Previous findings suggest that performing strength training (ST) in the evening may provide greater benefit for young individuals. However, this may not be optimal for the older population. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of a 12-week ST program performed in the morning vs. evening on strength, functional capacity, metabolic biomarker and basal hormone concentrations in older women. Thirty-one healthy older women (66 ± 4 years, 162 ± 4 cm, 75 ± 13 kg) completed the study. Participants trained in the morning (M) (07:30, n = 10), in the evening (E) (18:00, n = 10), or acted as a non-training control group (C) (n = 11). Both intervention groups performed whole-body strength training with 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions with 2-3 minutes rest between sets. All groups were measured before and after the 12-week period with; dynamic leg press and seated-row 6-repetition maximum (6-RM) and functional capacity tests (30-second chair stands and arm curl test, Timed Up and Go), as well as whole-body skeletal muscle mass (SMM) (kg) and fat mass (FM-kg, FM%) assessed by bioelectrical impedance (BIA). Basal blood samples (in the intervention groups only) taken before and after the intervention assessed low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C), blood glucose (GLU), triglycerides (TG), high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) concentrations and total antioxidant status (TAS) after a 12 h fast. Hormone analysis included prolactin (PRL), progesterone (P) estradiol (ESTR), testosterone (T), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH). While C showed no changes in any variable, both M and E significantly improved leg press (+ 46 ± 22% and + 21 ± 12%, respectively; p < 0.001) and seated-row (+ 48 ± 21% and + 42 ± 18%, respectively; p < 0.001) 6-RM, as well as all functional capacity outcomes (p < 0.01) due to training. M were the only group to increase muscle mass (+ 3 ± 2%, p < 0.01). Both M and E group significantly (p < 0.05) decreased GLU (-4 ± 6% and -8 ± 10%, respectively), whereas significantly greater decrease was observed in the E compared to the M group (p < 0.05). Only E group significantly decreased TG (-17 ± 25%, p < 0.01), whereas M group increased (+ 15%, p < 0.01). The difference in TG between the groups favored E compared to M group (p < 0.01). These results suggest that short-term "hypertrophic" ST alone mainly improves strength and functional capacity performance, but it influences metabolic and hormonal profile of healthy older women to a lesser extent. In this group of previously untrained older women, time-of-day did not have a major effect on outcome variables, but some evidence suggests that training in the morning may be more beneficial for muscle hypertrophy (i.e. only M significantly increased muscle mass and had larger effect size (M: g = 2 vs. E: g = 0.5).

The species Pleurotus ostreatus is a commercially, gastronomically, and biotechnologically important fungus. Its strain variability has been little researched. The study provides an evaluation of 59 oyster mushroom production strains in terms of the ability to accumulate selected metals in the cap and stipe. The fruiting bodies were grown under identical model conditions on straw substrate. Metal concentrations (ET-AAS) in dry fruiting bodies ranged in values 1.7–22.4 mg kg−1 for Al, 2.6–9.7 mg kg−1 Ba, 199–4560 mg kg−1 Ca, 1.7–12.0 mg kg−1 Cu, 12–120 mg kg−1 Fe, 16,000–49,500 mg kg−1 K, 876–2400 mg kg−1 Mg, 0.39–11.0 mg kg−1 Mn, 46–920 mg kg−1 Na and 11–920 mg kg−1 for Zn. More Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Zn accumulated in the cap, while in the stipe Ba was amassed. No significant difference was found between Al, Ca and Na between the accumulation in the cap and the stipe. Furthermore, the dependence of metal uptake from the substrate depending on the fortification of the substrate was confirmed. Statistically significant (p < 0.05) synergistic relationships were shown in pairs Al and Ba, Al and Fe, Ba and Na, Ba and Ca, Ca and Na, Cu and Fe, Fe and Mn, Fe and Zn, K and Mg, K and Mn, K and Zn, Mg and Mn, Mg and Na, Mg and Zn and Mn and Zn in the substrate without the addition of sodium selenate to the substrate. Altered relationships were observed after the application of sodium selenate to the substrate, synergism of Se and Ni, Se and Co and Se and Hg, Cu and Mn, Cu and Fe, Zn and Co, Zn and Ni, Zn and Hg, Mn and Fe, Mn and Cr, Co and Ni, Co and Hg, Ni and Hg, Pb and Cd. The findings of the study may help in the selection of production strains with hypercumulative properties for a particular metal and subsequent use in the addition of fortified fruiting bodies (e.g., with Zn). Based on the study the strains less sensitive to the accumulation of hazardous metals is possible to select for large-scale production, which is important from the perspective of food safety.

In a group of 204 randomly selected patients hospitalized in the Cardiocentre Nitra, of which 63 were women (30.88%) and 141 men (69.12%), we evaluated the prevalence of modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and the impact of dietary habits on the lipid profile and body mass index (BMI). We have recorded a high prevalence of risk factors, especially overweight and obesity, where 87.3% of women and 92.91% of men had BMI ≥25. Normal weight was observed only in 12.70% of women and in 7.09% of men. In the study group up to 60.32% of women and 57.45% of men had blood pressure higher than ≥130/85 mmHg. More than half of the respondents were simultaneously overweighted or obese together with high blood pressure occurence. The total cholesterol level higher than 5.2 mmol/L was recorded in 41.24% of women and 34.75% of men. There was statistically significant difference between men and women (p <0.05) in the prevalence of low HDL cholesterol to the detriment of men while the value below 1.3 mmol/L was recorded in 31.75% of women and the value lower than 1.1 mmol/L in 52.48 % of men. Values of triglycerides (TG) ≥1.7 mmol/L were recorded in 28.57% of women and in 35.42% of men. Fasting blood glucose levels ≥5.6 mmol/L were recorded in up to 68.25% of women and 71.63% of men. There was not statistically significant difference (P >0.05) in the occurrence of increased levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure and glycemia according to gender. We found out that most of the respondents consumed food 3-4 times per day, i.e. 53.97% of women and 60.99% of men. Food intake for five to six times a day was reported only by 28.57% of women and 19.15% of men. The number of daily meals was significantly reflected in the BMI values in men who consumed food 1-2 times a day compared to the men who ate 3-4 meals daily (p <0.001). We detected lower BMI values in women with more frequent food consumption, however the difference was not statistically significant. While assessing the nutritional history, we have recorded frequent consumption of meat and meat products which are consumed by 49.21% of women and 60.28% of men (p 0.001) more than four times a week, while more than 30% of women and men consume them daily. On the contrary, women consume fish more often, while 53.97% of women and 48.23% of men consume it 1 to 2 times a week. Although fruit and vegetable are part of daily diet of almost all patients, it is insufficient in portions of one or two pieces a day compared with dietary recommendations. We noticed significantly higher BMI (p <0.05) in men who consume sweetened beverages, than men who consume mostly non-sweetened beverages.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of a short-term consumption (six weeks) of gluten-free bakery products on the anthropometric parameters. The study group was composed of volunteers from the general population and consisted of 30 healthy adults. The amount of bakery product was determined as follows: women consumed 150 -200 grams per day; men 200 -250 grams per day. Anthropometric measurements were made by using InBody 720, we received data such as body weight, Body Mass Index (BMI) and Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR), which we evaluated the presence of overweight and obesity in the monitored groups. We also observed visceral fat area (VFA). We found out that the 6-week consumption of gluten-free bread and bakery products showed a significant reduction in body weight and BMI (p <0.01), but also to a significant increase in VFA (p <0.05). By the impact of consumption we recorded the increase of body weight and BMI in 70% of participants (in 30% there was slight increase), decrease of WHR in 33% (increase in 43%) and decrease of VFA in 43% (increase in 57%). For other participants, the values remained unchanged. Two months after the termination of the consumption of gluten-free products we found out the increase of body weight and BMI, WHR remained unchanged, however in the case of VFA showed significant increase of values. We can summarize that dietary habits play a crucial role in the development of overweight and obesity and the consumption of bread and bakery products can also affect it. However, the overall effect of bread and bakery consumption on the development of overweight depends on many factors, such as the composition of the bread and bakery products and the presence of gluten.

The study compares the impact of freeze- and spray-drying (FD, SD) microencapsulation methods on the content of β-glucan, total polyphenols (TP), total flavonoids (TF), phenolic acids (PA), and antioxidant activity (AA) in commercially β-glucan powder (Pleurotus ostreatus) using maltodextrin as a carrier. Morphology (scanning electron microscopy- SEM), yield, moisture content (MC), and water activity (aw) were also evaluated in the samples. Our examinations revealed significant structural differences between powders microencapsulated by the drying methods. As compared to non-encapsulated powder, the SD powder with yield of 44.38 ± 0.55% exhibited more reduced (p < 0.05) values for aw (0.456 ± 0.001) and MC (8.90 ± 0.44%) than the FD one (yield: 27.97 ± 0.33%; aw: 0.506 ± 0.002; MC: 11.30 ± 0.28%). In addition, the highest values for β-glucan content (72.39 ± 0.38%), TPC (3.40 ± 0.17 mg GAE/g), and TFC (3.07 ± 0.29 mg QE/g) have been detected in the SD powder. Our results allow for the conclusion that the SD microencapsulation method using maltodextrin seems to be more powerful in terms of the β-glucan powder yield and its contents of β-glucan, TP, and TF as compared to the FD technique.

Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) is still one of the most cultivated edible and medicinal mushrooms. Despite its frequent cultivation around the world, there is currently just a little information available on the variability of strains in terms of the content of β-glucans in them. This work presents an extensive study of 60 strains in terms of the content of α-glucans and β-glucans in their caps and stipes. The authenticity of the production strains based on an analysis of the variability of their genome by CDDP (Conserved DNA-derived polymorphism) markers was confirmed, whereas identical CDDP profiles were identified between samples 45, 89, 95, and 96. Genetic variability of the analyzed production strains showed a high polymorphism and effective discriminative power of the used marking technique. Medium positive correlations were found among the CDDP profiles and β-glucan content in the group of strains that generated the same CDDP profiles, and low negative correlation was found among these profiles in the group of low β-glucan content strains. For the determination of glucans content, Mushroom and Yeast analytical enzymatic kit (Megazyme, Bray, Co. Wicklow, Ireland) were used. The results clearly showed that the stipe contains on average 33% more β-glucans than the cap. The minimum detected β-glucan content in the stipe was in strain no. 72, specifically 22%, and the maximum in strain no. 43, specifically 56%, which after the conversion represents a difference of 155%. From the point of view of β-glucan content, the stated strain no. 43 appears to be very suitable for the commercial production of β-glucans under certain conditions.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of red wine consumption on the lipid profile and glucose in the group of male (13 men aged 34 -64 years) and the group of female (11 women aged 28 -57 years). Research consisted of moderate red wine consumption for 6 weeks. The dose of alcohol ranged from 200 to 300 mL per day of red wine Lemberger (Winery Masaryk, Slovakia). The blood samples were obtained after overnight fasting and were collected at baseline and after three days, three weeks and six weeks of wine consumption. Differences between male and female subjects were reflected in the results of different biochemical parameters in the dynamics of wine consumption. We found out that while in females the total cholesterol level did not change significantly and had a predominantly downward trend, for male subjects we observed at the beginning the slight increase of the levels, which, however, after 6 weeks of consumption significantly decreased from an initial value of 5.75 ±1.32 mmol.L -1 to 5.35 ±1.25 mmol.L -1 (p <0.05). The blood concentration of triglycerides in the dynamics of the experiment did not change significantly in either one gender, although small differences were observed, because while the female subjects had triglyceride development over consumption upward trend in male subjects it was vice versa. LDL-cholesterol changed significantly only in the group of female. Level of this lipid parameter decreased significantly during the six weeks of consumption of Lemberger from an initial value 3.37 ±0.68 mmol.L -1 to the lowest 2.99 ±0.61 mmol.L -1 , which was recorded in the third week of consumption (p <0.0001), but statistically significant differences versus baseline we monitored after three days and six weeks of consumption (p <0.01). In the group of male, we did not observe such significant changes, but it should be noted, that the men had changes in LDL-cholesterol downward direction and all the values were in the range of benchmarks. In the group of female, HDL-cholesterol increased to 2.05 ±0.6 mmol.L -1 after six weeks of consumption from baseline of 1.7 ±0.69 mmol.L -1 , and the difference was statistically significant (p <0.05), in the group of male, its level changed first significantly after three days of consumption of steep increase (1.46 ±0.61 mmol.L -1 , p <0.05), and for the next six weeks, it was the significantly increase (1.59 ±0.5 mmol.L -1 , p <0.01). The glucose concentration did not change significantly in the dynamics of wine consumption among men and women, and all the values were between the limits of the standard.

Background. Bread is one of the world's most consumed food commodity. However, in the last years consumption of bread and bakery products has declined, especially in the Western population. The reason for concern is the weight gain and presence of gluten in these products. Gluten is unacceptable in the diet only in patients with celiac disease who are forced adhere the gluten-free diet all the time. The consequences of gluten-free diet in healthy people are the subject of many recent studies. Objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes of visceral fat area in the general population after 6 weeks of consumption of gluten-free, gluten-containing and whole-grain bread and other bakery products. Material and Methods. The study group consisted of 120 volunteers divided into four subgroups each with 30 subjects. Anthropometric measurements were made using the InBody 720 (Biospace Co. Ltd., Seoul, Republic of Korea). We used the Lookin'Body 3.0 software to process the results. The collected data from anthropometric measurements were evaluated statistically and graphically in Microsoft Office Excel 2010 (Los Angeles, CA, USA). Results. After the intervention we found out that visceral fat area values increased in probands consuming gluten-free and gluten-containing bakery products, but these changes were not significant (P>0.05; 72.7±29.18 cm 2 vs 73.26±30.32 cm 2 and 69.6±34.06 cm 2 vs 70.34±32.33 cm 2 , respectively). In whole-grain and control group we observed a reduction in visceral fat area, in the control group there was a significant change (P>0.05-91.58±33 cm 2 vs 90.47±34.37 cm 2 and P<0.05-77.3±21.65 cm 2 vs 75.56±21.87 cm 2 , respectively). After the intervention the visceral fat area values increased in gluten-free group in 57% of subjects, in gluten group in 73% of subjects and in the whole-grain group in 43% of volunteers. Although visceral fat area values had inceased in gluten-free and gluten-containing groups, the number of probands with reference values increased from 80% to 86% in the gluten-free group and from 43% to 66% in the gluten-containing group. In the whole-grain group we found decrease in number of subjects with reference values of visceral fat area (from 70% to 63%). There were no changes in the control group (86% vs. 86%). Conclusions. Consumption of different types of bakery products has mostly changed the visceral fat area values in a positive direction.