We aimed to characterize the parenteral supplementation services in Czechia, Ireland, Italy, Poland, and the United Kingdom based on their websites. We generated a list of websites by searching Google using the term “vitamin infusion” and selected cities with 250,000 citizens from each analyzed country. All search inputs were performed using the native language. Data on the features of services, indications, contraindications, offered parenteral supplements, and social media activity were obtained. We analyzed 317 websites representing 371 active facilities. Only 6 (1.9%) facilities cited the scientific sources on parenteral supplementation, but these reference were highly biased; 17.4% did not provide information regarding their personnel, while 11.9% indicated the different contraindications. The most common indications were fatigue (62.5%), immunity enhancement (58.0%), anti-aging, and physical activity (51.5%). Approximately, 11.6% of facilities claimed that some parenteral supplements can help manage certain malignancies, while 2.2% claimed that they can help manage fertility problems. The most offered intravenous supplements were vitamins C (57.4%), B12 (47.7%), and B6 (42.3%). The parenteral supplementation market offers numerous ingredients as treatment for general health problems and serious health conditions. Many analyzed websites lacked essential information, which creates concerns for regarding the quality and reliability of the services.

The incidence of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) has been rapidly increasing during the last decade. It is a relevant health problem that affects 25% of the general population. NAFLD involves an extensive array of clinical conditions. So far, no approved pharmacological therapy for NAFLD has been developed. Multiple bioactive compounds have been proposed to treat NAFLD. One of the most promising is Berberine (BBR). Its pleiotropic effect positively impacts various cardiometabolic aspects. In this review, we summarize NAFLD, its metabolic and cardiovascular complications, the hepatoprotective effects of BBR due to its broad spectrum of pharmacological effects, and the potential role of BBR in NAFLD therapy. BBR ameliorates NAFLD by affecting numerous abnormalities. It inhibits lipogenesis and gluconeogenesis, improves insulin resistance and lipid profile, and modulates gut microbiota. The exact mechanism underlying these effects is not yet entirely explained. A growing amount of evidence confirming the positive effects of BBR on multiple metabolic pathways, such as lipids and glucose metabolism, energy homeostasis, or gut microbiota modulation, allows us to speculate about the importance of this natural bioactive substance for NAFLD therapy.

Dietary patterns are promising strategies for preventing and treating obesity and its coexisting inflammatory processes. Bioactive food compounds have received considerable attention due to their actions against obesity-induced inflammation, with limited harmful side effects. They are perceived as food ingredients or dietary supplements other than those necessary to meet basic human nutritional needs and are responsible for positive changes in the state of health. These include polyphenols, unsaturated fatty acids, and probiotics. Although the exact mechanisms of bioactive food compounds’ action are still poorly understood, studies have indicated that they involve the modulation of the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, adipokines, and hormones; regulate gene expression in adipose tissue; and modify the signaling pathways responsible for the inflammatory response. Targeting the consumption and/or supplementation of foods with anti-inflammatory potential may represent a new approach to obesity-induced inflammation treatment. Nevertheless, more studies are needed to evaluate strategies for bioactive food compound intake, especially times and doses. Moreover, worldwide education about the advantages of bioactive food compound consumption is warranted to limit the consequences of unhealthy dietary patterns. This work presents a review and synthesis of recent data on the preventive mechanisms of bioactive food compounds in the context of obesity-induced inflammation.

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Background. Visceral adiposity index (VAI) is a mathematical formula based on routine anthropometric and biochemical parameters: body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), triglycerides (TG), c-reactive protein (CRP) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL). It reflects visceral adipocyte dysfunction. Its increase is strongly associated with obesity-related risk. VAI as a predictive marker of insulin resistance (IR) is proposed to be a valuable tool for identifying individuals at higher cardiometabolic risk. This study aimed to assess the applicability of VAI as an indirect IR marker and investigate the association of VAI and metabolic syndrome (MetS) components. Material and methods. The study comprised 157 individuals without MetS and 201 with MetS. All participants were female and >55 years old. The following laboratory analyses were performed: glucose, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), CRP, HDL, TG, and uric acid. Anthropometric parameters (height, weight, WC) and blood pressure (BP) were measured. The data obtained were used to calculate each participant's BMI and VAI. Based on the results, all subjects were divided into groups: Group A -without MetS, Group B -with MetS. Group B (with MetS) was additionally divided into groups C (without diabetes) and D (with diabetes). Results. Statistically significant differences in VAI, fasting glucose, CRP, HDL, and TG were demonstrated between the non-MetS and MetS groups. In group A, there were statistically significant and positive correlations between VAI and WC, serum uric acid and TG, while there was a negative correlation between VAI and HDL. In Group B, as well as in Group C, there were statistically significant and positive correlations between VAI and BMI, WC, serum uric acid and TG, while there was a negative correlation between VAI and HDL. In group D, there were statistically significant and positive correlations between VAI and serum uric acid, TC and TG, while there was a negative correlation between VAI and HDL. Conclusion. VAI seems to be a promising and easy-to-use primary care marker that effectively identifies individuals at high risk of cardiometabolic complications, especially with IR, unfavorable lipid profiles, and MetS accompanied by diabetes. The simplicity of VAI determination makes it a candidate for the detection of patients at risk of metabolic disorders and cardiovascular (CV) complications. Further long-term prospective studies are needed to verify the applicability of VAI in other conditions.