PMID: 

Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2018;27(3):556-563. PMID: 29737802

Abstract Title: 

Cinnamon improves metabolic factors without detectable effects on adiponectin in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Abstract: 

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of cinnamon supplementation on glycemic indices, serum lipids and adiponectin in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: This double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on 84 overweight or obese PCOS patients. Subjects in cinnamon (n=42) and placebo (n=42) groups were given 3 cinnamon capsules (each one contained 500 mg cinnamon) or placebo daily for 8 weeks. Fasting blood samples, anthropometric measurements and dietary intake data were collected at the baseline and at the end of the trial. Data were analyzed by independent t test, paired t test and analysis of covariance.RESULTS: Cinnamon significantly decreased serum fasting blood glucose, insulin, homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance, total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and weight and increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol compared with placebo (all p

read more

PMID: 

Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2018 08 ;22(16):5347-5354. PMID: 30178861

Abstract Title: 

Proliferation effects of cinnamon extract on human HeLa and HL-60 tumor cell lines.

Abstract: 

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the possible anti-cancer properties of cinnamon extract on two human tumor cell lines, HeLa cells and HL-60 cells.MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two human tumor cell lines, HeLa cells and HL-60 cells, were exposed to increased concentrations of an extract prepared from cinnamon. The cell proliferation and cell cycle distribution were evaluated using MTT assay and flow cytometry, respectively. The possible action mechanism was also investigated by Western blot.RESULTS: The results showed that cinnamon extract strongly inhibited tumor cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner and exhibited dramatic increases in the percentage of cells in G2/M in parallel with exposure to increasing concentration of cinnamon extract. The Western blot results showed that cinnamon extract reduced the cyclin A, cyclin B1, ERK2, and p-ERK proteins expression.CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggested that cinnamon extract inhibit the tumor cell survival by both down-regulated their target cell cycle regulation molecules and mitosis regulation molecules.

read more

PMID: 

Reprod Biol Endocrinol. 2018 Oct 19 ;16(1):99. Epub 2018 Oct 19. PMID: 30340496

Abstract Title: 

The effect of cinnamon on polycystic ovary syndrome in a mouse model.

Abstract: 

BACKGROUND: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most prevalent cause of anovulatory infertility and hyperandrogenism. Evidence favors insulin resistance and compensatory hyperinsulinemia as the predominant, perhaps primary, defects in PCOS. The use of insulin-sensitizing drugs has been shown to improve both the reproductive and the metabolic aspects of PCOS. Cinnamon has been found to have insulin sensitizing effect and improve menstrual cyclicity in women with PCOS. The aim of this study was to determine the effect and mechanism of cinnamon on PCOS using a dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) induced PCOS mouse model.METHODS: Prepubertal C57BL/6 mice (age 25 days) were raised to developed into control group, DHEA group and DHEA plus cinnamon group for 20 days. The stages of the estrous cycle were determined based on vaginal cytology; metabolic characteristics were examined by intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test and insulin tolerance test, the serum levels of hormones (testosterone, insulin, LH, FSH, IGF-1, IGFBP-1) were checked using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method, the ovarian morphology was observed by stained with hematoxylin and eosin. IGF-1 and IGFBP-1 expression in ovary were detected by immunohistochemical stain.RESULTS: Cinnamon restores the cyclicity and ovary morphology in PCOS mice model induced by DHEA. There are significant differences of serum level of total testosterone (0.033 ± 0.009 ng/ml), among control group, DHEA and cinnamon group (0.052 ± 0.011 ng/ml), and DHEA group (0.079 ± 0.015 ng/ml); There was an increasing tendency of serum FSH level from DHEA group (5.02 ± 0.31 ng/ml), DHEA and cinnamon group (5.81 ± 0.51 ng/ml), to control group (7.13 ± 0.74 ng/ml); and there was a decreasing trend of serum LH level from DHEA group (3.75 ± 0.57 ng/ml), DHEA and cinnamon group (1.35 ± 0.61 ng/ml), or control group (0.69 ± 0.34 ng/ml); serum insulin level is significantly higher in DHEA treated mice (1.61 ± 0.31 ng/ml) than control group (0.93 ± 0.19 ng/ml), or DHEA and cinnamon effect (1.27 ± 0.23 ng/ml) (p 

read more

PMID: 

J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 2019 Aug ;145(8):1987-1998. Epub 2019 Jun 18. PMID: 31214760

Abstract Title: 

Ginger extract has anti-leukemia and anti-drug resistant effects on malignant cells.

Abstract: 

PURPOSE: Based on the poor prognosis of drug resistance in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and adverse effects of chemotherapy, this study was aimed to evaluate the effect of several herbal extracts on leukemic cells.METHODS: Two subtypes of T- and B-ALL cell lines, followed by ALL primary cells were treated with cinnamon, ginger, and green tea extracts, alone or in combination with methotrexate (MTX). Possible apoptosis was investigated using Annexin-V/PI double staining. Real-time PCR was applied to evaluate the expression levels of related ABC transporters upon combination therapy.RESULTS: The ICs for cinnamon, ginger and green tea extracts on ALL cell lines were 300 μg/ml, 167 μg/ml and 70 μg/ml, respectively. Surprisingly, the methotrexate (MTX)-resistant sub-line showed more sensitivity to ginger. Combined treatment with ginger and MTX showed synergistic effects on CCRF-CEM, Nalm-6 and ALL primary cells. It was shown that ginger does not impair the high expression levels of ABCA2 or ABCA3 transporter genes in the ALL malignant cells, suggesting other molecular pathways involved in its anticancer potential.CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that reveals the antileukemic effect of ginger extract on both, pediatric ALL cell lines and primary cells.

read more

PMID: 

Phytother Res. 2018 Nov ;32(11):2146-2154. Epub 2018 Aug 8. PMID: 30088304

Abstract Title: 

Cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.) is a safe approach for management of lipid parameters: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Abstract: 

We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of cumin supplementation on plasma lipid concentration in adult population. The search included PubMed, Scopus, ISI Web of Science, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane library (up to January 2018) to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effects of cumin supplementation on serum lipid parameters. Mean difference (MD) was pooled using a random-effects model. Meta-analysis of data from six eligible RCTs with 376 participants showed a significant reduction in plasma concentration of total cholesterol (MD [95% CI] -10.90 [-21.39, -0.42] mg/dl, p = 0.042) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (MD [95% CI] -6.94 [-11.53, -2.35] mg/dl, p = 0.003) after supplementation with cumin compared with control treatment, and plasma concentration of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (MD [95% CI] 3.35 [1.58, 5.12] mg/dl, p˂0.001) were found tobe increased. Although our analysis indicated that cumin supplementation cannot change triglyceride (TG) concentration (MD [95% CI] -20.48 [-41.23, -0.26] mg/dl, p = 0.053), but after stratified the RCTs based on the primary level of TG (hypertriglyceridemia versus nonhypertriglyceridemia subjects), there was a significant decrease in nonhypertriglyceridemia subset. This systematic review and meta-analysis suggested the efficacy of cumin supplementation on lipid parameters.

read more

PMID: 

Phytother Res. 2019 Apr ;33(4):1182-1190. Epub 2019 Feb 14. PMID: 30762267

Abstract Title: 

The effect of cumin supplementation on metabolic profiles in patients with metabolic syndrome: A randomized, triple blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

Abstract: 

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of interconnected serious disorders, which is a major health problem whose prevalence is increasing. Oxidative stress and inflammation contribute to the disease pathogenesis and its complications. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of Cuminum cyminum L. (which has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties) essential oil (CuEO) supplementation on inflammatory and antioxidant status in patients with MetS. In this clinical trial, 56 patients with MetS aged 18-60 years received either 75-mg CuEO or placebo soft gel, thrice daily, for 8 weeks. Data on anthropometric parameters, food consumption, tumor necrosis factor alpha, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase, catalase, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and malondialdehyde (MDA) were assessed at the beginning and at the end of the study. Compared with the placebo group, CuEO increased SOD (149.17; 95% CI, [67.93, 230.42]), TAC (0.24; 95% CI, [0.09, 0.38]) and decreased MDA (-0.36; 95% CI, [-0.66, 0.06]), (p 

read more

PMID: 

Nutrition. 2017 Jan ;33:42-51. Epub 2016 Sep 7. PMID: 27908549

Abstract Title: 

Noni leaf and black tea enhance bone regeneration in estrogen-deficient rats.

Abstract: 

OBJECTIVE: Black tea and Nonileaf are among the dietary compounds that can benefit patients with bone resorption disorders. Their bone regeneration effects and their mechanisms were studied in estrogen-deficient rats.METHODS: Noni leaves (three doses) and black tea water extracts were fed to ovariectomized rats for 4 mo, and their effects (analyzed via mechanical measurements, micro-computed tomography scan, and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction mRNA) were compared with Remifemin (a commercial phytoestrogen product from black cohosh).RESULTS: The water extracts (dose-dependently for noni leaves) increased bone regeneration biomarker (runt-related transcription factor 2, bone morphogenetic protein 2, osteoprotegerin, estrogen receptor 1 [ESR1], collagen type I alpha 1A) expressions and reduced the inflammatory biomarkers (interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, nuclear factor [NF]-κB, and receptor activator of NF-κB ligand) mRNA expressions/levels in the rats. The extracts also improved bone physical and mechanical properties. The extracts demonstrated bone regeneration through improving bone size and structure, bone mechanical properties (strength and flexibility), and bone mineralization and density.CONCLUSIONS: The catechin-rich extract favored bone regeneration and suppressed bone resorption. The mechanisms involved enhancing osteoblast generation and survival, inhibiting osteoclast growth and activities, suppressing inflammation, improving bone collagen synthesis and upregulating ESR1 expression to augment phytoestrogenic effects. Estrogen deficiency bone loss and all extracts studied (best effect from Morinda leaf at 300 mg/kg body weight) mitigated the loss, indicating benefits for the aged and menopausal women.

read more

PMID: 

PLoS One. 2017 ;12(6):e0178529. Epub 2017 Jun 5. PMID: 28582450

Abstract Title: 

Spontaneous low frequency BOLD signal variations from resting-state fMRI are decreased in Alzheimer disease.

Abstract: 

Previous studies have demonstrated altered brain activity in Alzheimer's disease using task based functional MRI (fMRI), network based resting-state fMRI, and glucose metabolism from 18F fluorodeoxyglucose-PET (FDG-PET). Our goal was to define a novel indicator of neuronal activity based on a first-order textural feature of the resting state functional MRI (RS-fMRI) signal. Furthermore, we examined the association between this neuronal activity metric and glucose metabolism from 18F FDG-PET. We studied 15 normal elderly controls (NEC) and 15 probable Alzheimer disease (AD) subjects from the AD Neuroimaging Initiative. An independent component analysis was applied to the RS-fMRI, followed by template matching to identify neuronal components (NC). A regional brain activity measurement was constructed based on the variation of the RS-fMRI signal of these NC. The standardized glucose uptake values of several brain regions relative to the cerebellum (SUVR) were measured from partial volume corrected FDG-PET images. Comparing the AD and NEC groups, the mean brain activity metric was significantly lower in the accumbens, while the glucose SUVR was significantly lower in the amygdala and hippocampus. The RS-fMRI brain activity metric was positively correlated with cognitive measures and amyloidβ1-42 cerebral spinal fluid levels; however, these did not remain significant following Bonferroni correction. There was a significant linear correlation between the brain activity metric and the glucose SUVR measurements. This proof of concept study demonstrates that this novel and easy to implement RS-fMRI brain activity metric can differentiate a group of healthy elderly controls from a group of people with AD.

read more

PMID: 

Food Chem. 2019 Aug 1 ;288:306-314. Epub 2019 Mar 6. PMID: 30902298

Abstract Title: 

Bovine whey peptides transit the intestinal barrier to reduce oxidative stress in muscle cells.

Abstract: 

Health benefits are routinely attributed to whey proteins, their hydrolysates and peptides based on in vitro chemical and cellular assays. The objective of this study was to track the fate of whey proteins through the upper gastrointestinal tract, their uptake across the intestinal barrier and then assess the physiological impact to downstream target cells. Simulated gastrointestinal digestion (SGID) released a selection of whey peptides some of which were transported across a Caco-2/HT-29 intestinal barrier, inhibited free radical formation in muscle and liver cells. In addition, SGID ofβ-lactoglobulin resulted in the highest concentration of free amino acids (176 nM) arriving on the basolateral side of the co-culture with notable levels of branched chain and sulphur-containing amino acids. In vitro results indicate that consumption of whey proteins will deliver bioactive peptides to target cells.

read more

PMID: 

Nutrients. 2019 Nov 8 ;11(11). Epub 2019 Nov 8. PMID: 31717463

Abstract Title: 

Plant-Based Diets in the Reduction of Body Fat: Physiological Effects and Biochemical Insights.

Abstract: 

Obesity affects over one-third of Americans and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes. Interventional trials have consistently demonstrated that consumption of plant-based diets reduces body fat in overweight and obese subjects, even when controlling for energy intake. Nonetheless, the mechanisms underlying this effect have not been well-defined. This review discusses six major dietary mechanisms that may lead to reduced body fat. These include (1) reduced caloric density, (2) improved gut microbiota symbiosis, (3) increased insulin sensitivity, (4) reduced trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), (5) activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs), and (6) over-expression of mitochondrial uncoupling proteins. Collectively, these factors improve satiety and increase energy expenditure leading to reduced body weight.

read more