Mushrooms belong to the family “Fungi” and became famous for their medicinal properties and easy accessibility all over the world. Because of its pharmaceutical properties, including anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and antioxidant properties, it became a hot topic among scientists. However, depending on species and varieties, most of the medicinal properties became indistinct. With this interest, an attempt has been made to scrutinize the role of edible mushrooms (EM) in diabetes mellitus treatment. A systematic contemporary literature review has been carried out from all records such as Science Direct, PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar with an aim to represents the work has performed on mushrooms focuses on diabetes, insulin resistance (IR), and preventive mechanism of IR, using different kinds of mushroom extracts. The final review represents that EM plays an important role in anticipation of insulin resistance with the help of active compounds, i.e., polysaccharide, vitamin D, and signifies α-glucosidase or α-amylase preventive activities. Although most of the mechanism is not clear yet, many varieties of mushrooms’ medicinal properties have not been studied properly. So, in the future, further investigation is needed on edible medicinal mushrooms to overcome the research gap to use its clinical potential to prevent non-communicable diseases.

Almonds can decrease glycemic index of co-consumed foods and are a rich source for oleic acid and α-tocopherol. The aim of the randomized, crossover, controlled feeding trial was to examine whether as compared to NCEP step II diet as control (CON), ~60 g/d almonds (ALM) added to CON would improve glucoregulation and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in 33 Chinese T2DM patients. Forty T2DM patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive CON or ALM for 12 wks after a 2-wk. run-in period. Blood and urine samples were collected in the beginning and at the end of each dietary intervention phase for the assessment of biomarkers of glucoregulation, lipid profile, inflammation, and oxidative stress. While ALM had a better overall nutritional quality than CON, neither ALM nor CON improved the glycemic status as the primary study outcome and other CVD risk factors, except the circulating nitric oxide being decreased by ALM compared to CON. Among 27 of 33 patients with the baseline HbA1c ≤8, ALM decreased post-interventional fasting serum glucose and HbA1c by 5.9% and 3.0% as compared to that of CON, respectively (P = 0.01 and 0.04). Mean total and LDL-cholesterol concentrations were not changed by both diets. These results suggest almonds incorporated into healthful diets can improve glycemic status in diabetic patients with a better glycemic control. NCT01656850 , registered 13 January 2012.

Taiwanese women may practice traditional confinement after childbirth, and no study has investigated the nutritional status and the effects of postpartum depression on such women. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between nutritional status and postpartum depression at 6–8 weeks postpartum. A cross-sectional study was conducted on postpartum women who returned to the obstetrics and gynecology clinic for routine examination from January 2016 to September 2017. A total of 344 women received assessments based on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). An EPDS score of ≥10 indicated the presence of postpartum depressive symptoms (PPDS). A total of 97 women without such symptoms and 23 with PPDS completed nutritional parameter analyses and questionnaires. The results showed that the prevalence of postpartum depression (PPD) was 8.4%. The proportion was 70% for those who practiced confinement at home, significantly higher than for those in the non-PPDS group (45%). The overall psychological stress score was significantly higher and the postpartum care satisfaction score was significantly lower in those with PPDS compared to those without. In terms of nutritional biomarkers, the plasma riboflavin levels in the PPDS group were significantly lower than those in their symptomless counterparts (13.9%). The vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency rates in the non-PPD and PPDS groups were 35%, 41%, 48%, 26%, respectively. However, compared with those in the non-PPDS group, those with PPDS had significantly higher ratios of Σn-6/Σn-3, C20:3n-6/C18:3n-6, and C20:4n-6/(C20:5n-3 + C22:6n-3) (by 8.2%, 79.7%, and 8.8%, respectively), whereas they had lower ratios of C22:6n-3/C22:5n-6 (by 15.5%). Higher plasma riboflavin and erythrocyte C16:1n-9, C24:1n-9, C18:3n-6, and C20:5n-3 levels and lower Σn-6 fatty acid and C22:5n-6 levels decreased the risk of PPD after type of confinement, overall mental stress scores, and postpartum care satisfaction scores were adjusted for the logistic regression analysis. In conclusion, the plasma riboflavin level and erythrocyte fatty acid composition are potentially major contributors to PPD development.

Diabetes and obesity are globally prevalent metabolic disorders posing significant public health challenges. The effective management of these conditions requires integrated and personalized strategies. This study conducted a systematic literature review, identifying 335 relevant papers, with 129 core articles selected after screening for duplicates and irrelevant studies. The focus of the study is on the synergistic roles of functional foods, microbiotics, and nutrigenomics. Functional foods, including phytochemicals (e.g., polyphenols and dietary fibers), zoochemicals (e.g., essential fatty acids), and bioactive compounds from macrofungi, exhibit significant potential in enhancing insulin sensitivity, regulating lipid metabolism, reducing inflammatory responses, and improving antioxidant capacity. Additionally, the critical role of gut microbiota in metabolic health is highlighted, as its interaction with functional foods facilitates the modulation of metabolic pathways. Nutrigenomics, encompassing nutrigenetics and genomics, reveals how genetic variations (e.g., single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)) influence dietary responses and gene expression, forming a feedback loop between dietary habits, genetic variations, gut microbiota, and metabolic health. This review integrates functional foods, gut microbiota, and genetic insights to propose comprehensive and sustainable personalized nutrition interventions, offering novel perspectives for preventing and managing type 2 diabetes and obesity. Future clinical studies are warranted to validate the long-term efficacy and safety of these strategies.

Overweight and obesity are a global concern. Meal replacements (MRs) are portion- and calorie-controlled meals, which make the food environment part of an individual’s weight loss regimen. White sweet potato (WSP; Ipomoea batatas L.), used in traditional medicine in Brazil, Japan, and Taiwan, is a healthy carbohydrate source. In this randomized controlled trial, we assessed the effects of a WSP formula on body weight management in 58 white-collar workers through MR to elucidate the effects of this WSP-MR on factors leading to overweight. The participants consumed either two packs a day for a total of 132 g of WSP (WSP-MR group) or a normal diet daily (non-WSP group) for eight weeks. After eight weeks, body weight, body fat, body mass index, wrist circumference, thigh circumference, calf circumference, mid-arm circumference, and triceps skinfolds decreased significantly in both the groups. Moreover, the WSP-MR group demonstrated a 5% decrease in body weight, body fat, body mass index, and mid-arm circumference and a 3.5% decrease in glycated hemoglobin levels (p < 0.05). The treatment was well tolerated, without side effects or adverse events. Thus, our WSP formula as an MR can facilitate individual weight loss and thus has commercial application in the food industry.

Iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) typically occur in developing countries. Notably, ID and IDA can affect an infant’s emotion, cognition, and development. Breast milk is considered the best food for infants. However, recent studies have indicated that breastfeeding for more than six months increases the risk of ID. This study investigated the prevalence of ID and IDA, as well as the association between feeding type and iron nutritional status in northern Taiwan. A cross-sectional study was conducted on infants who returned to the well-baby clinic for routine examination from October 2012 to January 2014. Overall, 509 infants aged 1–12 months completed the iron nutritional status analysis, anthropometric measurement, and dietary intake assessment, including milk and complementary foods. The results revealed that 49 (10%) and 21 (4%) infants in their first year of life had ID and IDA, respectively, based on the World Health Organization criteria. Breastfed infants had a higher prevalence rate of ID and IDA than mixed-fed and formula-fed infants (p < 0.001). Regarding biomarkers of iron status, plasma hemoglobin (Hb), ferritin, and transferrin saturation (%) levels were significantly lower in ID and IDA groups. The prevalence of ID and IDA were 3.7% and 2.7%, respectively, in infants under six months of age, but increased to 20.4% and 6.6%, respectively, in infants above six months of age. The healthy group had a higher total iron intake than ID and IDA groups, mainly derived from infant formula. The total dietary iron intake was positively correlated with infants’ Hb levels. Compared with formula-fed infants, the logistic regression revealed that the odds ratio for ID was 2.157 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.369–3.399) and that for IDA was 4.196 (95% CI: 1.780–9.887) among breastfed infants (p < 0.001) after adjusted for all confounding factors (including gestational week, birthweight, sex, body weight percentile, body length percentile, age of infants, mothers’ BMI, gestational weight gain, education level, and hemoglobin level before delivery). In conclusion, our results determined that breastfeeding was associated with an increased the prevalence of ID and/or IDA, especially in infants above six months. This suggests that mothers who prolonged breastfeed after six months could provide high-quality iron-rich foods to reduce the prevalence of ID and IDA.