Lifestyle modifications are the main support of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) therapy. Weight loss is one of the primary goals in NAFLD, but the effects of different calorie-restricted diets remain unclear. Thus, we evaluated the effects of two calorie-restricted diets—the Mediterranean diet (Med diet) and low-fat diet—on liver status, cardiometabolic markers, and fatty acid profiles in patients with NAFLD. Twenty-four overweight/moderately obese men were randomly assigned to consume one of these diets. Lipid levels, glucose, insulin, liver enzymes, steatosis, and fatty acid profiles of serum and erythrocytes phospholipids were assessed. After 3 months, all participants had a significant weight loss (>9%), with improvements in waist circumference, body fat %, index of visceral adiposity (VAI), lipid accumulation product, fatty liver (FLI), and hepatic steatosis (HSI) index (p < 0.001). Both diets significantly lowered triglycerides, total and LDL-cholesterol, liver enzymes, fasting glucose, insulin, and HOMA-IR index. Fatty acid profiles were enhanced after both diets, with a significantly decreased n-6/n-3 ratio. Participants on the Med diet had higher levels of HDL-cholesterol and monounsaturated and n-3 docosahexaenoic acids in serum phospholipids and lower levels of saturated fatty acids, triglycerides, TG/HDL ratio, and FLI when compared to participants on the low-fat diet. Our results indicate that dietary patterns and calorie restriction represent central therapeutic issues in the improvement of obesity-related cardiometabolic alterations that are involved in the mechanism of hepatic steatosis. The Med diet may contribute to disease treatment even more than the low-fat diet since it leads to decreased saturated and increased monounsaturated and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid status and improved FLI in NAFLD patients.

The results obtained indicate a positive impact of the consumption of pomegranate juice on lipid peroxidation and fatty acid status in subjects with metabolic syndrome and suggest potential anti-inflammatory and cardio-protective effects. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

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The effect of intensive long-term physical activity on phospholipid fatty acid (FA) composition has not been studied thoroughly. We determined plasma and erythrocyte phospholipid FA status of professional basketball and football players. Our results showed differences in plasma FA profile not only between sportsmen and sedentary subjects, but also between two groups of sportsmen. Plasma FA profile in basketball players showed significantly higher proportion of n-6 FA (20:3, 20:4, and 22:4) and total polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) than controls, while football players had higher palmitoleic acid (16:1) than basketball players and controls. Total PUFA and 22:4 were also higher in basketball than in football players. Erythrocyte FA profile showed no differences between football players and controls. However, basketball players had higher proportion of 18:0 than controls, higher saturated FA and lower 18:2 than two other groups, and higher 22:4 than football players. These findings suggest that long-term intensive exercise and type of sport influence FA profile.

A systematic review was conducted to summarize the evidence currently available from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) concerning the effect of iron intake of infants, children and adolescents on measures of cognitive development and function. The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE and Embase were searched up to and including February 2010. Studies were also identified by checking the bibliographies of the articles retrieved. All RCTs with an adequate control group in which iron supply was provided by natural food sources, fortified foods, formula or supplements to infants, children or adolescents until the age of 18 years were considered for inclusion. No language restrictions were applied. Fourteen studies met the selection criteria. Twelve out of these 14 studies had a high or moderate risk of bias. A large degree of heterogeneity of study populations, iron dosages and outcome measures precluded performing a quantitative meta-analysis. Overall, the studies suggest a modest positive effect of iron supplementation on cognition and psychomotor outcomes in anemic infants and children after supplementation periods of at least 2 months of duration.

(1) Background: Marine n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and ɤ-linolenic acid (GLA) are well-known anti-inflammatory agents that may help in the treatment of inflammatory disorders. Their effects were examined in patients with rheumatoid arthritis; (2) Methods: Sixty patients with active rheumatoid arthritis were involved in a prospective, randomized trial of a 12 week supplementation with fish oil (group I), fish oil with primrose evening oil (group II), or with no supplementation (group III). Clinical and laboratory evaluations were done at the beginning and at the end of the study; (3) Results: The Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS 28 score), number of tender joints and visual analogue scale (VAS) score decreased notably after supplementation in groups I and II (p < 0.001). In plasma phospholipids the n-6/n-3 fatty acids ratio declined from 15.47 ± 5.51 to 10.62 ± 5.07 (p = 0.005), and from 18.15 ± 5.04 to 13.50 ± 4.81 (p = 0.005) in groups I and II respectively. The combination of n-3 PUFA and GLA (group II) increased ɤ-linolenic acid (0.00 ± 0.00 to 0.13 ± 0.11, p < 0.001), which was undetectable in all groups before the treatments; (4) Conclusion: Daily supplementation with n-3 fatty acids alone or in combination with GLA exerted significant clinical benefits and certain changes in disease activity.

The effects of polyphenol-rich chokeberry juice on fatty acid profiles and lipid peroxidation of active handball players: results from a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled study proportions of mono-(C16:1n-7, C18:1n-7), and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs: 35C18:3n-3, C20:5n-3, and C22:4 n-6) in males, as well as n-6 PUFAs and total PUFAs in 36 females after consumption. These results indicate that chokeberry juice had a weak impact on 37 attenuating the effect of intensive training in active handball players. (Arsic et al. 2012(Arsic et al. , 2015 Tepsic et al. 2009 Tepsic et al. , 2011 lasting 3 hours in total. 112The research protocol started at 8 AM, after an overnight rest and fast, and before the 113 breakfast. After filling out standard sports medicine questionnaire and passing the standard 114 sports medicine examination, the blood samples were taken from the players. 115The players (male or female, respectively) were randomly divided into two treatment group (n=7 for male, n=7 for female) was given 100 mL of placebo, having the same content Serum samples and biochemical determination 134Blood samples were taken at the beginning of the study and after four weeks chokeberry juice 135 or placebo consumption during the preparatory training in campus. The samples were taken 136 into sample tubes for serum and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) tubes for plasma. 137Lipid status and glucose level were determined in sera of the athletes, on the same day the 138 samples were collected, using the automated enzymatic methods (Roche Diagnostics kits, Acid), then samples were put on ice for 10 min, and centrifuged for 15 min at 6000 rpm. This 147 method was described previously (Okhava et al. 1979 The activities of enzymes involved in FA biosynthesis, desaturases and elongases, 165were estimated as the product-to-precursor ratios, as previously described (Petrovic et al. As it can be seen from the Table 1, there were no differences in the anthropometric 183 parameters both before and after the study in the same group, nor between chokeberry and 184 placebo groups. 185In both male and female athletes, there was no difference in serum glucose and total 186 cholesterol concentration before and after the intervention with chokeberry juice or placebo 187 ( As presented in Table 3, consumption of chokeberry juice (100 ml/ day) in parallel with (Table 3). 201Although the female players were subjected to the same intervention, the obtained consequently total PUFA were reduced in the placebo controlled group (Table 4). 204Interestingly, estimated desaturase and elongase activities were not amended in both male and 205 female handball players after the treatment with chokeberry juice or placebo ( is higher in women than in men due to effect of estrogen (Devries et al. 2007). 247The fatty acid composition of plasma phospholipids followed in this study, showed 248 some treatment-and sex-dependent alternations. Total SFA, MUFA n-3 and n-6 PUFA 249(except n-6 PFA in the female placebo group) remained unchan...

The impact of chronic, intense exercise, such as in elite athletes, on phospholipids fatty acids (FA) composition has not been studied in women so far. This study aimed to investigate FA profiles in plasma and erythrocytes phospholipids in elite female water polo (N = 15) and football (N = 19) players in comparison with sedentary women. In spite of similar dietary patterns, as assessed by a food frequency questionnaire, plasma FA profile in the football players showed significantly higher proportions of stearic acid, oleic acid, and monounsaturated FA (MUFA), and significantly lower proportions of total and n-6 polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) than in the water polo and control group. The water polo players had higher percentages of palmitoleic acid and arachidonic acid than the control subjects. Erythrocyte FA profile differed among groups. We found significantly higher proportion of oleic acid and MUFA in the football group than in the controls, and decreased stearic acid and elevated palmitic and palmitoleic acid in the water polo players than in the other 2 groups. Both groups of athletes had significantly lower percentages of n-6 dihomo-γ-linolenic acid, n-6 PUFA, and total PUFA compared with the controls. The estimated activities of elongase and desaturases in erythrocytes were also altered in the athletes. Our results indicate that long-term, intense physical training significantly affects FA status of plasma and erythrocyte phospholipids in women. The observed differences between the water polo and the football players suggest that the type of regular training may contribute to the altered metabolism of FA, although possible genetic differences among the 3 study groups cannot be ruled out.