The usage of aspartame, as one of the most widely used sweetener, has been approved in many types of food products. Moreover, many studies have proven that replacing sugar with aspartame would contribute favorable effects on several health parameters; such as, body weight, blood glucose level, and inflammatory status. In this experiment, we examined the effects of aspartame consumption on some biomarkers; which potentially acted as early signals for a personal metabolic status. This study was aimed to investigate the effect of aspartame on the expression of a number of molecular markers related with appetite regulation (fto), fat accumulation markers (fabp4 and alt2) and inflammation marker (tnf-α) in Sprague Dawley rats. The population of Clostridium coccoides was also observed to give an insight about the effect of sweetener consumption on gut microbiota profiles. 15 healthy, male, eight-weeks old Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a standard diet and divided into 3 groups (n=5 for each): water only, sucrose (30% b/v), and aspartame (0.15% b/v). Body weight was measured weekly and blood glucose measurement was carried out on day 1 and 40. At the end of the experiment, all rats were euthanized and blood was collected from the vein. The liver, brain, and visceral adipose tissue were excised, weighed, and grinded with liquid nitrogen. Feces samples were collected on day 0 and 40. At the end of our experimental period; the body weight, liver weight, and blood glucose level of sucrose-treated rats were significantly higher (p <0.05) than aspartame and control group. Sucrose showed the lowest level of fto gene expression; yet, the fto gene expression in aspartame group was still lower than the control group. Expression of several genes considered as metabolic syndrome-related biomarkers were measured (fabp4, alt2, and tnf-α); and our data demonstrated that sucrose treatment gave the highest increase in expression level of those genes; while aspartame treatment showed much lower values. Furthermore, sucrose also caused a significant reduction in C. coccoides population; while, the C. coccoides population in aspartame group did not differ significantly compared to the control group.
Tofu is a traditional Indonesian food that has many advantages and is made with a very simple manufacturing process. However, knowledge about tofu and the process of making hygienic and healthy tofu is still low in Indonesia. Therefore, the present community service aims to improve public knowledge about tofu as a healthy food and how tofu is made. The community service activities were implemented to residents of the WKRI at Paroki St. Ignatius Loyola, Semplak, Bogor 16310, which consisted of counseling, demonstration, and mentoring methods. Monitoring was conducted to measure the level of success achieved by participants in producing healthy tofu. Participants' perceptions about tofu were evaluated through a survey method and improving knowledge was measured through tests (pretest and posttest). The results of counseling, demonstration, and mentoring succeeded in improving the participants' skills as evidenced by their success in making hygienic and healthy tofu. The survey results showed participants' improving knowledge about hygienic and healthy tofu and participants’ higher motivation to produce hygienic and healthy tofu independently. All participants appreciated the community service activities. They also appreciated the exceptional ability of the facilitator in delivering the materials.
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