Reduced peanut sensitization with maternal peanut consumption and early peanut introduction while breastfeeding.
New guidelines for peanut allergy prevention in high-risk infants recommend introducing peanut during infancy but do not address breastfeeding or maternal peanut consumption. We assessed the independent and combined association of these factors with peanut sensitization in the general population CHILD birth cohort (N = 2759 mother-child dyads). Mothers reported peanut consumption during pregnancy, timing of first infant peanut consumption, and length of breastfeeding duration. Child peanut sensitization was determined by skin prick testing at 1, 3, and 5 years. Overall, 69% of mothers regularly consumed peanuts and 36% of infants were fed peanut in the first year (20% while breastfeeding and 16% after breastfeeding cessation). Infants who were introduced to peanut early (before 1 year) after breastfeeding cessation had a 66% reduced risk of sensitization at 5 years compared to those who were not (1.9% vs. 5.8% sensitization; aOR 0.34, 95% CI 0.14-0.68). This risk was further reduced if mothers introduced peanut early while breastfeeding and regularly consumed peanut themselves (0.3% sensitization; aOR 0.07, 0.01-0.25). In longitudinal analyses, these associations were driven by a higher odds of outgrowing early sensitization and a lower odds of late-onset sensitization. There was no apparent benefit (or harm) from maternal peanut consumption without breastfeeding. Taken together, these results suggest the combination of maternal peanut consumption and breastfeeding at the time of peanut introduction during infancy may help to decrease the risk of peanut sensitization. Mechanistic and clinical intervention studies are needed to confirm and understand this "triple exposure" hypothesis. 10.1017/S2040174420001129
Fatty Acid Profile of Mature Red Blood Cell Membranes and Dietary Intake as a New Approach to Characterize Children with Overweight and Obesity.
Obesity is a chronic metabolic disease of high complexity and of multifactorial origin. Understanding the effects of nutrition on childhood obesity metabolism remains a challenge. The aim of this study was to determine the fatty acid (FA) profile of red blood cell (RBC) membranes as a comprehensive biomarker of children's obesity metabolism, together with the evaluation of their dietary intake. An observational study was carried out on 209 children (107 healthy controls, 41 who were overweight and 61 with obesity) between 6 and 16 years of age. Mature RBC membrane phospholipids were analyzed for FA composition by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Dietary habits were evaluated using validated food frequency questionnaires (FFQ) and the Mediterranean Diet Quality Index for children (KIDMED) test. Compared to children with normal weight, children with obesity showed an inflammatory profile in mature RBC FAs, evidenced by higher levels of ω-6 polyunsaturated FAs (mainly arachidonic acid, p < 0.001). Children who were overweight or obese presented lower levels of monounsaturated FA (MUFA) compared to children with normal weight (p = 0.001 and p = 0.03, respectively), resulting in an increased saturated fatty acid (SFA)/MUFA ratio. A lower intake of nuts was observed for children with obesity. A comprehensive membrane lipidomic profile approach in children with obesity will contribute to a better understanding of the metabolic differences present in these individuals.
Comparing the feeding damage of the invasive brown marmorated stink bug to a native stink bug and leaffooted bug on California pistachios.
California currently produces about a quarter of the world’s pistachios. Pistachio nuts are susceptible to feeding by stink bugs and leaffooted bugs; therefore, the invasive presence of the highly polyphagous brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is a concern to California pistachio growers. We aimed to assess the potential of H. halys to cause yield loss and nut damage to pistachios, which had not yet been assessed in the field. Over two years, terminal branch ends with pistachio clusters were enclosed in organdy cages from spring to fall and exposed to either H. halys, the native stink bug Chinavia hilaris Say (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), or leaffooted bug Leptoglossus zonatus (Dallas) (Hemiptera: Coreidae), for 4–7-day feeding periods at different times of the season. We found that H. halys adults cause more epicarp lesions (external damage) when recorded at harvest time than the native species. They did not, however, cause more kernel necrosis (internal damage) than the two native species tested, which is a more relevant damage criterion for commercial production. There were no differences among insect species for any other recorded damage criteria. We conclude that H. halys could cause similar damage as the native species but note that H. halys population densities in California are still low and future damage levels will be dependent on this pest’s population density. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects11100688
Pecan (Carya illinoinensis (Wagenh.) K. Koch) Nut Shell as an Accessible Polyphenol Source for Active Packaging and Food Colorant Stabilization
Herein, the antioxidant and food stabilizing properties of a pecan nut shell (PNS) hydroalcoholic extract (PNSE) are reported. Chemical degradation of PNSE demonstrated the presence of condensed tannins as the main phenolic components. PNSE showed remarkable antioxidant properties in the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay (EC50 = 0.004 mg/mL). PNSE was initially tested as an inhibitor of mushroom tyrosinase, exhibiting a quite low IC50 value (0.055 mg/mL) against the enzyme diphenolase activity, suggesting its use in enzymatic browning inhibition. The anthocyanin stabilization properties were evaluated under accelerated aging conditions of both pure pigments and commercial fruit juices, and PNSE was found to be effective at concentrations (0.05 mg/mL) at which well-known stabilizers such as chlorogenic and ferulic acids proved to fail. PNSE also performed well in the stabilization of spray-dried anthocyanins for use as a food colorant, increasing the half-life of blackberry anthocyanins up to 20%. In order to explore the possibility of using PNSE as a functional additive for active packaging, polylactic acid (PLA) films containing PNSE were prepared by solvent casting, and no substantial alteration of the mechanical properties was found on addition of the extract up to 10% w/w. The films showed remarkable antioxidant properties (DDPH reduction >60% with a 3% w/w loading, at a dose of 1 mg/mL in the DPPH solution) and delayed the onset of browning of apple smoothies (ca. 30% inhibition with a 10% w/w loading). These results highlight the exploitation of PNS as a low-cost polyphenol source for food industry applications.
https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c00356
Epitope mapping of the major allergen 2S albumin from pine nut.
The epitopes of the major allergen of pine nut, Pin p 1, were analyzed using a peptide library and sera from patients with clinical allergy to pine nut in order to deepen into the allergenic characteristics of Pin p 1. Analyses of epitope similarities and epitopes location in a 3D-model were also performed. Results showed that three main regions of Pin p 1 containing 5 epitopes were recognized by patient sera IgE. The epitopes of Pin p 1 had important similarities with epitopes of allergenic 2S albumins from peanut (Ara h 2 and 6) and Brazil nut (Ber e 1). The epitopes of Pin p 1 were found in α-helices and coils in the 3D protein structure. Interestingly, all epitopes were found to be well-exposed in the protein surface, which suggests facile access for IgE-binding to the structure of Pin p 1 which is known to be highly resistant.
Discovery based high resolution MS/MS analysis for selection of allergen markers in chocolate and broth powder matrices.
Peptide marker identification is an important step in development of a mass spectrometry method for multiple allergen detection, since specificity, robustness and sensitivity of the overall analytical method will depend on the reliability of the proteotypic peptides. As part of the development of a multi-analyte reference method, discovery analysis of two incurred food matrices has been undertaken to select the most reliable peptide markers. Six allergenic ingredients (milk, egg, peanut, soybean, hazelnut, and almond) were incurred into either chocolate or broth powder matrix. Different conditions of protein extraction and purification were tested and the tryptic peptide pools were analysed by untargeted high resolution tandem mass spectrometry and the resulting fragmentation spectra were processed via a commercial software for sequence identification. The analysis performed on incurred foods provides both a prototype effective and straightforward sample preparation protocol and delivers reliable peptides to be included in a standardized selected reaction monitoring method.
Basophil activation test reduces oral food challenges to nuts and sesame.
Background: Nut allergic patients are often IgE sensitized to other nuts/seeds and need multiple oral food challenges (OFCs) before the safe nuts can be introduced in the diet. However, OFCs are time-consuming and risky procedures.
Objective: To assess the utility of the basophil activation test (BAT) to predict the allergic status and reduce the need for an OFC in children with 1 or more nut or seed allergies.
Methods: Participants in the Pronuts study recruited at the Geneva and the London centers were tested on the BAT to hazelnut, cashew nut, sesame, almond, and peanut, Ara h 1, Ara h 2, Ara h 6, using FlowCAST, a commercially available BAT kit, and flow cytometry.
Results: The BAT to hazelnut, cashew nut, sesame, almond, and peanut discriminated between allergic and nonallergic children, to the respective nut or seed. The optimal allergen concentration and their optimal, positive, and negative cutoffs were identified for the BAT and the other tests, for each nut and seed. Using the BAT as a second step in the diagnostic process, after equivocal skin prick test and IgE to extracts and components, reduced the number of total OFCs by 5% to 15% and positive OFCs by 33% to 75% (except for hazelnut) with 0% false-negatives and a diagnostic accuracy of 96% to 100%.
Conclusion: The BAT proved to be a useful diagnostic tool, used in a stepwise approach, to predict the allergic status and reduce the number of OFCs in the Pronuts study participants with at least 1 nut allergy willing to consume selected nuts.
Longitudinal association of nut consumption and the risk of cardiovascular events: a prospective cohort study in Eastern Mediterranean Region.
Background and Aim: There are few pieces of evidence on the association between nut consumption and the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. This study investigated the relationship of nut consumption with the risk of CVD and all-cause mortality in the Iranian population. Methods and Results: This population-based prospective cohort study was carried out in 6,504 randomly selected participants aged ≥35 years in central Iran (2001–2013) in the framework of the Isfahan Cohort Study. Dietary data were collected by a validated 48-item food frequency questionnaire. Subjects or their next of kin were interviewed biannually, looking for the possible occurrence of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality. During the median follow-up of 135 months and 52,704.3 person-years, we found a total of 751 CVD events. In unadjusted model, participants in the highest quartile of nut intake had a lower CVD risk {hazard ratio (HR) [95% confidence interval (CI)]: 0.57(0.47–0.70); P for trend < 0.001}, CVD mortality [HR (95% CI): 0.54 (0.33–0.72); P for trend < 0.001], and all-cause mortality [HR (95% CI): 0.24 (0.14–0.42); P for trend < 0.001]. In the fully adjusted model, the association was diluted, and no significant relationship was found between nut intake and CVD events and all-cause mortality, except for CVD mortality in the highest quartile vs. the lowest one [HR (95% CI): 0.55 (0.30–0.98)]. Conclusion: Nut intake had an inverse association with the risk of CVD mortality. It is suggested to perform studies to examine the association of individual types of nuts and different preparation methods on CVD risk and mortality. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2020.610467/full
Consumption of dietary nuts in midlife and risk of cognitive impairment in late-life: the Singapore Chinese Health Study.
Background: evidence from prospective studies investigating the association between consumption of nuts in midlife and risk of cognitive impairment in late life is limited.
Methods: this study analysed data from 16,737 participants in a population-based cohort, the Singapore Chinese Health Study. Intake of nuts was assessed using a validated food-frequency questionnaire at baseline (1993-1998), when participants were 45-74 years old (mean age = 53.5 years). Cognitive function was tested using the Singapore modified Mini-Mental State Examination during the third follow-up visit (2014-2016), when participants were 61-96 years old (mean age = 73.2 years). Cognitive impairment was defined using education-specific cut-off points. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and the 95% confidence interval (CI) for the association between intake and risk of cognitive impairment.
Results: cognitive impairment was identified in 2,397 (14.3%) participants. Compared with those who consumed <1 serving/month of nuts, participants who consumed 1-3 servings/month, 1 serving/week and ≥2 servings/week had 12% (95% CI 2-20%), 19% (95% CI 4-31%) and 21% (2-36%) lower risk of cognitive impairment, respectively (P-trend = 0.01). Further adjustment for intake of unsaturated fatty acids attenuated the association to non-significance. Mediation analysis showed that the 50.8% of the association between nuts and risk of cognitive impairment was mediated by the intake of total unsaturated fatty acids (P < 0.001).
Conclusion: higher intake of nuts in midlife was related to a lower risk of cognitive impairment in late life, which was partly mediated by unsaturated fatty acids.
The effect of green Mediterranean diet on cardiometabolic risk; a randomised controlled trial.
Background: A Mediterranean diet is favourable for cardiometabolic risk.
Objective: To examine the residual effect of a green Mediterranean diet, further enriched with green plant-based foods and lower meat intake, on cardiometabolic risk.
Methods: For the DIRECT-PLUS parallel, randomised clinical trial we assigned individuals with abdominal obesity/dyslipidaemia 1:1:1 into three diet groups: healthy dietary guidance (HDG), Mediterranean and green Mediterranean diet, all combined with physical activity. The Mediterranean diets were equally energy restricted and included 28 g/day walnuts. The green Mediterranean diet further included green tea (3-4 cups/day) and a Wolffia globosa (Mankai strain; 100 g/day frozen cubes) plant-based protein shake, which partially substituted animal protein. We examined the effect of the 6-month dietary induction weight loss phase on cardiometabolic state.
Results: Participants (n=294; age 51 years; body mass index 31.3 kg/m2; waist circumference 109.7 cm; 88% men; 10 year Framingham risk score 4.7%) had a 6-month retention rate of 98.3%. Both Mediterranean diets achieved similar weight loss ((green Mediterranean -6.2 kg; Mediterranean -5.4 kg) vs the HDG group -1.5 kg; p<0.001), but the green Mediterranean group had a greater reduction in waist circumference (-8.6 cm) than the Mediterranean (-6.8 cm; p=0.033) and HDG (-4.3 cm; p<0.001) groups. Stratification by gender showed that these differences were significant only among men. Within 6 months the green Mediterranean group achieved greater decrease in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C; green Mediterranean -6.1 mg/dL (-3.7%), -2.3 (-0.8%), HDG -0.2 mg/dL (+1.8%); p=0.012 between extreme groups), diastolic blood pressure (green Mediterranean -7.2 mm Hg, Mediterranean -5.2 mm Hg, HDG -3.4 mm Hg; p=0.005 between extreme groups), and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (green Mediterranean -0.77, Mediterranean -0.46, HDG -0.27; p=0.020 between extreme groups). The LDL-C/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) ratio decline was greater in the green Mediterranean group (-0.38) than in the Mediterranean (-0.21; p=0.021) and HDG (-0.14; p<0.001) groups. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein reduction was greater in the green Mediterranean group (-0.52 mg/L) than in the Mediterranean (-0.24 mg/L; p=0.023) and HDG (-0.15 mg/L; p=0.044) groups. The green Mediterranean group achieved a better improvement (-3.7% absolute risk reduction) in the 10-year Framingham Risk Score (Mediterranean-2.3%; p=0.073, HDG-1.4%; p<0.001).
Conclusions: The green MED diet, supplemented with walnuts, green tea and Mankai and lower in meat/poultry, may amplify the beneficial cardiometabolic effects of Mediterranean diet.