Effects of Dietary Carbohydrate-to-Lipid Ratio on the Growth Performance and Feed Utilization of Juvenile Turbot(Scophthalmus maximus)

A 9-week feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary carbohydrate to lipid ratio(CHO:LIP) on the growth performance and feed utilization of juvenile turbot Scophthalmus maximus(initial body weight 8.75 g ± 0.04 g). Four isonitrogenous and isoenergetic low protein level(39%) diets were formulated with increasing ratios of dietary carbohydrate to lipid(2:18, 6:18, 18:12 and 28:6). A high protein level(50%) diet with the 2:12 ratio of carbohydrate to lipid was used as the control. Results showed that the survival rate, contents of moisture, crude protein and ash in muscle were not significantly affected by dietary treatments. With the dietary CHO:LIP ratio increased from 2:18 to 18:12, weight gain rate significantly increased(P < 0.05). Higher dietary CHO:LIP ratio(28:6) resulted in the significantly decreased weight gain rate(P < 0.05). Meanwhile, this treatment also resulted in the highest daily feed intake and liver glycogen content, as well as the lowest feed efficiency(P < 0.05). Muscle glycogen content in fish fed the diet with 2:12 or 2:18 CHO:LIP ratio was significantly lower than those fed with the other three diets(P < 0.05). The present results confirmed that the juvenile turbot can utilize carbohydrate. Furthermore, the appropriate ratio of dietary carbohydrate to lipid was important to the growth and feed utilization of turbot. The proper CHO:LIP ratio based on the growth performance in the present study was determined to be 18:12 when the dietary protein level was 39%.

Dietary approach in the treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) has been identified as one of the most prevalent chronic liver disease in adults and children populations. NAFLD is usually associated with the metabolic syndrome(MS), which is chiefly related to insulin resistance and its consequences. Insulin resistance has a crucial role in the pathogenesis of hepatic steatosis and potentially nonalcoholic steatohepatitis(NASH). Because of the contemporary epidemics of MS and obesity, the burden of NAFLD is also expected to rise. Unhealthy diets, such as the so-called western diet, are enriched in fructose, trans-fatty acids and saturated fat and seem to be associated with the development of NAFLD. In human studies, certain dietary sugars, particularly fructose, are used as a substrate for lipogenesis leading to hepatic fatty infiltration, inflammation, and possibly fibrosis. Other investigations have shown that fat consumption especially cholesterol and trans/saturated fatty acids are also steatogenic and seem to increase visceral adiposity. The identification of specific dietary components that favor the development of NASH could be important for the management of this disorder. This review focuses on the effects of different dietary approaches to prevent and treat NAFLD emphasizing the macronutrients and energy composition.

Food for Thought: Have We Been Giving the Wrong Dietary Advice?

Background: Since 1984 UK citizens have been advised to reduce total dietary fat intake to 30% of total energy and saturated fat intake to 10%. The National Institute of Clinical Excellence [NICE] suggests a further benefit for Coronary Heart Disease [CHD] prevention by reducing saturated fat [SFA] intake to 6% - 7% of total energy and that 30,000 lives could be saved by replacing SFAs with Polyunsaturated fats [PUFAs]. Methods: 20 volumes of the Seven Countries Study, the seminal work behind the 1984 nutritional guidelines, were assessed. The evidence upon which the NICE guidance was based was reviewed. Nutritional facts about fat and the UK intake of fat are presented and the impact of macronutrient confusion on public health dietary advice is discussed. Findings: The Seven Countries study classified processed foods, primarily carbohydrates, as saturated fats. The UK government and NICE do the same, listing biscuits, cakes, pastries and savoury snacks as saturated fats. Processed foods should be the target of public health advice but not natural fats, in which the UK diet is deficient. With reference to the macro and micro nutrient composition of meat, fish, eggs, and dairy foods the article demonstrates that dietary trials cannot change one type of fat for another in a controlled study. Interpretation: The evidence suggests that processed food is strongly associated with the increase in obesity, diabetes, CHD, and other modern illness in our society. The macro and micro nutrients found in meat, fish, eggs and dairy products, are vital for human health and consumption of these nutritious foods should be encouraged.

Milling of wheat, maize and rice: Effects on fibre and lipid content and health

During the last thirty years the main interest in the medical consequences of milling of staple carbohydrate foods, particularly wheat and maize, has been in its effect on the fibre content as a result of the milling. The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in the West saw great changes in milling processes, from stone milling using water or wind power, to increasingly sophisticated roller milling, with an