The long-term associations between the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and low-calorie sweetened beverages (LCSBs) with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remains inconsistent. To synthesize the evidence, we conducted a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies published up to 1 December, 2019 on the associations between SSB and LCSB intake and the risk of CVD incidence and mortality. Out of 5301 articles retrieved from our literature search, 11 articles evaluating the consumption of SSBs (16,915 incident CVD cases, 18,042 CVD deaths) and 8 articles evaluating the consumption of LCSBs (18,077 incident CVD cases, 14,114 CVD deaths) were included in the meta-analysis. A 1 serving/d increment of SSBs was associated with an 8% (RR: 1.08; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.14, I2 = 43.0%) and 8% (RR: 1.08; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.13, I2 = 40.6%) higher risk of CVD incidence and CVD mortality, respectively. A 1 serving/d increment of LCSBs was associated with a 7% (RR: 1.07; 95% CI: 1.05, 1.10, I2 = 0.0%) higher risk of CVD incidence. The association between LCSBs and CVD mortality appeared to be nonlinear (P = 0.003 for nonlinearity) with significant associations observed at high intake levels (>2 servings/d). Under an assumption of causality, the consumption of SSBs may be linked to 9.3% (95% CI: 6.6%, 11.9%) of predicted CVD incidence in the USA from 2015 to 2025, among men and nonpregnant women, who were aged 40–79 y in 2015–2016. The habitual consumption of SSBs was associated with a higher risk of CVD morbidity and mortality in a dose-response manner. LCSBs were also associated with a higher risk of these outcomes, however, the interpretation of these findings may be complicated by reverse causation and residual confounding.

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Stroke is the leading cause of permanent disability in China, 1 and ischemic stroke (IS) accounts for almost 80% of all strokes, 2 whereas coronary heart disease (CHD) is a major worldwide health threat. In tandem with the economic success of China, the number of individuals in China with IS and CHD has increased significantly in recent years, with stroke resulting in 301 million disability-adjusted life-years. 3CHD in Chinese adults aged 35 to 84 years is predicted to increase by 64% during the period 2020-2029. 4 Although numerous epidemiology studies have researched the association between hyperhomocysteinemia and IS or CHD, the results have been conflicting. Most studies have been retrospective and focused on healthy populations in the developed world, whereas data from developing countries remains limited.Vitamins B12 and B6 and folate are involved in the metabolism of methionine, and deficiency of these B vitamins can cause elevation of total homocysteine (tHcy) levels.5 Deficiencies in these nutrients are more prevalent in developing countries. A meta-analysis of randomized trials demonstrated that homocysteine-lowering interventions for stroke seem not to have a significant effect in geographic regions with high dietary folate intake, but may have a substantial effect in regions with low folate intake, such as Asia. 6 Regarding public health guidelines,Background and Purpose-Total homocysteine level (tHcy) is a risk factor of ischemic stroke (IS) and coronary heart disease. However, the results are conflicting and mainly focused on healthy individuals in developed countries. Methods-A prospective, population-based cohort study was conducted among 5935 participants from 60 communities in the city of Shenzhen, China. A Cox regression analysis was applied to evaluate the contribution of tHcy to the risk of IS and coronary heart disease. The effect of folic acid supplementation on tHcy levels was also evaluated among 501 patients with essential hypertension, who received an average of 2.5 years of folic acid supplementation. Results-After adjustment for confounding factors, the hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) of IS caused by hyperhomocysteinemia were 2.18 (1.65-2.89), 2.40 (1.56-3.67), and 2.73 (1.83-4.08) in the total, male, and female participants, respectively. Compared with normal levels of tHcy (<15 μmol/L), the hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for IS in the highest tHcy category (≥30 μmol/L) were 4.96 (3.03-8.12), 6.11 (3.44-10.85), and 1.84 (0.52-6.46) in the total, males, and females participants, respectively. However, we did not observe a significant relationship between tHcy and the risk of coronary heart disease. The 2.5 years of folic acid supplementation reduced tHcy levels by 6.7 μmol/L (27.92%) in patients with essential hypertension. Conclusions-Hyperhomocysteinemia in Chinese hypertensive patients is significantly associated with IS risk but not coronary heart disease susceptibility, and folic acid supplementation can efficiently reduce tHcy levels.

Inhibition of α-glucosidase and α-amylase decreases postprandial blood glucose levels and delays glucose absorption, making it a treatment strategy for type 2 diabetes. This study examined in vivo and in vitro antidiabetic activities of natural prenylchalconaringenins 1 and 2 and prenylnaringenins 3 and 4, found in hops and beer. 3'-Geranylchalconaringenin (2) competitively and irreversibly inhibited α-glucosidase (IC = 1.08 μM) with activity 50-fold higher than that of acarbose (IC = 51.30 μM) and showed moderate inhibitory activity against α-amylase (IC = 20.46 μM). Docking analysis substantiated these findings. In addition, compound 2 suppressed the increase in postprandial blood glucose levels and serum levels of total cholesterol and triglycerides in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice. Taken together, these results suggest that 2 has dual inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase and α-amylase and alleviates diabetic hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia, making it a potential functional food ingredient and drug candidate for management of type 2 diabetes.

Background: Previous studies have yielded inconsistent findings on the role of fish oil in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We systematically summarized the available evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCT) and aimed to investigate the effects of fish oil supplementation on glucose control and lipid levels among patients with T2DM. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was performed in electronic databases (PubMed, ProQuest, Cochrane Library, CNKI, VIP, and Wanfang) to identify all relevant RCTs which were published up to May 31st, 2019. We used Modified Jadad Score system to evaluate the quality of each included RCT. The pooled effects were estimated using random-effects model and presented as standardized mean differences with 95% confidence intervals. Results: A total of 12 RCTs were included in this meta-analysis. There was no significant difference in glucose control outcomes comparing fish oil supplementation to placebo. The effect size of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) was 0.13 (95% CI: − 0.03 to 0.28, p > 0.05). No marked change was observed in fasting insulin (FINS), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and HOMA of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) levels. Fish oil supplementation was associated with a decrease of triglyceride (TG) level by − 0.40 (95%CI: − 0.53 to − 0.28, p < 0.05), and an increase of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level by 0.21 (95%CI: 0.05 to 0.37, p < 0.05). In subgroup analysis, HDL cholesterol level was higher among Asian and low-dose(< 2 g/d n-3 PUFA) subgroups compared to their counterparts (p < 0.05). TG level was lower in mid and long duration groups, along with an inconspicuous difference in short duration group. Conclusions: This meta-analysis shows that among patients with T2DM, fish oil supplementation leads to a favorable blood lipids profile but does not improve glucose control.

SummaryAimsLong noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a key role in regulating immunological functions. Their impact on the chronic inflammatory disease multiple sclerosis (MS), however, remains unknown. We investigated the expression of lncRNAs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with MS and attempt to explain their possible role in the process of MS.MethodsFor this study, we recruited 26 patients with MS according to the revised McDonald criteria. Then, we randomly chose 6 patients for microarray analysis. Microarray assays identified outstanding differences in lncRNA expression, which were verified through real‐time PCR. LncRNA functions were annotated for target genes using Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses, and regulatory relationships between lncRNAs and target genes were analyzed using the “cis” and “trans” model.ResultsThere were 2353 upregulated lncRNAs, 389 downregulated lncRNAs, 1037 upregulated mRNAs, and 279 downregulated mRNAs in patients with MS compared to healthy control subjects (fold change >2.0). Real‐time PCR results of six aberrant lncRNAs were consistent with the microarray data. The coexpression network comprised 864 lncRNAs and 628 mRNAs. Among differentially expressed lncRNAs, 10 lncRNAs were predicted to have 10 cis‐regulated target genes, and 33 lncRNAs might regulate their trans target genes.ConclusionsWe identified a subset of dysregulated lncRNAs and mRNAs. The differentially expressed lncRNAs may be important in the process of MS. However, the specific molecular mechanisms and biological functions of these lncRNAs in the pathogenesis of MS need further study.

OBJECTIVES: Cystathionine β-synthase is a major enzyme in the metabolism of plasma homocysteine. Hyperhomocysteinemia is positively associated with hypertension and stroke. The present study was performed to examine the possible effects of Cystathionine β-synthase promoter methylation on the development of hypertension and stroke. METHODS: Using quantitative methylation-specific PCR, we determined the Cystathionine β-synthase methylation levels in 218 healthy individuals and 132 and 243 age- and gender-matched stroke and hypertensive patients, respectively. The relative changes in Cystathionine β-synthase promoter methylation were analyzed using the 2 – ΔΔ Ct method. The percent of the methylated reference of Cystathionine β-synthase was used to represent the Cystathionine β-synthase promoter methylation levels. RESULTS: In this study, the Cystathionine β-synthase promoter methylation levels of hypertensive and stroke participants were both higher than that of the healthy individuals (median percentages of the methylated reference were 50.61%, 38.05% and 30.53%, respectively, all p <0.001). Multivariable analysis showed that Cystathionine β-synthase promoter hypermethylation increased the risk of hypertension [odds ratio, OR (95% confidence interval, CI)=1.035 (1.025–1.045)] and stroke [OR (95% CI)=1.015 (1.003–1.028)]. The area under the curve of Cystathionine β-synthase promoter methylation was 0.844 (95% CI: 0.796–0.892) in male patients with hypertension and 0.722 (95% CI: 0.653–0.799) in male patients with stroke. CONCLUSION: Cystathionine β-synthase promoter hypermethylation increases the risk of hypertension and stroke, especially in male patients.

Trans-resveratrol and resveratrol glucoside are natural phenolic compounds existed in a wide variety of plant species, which are extensively consumed in many countries. The existing studies excessively focused on grapes and their products, and little about daily vegetable foods. Actually, in much more countries, vegetable foods are residents' principal food and nutrient origins. This study was to investigate the levels of trans-resveratrol and trans-piceid in daily vegetable foods of China using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with fluorescence detection (FLD). Trans-piceid was the major form existing in most vegetable foods, and most of the samples contained higher trans-piceid than trans-resveratrol. The contents of trans-resveratrol and trans-piceid in different varieties and regions were different. Moreover, peculiar vegetable foods to some region were also one of the most important sources of trans-resveratrol and trans-piceid. Therefore, vegetable foods were other significant sources of trans-resveratrol and trans-piceid except the foods published.