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Nutrients
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Prevention of Obesity in the Lifecycle: Risks and Determinants
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Prevention of Obesity in the Lifecycle: Risks and Determinants

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutrition and Obesity".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 July 2024 | Viewed by 2347

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Johanna Helena Nel

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Logistics, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Interests: data analysis; nutrition; anthropometry; sociodemography; food
Prof. Dr. Nelia Steyn

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Division Human Nutrition, Department of Human Biology, University of Cape Town, P/Bag X3, Observatory, Cape Town 7925, South Africa
Interests: dietary methodology; non-communicable diseases; type 2 diabetes; obesity and the double burden of malnutrition
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As is well-known, low- and middle-income countries are still grappling with undernutrition in children, while the conditions of overweight and obesity are advancing at a rapid rate in both adult and child populations. As researchers and academics, it is imperative that we develop novel ways of dealing with these situations at a time when climate change has also become a great challenge to food supplies and food security at various population strata. This means that we not only have to identify these anthropometric concerns, but that we also have to develop and test new methods of overcoming malnutrition, including both over- and under-nutrition. This is particularly true when we are faced with the triple burden of malnutrition, namely stunting, underweight and obesity in the population and frequently in the same household. These chronic conditions can only be solved when working together in multidisciplinary teams that include nutritionists, sociologists, anthropologists, psychologists, nurses and public health specialists. Overweight and obesity in the younger age groups need to be tackled if we are to deal with the epidemic on non-communicable diseases sweeping the low- and middle-income countries in adulthood. Priority needs to be given to the first 1000 days of life in order to create optimal conditions for the fetus and infant to withstand any propensity to obesity.

Prof. Dr. Johanna Helena Nel
Prof. Dr. Nelia Steyn
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • overweight
  • obesity
  • non-communicable diseases
  • childhood
  • adolescence
  • first 1000 days of life

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 2215 KiB  
Article
Effects of Wheat Biscuits Enriched with Plant Proteins Incorporated into an Energy-Restricted Dietary Plan on Postprandial Metabolic Responses of Women with Overweight/Obesity
by Maria-Christina Kanata, Amalia E. Yanni, Chrysi Koliaki, Irene Pateras, Ioanna A. Anastasiou, Alexander Kokkinos and Vaios T. Karathanos
Nutrients 2024, 16(8), 1229; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu16081229 - 20 Apr 2024
Viewed by 487
Abstract
This study investigates the effect of daily consumption of wheat biscuits enriched with plant proteins in postprandial metabolic responses of women with overweight/obesity who follow an energy-restricted diet. Thirty apparently healthy women participated in a 12-week randomized controlled trial and were assigned either [...] Read more.
This study investigates the effect of daily consumption of wheat biscuits enriched with plant proteins in postprandial metabolic responses of women with overweight/obesity who follow an energy-restricted diet. Thirty apparently healthy women participated in a 12-week randomized controlled trial and were assigned either to a control (CB) or an intervention (PB) group. Participants consumed daily either a conventional (CB) or an isocaloric wheat biscuit enriched with plant proteins (PB) containing high amounts of amino acids with appetite-regulating properties, i.e., BCAAs and L-arg. At baseline and the end of the intervention, a mixed meal tolerance test was performed. The responses of glucose, insulin, ghrelin, GLP-1, and glicentin were evaluated over 180 min. After 12 weeks, both groups experienced significant decreases in body weight, fat mass, and waist circumference. In the PB group, a trend towards higher weight loss was observed, accompanied by lower carbohydrate, fat, and energy intakes (p < 0.05 compared to baseline and CB group), while decreases in fasting insulin and the HOMA-IR index were also observed (p < 0.05 compared to baseline). In both groups, similar postprandial glucose, ghrelin, and GLP-1 responses were detected, while iAUC for insulin was lower (p < 0.05). Interestingly, the iAUC of glicentin was greater in the PB group (p < 0.05 compared to baseline). Subjective appetite ratings were beneficially affected in both groups (p < 0.05). Consumption of wheat biscuits enriched in plant proteins contributed to greater weight loss, lower energy intake, and insulin resistance and had a positive impact on postprandial glicentin response, a peptide that can potentially predict long-term weight loss and decreased food intake. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prevention of Obesity in the Lifecycle: Risks and Determinants)
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10 pages, 429 KiB  
Article
The Development of Text Messages to Support People at Risk of Diabetes in Low-Resourced Communities: The South African Diabetes Prevention Programme
by Jillian Hill, Mieke Faber, Cindy George, Nasheeta Peer, Tshavhuyo Mulabisano, Sonja Mostert, Eugene Sobngwi and Andre P. Kengne
Nutrients 2023, 15(21), 4692; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu15214692 - 05 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1035
Abstract
Emerging evidence suggests that the addition of text messages to standard healthy lifestyle interventions may improve the outcomes of diabetes prevention programs (DPP). This paper describes the process of developing text messages targeting behavior change in people at risk of developing diabetes in [...] Read more.
Emerging evidence suggests that the addition of text messages to standard healthy lifestyle interventions may improve the outcomes of diabetes prevention programs (DPP). This paper describes the process of developing text messages targeting behavior change in people at risk of developing diabetes in low-resourced communities as part of the South African DPP (SA-DPP). The development comprised multiple steps led by nutrition and physical activity experts. The steps included the following: (1) text message development based on the existing SA-DPP curriculum and its formative research; (2) text message evaluation for readability/understandability in terms of content, language, and quality, with 75 participants from two low-resourced areas in Cape Town; (3) text message refinement by the expert panel; (4) evaluation of the refined text messages by participants from Step 2; and (5) text bank finalization. Based on the readability survey, 37 of the 67 formulated text messages [24 of the 44 encouraged healthy eating, and 13 of the 23 promoted physical activity] were refined. Based on focused discussions with participants, seven more messages were refined to consider alternative terminology. The final text bank includes a total of 67 messages comprising topics related to fruit and vegetable consumption as well as the importance of having variety in the diet (n = 15), limiting fat intake (n = 10), avoiding sugar (n = 11), avoiding salt (n = 5), promoting fiber-rich foods (n = 1), messages promoting physical activity (n = 21), and general check-in messages (n = 4). Most of the text messages were acceptable, understandable, and largely feasible to all participants, with some of the nutrition-related messages being less feasible for participants due to their socioeconomic position. The next step is to assess the text messages in the SA-DPP intervention trial. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prevention of Obesity in the Lifecycle: Risks and Determinants)
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Review

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24 pages, 1552 KiB  
Review
Insights into the Anti-Adipogenic and Anti-Inflammatory Potentialities of Probiotics against Obesity
by A. K. M. Humayun Kober, Sudeb Saha, Mutamed Ayyash, Fu Namai, Keita Nishiyama, Kazutoyo Yoda, Julio Villena and Haruki Kitazawa
Nutrients 2024, 16(9), 1373; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu16091373 (registering DOI) - 30 Apr 2024
Viewed by 371
Abstract
Functional foods with probiotics are safe and effective dietary supplements to improve overweight and obesity. Thus, altering the intestinal microflora may be an effective approach for controlling or preventing obesity. This review aims to summarize the experimental method used to study probiotics and [...] Read more.
Functional foods with probiotics are safe and effective dietary supplements to improve overweight and obesity. Thus, altering the intestinal microflora may be an effective approach for controlling or preventing obesity. This review aims to summarize the experimental method used to study probiotics and obesity, and recent advances in probiotics against obesity. In particular, we focused on studies (in vitro and in vivo) that used probiotics to treat obesity and its associated comorbidities. Several in vitro and in vivo (animal and human clinical) studies conducted with different bacterial species/strains have reported that probiotics promote anti-obesity effects by suppressing the differentiation of pre-adipocytes through immune cell activation, maintaining the Th1/Th2 cytokine balance, altering the intestinal microbiota composition, reducing the lipid profile, and regulating energy metabolism. Most studies on probiotics and obesity have shown that probiotics are responsible for a notable reduction in weight gain and body mass index. It also increases the levels of anti-inflammatory adipokines and decreases those of pro-inflammatory adipokines in the blood, which are responsible for the regulation of glucose and fatty acid breakdown. Furthermore, probiotics effectively increase insulin sensitivity and decrease systemic inflammation. Taken together, the intestinal microbiota profile found in overweight individuals can be modified by probiotic supplementation which can create a promising environment for weight loss along enhancing levels of adiponectin and decreasing leptin, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β on human health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prevention of Obesity in the Lifecycle: Risks and Determinants)
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