Muscle fiber-type specific expression of UCP3-protein is reported here for the firts time, using immunofluorescence microscopy
BackgroundIncreased physical activity and dietary protein intake are promising interventions to prevent or treat the age-related decline in physical performance in older adults. There are well-controlled exercise as well as dietary intervention studies that show beneficial effects on physical performance in older adults. In practice, however, weekly group based exercise or nutritional programs may not be as effective. To optimise these exercise programs for community dwelling older adults, a digitally supported and personalised home-based exercise training program has been designed aiming to improve physical performance in older adults. In addition, a protein intervention in combination with the training program may further improve physical performance in older adults.MethodsThe VITAMIN study will be a cluster randomised controlled trial with three parallel arms. In total, 240 community dwelling older adults (≥ 55 years) participating in weekly group exercise are randomly allocated into: 1) regular weekly exercise program (Control group, n = 80), 2) digitally supported personalised home-based exercise training program group (VITA group, n = 80) and 3) digitally supported personalised home-based exercise training program group plus dietary protein counselling (VITA-Pro group, n = 80). The VITAMIN study aims to evaluate effectiveness of the digitally supported personalised home-based exercise training program as well as the additional value of dietary protein on physical performance after 6 months. In addition, a 12 month follow-up measurement will assess the retaining effect of the interventions. Primary outcome is physical performance measured by the Modified Physical Performance Test (M-PPT) and relevant secondary and observational outcomes include habitual physical activity and dietary intake, body composition, cognitive performance, quality of life, compliance and tablet usage. Data will be analysed by Linear Mixed Models.DiscussionTo our knowledge, the VITAMIN study is the first study that investigates the impact of home-based exercise, protein intake as well as use of persuasive technology in the population of community dwelling older adults.Trial registrationNL56094.029.16 / NTR (TC = 5888; registered 03–06-2016).
Background: Effective and sustainable interventions are needed to counteract the decline in physical function and sarcopenia in the growing aging population. The aim of this study was to determine the 6 and 12 month effectiveness of blended (e-health + coaching) home-based exercise and a dietary protein intervention on physical performance in community-dwelling older adults. Methods: This cluster randomized controlled trial allocated 45 clusters of older adults already engaged in a weekly community-based exercise programme. The clusters were randomized to three groups with ratio of 16:15:14; (i) no intervention, control (CON); (ii) blended home-based exercise intervention (HBex); and (iii) HBex with dietary protein counselling (HBex-Pro). Both interventions used a tablet PC with app and personalized coaching and were targeting on behaviour change. The study comprised coached 6 month interventions with a 6 month follow-up. The primary outcome physical performance was assessed by modified Physical Performance Test (m-PPT). Secondary outcomes were gait speed, physical activity level (PAL), handgrip muscle strength, protein intake, skeletal muscle mass, health status, and executive functioning. Linear mixed models of repeated measured were used to assess intervention effects at 6 and 12 months. Results: The population included 245 older adults (mean age 72 ± 6.5 (SD) years), 71% female, and 54% co-morbidities observed. Dropout of the intervention was 18% at 6 months and 26% at 12 months. Participants were well functioning, based on an m-PPT score of 33.9 (2.8) out of 36. For the primary outcome m-PPT, no significant intervention effects (HBex, +0.03, P = 0.933; HBex-Pro, −0.13, P = 0.730) were found. Gait speed (+0.20 m/s, P = 0.001), PAL (+0.06, P = 0.008), muscle strength (+2.32 kg, P = 0.001), protein intake (+0.32 g/kg/day, P < 0.001), and muscle mass (+0.33 kg, P = 0.017) improved significantly in the HBex-Pro group compared with control group after 6 month intervention. The protein intake, muscle mass, and strength remained significantly improved after 12 months as compared with those of control. Health change and executive functioning improved significantly in both intervention groups after 6 months. Conclusions: This HBex and dietary protein interventions did not change the physical performance (m-PPT) in community-dwelling older adults. Changes were observed in gait speed, PAL, muscle mass, strength, and dietary protein intake, in response to this combined intervention.
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Lipids, proteins and biological active compounds that are present in insects can serve as nutrient source for poultry production. Because of the potential benefit effects of using insects as feed additives, we must consider the effects of gut microbiome on the insect affects itself, and the expected effect on the microbiome of the broilers that consume these insects. This is specifically important in the situation where live insects are fed to poultry, without prior processing. In this proposal we describe to study whether larvae fed to broilers will affect their microbiome in a positive way for practical applications in poultry industry. Hence, a pilot proof-of-concept study will be carried out as basis for a follow-up proposal for a larger project in the future, that we also like to set-up within this project. In that follow-up proposal, focus will be on the effect of different substrates for insects, on the insect microbiome, to spike insects with specific bacteria and to track their microbiome dynamics over time, and the effect of these insects used as a feed additive on the broiler gut microbiome. This study will provide results on if live Black Soldier Fly larvae (BSFL) can affect the broiler gut microbiome in a positive way, and relevant outcomes will be exploited in a follow-up research proposal in which these effects will be unraveled in detail for adoption by the industry. The project is a collaboration between cooperative insect company RavenFeed and NGN Pro-active both with knowledge on BSFL rearing, Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR) with knowledge on insect diseases and microbiome analysis, Schothorst Feed Research (SFR) highly experienced in poultry nutrition research and having unique poultry facilities, and Aeres University of Applied Sciences Dronten (AHD) with research facilities for BSFL rearing under experimental conditions.
Het PULSE project (Protein Utilisation from Legumes for a Sustainable European crop) richt zich op de ontwikkeling van hoogwaardige eiwitten-ingrediënten uit peulvruchten om daarmee een bijdrage aan de eiwittransitie te leveren. PULSE is een samenwerking van de kennisinstellingen HAS Hogeschool en NIZO food research met zeven bedrijven, Limagrain, MFH Pulses, GEA, Cosucra, Frank Food Products, Ruitenberg Ingredients and Sofine Foods. De consortiumleden bestrijken de gehele keten van zaadveredeling tot consumentenproducten en maken waardecreatie in de gehele keten mogelijk. Het project is gebaseerd op de maatschappelijke noodzaak om het aandeel van plantaardige eiwitten in onze voeding te vergroten om in de toekomst in onze voedselvoorziening te kunnen voorzien. Peulvruchten worden algemeen gezien als de kansrijke gewassen, die hiervoor in aanmerking komen in het klimaat van Nederland en Noordwest Europa. De ambitie van de consortiumleden is om met eiwit-ingrediënten uit peulvruchten (erwt, veldboon, lupine) een impuls aan deze eiwittransitie te geven, te bereiken door over de gehele keten samen te werken en een aantal zorgvuldig geselecteerde doelen te adresseren: • Het ontwikkelen en selecteren van rassen van erwten en veldbonen met een verhoogd eiwitgehalte of verbeterde eiwitsamenstelling; • Het ontwikkelen van extractiemethoden voor eiwitisolaten uit peulvruchten met een verhoogde functionaliteit en rendement, waarbij de totale verwaarding van de peulvrucht centraal staat; • Het ontwikkelen van nieuwe producten met eiwit-ingrediënten uit peulvruchten op basis van kennis over de functionaliteit van deze eiwitten in verschillende applicaties. Dit project draagt bij aan de gehele eiwittransitie door het ontwikkelen van eiwit-ingrediënten met een verbeterde functionaliteit en daarmee een bredere toepassing in voedingsmiddelen. De verbeterde kwaliteit van de eiwit-ingrediënten komt tot stand door de selectie van zaden met een hoger eiwitgehalte en/of verbeterde eiwitsamenstelling in combinatie met milde processing. Door het verhogen van de totale waardecreatie in de keten, zal het voor landbouwers financieel aantrekkelijker worden om meer van deze gewassen te gaan verbouwen.
