(Press-News.org) In a study conducted at the University of Helsinki, Finland, 136 adults adhered to one of three study diets for 12 weeks. One of them corresponded to the average Finnish diet, containing roughly 70% animal-derived protein of total protein, while most of the plant-based protein originated from cereal products. In the second study diet, half of the protein was derived from plant products and the other half from animal products, while the third one contained 30% animal protein and 70% plant-based protein of total protein.
Sources of animal protein, both red and white meat as well as dairy products, were partially replaced with plant-based proteins by adding a diverse range of legumes, nuts, seeds, and cereal products in the diets. Fluid dairy products, which are fortified with vitamin D in Finland, were partially replaced with plant-based drinks not fortified with calcium or vitamin D. The amount of cheese was lower in the diets which contained more plant-based protein compared to the diet rich in animal protein. All diets contained the same amount of fish and eggs.
It was found that both bone formation and resorption increased when part of the animal protein in the diet was replaced with plant protein, which may in the long term be detrimental to bone health. The findings are in line with those recently published from the large EPIC-Oxford population-based study, according to which vegetarians were found to have a greater risk of bone fractures over a follow-up period of 18 years compared to people on a mixed diet.
The researchers suggest the changes in bone metabolism as well as calcium and vitamin D intakes are probably caused by the low amount of dairy products and, consequently, the low amount of calcium and vitamin D consumed. Due to the study design applied, the study subjects were not allowed to use vitamin or mineral supplements during the study period.
"The results could be different if fluid dairy products had been replaced with plant-based drinks fortified with vitamin D and calcium. Then again, the average vitamin D intake was also below the recommended level in the group where subjects consumed the animal protein-rich diet, but not to the same extent as in the other groups" says Docent Suvi Itkonen from the Department of Food and Nutrition, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry.
When adopting an increasingly plant-based diet, it is important, in terms of bone health, to ensure adequate calcium and vitamin D intake. In the case of vitamin D, the recommended intake for adults is 10 micrograms per day. This amount includes total intake from both food and vitamin supplements.
"When consuming plant-based drinks and yoghurt-like products, it is essential to choose the option fortified with calcium and vitamin D. If the daily diet contains no margarines, dairy products or plant-based drinks fortified with vitamin D, and if fish is consumed less than 2-3 times per week, it's important to ensure adequate vitamin D intake, especially in the dark season, by taking a daily vitamin D supplement."
INFORMATION:
Your breath holds the key to monitoring fat burning, and now a research group from Tohoku University has created a compact and low-cost device that can measure how our body metabolizes fat.
The device uses an ultraviolet lamp to gauge exhaled acetone gas, which is produced in the blood through the metabolic reaction of fat.
"Precise measurements of acetone gas concentration allows us to determine the body's ability to metabolize fat and develop exercise methods for efficient fat burning," says Professor Yuji Matsuura from Tohoku University's Graduate School of Biomedical ...
Many natural and human-made networks, such as computer, biological or social networks have a connectivity structure that critically shapes their behavior. The academic field of network science is concerned with analyzing such real-world complex networks and understanding how their structure influences their function or behavior. Examples are the vascular network of our bodies, the network of neurons in our brain, or the network of how an epidemic is spreading through a society.
The need for reliable null models
The analysis of such networks often focuses on finding interesting properties and features. For example, does the structure of a particular contact network help diseases spread ...
The research team led by Masakazu Ohara, graduate student of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Toyohashi University of Technology (student in the Leading Program doctoral program); Associate Professor Kowa Koida of the Electronics-Inspired Interdisciplinary Research Institute; and Associate Professor Juno Kim of the University of New South Wales (Australia) discovered that when people judge the thickness of an object, objects with glass-like transparent optical properties are perceived to be flatter than they actually are. It was previously known that objects made of metallic or glossy materials are perceived to be thicker than what they are, but now the current research has identified that transparent ...
A description of gravity compatible with the principles of quantum mechanics has long been a widely pursued goal in physics. Existing theories of this 'quantum gravity' often involve mathematical corrections to Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle (HUP), which quantifies the inherent limits in the accuracy of any quantum measurement. These corrections arise when gravitational interactions are considered, leading to a 'Generalized Uncertainty Principle' (GUP). Two specific GUP models are often used: the first modifies the HUP with a linear correction, while the second introduces a quadratic one. Through new research published in EPJ C, Serena Giardino and Vincenzo ...
A unique 'heart-shape', with wisps of gas filaments showing an intricate honeycomb-like arrangement, has been discovered at the centre of the iconic supernova remnant, the Crab Nebula. Astronomers have mapped the void in unprecedented detail, creating a realistic three-dimensional reconstruction. The new work is published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
The Crab, formally known as Messier 1, exploded as a dramatic supernova in 1054 CE, and was observed over the subsequent months and years by ancient astronomers across the ...
Dimerization (Note: combination of two identical or different molecules) of the human neuropeptides oxytocin and vasopressin can produce new types of bioactive molecules. In a recent study, an international research team led by MedUni Vienna and the University of Vienna demonstrated that dimerized and therefore significantly larger versions of oxytocin and vasopressin are still able to activate their receptors. Such new constructs provide several opportunities to optimize the efficacy of these neuropeptides for therapeutic application. The researchers were inspired for this approach from naturally occurring dimers. The results have been published in the journal "Chemical Science".
Oxytocin/vasopressin receptors are typical examples of so-called G protein-coupled receptors - the most ...
In order for a drug to be effective at the right places in the body, it helps if scientists can predict as accurately as possible how the molecules of that drug will interact with human cells. In a joint research project, scientists from Collaborative Research Centre 1423 at Leipzig University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shanghai have succeeded in elucidating such a structure, namely that of the neuropeptide Y receptor Y2 with one of its ligands. This is the first time that a molecular blueprint for this receptor is available, which will enable the development of tailor-made new drugs, for example to treat epilepsy or cardiovascular diseases. The researchers' findings have now been published in Nature Communications.
The Y2 receptor plays ...
"Insulin is a prime example for a successful peptide drug that has been essential for the health of millions of diabetic patients in the past 100 years," says Markus Muttenthaler, who leads research groups at the Institute of Biological Chemistry of the Faculty of Chemistry at University in Vienna as well as at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience, at the University of Queensland in Brisbane.
Worldwide, peptide therapeutics account for 5% of the global pharmaceutical market, with global sales exceeding US$ 50 billion. More than 150 peptides are in clinical development and another 400-600 peptides undergoing preclinical ...
Children with epilepsy sleep poorly compared to healthy children, and are more likely to experience disruptions such as night terrors, sleep walking or sleep disordered breathing, according to a new study.
A team at the University of Birmingham's Centre for Human Brain Health analysed 19 published studies on sleep and epilepsy in children and adolescents to try to better understand and articulate the links between them.
Their findings, published in Sleep Medicine Reviews, highlight the significantly poorer sleep experienced by children and adolescents with epilepsy, and present a strong argument for screening children for sleep problems as an integral part of diagnosis and management of the condition.
Lead author Alice Winsor explains: "We know that sleep and epilepsy ...
Among the most active fields of research in modern physics, both at an academic level and beyond, are quantum computation and communication, which apply quantum phenomena such as superposition and entanglement to perform calculations, or to exchange information. A number of research groups around the world have built quantum devices that are able to perform calculations faster than any classical computer. Yet, there is still a long way to go before these devices can be converted into marketable quantum computers. One reason for this is that both quantum computation and ...
