The association between circulating saturated fatty acids (SFAs) including very long-chain SFAs (VLCSFAs) and colorectal cancer (CRC) risk has not been clearly established. To investigate the association between serum SFAs and CRC risk in Chinese population, 680 CRC cases and 680 sex and age-matched (5-year interval) controls were recruited in our study. Serum levels of SFAs were detected by gas chromatography. Unconditional logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between serum SFAs and CRC risk. Results showed that total SFAs were positively associated with the risk of CRC (adjusted OR quartile 4 vs. 1 = 2.64, 95%CI: 1.47-4.74). However, VLCSFAs were inversely associated with CRC risk (adjusted OR quartile 4 vs. 1 = 0.51, 95%CI: 0.36-0.72). Specifically, lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, heptadecanoic acid, and arachidic acid were positively associated with CRC risk, while behenic acid and lignoceric acid were inversely associated with CRC risk. This study indicates that higher levels of total serum SFAs and lower levels of serum VLCSFAs were associated with an increased risk of CRC in Chinese population. To reduce the risk of CRC, we recommend reducing the intake of foods containing palmitic acid and heptadecanoic acid such as animal products and dairy products, and moderately increasing the intake of foods containing VLCSFAs such as peanuts and canola oil.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative condition of joints, causing pain and swelling, and can be caused or worsened by trauma and obesity. The objectives of this study were to determine whether pain behaviour and progression of OA were increased in rats with trauma-induced OA fed dietary saturated fatty acids (SFA). Male Wistar rats were fed either a corn starch diet (C) or high-carbohydrate high-fat diet (H) with either 20% beef tallow or SFA (lauric (HLA), myristic (HMA), palmitic (HPA) or stearic (HSA) acids) for 16 weeks prior to and 8 weeks after excision of the medial meniscus of right knee joint to initiate OA when pain behaviour, glial activity, progression of knee OA, inflammatory mediators and signs of metabolic syndrome were assessed. Rats fed beef tallow, palmitic or stearic acids showed increased pain symptoms characterised by decreased hind paw/limb withdrawal thresholds and grip strengths and increased spinal astrogliosis and microgliosis compared to rats fed lauric or myristic acids. However, the severity of OA joint damage was unchanged by these dietary manipulations. We conclude that pain symptoms of trauma-induced OA in rats worsen with increased dietary beef tallow or palmitic or stearic acids, but improve with lauric or myristic acids, despite unchanged OA cartilage damage.

We performed a comprehensive study encompassing chemical characterization and sensory evaluation of two types of dark chocolate, i.e., artisanal (Choco-A) and industrial (Choco-I), as well as an evaluation of onset of gastrointestinal symptoms and gastrointestinal motility in healthy subjects fed with dark chocolate. Proteomic, lipid and metabolite analysis were performed by LC-MS/MS analysis and the total phenol content and antioxidant activity were estimated in both types of chocolate. Fifty healthy volunteers joined the study of the sensory characteristics of both types of chocolate; another 16 subjects underwent the study of gallbladder and gastric emptying by functional ultrasonography and orocecal transit time by lactulose H2-breath test after ingestion of dark chocolate. Identification of polyphenols, amino acids and fatty acids was carried out in both types of chocolate analysed, and results confirmed their richness in polyphenols, amino acid derivatives and fatty acids (FAs) either saturated (stearic, myristic, palmitic, ecosanoic) or unsaturated (oleic and linolenic). For agreeability, Choco-A scored higher than Choco-I for smell, texture, and taste and they did not show significant differences in the gastrointestinal motility. In conclusion as for gastrointestinal motility studies, we report that the ingestion of a small amount of chocolate induced a mild gallbladder, gastric contraction and a fast transit time compared to the test meal in healthy subjects.

Citrus fruits are grown worldwide for their special nutritive and several health benefits. Among citrus bioactives, naringenin, a major flavanone, exhibits a potential hepatoprotective effect that is not fully elucidated. Herein, serum biochemical parameters and histopathological assays were used to estimate the hepatoprotective activity of naringenin, isolated from Citrus sinensis (var. Valencia) peels, in CCl4-induced injury in a rat model. Further, GC-MS-based untargeted metabolomics was used to characterize the potential metabolite biomarkers associated with its activity. Present results revealed that naringenin could ameliorate the increases in liver enzymes (ALT and AST) induced by CCl4 and attenuate the pathological changes in liver tissue. Naringenin decreased urea, creatinine and uric acid levels and improved the kidney tissue architecture, suggesting its role in treating renal disorders. In addition, naringenin increased the expression of the antiapoptoic cell marker, Bcl-2. Significant changes in serum metabolic profiling were noticed in the naringenin-treated group compared to the CCl4 group, exemplified by increases in palmitic acid, stearic acid, myristic acid and lauric acids and decrease levels of alanine, tryptophan, lactic acid, glucosamine and glucose in CCl4 model rats. The results suggested that naringenin's potential hepato- and renoprotective effects could be related to its ability to regulate fatty acids (FAs), amino acids and energy metabolism, which may become effective targets for liver and kidney toxicity management. In conclusion, the current study presents new insights into the hepato- and renoprotective mechanisms of naringenin against CCl4-induced toxicity.