This study investigated the influences of vitamin D restriction on alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in rats fed a high-fat diet. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (11 weeks old) were divided into four groups: those fed a basic control diet (C) , those fed a basic control diet with vitamin D restriction (DR) , those fed a high-fat diet (F) , and those fed a high-fat diet with vitamin D restriction (FDR) . At 28 days after starting the experimental diet, ALP-specific activity in the femur had decreased significantly in the DR group relative to the C group, and also in the FDR group relative to the F group. Furthermore, the ALP-specific activity in the duodenum had decreased significantly in the FDR group relative to the F group. As it has been suggested previously that intestinal ALP detoxifies a variety of bacterial toxins including LPS and prevents metabolic syndrome, our findings indicate that restriction of vitamin D in a high-fat diet may influence gut homeostasis by decreasing the level of ALP activity.

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Humans show individual differences of biological rhythm phase, and can be classified into the “morning type” (peak performance being achieved in the early part of the day) or the “evening type” (peak performance towards the end of the day) . We therefore hypothesized that evening-type individuals would show different daytime variations of autonomic nervous activity, gastric motility and appetite sensations, which are under the control of the biological clock. In this study, 34 young women began fasting at 22:00 h on the previous night and ate test meals at a pre-determined time on the test day. Electrogastrography, electrocardiography (cardiac autonomic nerve activity) , appetite sensations, sleepiness, and core (eardrum) temperature were measured from 8:00 to 20:00 h at 1-hour intervals. After completion of all measurements, the subjects completed a morningness-eveningness questionnaire, and were divided into morning- or evening-preference types. Evening-preference individuals demonstrated a higher heart rate, a predominance of sympathetic nerve activity and greater sleepiness in the daytime. Moreover, they had a significantly lower hunger score during the morning, and did not show a significant shift in the frequency of postprandial gastric motility as compared with morning-preference individuals. Our results suggest that an evening-preference lifestyle may be associated with attenuation of appetite and vitality during the morning.

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To clarify the differences in nutritional components among various dessert banana cultivars consumed in Japan, we determined the sugar content, titratable acidity, citric acid content, and levels of α- and β-carotene in ripe fruit for the cultivars Cavendish (CA) , Senorita (SE) and Lakatan (LA) . Samples were collected once a month throughout the experimental period. The sugar content of LA and SE was significantly higher than that of CA (SE, 25.4±0.7 Brix %; LA, 23.7±1.2 Brix %; CA, 20.3±1.1 Brix %, respectively) . Titratable acidity and citric acid content of LA were significantly higher than those of CA. The α-carotene levels in CA, LA and SE were 26±8 μg/100 g, 167±62 μg/100 g and 108±10 μg/100 g, respectively, whereas the corresponding β-carotene levels were 26±6 μg/100 g, 236±53 μg/100 g and 205±22 μg/100 g, respectively. The levels of both α- and β-carotene in LA and SE were significantly higher than those in CA. The levels of α- and β- carotene in LA tended to decrease in April and June, and to increase in August and September, although the differences between monthly levels were not significant.

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