Zengning Li

Prof. Zengning Li

orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

16Years (2011-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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8 April 2022 in Frontiers in Nutrition
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
XLXingbo Li
Xingbo Li
ABAndrea Braakhuis
Andrea Braakhuis
ZLZengning Li
Zengning Li
Rajshri RoyRajshri Roy
Rajshri Roy
The food environment has been implicated in creating an obesogenic generation; and while previous research has focused on population-wide initiatives, the university population resides in a research gap. To explore detailed components of the university food environment and what shaped dietary behaviors, we retrieved literature from the following databases: ScienceDirect, Scopus, PubMed, Medline, and EMBASE. Eleven studies were identified for qualitative content analysis and study quality assessment identified most of the studies as of good quality (n 8) and some as of fair quality (n 3). The certainty of evidence remained at a low level for all (n 11) studies due to the cross-sectional, observational nature of studies. Three major themes emerged: (1) food environment, (2) student perceptions (SPs), and (3) dietary outcome (DO). In a university food environment, the taste of food was paramount for the food choices of students, followed by the availability of food and the price of food. When university students perceive and choose foods and beverages, they sometimes regard unhealthy foods and beverages as healthy options. The diet quality of university students is more susceptible to living arrangements and socioeconomic status, but higher salt, fat, and added sugar consumption generally resulted in poorer quality of diet on campus. Future research could use novel methods to explore a wider range and deeper level of students' dietary behavior determinants in university food environments.Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier: CRD42021283562.

28 May 2022 in Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
XLXiaoling Li
Xiaoling Li
MCMeicui Chen
Meicui Chen
ZYZhicui Yao
Zhicui Yao
TZTianfeng Zhang
Tianfeng Zhang
ZLZengning Li
Zengning Li
The potential modifiable role of diet in common psychological disorders, including depression and anxiety, has attracted growing interest. Diet may influence the occurrence of mental disorders through its inflammatory characteristics. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to explore whether dietary inflammatory potential is associated with the risk of depression and anxiety. A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase databases up to February 2021. Articles related to dietary inflammatory potential and risk of depression or anxiety were included. After the elimination of repetitive and irrelevant literature, we conducted quality assessment, publication bias, and sensitivity analysis. In total, 17 studies with a total of 157,409 participants were included in the final analysis. Compared with the lowest inflammatory diet group, the highest group was significantly associated with the incidence of depression and anxiety, with the following pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs): 1.45 (1.30 ~ 1.62) for depression and 1.66 (1.41 ~ 1.96) for anxiety. A subgroup analysis by gender showed that this association was more prominent in women. For depression, the increased risk was 49% in women (OR 1.49, 95% CI 1.28 ~ 1.74) and 27% in men (OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.06 ~ 1.52). As for anxiety, the increased risk was 80% in women (OR 1.80, 95% CI 1.30 ~ 2.49) and 47% in men (OR 1.53, 95% CI 0.81 ~ 2.89). As a result, long-term anti-inflammatory eating patterns may prevent depression and anxiety, whereas pro-inflammatory eating patterns may promote these conditions. People should add more fish, fish oil, fresh fruit, walnuts, and brown rice to their diet.

10 January 2023 in Frontiers in Public Health
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
HDHongzhen Du
Hongzhen Du
MYMiao Yu
Miao Yu
HXHongmei Xue
Hongmei Xue
XLXuning Lu
Xuning Lu
YCYaping Chang
Yaping Chang
ZLZengning Li
Zengning Li
Background: Sarcopenia and cognitive impairment are the most common causes of disability in the aging population. The potential role of sarcopenia in the development of cognitive impairment remains poorly understood. A cross-sectional analysis was performed using nationally representative data to evaluate associations between sarcopenia and cognition in China.Methods: We included 2,391 participants (35.63% female) who were at least 60 years of age in 2015 from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Muscle strength, appendicular skeletal mass (ASM), and physical performance measurements, were measured to diagnose sarcopenia according to the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019 (AWGS2019). Cognitive function was assessed by 10 items in the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS-10), delayed word recall, and graph drawing. Based on cognitive score tertiles, data were divided into three groups. Multiple linear and logistic regression models were used to assess the relationship between sarcopenia and cognition.Results: The prevalence of possible sarcopenia was 27.16% for men and 27.46% for women. Cognitive decline was significantly associated with sarcopenia status (β = −0.88, p < 0.001) and negatively associated with components of sarcopenia in male group. The results remained consistent in male after further adjusting for creatinine, uric acid, blood sugar, etc. Low cognitive function in female was only associated with low muscle strength (β = −0.85, p = 0.02). In addition, participants with possible sarcopenia had greater risk of cognitive decline than those without sarcopenia (OR = 1.41; 95% CI: 1.06–1.87). However, the same association was not significant in female group.Conclusion: We suggest that sarcopenia might be associated with cognition function, with possible sarcopenia being significantly associated with higher cognition risk in China population, which providing a further rationale for timely recognition and management of sarcopenia.

10 May 2019 in Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
KSKejuan Sun
Kejuan Sun
YXYing Xie
Ying Xie
NZNa Zhao
Na Zhao
ZLZengning Li
Zengning Li
Relationship between visceral fat and development of uterine fibroids in adult women was investigated. A total of 89 patients with uterine fibroids treated in the First Hospital of Hebei Medical University from April 2016 to April 2018 were enrolled. Another 81 healthy women without uterine fibroids receiving physical examination in the same period were selected as the control group. Self‑designed questionnaires were used to investigate the general conditions of the subjects, bioelectrical impedance analysis was employed to analyze obesity‑related indicators, and their correlation with the risk of uterine fibroids was explored. Visceral fat area (VFA), body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage, waist circumference, waist‑height ratio and waist‑hip ratio were positively correlated with the incidence rate of uterine fibroids, and the odds ratio (OR), 95% confidence interval (CI) was 3.910 (2.029, 7.536), 2.716 (1.444, 5.110), 4.335 (1.507, 12.469), 2.881 (1.531, 5.423), 3.837 (1.914, 7.692) and 7.707 (3.501, 16.965), respectively. VFA and body fat percentage were correlated with the size of uterine fibroids, but the correlations were relatively weak. With the increase in the VFA, BMI, waist circumference, waist‑height ratio, and waist‑hip ratio, the risk of uterine fibroids was elevated. The BMI, VFA and waist circumference of patients with uterine fibroids were gradually increased with increasing age, showing statistically significant differences. Increased body fat (especially abdominal visceral fat) is able to enhance the risk of uterine fibroids. For perimenopausal women, the waist‑hip ratio measured can be used as an indicator screening high‑risk groups of uterine fibroids. This method is simple, easy and inexpensive. At the same time, providing nutrition guidance and changing diet and exercise habits are important measures to prevent the development of uterine fibroids.

29 September 2023 in Food & Nutrition Research
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
ZYZhicui Yao
Zhicui Yao
XLXiaoling Li
Xiaoling Li
WWWentao Wang
Wentao Wang
PRPeng Ren
Peng Ren
SSShiming Song
Shiming Song
ZLZengning Li
Zengning Li
Background: Corn peptides, a novel food prepared from corn gluten meal (CGM) by enzymatic hydrolysis or microbial fermentation, have attracted considerable interest owing to their various bioactive properties. However, the underlying mechanism of corn peptides attenuate non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remains unclear. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of corn peptides in NAFLD and to decipher the underlying mechanisms. Design: NAFLD was induced by a high-fat diet (HFD) for 10 weeks. Corn peptides were administered during the period. Human hepatocellular carcinomas (HepG2) cells induced by free fatty acids were used for this mechanism study. Results: Corn peptides alleviated HFD-induced histopathological changes, disorders of lipid metabolism, and mitochondrial damage. Moreover, corn peptides blocked mitophagy suppression by HFD based on the increased LC3, ATG7 expressions, as well as decreased P62 levels. Corn peptides increased the expression of proteins involved in fatty acid β-oxidation, such as PPARα and PGC-1α. Corn peptides also improved the Ser/Thr kinase PINK1 (PINK1) and the E3 ubiquitin ligase Parkin (Parkin) translocation to mitochondria, which is confirmed by immunofluorescence. Furthermore, stable knockdown of PINK1 by PINK1 SiRNA in HepG2 inhibited PINK1-Parkin-associated mitophagy and resulted in lipid accumulation. Conclusion: Corn peptides improved cell injury and ameliorated mitochondrial dysfunction and lipid accumulation via PINK1/Parkin-mediated autophagy in NAFLD. Thus, corn peptides could be a promising nutritional molecule with natural functions for preventing NAFLD.

1 July 2020 in Toxicon
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
HWHaiyue Wang
Haiyue Wang
YWYujia Wei
Yujia Wei
YXYing Xie
Ying Xie
CYChao Yan
Chao Yan
HDHongzhen Du
Hongzhen Du
ZLZengning Li
Zengning Li