Browsing by Author "McTernan, Philip G."

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • No Thumbnail Available
    ItemMetadata only
    Is freeze-dried superfood kale supplementation healthier than common green peas? Outcomes of a cross-over trial
    (Frontiers, 2024-07-24) Aldisi, Dara; Sabico, Shaun; Almiman, Abeer; Al-Farraj, Amani; Basaeed, Taghreed A.; Wani, Kaiser; Hussain, Syed D.; Ansari, Mohammed G. A.; McTernan, Philip G.; Al-Daghri, Nasser M.
    Kale (Brassica oleracea species) is considered a functional food whose macronutrient and phytochemical contents are considered beneficial and widely considered as a superfood. In the present 6-week cross-over trial with a 2-week washout period, we compared the beneficial effects of freeze-dried kale over peas among Arab women with obesity. A total of 124 Saudi women with obesity were allocated to receive either freeze-dried kale (n = 62) or freeze-dried peas (n = 62) given in the form of 3-gram sachets thrice daily for 2 weeks, followed by a 2-week washout period and a cross-over of 4 weeks. Anthropometric measurements, glucose, lipids and markers of gut barrier function were assessed at baseline and post-intervention. Participants who took kale supplementation first resulted in significant weight reduction (p = 0.02) which was not observed among those who took peas first. Participants receiving pea supplementation first experienced a significant decline in Hba1c (p = 0.005) and CD14 (p = 0.03), but C-peptide increased (p = 0.05). Crossover analysis revealed significant carryover effects in most variables with non-significant combined treatment effects. Among the variables with no carryover effect with significant combined treatment effect include HbA1c which was in favor of the pea group (p = 0.005) and C-peptide which was modestly in favor of the kale group (p = 0.05). While both freeze dried kale and pea supplementation appear beneficial, supplementation of freeze-dried pea appears to be more effective in terms of acute glycemic control than kale. The study suggests that common but less-hyped vegetables such as pea maybe equally, if not more beneficial than the more expensive promoted superfoods such as kale. Longer clinical trials using a parallel design instead of cross-over are recommended to strengthen present findings.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Maternal B12 deficiency during pregnancy dysregulates fatty acid metabolism and induces inflammation in human adipose tissue
    (Springer, 2025-04-23) McTernan, Philip G.; Samavat, Jinous; Boachie, Joseph; Christian, Mark; Saravanan, Ponnusamy; Adaikalakoteswari, Antonysunil
    Background Adipose tissue (AT) responds to excess calorie intake; however, the deficit in micronutrients accompanied by the modern lifestyle is often overlooked. Micronutrient deficiency in pregnancy, particularly vitamin B12 (B12), is commonly associated with higher adiposity, dyslipidemia, and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Studies have demonstrated that dyslipidemia can trigger pro-inflammatory status. However, the release of the pro-inflammatory factors in a tissue-specific micronutrient deficient environment is unexplored. Therefore, we investigated the role of B12 deficiency on lipid metabolism and inflammatory mediators in both in vitro and ex vivo models including human pre-adipocytes, primary adipocytes, mature human white AT (WAT), and its association with metabolic risk. Methods Paired abdominal subcutaneous and omental WAT (ScWAT and OmWAT) were chosen based on serum B12 (< 150 pM) from 115 Caucasian pregnant women. Human primary Sc adipocytes from women with different BMI (lean, overweight, obese, morbidly obese) and pre-adipocyte cell line (Chub-S7) were differentiated in various concentrations of B12. Serum B12, folate, lipids, cytokines, biochemical parameters, gene expression, intracellular triglyceride (TG), and mitochondrial function were assessed. Results In pregnant women with low B12 levels, BMI and serum TG were significantly higher, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) was lower (p < 0.05). B12 deficiency in both depots of AT correlated with higher expression of genes in fatty acid (FA) synthesis, elongation, desaturation, TG synthesis, and reduced fatty acid oxidation (FAO) (p < 0.05). In vitro adipocytes with low B12 demonstrated that TG synthesis utilizing radiolabeled FA was higher and mitochondrial function was impaired. We also found that the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in AT was increased, and circulatory cytokines inversely associated with serum B12 (p < 0.05). Conclusions Our novel data highlights that B12 deficiency dysregulates lipids and induces inflammation in AT and circulation, which could contribute to adipocyte dysfunction exacerbating cardiometabolic risk during pregnancy.