The aim of the present study was to describe and validate a computed tomography (CT) method to analyse adiposity distribution in Göttingen minipigs. Adiposity was evaluated in two groups of minipigs. In group 1 (n 8), measurements were performed before and after the induction of obesity. In group 2 (n 7), animals were fed rations designed to obtain heterogeneous adiposity before analyses. CT acquisitions were associated with anatomical, ultrasonography and body chemical measurements. Our CT method was based on acquisition of a single slice at a fixed anatomical landmark, calculation of individual X-ray density ranges for CT values and delineation of the three main adipose compartments (subcutaneous adipose tissue, SAT; retroperitoneal adipose tissue, RAT; and visceral adipose tissue, VAT). Our validation measures showed that the CT-scan method was accurate, sensitive and reliable. The CT data were found to be correlated with body weight, abdominal perimeter, ultrasonography, anatomical measurements and body chemical composition (from r 0·84 to 0·93, P < 0·001 for all), with a pitfall concerning the precise estimation of VAT. With increased body weight, the amount of adipose tissue increased and the relative proportion of SAT increased, whereas the relative proportion of RAT and VAT decreased (P < 0·001 for all). Adiposity measured by CT, and especially SAT, was found to be negatively correlated with insulin sensitivity (r 0·54, P < 0·05). In conclusion, a precise evaluation of the adipose compartments in minipigs was done by CT. Therefore, the use of Göttingen minipigs is relevant to further investigate the relationship between the different adipose tissues and obesity.

Both high-fat and high-carbohydrate diets have been considered in association with the impairment of baroreflex sensitivity. However, the mechanisms are unclear. In the present study, the effects of a complex high-fat and high-carbohydrate diet (HFCD) on baroreflex circuitry were investigated. A HFCD emulsion was formulated and orally administered to rats for 30 d. Rats were then anaesthetised and baroreflex sensitivity was measured following intravenous injection of phenylephrine (PE) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) at various doses. Morphological changes of the brainstem were detected by transmission electron microscopy. Baroreflex sensitivity-associated gene and protein expression was determined by quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot analysis. We found that: (1) the HFCD significantly attenuated heart rate responses to arterial blood pressure (ABP) increases induced by PE, but had no effect on heart rate responses to ABP decreases induced by SNP; (2) the HFCD induced medullary sheath thickening, myelinated nerve atrophy and hyaloplasm dissolving; (3) protein levels of substance P, calcitonin gene-related peptide, GlutR2 and γ-aminobutyric acid A receptors were all markedly decreased in the brainstems of rats administered with the HFCD. These findings conclude that a HFCD could impair the baroreflex sensitivity of rats. Remodelled morphology and decreased neurotransmitters and receptors in the domains of the nucleus tractus solitarii and nucleus ambiguus are participating in this process.

The aim of the present study was to compare the long-term effects of two dietary approaches on changes in dietary intakes, eating behaviours and body weight: (1) approach using restrictive messages to limit high-fat foods (low-fat intake; LOFAT); (2) approach emphasising non-restrictive messages directed towards the inclusion of fruits and vegetables (high intake of fruits and vegetables; HIFV). A total of sixty-eight overweight or obese postmenopausal women were randomly assigned to one of the two dietary approaches. The 6-month dietary intervention included three group sessions and ten individual sessions with a dietitian. Dietary intakes, eating behaviours and anthropometrics were measured at baseline, at the end of the dietary intervention (T = 6) and 6 months and 12 months after the end of the intervention (T = 12 and T = 18). In the LOFAT group, energy and fat intakes were lower at T = 6 when compared with baseline and remained lower at T = 12 and T = 18. In the HIFV group, fruit and vegetable intakes increased significantly at T = 6 but were no longer significantly different from baseline at T = 12 and T = 18. Dietary restraint increased at T = 6 and remained higher than baseline at T = 18 in the LOFAT group while no significant change was observed in the HIFV group. At T = 6, body weight was significantly lower than baseline in both groups (LOFAT: − 3·7 (sd 2·8) kg; HIFV: − 1·8 (sd 3·0) kg) and no significant difference in body-weight change from baseline was found between groups at T = 18. We concluded that weight loss was similar at 1-year follow-up in both dietary approaches. Despite relatively good improvements in the short term, the adherence to a 6-month dietary intervention promoting high intakes of fruits and vegetables was difficult to maintain.

The aim was to establish the relative importance of multiple dietary, activity and other risk factors in determining BMI. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 322 adults (71 % female; aged 18–79 years; BMI 16·5–40·9 kg/m2) using a previously developed, psychometrically tested, seventy-three-item questionnaire covering a wide range of obesity risk factors (consisting of five dietary, five activity and seven other risk factor subscales). Outcome was self-reported weight and height for BMI, cross-validated with items on clothes size and perceived need to lose weight. Stepwise regression analysis predicted 25–55 % of the variance in BMI with physical activity participation, current and past dieting behaviour, amount eaten, and age being the most important predictors. The association of lower BMI and younger age appeared to be due to higher activity levels, as younger participants reported much less healthy eating behaviour than the older age group. Amount eaten and physical activity participation were stronger predictors of BMI than other factors including healthy eating and use of mechanised transport. Results showed that the relationship between various risk factors and obesity may differ by both sex and age group, suggesting that different interventions may need to be targeted at different groups. The higher-risk eating behaviour observed in younger participants is of concern and needs to be addressed, if the current trend of rising obesity levels is to be halted.

Increased homocysteine levels might accelerate dopaminergic cell death in Parkinson's disease (PD) through neurotoxic effects; thus, increasing intake of B vitamins involved in the regulation of homocysteine metabolism might decrease the risk of PD through decreasing plasma homocysteine. However, epidemiological evidence for the association of dietary B vitamins with PD is sparse, particularly in non-Western populations. We conducted a hospital-based case–control study in Japan to examine associations between dietary intake of folate, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and riboflavin and the risk of PD. Patients with PD diagnosed using the UK PD Society Brain Bank criteria (n 249) and controls without neurodegenerative diseases (n 368) were recruited. Dietary intake during the preceding month was assessed at the time of study recruitment using a validated, self-administered, semi-quantitative, comprehensive diet history questionnaire. After adjustment for potential dietary and non-dietary confounding factors, intake of folate, vitamin B12 and riboflavin was not associated with the risk of PD (P for trend = 0·87, 0·70 and 0·11, respectively). However, low intake of vitamin B6 was associated with an increased risk of PD, independent of potential dietary and non-dietary confounders. Multivariate OR (95 % CI) for PD in the first, second, third and fourth quartiles of vitamin B6 were 1 (reference), 0·56 (0·33, 0·94), 0·69 (0·38, 1·25) and 0·48 (0·23, 0·99), respectively (P for trend = 0·10). In conclusion, in the present case–control study in Japan, low intake of vitamin B6, but not of folate, vitamin B12 or riboflavin, was independently associated with an increased risk of PD.

We evaluated the accuracy of skinfold thicknesses, BMI and waist circumference for the prediction of percentage body fat (PBF) in a representative sample of 372 Swiss children aged 6–13 years. PBF was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. On the basis of a preliminary bootstrap selection of predictors, seven regression models were evaluated. All models included sex, age and pubertal stage plus one of the following predictors: (1) log-transformed triceps skinfold (logTSF); (2) logTSF and waist circumference; (3) log-transformed sum of triceps and subscapular skinfolds (logSF2); (4) log-transformed sum of triceps, biceps, subscapular and supra-iliac skinfolds (logSF4); (5) BMI; (6) waist circumference; (7) BMI and waist circumference. The adjusted determination coefficient () and the root mean squared error (RMSE; kg) were calculated for each model. LogSF4 ( 0·85; RMSE 2·35) and logSF2 ( 0·82; RMSE 2·54) were similarly accurate at predicting PBF and superior to logTSF ( 0·75; RMSE 3·02), logTSF combined with waist circumference ( 0·78; RMSE 2·85), BMI ( 0·62; RMSE 3·73), waist circumference ( 0·58; RMSE 3·89), and BMI combined with waist circumference ( 0·63; RMSE 3·66) (P < 0·001 for all values of ). The finding that logSF4 was only modestly superior to logSF2 and that logTSF was better than BMI and waist circumference at predicting PBF has important implications for paediatric epidemiological studies aimed at disentangling the effect of body fat on health outcomes.

The gut microbiota has been implicated in host nutrient absorption and energy homeostasis. We studied the influence of different diets on body composition in germ-free (GF) and conventional (CV) mice. GF and CV male adult C3H mice were fed ad libitum a semi-synthetic low-fat diet (LFD; carbohydrate–protein–fat ratio: 41:42:17; 19·8 kJ/g), a high-fat diet (HFD; 41:16:43; 21·4 kJ/g) or a commercial Western diet (WD; 41:19:41; 21·5 kJ/g). There was no difference in body weight gain between GF and CV mice on the LFD. On the HFD, GF mice gained more body weight and body fat than CV mice, and had lower energy expenditure. GF mice on the WD gained significantly less body fat than GF mice on the HFD. GF mice on both HFD and WD showed increased intestinal mRNA expression of fasting-induced adipose factor/angiopoietin-like protein 4 (Fiaf/Angptl4), but they showed no major changes in circulating Fiaf/Angptl4 compared with CV mice. The faecal microbiota composition of the CV mice differed between diets: the proportion of Firmicutes increased on both HFD and WD at the expense of the Bacteroidetes. This increase in the Firmicutes was mainly due to the proliferation of one family within this phylum: the Erysipelotrichaceae. We conclude that the absence of gut microbiota does not provide a general protection from diet-induced obesity, that intestinal production of Fiaf/Angptl4 does not play a causal role in gut microbiota-mediated effects on fat storage and that diet composition affects gut microbial composition to larger extent than previously thought.

The objective of the present study was to investigate the influence of the single nucleotide polymorphism (rs17238540) at the 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase gene (HMGCR) on the relationship between serum lipids and dietary fat and fibre (NSP). FFQ and pyrosequencing were used to assess cross-sectional dietary intake and HMGCR genotype in a population study with data for serum lipids available. Genotype frequencies and allele distributions for 23 011 participants were: TT 95·65 %, TG 4·29 % and GG 0·06 %; T 97·8 % and G 2·2 %. In regression analyses, the TG+GG group showed a significant positive relationship between TAG and SFA intake (+0·11 (95 % CI 0·02, 0·20) mmol TAG/l; P = 0·017; per 3 % SFA energy increase) while the TT individuals showed no change in the TAG levels related to SFA intake ( − 0·0007 (95 % CI − 0·02, 0·02) mmol TAG/l; P = 0·99). TG+GG individuals showed an inverse relationship between TAG and fibre intake higher ( − 0·14 (95 % CI − 0·22, − 0·05) mmol TAG/l than the TT group ( − 0·04 (95 % CI − 0·06, − 0·02) mmol TAG/l). In both cases the respective coefficient regressions of TAG were different between the genotype groups (Z = 2·27, P = 0·023 for SFA intake; Z = 2·19, P = 0·029 for fibre intake). Individuals carrying the G allele may show a greater response in lower TAG levels with reduced SFA intake and increased fibre intake compared with those homozygous for the T allele. The effectiveness of different dietary interventions to control serum lipids may vary according to HMGCR genotype.