The ingestion of excessive amounts of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and transfatty acids (TFAs) is considered to be a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and obesity. The focus of this paper was to elucidate the influence of dietary SFA and TFA intake on the promotion of lipotoxicity to the liver and cardiovascular, endothelial, and gut microbiota systems, as well as on insulin resistance and endoplasmic reticulum stress. The saturated and transfatty acids favor a proinflammatory state leading to insulin resistance. These fatty acids can be involved in several inflammatory pathways, contributing to disease progression in chronic inflammation, autoimmunity, allergy, cancer, atherosclerosis, hypertension, and heart hypertrophy as well as other metabolic and degenerative diseases. As a consequence, lipotoxicity may occur in several target organs by direct effects, represented by inflammation pathways, and through indirect effects, including an important alteration in the gut microbiota associated with endotoxemia. Interactions between these pathways may perpetuate a feedback process that exacerbates an inflammatory state. The importance of lifestyle modification, including an improved diet, is recommended as a strategy for treatment of these diseases.

The long-term interdisciplinary therapy with AT+RT protocol was more effective in significantly improving noninvasive biomarkers of NAFLD that are associated with the highest risk of disease progression in the pediatric population.

The aim of this study was to assess the changes promoted by a multidisciplinary therapy in ghrelin and leptin concentrations, visceral adiposity and non-alcoholic fat liver disease-NAFLD, in obese adolescents. A total of 28 obese adolescents, 16 girls (BMI 34.58 ± 3,86 wt /ht 2 ) and 12 boys (BMI 37.08 ± 3.17 wt /ht 2 ), aged between 15 and 19 years old, was evaluated to leptin, ghrelin and insulin concentrations, visceral adiposity and NAFLD through ultrasonography. The results showed a significant decrease in ghrelin, leptin concentrations and visceral adiposity (p < 0.01). Moreover, a decrease in the NAFLD prevalence was observed. It is an important result, since this disease can progress to cirrhosis, not only in children but also in obese adolescents. This kind of treatment can be efficient to improve metabolic and hormonal profile, as well as, to control obesity and related co-morbidities in obese adolescents.

Prebiotics may increase intestinal Fe absorption in anaemic growing rats. The present study evaluated the effects of high-performance (HP) inulin and oligofructose on factors that regulate Fe absorption in anaemic rats during the growth phase. Male Wistar rats aged 21 d of age were fed AIN-93G ration without Fe for 2 weeks to induce Fe-deficiency anaemia. The rats were fed on day 35 a control diet, or a diet with 10 % HP inulin, or a diet with 10 % oligofructose, without Fe supplementation. The animals were euthanised after 2 weeks, and segments of the duodenum, caecum, colon and liver were removed. The expression levels of proteins in the intestinal segments were assessed using Western blotting. The levels of serum, urine and liver hepcidin and the concentrations of IL-10, IL-6 and TNF-a in the caecum, colon and liver were measured using the ELISA test. HP inulin increased the expression of the divalent metal transporter 1 protein in the caecum by 162 % (P¼ 0·04), and the expression of duodenal cytochrome b reductase in the colon by 136 % (P¼ 0·02). Oligofructose decreased the expression of the protein ferroportin in the duodenum (P¼0·02), the concentrations of IL-10 (P¼ 0·044), IL-6 (P¼ 0·036) and TNF-a (P¼0·004) in the caecum, as well as the level of urinary hepcidin (P,0·001). These results indicate that prebiotics may interfere with the expression of various intestinal proteins and systemic factors involved in the regulation of intestinal Fe absorption in anaemic rats during the growth phase.

Menopause-induced changes may include increased incidence of both depression/anxiety and obesity. We hypothesized that behavioral changes that may develop after ovarian failure could be related to neurochemical and metabolic aspects affected by this condition and that high-fat intake may influence these associations. The present study investigated in rats the effects of ovariectomy, either alone or combined with high-fat diets enriched with either lard or fish-oil, on metabolic, behavioral and monoaminergic statuses, and on gene expression of neuropeptides and receptors involved in energy balance and mood regulation. Female rats had their ovaries removed and received either standard chow (OvxC) or high-fat diets enriched with either lard (OvxL) or fish-oil (OvxF) for 8 weeks. The Sham group received only chow diet. Ovariectomy increased feed efficiency and body weight gain and impaired glucose homeostasis and serotonin-induced hypophagia, effects either maintained or even accentuated by the lard diet but counteracted by the fish diet. The OvxL group developed obesity and hyperleptinemia. Regarding components of hypothalamic serotonergic system, both ovariectomy alone or combined with the fish diet increased 5-HT2C expression while the lard diet reduced 5-HT1B mRNA. Ovariectomy increased the anxiety index, as derived from the elevated plus maze test, while both high-fat groups showed normalization of this index. In the forced swimming test, ovariectomy allied to high-lard diet, but not to fish-oil diet, reduced the latency to immobility, indicating vulnerability to a depressive-like state. Linear regression analysis showed hippocampal AgRP to be negatively associated with the anxiety index and hypothalamic AgRP to be positively associated with the latency to immobility. These AgRp gene expression associations are indicative of a beneficial involvement of this neuropeptide on both depression and anxiety measures. The present findings demonstrate metabolic, neurochemical and behavioral alterations after ovaries removal and highlight a positive effect of high-fat feeding on the anxiety-like behavior shown by ovariectomized animals. Since the polyunsaturated ômega-3 intake (fish diet), unlike the saturated fat intake (lard diet), failed to induce deleterious metabolic or neurochemical consequences, further studies are needed focusing on the potential of this dietary component as an adjuvant anxiolytic agent after menopause.