Background: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a severe pervasive developmental disorder with prevalence as high as one in sixty-eight children. Children diagnosed with ASD may have food intake problem and might affect their nutritional status in the future. The objective of this study was to analyze the correlation between total calorie intake and nutritional status of ASD children. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Indigrow Child Development and Autism Center involving 16 patients from October to November 2015. Total calorie intake was assessed by 24-hour food recall and nutritional status was measured by Z-score. Correlation was analyzed using Spearman's Rho. Results: Overweight and obesity were found in 10 out of 16 ASD children assessed. Total calorie intake was not significantly correlated with nutritional status of ASD children (r=0.021, p=0.940). Conclusions: There is no significant relevance between total calorie intake and nutritional status in ASD children at Indigrow Child Development and Autism Center.
Background
Browning of white adipose tissue (WAT) is a promising approach to obesity treatment. During browning, WAT transforms into beige adipose tissue through stimulation of the peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ (PPARγ). Nutmeg, one of the Indonesian herbs, reportedly has dual roles as a PPARα/γ partial agonist. Even though nutmeg has been traditionally used in body weight reduction, there is limited information regarding the potential role of nutmeg in browning of WAT.
Objectives
In this study, we explored the effect of nutmeg seed extract (NuSE) as a potential inductor of WAT browning.
Methods
Twelve male Wistar rats, 5–6 weeks old, were divided into control and nutmeg groups. The rats in nutmeg group were given NuSE for 12 weeks by oral gavage. After 12 weeks, the rat's inguinal WAT and brown adipose tissue (BAT) were collected, weighed and stored at − 80°C until use.
Results
We observed that even though NuSE did not reduce the final body weight, it significantly reduced body weight gain. NuSE also increased protein levels of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ coactivator 1α (PGC‐1α) and uncoupling protein 3 (UCP3) significantly and tended to increase UCP2 and UCP1 levels. Furthermore, NuSE induced macroscopic and microscopic morphological changes of inguinal WAT, marked by significantly increased adipocyte numbers and decreased adipocyte size.
Conclusions
Even though NuSE did not increase UCP1 significantly, it potentially alters inguinal WAT characteristics and leads to browning through PGC‐1α and UCP3 induction. However, UCP3’s specific mechanism in WAT browning remains unclear. Our findings could contribute to obesity treatment in the future.
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