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Biomedical subjects

R J Hermus

Publications and source records attributed to R J Hermus.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

The effects of a high-animal- and a high-vegetable-protein diet on mineral balance and bowel function of young men.

1. Twelve young men were given for periods of 20 d, each of three mixed diets, namely a low-protein (LP) diet (9% total energy as protein, 67% of animal origin), a high-animal-protein (HA) diet (16% total energy as protein, 67% of animal origin) and a high-vegetable-protein (HV) diet (16% total energy as protein, 67% of vegetable origin). Retention of calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc and copper as well as various bowel function indices were investigated during each dietary period. 2. Neither the HA diet nor the HV diet changed the retention of the minerals considerably. Only Fe balance decreased significantly on the HV diet. 3. Substituting the HV diet for the HA diet resulted in significant increases in faecal wet weight (17 g/d), defaecation frequency (0.12 stools/d), faecal volatile fatty acids (2.6 mmol/d) and a decrease in faecal bile acids (128 mumol/d). 4. It is concluded that a HV diet, rather than a HA diet is to be recommended with respect to bowel function, whereas the HV diet does not necessarily have a significant influence on mineral retention.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Dietary intake, nutritional status and well-being of cancer patients: a prospective study.

Changes in dietary intake, nutritional status, body composition and well-being were studied in 108 cancer patients over a period of 20 weeks. The patients, constituting a group of elderly women with uterine cancer, a group of elderly men with urological cancer and a group of male and female patients of various ages with malignant lymphoma, were prospectively followed during and after aggressive treatment given with curative intent. Detailed information on the dietary intake was measured by a dietary history and cross-check method covering the 2 months prior to the onset of therapy and a 48-hr dietary record which was applied seven times during the observation period. The nutritional status was monitored by anthropometric measurements and laboratory assays in blood and urine. The patient's well-being was assessed by the use of standard performance scales by the observers and the application of patient's questionnaires concerning complaints, ability to self-care, mobility and daily activities. The main results are described here, indicating that: (1) most patients studied had a more than adequate diet during the 2 months preceding cancer therapy when compared to the Dutch Recommended Dietary Allowances; (2) the impact on dietary intake and nutritional status was relatively minor and generally transient; and (3) the treatment course was accompanied by distinct changes of well-being associated with, but not necessarily resulting from or leading to, changes of dietary intake.

Aged↗
PubMed1983

Failure of dietary-casein-induced acidosis to explain the hypercholesterolemia of casein-fed rabbits.

The partial replacement of casein by a mixture of gelatin, fish protein and soy protein in cholesterol-free semipurified diets of rabbits reduced the hypercholesterolemic response. The partial replacement of casein by the protein mixture also increased the feed intake and alleviated or reversed the weight loss observed from the casein diet. The data indicate that casein alone is not an ideal protein source for rabbits probably because of the imbalance of the amino acid composition. When KCl in the semipurified diets was replaced by KHCO3, a higher feed intake and a better growth were obtained, irrespective of the protein source in the diet. In addition, the feeding of semipurified diets containing KCl resulted in acidosis, which could be prevented by its replacement with KHCO3. A semipurified diet containing casein and KCl produced a more severe acidosis and higher serum cholesterol levels than the diet containing the protein mixture. Nevertheless, the correction of the acidosis by the replacement of KCl in the diet by KHCO3 did not lead to an abrogation of the casein-induced hypercholesterolemia.

Acidosis↗
PubMed1983

Relationship between the fatty acid composition of the diet and that of the subcutaneous adipose tissue in individual human subjects.

The fatty acid composition of the diet, measured by means of a two-day record, was compared with the fatty acid composition of subcutaneous body fat in 321 free-living adults. In spite of the known imprecision of dietary survey methods, highly significant correlations (r = 0.5) were found between the polyunsaturated fatty acid content or the polyunsaturated-to-saturated fatty acid ratio of the adipose tissue and the corresponding variable in the diet. It was estimated that complete elimination of the noise inherent in the measurement of an individual's fatty acid intake might have resulted in correlation coefficients of the order of 0.8. Analysis of subcutaneous fat biopsies merits consideration as a simple and reproducible measure of the dietary fatty acid composition of free-living individuals.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1981

[Foods of animal origin and public health (author's transl)].

Modern society adopts a highly ambiguous attitude towards foods of animal origin in human nutrition. Animal protein is of great biological value. However, the wealthy part of the world already consumes more than sufficient protein, which renders this value superfluous. On the other hand, a rich diet including a large share of animal products is suspect from the point of view of cardiovascular disease, cancer, osteoporosis and nephrolithiasis. The role of fat, protein, cholesterol, salt, calcium and a number of minor components is discussed. It is concluded that as far as fats are concerned, reduction is indicated. There is a large individual variability in response to salt and cholesterol as well as interactions with other components of the diet. A role of animal protein in affecting calcium metabolism is plausible, though not definitely established. Public health hazards due to contaminants are probably small compared with those caused by the major components.

Cardiovascular Diseases↗
PubMed1981

Effects of casein versus soy protein diets on serum cholesterol and lipoproteins in young healthy volunteers.

The effects of casein and soy protein on serum cholesterol levels and lipoprotein composition were studied in 69 healthy volunteers (18 to 28 yr of age) under strict dietary control. Subjects were fed for 6 wk on diets containing 13% of energy as protein, 38% as fat (P/S ratio = 0.6) and about 380 mg cholesterol per day. Of the protein in the diets 65% consisted of casein or soy protein or a 2:1 mixture of casein and soy protein. After a control period of 10 days during which all the subjects received the casein-soy diet, 20 subjects continued on this diet for the next 4 wk as a base-line control, 25 subjects switched to the casein diet, and the remaining 24 subjects switched to the soy diet. Both food records and chemical analysis of double portions revealed that the diets were completely identical except for the type of protein. Average serum cholesterol levels at the end of the control period were 152 +/- 27 mg/dl (3.93 +/- 0.69 mmol/l) and 153 +/- 23 mg/dl (3.95 +/- 0.60 mmol/l) (mean +/- SD) for the casein and soy group, respectively. At the end of the test period the levels were 149 +/- 24 and 150 +/- 23 mg/dl, respectively; thus there was no significant change on either diet. On the casein diet there was no change in the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration, and only a slight, nonsignificant increase in the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration. On the soy diet, however, there was a significant decline in low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (-6.6 mg/dl; -0.17 mmol/l) and a significant increase in high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (+5.8 mg/dl; +0.15 mmol/l). The decline in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the soy group was significantly different from the small change in the casein group, but the difference in increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the soy and the casein group was only weakly significant. This suggest that soy protein could have a slight beneficial effect on the distribution of cholesterol over the various lipoprotein fractions, even at constant total cholesterol concentration.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

The effect of different fiber sources on the neutral steroid excretions of hypercholesterolemic casein fed rabbits.

Four groups of 14 New Zealand white rabbits were made hypercholesterolemic by feeding them during four months on a casein semi-synthetic diet containing 21% sawdust. Then 10% sawdust was replaced by cellulose, citrus pectin and wheat bran respectively in three groups, while the fourth group continued on the original sawdust containing diet. A control group consisted of four "chow" fed animals. Excretion of faecal neutral steroids (FNS) was determined periodically. Citrus pectin significantly increased the amounts of FNS excreted after five week. FNS levels were not significantly affected by the other fiber sources, but it tended to be higher on cellulose and wheat bran diets than on the sawdust diet.

Animal Feed↗
PubMed1980

Fatty acid composition of cholesteryl esters in serum in boys from 16 developing and developed countries.

The fatty acid composition of the cholesteryl esters in serum was measured in 7- and 8-year-old boys in groups from 16 countries. The ratio of esterified cholesterol: total cholesterol was also measured. All sample collections and analyses were carried out under standardized conditions. The proportion of palmitic acid in the cholesteryl esters was high in the groups from Asia and Africa (0.17-0.26) compared with that in the groups from the U.S.A. and Europe (0.14-0.18). The proportion of linoleic acid in the cholesteryl esters was low in the groups from Asia and Africa (0.39-0.48) and high in the groups from the U.S.A. and Europe (0.45-0.58). The proportion of oleic acid, arachidonic acid, palmitoleic acid and stearic acid showed little variation between the groups. The proportion of linoleic acid in the cholesteryl esters was positively correlated with the concentration of total cholesterol (r = 0.75, n = 26, P < 0.005).

Arachidonic Acids↗
PubMed1980

Serum total and high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol concentrations in rural and urban boys from 16 countries.

Serum total and HDL cholesterol concentrations were measured in schoolboy populations from 16 countries. Total and HDL cholesterol concentrations were determined in one laboratory to reduce methodological variability as much as possible. A standardized protocol was used for the drawing of blood, preparation, storage and transport of serum. Mean serum total cholesterol concentrations were relatively low in the less developed countries and relatively high in the more developed ones. Mean serum HDL cholesterol concentrations showed a distribution similar to that of mean total cholesterol: relatively low levels in the less developed countries and relatively high levels in the more developed ones. Statistically significant relationships were found between serum total and HDL cholesterol between individuals, between populations and within populations. The relationship between HDL cholesterol concentrations and diet is discussed.

Africa↗
PubMed1980

A mathematical relationship between the fatty acid composition of the diet and that of the adipose tissue in man.

Based on literature data, the hypothesis is advanced that in human subjects a direct mathematical relationship exists between the average fatty acid composition of the habitual diet and that of the lipid stores of subcutaneous adipose tissue. Since the half-life of adipose tissue fatty acids in man is in the order of 600 days, the fatty acid pattern of depot fat provides a qualitative measure of the fat intake over a period of 2 to 3 years. It is concluded that in long-term experimental and epidemiological nutritional surveys the adipose tissue fatty acid pattern of the subjects is a useful index of the average composition of their habitual dietary fat.

Adipose Tissue↗