Journal articles on the topic 'Carbohydrate-rich drink'

The acute effects of drinks rich in protein (PRO) versus carbohydrate (CHO) on cardiovascular hemodynamics and reactivity are uncertain. A randomized crossover design was used to compare 400-mL isoenergetic (1.1 MJ) drinks containing whey protein (PRO; 44 g) or carbohydrate (CHO; 57 g) versus 400 mL of water in 14 healthy men. The primary and secondary outcomes were changes in cardiac output, blood pressure, systemic vascular resistance (SVR) and digital volume pulse measured prior to and 30 min following consumption at rest, during 12 min of multi-stage bicycle ergometry, and 15 min postexercise. The mean change (95% confidence interval (CI)) in resting cardiac output at 30 min was greater for CHO than for PRO or water: 0.7 (0.4 to 1.0), 0.1 (–0.2 to 0.40), and 0.0 (–0.3 to 0.3) L/min (P < 0.001), respectively; the higher cardiac output following CHO was accompanied by an increase in stroke volume and a lower SVR. The mean increments (95% CI) in cardiac output during exercise were CHO 4.7 (4.4 to 5.0), PRO 4.9 (4.6 to 5.2), and water 4.6 (4.3 to 4.9) L/min with the difference between PRO versus water being significant (P < 0.025). There were no other statistically significant differences. In summary, a CHO-rich drink increased cardiac output and lowered SVR in the resting state compared with a PRO-rich drink or water but the effect size of changes in these variables did not differ during or after exercise between CHO and PRO. Neither protein nor carbohydrate affected blood pressure reactivity to exercise.

Protein-rich supplements are used commonly to increase energy intake in undernourished older people. This study aimed to establish age effects on energy intake, appetite, gastric emptying, blood glucose, and gut hormones in response to protein-rich drinks. In a randomized double-blind, order, 13 older men (age: 75 ± 2 yrs, body mass index (BMI): 26 ± 1 kg/m2) and 13 younger (23 ± 1 yrs, 24 ± 1 kg/m2) men consumed (i) a control drink (~2 kcal) or drinks (450 mL) containing protein/fat/carbohydrate: (ii) 70 g/0 g/0 g (280 kcal/‘P280′), (iii) 14 g/12.4 g/28 g (280 kcal/‘M280′), (iv) 70 g/12.4 g/28 g (504 kcal/‘M504′), on four separate days. Appetite (visual analog scales), gastric emptying (3D ultrasonography), blood glucose, plasma insulin, ghrelin, cholecystokinin (CCK), glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) concentrations (0–180 min), and ad-libitum energy intake (180–210 min) were determined. Older men, compared to younger men, had higher fasting glucose and CCK concentrations and lower fasting GLP-1 concentrations (all p < 0.05). Energy intake by P280 compared to control was less suppressed in older men (increase: 49 ± 42 kcal) than it was in younger men (suppression: 100 ± 54 kcal, p = 0.038). After the caloric drinks, the suppression of hunger and the desire to eat, and the stimulation of fullness was less (p < 0.05), and the stimulation of plasma GLP-1 was higher (p < 0.05) in older men compared to younger men. Gastric emptying, glucose, insulin, ghrelin, and CCK responses were similar between age groups. In conclusion, ageing reduces the responses of caloric drinks on hunger, the desire to eat, fullness, and energy intake, and protein-rich nutrition supplements may be an effective strategy to increase energy intake in undernourished older people.

High levels of osmolalities have been found in manufactured carbohydrate-based functional drinks that occasionally include added protein; however, fruit components rich in bioactive ingredients have been absent. It has proved difficult to obtain recovery drinks based on natural fruit components that deliver calories and nutrients to the body whilst simultaneously ensuring that the body is adequately hydrated after physical exertion; the problem being that it is difficult to ensure the drinks’ stability at low pH levels and maintain an appropriate sensory quality. This study aims to develop drinks based on natural fruit components that contain added electrolytes, carbohydrates, prebiotic fiber and protein; an improved water and electrolyte balance; the calories needed after intense physical exertion; a high content of nutrients; and a favorable sensory quality. Furthermore, the relationships between regressive osmolalities of beverage components are herein investigated. The study materials were raspberry powders (prepared via fluidized-bed jet milling, drying, freeze-drying and spray-drying) as well as citrated sodium, potassium, magnesium salts, isomaltulose, hydrolyzed collagen, whey protein isolate and prebiotic fiber. The drinks’ polyphenols and antioxidant properties were measured spectrophotometrically, whilst vitamin C content was determined using high-pressure liquid chromatography. The sensory qualities of each drink were assessed according to a scaling method. Six test versions of recovery drinks were prepared in which osmolalities ranged from 388 to 607 mOsm/kg water, total polyphenol content was 27–49 mg GAE/100 mL and vitamin C level was 8.1–20.6 mg/100 mL, following compositions defined by the study results. It is thus possible to obtain fruit-based recovery drinks of the recommended osmolality that contain added protein, prebiotics and fiber, as well as defined amounts of electrolytes and carbohydrates. All drinks were found to have a satisfactorily sensory quality. The design of appropriate recovery drink compositions was also greatly helped by investigating the relationships among the regressive osmolalities of beverage components (i.e., electrolytes, carbohydrates, fruit powders and protein).

Insulin resistance develops as a response to virtually all types of surgical stress. There is an increasing body of evidence that suggests that insulin resistance in surgical stress is not beneficial for outcome. A recent large study in intensive-care patients showed that aggressive treatment of insulin resistance using intravenous insulin reduced mortality and morbidity substantially. Similarly, in burn patients, intensive insulin and glucose treatment has been shown to improve N economy and enhance skin-graft healing. In surgical patients insulin resistance has been characterized in some detail, and has been shown to have many similarities with metabolic changes seen in patients with type 2 diabetes. This finding may be important since insulin resistance has been shown to be one independent factor that influences length of stay. When patients about to undergo elective surgery have been treated with glucose intravenously or a carbohydrate-rich drink instead of overnight fasting, insulin resistance was reduced by about half. A small meta-analysis showed that when post-operative insulin resistance was reduced by preoperative carbohydrates, length of hospital stay was shortened. Overnight intravenous glucose at high doses improved post-operative N economy. This type of treatment has also been shown repeatedly to reduce cardiac complications after open-heart surgery. Furthermore, if the carbohydrates are given as a drink pre-operatively, pre-operative thirst, hunger and anxiety are markedly reduced. In summary, preventing or treating insulin resistance in surgical stress influences outcome. Fasting overnight is not an optimal way to prepare patients for elective surgery. Instead, pre-operative carbohydrates have clinical benefits.

AbstractObjectiveFew previous studies in Latin America (LA) have provided data on dietary intake composition with a standardized methodology. The present study aimed to characterize energy intake (EI) and to describe the main food sources of energy in representative samples of the urban population from eight LA countries from the Latin American Study in Nutrition and Health (ELANS).DesignCross-sectional study. Usual dietary intake was assessed with two non-consecutive 24 h dietary recalls.SettingUrban areas from eight countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela), September 2014 to July 2015.SubjectsAdolescents and adults aged 15–65 years. Final sample comprised 9218 individuals, of whom 6648 (72·1 %) were considered plausible reporters.ResultsOverall, mean EI was 8196 kJ/d (1959 kcal/d), with a balanced distribution of macronutrients (54 % carbohydrate, 30 % fat, 16 % protein). Main food sources of energy were grains, pasta and bread (28 %), followed by meat and eggs (19 %), oils and fats (10 %), non-alcoholic homemade beverages (6 %) and ready-to-drink beverages (6 %). More than 25 % of EI was provided from food sources rich in sugar and fat, like sugary drinks, pastries, chips and candies. Meanwhile, only 18 % of EI was from food sources rich in fibre and micronutrients, such as whole grains, roots, fruits, vegetables, beans, fish and nuts. No critical differences were observed by gender or age.ConclusionsPublic health efforts oriented to diminish consumption of refined carbohydrates, meats, oils and sugar and to increase nutrient dense-foods are a priority in the region to drive to a healthier diet.

Both caffeine and beetroot juice have ergogenic effects on endurance cycling performance. We investigated whether there is an additive effect of these supplements on the performance of a cycling time trial (TT) simulating the 2012 London Olympic Games course. Twelve male and 12 female competitive cyclists each completed 4 experimental trials in a double-blind Latin square design. Trials were undertaken with a caffeinated gum (CAFF) (3 mg·kg−1 body mass (BM), 40 min prior to the TT), concentrated beetroot juice supplementation (BJ) (8.4 mmol of nitrate (NO3–), 2 h prior to the TT), caffeine plus beetroot juice (CAFF+BJ), or a control (CONT). Subjects completed the TT (females: 29.35 km; males: 43.83 km) on a laboratory cycle ergometer under conditions of best practice nutrition: following a carbohydrate-rich pre-event meal, with the ingestion of a carbohydrate–electrolyte drink and regular oral carbohydrate contact during the TT. Compared with CONT, power output was significantly enhanced after CAFF+BJ and CAFF (3.0% and 3.9%, respectively, p < 0.01). There was no effect of BJ supplementation when used alone (–0.4%, p = 0.6 compared with CONT) or when combined with caffeine (–0.9%, p = 0.4 compared with CAFF). We conclude that caffeine (3 mg·kg−1 BM) administered in the form of a caffeinated gum increased cycling TT performance lasting ∼50–60 min by ∼3%–4% in both males and females. Beetroot juice supplementation was not ergogenic under the conditions of this study.

In this study, we compared the metabolic properties of the Asian staples rice and noodles, which are typically high in glycaemic index (GI), to two types of spaghetti. It is hypothesised that pasta can be a healthy replacement, particularly amongst the Asian population. Thirty Chinese and Indian subjects (17 men, 13 women; BMI: 18.5–25 kg/m2) participated in this randomised crossover trial. On seven occasions, they consumed a glucose reference drink (3 times), white rice, wheat-based mee pok noodles, semolina spaghetti and wholegrain spaghetti. Blood samples were taken to measure glucose and insulin response over a period of 3 h. The current evaluation showed that semolina spaghetti and wholegrain spaghetti can be classified as low GI products, with a GI of 53 and 54, respectively, significantly lower than wheat based mee pok noodles (74) and rice (80) (p < 0.005). In addition, both spaghettis had a lower insulin response compared to rice (p < 0.05). Furthermore, there was no difference in glucose or insulin response between semolina and wholegrain spaghetti. After controlling for gender, ethnicity, fat and fat free mass (kg), the glucose and insulin results did not change. In conclusion, wheat-based pasta can be helpful to modify the carbohydrate-rich Asian diet. Notably, there was no effect of gender, ethnicity and body composition on the glycaemic and insulinaemic response. We speculate that the starch-protein structure as a result of the spaghetti production process is a major driver of its favourable metabolic properties.

AbstractConsumption of high glycaemic index (GI) and glycaemic response (GR) food such as white rice has been implicated in the development of type 2 diabetes. Previous studies have reported the ability of individual amino acids to reduce GR of carbohydrate-rich foods. Because of the bitter flavour of amino acids, they have rarely been used to reduce GR. We now report the use of a palatable, preformed amino acid mixture in the form of essence of chicken. In all, sixteen healthy male Chinese were served 68 or 136 ml amino acid mixture together with rice, or 15 or 30 min before consumption of white rice. Postprandial blood glucose and plasma insulin concentrations were measured at fasting and every 15 min after consumption of the meal until 60 min after the consumption of the white rice. Subsequent blood samples were taken at 30-min intervals until 210 min. The co-ingestion of 68 ml of amino acid mixture with white rice produced the best results in reducing the peak blood glucose and GR of white rice without increasing the insulinaemic response. It is postulated that amino acid mixtures prime β-cell insulin secretion and peripheral tissue uptake of glucose. The use of ready-to-drink amino acid mixtures may be a useful strategy for lowering the high-GI rice diets consumed in Asia.

A strong and persistent effect of plant-derived foods on the prevention of lifestyle diseases has emerged from observational studies. Several groups of constituents in plants have been identified as potentially health promoting in animal studies, including cholesterol-lowering factors, antioxidants, enzyme inducers, apoptosis inducers etc. In human intervention studies the dose levels achieved tend to be lower than the levels found to be effective in animals and sampling from target organs is often not possible. A controlled dietary human intervention study was performed with forty-three volunteers, providing 600 g fruit and vegetables/d or in the controls a carbohydrate-rich drink to balance energy intake. Surrogate markers of oxidative damage to DNA, protein and lipids, enzymic defence and lipid metabolism were determined in blood and urine. It was found that a high intake of fruit and vegetables tends to increase the stability of lipids towards oxidative damage. Markers of oxidative enzymes indicate a steady increase in glutathione peroxidase (GPX1) activity in erythrocytes during intervention with fruit and vegetables but there is no effect on GPX1 transcription levels in leucocytes. No change occurs in glutathione-conjugating or -reducing enzyme activities in erythrocytes or plasma, and there are no effects on the transcription of genes involved in phase 2 enzyme induction or DNA repair in leucocytes. Fruit and vegetable intake decreases the level of total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol, but does not affect sex hormones. In conclusion, it has been shown that total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol, markers of peripheral lipid oxidation, and erythrocyte GPX1 activity are affected by high intakes of fruit and vegetables. This finding provides support for a protective role of dietary fruit and vegetables against CVD.

Abstract Background: Acromegaly is known to cause insulin resistance through increased gluconeogenesis and reduction in peripheral glucose use; however, hypoglycemia related to acromegaly has not been reported. Clinical Case: A 58-year old man presented for evaluation of several elevated serum IGF1 levels. The patient had reported years of increased body heat but no changes in his hands or feet and no voice deepening. He recently needed 15 dental crowns due to gaps in his teeth. He also had difficult to manage OSA and weight gain. The patient reported neuroglycopenia after a high glycemic meal or drink, although he was never able to objectively measure any low blood glucoses when they occurred; these symptoms improved but did not resolve despite adhering to a low carbohydrate diet. He also had decreased libido and erectile dysfunction. Exam was significant for coarse facial features. Prior testing revealed several elevated IGF1 serum levels, the last one being 227 ng/mL (54-194). One year prior, OGTT resulted in an initial GH level of 0.1 ng/mL with a decrease to &lt;0.1 ng/mL after two hours. Repeat OGTT had an initial GH of 2.98 ng/mL which paradoxically rose to 12 ng/mL. Fasting BG was 90 mg/dL and peaked at 171 mg/dL. Pituitary MRI showed a 5 mm microadenoma, consistent with acromegaly from a GH secreting adenoma. He underwent a TSSC, and his heat intolerance, low libido, and symptom of hypoglycemia resolved completely. Subsequent IGF1 levels and MRI imaging normalized. Postoperatively OGTT showed a peak GH of 0.23 ng/mL with a peak glucose of 134 mg/dL. There was no paradoxical rise in GH. Discussion: Acromegaly is commonly associated with insulin resistance in ~30% of cases; however, there are no reports of associated neuroglycopenia after a carbohydrate-rich meal or OGTT, which in our patient resolved after successful removal of the pituitary microadenoma. His low glucose symptoms could have been a result of reactive hypoglycemia, which is often seen in patients with diabetes or even prediabetes. However this patient had no history of either. He did not have evidence of any tumors causing hypoglycemia and no gastric surgery to suggest a related etiology (e.g, dumping syndrome or nesidioblastosis). Conversely since GH is normally anabolic and stimulates insulin release, the patient’s elevated GH may have caused an abnormal increase in insulin, leading to his hypoglycemia symptoms. Indeed GIP, which stimulates insulin, is thought to be the cause of the paradoxical rise in GH seen in 30% of acromegaly cases. Remarkably, the patient’s hypoglycemia symptoms disappeared after treatment of the acromegaly, which leads us to consider that excess GH was the culprit.

INTRODUCTION Surgical stress in the presence of fasting worsens the catabolic state, causes insulin resistance and may delay recovery. Carbohydrate rich drinks given preoperatively may ameliorate these deleterious effects. A systematic review was undertaken to analyse the effect of preoperative carbohydrate loading on insulin resistance, gastric emptying, gastric acidity, patient wellbeing, immunity and nutrition following surgery. METHODS All studies identified through PubMed until September 2011 were included. References were cross-checked to ensure capture of cited pertinent articles. RESULTS Overall, 17 randomised controlled trials with a total of 1,445 patients who met the inclusion criteria were identified. Preoperative carbohydrate drinks significantly improved insulin resistance and indices of patient comfort following surgery, especially hunger, thirst, malaise, anxiety and nausea. No definite conclusions could be made regarding preservation of muscle mass. Following ingestion of carbohydrate drinks, no adverse events such as apparent or proven aspiration during or after surgery were reported. CONCLUSIONS Administration of oral carbohydrate drinks before surgery is probably safe and may have a positive influence on a wide range of perioperative markers of clinical outcome. Further studies are required to determine its cost effectiveness.

Background: Labor is a physiological process experienced by women through a series of natural processes starting from uterine contractions to be able to give birth to the fetus. Research shows that during normal delivery mothers are still allowed to eat and drink because there is no strong evidence that causes aspiration. Nutrition during labor as an energy source can be obtained from dates (Phoenix Dactilifera). Research shows dates have good nutritional value for carbohydrate-rich bodies and have been shown to influence the progress of labor and increase labor, and reduce postpartum hemorrhage.Objective: to prove whether there is an effect of the administration of date palm juice (Dactilifera Phoenix) to first-time mothers on the duration of labor in the Langsa Baro Health Center.Method: This research is a quasi experiment with a nonequivalent posttest only control group design approach. This research was conducted in the Work Area of the Langsa Baro Health Center from July 11 to September 22 2017 with the place of delivery in the Polindes. The number of samples for each group was 15 people in the intervention group and 15 people in the control group. To avoid drop outs, the number of samples is added by 10% (2 people) so that each group is 17 people. Data analysis Data normality test uses the Shapiro-Wilk test and Parametric Test uses the Independent T-Test for normal distribution data to look for differences in the average of the control group with treatment.Results: The results of the study with the data normality test with the Shapiro-Wilk test showed that the duration of labor in the two groups had a p-value of 0.247 (p> 0.05) meaning that the data were normally distributed. And the Independent T-Test shows the difference in the average duration of labor in the two groups. In the control group the average duration of labor was 12.09 while in the treatment group it was 11.23, showing no significant difference in the mean values in the two groups with p-value = 0.011. This shows that statistically the administration of date palm juice cannot accelerate the duration of labor.Conclusion: There were differences in the average duration of labor in the control and treatment groups. In the control group the average duration of labor was 12.09 hours and the treatment group was 11.23 hours. And the date palm juice did not significantly speed up the duration of labor (p-value = 0.011).

The glycemic index (GI) provides a way to rank foods rich in carbohydrate (CHO) according to the glucose response following their intake. Consumption of low-GI CHO-rich foods may attenuate the insulin-mediated metabolic disturbances associated with CHO intake in the hours prior to exercise, better maintaining CHO availability. However, there is insufficient evidence that athletes who consume a low-GI CHO-rich meal prior to a prolonged event will gain clear performance benefits. The ingestion of CHO during prolonged exercise promotes CHO availability and enhances endurance and performance, and athletes usually choose CHO-rich foods and drinks of moderate to high GI to achieve this goal. Moderate- and high-GI CHO choices appear to enhance glycogen storage after exercise compared with low-GI CHO-rich foods. However, the reason for this is not clear. A number of attributes of CHO-rich foods may be of value to the athlete including the nutritional value of the food or practical issues such as palatability, portability, cost, gastric comfort, or ease of preparation.

AbstractObjective:To describe the average consumption of carbohydrate-providing food groups among study centres of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).Methods:Of the 27 redefined EPIC study centres, 19 contributed subjects of both genders and eight centres female participants only (men,n=13 031; women,n=22924, after exclusion of subjects under 35 and over 74 years of age from the original 36 900 total). Dietary data were obtained using the 24-hour recall methodology using the EPIC-SOFT software. The major sources of dietary carbohydrate were identified, and 16 food groups were examined.Results:The 10 food groups contributing most carbohydrate were bread; fruit; milk and milk products; sweet buns, cakes and pies; potato; sugar and jam; pasta and rice; vegetables and legumes; crispbread; and fruit and vegetable juices. Consumption of fruits as well as vegetables and legumes was higher in southern compared with northern centres, while soft drinks consumption was higher in the north. Italian centres had high pasta and rice consumption, but breakfast cereal, potato, and sweet buns, cakes and pies were higher in northern centres. In Sweden, lower bread consumption was balanced with a higher consumption of crispbread, and with sweet buns, cakes and pies. Overall, men consumed higher amounts of vegetables and legumes, bread, soft drinks, potatoes, pasta and rice, breakfast cereal and sugar and jam than women, but fruit consumption appeared more frequent in women.Conclusion:The study supports the established idea that carbohydrate-rich foods chosen in northern Europe are different from those in the Mediterranean region. When comparing and interpreting diet–disease relationships across populations, researchers need to consider all types of foods.

The role of taste perception, its relationship with oral microbiota composition, and their putative link with eating habits and food intake were the focus of the present study. A sample of 59 reportedly healthy adults (27 male, 32 female; age: 23.3 ± 2.6 years) were recruited for the study and taste thresholds for basic tastes, food intake, and oral microbiota composition were evaluated. Differences in taste perception were associated with different habitual food consumption (i.e., frequency) and actual intake. Subjects who were orally hyposensitive to salty taste reported consuming more bakery and salty baked products, saturated-fat-rich products, and soft drinks than hypersensitive subjects. Subjects hyposensitive to sweet taste reported consuming more frequently sweets and desserts than the hypersensitive group. Moreover, subjects hypersensitive to bitter taste showed higher total energy and carbohydrate intakes compared to those who perceived the solution as less bitter. Some bacterial taxa on tongue dorsum were associated with gustatory functions and with vegetable-rich (e.g., Prevotella) or protein/fat-rich diets (e.g., Clostridia). Future studies will be pivotal to confirm the hypothesis and the potential exploitation of oral microbiome as biomarker of long-term consumption of healthy or unhealthy diets.

The purpose of the current study was to investigate elite female (n = 21) and male (n = 47) combat sports athletes’ (n = 68; mean age (± SD) 21.3 ± 3.8 years; mean height 177 ± 10.2 cm) dietary intake between weigh-in and the first bout in Olympic combat sports. The data were collected at 6 separate tournaments and measurements included estimated food records, time for recovery, and body weight (BW) at weigh-in and first match. In total, 33 athletes participated in wrestling and taekwondo, sports with extended recovery times, and 35 athletes in judo and boxing, sports with limited recovery time. The results displayed that despite a mean consumption of food and drinks corresponding to 4.2 kg, the athletes only regained an average of 1.9 kg BW during recovery. Water accounted for 86% of the total intake. For each liter of water consumed, athletes gained 0.57 kg BW, when excluding heavy weight athletes (n = 5). Carbohydrate consumption was 5.5 g/kg BW, compared with the recommended 8–10 g/kg BW. In total, one-quarter of the consumed water originated from carbohydrate-rich drinks. Given the average recovery time of 18 (wrestling, taekwondo) versus 8 hr (judo, boxing), the former group consumed twice the amount of water, carbohydrates, protein, and fat as the latter group. In conclusion, a large proportion of the participants did not meet the recovery nutrition guidelines for carbohydrates. In addition, the discrepancy between nutrient intake and weight gain points to the physiological barriers to retaining fluids during a limited recovery time after engaging in weight making practices.

The rising tide of obesity has led to a resurgence of interest in dietary strategies to prevent excess weight gain. Data from controlled intervention studies is sparse, but nonetheless evidence from other diverse sources has identified a number of specific dietary factors and aspects of eating behaviour that either promote or protect against obesity. The present paper reviews the evidence in relation to energy density, the macronutrient composition of the diet, including the nature of carbohydrate foods and sugar-rich drinks, portion size and snacking habits. It concludes that there is now sufficient evidence to develop clear dietary guidelines to prevent weight gain that are largely consistent with those for the prevention of CVD and cancer. However, coordinated action across multiple stakeholders is also required if these guidelines are to be translated into sustained changes in eating habits.

We assessed breakfast in Japan using data from the 2012 National Health and Nutrition Survey. Dietary data were obtained from 1444 children (aged 6–11 years), 1134 adolescents (aged 12–17 years), 6531 younger adults (aged 18–49 years), and 13,343 older adults (aged ≥ 50 years), using a one-day weighed dietary record. Overall, 97% of participants reported consuming breakfast. Compared with breakfast skippers, breakfast consumers had a higher daily diet quality score assessed by the Nutrient-Rich Food Index 9.3 (NRF9.3). For those who consumed breakfast, breakfast accounted for 20–25% of daily energy intake. In comparison with the contribution to energy, breakfast accounted for higher proportions of carbohydrate and riboflavin, and lower proportions of MUFA, n-3 PUFA, thiamin, and niacin, as well as vitamins B-6 and C. The overall diet quality (NRF9.3 score) was positively associated with breakfast intake of protein, n-6 PUFA, n-3 PUFA, carbohydrate, dietary fiber, and almost all micronutrients examined, and inversely with that of added sugar. For foods, the NRF9.3 score was positively associated with breakfast intake of rice, potatoes, pulses, vegetables, fruits, and eggs and inversely with that of bread, sugar, and soft drinks. The findings will be useful in developing dietary recommendations for a balanced breakfast among Japanese.

The concentration of ethanol in blood, breath or urine constitutes important evidence for prosecuting drunk drivers. For various reasons, the reliability of the results of forensic alcohol analysis are often challenged by the defence. One such argument for acquittal concerns the notion that alcohol could be produced naturally in the body, hence the term ‘auto-brewery’ syndrome. Although yeasts such as Candida albicans readily produce ethanol in-vitro, whether this happens to any measurable extent in healthy ambulatory subjects is an open question. Over the years, many determinations of endogenous ethanol have been made, and in a few rare instances (Japanese subjects with very serious yeast infections) an abnormally high ethanol concentration (<80 mg/dl) has been reported. In these atypical individuals, endogenous ethanol appeared to have been produced after they had eaten carbohydrate-rich foods. A particular genetic polymorphism resulting in reduced activity of enzymes involved in hepatic metabolism of ethanol and a negligible first-pass metabolism might explain ethnic differences in rates of endogenous ethanol production and clearance. Other reports of finding abnormally high concentrations of ethanol in body fluids from ostensibly healthy subjects suffer from deficiencies in study design and lack suitable control experiments or used non-specific analytical methods. With reliable gas chromatographic methods of analysis, the concentrations of endogenous ethanol in peripheral venous blood of healthy individuals, as well as those suffering from various metabolic disorders (diabetes, hepatitis, cirrhosis) ranged from 0–0.08 mg/dl. These concentrations are far too low to have any forensic or medical significance. The notion that a motorist's state of intoxication was caused by endogenously produced ethanol lacks merit.

Equine laminitis is a painful debilitating condition that seems to be a product of domestication of horses associated with the practice of feeding carbohydrate rich pasture in excess of requirements, particularly in ponies. We have been working on the hypothesis that caecal bacteria, when presented with carbohydrate in large quantities tend to ferment this. Fermentation by gram positive bacteria is associated with a fall in pH of the caecal liquor. As a means of providing themselves with increased intracellular buffering capacity, these bacteria produce amino acid decarboxylase enzymes which convert amino acids present in the caecal fluid into primary amines which can act as intracellular buffers. The reason we thought this might be the case was that foods formed by bacterial fermentation processes (e.g. cheese and wines) have a high content of amines. Primary amines derived from some amino acids have vasoactive properties. In the 1960s it was recognised that human patients taking drugs that inhibit the metabolism of amines (monoamine oxidase inhibitors) could suffer from severe hypertensive crises if they ate cheese or drank red wines with high tyramine content. This so called ‘cheese effect’ is the result of the indirect sympathomimetic effect of tyramine which displaces norepinephrine from sympathetic nerve endings leading to a rise in blood pressure. Monoamine oxidase enzymes present in the epithelial cells lining the gut wall and in liver cells normally protect individuals from suffering these hypertensive crises. We wondered whether amines released from the gut in response to ingestion of excessive amounts of carbohydrate might lead to a similar reaction in ponies whereby dietary amines caused vasoconstriction of the digital vasculature, leading to the prodromal phases of laminitis.

This cross sectional study was done in different upazillas of Sylhet district during July 2009 to June 2011 to find out the prevalence & common risk factors of rickets below 15 years in Sylhet district. The children under 15 years of age were selected from villages/slums by multistage random sampling. After recognition of at least one feature of rickets, the cases were sent to SOMCH or Upazilla Health Complex. They were examined by investigator and suspected cases were selected for further investigation. After radiological and biochemical examination the final cases were analyzed. In this study the prevalence of rickets in Sylhet district is 0.097%. Male children were more affected than female. In this study regarding feeding habit rice was the stable food which was eaten more than one time by all the rachitic children. Only twenty five percent of children drank milk once a day. The prevalence of rickets in Sylhet district was 0.097% which was almost similar to other parts of Bangladesh. Common risk factors for developing rickets are low socio-economic condition and carbohydrate rich dietary habit.Medicine Today 2017 Vol.29(2): 13-16

Carbohydrates provide the major source of energy in the diet and hence the type and amount of carbohydrate consumed is an important consideration for weight control. Recent risk assessments have shown that there is no consistent association between the proportions of energy consumed as carbohydrate and body weight and reinforce the dominance of total energy intake as the primary determinant of body weight. However, they have highlighted evidence that different types of carbohydrate have specific effects on the risk of obesity. Short-term experimental studies suggest that some types of dietary fibre may be linked to increased satiation and cohort studies are supportive of an association between low intakes of fibre-rich, whole-grain foods and weight gain. But these observations are not supported by evidence of effects on body weight in randomised controlled trials, suggesting that high-fibre or whole-grain intake may simply be a marker of a broader dietary pattern. Recent attention has focused on the growing evidence of a positive association between the intake of free sugars and weight gain and particularly the risks linked to consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB). Given the high population-level intake of free sugars the challenge is to identify actions that will successfully reduce consumption to contribute to reductions in the prevalence of obesity. The present paper considers the range of policy options available, using the Nuffield ladder of intervention to provide a framework for risk management, with a focus on the consumption of SSB. Current policy interventions are largely based around consumer education and encouragement to industry to renovate products to reduce the sugar content of food and drinks and/or reduce portion size, but dietary change has been slow. Further measures, including the use of specific incentives/disincentives may be needed to change consumption patterns, some of which may infringe personal or commercial freedom. For these policies to be implemented will require sustained efforts to create a climate in which such interventions are acceptable or even welcomed by society as an appropriate protection against obesity and other diet-related ill-health.

Black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) fruits are among the richest sources of polyphenols and anthocyanins in plant kingdom and suitable raw material for production of functional foods. The popularity of chokeberries is not only due to their nutritional value but also to the constantly emerging evidence for their health-promoting effects. The current study presents detailed information about the content and composition of sugars, organic acids, and polyphenols in 23 aronia samples grown under the climatic conditions of Bulgaria, in 2016 and 2017. Sorbitol was found to be the main carbohydrate of fresh aronia fruits. Its content was in the range 6.5–13 g/100 g fresh weight (FW), representing 61%–68% of low-molecular-weight carbohydrates. Organic acids were represented by substantial amounts of quinic acid (average content 404.4 mg/100 g FW), malic acid (328.1 mg/100 g FW), and ascorbic acid (65.2 mg/100 g FW). Shikimic acid, citric acid, oxalic acid, and succinic acid were found as minor components. Chokeberries were particularly rich in proanthocyanidins, anthocyanins, and hydroxycinnamic acids. The total polyphenol content of aronia fruits varied between 1022 mg/100 g FW and 1795 mg/100 g FW and ORAC antioxidant activity from 109 µmol TE/g to 191 µmol TE/g FW. We also investigated the relationship between the chemical composition of berries and chemical compositions and antioxidant activity of aronia functional drinks—juices and nectars. The differences in the chemical composition of the fruits resulted in functional foods that differ significantly in their chemical composition and antioxidant activity. Additionally, we demonstrated that temperature of juice pressing and nectar extraction has a profound effect on the polyphenol content and composition of these products. This is very important since differences in the chemical composition of raw chokeberries and variation of technological parameters during processing could result in functional foods with different chemical composition, rendering different biological activity.

AbstractThe glycaemic index (GI) concept was originally introduced to classify different sources of carbohydrate (CHO)-rich foods, usually having an energy content of >80 % from CHO, to their effect on post-meal glycaemia. It was assumed to apply to foods that primarily deliver available CHO, causing hyperglycaemia. Low-GI foods were classified as being digested and absorbed slowly and high-GI foods as being rapidly digested and absorbed, resulting in different glycaemic responses. Low-GI foods were found to induce benefits on certain risk factors for CVD and diabetes. Accordingly it has been proposed that GI classification of foods and drinks could be useful to help consumers make ‘healthy food choices’ within specific food groups. Classification of foods according to their impact on blood glucose responses requires a standardised way of measuring such responses. The present review discusses the most relevant methodological considerations and highlights specific recommendations regarding number of subjects, sex, subject status, inclusion and exclusion criteria, pre-test conditions, CHO test dose, blood sampling procedures, sampling times, test randomisation and calculation of glycaemic response area under the curve. All together, these technical recommendations will help to implement or reinforce measurement of GI in laboratories and help to ensure quality of results. Since there is current international interest in alternative ways of expressing glycaemic responses to foods, some of these methods are discussed.

Currently, the growth of diseases with diabetes, metabolic disorders, and obesity increases the demand for preventive and functional products. Currently available technologies for the production of preventive products provide for the replacement of sugar with sugar substitutes or its complete absence, which naturally reduces the nutritional and energy value of the products produced. One of the main promising areas of the processing industry is the production of new products and sugar substitutes based on non-traditional types of plant raw materials that have a rich carbohydrate complex in their composition. These types of raw materials among vegetable crops include jerusalem artichoke. Currently, jerusalem artichoke juice is of particular interest for use in the production of soft drinks, as it has a rich chemical composition, which makes Jerusalem artichoke indispensable in dietary nutrition, in the preparation of highly effective medicines. In this article, the chemical composition of tubers and juice-semi-finished products from jerusalem artichoke is investigated. The results of the studies showed that the bulk of the dry substances in jerusalem artichoke tubers are carbohydrates, most of which are represented by fructosides. In the semi-finished juice passes: oligosaccharides 22.54 %, monosaccharides 1.61%, as well as part of the structural polysaccharides-fiber 0.07 %, pectin substances 1.84 %. The change in the fractional composition of the polyphenolic substances of the pulp and semi - finished juice was studied when the pulp was kept for 30 minutes. When developing the technology for the production of juices and beverages based on jerusalem artichoke, it was found that the polyphenolic substances of jerusalem artichoke tubers have a great influence on the technological properties of raw materials, the quality and nutritional value of the finished product. It was found that the enzymatic process of oxidative transformation of polyphenols occurs as much as possible in the first 5-10 minutes.

Growing incidence of obesity and related diseases in children poses new challenges and calls for a review of lifestyle habits. This study aimed to assess daily eating habits (EH) and physical activity (PA) levels and identify their association with obesity in 8–10-year-old children. Children’s EH and time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical intensity (MVPA) was estimated from questionnaires (N = 1788). Weight, height, and waist circumference (WC) were collected, and body mass index (BMI) calculated. Girls consumed more fruits and vegetables, drank more water, and ate smaller portions of carbohydrate and protein rich foods but spent less time in MVPA compared to boys (p < 0.05). Obese children skipped breakfast more often and consumed less fruits and vegetables. Children who chose to eat in front of the screen had higher WC (62.88 ± 8.70 vs 60.59 ± 7.40 cm, p < 0.001) and higher BMI, and chose smaller vegetable portions and more calorie dense snacks (p < 0.001). 15.4% of pupils covered weekly MVPA recommendations with structured PA on weekdays. Increasing MVPA was related to a smaller number of unhealthy EH (p < 0.001). In conclusion, EH and PA levels differ between sexes and obese children have unhealthier EH. Higher levels of MVPA are related to healthier food choices, while pupils having meals in front of the screen have unhealthier EH and anthropometric measures. The majority of pupils did not reach the WHO recommendations of MVPA through structured PA on weekdays. Association between factors (EH and time spent in PA) and BMI was not found in this study.

Distance events in Athletics include cross country, 10,000-m track race, half-marathon and marathon road races, and 20- and 50-km race walking events over different terrain and environmental conditions. Race times for elite performers span ∼26 min to >4 hr, with key factors for success being a high aerobic power, the ability to exercise at a large fraction of this power, and high running/walking economy. Nutrition-related contributors include body mass and anthropometry, capacity to use fuels, particularly carbohydrate (CHO) to produce adenosine triphosphate economically over the duration of the event, and maintenance of reasonable hydration status in the face of sweat losses induced by exercise intensity and the environment. Race nutrition strategies include CHO-rich eating in the hours per days prior to the event to store glycogen in amounts sufficient for event fuel needs, and in some cases, in-race consumption of CHO and fluid to offset event losses. Beneficial CHO intakes range from small amounts, including mouth rinsing, in the case of shorter events to high rates of intake (75–90 g/hr) in the longest races. A personalized and practiced race nutrition plan should balance the benefits of fluid and CHO consumed within practical opportunities, against the time, cost, and risk of gut discomfort. In hot environments, prerace hyperhydration or cooling strategies may provide a small but useful offset to the accrued thermal challenge and fluid deficit. Sports foods (drinks, gels, etc.) may assist in meeting training/race nutrition plans, with caffeine, and, perhaps nitrate being used as evidence-based performance supplements.

Introduction. Coconut water is rich in nutrients and biologically-active compounds. However, it has a short shelf life that can be prolonged by freeze drying. The purpose of this study was to analyze the physicochemical and sensory characteristics of fresh and powdered coconut drinks. Study objects and methods. The experiments included eight samples, namely fresh and powdered coconut drinks obtained from coconuts of different varieties (tall and hybrid) and maturity stages (4 and 6 m.o.). The samples were analyzed for nutrient content (ash, protein, fat, total carbohydrate, and fibre), physicochemical properties (titratable acidity, pH, viscosity, total soluble solids, turbidity, water activity, and browning index), and sensory characteristics (color, aroma, taste, texture, and overall acceptance). Results and discussion. The results obtained showed that there were significant differences among the coconut drinks of different varieties and maturity stages. They differed in nutrient content, pH value, titratable acidity, viscosity, and water activity. Meanwhile, the aroma, taste, and overall acceptance scores of all the samples were not significantly different. The powdered drink from 6 m.o. hybrid coconut was selected as the optimal sample due to its good sensory and physicochemical attributes. These attributes were similar to those of the fresh coconut drink. Conclusion. The powdered drink from 6 m.o. hybrid coconut obtained by freeze drying could be considered as an alternative healthy drink with good quality characteristics.

Abstract Objective Lifelong low-protein, high-carbohydrate diets extend lifespan in rodent. Consistently in human, the administration of oral carbohydrate drinks the day before surgery might improve clinical outcome. However, the fundamental questions of what represents a macronutritionally balanced diet, and how this impact surgical stress remain unanswered. Methods Here, we induced dietary protein dilution by giving mice ad libitum access to 50% sucrose water, without any food restriction. Mice were randomized into four regimens: regular diet (17,6 % protein, Ctrl), and a low protein diet (5.6% protein, LP), with or without high sucrose water (50% sucrose) for 7 days. At the end of the preconditioning, calorimetric data, fasting blood glucose, IGF1, glucose tolerance, and finally resistance to renal failure following a bilateral renal ischemia-reperfusion was evaluated. Results We demonstrate that access to carbohydrate drinks promotes dietary protein restriction despite a total caloric intake that was twice higher. This short-term self-restriction in daily protein, independent of caloric intake, improved insulin sensitivity, reduced serum triglyceride, and enhanced mitochondrial respiration as well as energy expenditure. Importantly, a 7-day pre-conditioning protein dilution regimen promotes recovery following kidney ischemia and reperfusion (IRI), a model of surgical stress. This protection from kidney IRI inversely correlated with pre-operative protein intake, but not carbohydrate or fat. The benefit of a low protein, high-carbohydrate regimen was independent of the protein sensing pathway eIF2α/ATF4, NRF2 and hydrogen sulfide, but instead required Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) downregulation. Conclusion These results support further clinical studies of a low protein diet combined with carbohydrate drinks prior to surgery.

AbstractDiets with a high-glycaemic load may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. Food and beverages containing large amounts of highly bioaccessible starch and sugars induce pronounced postprandial blood glucose concentrations. Chronic exposure to sharp blood glucose peaks can lead to oxidative stress and pancreatic beta-cell dysfunction. Fruit polyphenols may help to limit the glucose excursion following a high-carbohydrate meal.Our previous research showed that 1.8 g polyphenol-rich apple extract (AE) mixed into a drink consumed before a high starch + sucrose meal, inhibited the incremental area under the curve of plasma glucose during the early absorption-driven postprandial phase (0–30 min) by 52% relative to a placebo drink and meal. Our latest dose-response trial showed that the glycaemic response to starch and sucrose was modified by 0.9 g AE. Possible mechanisms include activity inhibition of carbohydrate digestive enzymes and/or glucose absorption (SGLT1/GLUT2 transport). The AE is uniquely high in phlorizin (10.6%) – a strong inhibitor of SGLT1. However, evidence shows that other apple polyphenols may also inhibit SGLT1.The primary aim of our work was to explore the effect of different mixtures of apple polyphenols on gut transporters involved in glucose uptake. Acute dose-response effect of the AE and three fractions of AE (20%, 40% and 80% methanol elution during fractionation) on total glucose transport were investigated in Caco-2/TC7 cells. Uptake media (10min) contained, except for controls, increasing concentrations of AE/fractions (0–4.5mg/ml) incorporating the physiological range estimated to be present in the small intestine after ingestion of clinical trial test drinks. Glucose transport under sodium-dependent conditions was determined by radiochemical detection of Glucose D-[14C(U)] and Glucose L-[1-14C].A 47% decrease in total glucose uptake was observed with 1.12mg/ml AE (i.e. clinical trial highest physiological dose) v control (P = 0.03). Dose-response experiments showed IC50were: 1.29 mg/ml, 0.31 mg/ml and 0.88 mg/ml for AE (mg/g: 79 phlorizin; 26 epicatechin; 4 quercetin), 80% fraction (mg/g: 101 phlorizin; 26 epicatechin; 38 quercetin), 40% fraction (mg/g: 83 phlorizin; 20 epicatechin; 7 quercetin), respectively. The 20% fraction (mg/g: 4 phlorizin; 12 epicatechin; 2 quercetin) had no effect on glucose transport.We have gained greater understanding of a potential mechanism for the anti-hyperglycaemic properties of apple polyphenols, supporting potential applications of the AE in functional foods/beverages. Our in vitro data suggest that a combination of higher amounts of phlorizin and quercetin may be important to maximise intestinal glucose uptake inhibition.

AbstractDietary strategies for alleviating health complications associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) are being pursued as alternatives to pharmaceutical interventions. Berries such as bilberries (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) that are rich in polyphenols may influence carbohydrate digestion and absorption and thus postprandial glycaemia. In addition, berries have been reported to alter incretins as well as to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that may also affect postprandial glycaemia. The present study investigated the acute effect of a standardised bilberry extract on glucose metabolism in T2D. Male volunteers with T2D (n 8; BMI 30 (sd 4) kg/m2) controlling their diabetes by diet and lifestyle alone were given a single oral capsule of either 0·47 g standardised bilberry extract (36 % (w/w) anthocyanins) which equates to about 50 g of fresh bilberries or placebo followed by a polysaccharide drink (equivalent to 75 g glucose) in a double-blinded cross-over intervention with a 2-week washout period. The ingestion of the bilberry extract resulted in a significant decrease in the incremental AUC for both glucose (P = 0·003) and insulin (P = 0·03) compared with the placebo. There was no change in the gut (glucagon-like peptide-1, gastric inhibitory polypeptide), pancreatic (glucagon, amylin) or anti-inflammatory (monocyte chemotactic protein-1) peptides. In addition there was no change in the antioxidant (Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity, ferric-reducing ability of plasma) responses measured between the volunteers receiving the bilberry extract and the placebo. In conclusion the present study demonstrates for the first time that the ingestion of a concentrated bilberry extract reduces postprandial glycaemia and insulin in volunteers with T2D. The most likely mechanism for the lower glycaemic response involves reduced rates of carbohydrate digestion and/or absorption.

Background: The aims of this study were: 1) to investigate the correlation between carbohydrate-rich drinks (CRDs) before gastric cancer surgery and postoperative nutrition laboratory findings; and 2) to determine whether CRDs affect the incidence of postoperative complications.Materials and methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 142 patients who underwent radical stomach cancer surgery. The patients were divided into two groups (NPO group vs. CRD group) according to the intake of CRDs prior to surgery. We performed statistical analysis using Student’s t-test, the Chi-square test and a binary logistic regression model (SPSS Statistics software, version 24).Results: Laboratory analysis of the nutrition status showed a significant increase in serum protein and albumin levels in the CRD group after postoperative day 1 (POD#1) (p&lt;0.05).The overall morbidity rate showed no difference between the two groups, but pulmonary complications showed significant differences of 1/72 and 9/70 (p=0.008). In the univariate analysis, there were significantly increased pulmonary complications in patients with higher Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) scores (p = 0.001), existing pulmonary disease (p = 0.003), anastomotic leakage (p = 0.03), and CRD intake (p=0.008). In the multivariate analysis, CRD intake was the only independent factor.ConclusionWe found that administering a CRD is effective in improving albumin and protein levels in the short-term period after surgery but is an independent factor for pulmonary complications after gastrectomy. We recommend that patients with no medications for pulmonary disease and with low ECOG scores can safely ingest CRDs and expect short-term nutritional effects.

Abstract Objectives Interesterified (IE) fats are commonly used as hard fat alternatives to trans fats. However, their health effects are unknown. Postprandial lipemia is an independent risk factor for CVD; a prolonged postprandial lipemia may detrimentally impact lipoprotein remodelling. We compared the postprandial lipoprotein profiles of palmitic acid-rich IE and non-IE fats and an unsaturated control oil. Methods A double blind, randomized controlled trial in healthy adults (n = 20) aged 45–75 years, assessed effects of single test meals (897 kcal, 50 g fat, 16 g protein, 88 g carbohydrate) on postprandial plasma triacylglycerol (TG) concentrations by colorimetric assay and lipoprotein profiles by NMR. Test fats were: a commonly consumed IE [80:20 palm stearin/palm kernel fat], the equivalent non-IE fat, and a control high-MUFA rich oil (canola oil, CO) as a reference point. Blood was collected at baseline, and hourly thereafter for 8h. Lipoprotein statistical analysis used linear mixed effect regression modelling (lme4 package on R). Metabolites were considered as response and treatment as predictor along with various covariates: time, period, baseline values, and subject (random effect), with post hoc adjustment for multiple comparisons. Results There was a significant time x treatment interaction (P = 0.006) in change from baseline for plasma TG concentrations (Figure 1), with significant differences between the IE fat and CO and the non-IE fat and CO (both P = 0.001), but no difference between IE and non-IE fats. NMR analysis of lipoprotein (VLDL, HDL, LDL) particle size, composition and number, revealed an increase in particle and cholesterol concentrations following IE and non-IE fats versus the CO at T + 8h for the following lipoprotein fractions: chylomicron remnants and extremely large VLDL (non-IE vs CO P < 0.05; IE vs CO P < 0.001; Figure 2), and very large VLDL (non-IE vs CO P < 0.01; IE vs CO P < 0.005). Conclusions Interesterification of a commonly consumed palm-based fat did not modify lipoprotein particle size or composition. Despite a reduction in postprandial lipemia, the generation of atherogenic TG-rich lipoprotein remnant particles in the late postprandial phase may in part explain the atherogenic potential of saturated rich fats compared with unsaturated rich fats. Funding Sources BBSRC DRINC, UK. Supporting Tables, Images and/or Graphs

It all started with a tweet. On the afternoon of 2 June 2013, Professor Geoffrey Miller, an evolutionary psychologist at the University of New Mexico (UNM) and visiting instructor at New York University (NYU), tweeted out a message that would go on to generate a significant social media controversy. Addressing aspiring doctoral program applicants, Miller wrote:Dear obese PhD applicants: if you didn’t have the willpower to stop eating carbs, you won't have the willpower to do a dissertation #truthThe response to Miller’s tweet was swift and fiery. Social media users began engaging with him on Twitter, and in the early hours of the controversy Miller defended the tweet. When one critic described his message as “judgmental,” Miller replied that doing a dissertation is “about willpower/conscientiousness, not just smarts” (Trotter). The tweet above, now screen captured, was shared widely and debated by journalists, Fat Acceptance activists, and academic social media users. Within hours Miller had deleted the tweet and replaced it with two new ones:My sincere apologies to all for that idiotic, impulsive, and badly judged tweet. It does not reflect my true views, values, or standards andObviously my previous tweet does not represent the selection policies of any university, or my own selection criteriaHe then made his Twitter account private. The captured image, however, continued to spread. Across social media, users began to circulate a campaign that called for Miller to be formally disciplined (Trotter). There was also widespread talk about potential lawsuits from prospective students who were not selected for admission at UNM (Kirby). Indeed, the Fat Chick Sings blogger Jeanette DePatie offered her own advice to Miller: #findagoodlawyer.Soon after the controversy emerged a response appeared on UNM’s website in the form of a video statement by Professor Jane Ellen Smith, the Chair of the UNM Psychology Department. Smith reiterated that Miller’s statements did not reflect the “policies and admissions standards of UNM”. She also stated that Miller had defended his actions by claiming the tweet was part of a “research project” where he would deliberately send out provocative messages in order to measure the public response to them. This claim was met with incredulity by a number of bloggers and columnists, and was later determined to be incorrect in an Institutional Review Board inquiry at UNM, which concluded Miller’s tweets were “self-promotional” in nature. Following a formal investigation, the UNM committee found no evidence that Miller had discriminated against overweight students. It did however pass a motion of censure that included a number of restrictions, including prohibiting Miller from sitting on any graduate admission committee at UNM.The #truth about Fat PhDs?Readers may be wondering why Miller’s tweet continues to matter as I write this article in 2015. It is my belief that the tweet is important insofar as it affords an insight into the cultural scene that surrounds the fat body in higher education. The vigorous debate generated by Miller’s tweet offers researchers a diverse array of media texts that are available to help build a more comprehensive picture of fat embodiment within higher education.Looking at the tweet in the cold light of day it is difficult to imagine any logical links one might infer between a person’s carbohydrate consumption and their ability to excel in doctoral education. And there’s the rub. Of course Miller’s tweet does not represent a careful evaluation of the properties of doctoral willpower. In order to make sense of the tweet we need to understand the ways cultural assumptions about fatness operate. For decades now, researchers have documented the existence of anti-fat attitudes (Crandall & Martinez). Increasingly, scholars and Fat Acceptance activists have described a “thinness norm” that is reproduced across contemporary Western cultures, which discerns normatively slender bodies as “both healthy and beautiful” (Eller 220) and those whose bodies depart from this norm, as “socially acceptable targets for shaming and hate speech” (Eller 220). In order to be intelligible Miller’s tweet relies on a number of deeply entrenched cultural meanings attributed to fatness and fat people.The first is that body-size is primarily a matter of self-control. Although Critical Fat Studies researchers have argued for some time that body weight is determined by complex interactions between the biological and environmental, the belief that a large body size is caused by limited self-control remains prevalent. This in turn supports a host of cultural connotations, which tend to constitute fat people as “lazy, gluttonous, greedy, immoral, uncontrolled, stupid, ugly and lacking in willpower” (Farrell 4).In light of the above, Miller’s message ought to be read as a moral one. I have paraphrased its logic as such: if you [the fat doctoral student] lack the willpower to discipline your body into normatively desired slimness, you will also likely lack the strength of character required to discipline your body-mind into producing a doctoral dissertation. The sad irony here is that, if anything, the attitudes that might hamper fat students from pursuing a doctoral education would be those espoused in Miller’s own tweet. As Critical Fat Studies researchers have illuminated, the anti-fat attitudes the tweet reproduces generate challenging higher education climates for fat people to navigate (Pausé, Express Yourself 6).Indeed, while Miller’s tweet is one case that arose to media prominence, there is evidence that it sits inside a wider pattern of weight discrimination within higher education. For example, Caning and Mayer (“Obesity: Its Possible”, “Obesity: An Influence”) found that despite similar high school performances, ‘obese’ students were less likely to be accepted to elite universities, than their non-obese peers. In a more recent US-based study, Burmeister and colleagues found evidence of weight bias in graduate school admissions. In particular, they found that higher body mass index (BMI) applicants received fewer post-interview offers into psychology graduate programs than other students (920), and this relationship appeared to be stronger for female applicants (920). This picture is supported by a study by Swami and Monk, who examined weight bias against women in a hypothetical scenario about university acceptance. In this study, 198 volunteers in the UK were asked to identify the women they were most and least likely to select for a place at university. Swami and Monk found that participants were biased against fat women, a finding which the authors interpreted as evidence of broader public beliefs about body size and access to higher education.In my examination of the media scene surrounding the Miller case I observed that most commentators associated the tweet with a particular affective formation – shame. Miller’s actions were widely described as “fat-shaming” (Bennet-Smith; Ingeno; Martin; Trotter; Walsh) with Miller himself often referred to simply as the “fat-shaming professor” (King; ThinkTank). In this article I wish to consider the affective-political dimensions of Miller’s tweet, by focusing on one digital community’s response to it: Fuck Yeah! Fat PhDs. In following this path I am building on the work of other researchers who have considered fat activisms and Web 2.0 (Pausé, Express Yourself); fat visual activism (Gurrieri); and the emotional politics of fat acceptance blogging (Kargbo; Bronstein).Imaging Alternatives: Fuck Yeah! Fat PhDsBy 3 June 2013 – just one day after Miller’s tweet was published – New Zealand-based academic Cat Pausé had created the Tumblr Fuck Yeah! Fat PhDs. This was billed as a photo-blog about “being fatlicious in academia”. Writing on her Friend of Marilyn blog, Pausé explained the rationale behind the Tumblr:I decided that what I wanted to do was to highlight all the amazing fat individuals who are in graduate school, or have completed graduate school – to provide a visual repository … and to celebrate the amazing work being done by these rad fatties!Pausé sent out calls for participants on Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook, and emailed a Fat Studies listserv. She asked submitters to send “a photo, along with their name, degree, and awarding institution” (Pausé Express Yourself, 6). Images were submitted thick and fast. Twenty-three were published in the first day of the project, and twenty in the second. At the time of writing, just over 150 images had been submitted, the most recent being November 2013.The Fuck Yeah! Fat PhDs project ought to be understood as part the turn away from the textual toward the digital in fat activist movements (Kargbo). This has seen a growth in online communities that are interested in developing “counter-images in response to the fat body’s position as the abject, excluded Other of the socially acceptable body” (Kargbo 162). Examples include a multitude of Fatshion photo-blogs, Tumblrs like Exciting Fat People or the Stocky Bodies image library, which responds to the limited diversity of visual representations of fat people in the mainstream media (Gurrieri).For this article, I have read the images on the Fuck Yeah! Fat PhDs Tumblr in order to gain an impression about the affective-political work accomplished by this collective of self-identified fat academic bodies. As I indicated earlier, much of the commentary following Miller’s tweet characterised it as an attempt to ‘shame’ fat doctoral students. As Elspeth Probyn has identified, shame frequently manifests itself on the body “most experiences of shame make you want to disappear, to hide away and to cover yourself” (Probyn 329). I suggest that the core work of the Fuck Yeah! Fat PhDs Tumblr is to address the spectre of shame Miller’s tweet projects with visibility, rather than it’s opposite. This visibility also enables the project to proliferate a host of different ways of (feeling about) being fat and doctoral.The first image posted on the Tumblr is Pausé’s own. She is pictured smiling at the 2007 graduation ceremony where she received her own PhD, surrounded by fellow graduates in academic regalia. Her image is followed by many others, mostly white women, who attest to the academic attainments of fat individuals. My first impression as I scrolled through the Tumblr was to note that many of the images (51) referenced scenes of graduation, where subjects wore robes, caps or posed with higher degree certificates. Many more were the kinds of photographs that one might expect to be taken at an academic event. Together, these images attest to the viability of the living, breathing doctoral body - a particularly relevant response given Miller’s tweet. This work to legitimate the fat doctoral body was also accomplished through the submission of two historical photographs of Albert Einstein, a figure who is neither living nor breathing, but highly unlikely to be described as lacking academic ability or willpower.As I read through the Tumblr subsequent times, I noticed that many of the submitters offered images that challenge stereotypical representations of the fat body. As a number of writers have noted, fat people tend to be visually represented as “solitary, lonely figures whose expressions are downcast and dejected” (Gurrieri 202). That is if they aren’t already decapitated in the visual convention of the “headless fatty” used across news media (Kargbo 160). Like the Stocky Bodies project, the Fuck Yeah! Fat PhDs Tumblr facilitated a more diverse and less pathologising representation of fat (doctoral) embodiment.Across the images there is little evidence of the downcast eyes of shame and dejection that Miller’s tweet seems to invite of aspiring fat doctoral candidates. Scrolling through the Tumblr one encounters images of fat people singing, swimming, creating art, playing sport, smoking, smiling, dressing up, and making music. A number of images (12) emphasise the social nature of fat doctoral life, by picturing multiple subjects at once, some holding hands, others posing with colleagues, loved ones, and a puppy. Another category of submissions took a playful stance vis-à-vis some representational conventions of imaging fatness. Where portrayals of the fat body from side or rear angles, or images of fat people eating and drinking typically code an affective scene of disgust (Gurrieri), a number of images on the Tumblr appear to reinscribe these scenes with new meaning. Viewers are offered pictures of smiling and contented fat graduates unashamed to eat and drink, or be represented from ‘unflattering’ angles.Furthermore, a number of images offered alternatives to the conventional representation of the fat subject as ugly and sexually unattractive by posing in glamorous shots bubbling with allure and desire. In one memorable picture, blogger and educator Virgie Tovar is snapped wearing a “sex instructor” badge and laughs while holding two sex toys.Reading across the images it becomes clear that the Tumblr offers a powerful response to the visual convention of representing the solitary, lonely fat person. Rather than presenting isolated fat doctoral students the act of holding the images together generates a sense of fat higher education community, as Kargbo notes:A single image posted online amidst vast Internet ephemera is just a fleeting document of a moment in a stranger’s life. But in the plural, as one scrolls through hundreds of images eager to hit the ‘next’ button for what will be a repetition of the same, the image takes on a new function: it becomes an insistent testament to the liveness of fat embodiment in the present. (164)Obesity Timebomb blogger Charlotte Cooper (2013) commented on the significance of the project: “It is pretty amazing to see the names and faces as I scroll through Fuck yeah! Fat PhDs. Many of us are friends and collaborators and the site represents a new community of power.”Concluding Thoughts: Fat Embodiment and Higher Education CulturesThis article has examined a cultural event that that saw the figure of the fat doctoral student rise to international media prominence in 2013. I have argued that while Miller’s tweet can be read as illustrative of the affective scene of shame that surrounds the fat body in higher education, the images offered by the Fuck Yeah! photo submitters work to re-negotiate implication in social discourses of abjection. Indeed, the images assert that alternative ways of feeling about being fat and doctoral remain viable. Fat students can be contented, ambivalent, sultry, pissed off, passionate and proud – and Fuck Yeah! Fat PhDs provides submitters with a platform to perform a wide array of these affects. This is not to say that shame is shut out of the project, or the lives of submitters’ altogether. Instead, I am suggesting that the Tumblr generates a more open field of possibilities, providing “a space for re-imagining new forms of attachments and identifications.” (Kargbo 171). Critics might argue that this Tumblr is not particularly novel when set in the context of a range of fat photo-blogs that have sprung up across the Internet in recent years. I would argue, however, that when we consider the kinds of questions Fuck Yeah! Fat PhDs might ask of university cultures, and the prompts it offers to higher education researchers, the Tumblr can be seen to make an important contribution. I am in agreement with Kargbo (2013) when she argues that fat photo-blogs “have the potential to alter the conditions of visual reception and perception”. That is, through their “codes and conventions, styles of lighting and modes of address, photographs literally show us how to relate to another person” (Singer 602). When read together, the Fuck Yeah! images insist that a different kind of relationship to fat PhDs is possible, one that exceeds the shaming visible in Miller’s tweet. Ultimately then, the Tumblr is a call to take fat doctoral students seriously, not as problems in need of fixing, but as a diverse group of scholars who make important contributions to the academy and beyond.I would like to use the occasion of concluding this article to call for further conversations about fat embodiment and higher education cultures. The area is significantly under-researched, with higher education scholars largely failing to engage with the material and affective experiences of fat embodiment. Indeed, I would argue that if nothing else, this paper has demonstrated that public scenes of knowledge creation have done a much more comprehensive job of analysing the intersection of ‘fat + university’ than academic books and articles to date. While not offering an exhaustive sketch, I would like to gesture toward some areas that might contribute to a future research agenda. For example, researchers might begin to approach the experience of living, working and studying as a fat person in the contemporary university. Such research might examine whose body the university is imagined and designed for, as well as the campus climate experienced by fat individuals. Researchers might consider how body size could become a part of broader conversations about embodiment and privilege in higher education, alongside race, ability, gender identity, and other categories of social difference.Thinking about the intersection of ‘fat + university’ would also involve tracing possibilities. For example, what role do university campuses play as spaces of fat activism and solidarity? And, what is the contribution made by Critical Fat Studies as a newly established interdisciplinary field of inquiry?Taken together, I hope the questions I have raised in this article demonstrate that the intersection of ‘fat’ and higher education cultures represents a rich and valuable area that warrants further inquiry.ReferencesBennet-Smith, Meredith. “Geoffrey Miller, Visiting NYU Professor, Slammed for Fat-Shaming Obese PhD Candidates.” 6 Apr. 2013. The Huffington Post. ‹http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/04/geoffrey-miller-fat-shaming-nyu-phd_n_3385641.html›.Bronstein, Carolyn. “Fat Acceptance Blogging, Female Bodies and the Politics of Emotion.” Feral Feminisms 3 (2015): 106-118. Burmeister, Jacob, Allison Kiefner, Robert Carels, and Dara Mushner-Eizenman. “Weight Bias in Graduate School Admissions.” Obesity 21 (2013): 918-920.Canning, Helen, and Jean Mayer. “Obesity: Its Possible Effect on College Acceptance.” The New England Journal of Medicine 275 (1966): 1172-1174. 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