Background: Numerous studies have investigated the effects of the supplementation of fructooligosaccharides (FOS) on the number of bacteria in the gut that are good for health, but the results have been inconsistent. Additionally, due to its high fermentability, supplementation of FOS may be associated with adverse gastrointestinal symptoms such as bloating and flatulence. Therefore, we assessed the effects of FOS interventions on the composition of gut microbiota and gastrointestinal symptoms in a systematic review and meta-analysis. Design: All randomized controlled trials published before 10 July 2022 that investigated the effects of FOS supplementation on the human gut microbiota composition and gastrointestinal symptoms and met the selection criteria were included in this study. Using fixed or random-effects models, the means and standard deviations of the differences between the two groups before and after the intervention were combined into weighted mean differences using 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Eight studies containing 213 FOS supplements and 175 controls remained in this meta-analysis. Bifidobacterium spp. counts significantly increased during FOS ingestion (0.579, 95% CI: 0.444–0.714) in comparison with that of the control group. Subgroup analysis showed greater variation in Bifidobacterium spp. in adults (0.861, 95% CI: 0.614–1.108) than in infants (0.458, 95% CI: 0.297–0.619). The increase in Bifidobacterium spp. counts were greater in the group with an intervention duration greater than 4 weeks (0.841, 95% CI: 0.436–1.247) than an intervention time less than or equal to four weeks (0.532, 95% CI: 0.370–0.694), and in the group with intervention doses > 5 g (1.116, 95% CI: 0.685–1.546) the counts were higher than those with doses ≤ 5 g (0.521, 95% CI: 0.379–0.663). No differences in effect were found between FOS intervention and comparators in regard to the abundance of other prespecified bacteria or adverse gastrointestinal symptoms. Conclusions: This is the first meta-analysis to explore the effect of FOS on gut microbiota and to evaluate the adverse effects of FOS intake on the gastrointestinal tract. FOS supplementation could increase the number of colonic Bifidobacterium spp. while higher dose (7.5–15 g/d) and longer duration (>4 weeks) showed more distinct effects and was well tolerated.

Bone metabolism is a complicated process, which involves bone modeling and remodeling. If this process is unbalanced, bone loss and resultant osteoporosis might occur. Recently, nutrition supplementations such as n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are considered to be used on improving the bone metabolism and reducing the risk of osteoporosis. To more precisely assess the effects of n‐3 PUFA supplementation on bone mass and clarify its potential mechanism, we have conducted a systematic review and meta‐analysis. Based on the strict inclusion and exclusion criteria, 12 articles were included in this meta‐analysis. The results in articles show that n‐3 PUFAs could slightly enhance the level of bone mineral density (BMD) (0.005 g/cm2; 95% CI, 0.000–0.010) (n = 7), which was the primary outcome for the research in comparison with the control group. In addition, the results also illustrate that the increasing effect on BMD (0.024 g/cm2; 95% CI, 0.020–0.028) became more significant for postmenopausal women. N‐3 PUFAs had no significance on the level of bone‐specific alkaline phosphatase (BALP) (−0.24 µg/L; 95% CI, −0.86 to 0.39) and osteocalcin (−0.63 μg/L; 95% CI, −1.84 to 0.57) (n = 5), which are the specific markers of bone formation. When compared with the eicosapentaenoic acid + docosahexaenoic acid supplementation, the supplementation form of α‐linolenic acid significantly increased the content of BALP (0.396 µg/L; 95% CI, 0.069–0.724). The effects of n‐3 PUFAs on bone resorption biomarkers containing type I collagen cross‐linked C‐terminal peptide (CTX) and type I collagen cross‐linked N‐terminal peptide (NTX) are considered and used in our study. Results indicated that participants who received n‐3 PUFAs significantly decreased the level of CTX in the human body (−0.367 μg/L; 95% CI, −0.726 to −0.007) (n = 4). However, there was no significant difference in NTX levels in humans after supplementation with n‐3 PUFA (−1.744 µg/L; 95% CI, −3.970–0.481) (n = 3). For postmenopausal women, it presented a significant decreasing level of CTX (−0.393 µg/L; 95% CI, −0.651 to −0.135) and NTX (−2.082 µg/L; 95% CI, −2.970 to −1.195) within their bodies. In conclusion, these findings suggested that n‐3 PUFAs might have a beneficial effect on bone health, especially for α‐linolenic acid supplementation form or for postmenopausal women.

Objective: This study aimed to analyze the effect of folic acid supplements on infant and child allergic diseases through systematic review and meta-analysis.Design: PubMed, The Cochrane Library and references of related articles published before January 1, 2020 were searched.Setting: Meta-analysis was used to explore the influence of folic acid on skin allergies (eczema, and atopic dermatitis) and respiratory allergies (asthma, wheezing, and allergic rhinitis).Participants: Data were collected from 15 studies with 244,018 individual participants from five different countries for meta-analysis.Results: Folic acid was confirmed as a risk factor for allergic diseases in infant and child. The risk of allergic diseases dramatically increased when maternal folic acid intake <400 μg/day (RR = 1.050; 95% CI = 1.027–1.073) during pregnancy. Stratified analyses revealed that the association was significant only for respiratory allergy (RR = 1.067; 95% CI = 1.028–1.108) and pregnant women who only used folic acid supplements (RR = 1.070; 95% CI = 1.030–1.112) and that countries without folic acid fortification (RR = 1.046; 95% CI = 1.026–1.067).Conclusions: This study suggested that folic acid intake can be a risk factor for allergic diseases, especially respiratory tract allergies among infants and young children. Furthermore, pregnant women should pay attention to supplementation of folic acid from both folic acid supplements and fortified foods with folic acid during pregnancy.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common disease of pregnancy, but with very limited knowledge of its impact on human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) in breast milk. This study aimed to explore the lactational changes in the concentration of HMOs in exclusively breastfeeding GDM mothers and the differences between GDM and healthy mothers. A total of 22 mothers (11 GDM mothers vs. 11 healthy mothers) and their offspring were enrolled in the study and the levels of 14 HMOs were measured in colostrum, transitional milk, and mature milk. Most of the HMOs showed a significant temporal trend with decreasing levels over lactation; however, there were some exceptions for 2′-Fucosyllactose (2′-FL), 3-Fucosyllactose (3-FL), Lacto-N-fucopentaose II (LNFP-II), and Lacto-N-fucopentaose III (LNFP-III). Lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT) was significantly higher in GDM mothers in all time points and its concentrations in colostrum and transitional milk were correlated positively with the infant’s weight-for-age Z-score at six months postnatal in the GDM group. Significant group differences were also found in LNFP-II, 3′-Sialyllactose (3′-SL), and Disialyllacto-N-tetraose (DSLNT) but not in all lactational periods. The role of differently expressed HMOs in GDM needs to be further explored by follow-up studies.

In this paper, the complex dynamic behavior of a mixed duopoly game model is studied. Based on the principle of relative profit maximization and bounded rational expectation, the corresponding discrete dynamic systems are constructed in the case of nonlinear cost function. In theory, the conditions for the local stability of Nash equilibrium are given. In terms of numerical experiments, bifurcation diagrams are used to depict the effects of product differences, adjustment speed, and other parameters on the stability of Nash equilibrium.