Fatty acid-binding proteins: functional understanding and diagnostic implications Purpose of review Fatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs) are a family of small, abundant proteins with highly tissue-specific expression patterns whose different functions remain incompletely understood. The purpose of this review is to summarize recent findings regarding FABP functions and mechanisms of action, including their potential utilization as serum markers of tissue-specific metabolic diseases. Recent findings FABPs are important not only in their tissues of origin but also appear to influence the metabolism and function of tissues distal to their sites of expression. This may be secondary to metabolic changes in their primary tissues, and/or a result of FABP secretion from these tissues leading to effects on distal sites. Their levels in the circulation are increasingly explored as potential biomarkers for tissue-specific disease prognosis and progression. Summary The nine fatty acid-binding members of the FABP family have unique tissue-specific functions and important secondary effects on tissues in which they are not expressed. For many of the FABPs, circulating levels may be indicative of disease processes related to their primary tissues, and may influence physiological function in distal tissues.

Breastfeeding and postpartum weight loss Purpose of review Postpartum weight retainment is common in women, increasing the long-term likelihood of overweight and/or obesity. On the other hand, breastfeeding entails a high energy cost that contributes to the total energy expenditure of the mother, increasing the chances of a negative energy equilibrium that could potentially lead to weight loss. This review explores this association as depicted in the latest literature available. Recent findings Several studies reported a positive association between breastfeeding and postpartum weight loss while others reported no significant association. Several potential mechanisms, metabolic pathways and determinants have been described. Summary Even though several studies support the potentially beneficial role of breastfeeding in postpartum weight loss, more studies with robust designs are needed to reach a reliable conclusion. Healthcare providers should encourage breastfeeding, not only for its health benefits for both the mother and the offspring but also for its potential role in weight loss.

Lessons learned from recent clinical trials of ketogenic diet therapies in adults Purpose of review Although ketogenic diet therapies (KDTs) were first developed as a treatment for patients with epilepsy, their potential efficacy for a broader number of neurologic and nonneurologic disorders and conditions has been explored over the last 10–20 years. The most recent clinical trials of KDTs in adults have highlighted common methodological aspects that can either facilitate or thwart appropriate risk/benefit analyses, comparisons across studies, and reproducibility of findings in future studies. Recent findings Recent evidence suggests that KDTs not only improve seizure control, but also improve other neurologic conditions, including nonmotor Parkinson's disease symptoms. Therapies targeting nutritional ketosis without comprehensive diet modification improve cognition and cerebral blood flow in Alzheimer's disease patients. KDTs lower hemoglobin A1c levels and diabetes medication use in patients with Type 2 diabetes and mixed results have been observed when used for performance enhancement in athletes and healthy volunteers. Summary Clinical studies of KDTs show promise for a variety of clinical indications. Future studies should factor in high potential participant attrition rates and utilize consistent and standard reporting of diet type(s), compliance measures, and side-effects to enable the reproducibility and generalizability of study outcomes.

Editorial: Nutrient supplementation during lifespan: how to innovate? No abstract available

Dealing with saturated and unsaturated fatty acid metabolism for anticancer therapy Purpose of review Although saturated fatty acid (FA) (SFA) and monounsaturated FA (MUFA) are synthesized in cancer cells from acetyl-CoA, polyunsaturated FAs (PUFAs) are necessarily obtained from diet. Depending on concentrations and metabolism, these different FAs may support tumor proliferation but also exert growth inhibitory effects. The mutual interplay between them also requires to integrate the FA oxidation component that may be concomitant with FA synthesis is cancer cells. Recent findings New molecular mechanisms driving FA synthesis, lipotoxicity and anti-inflammatory activity of eicosanoids in mouse and human cancers were recently elicited. To block or take advantage of the above represent attractive perspectives of treatments to fight cancer progression. Summary The various enzymatic reactions leading to SFA synthesis represent as many targets to prevent tumor growth. Ironically excess SFAs are per-se toxic for cancer cells and the introduction of a double bound to form MUFA is actually limiting lipotoxicity in cancer cells. Blocking stearoyl-CoA desaturase therefore represents another attractive modality. By contrast, dietary PUFAs may exert direct cytotoxic effects by promoting apoptosis or by generating anti-inflammatory eicosanoids. Altogether, these data point out the intricate relationship between SFA, MUFA and PUFA at the heart of the metabolism of proliferating cancer cells.

Infant growth, neurodevelopment and gut microbiota during infancy: which nutrients are crucial? Purpose of review To update the role of specific nutrients during infant development. Recent findings Several bioactive nutrients such as long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs), iron, vitamins, proteins, or carbohydrates have been identified to exert an important role during the first 1000 days of life on infant growth, neurodevelopment, and gut microbiota establishment and maturation. LC-PUFAs are structural constituents of the central nervous system (CNS), being essential in retinal development or hippocampal plasticity. Recently, components of the milk fat globule membrane (MFG) are being added to infant formulas because of their key role in infant's development. A high intake of proteins induces a faster weight gain during infancy which correlates with later obesity. Digestible carbohydrates provide glucose, crucial for an adequate functioning of CNS; nondigestible carbohydrates [e.g. human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs)] are the main carbon source for gut bacteria. Iron-deficiency anemia during infancy has been associated with alterations of mental and psychomotor development. Folate metabolism, closely related to vitamins B6 and B12, controls epigenetic changes, whereas inadequate status of vitamin D affects bone development, but may also increase intestinal permeability and alter gut microbiota composition. Summary LC-PUFAs, proteins, carbohydrates, iron, and vitamins during early life are critical for infant's growth, neurodevelopment, and the establishment and functioning of gut microbiota.

A place for vitamin supplementation and functional food in bariatric surgery? Purpose of review This article summarizes recent literature concerning vitamin deficiency and required supplementation post-bariatric surgery, focusing on vitamin D (and associated clinical adverse effect on bone loss) and on the potential implication of the gut microbiota. Recent findings Bariatric surgery induces weight loss and metabolic improvements yet with major inter-individual variability. If it is efficient in most patients, some display poor response (i.e. patients with the lowest weight loss at 1 year or weight regain afterwards, or patients without metabolic disease remission). Despite systematic vitamin supplementation, some patients develop vitamin deficiencies leading to poor clinical outcomes, among which vitamin D deficiency associated with observed bone mass loss and fractures. Recent mechanistic studies led to understand better the involved physiopathology. Furthermore, different intervention studies tested on top of bariatric surgery (using vitamin, diet, or nutrients acting as functional food) have evaluated whether nutritional adverse outcomes could be improved. Importantly, gut microbiota involved in food digestion and metabolization and vitamin synthesis is largely perturbed during severe obesity and is partially restored post-surgery, yet again with large interindividual variability. Whether differential gut microbiota modification could be associated with vitamin deficiencies is an open question. Summary Future clinical research studies will need to evaluate whether add-on intervention to bariatric surgery using vitamin, diet, or specific food items could help prevent nutritional deficiencies and improve clinical response observed post-surgery. Importantly, personalizing the add-on intervention post-surgery upon gut microbiota composition should be tested in predicted poor-responders to surgery as already performed during diet intervention to further improve metabolic health.

Vitamin D and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease Purpose of review Vitamin D deficiency may impact disease progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The aim of this work was to review recent studies examining either vitamin D status or the effects of supplementation in patients with NAFLD, along with investigating the roles of genetic polymorphisms and the gut microbiome. Recent findings Six heterogeneous observational studies of vitamin D status, and four randomized controlled intervention trials of vitamin D supplementation in NAFLD were conflicting. All studies were hampered by the challenges of diagnosing NAFLD, were underpowered, and lacked data on clinically important outcomes. The results of three cross-sectional studies, including a Mendelian randomization study, provide limited evidence for a role for genetic modifiers of vitamin D status in NAFLD. Genetic and experimental evidence suggests that vitamin D and the vitamin D receptor (VDR) may influence the gut microbiome in health and disease. Summary The evidence relating either lower vitamin D status to the prevalence and severity of NAFLD, or examining vitamin D supplementation in patients with NAFLD is inconclusive. Larger, higher quality trials with relevant endpoints are needed. Further mechanistic studies on the roles of vitamin D and VDR in influencing the gut–liver axis in NAFLD are warranted.

Curcumin and arterial function in health and disease: impact on oxidative stress and inflammation Purpose of review The purpose of this review is to provide a concise overview of the polyphenol curcumin for improving arterial health, specifically endothelial function and arterial stiffness, to reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and to highlight potential mechanisms of action by which curcumin may improve artery function. Recent findings The primary findings of this review support the notion for curcumin to improve arterial health both with aging and obesity. There are few clinical trials on curcumin, and those that currently exist are small in scale but provide evidence for curcumin to improve endothelial function in older adults and reduce arterial stiffness in young, obese men. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin appear to be important targets of curcumin that are related to improved arterial health. Mechanistic studies have revealed superoxide dismutase, heme oxygenase-1 and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 as emerging targets for the beneficial effects of curcumin on the vasculature. Summary In summary, the efficacy of curcumin for improving arterial function is promising in the limited number of clinical studies performed to date. Still, much investigation is needed to elucidate the effectiveness of curcumin for improving arterial health to lower CVD risk.