bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Monitoring vitamin E pools in sheep tissue and plasma after intravenous dosing of radiotocopherol
Authors: Karpinski K. , Hidiroglou M.
Published: June 2005

The fate of radiotocopherol was studied in plasma and tissues of sheep at various intervals after injection of single intravenous doses of3H-labelled D-α-tocopherol. Plasma samples were taken at regular intervals after dosing and selected tissues were taken from all sheep after slaughter and assayed for radioactivity and D-α-tocopherol. Sheep were killed in groups of five at 24, 72, 96, 272 and 432 h post-dosing. Plasma profiles were characterized as a sum of three exponential terms. A principal component analysis of tissue concentrations was carried out to identify tissues with parallel profiles of log (disintegrations/min per μg) over time. Five groups of tissues with distinct uptake and elimination processes were identified. The D-α-tocopherol in the liver and heart appeared to be consistent with the post-distributive kinetics of a highly perfused shallow compartment, while lung kinetics appeared to reflect a non-linear kinetic process. The third group, which included the spleen, neck brachiocephalicus muscle and pancreas, had depletion rates parallel to those of plasma for 24–272 h, but slower decreases than plasma over 272–432 h. Hip gluteus muscle and kidney comprised a fourth group, with depletion parallel to plasma rates for 24–96 h but progressively slower than plasma decreases over 96–272 h. Adrenal kinetics resembled the fourth group, but had a more rapid decrease in specific activities over 24–72 h.
The effect of various levels of fructose in a copper-deficient diet on Cu deficiency in male rats
Authors: Lewis Charles G. , Fields Meira , Beal Todd
Published: June 2005

The present study was designed to examine the effects of various levels of fructose in a copper-deficient diet on some of the signs of Cu deficiency in the rat. Weanling male rats were randomly assigned to one of five diets which contained 0.6 μg Cu/g diet and 627 g carbohydrate/kg which was (g/kg): 627 fructose (diet 100); 470 fructose, 157 starch (diet 75); 313.5 fructose, 313.5 starch (diet 50); 157 fructose, 470 starch (diet 25); or 627 starch (diet 0). Rats ate their respective diets for either 2 or 5 weeks. There was a significant linear inverse response of body-weight (P< 0.0001), packed cell volume (p< 0.0001) and erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (EC1.15.1.1) activity (P< 0.008) to increasing levels of dietary fructose and a direct linear response of plasma cholesterol (P< 0.05) and blood urea nitrogen concentrations (P< 0.001) to increasing levels of dietary fructose. Liver, kidney and pancreatic Cu concentrations decreased in a dose-response manner as the level of dietary fructose increased. In general, if fructose was included in the diet the signs of Cu deficiency were exacerbated in a dose-response manner.
The effect of short-term dietary supplementation with glucose on gastric emptying in humans
Authors: Cunningham Karen M. , Horowitz Michael , Read Nicholas W.
Published: June 2005

In order to test whether gastric motility can adapt to changes in nutrient load, gastric emptying of hyperosmotic glucose and protein drinks was measured by applied potential tomography in two groups of ten volunteers following dietary supplementation with 400 g glucose/d for 3 d. The half emptying time for the glucose test meal was significantly faster after the standard diet had been supplemented with glucose compared with the standard diet alone (median and range, 20.7 (4.6–36.8) ν. 29.1 (19.8–38.4) min; P < 0.05), while the emptying of the protein drink (Oxo; Brooke Bond Ltd) was unchanged (median and range, 18.0 (12.5–23.6) ν. 16.1 (9.6–22.7) min). These results suggest that rapid and specific adaptation of the small intestinal regulatory mechanisms for gastric emptying of nutrient solutions can occur in response to increases in dietary load. This adaptation may be explained by desensitization of nutrient receptors or by a reduction in the area of receptor field exposed to nutrients caused by increased absorption of glucose in the upper small intestine
Rat small intestinal morphology and tissue regulatory peptides: effects of high dietary fat
Authors: Sagher F. A. , Dodge J. A. , Johnston C. F. , Shaw C. , Buchanan K. D. , Carr K. E.
Published: June 2005

Sprague–Dawley rats (3 weeks old) were fed on isoenergetic diets in which 40 % of the total energy was provided as fat either in the form of butter (high saturated fat), olive oil (high monounsaturated fat) or maize oil (high polyunsaturated fat), with one group on low-fat (10% of total energy) standard diet as a control. Animals were killed after 8.4 (se 0.8) weeks by cardiac puncture. Similar pieces of jejunum and ileum were prepared for morphometric studies. Extracts of tissue from the proximal and distal segments of the whole small intestine from four animals per group were assayed using established techniques for enteroglucagon, motilin, neurotensin, somatostatin, substance P and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP). We found that maize oil and olive oil increased villus height: crypt depth ratio in both jejunum and ileum. Maize oil increased tissue concentrations of somatostatin (P< 0.05) and substance P (P< 0.005) in the proximal segment. Both maize oil and olive oil increased tissue concentrations of neurotensin and substance P (P< 0.005) in the distal segments. These observations may explain the improvement of intestinal absorption of fluid following supplementation with polyunsaturated fat
Daily food intake and digestibility in rats
Authors: Larsen T. , ØstergÅrd Karin , Hansen Inge , Bach Knudsen K. E. , Eggum B. O.
Published: June 2005

The present work with growing rats was undertaken to study the effect of daily food intake (DFI) on true protein digestibility (TD), and apparent digestibility of dry matter (DM), energy (DE), starch, soluble dietary fibre (SDF) and insoluble dietary fibre (IDF). The design involved two different dietary combinations, barley + rapeseed meal (diet 1) and oats + wheat bran (diet 2). A slight but significantly negative relationship was seen between DFI and TD on diet 1 while no such relationship was found on diet 2. Although significant, DFI influenced DM digestibility of both diets only slightly. A similar situation could also be seen for the effect of DFI on DE. The digestibility of starch was significantly affected by DFI on both diets even though the lowest values were as high as 0.994. SDF digestibility (fermentability) was not influenced by DFI when the rats were given diet 1, while there was a significant negative effect of DFI on digestibility of SDF when diet 2 was given. The digestibility (fermentability) of IDF was not affected by DFI on either of the two diets. The results confirm the existence of a weak negative relationship between DFI and digestibility of a range of nutrients although the effect seems to be only marginal and of no importance under practical feeding conditions
Changes in the urinary excretion of acid-soluble peptides in rats injected with streptozotocin or dexamethasone: a trial to estimate the changes in the rate of whole-body protein degradation in those rats
Authors: Nam Taek Jeong , Noguchi Tadashi , Naito Hiroshi
Published: June 2005

Urinary excretion of acid-soluble peptides (ASP) was measured in rats given streptozotocin or dexamethasone. Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats excreted increased amounts of urinary nitrogen and ASP-form amino acids. The urinary ratio for N: ASP-form leucine plus valine, which has been shown to reflect the efficiency of dietary N utilization, increased in the diabetic rats, suggesting the impaired utilization of dietary N (and re-utilization of endogenous N). Dexamethasone administration to adrenalectomized rats caused increased excretion of urinary ASP-form leucine plus valine with a concomitant increase in N excretion. However, urinary ratio for N: ASP-form leucine plus valine did not change significantly. The results suggested that dexamethasone caused increased degradation of body proteins, but maintained the efficiency of dietary N utilization or re-utilization of endogenous N. Based on the present observations and the hypothesis proposed previously by the present authors (Noguchiet al.1988) that urinary excretion of ASP-form leucine plus valine reflects the rate of whole-body protein degradation and the urinary ratio for N: ASP-form leucine plus valine represents N utilization, the origin of urinary N in streptozotocin-diabetic and dexamethasone-administered rats is discussed
The effect of tea on iron and aluminium metabolism in the rat
Authors: Fairweather-Tait Susan J. , Piper Zoe , Fatemi S. Jemil A. , Moore Geoffrey R.
Published: June 2005

Weanling male Wistar rats were fed for 28 d on a semi-synthetic diet containing normal (38 μg/g) or low (9 μg/g) levels of iron. They were given water or tea infusion (20 g leaves/I water) to drink. Two further groups were given a normal- or low-Fe diet containing added tea leaves (20 g/kg diet). At the end of the study period, all rats given the low-Fe diet were severely anaemic, as assessed by haemoglobin, packed cell volume and liver Fe. Those given tea or the diet with added tea leaves showed a greater degree of Fe depletion. The blood and liver aluminium levels were not increased as a result of consuming tea or tea leaves, despite the higher Al intakes. Fe deficiencyper sehad no effect on Al absorption or retention from tea. It was concluded that the Al in tea was very poorly absorbed but that tea, either in the form of an infusion or as tea leaves, had an adverse effect on Fe status
Effect of the leafy vegetableSolanum nigrumon the activities of some liver drug-metabolizing enzymes after aflatoxin B1treatment in female rats
Authors: Moundipa Paul F. , Domngang Felicite Mbiapo
Published: June 2005

Wistar albino female rats were maintained for 10 d on diets containing various levels of the vegetableSolanum nigrum.Simultaneously, they received daily intraperitoneal injections of aflatoxin B1(AFB1) (either 0.2 or 0.4 mg/kg body-weight) diluted in propylene glycol. At the end of the experiment, all animals were killed and their serum and hepatic microsomes were prepared for assay of enzymes. Results showed that aminopyrine N-demethylase activity increased 2.5-fold with 200 (S200) and 600 (S600) gS. nigrum/kg diets. Activity of uridine diphosphate glucuronyltransferase (UDPGT) (EC2.4.17) also increased twofold. Similar results were obtained with glutathione S-transferase (EC2.5.1.18) activity which increased by 60% with diet S600. After AFB1treatment, a general increase in the activities of the above enzymes was found, except for UDPGT in the group fed on diet S600. When rats were fed on the diet withoutS. nigrum,AFB1induced an increase in alkaline phosphatase (ALP) (EC3. 1. 3. 1), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (EC2. 6. 1. 1) and γ-glutamyltransferase (γ-GT) (EC2. 3. 2. 2) levels in the serum. AFB1also induced increases in serum ALP and γ-GT levels when rats were fed on diet S600
Body fat in lean and overweight women estimated by six methods
Authors: McNeill G. , Fowler P. A. , Maughan R. J. , McGaw B. A. , Fuller M. F. , Gvozdanovic D. , Gvozdanovic S.
Published: June 2005

Body fat content of seven lean women (body mass index (BMI) 20.6 (sd1.8) kg/m2) and seven overweight women (BMI 31.1 (sd 3.3) kg/m2) was estimated by six different methods: underwater weighing (UWW), body-water dilution (BWD), whole-body counting (40K), skinfold thickness (SFT), bio-electrical impedance (BEI) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Using UWW as the reference method, the differences between percentage fat by each other method and the percentage fat by UWW were calculated for each subject. The mean difference was lowest for SFT and highest for BWD. MRI showed the lowest variability in individual results, and40K the highest.40K and BWD methods used in combination gave better agreement with UWW results than either40K or BWD methods alone. There was a weak negative correlation between the difference from the UWW results and percentage fat in the SFT measurements, but not in the BWD,40K, BEI or MRI measurements, suggesting that for these methods the assumptions involved produced no greater inaccuracy in the overweight women than in the lean women. In all subjects the BEI offered little improvement over the traditional SFT measurements. The agreement between MRI and UWW estimates in both lean and overweight women suggests that MRI may be a satisfactory substitute for the more established methods of body fat estimation in adult women.
Body mass index as a measure of body fatness: age- and sex-specific prediction formulas
Authors: Deurenberg Paul , Weststrate Jan A. , Seidell Jaap C.
Published: June 2005

In 1229 subjects, 521 males and 708 females, with a wide range in body mass index (BMI; 13.9–40.9 kg/m2), and an age range of 7–83 years, body composition was determined by densitometry and anthropometry. The relationship between densitometrically-determined body fat percentage (BF%) and BMI, taking age and sex (males =1, females = 0) into account, was analysed. For children aged 15 years and younger, the relationship differed from that in adults, due to the height-related increase in BMI in children. In children the BF% could be predicted by the formula BF% = 1.51xBMI–0.70xage–3.6xsex+1.4 (R2 0.38, SE of estimate (see) 4.4% BF%). In adults the prediction formula was: BF% = 1.20xBMI+0.23xage−10.8xsex–5.4 (R2 0.79, see = 4.1% BF%). Internal and external cross-validation of the prediction formulas showed that they gave valid estimates of body fat in males and females at all ages. In obese subjects however, the prediction formulas slightly overestimated the BF%. The prediction error is comparable to the prediction error obtained with other methods of estimating BF%, such as skinfold thickness measurements or bioelectrical impedance.
Action and interaction of growth hormone and the β-agonist, clenbuterol, on growth, body composition and protein turnover in dwarf mice
Authors: Bates P. C. , Pell J. M.
Published: June 2005

The responses of dwarf mice to dietary administration of clenbuterol (3 mg/kg diet), daily injections of growth hormone (15 μg/mouse per d) or both treatments combined were investigated and their actions, and any interactions, on whole-body growth, composition and protein metabolism, and muscle, liver and heart growth and protein metabolism, were studied at days 0, 4 and 8 of treatment. Growth hormone, with or without clenbuterol, induced an increase in body-weight growth and tail length growth; clenbuterol alone did not affect body-weight or tail length. Both growth hormone and clenbuterol reduced the percentage of whole-body fat and increased the protein:fat ratio. They also increased protein synthesis rates of whole body and muscle, although the magnitude of the increase was greater in response to growth hormone than to clenbuterol. Clenbuterol specifically induced growth of muscle, with a decrease in liver protein content, whereas growth hormone exhibited more general anabolic effects on tissue protein. Previous reports have suggested that effects of clenbuterol on skeletal muscle are mediated, at least in part, via decreased rates of protein degradation; we could find little evidence of any decrease in whole-body or tissue protein degradation and anabolic effects were largely due to increases in protein synthesis rates. However, small increases in muscle protein degradation rate were observed in response to growth hormone. Growth hormone induced a progressive increase in serum insulin-like growth factor-1 concentration, whereas there was no change with clenbuterol administration. Anabolic effects on whole-body and skeletal muscle protein metabolism, therefore, appear to be initially via independent mechanisms but are finally mediated by a common response (increased protein synthesis) in dwarf mice.
Potential contribution of leisure activity to the energy expenditure patterns of sedentary populations
Authors: Livingstone M. B. E. , Strain J. J. , Prentice A. M. , Coward W. A. , Nevin G. B. , Barker M. E. , Hickey R. J. , Mckenna P. G. , Whitehead R. G.
Published: June 2005

Total daily energy expenditure (TEE) by the doubly-labelled (2H218O) water method and basal metabolic rate (BMR) by indirect calorimetry were measured in thirty-two healthy free-living adults in Northern Ireland. Habitual physical activity patterns in occupational and discretionary activities were assessed by interview questionnaire. Expressed as a multiple of BMR the TEE values for the sixteen males (1.88 (sd 0.28), range 1.44–2.57) and sixteen females (1.77 (sd 0.16), range 1.50–2.06) were compatible with current Department of Health and Social Security (DHSS; 1979) and Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization/United Nations University (FAO/WHO/UNU; 1985) estimates of energy requirements. The results suggest that discretionary physical activity is now emerging as an equally important determinant of energy expenditure in the UK as the occupational classifications currently used as the basis of DHSS (1979) and FAO/WHO/UNU (1985) recommendations for energy requirements. Therefore, realistically achievable inputs of recreational exercise can have a significant impact in counteracting low levels of energy expenditure which are associated with modern lifestyles and are implicated as a risk factor for coronary heart disease and obesity.
Maternal undernutrition during mid-pregnancy in sheep. Placental size and its relationship to calcium transfer during late pregnancy
Authors: Mccrabb G. J. , Egan A. R. , Hosking B. J.
Published: June 2005

The aim of the present experiment was to determine the relationship between placental and fetal weight after placental growth had been retarded by maternal undernutrition. Placental weight and fetal weight were measured in single-lamb-bearing ewes which were well-fed throughout pregnancy, or severely undernourished between the 30th and 96th day of pregnancy. Placental transfer of calcium and whole-body metabolism of both glucose and Ca were measured during late pregnancy. The change in fleece-adjusted live weight between the 30th and 96th day of pregnancy was 99 (se 9.8) and – 146 (se 9.6) g/d for the well-fed and undernourished ewes respectively. The condition score of well-fed ewes did not significantly change between the 96th (2.9 (se 0.08)) and 140th (3.0 (se 0.13)) day of pregnancy, while it increased from 1.6 (se 0.15) to 2.3 (se 0.11) for the previously undernourished group. Undernutrition caused an increase (P < 0.01) in placental weight measured on the 96th (21%) and 140th (30%) day of pregnancy. In contrast fetal growth was not significantly affected by maternal undernutrition. While the voluntary dry matter intakes (g/d) of previously undernourished ewes after the 97th day of pregnancy were higher than for their well-fed counterparts, there was no significant difference between whole-body glucose or Ca metabolism, or the placental transfer of Ca measured during late pregnancy. This experiment confirms earlier reports of an increase in placental weight as a result of maternal undernutrition during mid-pregnancy; but the factors causing and the functional significance of this response have not been identified. Contrary to earlier proposals, placental weight per se did not limit fetal growth during late pregnancy. It is hypothesized that a combination of factors originating from maternal, placental and fetal sources act together to regulate growth of the fetus.
The inhibitory effects of hull polysaccharides and tannins of field beans (Vicia faba L.) on the digestion of amino acids, starch and lipid and on digestive enzyme activities in young chicks
Authors: Longstaff Margaret , McNAB J. M.
Published: June 2005

The effects of polysaccharides and tannins present in the hulls of field beans (Vicia faba L.) on the digestion of amino acids, starch and lipid were studied in poultry. A control diet without hulls and the same diet substituted with 400 g hulls/kg diet from three different varieties of beans were fed to 3-week-old chicks for 4 d. Digestibility coefficients for amino acids, starch and lipid were calculated from measurements made of these nutrients in the diets and the freeze-dried excreta with the aid of titanium dioxide as a marker. Activities of trypsin (EC 3.4.21.4), α-amylase (EC 3.2.1.1), and lipase (EC 3.1.1.3) in digesta removed from the upper jejunum, sucrase (EC 3.2.1.48) in the gut mucosa from the upper jejunum, and α-amylase and lipase in the pancreas were measured. The hulls were analysed for their polysaccharide and tannin contents. Results showed that the hulls were mostly carbohydrate in composition, with cellulose the predominant polysaccharide. Tannins present in the hulls of two coloured-flowering varieties (Brunette and Minica) were of the condensed type. The diet with tannin-free hulls (white-flowering variety Medes) lowered slightly the digestion of amino acids, starch and lipid compared with the control diet. This effect was believed to be due to inhibition of digestive enzymes, possibly through their adsorption onto the hulls. Diets with tannin-rich hulls (varieties Brunette and Minica) caused a large reduction in the digestion of amino acids, starch and lipid compared with the control diet mainly due to inactivation of digestive enzymes by the formation of tannin–enzyme complexes in the digestive tract. Enzyme activities could be partially restored by the addition of polyvinylpyrrolidone to the digesta. Tannins inactivated trypsin the most, α-amylase to a lesser extent and lipase the least and as a consequence lowered the digestion of amino acids the most, starch to a lesser extent and lipid the least. Tannins did not induce an increased pancreatic production of digestive enzymes, nor did they affect activity of jejunum mucosal sucrase. Condensed tannins from Brunette and Minica hulls were partially extractable in methanol alone, but required acidic methanol for fuller extraction. The vanillin: anthocyanidin ratio suggested that tannins were polymerized to the same degree in the Brunette and Minica varieties, both in the methanol and acidic methanol extracts. Hulls from the variety Minica contained a greater amount of methanol-extractable tannins, the quantity of remaining tannins that required acidic methanol for extraction being the same for both varieties.
Ferrous fumarate fortification of a chocolate drink powder
Authors: Hurrell Richard F. , Reddy Manju B. , Dassenko Sandra A. , Cook James D. , Shepherd David
Published: June 2005

An evaluation was made into the usefulness of ferrous fumarate as an iron fortificant for an experimental chocolate drink powder targetted to children and adolescents. Organoleptically ferrous fumarate was acceptable when the chocolate drink powder was reconstituted in milk or water that was heated to < 80°. Unacceptable colour changes occurred, however, when boiling milk or water were used. In human Fe absorption studies when the Fe compounds were added to the chocolate drink immediately before consumption, ferrous fumarate was 3.31 % absorbed compared with 2.82% for ferrous sulphate and 2.11 % for ferric pyrophosphate. When the Fe compounds were processed during the manufacture of the chocolate drink powder, the absorption of ferrous fumarate was 5.27 %, ferrous sulphate 2.62 % and ferric pyrophosphate 0.55 %. Ascorbic acid had little or no effect on the absorption of ferrous fumarate. It is concluded that food processing can influence the relative absorption of fortification Fe and that, if not reconstituted with boiling milk or water, ferrous fumarate could be a useful compound for the fortification of chocolate drink powders.
A fraction derived from brewer's yeast inhibits cholesterol synthesis by rat liver preparations in vitro
Authors: Holdsworth E. S. , Kaufman D. V. , Neville E.
Published: June 2005

Brewer's yeast was grown on a defined medium containing tracer51Cr with or without added chromium. The two batches of yeast contained 10 μg/g (high-Cr) or 80 ng/g (low-Cr). Extracts were prepared and fractionated. A third batch of yeast (third batch) was grown with added Cr, and fractionated. Rats were reared on either rat cubes (normal diet) or on a low-Cr diet (low-Cr), or on rat cubes with added cholestyramine (cholestyramine diet). Preparations of rat liver, both cell-free and intact hepatocytes, incorporated acetate-carbon into fatty acids and cholesterol. These processes were inhibited by a yeast fraction containing small, neutral, water-soluble compounds. The degree of inhibition was the same whether the liver came from normal rats or rats fed on the low-Cr diet. Similarly the inhibitory effect was found with identical amounts of extracts from low- or high-Cr yeasts. Therefore, Cr compounds do not appear to account for the inhibitory effects of brewer's yeast. Use of other substrates indicated that the site of inhibition of sterol synthesis was apparently between acetyl-CoA and mevalonate. One inhibitory substance was isolated from yeast and was found to be nicotinamide riboside. This may have been produced from NAD(P) during the preparation of yeast extracts, and it may be produced from dietary yeast supplements during digestion in vivo. Nicotinamide riboside may be partly responsible for the reported effects of yeast supplements on plasma lipids in humans.
Interactions between propionate and amino acid metabolism in isolated sheep hepatocytes
Authors: Demigné C. , Yacoub C. , Morand C. , RéMésy C.
Published: June 2005

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the contribution of various substrates to glucose synthesis in isolated sheep hepatocytes, and more specifically to quantify the contribution of propionate to gluconeogenesis. Liver cells from fed sheep have a very high capacity for propionate utilization and conversion into glucose. The glucogenicity of lactate or amino acids was very low in hepatocytes from fed sheep, but was significantly increased in hepatocytes from starved animals. Amino acids such as alanine or glutamine were characterized by a substantial utilization towards ureogenesis, whereas their conversion to glucose was very low. Propionate utilization and conversion into glucose was inhibited by butyrate, ammonia and especially ethanol (by up to 80%). Ethanol promoted a striking accumulation of intracellular malate in hepatocytes incubated with propionate (reaching 14.9 μmol/g cell) and led to a depletion of phosphoenolpyruvate; ethanol inhibition could be counteracted by pyruvate. Propionate and butyrate enhanced ureogenesis from ammonia in ruminant liver cells but their effects were not additive. Propionate also elicited a marked increase in cellular concentrations of phosphoserine and serine, particularly in the presence of ammonia; such effects could influence phospholipid metabolism in the liver. These findings emphasize the contribution of propionate, compared with the other glucogenic substrates, to glucose synthesis in ruminants and point to the possibilities of modulation of the glucogenicity of propionate by various substrates which may be present in portal blood.
Nutrient intakes of different social-class groups: results from the Scottish Heart Health Study (SHHS)
Authors: Bolton-Smith C. , Smith W. C. S. , Woodward M. , Tunstall-Pedoe H.
Published: June 2005

Food frequency questionnaire and socio-demographic data were collected from over 10000 Scottish men and women aged 40–59 years in a cross-sectional study of coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors. Dietary intake, including the antioxidant vitamins C and E and β-carotene, was assessed for different socio-economic groups. Trends in nutrient intakes were found with social-class (occupational) groups I–V. The non-manual-manual distinctions were clear even after standardizing for serum cotinine, and alternative classification by housing tenure and level of education did not confound the social-class effect. Total energy intake was significantly higher in the manual (men 10363 KJ, women 7507 KJ) than in the non-manual (men 9156 KJ, women 7169 KJ) groups, and all nutrient amounts except for vitamin C, vitamin E, β-carotene and fiber were significantly higher in the manual than the non-manual groups. Alcohol intake was lower in manual women, but higher in manual men compared with their respective non-manual groups. Sex and social-class differences were maintained after adjusting for total energy. Women in general, and manual women in particular, had the highest percentage energy from total fat (40.2) and saturated fat (18.2), while the percentage energy from polyunsaturated fat was lower in men than women, and lowest in manual men (4.4). The polyunsaturated: saturated fat (P:S) ratios were, for non-manual and manual men 0.32 and 0.31, and for non-manual and manual women 0.31 and 0.28. Fibre and antioxidant vitamin intakes, when expressed as nutrient densities, were lower in men than women, and lowest in manual men. Overall, men and women in manual occupations had a poorer-quality diet than did those in non-manual occupations. The coincident low P:S ratios and low antioxidant vitamin intakes in manual groups may contribute to an increased risk of CHD. Thus, the findings are compatible with the view that poor diet may be a contributory factor to the higher mortality rates for CHD which occur in the lower socio-economic groups.
The effect of nutritional intake on outcome of pregnancy in smokers and non-smokers
Authors: Haste F. M. , Brooke O. G. , Anderson H. R. , Bland J. M.
Published: June 2005

The relationship between nutrient intake and pregnancy outcome (adjusted birth weight and gestational age) was investigated in randomly selected non-smokers (n97) and in heavy smokers (15 + cigarettes/d) (n72) booking for ante-natal care at a hospital in South London. Weighed dietary intakes (7 d) were obtained at 28 and 36 weeks gestation. Birth weight was adjusted for gestational age, maternal height, parity and sex of infant.

Compared with non-smokers, intakes of micronutrients and fibre were lower in smokers at both 28 and 36 weeks, and smokers reduced their intakes more in late pregnancy. The babies of smokers had a lower adjusted birth weight but there was no difference in length of gestation between smokers and non-smokers. After controlling for smoking, social class and alcohol consumption, nutrient intakes at 28 weeks were found to have no effect on adjusted birth weight. However, intakes of protein, zinc, riboflavin and thiamin at 36 weeks, and the change in intakes of these nutrients (plus iron) between 28 and 36 weeks, had independent positive effects on birth weight. Some of the effect of smoking on birth weight appeared to be mediated through differences in nutrient intakes. Smoking explained 14.3% of the variance in birth weight in this population and a further 2.4–7.2 % was explained by change in nutrient intakes between 28 and 36 weeks. It is recommended that women in pregnancy do not reduce their dietary intakes in late pregnancy.
The efficiency of chewing during eating and ruminating in goats and sheep
Authors: FranÇoise domingue B. M. , DELLOW D. W. , BARRY T. N.
Published: June 2005

The total amounts of time spent eating and ruminating per 24 h by goats and sheep were determined. The efficiencies of chewing during eating () and chewing during ruminating () on the breakdown of feed particles to below the critical size required to leave the rumen (< 1.0 mm) were investigated. All studies were done with the animals fed on a chaffed lucerne (Medicago sativa) hay diet. Goats spent more time eating (+3.1 h;P< 0.01), and less time ruminating (-2.2 h;P< 0.05) per 24 h, than sheep, when fed hourly atad lib.intake. The efficiency of chewing during eating () in breaking down feed particles to < 1.0 mm was greater in goats (85%;P< 0.01) than sheep (48%). The process of rumination in sheep served to reduce the feed particles which were > 1.0 mm in the rumen to < 1.0 mm. Sheep tended to be more efficient in this process than goats (59 ν 48%), with the difference not attaining significance (P> 0.1). The greater frequency of chews (number of total jaw movements/min) during eating in goats (P< 0.01), or during ruminating in sheep (P< 0.001), was the major component explaining differences in efficiency between the two species in both the eating and rumination processes. When corrected for the number of chews/min, the differences in  and  were not significant between goats and sheep. During eating goats had greater apparent rates of total salivary secretion (P< 0.1), and greater apparent rates of salivary nitrogen secretion (P< 0.05) than sheep. The results help explain the greater fibre digestibility and rumen ammonia irreversible loss rates in goats than sheep, when both species were fed on lucerne chaff.
The effect of a nutritionally-balanced cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) diet on endocrine function using the dog as a model 1. Pancreas
Authors: Kamalu Beryl P.
Published: June 2005

Growing dogs were divided into three groups and were fed on a control (rice) diet, a diet in which cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz; gari) was used as the carbohydrate source, and the rice diet to which cyanide (equivalent to that present in gari) was added. Each group consumed its diet for 14 weeks, during which plasma thiocyanate concentration and plasma lipase (EC 3.1.1.3) activity were monitored. Plasma free amino acids were determined from pooled samples taken at the end of the experimental period, and the insulin status of the dogs was evaluated using the gluconeogenic index. The dogs were killed and the pancreas examined for histopathology. Dogs fed on both gari diet and the rice+cyanide diet generated significant amounts of thiocyanate when compared with the controls, with the rice+cyanide group having higher plasma thiocyanate than the gari group (P < 0.01). Plasma lipase activity rose significantly at the end of the experimental period in the dogs fed on gari (P < 0.05). Gluconeogenesis from protein was greatest in the dogs fed on gari, five times greater than that in the control dogs, while gluconeogenesis from protein in the dogs fed on rice+cyanide was approximately twice as high as that of the control dogs. Histopathological examination of the pancreas showed haemorrhage, necrosis, fibrosis and atrophy of the acinar tissue and fibrosis of the islets of Langerhans in the dogs fed on gari. The pancreas of the dogs fed on rice+cyanide showed similar lesions but haemorrhage was not prominent and fibrosis was more marked. The present study indicated that a hypoinsulinaemia developed which was more severe in the animals fed on gari than in the dogs fed on the rice+cyanide diet and that the condition was not related to the level of plasma thiocyanate or the histopathology observed.
The effect of a nutritionally-balanced cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) diet on endocrine function using the dog as a model 2. Thyroid
Authors: Kamalu Beryl P. , Agharanya Julius C.
Published: June 2005

Growing dogs were divided into three groups and were fed on nutritionally-balanced diets. Control dogs were fed on a rice diet, the cassava (gari) group ate a diet in which gari provided the carbohydrate source, while the rice + cyanide group consumed the rice diet to which hydrocyanic acid (equivalent to that present in gari) was added. Each group consumed its diet for 14 weeks, during which plasma thiocyanate concentration and total serum triiodothyronine (T3) were monitored. At the end of the experiment the concentrations of the plasma free amino acids phenylalanine and tyrosine, the thyroid weights and histology were determined. While plasma thiocyanate remained undetectable in control dogs, animals consuming both gari and rice + cyanide generated significant amounts. In the control dogs and the gari group, total serum T3 increased 40 and 38.8 % respectively from the basal level by the end of the period (P < 0.02). In contrast there was a decrease in T3 by 36% in the dogs fed on rice+cyanide (P < 0.05). This group also showed significant thyroid enlargement and a histological picture consistent with parenchymatous goitre, whereas the gari group was essentially normal. The relatively low mean thyroid weight, the rise in total serum T3 level and the normal histological appearance of the gland indicate that dogs that consumed the gari diet were essentially normal with respect to their thyroid function, in spite of their high blood thiocyanate content. In contrast, dogs that consumed rice with cyanide suffered from hypothyroidism and goitre. It is suggested that the gari diet, despite generating thiocyanate endogenously, when taken in a nutritionally-balanced diet with high-quality animal protein, has no deleterious effects on thyroid function.
Energy values and energy balance in rats fed on supplements of guar gum or cellulose
Authors: Davies I. R. , Brown J. C. , Livesey G.
Published: June 2005

In five experiments where guar gum (GG) or Solka-floc cellulose (SF) supplemented a semi-synthetic diet (100 g/kg) for male Wistar rats at 21°, it was found that GG acutely depressed both ad lib. and meal-fed food intakes by 40–50 %. The effect was temporary, with the GG having no effects on food intake in the longer term. Dietary energy balance over 28 d with animals fed on equal amounts of a basal ration showed partial digestible energy values, calculated from the intake and faecal loss of energy, for the supplements which averaged 0 kJ/g SF and 10 kJ/g GG, so that GG contributed substantial amounts of absorbable energy. Despite this additional energy from GG, there was very often no additional gain of body fat. Rather, in some experiments, fat deposition was actually decreased by supplementation with GG. GG is inferred to have a putative thermogenic effect which is often greater than the energy it supplies. This effect occurred to a greater extent in circumstances associated with a higher ‘energy status’, indicated by higher efficiencies of conversion of gross dietary energy to retained body energy, higher fat: lean tissue deposition ratios and the occurrence of larger deposits at the epididymal fat pad site. There was some evidence that deposition at this site was more extensively affected by GG than deposition of fat in the body as a whole. Possible implications of the present findings are discussed.
Effects of solvent extraction on the hypocholesterolaemic action of oat bran in the rat
Authors: Illman Richard J. , Topping David L. , Dowling Kerin , Trimble Rodney P. , Russell Gordon R. , Storer Gerald B.
Published: June 2005

In adult male rats fed on a cholesterol-free synthetic diet, plasma cholesterol concentrations were lowest with oat bran, intermediate with cellulose and highest with wheat bran. Plasma triacylglycerols (TAG) were similar with wheat bran and cellulose but higher with oat bran. The concentrations and pools of caecal volatile fatty acids (VFA) were lowest with cellulose and equally higher with oat bran and wheat bran. Plasma VFA concentrations in the hepatic portal vein reflected those in caecal digesta and were unrelated to plasma cholesterol. Feeding oat bran after extraction withn-pentane gave plasma cholesterol concentrations similar to that found with wheat bran. Reconstitution of oat bran with extracted lipids did not restore the cholesterol-lowering effect. Addition of the extracted material to a wheat-bran diet had no effect on plasma cholesterol. Plasma TAG were higher with the oat bran and reconstituted-oatbran diets than with wheat-bran or cellulose diets. However, extracted oat bran+safflower oil gave similar TAG concentrations to that with wheat bran. These extractions and additions did not change caecal bile acid or neutral sterol concentrations. Effects of these diets on plasma cholesterol were unrelated to their tocotrienol or tocopherol content. Addition ofn-pentane to oat bran followed by evaporation of solvent gave plasma cholesterol concentrations that were significantly higher than untreated oat bran but lower than similarly treated wheat bran. It is concluded that oat bran affects cholesterol metabolism through a pentane-soluble component as well as non-starch polysaccharides. It appears that the activity of this lipid is not transferable by simple addition of the solvent extract to the whole diet.
Plasma 65Zn Kinetics in the rat
Authors: Lowe N. M. , Bremner I. , Jackson M. J.
Published: June 2005

The amount of 65Zn in the plasma of rats after intravenous injection was found to decline following closely two-compartment kinetics over a period of 90 min. Comparative analysis of the amount of 65Zn present in the two kinetic pools at various time-intervals post-injection with the actual physiological location of the 65Zn, revealed that the initial pool (Qa) is primarily the blood plasma, while the second pool (Qb) is primarily within the liver. The plasma Zn concentration and Qa were both found to fall reproducibly during Zn depletion, whereas Qa and Qb increased following injection of Escherichia coli endotoxin in contrast to the decline in plasma Zn concentration. Further investigation of the nature of Qb indicates that it represents in part a metabolic pool within the liver which varies substantially in response to Zn status in a manner similar to metallothionein.
Iron absorption during normal human pregnancy: a study using stable isotopes
Authors: Whittaker Paul G. , Lind Tom , Williams John G.
Published: June 2005

The absorption of iron has been determined in nine healthy women studied serially during pregnancy and once post delivery. Following the oral administration of 5 mg aqueous54FeSO4plus ascorbic acid and the intravenous injection of 200 μg57FeSO4, the isotope ratios of54Fe:56Fe and57Fe:56Fe in serum were measured by the use of inductively-coupled-plasma mass spectrometry whereby metal ions are vaporized into an argon plasma without previous blood sample preparation. Mean oral Fe absorption was 7.6 (range 1–22) % at 12 weeks gestation, 21.1 (range 9–58) % at 24 weeks, 37.4 (range 18–56) % at 36 weeks and 26.3 (range 8–54) % at 12 weeks post delivery. All the other biochemical and haematological indices were within normal limits for pregnancy. The significant increase (P< 0.01) in Fe absorption during normal pregnancy suggests that most women would have the potential to meet the Fe demands of pregnancy without the need for supplementation if dietary Fe has similar availability to the aqueous preparation.
Disposition kinetics and dosage regimen of vitamin E administered intramuscularly to sheep
Authors: Hidiroglou M. , Karpinski K.
Published: June 2005

Three experiments were conducted to estimate the effects of single intramuscular (IM) administrations of vitamin E on blood plasma and tissue concentrations of α-tocopherol in sheep. In Expt 1, plasma kinetics of α-tocopherol in sheep (n 30) were investigated following IM administration of three doses (ten sheep/dose) of DL-α-tocopheryl acetate, (20, 40 and 60 mg/kg live weight). Plasma profiles of α-tocopherol consisted of a lag phase followed by an apparent first-order absorption and elimination phase. The rate of absorption and elimination, as well as the lag phase, were independent of the dose, but the extent of absorption was directly proportional to dose. In Expt 2 (eighteen experimental and five control sheep), the animals were injected as in Expt 1 and were killed at 0, 80 and 176 h. Increases in α-tocopherol levels in organs were much higher than in plasma. Some tissues such as liver, spleen, lung and adrenal appeared to exhibit rapid absorption and elimination phases. The amount absorbed was proportional to the dose administered. Other organs such as heart, kidney and pancreas had a slow elimination rate. In Expt 3, D-α-tocopherol was injected IM into ten sheep at either 604 mg or 1208 mg. The mean hepatic α-tocopherol concentrations in both groups rose rapidly and after 4 weeks of dosing its concentrations were higher than the predosing levels. The increase in hepatic tocopherol concentrations were higher following 1208 mg dosing than 604 mg D-α-tocopherol. No simple relationship existed between plasma and hepatic α-tocopherol concentrations. This suggests a difference in body mechanisms controlling vitamin E in blood and liver.
Riboflavin deficiency in the rat: effects on iron utilization and loss
Authors: Powers Hilary J. , Weaver L. T. , Austin S. , Wright A. J. A. , Fairweather-Tait Susan J.
Published: June 2005

Iron absorption and daily loss of Fe were measured in riboflavin-deficient (B2-) Norwegian hooded rats and controls (B2+). Animals were fed on a test meal extrinsically labelled with 59Fe and whole-body radioactivity measured for 15 d. Riboflavin deficiency led to a reduction in the percentage of the 59Fe dose absorbed and an increased rate of 59Fe loss. All post-absorption 59Fe loss could be accounted for by faecal 59Fe, confirming that the loss was gastrointestinal. Fe concentrations and 59Fe as a percentage of retained whole-body 59Fe were higher in the small intestine of riboflavin-deficient animals than their controls, 14 d after the test meal. A separate experiment demonstrated that riboflavin deficiency was associated with a significant proliferative response of the duodenal crypts of the small intestine. These observations may explain the enhanced Fe loss in riboflavin deficiency.
Carrageenan-induced granuloma and iron status in rats with dietary polyunsaturated fatty acid deficiency
Authors: Carbonell T. , Saiz M. P. , Mitjavila M. T. , Puig-Parellada P. , Cambon-Gros C. , Fernandez Y. , Mitjavila S.
Published: June 2005

Sprague–Dawley rats were fed for 4 months on a control diet or a polyunsaturated-fatty-acid (PUFA)-deficient diet. The combined effects of iron overload (Fe dextran) or Fe deficiency (desferrioxamine) on carrageenan-induced granuloma were studied. PUFA deficiency induced changes in Fe metabolism, but no alterations in lipid peroxidation variables were observed. Inflammation implied an increase in lipid peroxidation, Fe storage and caeruloplasmin concentration, together with symptoms of anaemia. PUFA deficiency in inflamed rats gave rise to a lower inflammatory response (granuloma weight and prostaglandin E2concentration) and ethane exhalation. Fe overload potentiated inflammatory and lipid peroxidation processes, whereas Fe deficiency decreased them.
The energy and nutrient intakes of different types of vegetarian: a case for supplements?
Authors: Draper Alizon , Lewis Janet , Malhotra Nina , Wheeler Late Erica
Published: June 2005

Vegetarians of three types were studied in Greater London:thirty-four meat-avoiders, fifty-two lacto- ovo-vegetarians, and thirty-eight vegans. Weighed dietary intake measures were made over 3 d. Cereals were the mainstay of the diet, supplemented by dairy products (demi-vegetarians and lacto-ovo- vegetarians), vegetables and fruit, and soya-bean products (vegans). Many vegans progressed by stages to complete avoidance of animal foods; some had retreated, but most were highly committed. Demi- vegetarians were the least involved in a ‘vegetarian lifestyle’. All groups had mean energy intakes close to the current dietary reference values (DRV), with adequate protein intakes. Only vegans had fat intakes close to current recommendations; all groups had high dietary po1yunsaturated:saturated fatty acid ratios. Mean intakes of all micronutrients studied for demi- and lacto-ovo-vegetarians met the UK DRV. Intakes of iodine, riboflavin, and vitamin B12for vegans were below DRV; more than half considered their diets supplied all necessary vitamins. About 25% took some type of dietary supplement during the survey. The impact of low I intakes should be further studied, and it is recommended that ‘new’ vegetarians and vegans should use appropriate dietary supplements.