The causal relationship between serum ferritin and metabolic syndrome (MetS) remains inconclusive. Dietary iron intake increases serum ferritin. The objective of this study was to evaluate associations of total, heme, and nonheme dietary iron intake with MetS and its components in men and women in metropolitan China. Data from 3099 participants in the Shanghai Diet and Health Survey (SDHS) obtained during 2012–2013 were included in this analysis. Dietary intake was assessed by 24-h diet records from 3 consecutive days. Multivariate generalized linear mixed models were used to evaluate the associations of dietary iron intake with MetS and its components. After adjustment for potential confounders as age, sex, income, physical exercise, smoking status, alcohol use, and energy intake, a positive trend was observed across quartiles of total iron intake and risk of MetS (p for trend = 0.022). Compared with the lowest quartile of total iron intake (<12.72 mg/day), the highest quartile (≥21.88 mg/day) had an odds ratio (95% confidence interval), OR (95% CI), of 1.59 (1.15,2.20). In addition, the highest quartile of nonheme iron intake (≥20.10 mg/day) had a 1.44-fold higher risk of MetS compared with the lowest quartile (<11.62 mg/day), and higher risks of MetS components were associated with the third quartiles of total and nonheme iron intake. There was no association between heme iron intake and risk of MetS (p for trend = 0.895). Associations for total and nonheme iron intake with MetS risk were found in men but not in women. Total and nonheme dietary iron intake was found to be positively associated with MetS and its components in the adult population in metropolitan China. This research also revealed a gender difference in the association between dietary iron intake and MetS.

Polygonatum sibiricum Polysaccharide (PsP) with antioxidant function is the main active component of Polygonatum sibiricum (P.sibiricum). The currently poor extraction yield and extraction methods of PsP cannot meet the application of that in food industrial production. In this research, an ultrasound-assisted extraction-deep eutectic solvents (UAE-DESs) method, which has never been used in the PsP industry, was first used to extract PsP. The extraction conditions were optimized by the response surface method (RSM). Both the extraction yield and antioxidant function were simultaneously considered during the optimization process. The indicators of PsP’s level and antioxidant activity in vitro were used to present the extraction yield of the UAE-DESs method, the purity, and the antioxidant effect of PsP. Under the optimal conditions, which included a liquid–solid ratio of 26:1 (mL:g), extraction temperature of 80 °C, ultrasonic time of 51 min, and ultrasonic power of 82 W, the PsP extraction yield could reach (43.61 ± 0.09)%, which was obviously higher than single DESs (33.81%) and UAE (5.83%), respectively, and the PsP appeared favorably antioxidant function. This research proposed an efficient extraction method for PsP, filled the basic research gap, and further improved the development of PsP as a dietary supplement with antioxidant function in the food industry.

This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of malnutrition and to investigate the associated factors of stunting among 6–23-month-old infants in poor rural areas of central China. The China Nutrition Improvement Project on Children in Poor Areas was conducted in 56 national-level poor counties of seven provinces in 2019. We performed a multivariate binary logistic regression analysis to determine the associated factors of stunting. This cross-sectional study included 17,193 infants. The overall prevalence of stunting was the highest (3.9%), followed by overweight (3.0%), underweight (2.1%), wasting (2.0%), and obesity (0.5%). Girls [OR = 0.55, 95% CI (0.46, 0.65)], infants meeting requirements of minimum diversity diet [OR = 0.81, 95% CI (0.67, 0.98)], and mothers with middle-school or high-school education and above decreased the prevalence of stunting. Infants with diarrhea in two weeks [OR = 1.26,95% CI (0.98, 1.62)] were at higher odds of stunting. The malnutrition status in the study areas was improved, and vulnerable infants were found to need additional and earlier monitoring to detect and fundamentally prevent undernutrition.

Background: Iron, zinc and magnesium perform differently in body metabolism but exist in similar food. This study was to evaluate the associations of dietary iron, zinc and magnesium with metabolic syndrome (MetS). Methods: A sample of a total of 5323 participants from four of China’s mega cities was included in the current study. Both a 3-day 24-h dietary recall and household condiment weighing were applied to assess dietary intake, respectively. Hierarchical logistic regression models were used to evaluate the associations of dietary iron, zinc and magnesium with MetS. Results: After adjusting for age, sex, region, years of education, physical activity level, intended physical exercises, smoking status, alcohol use, daily energy intake and mutual adjustment for dietary iron, zinc and magnesium, significant positive trends were found across quartiles of total dietary iron and the risk of MetS, as well as for magnesium and MetS (p value for trends = 0.01 and 0.02, respectively); dietary zinc was inversely associated with MetS risk (p value for trend < 0.01). Magnesium from grains and potato was positively associated with MetS (p value for trend < 0.01). Conclusions: Dietary iron and magnesium were positively associated with the risk of MetS, while zinc was inversely associated with the risk of MetS, in China’s mega cities. The positive association of magnesium with MetS could be a result confounding by other factors correlated with magnesium in grains and potato, which warrants further study.

Although our previous research has indicated that the ultrasound-assisted extraction–deep eutectic solvent method possessed the highest extraction yield for Polygonatum sibiricum Polysaccharide, it is uncertain whether the Polygonatum sibiricum Polysaccharide that was extracted by the ultrasound-assisted extraction–deep eutectic solvent method possesses the same performance as that extracted by other methods and whether separation and purification affect the performance of Polygonatum sibiricum Polysaccharide. This paper aimed to compare the differences in performance among the Polygonatum sibiricum Polysaccharides extracted using different methods, including the ultrasound-assisted extraction–deep eutectic solvent method, which was the first method used by our team to extract Polygonatum sibiricum Polysaccharide. This paper also aimed to compare the differences in Polygonatum sibiricum Polysaccharides before and after they were separated and purified. The extraction yield, structural composition, and antioxidant activity of Polygonatum sibiricum Polysaccharides were compared, respectively. The extraction yield (45.08%) obtained by the ultrasound-assisted extraction–deep eutectic solvent method was the highest (p < 0.05), the structural compositions of Polygonatum sibiricum Polysaccharides extracted using different methods were similar, and the separated and purified Polygonatum sibiricum Polysaccharide was a neutral polysaccharide. The 2,2–diphenyl–1–picrylhydrazyl and 2,20–azino–bis (3–ethylbenzothiazoline–6–sulfoniacid) levels in the Polygonatum sibiricum Polysaccharide extracted by the ultrasound-assisted extraction–deep eutectic solvent method were significantly higher than those obtained using other methods (p < 0.05), and the antioxidant activity of the Polygonatum sibiricum Polysaccharide extracted by this method was significantly higher after it was separated and purified (p < 0.05). This study not only proved that the ultrasound-assisted extraction–deep eutectic solvent method could increase the extraction yield and keep the structural composition and antioxidant activity of Polygonatum sibiricum Polysaccharide at the maximum levels but also confirmed that the extracted Polygonatum sibiricum Polysaccharide should not be further separated and purified, providing a potential technique to extract Polygonatum sibiricum Polysaccharide. This study will further promote the application of Polygonatum sibiricum Polysaccharides in the health product industry.

Exercise (Ex) has been recognized as an effective way of obesity prevention, but it shows a dual effect on the body's antioxidant system. Ferulic acid (FA) is a kind of phenolic acid with well-known antioxidant capacity and numerous health benefits. Therefore, the aim of the study was to compare the antiobesity effect of Ex, FA, and Ex combined with FA (Ex-FA) in vivo and to illustrate the potential mechanisms. Mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) with or without administration of Ex, FA, and Ex-FA for 13 weeks. The body weight, antioxidant ability, Ex performance, and lipid profiles in the serum, liver, and skeletal muscle were compared among the groups, and serum metabolomics analysis was conducted. The results showed that Ex, FA, and Ex-FA exhibited a similar effect on body weight management. Ex had a more beneficial function by alleviating HFD-induced dyslipidemia than FA, while FA exerted a more efficient effect in mitigating lipid deposition in the liver and skeletal muscle. Ex-FA showed comprehensive effects in the regulation of the lipid contents in serum, liver, and skeletal muscle, and provoked enhancement effects on antioxidant ability and Ex capacity. Mice administered with Ex, FA, and Ex-FA showed different metabolic profiles, which might be achieved through different metabolic pathways. The findings of this research implied that Ex coupled with FA could become an effective and safe remedy for the management of dietary-induced obesity.