Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of metabolic risk factors for diabetes, coronary heart disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and some tumors. It includes insulin resistance, visceral adiposity, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. MetS is primarily linked to lipotoxicity, with ectopic fat deposition from fat storage exhaustion, more than obesity per se. Excessive intake of long-chain saturated fatty acid and sugar closely relates to lipotoxicity and MetS through several pathways, including toll-like receptor 4 activation, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma regulation (PPARγ), sphingolipids remodeling, and protein kinase C activation. These mechanisms prompt mitochondrial dysfunction, which plays a key role in disrupting the metabolism of fatty acids and proteins and in developing insulin resistance. By contrast, the intake of monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and medium-chain saturated (low-dose) fatty acids, as well as plant-based proteins and whey protein, favors an improvement in sphingolipid composition and metabolic profile. Along with dietary modification, regular exercises including aerobic, resistance, or combined training can target sphingolipid metabolism and improve mitochondrial function and MetS components. This review aimed to summarize the main dietary and biochemical aspects related to the physiopathology of MetS and its implications for mitochondrial machinery while discussing the potential role of diet and exercise in counteracting this complex clustering of metabolic dysfunctions.

Although sphingolipids are key players in lipotoxicity and metabolic diseases, their response to bariatric surgery and their relation to metabolic improvement remain unclear. This pilot study investigated plasma sphingolipid remodeling after Roux‐en‐Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and its associations with clinical and biochemical markers of postoperative metabolic improvement in women with obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Plasma samples, anthropometric, body composition, and biochemical data (glucose, HbA1c, insulin, C‐peptide, and lipid profile) were collected from 30 participants before and 3 months after surgery. T2DM remission was defined according to ADA 2021 criteria. Plasma sphingolipids were identified using untargeted metabolomics, which involved ultra‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using Jamovi (version 2.2.5) and MetaboAnalyst (versions 5.0 and 6.0). RYGB led to reductions in body weight and anthropometric measures, with improved body composition. Patients demonstrated glycemic improvement, with 18 achieving remission of T2DM. The lipid profile also improved, with a decline in total cholesterol driven by reductions in pro‐atherogenic fractions. Among 32 plasma sphingolipids identified, 21 changed significantly after surgery. Sphingolipids showed strong‐to‐robust correlations with the lipid profile, particularly SM(d18:1/20:0) and SM(d18:1/22:0) with total cholesterol and LDL‐c after surgery, but moderate and poor correlations with body composition, and glycemic markers, respectively. Plasma sphingolipids underwent significant remodeling after RYGB, with strong associations with plasma cholesterol, particularly with SM(d18:1/20:0) and SM(d18:1/22:0). These findings suggest that specific sphingolipid species may contribute to or reflect plasma lipid adaptations to surgery and warrant further investigation as potential metabolic biomarkers. Trial Registration: This protocol is part of a broader umbrella study registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov under the identifier NCT01251016

Background/Objectives Maternal anthropometric changes are rapid during pregnancy and reflect increments in maternal and fetal tissues. These dynamic changes in body composition and shape during pregnancy are associated with maternal and fetal outcomes and are often monitored with simple tools such as a flexible tape for quantifying selected circumferences. The current study aim was to evaluate the hypothesis that circumferential measures of maternal body size and shape acquired with a 3D-optical imaging system will correlate, be accurate, and agree closely with ground-truth estimates made with a flexible tape by trained staff. Subjects/Methods 3D-optical scans and flexible tape measurements were acquired at 15-, 25-, and 35-weeks of gestation in 57, 41, and 35 participants, respectively. 3D avatars obtained at each time point were analyzed for waist (two sites), hip, mid-upper arm, mid-thigh, and calf circumferences. 3D-optical and flexible tape measurements were compared using linear regression analyses (r, r ²s), mean absolute errors (MAEs), root-mean square errors (RMSEs), concordance correlation coefficients (CCCs), and Bland-Altman plots. Results Overall, associations between 3D and conventional anthropometric measurements were strong (univariate linear regression r values, 0.80–0.98; p’s all <0.001) with good corresponding accuracy and agreement at all five anatomic sites (MAEs, –8.5 to 0.8 cm; RMSEs, 0.61–9.94 cm; CCCs 0.6–1.0; small significant (p < 0.05) bias was present at some sites/timepoints for some measures). Post hoc analyses revealed a potential basis for impact of advancing pregnancy on between-method differences. Conclusions Strong associations, good accuracy, and close agreement with flexible tape circumference measurements, combined with feasible implementation, supports further development of 3D-optical technology as an alternative to conventional anthropometry for evaluating and monitoring body size, shape, and composition over the course of pregnancy.

Sarcopenia is a time relevant topic and a worldwide aging and health problem that is linked to COVID-19 sequelae and brought into light its main concern after COVID-19 pandemic. The authors have a very simple and I comprehensive writing. I have some...