Diet has long been recognized as a strong factor in prostate carcinogenesis, with nutrients participating in either the development or the prevention of cancer. In this review, we concentrate on the role of dietary factors in prostate cancer development. The most significant dietary factors in prostate carcinogenesis are energy, total fat, animal fat, milk, calcium and red meat. However; evidence from case-control, epidemiological and laboratory studies does not support the causative role of any single nutritional component in prostate cancer development, and many questions remain to be further studied about the association of dietary factors with prostate cancer.
Animals ; Diet ; Dietary Fats ; adverse effects ; Humans ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Nude ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Risk Factors

BACKGROUNDResearches in arterial elasticity have increased over the past few years. We investigated the effects of simvastatin on vascular stiffness in fat fed rabbits by ultrasonography.

METHODSThirty rabbits were assigned randomly to 3 groups: normal control group (A), the cholesterol group (B), simvastatin group (C: high fat diet for 4 weeks and high fat diet + simvastatin for further 4 weeks). Stiffness coefficient, pressure strain elastic modulus and velocity of pulse waves in abdominal aorta and femoral artery were measured by ultrasonographic echo tracking at the end of the 4th and the 8th weeks.

RESULTSAt the end of the 4th week, stiffness coefficient, pressure strain elastic modulus and pulse wave velocity of femoral artery were significantly increased in group B compared with those in group A. Similarly, at the end of the 8th week, the same parameters of abdominal aorta were significantly increased in group B compared with those in group A. In contrast, stiffness coefficient, pressure strain elastic modulus and pulse wave velocity of femoral artery were significantly decreased in group C compared with those in group B, however, there was no significant difference in parameters of abdominal aorta between groups B and C.

CONCLUSIONShort term administration of simvastatin can improve the elasticity of femoral artery but not abdominal aorta.

Animals ; Anticholesteremic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Aorta, Abdominal ; drug effects ; Blood Flow Velocity ; drug effects ; Dietary Fats ; adverse effects ; Femoral Artery ; drug effects ; Rabbits ; Random Allocation ; Simvastatin ; therapeutic use

Animals ; Body Weight ; drug effects ; Dietary Fats ; adverse effects ; Female ; Insulin Resistance ; Isoflavones ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Ovariectomy ; Plant Extracts ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Soybeans ; chemistry

This study explored how bitter melon powder (BMP) alters the colonic microenvironment during the development of obesity-associated fatty liver in rats. We observed that BMP effectively inhibited the body weight gain and lipid accumulation in the liver, ameliorated glucose intolerance, and increased the colon weight after an 8-week treatment compared to that in the high-fat diet (HFD) group. BMP significantly decreased fecal water toxicity towards HT-29 cells, as revealed by the cell counting kit (CCK)-8 assay results, and the mRNA expression of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in colon mucosa. Additionally, gut permeability in the BMP group was restored to normal levels. Finally, BMP alleviated the inflammatory state of the rat colon mucosa and liver tissues as well as the systemic inflammation.
Animals ; Colon ; drug effects ; Dietary Fats ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; Fatty Liver ; etiology ; prevention & control ; Feces ; chemistry ; HT29 Cells ; Humans ; Momordica charantia ; Obesity ; complications ; Powders ; Rats

OBJECTIVEBased on high fat diet induced the model of atherosclerosis (AS) in C57BL/6J mice, authors studied the effect of endurance exercise on the atherosclerostic formation.

METHODSForty eight 8-week-old C57BL/6J mice were divided into four groups randomly (n=12): control (group N), 12-week atherosclerosis model group(group H), 12-week atherosclerosis model plus 11-week treadmill training group (group H + E) and 22-week atherosclerosis model group (group HS). Then, we observed the effects of endurance exercise on the ultra structure of aorta by electron microscope.

RESULTSTwenty weeks of high fat diet could result in serious AS in mice while endurance exercise could significantly antagonize or restrain the occur of AS. In addition, 10 weeks of endurance exercise could alleviate the symptom of pathological changes which already happened on aorta wall.

CONCLUSIONIt indicated that endurance exercise could effectively prevent and cure AS that induced by high fat diet.

Animals ; Aorta ; ultrastructure ; Atherosclerosis ; etiology ; prevention & control ; Diet, High-Fat ; adverse effects ; Dietary Fats ; administration & dosage ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Physical Conditioning, Animal ; physiology ; Physical Endurance ; physiology

Animals ; Dietary Fats ; adverse effects ; Fatty Liver ; pathology ; prevention & control ; Hypoglycemic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Thiazolidinediones ; therapeutic use

OBJECTIVETo study the effects of early high fat diet on sugar metaboliam, insulin sensibility and pancreatic β cellularity in young rats.

METHODSSixty male weaned young rats were randomly fed with high fat diet (high fat group) and normal diet (control group). The body weight, viscus fattiness and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) were measured after 3, 6 and 9 weeks. Serum insulin level was measured with radioimmunoassay. The ultrastructure of pancreas was observed under an electricmicroscope.

RESULTSThe high fat group had significantly higher body weight and visceral fat weight than the control group after 3 weeks. There were no significant differences in the FPG level between the two groups at all time points. The levels of fasting insulin and HOMAIR in the high fat group were significantly higher than those in the control group after 3, 6 and 9 weeks (P<0.01). Dilation of rough endoplasmic reticulum and mild swelling of mitochondria of islet β-cells were observed in the high fat group after 6 weeks.

CONCLUSIONSEarly high fat diet may induce a reduction in insulin sensitivity and produce insulin resistance in young rats. Endoplasmic reticulum expansion in β-cells may be an early sign of β-cell damage due to obesity.

Animals ; Blood Glucose ; analysis ; Dietary Fats ; adverse effects ; Insulin ; Insulin Resistance ; Insulin-Secreting Cells ; pathology ; ultrastructure ; Intra-Abdominal Fat ; pathology ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVETo observe the effects of Tongxinluo Supermicro Powder on the nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB), inter-cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) expression in aorta of rabbits fed with high-lipid diet.

METHODSHealthy male New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into 4 groups (n = 8 each): control group, model group, atorvastatin group (3 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1) per gavage), and Tongxinluo group (0.31 g x kg(-1) x d(-1) per gavage). At the end of 6 weeks, the expression of NF-kappaB, ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 were observed by immunochemistry methods, Western blotting and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

RESULTThe nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB in aortic endothelial cells and the gene expressions of NF-kappaB, ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 at protein and mRNA levels of the model group was significantly increased compared that in the control group (all P < 0.05), these effects could be significantly attenuated by atorvastatin and Tongxinluo Supermicro Powder (P < 0.01 vs. model group).

CONCLUSIONSSimilar as atorvastatin, Tongxinluo Supermicro Powder could relieve the process of atherosclerosis by decreasing the nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB and reducing the expression of ICAM-1, VCAM-1 in this model.

Animal Feed ; Animals ; Aorta ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Dietary Fats ; adverse effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 ; metabolism ; Male ; NF-kappa B ; metabolism ; Rabbits ; Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 ; metabolism

It has been recognized that ginseng has anti-diabetic effects in skeletal muscle, but the mechanism has not been intensively investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Korean red ginseng (Panax ginseng) supplementation on muscle glucose uptake in high-fat fed rats. Sixteen rats were randomly divided into two groups: a control group (CON, n = 8) and a Korean red ginseng group (KRG, n = 8). The KRG group ingested RG extract (1 g·kg(-1), 6 days/week) mixed in water for two weeks. After the two-week treatment, plasma lipid profiles, and glucose and insulin concentrations were measured. The triglyceride (TG) and glucose transporter 4 (GLUT-4) contents were measured in the skeletal muscle and liver. The rate of glucose transport was determined under a submaximal insulin concentration during muscle incubation. Plasma FFA concentrations were significantly decreased in KRG (P < 0.05). Liver and muscle triglyceride concentrations were also decreased in the KRG treatment group (P < 0.05) compared to the CON group. In addition, resting plasma insulin and glucose levels were significantly lower after Korean red ginseng treatment (P < 0.05). However, muscle glucose uptake was not affected by Korean red ginseng treatment, as evidenced by the rate of glucose transport in the epitorchealis muscle under submaximal insulin concentrations. These results suggest that while KRG supplementation could improve whole body insulin resistance and plasma lipid profiles, it is unlikely to have an effect on the insulin resistance of skeletal muscle, which is the major tissue responsible for plasma glucose handling.
Animals ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Diet, High-Fat ; adverse effects ; Dietary Fats ; adverse effects ; Dietary Supplements ; analysis ; Glucose ; metabolism ; Glucose Transporter Type 4 ; metabolism ; Humans ; Hypoglycemic Agents ; administration & dosage ; Male ; Muscle, Skeletal ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Panax ; chemistry ; Phytotherapy ; Plant Extracts ; administration & dosage ; Rats ; Triglycerides ; metabolism

PURPOSE: Obesity has been suggested to be linked to asthma. However, it is not yet known whether obesity directly leads to airway hyperreactivity (AHR) or obesity-induced airway inflammation associated with asthma. We investigated obesity-related changes in adipokines, AHR, and lung inflammation in a murine model of asthma and obesity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We developed mouse models of chronic asthma via ovalbumin (OVA)-challenge and of obesity by feeding a high-fat diet, and then performed the methacholine bronchial provocation test, and real-time PCR for leptin, leptin receptor, adiponectin, adiponectin receptor (adipor1 and 2), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), transforming growth factor (TGF) beta, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha in lung tissue. We also measured cell counts in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. RESULTS: Both obese and lean mice chronically exposed to OVA developed eosinophilic lung inflammation and AHR to methacholine. However, obese mice without OVA challenge did not develop AHR or eosinophilic inflammation in lung tissue. In obese mice, lung mRNA expressions of leptin, leptin receptor, VEGF, TGF, and TNF were enhanced, and adipor1 and 2 expressions were decreased compared to mice in the control group. On the other hand, there were no differences between obese mice with or without OVA challenge. CONCLUSION: Diet-induced mild obesity may not augment AHR or eosinophilic lung inflammation in asthma.
Animals ; Asthma/physiopathology ; Bronchial Hyperreactivity/*physiopathology ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid/chemistry ; Dietary Fats/adverse effects ; Mice ; Obesity/*etiology/*physiopathology ; Pneumonia/*physiopathology ; Transforming Growth Factors/metabolism ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/metabolism