by Claudia Harper  , Radhika Seimon  , Brendon Yee  , Amanda Salis  and Elizabeth Cayanan

Received: 21 February 2022;  Published: 27 May 2022;  doi: 10.21926/rpn.2202015

We report the case of a 30-year-old male with significant obesity (body mass index 47 kg/m2) with co-existing moderate obstructive sleep apnoea, hypertension, hypercholesteremia and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, who was treated with a very-low-energy diet (VLED) and lifestyle modification programme for 12 months. The patient lost weight throughout the entire treatment period (average weight loss was 2.1 kg/week, for a total of 42.7 kg), and showed marked improvement in co-morbidities and no adverse effects. This c [...]

by Anikka M. Swaby  and Luis B. Agellon

Received: 20 December 2021;  Published: 26 May 2022;  doi: 10.21926/rpn.2202014

Microbes have been part of the diet throughout human history. In the evolution of food preservation practices, some techniques inadvertently leveraged microbial activity not only to extend the storage life but also to enhance the properties and nutritive value of foods. In the last century, a variety of bacterial species (referred to as probiotics) were found to confer health benefits to the host. The advent of high-throughput sequencing methods facilitated improved surveillance of conventional probiotics within gu [...]

by Angharad Vernon-Roberts  and Andrew S Day

Received: 23 January 2022;  Published: 19 April 2022;  doi: 10.21926/rpn.2202013

Children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have a high prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency secondary to factors such as malabsorption and decreased intake. In recent years the benefits of optimal vitamin D status have been highlighted for their potential to improve the disease course and long-term outcomes in this population. Clinical benefits have been seen to bone health, the immune system, and gut health, with further improvements to disease and treatment outcomes. Recommendations for vitamin D treatment p [...]

by Mitsuro Chiba  , Satoko Tsuda  and Haruhiko Tozawa

Received: 23 December 2021;  Published: 02 April 2022;  doi: 10.21926/rpn.2202012

A modern lifestyle, including dietary westernization, has increased the prevalence of constipation. The authors developed a plant-based diet for inflammatory bowel disease. This study investigated whether a diet containing a high amount of dietary fiber is also effective for constipation. Consecutive patients with constipation were recruited in this study from April 2003 to March 2004. Their constipation was unresponsive to a conventional laxative. The patients were provided a plant-based diet during hospitalizatio [...]

by Sheila Lucía Rodríguez García  and Vijaya Raghavan

Received: 17 February 2022;  Published: 01 April 2022;  doi: 10.21926/rpn.2202011

Microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) to obtain phenolics from vegetable wastes has been of recent interest. Broccoli is one of the most globally produced vegetables, and around 43% of the harvest is considered waste. Thus, given the significant quantity of broccoli waste generated, the objective of this work was to optimize the MAE, to maximize the total phenolic content (TPC) from broccoli by-products (leaves and stems) and broccoli florets. The Response Surface Analysis was used in the optimization model to evalua [...]

by Tina Rawal  , Jean W.M. Muris  , Vijay Kumar Mishra  , Monika Arora  , Nikhil Tandon  and Onno C.P. van Schayck

Received: 10 January 2022;  Published: 30 March 2022;  doi: 10.21926/rpn.2201010

COVID-19 greatly affected the lives of adolescents through restrictions such as less playtime, more screen time, and limited interaction with peers. In this study, we assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the dietary and physical activity-related behavior of school students aged 10–16 years. This cross-sectional study was conducted with adolescents recruited from seven randomly selected private schools in Delhi, India, during 2021. A self-administered web-based survey was conducted to evaluate the behavio [...]

by Laura S. Kabiri  , Amanda M. Perkins-Ball  , Cassandra S. Diep  , Uma Kelavkar  and Augusto X. Rodriguez

Received: 17 December 2021;  Published: 15 March 2022;  doi: 10.21926/rpn.2201009

Most children do not meet physical activity guidelines, and school-based programs often fail to increase physical activity levels. However, there has been no intervention pairing college mentors with elementary students to date. The purpose of this paper is to report the feasibility and acceptability, both quantitative and qualitative, of an undergraduate-mentored running program designed to increase physical activity in elementary students. A convergent parallel mixed methods design was used to evaluate the feasib [...]

by Meir Djaldetti

Received: 10 January 2022;  Published: 14 March 2022;  doi: 10.21926/rpn.2201008

Broccoli has long been reported to exert a positive impact on human health. It contains high levels of isocyanates, the most important of which is sulforaphane (SFN). Numerous studies have demonstrated that SFN can be used as an effective supplement for treating a variety of diseases. In addition, it is known to possess anti-cancer properties such as chemopreventive properties against gastrointestinal, breast, lung, bladder, prostate, and other cancers. The reported data indicates that broccoli could be a potent in [...]

by Haruka Sawamura  , Kurumi Taniguchi  , Yuka Ikeda  , Ai Tsuji  , Yasuko Kitagishi  and Satoru Matsuda

Received: 16 November 2021;  Published: 08 March 2022;  doi: 10.21926/rpn.2201007

Immune checkpoints have been aggressively investigated for anti-cancer immunotherapy. The power of microbiota on the outcome of this immunotherapy has attracted much attention. For example, intestinal microorganisms play a key role in the effectiveness of programmed cell death 1 (PD1) and cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA4) blockade. Additionally, short-chain fatty acids produced in the gut may modulate anti-CTLA4 and anti-PD1 stimulated immune responses and their anti-tumor efficacy. Enhancing the [...]

by Suman Mishra  , Kerry Bentley-Hewitt  , Alex Lubransky  , Bernard Venn  , Duncan Hedderley  , Hannah Dinnan  , Sheridan Martell  , Jillian Haszard  and John Monro

Received: 22 December 2021;  Published: 25 February 2022;  doi: 10.21926/rpn.2201006

People with pre-diabetes may be reluctant to add fruit to their diets due to concerns around sugars. Our objective was to measure outcomes associated with potential adverse effects of ingesting fruit sugars while assessing metabolic benefits from eating nutrient-rich kiwifruit. Thirty-four people with pre-diabetes were randomized to receive two kiwifruit or 250 mL bottled water per day for 12-weeks; two people withdrew. The primary outcomes were between-group differences for glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and plasma [...]