The number of known glucose transporters has expanded considerably over the past 2 years. At least three, and up to six, Na+-dependent glucose transporters (SGLT1–SGLT6; gene name SLC5A) have been identified. Similarly, thirteen members of the family of facilitative sugar transporters (GLUT1–GLUT12 and HMIT; gene name SLC2A) are now recognised. These various transporters exhibit different substrate specificities, kinetic properties and tissue expression profiles. The number of distinct gene products, together with the presence of several different transporters in certain tissues and cells (for example, GLUT1, GLUT4, GLUT5, GLUT8, GLUT12 and HMIT in white adipose tissue), indicates that glucose delivery into cells is a process of considerable complexity.

The objective of the present study was to examine the effects of fish oil (FO)- and olive oil (OO)-rich diets on Fe metabolism and oxidative stress. Rats were fed for 16 weeks with diets containing 50 g lipid/g; either OO, maize oil (MO) or FO. OO or MO diets contained a standard amount (100 m/g) of all-rac-α-tocopheryl acetate. FO diets were supplemented with 0, 100 or 200 mg all-rac-α-tocopheryl acetat/g (FO-0, FO-1 or FO-2 diets, respectively). At the end of the feeding period, we measured non-haem Fe stores in liver and spleen, and erythrocyte and reticulocyte count. We also determined antioxidants and products derived from lipid peroxidation in plasma and erythrocytes. Our results showed reduced non-haem Fe stores in rats fed any of the FO diets. Reticulocyte percentage was higher in the rats fed FO-0 and FO-1. Plasma α-tocopherol was very low in rats fed the FO-0 diet. Rats fed the FO-1 and FO-2 diets showed higher α-tocopherol in plasma than the FO-0 group but lower than the MO or OO groups. We did not observe such differences in the α-tocopherol content in erythrocyte membranes. Superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities were lower in the erythrocytes of rats fed the FO-0 diet. The products derived from lipid peroxidation were also higher in the FO groups. The administration of FO-rich diets increased lipid peroxidation and affected Fe metabolism. On the other hand, the OO-rich diet did not increase oxidative stress and did not alter Fe metabolism. Based on these results, we conclude that FO supplementation should be advised carefully.

In a previous study, we found that the extent of dietary n-3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-stimulated tissue lipid peroxidation was less than expected from the relative peroxidizability index of the total tissue lipids in rats with adequate vitamin E nutritional status. This suppression of lipid peroxidation was especially prominent in the liver. To elucidate whether this phenomenon was unique to DHA, we compared the peroxidation effects of n-3 α-linolenic acid (α-LN) and n-3 eicosapentaeonic acid (EPA) with those of DHA in rats. Either α-LN (8·6 % of total energy), EPA (8·2 %), or DHA (8·0 %) and one of two levels of dietary vitamin E (7·5 and 54 mg/kg diet) were fed to rats for 22 d. Levels of conjugated diene, chemiluminescence emission and thiobarbituric acid (TBA)-reactive substance in the liver, kidney, and testis were determined as indicators of lipid peroxidation. In rats fed the DHA diet deficient in vitamin E (7·5 m/g diet), TBA values in the liver, kidney, and testis correlated well with the tissues' relative peroxidizability indices. In rats fed the α-LN diet with an adequate level of vitamin E (54 m/g diet), a close association between relative peroxidizability indices and lipid peroxide levels was observed in all the tissues analysed. However, in rats fed either the EPA diet or the DHA diet with an adequate level of vitamin E, the extent of lipid peroxidation in each tissue was less than expected from the relative peroxidizability index. This suppression was particularly marked in the liver. We concluded that suppression of lipid peroxidation below the relative peroxidizability index was not unique to DHA, but was also seen with EPA, which has five double bonds, in rats with adequate vitamin E nutritional status, but not with α-LN, which has three double bonds.

The cat (Felis silvestris catus) has a higher dietary protein requirement than omnivores and herbivores, thought to be due to metabolic inflexibility. An aspect of metabolic flexibility was examined with studies of whole-body protein turnover at two levels of dietary protein energy, moderate protein (MP; 20 %) and high protein (HP; 70 %), in five adult cats in a crossover design. Following a 14 d pre-feed period, a single intravenous dose of [15N]glycine was administered and cumulative excretion of the isotope in urine and faeces determined over 48 h. N flux increased (P<0·005) with dietary protein, being 56 (SE 5) MMOL /G BODY WEIGHT (BW) PER D FOR CATS FED THE MP DIET AND 146 (se 8) mmol /g BW per d for cats fed the HP diet. Protein synthesis was higher (P<0·05) on the HP diet (75 (se 10) mmol /g BW per d; 6·6 (se 1) g protei/g BW per d) than the MP diet (38 (se 5) mmol /g BW per d; 3·4 (se 0·4) g protei/g BW per d). Protein breakdown was higher (P<0·05) on the HP diet (72 (se 8) mmol /g BW per d; 6·3 (se 0·7) g protei/g BW per d) than the MP diet (44 (se 3) mmol /g BW per d; 3·9 (se 0·3) g protei/g BW per d). Compared with other species the rate of whole-body protein synthesis in the well-nourished cat (9·7 (se 1·3) g protei/g BW0·75 per d) is at the lower end of the range. These results show that feline protein turnover adapts to dietary protein as has been shown in other species and demonstrates metabolic flexibility. Further work is required to determine exactly why cats have such a high protein requirement.

The influence of propionate supplementation on the splanchnic metabolism of energy-yielding nutrients and the supply of glucose to the hindlimb was investigated in growing lambs. Six rumen-cannulated and multicatheterized lambs (32·2 kg), fed frozen rye grass at 690 kJ metabolizable energy intak/ per kg body weight0·75, were infused intraruminally with a salt solution (control) or with propionate solutions at 0·55 mo/ (P1) or 0·98 mo/ (P2) according to a replicated Latin square design. In the rumen fluid, supplementation decreased the acetate:propionate molar ratio from 2·36:1 to 1·37:1, without modifying the ruminal concentrations of acetate and NH4. As a result, the portal appearance of propionate increased by 51 and 72 % with P1 and P2, respectively, and that of L-LACTATE DOUBLED. ACROSS THE Liver, net extraction of propionate increased by 47 and 67 % with P1 and P2, respectively. However, the net hepatic production of glucose remained unchanged, probably as the result of a substantial rise in insulin secretion and its hepatic extraction. Overall, the net splanchnic release of acetate, glucose and butyrate was not modified while that of L-lactate increased. Despite this, the net uptake of acetate, glucose, l-lactate and non-esterified fatty acids by the hindlimb increased. Propionate probably enhanced the storage of energy-yielding nutrients in the hindlimb, despite their unchanged release by the splanchnic tissues and the unmodified insulinaemia. Regulatory mechanisms are not clear.

Three series of experiments were conducted with fast-growing chickens in order: to evaluate the effects of dietary Ca and P on cholecalciferol metabolism and expression; to determine dietary Ca requirements; to determine dietary P requirements. The results of the first series confirmed previous results on the effects of dietary Ca and P on some variables of vitamin D metabolism and expression, Ca homeostasis and P metabolism in the young chicken (1- to 21-d-old), and extended them to older birds (22- to 43-d-old). The bone formation rate and the duodenal calbindin content were maintained at high levels until the age of 43 d. Dietary Ca or P restriction increased duodenal calbindin and decreased bone ash in both 22- and 43-d-old chickens, but the effect on bone ash was less pronounced in the 43-d-old birds than in the younger ones. These results suggest that: (a) the capabilities for adaptation to dietary Ca and P restriction remain high during the whole growing period; (b) the growing broilers express a high adaptive capability even when the diet contains the recommended Ca and P contents. The results of the second and third series of experiments suggest that: (c) unlike the Ca requirements of the 1- to 22-d-old chick, P requirements for growth and bone ash are similar, and are as high in the older chicks as in the younger ones (7·4–8·3 g P/kg or 4·8–5·7 g non-phytate P/kg diet); (d) although growth and bone ash in the 29- to 43-d-old chickens appear to be less sensitive to dietary Ca content, within a range close to the calculated P requirement, 10 g Ca/kg diet appears to be required for best tibia mineralization, and to a lesser extent for better growth at this age.

Using reverse-phase HPLC after pyridylamination, we quantified the concentrations of major neutral oligosaccharides in the milk of sixteen Japanese women collected at 4, 10, 30 and 100 d postpartum. In colostrum and mature milk (30 d lactation), lacto-N-fucopentaose (LNFP) I was the most abundant oligosaccharide, followed by 2′-fucosyllactose (2′-FL) + lacto-N-difucotetraose (LNDFT), LNFP II + lacto-N-difucohexaose II (LNDFH II), and 3-fucosyllactose (3-FL). Together these accounted for 73 % of the total weight of neutral oligosaccharides in colostrum and mature milk. Changes in concentration occurred during the course of lactation. LNFP I and 2′-FL + LNDFT increased from 4 to 10 d postpartum, and then declined by 100 d. LNFP II + LNDFH II steadily increased during the first 30 d and then declined. In contrast, 3-FL increased steadily throughout the entire 100 d of study. Large differences were observed between our data and previously published data in Italian women, in terms of both the concentration and temporal changes of each oligosaccharide. These differences may be caused by different assay methodology, although racial differences cannot be ruled out.

The decline of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) in the Gulf of Alaska appears to have been associated with a switch of diet from one dominated by fatty forage fishes (such as herring; Clupea pallasi) to one dominated by low-fat fish (such as pollock; Theragra chalcogramma). Observations made during the decline include reduced body size of sea lions, low pregnancy rates, and high mortality. We used the general mammalian model, the laboratory rat (Rattus norvegicus), to test whether changing the quality of prey consumed could cause changes in size and reproductive performance. Five groups of twelve female, weanling rats were fed diets composed of herring (H), pollock (P), pollock supplemented with herring oil (PH), pollock supplemented with pollock oil (PP), or a semi-purified diet (ICN). Mean body weights were greatest for H, followed by PH, P, PP and finally ICN, although ICN was the only group significantly different from the others (P<0·05). Food intakes before mating were 10 % higher for groups on the lower-fat diets (P and ICN), resulting in similar energy intakes in all groups. The protein efficiency ratio was highest for the H diet, slightly lower for all pollock diets, and significantly lower for ICN (P<0·05). The fetal weights for mothers fed P were significantly reduced (P<0·05). The present study shows that the energy content was a major limiting factor in the nutritional quality of pollock. When food intake was adjusted to meet energetic requirements, there were no detrimental consequences from eating pollock. However, supplementation of pollock meal with additional pollock oil may reduce growth and reproductive performance, although the reasons for this were not apparent.

In the context of the Greek segment of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) we have conducted a cross-sectional study to determine the effect of demographic, lifestyle and nutritional factors of plant origin on retinol, α-tocopherol and γ-tocopherol. Study subjects were a random sample of forty-five men and sixty-eight women, aged 30–82 years, from the Greek EPIC cohort of 27953 volunteers. Analyses were done using linear regression models with the vitamin blood levels as dependent variables, and BMI, the intake of selected food items, total energy intake and a set of demographic factors as independent variables. Women had significantly lower plasma retinol levels (P<0·006) than men. Both α- and γ-tocopherol levels increased by approximately 5 % for every additional 5 years of age. Among dietary factors, intake of non-fruity vegetables was associated with increase, while intake of added lipids other than olive oil with decrease, of plasma retinol levels. BMI was positively associated with plasma γ-tocopherol only, while none of the foods or food groups investigated significantly affected the plasma levels of either of the two tocopherols. These findings need to be confirmed before attempts are made to use them in the context of explanatory mechanistic processes.

Chronic energy restriction, α-tocopherol supplementation and their interaction with exhaustive exercise were investigated. Eleven-week-old male Wistar rats (n 6×10) were fed either a control (C), a 30 % carbohydrate-energy-restricted control (R) or an α-tocopherol-supplemented (S) diet for 5 months. The animals in each diet were divided into exercised (E) and non-exercised (NE) groups. Before killing, the exercised rats were required to run to exhaustion (39 (SE 6), 69 (se 11) and 18 (se 2) min for the C, R and S groups, respectively). Lipid peroxidation (thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances; TBARS), protein damage (reactive carbonyls) and α-tocopherol were determined in gastrocnemius, liver, brain an/r plasma. There was no difference in lipid peroxidation between the R and C groups, but in liver and muscle peroxidation appeared significantly lower in the S than the other two diets. TBARS in the brain were similar in all groups. On the other hand, reactive carbonyls showed that both the R and S diets reduced protein damage in the brain, while exhaustive exercise increased it. For liver and muscle, however, reactive carbonyl levels were similar in all groups. α-Tocopherol supplementation increased the vitamin concentrations in liver, muscle and plasma, but exercise decreased them in plasma and brain. Carbohydrate-energy restriction increased (P=0·0025) resistance to exhaustive exercise considerably without depleting stores of α-tocopherol or exacerbating oxidative damage in monitored tissues. It is concluded that while exhaustive exercise promotes a tissue-specific oxidative damage detectable only in brain proteins, both experimental diets tended to ameliorate this condition.

The present study was conducted to determine the effect of feed intake on the composition of the rumen contents of sheep and on their bacterial densities. Whole rumen contents were sampled after a period of continuous inter-rumen infusion of 15NH3 from four rumen-cannulated wethers successively fed on a hay–concentrate diet (2:1, / on a DM basis) at two rates of feed intake: 40 and 80 g D/g body weight0·75. Total weight and chemical composition of rumen contents, as well as the distribution by size and chemical composition of particles, were determined. The populations of bacteria associated with the liquid (liquid-associated bacteria, LAB) and solid (solid-associated bacteria, SAB) fractions of rumen digesta and the distribution of SAB according to feed particle size were also examined. The greater feed intake caused an increase in the mass of the rumen contents, while its chemical composition did not change, except for a higher content of organic matter (P=0·023). The distribution of feed particles by size was similar at both levels of intake. The concentrations of neutral- and acid-detergent fibre in feed particles decreased and those of total, dietary, and microbial N increased, both with a quadratic response (P=0·001), as particle size decreased. The proportion of LAB in the microbial biomass of rumen digesta reached only 8·0 %. This proportion and the density of LAB were unaffected by the level of feed intake, whereas an apparent reduction (10·4 %) occurred with the SAB biomass in whole rumen contents. A systematic, but not significant, reduction (mean value 11·9 %) in the level of microbial colonisation in the different particle fractions with the increase of feed intake was also observed.

The aim of the present study was to assess the principal food sources of energy and nutrients among Spanish children. We used a cross-sectional study design, based on results obtained from a food-frequency questionnaire. The sample included 1112 children, aged 6–7 years, from Cadiz, Madrid, Orense and Murcia, Spain. Children were selected through random cluster-sampling in schools. We analysed the percentage contributed by each food item to total energy and nutrient intake. The most important food sources were: white bread in the case of carbohydrate (13·4 %); olive oil in the case of total lipids (18·3 %) and monounsaturated fatty acids (29·2 %); whole milk in the case of protein (10·2 %) and saturated fatty acids (14·9 %); chips (French fried potatoes) in the case of polyunsaturated fatty acids (30·4 %). The greatest proportion of Na, consumed in excess, came from salt added to meals. Ham ranked second as a source of saturated fats. Fruits and green leafy vegetables proved to have great relevance as sources of fibre and vitamins, though with regard to the latter, it was observed that fortified foods (breakfast cereals, dairy products, fruit juices, etc.) had come to play a relevant role in many cases. In conclusion, the nutritional profile of Spanish school-aged children aged 6–7 years could be improved by nutritional policies targeted at limiting their consumption of ham (cured or cooked) and of salt added to meals, replacing whole milk with semi-skimmed milk, encouraging the consumption of products rich in complex carbohydrates already present in children's diets (bread, pasta, rice) and promoting less fatty ways of cooking food.

The aim of the present experiment was to test the hypothesis that during refeeding a redistribution of intra-abdominal fat takes place and that both the recovery of weight and the redistribution of intra-abdominal fat are related to the type of dietary fat. The experimental study was carried out using male Sprague–Dawley rats. Three groups of animals were fed diets with three different fatty acid profiles. Each group contained two branches, one fed normally and the other fed initially with a 50 % energy reduction followed by refeeding ad libitum with the same isoenergetic diet as the control branch, giving a total of six treatments. Measurements were made of the final and incremental weight of the rat, weight of the intra-abdominal adipose tissue (total intra-abdominal, epididymal, omental and retroperitoneal adipose tissue weight), and feed efficacy (weight incremen/etabolizable energy intake). Carcass, epididymal, omental, and muscle lipid contents, carcass protein and energy density were also measured. The results revealed that diets rich in fish oil or olive oil increase catch-up growth more than diets rich in saturated fats. During refeeding the lipid content in the adipose tissue increases while that of muscle tissue decreases. A diet rich in saturated fats induces a relative increase in the amount of intra-abdominal adipose tissue. The lipid content in adipose and muscle tissues and the distribution of intra-abdominal fat can all be modified by the type of dietary fat.

Maternal undernutrition in pregnancy results in low birth-weights and impaired postnatal survival in sheep. Largely anecdotal evidence suggests that the expression of appropriate maternal and neonate behaviours may also be disrupted by undernutrition. In the present study, we investigated the effect of a moderate (35 %) reduction in ewe nutritional intake in pregnancy on the expression of ewe–lamb bonding behaviours in primiparous Scottish Blackface ewes. Low-intake (L) ewes had significantly higher plasma progesterone than high-intake (H) ewes from mid-gestation onwards (e.g. plasma progesterone at 20 weeks (n/l): H 15·72, L 22·38, SED 1·80, P<0·001), AND A LOWER OESTRADIOL: PROGESTERONE VALUE THAN H EWES AT DELIVERY (H 0·46, L 0·35, sed 0·05, P<0·05). Lamb birth-weight was reduced in the L lambs compared with H lambs (mean body weight (kg): H 3·31, L 3·00, sed 0·14, P<0·05), but the incidence of malpresentation at delivery was greater in L lambs. L ewes spent significantly less time licking their lambs than H ewes after delivery (time grooming in 2 h after birth (%): H 56·12, L 48·17, sed 2·639, P<0·01) and were more aggressive towards the lambs. Lamb behaviours were not directly affected by maternal nutritional treatment, but lamb birth-weight had a significant effect on neonatal developmental progress. Low-birth-weight lambs were slower than heavier lambs to stand and sucked less frequently. In tests of maternal attachment to the lamb, H ewes received higher scores than L ewes at both 24 h after birth (ewes receiving high scores (%): H 41·3, L 21·4, P<0·05) and at 3 d postnatal. We conclude that even a moderate level of undernutrition impairs the attachment between ewes and lambs by affecting maternal behaviours expressed at birth. In addition, the results suggest that levels of nutrition resulting in a decrease in birth weight will affect neonatal lamb behavioural progress.

Anthropometric screening has been recommended for the detection of undernutrition as it is simple, inexpensive and non-invasive. However, a recent study estimating the prevalence of undernutrition on admission to hospital in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, highlighted that the anthropometric reference data currently available in the UK and Republic of Ireland are inadequate to accurately determine nutritional status. In order to provide current anthropometric data, we carried out a cross-sectional study of 874 free-living, apparently healthy Irish-born elderly individuals aged over 65 years. Height, weight, triceps skinfold thickness, mid-arm and calf circumference were measured, values for BMI, mid-arm muscle circumference and arm muscle area were calculated and smoothed centile data derived for each variable. One-third of these elderly individuals had a BMI between 20–25 k/2, approximately two-thirds (68·5 % of males and 61 % of females) were classified as overweight or obese, almost one-fifth having a BMI over 30 k/2 (17 % of men and 20 % of women). Very few were underweight, only 3 % having a BMI below 20 k/2. Height, weight, BMI and muscle reserves decreased with increasing age. The reduction in muscle size was associated with lower handgrip strength. Fat reserves declined with age in females only. Just over half of elderly Irish women reported participating in active leisure of 20 min duration four or more time/eek, although 13 % reported having no involvement in active leisure. These data for the Irish elderly extend the data generated from a recent countrywide survey of Irish adults aged 18–64 years, thus providing suitable reference standards for nutritional assessment of elderly Irish individuals.