Introduction: The management of obesity is difficult with many failures of lifestyle measures, hence the need to broaden the range of treatments prescribed. The aim of our work was to study the influence of pre and probiotics on weight loss psychological profile and metabolic parameters in obese patients.Methods: It is a clinical trial involving 45 obese patients, recruited from the Obesity Unit of the National Institute of Nutrition between March and August 2022 divided into three groups: diet only (low‐carbohydrate and reduced energy diet), prebiotics (30 g of carob/day) and probiotics (one tablet containing Bifidobacterium longum, Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactococcus lactis, Streptococcus thermophilus/day). The three groups were matched for age, sex and BMI. Patients were seen after 1 month from the intervention. Anthropometric measures, biological parameters, dietary survey and psychological scores were performed.Results: The average age of our population was 48.73 ± 7.7 years, with a female predominance. All three groups showed a significant decrease in weight, BMI and waist circumference with p < .05. Only the prebiotic and probiotic group showed a significant decrease in fat mass (p = .001) and a significant increase in muscle strength with p = .008 and .004, but the differences were not significant between the three groups. Our results showed also a significant decrease in insulinemia and HOMA‐IR in the prebiotic group compared to the diet‐alone group (p = .03; p = .012) and the probiotic group showed a significant decrease in fasting blood glucose compared to the diet alone group (p = .02). A significant improvement in sleep quality was noted in the prebiotic group (p = .02), with a significant decrease in depression, anxiety and stress in all three groups.Conclusions: The prescription of prebiotics and probiotics with the lifestyle measures seems interesting for the management of obesity especially if it is sarcopenic, in addition to the improvement of metabolic parameters and obesity‐related psychiatric disorders.

Background: Taste changes are common during pregnancy and can have a significant impact on dietary habits. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the influence of the perception of sweet and fat taste on diet in pregnant diabetic women. Methods: This cross-sectional observational study included 66 pregnant women, 33 with gestational diabetes and 33 with pre-gestational type 2 diabetes. Taste perception tests were conducted to evaluate thresholds for detecting sweet and fatty tastes. Dietary surveys were used to assess daily nutrient intake, and various biochemical parameters, such as glycemia, HbA1c, and cholesterol, were analyzed. Results: The low-fat taster group (threshold > 0.75 mmol/L) included more patients with diabetes compared to those with gestational diabetes. All diabetic patients had low sucrose perception. Although pregnant women with gestational diabetes detected sweetness at high concentrations, pregnant women with diabetes detected it at lower concentrations (0.012 ± 0.023 mmol/L vs. 0.006 ± 0.005 mmol/L; p = 0.3). High-fat tasters exhibited elevated glycemia compared to low-fat tasters (6.04 ± 1.88 mmol/L vs. 7.47 ± 3.4 mmol/L; p = 0.03). They also had higher cholesterol (p = 0.04) and lower HDL-C levels (4.96 ± 1.04 mmol/L vs. 1.36 ± 0.29 mmol/L; p = 0.03). High-fat tasters showed more frequent daily consumption of oil, butter, cheese, and chocolate. The highly sweet tasters had higher cholesterol levels and lower LDL levels. Individuals who reported being highly sensitive to sweet taste consumed more daily oil, sweetened yogurt, or cream desserts, as well as white sugar. Conclusions: These findings indicate that altered sensitivity to fat and sweet tastes is associated with different dietary habits and metabolic profiles in pregnant women with diabetes. Specifically, reduced sensitivity to the taste of fat is associated with higher consumption of high-fat foods and poorer lipid profiles. In contrast, sensitivity to sweet taste correlates with an increased intake of sugary and fatty foods. Understanding these taste-related behaviors can help develop personalized nutritional strategies to improve metabolic control and maternal–fetal outcomes in this high-risk group.

Background: Childhood obesity is a growing public health challenge, with altered taste perception potentially influencing food choices and contributing to weight gain. Objective: To determine detection thresholds for linoleic acid (fat taste) and sucrose (sweet taste) in children aged 6–12 years, and to explore associations with obesity, dietary intake, and food preferences. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 100 Tunisian children (mean age: 8.05 ± 1.44 years; 54% girls; 45 obese, 55 non-obese) were recruited from an educational support center in Nabeul. Taste sensitivity was evaluated using the 3-alternative forced choice (3-AFC) method with ascending concentrations of linoleic acid (0.018–12.0 mM) for fat taste and sucrose (0.00125–0.32 mol/L) for sweet taste. Participants were categorized as tasters or non-tasters based on detection thresholds. Anthropometric measurements, 24 h dietary recalls, food frequency questionnaires, and food preference assessments were also conducted. Results: Low taste sensitivity was common (93% for sweet, 49% for fat). Girls were more often fat tasters than boys (68.6% vs. 31.4%, p = 0.003). Children with obesity had higher fat taste thresholds (median 3.00 mM, range 0.37–12.0) than non-obese peers (median 1.50 mM, range 0.018–6.0; p = 0.012), indicating reduced fat taste sensitivity. Linear regression showed a significant positive association between fat taste threshold and BMI (p = 0.001), meaning higher detection thresholds corresponded to higher BMI. Sweet taste thresholds did not differ significantly between children with and without obesity (p = 0.731). Sweet non-tasters consumed more sucrose (85.9 ± 64.9 g/d vs. 70.3 ± 62.3 g/d; p = 0.033) and reported more frequent table sugar use (p = 0.047). Fat non-tasters consumed more magnesium (425 ± 414 mg/d vs. 287 ± 60.8 mg/d; p = 0.026) and fiber (22.9 ± 7.51 g/d vs. 20.3 ± 5.32 g/d; p = 0.048) and reported higher intake frequencies of cheese (p = 0.039), sour cream (p = 0.004), and fast food (p = 0.012). Food preferences reflected similar patterns, with non-tasters generally rating high-fat or high-sugar foods more favorably. While most children demonstrated high detection thresholds, girls showed significantly higher fat taste sensitivity compared to boys (p = 0.03). Children with obesity exhibited significantly higher fat taste detection thresholds compared to non-obese children (p = 0.012), with thresholds ranging from 0.37 to 12.0 mM versus 0.018 to 6.0 mM, respectively. No significant difference was observed for sweet taste perception between weight groups (p = 0.731). Conclusions: Nearly half of the children exhibited reduced fat taste sensitivity, which was moderately associated with obesity and positively linked to BMI.

Background: Taste disorders (TDs) have been reported to be very common in patients suffering from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. In most of the hitherto conducted studies, a gustatory assessment was performed on the basis of surveys or self-reports by patients. The aim of our study was to undertake an objective assessment of four basic taste qualities by conducting tasting sessions that allowed detection thresholds in COVID-19 Tunisian patients and to study their associations with inflammation. Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on 89 patients aged between 21 to 70 years who had been diagnosed with COVID-19. We used Burghart taste strips to assess taste perception of the four taste qualities, i.e., sour, bitter, sweet, and salty. Serum levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured. Results: Taste disorders were reported by 40.4% of the patients, while objective assessments revealed that 63.8% of participants were suffering from hypogeusia and/or ageusia. Sour taste was the most altered (70.8%) gustatory quality. Patients with severe COVID-19 had significantly lower sour and bitter taste scores when compared to patients with minor/moderate forms. There was no significant association between serum inflammatory markers and taste disorders. However, the relationship between bitter and sweet taste qualities and IL-1β levels was significant (p = 0.018 and p = 0.041). Conclusions: Our results demonstrate the interest in the objective assessment of taste dysfunctions in COVID-19 patients.

Introduction: A substantial proportion of obese subjects are metabolically healthy and free from metabolic complications. Many mechanisms that could explain the existence of the metabolically healthy obese phenotype have been suggested, involving in particular a healthy lifestyle and diet. The aim of this study was to study the anthropometric, nutritional and biological profile of two groups: obese with metabolic syndrome (MS+) and obese without metabolic syndrome (MS-). Methods: It is a cross-sectional study, conducted between January 2022 and 15 March 2022. We recruited 90 obese MS+ and 82 obese MS - . Both groups were matched for age and sex. The glycemia, triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), HDL-C, LDL-C were measured as well as the body composition and anthropometric data. The diet was determined by the 24-hour recalls. Eating disorders, sleep disorders (PSS4 scale) and depression (HADS) were also searched. Results: In MS+ group we noticed: higher BMI, waist circumference, more caloric diet, elevated consumption of saccharides. This group had more eating disorders such as night eating syndrome and bulimia and sleeping disorders (sleep onset and total insomnia). MS + group was more stressed and depressed. The MS – group had a Mediterranean diet and had more intake of: EPA, DHA, olive oil, green tea, oleaginous fruits, linseed, vegetables and whole grains. They also practiced more fasting. Conclusions: It is important to know the protective nutritional factors of the metabolic syndrome in order to be able to focus on them during education sessions and thus protect the obese from metabolic complications.

Background: Probiotics can modulate the microbiota and decrease uric acid levels. Objectives: This meta-analysis aimed to assess the effects of probiotics on uric acid levels. Methods: The keywords “probiotics”, “uric acid”, “gout”, “hyperuricemia” were searched in PubMed Medline, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. The search was limited to the English, French, Italian, and Spanish languages, and to the period between 1 January 2000 to 30 August 2024. We included RCTs and observational studies comparing probiotics to placebo. We excluded studies reporting (1) prebiotics, symbiotics, or postbiotics, (2) animal studies, and (3) case reports, commentaries, or reviews. Two independent reviewers performed quality assessment and data extraction. This meta-analysis was performed according to the PRISMA 2020 and AMSTAR 2 guidelines. The main outcome measure was uric acid levels “after–before” probiotic versus placebo interventions. Forest plots summarized the data using a random model. Results: Nine studies included 394 patients, of whom 201 were treated with probiotics and 193 with placebo. There was a statistically significant difference in favor of the probiotic group compared with the control group regarding the main outcome measure. However, substantial heterogeneity was noted, explained (after applying subgroup analysis and meta-regression) by the following moderators: continent, diseased/healthy, male sex, and monostrain probiotics. Conclusions: This meta-analysis demonstrates that probiotics reduced uric acid levels in Asian males who had disease and were treated with monostrain probiotics.