 years or older walked longer than the amount of time for aerobic exercise recommended by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry (HLWM). The rate for those who reached the HLWM recommendations was increased in older subject (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that the aim of the walking event was partly accomplished, which was reflected by the relatively high rates of participation sedentary for people, compared with other large walking events. The sedentary participants tended to choose the relatively short distances and obtain the information about the event through other people. Walking promotion programs should be developed to motivate sedentary citizens to walk. The programs should also support regular walkers, many of whom are 50 years old or older, to maintain walking habits with the HLWM recommendations on aerobic exercise.

Effects of increased physical activity and mild calorie restriction on heart rate variability in obese women.

The effects of exercise and mild calorie restriction on heart rate variability (HRV) were investigated in 12 mildly obese, normotensive Japanese women aged 45.8+/-4.2 (SEM) years with a body mass index (BMI) of 27.3+/-0.4 kg/m2. The subjects participated in a 3-month program aimed at increasing physical activity and modifying eating behavior (intervention group). The control group consisted of 12 women (age 50.1+/-4.8 years, BMI 27.2+/-0.6 kg/m2) who did not attend the program. The frequency domain of HRV was calculated from 5-min Holter recordings while the subjects rested in a supine position. After 3 months, BMI decreased to 25.0+/-0.5 kg/m2 (p<0.001 vs baseline) in the intervention group, which was accompanied by decreases in body fat mass, waist circumference, serum total cholesterol and triglycerides, and improvement in insulin sensitivity. The mean and SD of the RR intervals, total power, and low and high frequency power of HRV significantly increased after the intervention, whereas no significant changes were seen for the controls. The changes in these HRV variables (calculated by subtracting the baseline values from the follow-up values) negatively correlated with the change in waist circumference, with the Pearson correlation coefficients being between -0.50 and -0.62 (p<0.05). A negative correlation was also seen between the changes in high frequency power and insulin resistance estimated by homeostasis model assessment (r=-0.49, p<0.05). The combination of exercise and mild calorie restriction led to changes in HRV indicative of an improvement in parasympathetic modulation.

Relation between body composition and age in healthy Japanese subjects.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the relation between body composition and age measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in healthy Japanese adults. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SUBJECTS AND MEASUREMENTS: The subjects were 2411 healthy Japanese adults (males 625, females 1786, age 20--79 y) who attended the Fukuoka Health Promotion Center, Fukuoka, Japan for health check-up. Body composition was determined by DXA (QDR-2000, Hologic) for the whole body and three anatomical regions of arms, legs and trunk. RESULTS: The mean values of body mass index (BMI) and percentage fat mass (%FM) were 23.2+/-3.1 (s.d.) kg/m(2) and 21.8+/-6.8% for males and 22.1+/-3.3 kg/m(2) and 32.0+/-7.5% for females, respectively. For males, curvilinear relations with the peaks in their forties or fifties were seen for the variables associated adiposity, ie BMI, waist and hip circumference, waist-hip ratio, total or regional fat mass (FM), %FM and ratio of trunk FM to leg FM. For females, most of these variables increased linearly in older subjects. Lean mass (LM), bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD) of the whole body and appendicular LM were relatively constant until the forties and then decreased in both sexes. The rates of decrease in the total or appendicular LM were larger for males than for females, whereas those in BMC or BMD were larger for females than for males. CONCLUSIONS: This study presents the first detailed data on body composition in Japanese, which may be useful when comparing with populations of different racial and ethnic backgrounds and studying ill subjects.

Association of serum tumour necrosis factor-alpha with serum low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and blood pressure in apparently healthy Japanese women.

1. The pro-inflammatory cytokine tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha is considered to be involved in the development of atherosclerosis by inducing local inflammatory responses in the vascular wall. Because TNF-alpha is also known to affect lipid and glucose metabolism, the association between the circulating concentration of TNF-alpha and atherogenic risk factors was examined in 82 apparently healthy Japanese women (aged 19-69 years; mean age 48.5 years). 2. The mean (+/-SD) serum TNF-alpha concentration was 2.7+/-0.9 pg/mL (range 1.4-5.9 pg/mL). The TNF-alpha concentration showed significant correlations with age (r = 0.28; P = 0.01), body mass index (r = 0.27; P = 0.01), the waist-hip ratio (r = 0.41; P = 0.0002), percentage body fat (r = 0.30; P = 0.006), systolic (r = 0.32; P = 0.004) and diastolic (r = 0.24; P = 0.03) blood pressure, total cholesterol (r = 0.27; P = 0.02) and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C; r = 0.36; P = 0.001), while the correlations with high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (r = -0.20; P = 0.08) and insulin resistance estimated by the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA(IR); r = 0.16; P = 0.15) were not statistically significant. 3. When adjusted for age and menopause, TNF-alpha was significantly associated with systolic blood pressure (r = 0.25; P = 0.02) and LDL-C (r = 0.27; P = 0.02). The association between TNF-alpha and LDL-C remained significant when adjustment was made for age, menopause and the waist-hip ratio (r = 0.24; P = 0.03). 4. Our results indicate that TNF-alpha may play a role in modulating blood pressure and LDL-C.

Cerebroprotective effects of a novel pyrazoline derivative, MS-153, on focal ischemia in rats.

MS-153 ((R)-(-)-5-methyl-1-nicotinoyl-2-pyrazoline) is a novel pyrazoline compound that has potent cerebroprotective effects in the rat focal cerebral ischemia model. Middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion in rats allows detailed assessment of both functional and morphological sequelae of brain infarct. Using this model, we evaluated the cerebroprotective effects of MS-153. Treatment with MS-153 (12.5 mg/kg, i.v. bolus followed by 6.25 mg/kg/hr or 25.0 mg/kg, i.v. bolus followed by 12.5 mg/kg/hr infusion for 7 days) significantly reduced infarct volumes and improved neurological deficits in MCA occluded rats 7 days after occlusion. Delayed treatment significantly reduced infarct volume 24 hr after MCA occlusion when MS-153 (25.0 mg/kg, i.v. bolus followed by 12.5 mg/kg/hr infusion for 21 hr) administration was started 3 hr after occlusion. Brain edema was also significantly improved when MS-153 (25.0 mg/kg, i.v. bolus followed by 12.5 mg/kg/hr infusion for 18 hr) administration was started 6 hr after occlusion.