A number of studies have shown a relationship between glucose tolerance and ethanol intake. The present study uses a relatively simple procedure to induce glucose intolerance to test whether this condition is sufficient to produce an increase in chronic ethanol intake in male rats. Subjects were divided equally into four groups where they were given access to one of four solutions: peppermint-flavored sucrose (40%), peppermint-flavored saccharin (0.1%), peppermint in water (0.1%), or water alone presented three times a week, for a period of 11 weeks. After 12 weeks all animals were subjected to an oral glucose tolerance test which revealed that the chronically prepared sucrose animals had become glucose intolerant. At the start of week 13 all animals were given access to a 6% ethanol solution flavored with peppermint in place of the previous solutions for a period of 11 weeks. Sucrose animals displayed an immediate preference for ethanol and consumed approximately three times more ethanol than the remaining groups. The results of this study indicate that rats that are made glucose intolerant by long term access to a high concentration of sucrose, when given the opportunity, will subsequently choose to drink more ethanol than control animals.

Alcohol Drinking↗

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Plasma cholesterol concentration in normal and cholesterol-fed rabbits. Its variation and heritability.

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Age Factors↗

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Assessment of body composition of children with cystic fibrosis (CF).

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Adolescent↗

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Moderate fish oil intake improves lipemic response to a standard fat meal. A study in 25 healthy men.

To test the hypothesis that conditioning with a practical dose of fish oil will reduce postprandial lipemia, 25 healthy men were matched according to levels of fasting plasma triacylglyceride and allocated to 6 weeks of either fish oil or olive oil supplements (5 g/day). After a 12-hour overnight fast at the termination of the study period, the subjects were given a standard test meal containing 89% of energy as fat (0.73 g fat/kg body wt, polyunsaturated to saturated fat ratio = 0.4). Vitamin A (429 retinol equivalents/kg body wt) was included to endogenously label the chylomicrons. Venous blood samples were obtained before the test meal and hourly thereafter for 8 hours. Chylomicrons were separated by ultracentrifugation, plasma triacylglyceride concentration was determined enzymatically, and retinyl ester levels were measured by liquid chromatography. Postprandially, the fish oil-fed group exhibited mean total and chylomicron triacylglyceride concentrations that were significantly (p less than 0.05) less than those of the olive oil-fed group. Both the fish oil- and olive oil-fed groups had similar rises in chylomicron retinyl esters during the first 2 hours, but after this time the postprandial response of the fish oil-fed group was consistently and significantly (p less than 0.05) less than the response of the olive oil-fed group. Our results suggest that improvement in lipemic response, whether due to enhanced chylomicron clearance or decreased chylomicron entry into the plasma pool, can be achieved at a much lower intake of fish oil than previously reported.

Adult↗

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The effect of fasting triacylglyceride concentration and apolipoprotein E polymorphism on postprandial lipemia.

To determine if apolipoprotein (apo) E polymorphism influences postprandial lipemia and hence can help explain the wide range of lipemic responses to a standardized fat meal observed previously, blood samples were collected from 25 healthy men whose postprandial responses to a standardized fat meal had been measured. Venous blood samples had been obtained before the fat meal (0.73 g fat/kg containing vitamin A) and hourly thereafter for 8 hours, plasma and chylomicron triacylglyceride (TAG) concentrations had been determined, and retinyl esters (REs) in the chylomicron and nonchylomicron fractions had been measured. The original results were reanalyzed by apo E phenotype (six E2/3; 14 E3/3; four E3/4 and one E4/4, grouped as E4). Contrary to what is known about the epsilon 4 allele, the apo E4 group displayed a significantly greater response curve than did either the apo E2/3 or E3/3 groups for both plasma TAG and chylomicron RE concentrations (p less than 0.01), as reflected in a later chylomicron RE peak for the apo E4 group (p less than 0.05). The E4 group tended (p = 0.18) to have a 40% higher fasting TAG than did either of the other groups, which may reflect bias in the selection of subjects. As fasting TAG is an important determinant in postprandial lipemia, results were normalized for this variable. After adjustment, the E4 group had the lowest TAG response relative to the E3/3 group (p less than 0.01). Our findings suggest that controlling for apo E phenotype may help to reduce interindividual variation in the postprandial response to a standard fat meal.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

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Quick weight loss: sorting fad from fact.

This article reviews popular diets for their ability to produce effective weight loss. Most of the "evidence" for fad diets is based on anecdotal findings, theories and testimonials of short term results. The most prominent elements of fad diets are those of ritual and sacrifice. These diets offer quick and painless weight loss while allowing consumption of favourite or tasty foods, but place severe restrictions on certain other foods or food categories. Fad diets often work in the short term because they are low-kilojoule diets in disguise; that is, energy intake as a result of the diet is lower than the person's requirements. Successful long term weight loss depends on the consumption over a long period of time of less energy than is expended. The ideal approach is to increase physical activity while modifying eating behaviour to achieve a nutritionally balanced intake.

Diet Fads↗

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The cholesterol-lowering effect of a breakfast cereal containing psyllium fibre.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the cholesterol-lowering effect of ready-to-eat cereal containing soluble fibre as psyllium (86%), oatmeal and barley on the plasma lipids of otherwise healthy men with mild hypercholesterolaemia, who were already eating a diet low in saturated fats. DESIGN: Double-blind crossover trial, lasting 12 weeks, in volunteers eating each cereal for six weeks at home, in Sydney and Newcastle (New South Wales). PARTICIPANTS: Eighty-one men (average age 50 years; range, 31-69 years) who had initial plasma (total) cholesterol concentrations of 5.8-8.8 mmol/L, but did not have major illness, obesity or diabetes, and were not on special diets or taking stool bulkers. INTERVENTION: One box of cereal was eaten each day: control, 60 g wheat/wheat bran (2 g soluble fibre); or test, 50 g of product containing psyllium/oats/barley (12 g soluble fibre). Subjects were allocated at random, when established on a low saturated fat diet, to wheat followed by psyllium cereal or psyllium followed by wheat cereal. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Plasma total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride and low density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations measured twice, four to seven days apart before the start of the trial and then after six weeks of eating each cereal. RESULTS: Compliance was excellent with both cereals. There were no significant differences in subjects' macronutrient intake or body weight between the two six-week periods. Total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations fell significantly on psyllium cereal, relative to wheat cereal, in both periods at both centres (mean -3.2% and -4.4%, respectively). There were no consistent changes in triglyceride or high density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: This type of product, which is easy to consume on a daily basis, is a useful adjunct to the dietary management of mild hypercholesterolaemia.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A versatile stereoscopic visual display system for vestibular and oculomotor research.

Testing of the vestibular system requires a vestibular stimulus (motion) and/or a visual stimulus. We have developed a versatile, low cost, stereoscopic visual display system, using "virtual reality" (VR) technology. The display system can produce images for each eye that correspond to targets at any virtual distance relative to the subject, and so require the appropriate ocular vergence. We elicited smooth pursuit, "stare" optokinetic nystagmus (OKN) and after-nystagmus (OKAN), vergence for targets at various distances, and short-term adaptation of the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR), using both conventional methods and the stereoscopic display. Pursuit, OKN, and OKAN were comparable with both methods. When used with a vestibular stimulus, VR induced appropriate adaptive changes of the phase and gain of the angular VOR. In addition, using the VR display system and a human linear acceleration sled, we adapted the phase of the linear VOR. The VR-based stimulus system not only offers an alternative to more cumbersome means of stimulating the visual system in vestibular experiments, it also can produce visual stimuli that would otherwise be impractical or impossible. Our techniques provide images without the latencies encountered in most VR systems. Its inherent versatility allows it to be useful in several different types of experiments, and because it is software driven it can be quickly adapted to provide a new stimulus. These two factors allow VR to provide considerable savings in time and money, as well as flexibility in developing experimental paradigms.

Convergence, Ocular↗