In this study, antagonistic activities and probiotic potential of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) derived from a plant-based fermented food, kimchi, were demonstrated. The cell free supernatants (CFS) from Lactobacillus curvatus KCCM 43119, Leuconostoc mesenteroides KCCM 43060, Weissella cibaria KCTC 3746, and W. koreensis KCCM 41517 completely inhibited the growth of foodborne pathogenic bacteria, while neutralized CFS (pH 6.5) partially inhibited the growth. The competition, exclusion, and displacement of foodborne pathogenic bacteria by the LAB strains from adhesion to HT-29 cells were investigated. The LAB strains were able to compete with, exclude, and displace the foodborne pathogenic bacteria. However, the degree of inhibition due to the adhesion was found to be a LAB strain-dependent phenomenon. The LAB strains showed high coaggregation with foodborne pathogenic bacteria, and they also exhibited high resistance to acidic condition. Except W. cibaria KCTC 3746, all LAB strains were capable of surviving in the presence of bile salts. Furthermore, while all LAB strains were resistant to chloramphenicol, kanamycin, streptomycin, gentamicin, and erythromycin, only W. cibaria KCTC 3746 and W. koreensis KCCM 41517 displayed resistance to vancomycin. These results suggest that the LAB strains derived from kimchi exerted antagonistic activities against foodborne pathogenic bacteria with probiotic potential.

Many studies have explored the relationship between coffee—one of the most commonly consumed beverages today—and obesity. Despite inconsistent results, the relationship has not been systematically summarized. Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis by compiling data from 12 epidemiologic studies identified from PubMed and Embase through February 2019. The included studies assessed obesity by body mass index (BMI, a measure of overall adiposity) or waist circumference (WC, a measure of central adiposity); analyzed the measure as a continuous outcome or binary outcome. Using random effects model, weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were obtained for continuous outcomes; summary relative risk (RR) and 95% CI for the highest vs. lowest categories of coffee intake were estimated for binary outcome. For BMI, WMD was −0.08 (95% CI −0.14, −0.02); RR was 1.49 (95% CI 0.97, 2.29). For WC, WMD was −0.27 (95% CI −0.51, −0.02) and RR was 1.07 (95% CI 0.84, 1.36). In subgroup analysis by sex, evidence for an inverse association was more evident in men, specifically for continuous outcome, with WMD −0.05 (95% CI −0.09, −0.02) for BMI and −0.21 (95% CI −0.35, −0.08) for WC. Our meta-analysis suggests that higher coffee intake might be modestly associated with reduced adiposity, particularly in men.

Dietary fibre is believed to provide important health benefits including protection from colorectal cancer. However, the evidence on the relationships with different dietary fibre sources is mixed and little is known about which fibre source provides the greatest benefits. We conducted a dose–response meta-analysis of prospective cohorts to summarise the relationships of different fibre sources with colorectal cancer and adenoma risks. Analyses were restricted to publications that reported all fibre sources (cereals, vegetables, fruits, legumes) to increase comparability between results. PubMed and Embase were searched through August 2018 to identify relevant studies. The summary relative risks (RR) and 95 % CI were estimated using a random-effects model. This analysis included a total of ten prospective studies. The summary RR of colorectal cancer associated with each 10 g/d increase in fibre intake were 0·91 (95 % CI 0·82, 1·00; I² = 0 %) for cereal fibre, 0·95 (95 % CI 0·87, 1·03, I² = 0 %) for vegetable fibre, 0·91 (95 % CI 0·78, 1·06, I² = 43 %) for fruit fibre and 0·84 (95 % CI 0·63, 1·13, I² = 45 %) for legume fibre. For cereal fibre, the association with colorectal cancer risk remained statistically significant after adjustment for folate intake (RR 0·89, 95 % CI 0·80, 0·99, I² = 2 %). For vegetable and fruit fibres, the dose–response curve suggested evidence of non-linearity. All fibre sources were inversely associated with incident adenoma (per 10 g/d increase: RR 0·81 (95 % CI 0·54, 1·21) cereals, 0·84 (95 % CI 0·71, 0·98) for vegetables, 0·78 (95 % CI 0·65, 0·93) for fruits) but not associated with recurrent adenoma. Our data suggest that, although all fibre sources may provide some benefits, the evidence for colorectal cancer prevention is strongest for fibre from cereals/grains.

Collagen hydrolysate is a well-known nutritional supplement for the improvement of healthy skin. Here, collagen peptide NS (CPNS) from fish scale was prepared, and its physicochemical properties were investigated. Gly-Pro was revealed as a representative low molecular weight peptide of CPNS, by performing prep-HPLC and LC-MS/MS. CPNS treatment attenuated matrix metalloproteinase-1 production and increased the synthesis of type 1 procollagen in HDF cells. After orally administering CPNS to rats, the plasma concentrations of Gly-Pro and Pro-Hyp increased dramatically. To examine the protective effects of CPNS against ultraviolet B (UVB)-induced photoaging in vivo, the dorsal skins of hairless mice were exposed to UVB and supplemented with CPNS for 12 weeks. The CPNS consumption significantly attenuated UVB-induced wrinkle formation, transepidermal water loss, and epidermis thickness, and increased skin hydration. Collectively, these results suggest that bioactive peptides of CPNS, Gly-Pro and Pro-Hyp, exert beneficial effects on skin health.