Background: The antidiabetic and hypoglycemic effects of chitosan have been reported in previous studies. We have previously shown that chitosan oligosaccharide reduces postprandial blood glucose levels in vivo. We conducted a short-term crossover study to support the results of the previous study. Methods: The study was a randomized, double-blind, controlled crossover trial completed at one clinical research site. Subjects with impaired glucose tolerance and impaired fasting glucose and healthy subjects were randomly assigned to consume one of two different experimental test capsules that differed in only the sample source (GO2KA1 vs placebo), and all subjects were instructed to consume the 75 g sucrose within 15 min. After a 7-day interval, the subjects consumed the other capsules that were not consumed on the first day. We assessed blood glucose levels using a 2-h oral sucrose tolerance test. The study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03650023). Results: The test group showed significantly lower blood glucose levels at 60 min (p = 0.010) and postprandial blood glucose areas under the curve (p = 0.012). The change in blood glucose levels at 60 min was significantly lower in the test group than in the placebo group (p = 0.017). Conclusions: Based on the results of this study, the consumption of chitosan oligosaccharide (GO2KA1) supplements with a meal can effectively reduce postprandial blood glucose levels, which is relevant to the prevention of diabetes.

Objective: The aim of the study is to investigate the effect of Jeju steamed onion (ONIRO) on body fat and metabolic profiles in overweight subjects. Methods: This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical intervention was conducted and completed at one clinical research site. The subjects (n = 70) were randomly divided into placebo or test group and were instructed to take before each meal either the placebo or ONIRO capsule for 12 weeks. Anthropometric as well as serum and metabolic parameters, including triglycerides, cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, leptin, adiponectin, C-peptide, and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were measured at baseline and after 12 weeks. Body composition was also measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and computed tomography (CT). This trial is registered under the trial registration code clinicaltrials.gov: NCT03645382 (https://register.clinicaltrials.gov). Results: Compared to the placebo, ONIRO supplementation for significantly reduced the percentage of body fat and fat mass as measured by DEXA (p = 0.028 and 0.022, respectively) with no significant effects on lean body mass. CT analyses at the L1 level showed a significant decrease in the areas of whole fat, visceral fat, and subcutaneous fat (p = 0.009, p = 0.039, p = 0.020, respectively), while CT scan of L4 resulted in a significant reduction of whole fat area and subcutaneous area (p = 0.006 and p = 0.012, respectively). The levels of triglycerides (TG) and C-peptide were significantly lower after 12 weeks of ONIRO treatment. Conclusions: These findings suggest that ONIRO supplementation reduces total body fat, notably abdominal visceral fat, with positive changes of the clinically relevant metabolic parameters serum TG and C-peptide.

OBJECTIVES: Chrono-nutrition emphasizes meal timing in preventing obesity and metabolic disorders. This study explores the impact of temporal dietary patterns (TDPs) on obesity and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Korean adults aged 20 years to 65 years.METHODS: We utilized dynamic time warping method and Kernel k-means clustering to investigate diet quality and the odds ratios (ORs) of obesity and MetS with different TDPs using data from the 7th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.RESULTS: Participants were divided into three groups based on relative energy intake over 24 hours. After adjusting for age and gender, Cluster 3 (with the highest proportion of energy intake in the evening) had the lowest Healthy Eating Index scores compared to other clusters. Following adjustment for key covariates, Cluster 3 showed the highest values for body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure, total cholesterol, and triglycerides. Compared to Cluster 1 (with a lower proportion of energy intake in the evening), Cluster 2 and Cluster 3 had ORs for obesity of 1.12 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.97 to 1.30) and 1.19 (95% CI, 1.03 to 1.37), respectively. For MetS, the ORs were 1.26 (95% CI, 1.08 to 1.48) and 1.37 (95% CI, 1.17 to 1.61) when comparing Cluster 2 and Cluster 3 to Cluster 1.CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals that individuals with higher energy intake in the evening have increased odds of obesity and MetS, even after adjusting for major covariates, including age and total energy intake.

Background: The current study aimed to screen for relationships and different potential metabolic biomarkers involved between metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) and metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO) in adolescents. Methods: The study included 148 obese adolescents aged between 14 and 16. The study participants were divided into MUO and MHO groups based on the age-specific adolescent metabolic syndrome (MetS) criteria of the International Diabetes Federation. The current study was conducted to investigate the clinical and metabolic differences between the MHO and MUO groups. Multivariate analyses were conducted to investigate the metabolites as independent predictors for the odds ratio and the presence of the MetS. Results: There were significant differences in the three acylcarnitines, five amino acids, glutamine/glutamate ratio, three biogenic amines, two glycerophospholipids, and the triglyceride-glucose index between the MUO group and those in the MHO group. Moreover, several metabolites were associated with the prevalence of MUO. Additionally, several metabolites were inversely correlated with MHO in the MUO group. Conclusions: In this study, the biomarkers found in this study have the potential to reflect the clinical outcomes of the MUO group. These biomarkers will lead to a better understanding of MetS in obese adolescents.