Pasture-finishing of bison improves animal metabolic health and potential health-promoting compounds in meat

Background With rising concerns regarding the effects of red meat on human and environmental health,a growing number of livestock producers are exploring ways to improve production systems.A promising avenue includes agro-ecological practices such as rotational grazing of locally adapted ruminants.Additionally,growing consumer interest in pasture-finished meat(i.e.,grass-fed)has raised questions about its nutritional composition.Thus,the goal of this study was to determine the impact of two common finishing systems in North American bison—pasture-finished or pen-finished on concentrates for 146 d—on metabolomic,lipidomic,and fatty acid profiles of striploins(M.longissimus lumborum).Results Six hundred and seventy-one(671)out of 1570 profiled compounds(43%)differed between pasture-and penfinished conditions(n=20 animals per group)(all,P<0.05).Relative to pasture-finished animals,the muscle of pen-finished animals displayed elevated glucose metabolites(~1.6-fold),triglycerides(~2-fold),markers of oxidative stress(~1.5-fold),and proteolysis(~1.2-fold).In contrast,pasture-finished animals displayed improved mitochondrial(~1.3-fold higher levels of various Krebs cycle metabolites)and carnitine metabolism(~3-fold higher levels of long-chain acyl carnitines)(all P<0.05).Pasture-finishing also concentrated higher levels of phenolics(~2.3-fold),alpha-tocopherol(~5.8-fold),carotene(~2.0-fold),and very long-chain fatty acids(~1.3-fold)in their meat,while having lower levels of a common advanced lipoxidation(4-hydroxy-nonenal-glutathione;~2-fold)and glycation end-product(N6-carboxymethyllysine;~1.7-fold)(all P<0.05).In contrast,vitamins B5,B6,and C,gamma/beta-tocopherol,and three phenolics commonly found in alfalfa were~2.5-fold higher in pen-finished animals(all P<0.05);suggesting some concentrate feeding,or grazing plants rich in those compounds,may be beneficial.Conclusions Pasture-finishing(i.e.,grass-fed)broadly improves bison metabolic health and accumulates additional potential health-promoting compounds in their meat compared to concentrate finishing in confinement(i.e.,pen-finished).Our data,however,does not indicate that meat from pen-finished bison is therefore unhealthy.The studied bison meat—irrespective of finishing practice—contained favorable omega 6:3 ratios(<3.2),and amino acid and vitamin profiles.Our study represents one of the deepest meat profiling studies to date(>1500 unique compounds),having revealed previously unrecognized differences in animal metabolic health and nutritional composition because of finishing mode.Whether observed nutritional differences have an appreciable effect on human health remains to be determined.

Systems biology of resilience and optimal health:integrating Chinese and Western medicine perspectives

Western science has been strong in measuring details of biological systems such as gene expression levels and metabolite concentrations, and has generally followed a bottom up approach with regard to explaining biological phenomena. Chinese medicine in contrast has evolved as a top down approach in which body and mind is seen as a whole, a phenomenological approach based on the organization and dynamics of symptom patterns. Western and Chinese perspectives are developing towards a ‘middle out' approach. Chinese medicine diagnosis, we will argue, allows bridging the gap between biologists and psychologists and offers new opportunities for the development of health monitoring tools and health promotion strategies.In this paper, health, resilience and stress concepts are explored from an integrated systems biology perspective. This is followed by a discussion about measuring aspects of health and resilience. Then the issue of how to integrate different types of data is discussed. Semi-quantitative modeling appears to be very suitable and looks promising for building integrated health models. The challenge for the future lies in applying those models in developing personalized health monitoring and advice systems that will tempt people to lead more healthy lives.

Systems response profiles to two Rehmanniae Radix formulae in metabolic syndrome patients

Objective: To explore the effects of two Rehmanniae Radix formulae in patients with metabolic syndrome(Met S), a randomized controlled study was conducted.Methods: Met S patients were randomly assigned to receive either a classic Rehmanniae Six Formula(R6, or ‘Liu Wei Di Huang Wan') or a novel multi-herbal Rehmanniae Radix containing formula SUB889 for 8 weeks. Western medicine related clinical parameters, Chinese medicine defined symptoms and syndromes as well as metabolomic profiles were evaluated at different time points.Results: R6(n = 20) and SUB889(n = 20) showed similar effects on Met S regarding the improvement of clinical parameters(waist circumference, body mass index, LDL-cholesterol, systolic blood pressure) and Qi/Yin deficiency(p < 0.05). Decreased levels of cholesteryl esters, phosphatidylcholines, triglycerides and sphingomyelins were found in the R6 group, while SUB889 formula resulted in increased levels of tricarboxylic acid cycle and glucose metabolism intermediates(malate, fumarate and pyruvate).Conclusions: R6 and SUB889 have similar effects on the treatment of Met S by improving Chinese medicine and Western medicine defined clinical outcomes. R6 is more effective in improving lipid profiles compared to SUB889. The exact mechanisms of the two formulae on Met S remain to be elucidated.