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Sedentary/inactive lifestyle leads middle-aged and older adults to metabolic syndrome and frailty. Capsinoids from nonpungent chili pepper cultivar have been reported to reduce body fat mass, promote metabolism, and improve unidentified complaints of chills. Additionally, they have an anti-inflammation effect; therefore, we hypothesized that continuous oral ingestion of capsinoids alleviates age-related inflammation in the brain and improves the physical activity (PA) in middle-aged and older adults. In our double-blind human study, 69 participants (17 male, 52 female; mean age: 74.1 ± 7.7 years; range: 52–87 years) were administered either 9 mg of capsinoids which were extracted from pepper fruit variety CH-19 Sweet (Capsicum anuum L.) (CP group), or a placebo (PL group) daily over a 3 month period. In an animal study, PA and inflammation-related mRNA expression in the brain were examined in 5-week (young) and 53-week (old) aged mice fed a diet with or without 0.3% dihydrocapsiate, a type of capsinoids, for 12 weeks. In a human study, capsinoids intake did not increase the amount of light-to-moderate PA less than 6.0 metabolic equivalents (METs) (CP: 103.0 ± 28.2 at baseline to 108.2 ± 28.3 at 12 weeks; PL: 104.6 ± 19.8 at baseline to 115.2 ± 23.6 at 12 weeks, METs × hour/week); however, in participants exhibiting an inactive lifestyle, it showed significant increase (CP: 84.5 ± 17.2 at baseline to 99.2 ± 24.9 at 12 weeks; PL: 99.7 ± 23.3 at baseline to 103.8 ± 21.9 at 12 weeks). The energy expenditure in physical activity also improved in the inactive CP group (CP: 481.2 ± 96.3 at baseline to 562.5 ± 145.5 at 12 weeks; PL: 536.8 ± 112.2 at baseline to 598.6 ± 127.6 at 12 weeks; kcal/day). In all participants, CP showed reduced waist circumference, percent body fat, and visceral fat volume; in addition, chills were eased in subjects aged 80 years and older. The older mice fed capsinoids showed increased locomotion activity, decreased inflammation, and oxidative stress in the brain. The results suggest that the continuous oral ingestion of capsinoids gains PA through anti-inflammation effect in the brain as well as reduces fat accumulation and chills in inactive and older humans.

Effect of dietary supplementation of two types of rice bran fraction on blood pressure (BP), lipid profile, and glucose metabolism in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats was studied. Male 4-week-old rats were divided into one group fed the AIN-93M-based control (C) diet and two groups fed diet supplemented with 60 g/kg of Driselase and ethanol fractions (DF and EF, respectively) of rice bran. After 8 weeks feeding, the BP decreased in the DF and EF groups in comparison with the C group (p < 0.01). Plasma ACE inhibitory activity, BUN, BUN/creatinine ratio, albumin, triglyceride, and glucose levels were lower in the DF and EF groups than in the C group (p < 0.01). Plasma nitric oxide and urinary 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine levels were lower in the DF and EF groups than in the C group (p < 0.01). Rice bran fractions appear to have a beneficial dietary component that improves hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and hyperglycemia.

Central and peripheral pools of biogenic monoamine serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine [5HT]) exert opposite effects on the body weight regulation: increase in brain 5HT activity is expected to decrease body weight, whereas increase in peripheral 5HT activity will increase body weight and adiposity. In a genetic model of rats with constitutionally high- or low-5HT homeostasis (hyperserotonergic/hyposerotonergic rats), we have studied how individual differences in endogenous 5HT tone modulate net energy balance of the organism. The high-5HT and low-5HT sublines of the model were developed by selective breeding toward extreme platelet activities of 5HT transporter, a key molecule determining 5HT bioavailability/activity. In animals from high-5HT and low-5HT sublines, we assessed physiological characteristics associated with body weight homeostasis and expression profile of a large scale of body weight-regulating genes in hypothalamus, a major brain region controlling energy balance. Results showed that under standard chow diet animals from the high-5HT subline, as compared to low-5HT animals, have lifelong increased body weight (by 12%), higher absolute daily food intake (by 9%), and different pattern of fat distribution (larger amount of white adipose tissue and lower amount of brown adipose tissue). A large number of body weight-regulating hypothalamic genes were analyzed for their mRNA expression: 24 genes by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (n = 9-10 rats/subline) including neuropeptides and their receptors, growth factors, transcriptional factors, and receptors for peripheral signals, and a total of 84 genes of various classes by polymerase chain reaction array (pools of six rats/subline). Only few genes showed significant differences in mRNA expression levels between 5HT sublines (e.g. neuropeptide Y receptor, fibroblast growth factor 10), but high-5HT animals displayed a clear trend to upregulation of mRNAs for a number of orexigenic signaling peptides, their receptors, and other molecules with orexigenic activity. Receptors for peripheral signals (leptin, insulin) and molecules in their downstream signaling were not altered, indicating no changes in central insulin/leptin resistance. At the protein level, there were no differences in the content of hypothalamic leptin receptor between 5HT sublines, but significant sex and age effects were observed. Results show that higher constitutive/individual 5HT tone favors higher body weight and adiposity probably due to concurrent upregulation of several hypothalamic orexigenic pathways.

We conducted a retrospective observational study in 170 older, underweight patients after stroke to elucidate whether stored energy was associated with gains in body weight (BW) and skeletal muscle mass (SMM). Energy intake was recorded on admission. The energy requirement was estimated as actual BW (kg) × 30 (kcal/day), and the stored energy was defined as the energy intake minus the energy requirement. Body composition was measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis. The study participants gained an average of 1.0 ± 2.6 kg of BW over a mean hospital stay of 100 ± 42 days with a mean stored energy of 96.2 ± 91.4 kcal per day. They also gained an average of 0.2 ± 1.6 kg of SMM and 0.5 ± 2.3 kg of fat mass (FM). This means about 9600 kcal were needed to gain 1 kg of BW. In addition, a 1 kg increase in body weight resulted in a 23.7% increase in SMM and a 45.8% increase in FM. Multivariate regression analyses showed that the stored energy was significantly associated with gains in BW and SMM. Aggressive nutrition therapy is important for improving nutritional status and function in patients with malnutrition and sarcopenia.

We investigated the subtype of alpha-adrenoceptors participating in central noradrenergic inhibition of gastric motility in urethane-anesthetized rats. Noradrenaline at 10 nmole administered intracisternally (i.c.) significantly decreased gastric motility. Yohimbine at 10 nmole, i.c., but not the same dose of prazosin, abolished this noradrenaline-induced decrease in gastric motility. Clonidine at 10 nmole, i.c., but not phenylephrine at 20 nmole, significantly decreased gastric motility. These results suggest that alpha 2-adrenoceptor-mediated mechanisms in the brain stem are involved in noradrenergic inhibitory regulation of gastric motility.