Meal replacement plans are effective tools for weight loss and improvement of various clinical characteristics but not sustainable due to the severe energy restriction. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of meal replacement, specifically 388 kcal in total energy, on body composition and metabolic parameters in individuals with overweight and obesity from a Chinese population. A parallel, randomized controlled trial was performed with 174 participants (ChiCTR-OOC-17012000). The intervention group (N=86) was provided with a dinner meal replacement, and the control group (N=88) continued their routine diet as before. Body composition and blood parameters were assessed at 0, 4, 8, and 12 weeks. A post hoc analysis (least significant difference (LSD) test), repeated measurements, and paired T-test were used to compare each variable within and between groups. Significant (p < 0.001) improvements in body composition components were observed among the intervention group, including body weight (−4.3 ± 3.3%), body mass index (−4.3 ± 3.3%), waist circumference (−4.3 ± 4.4%), fat-free mass (−1.8 ± 2.9%), and body fat mass (−5.3 ± 8.8%). Body composition improvements corresponded with significant metabolic improvements of blood glucose (−4.7 ± 9.8%). Further improvements in visceral fat area (−7.7 ± 10.1%), accompanying with improvements in systolic (−3.7 ± 6.9%) and diastolic (−5.3 ± 7.7%) blood pressure, were only found in male subjects. To conclude, meal replacement intake with 388 kcal in total energy at dinner time for 12 weeks contributed to improvement in body composition and clinically significant metabolic parameters in both male and female participants with overweight/obesity. Additionally, glucose and blood pressure reduction were gender-specific highlighting the importance of gender stratification for design of nutritional intervention studies for improvement of health.

Dietary fiber, a nutrient derived mainly from whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and legumes, is known to confer a number of health benefits, yet most Americans consume less than half of the daily recommended amount. Convenience and affordability are key factors determining the ability of individuals to incorporate fiber-rich foods into their diet, and many Americans struggle to access, afford, and prepare foods rich in fiber. The objective of this clinical study was to test the changes in microbial community composition, human metabolomics, and general health markers of a convenient, easy to use prebiotic supplement in generally healthy young participants consuming a diet low in fiber. Twenty healthy adults participated in this randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover study which was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03785860. During the study participants consumed 12 g of a prebiotic fiber supplement and 12 g of placebo daily as a powder mixed with water as part of their habitual diet in randomized order for 4 weeks, with a 4-week washout between treatment arms. Fecal microbial DNA was extracted and sequenced by shallow shotgun sequencing on an Illumina NovaSeq. Plasma metabolites were detected using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry with untargeted analysis. The phylum Actinobacteria, genus Bifidobacterium, and several Bifidobacterium species (B. bifidum, B. adolescentis, B. breve, B. catenulatum, and B. longum) significantly increased after prebiotic supplementation when compared to the placebo. The abundance of genes associated with the utilization of the prebiotic fiber ingredients (sacA, xfp, xpk) and the production of acetate (poxB, ackA) significantly changed with prebiotic supplementation. Additionally, the abundance of genes associated with the prebiotic utilization (xfp, xpk), acetate production (ackA), and choline to betaine oxidation (gbsB) were significantly correlated with changes in the abundance of the genus Bifidobacterium in the prebiotic group. Plasma concentrations of the bacterially produced metabolite indolepropionate significantly increased. The results of this study demonstrate that an easy to consume, low dose (12 g) of a prebiotic powder taken daily increases the abundance of beneficial bifidobacteria and the production of health-promoting bacteria-derived metabolites in healthy individuals with a habitual low-fiber diet.Clinical Trial Registrationwww.clinicaltrials.gov/, identifier: NCT03785860

Background Visceral adiposity has been reported to play a key role in hypertension compared with other measurements of regional or general obesity. The aim of current study was to evaluate the relationship between visceral fat reduction and changes in blood pressure in a group of overweight or obese Chinese individuals. Methods An observational study was conducted with 168 participants (ChiCTR-OOC-17012000). Body composition, blood parameters and blood pressure were assessed at the beginning and end of the intervention. Males and females were categorized separately into quartiles according to changes in visceral fat during the intervention. Multiple linear regression models were used to assess the associations of changes in systolic and diastolic blood pressure with changes of visceral fat area, adjusted for potential confounders. Results Changes in visceral fat was significantly associated with systolic and diastolic blood pressure in men for systolic (β = 0.234, 95% CI: 0.103, 0.365; p = 0.001) and diastolic blood pressure (β = 0.237; 95% CI: 0.127, 0.346; p <0.001), but not in women after adjustment for the same potential confounders for systolic blood (β = − 0.003, 95% CI: − 0.260, 0.255; p = 0.984) and diastolic blood pressure (β = 0.101, 95% CI: − 0.072, 0.273; p = 0.249). Conclusions A positive association was observed between reduction in visceral fat and improvements in both systolic blood and diastolic blood pressures in males but not females in a 12-week meal replacement intervention. Trial registration The Ethics Committee of Peking University Health Science Center approved the study protocol on 6 July 2017. The authors confirm that all ongoing and related trials for this intervention were carried out following the rules of the Declaration of Helsinki of 1975 and registered (ChiCTR-OOC-17012000). http://www.chictr.org.cn/showprojen.aspx?proj=20426 Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12986-019-0369-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Professional football players may experience negative health consequences when they retire such as chronic pain, cognitive problems as well as other consequences of sports-related injuries. The purpose of this pilot study is to determine the effects of dietary supplementation with multiple nutrients on the quality of life of retired football players. Fifteen retired players received daily supplementation of fish oil with cholecalciferol, antioxidants, natural vitamins and minerals, polysaccharides and phytosterol-amino acid complex for 6 months. Using an open-labeled repeated measures design, volunteers completed self-report assessment measures at baseline, 1, 3 and 6 months. Outcome measures were CDC HRQOL-4, WHOQOL-BREF, POMS, MFQ and pain self-assessment. General health rating improvement on CDC HRQOL-4 from month 1 was sustained to month 6 (p<0.0001). Mental health days improved at 6 months (p<0.05). WHOQOL-BREF showed increased health satisfaction at all measurement points (p<0.05) and the Physical and Psychological Domain Scores at 6 months (p<0.05). MFQ General Rating of Memory improved at 3 and 6 months (p<0.05). Vigor scale in POMS was significant at 3 months (p<0.05). Decreased pain was noted only for the elbow at month 1 and the knee at month 3 (p<0.05). No adverse events were reported. Results of this study offer preliminary insight into using dietary supplements to support and optimize quality of life in retired football players. Further research using a placebo-controlled design is needed to characterize the potential benefit to physical and psychological well-being of multiple dietary supplementations for this cohort.

To analyze the effect of birth weight on weight, stature, and the Body Mass Index (BMI) at the ages of 6 and 14 years, 1,115 Jerusalem schoolchildren were studied. Correlations were low, but higher between birth and 6 years (range 0.10-0.31) than between birth and 14 years (range 0.04-0.20). The positive predictive values for the highest quartile of BMI at 6 and 14 years were 29.6 and 29.4% among boys, 31.4 and 33.0% among girls. They were highest for menstruating girls, 35.6 and 40.0%, respectively. These girls were already heavier at age 6 than other girls and bodys. Aanalysis of covariance showed that birth weight was consistently associated with weight, stature, and the BMI, while mother's origin, education and age, and the number of children in the family were not. Overall, the explained variance was low and decreased with age in both sexes. It was higher for stature than for weight, and was specially low for the BMI. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.