Effects of Polygonatum odoratum Polysaccharides on the Quality of White Chili Peppers in Jars

[Objectives]This study was conducted to investigate the effects of Polygonatum odoratum polysaccharides on the quality of white chili peppers in jars.[Methods]White chili peppers were pickled by adding different concentrations of P.odoratum polysaccharides with traditional pickling technology,and its nitrite content,pH and sensory quality were analyzed and detected.[Results]The results showed that,compared with the control group without adding P.odoratum polysaccharides,the nitrite content in white chili peppers in jars decreased after adding P.odoratum polysaccharides.When the addition amount of P.odoratum polysaccharides was 0.002%,the inhibition rate of nitrite reached the maximum.Under the same fermentation time,P.odoratum polysaccharides could significantly reduce the pH value of pickles.When the addition amount of P.odoratum polysaccharide was 0.002%and the pickling time was 3 months,the sensory quality of white chili peppers in jars was the best.At this point,white chili peppers in jars had rich aroma and tasted soft and sour,and the sour and salinity were suitable.As the fermentation time continued to increase,the chili aroma of white chili peppers in jars gradually decreased,and the sour taste became more pronounced.[Conclusions]This study can provide reference for the safety and quality control of white chili peppers in jars.

Assessment of sleep disturbances with the athlete sleep screening questionnaire in Chinese athletes

This study investigated the factors that are associated with sleep disturbances among Chinese athletes.Sleep quality and associated factors were assessed by the Athlete Sleep Screening Questionnaire(ASSQ,n?394,aged 18–32 years,47.6%female).Sleep difficulty score(SDS)and level of sleep problem(none,mild,moderate,or severe)were used to classify participants'sleep quality.Categorical variables were analyzed by Chi-square or fisher's exact tests.An ordinal logistic regression analysis was used to explore factors with poor sleep(SDS8).Approximately 14.2%of participants had moderate to severe sleep problem(SDS8).Fifty-nine percent of the athletes reported sleep disturbance during travel,while 43.3%experienced daytime dysfunction when travelling for competition.No significant difference was found in the SDS category between gender,sports level and events.Athletes with evening chronotype were more likely to report worse sleep than athletes with morning and intermediate chronotype(OR,2.25;95%CI,1.44–3.52;p<0.001).For each additional year of age,there was an increase of odds ratio for poor sleep quality(OR,1.15;95%CI,1.04–1.26;p?0.004),while each additional year of training reduced the odds ratio(OR,0.95;95%CI,0.91–0.99;p?0.044).To improve sleep health in athletes,chronotype,travel-related issues,age and years of training should be taken into consideration.

Effects of exercise and dietary interventions on serum metabolites in men with insomnia symptoms:A 6-month randomized controlled trial

Accumulating evidence show that exercise and diet interventions are associated with improved sleep quality.Studies investigating the effects of exercise and dieting on circulating metabolomics in people with sleep disorders,particularly insomnia,are scarce.This 6-month randomized study aimed to assess the effects of exercise and dietary interventions on serum metabolites in men with insomnia symptoms.Seventy-two Finnish men(age:51.6±10.1 years)with chronic insomnia symptoms who were assigned to different intervention groups completed this study(exercise,n=24;diet,n=27;and control,n=21).The Shapiro-Wilk W-test,Levene test,Spearman correlation analysis,and analysis of variance were used for data analysis.We found that exercise and diet intervention were associated with improved sleep quality and with a number of metabolites across different biochemical pathways.Although we could not show causality,our findings provide new insight into the biological mechanisms underlying the health effects of physical activity,diet,and sleep quality.Further investigation is needed to better understand the link among lifestyle,sleep quality,and metabolic health.