CALBEE, Inc.

Stress negatively affects physical and mental health, leading to conditions like depression and anxiety. Diet and gut microbiota are crucial factors influencing stress and mental health. We hypothesized that not a single nutrient but a combination of nutrients affects stress response via gut microbiota. This study investigated the relationships among diet quality, gut microbiota, and stress in healthy adults, specifically examining the associations between Nutrient Rich Food index 9.3 (NRF9.3) scores, gut microbiota, and stress responses. Data were collected from the "Sukoyaka Health Survey," which included the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (BJSQ), and gut microbiota analysis of 1058 participants. Stress scores were calculated using the BJSQ, and diet quality was assessed using the NRF9.3. Cluster analysis was used to create clusters based on stress scores, and diet and gut microbiota were compared between clusters. A probabilistic network modeling was used to evaluate the relationships among diet, gut microbiota, and stress. Participants with higher stress scores had lower NRF9.3 scores and altered gut microbiota, particularly a lower abundance of Lachnospira. Foods like natto, tomatoes, and green peppers were consumed less by the high-stress group. Using exploratory probabilistic network modeling, our analysis predicted that higher consumption of these foods was associated with an increase in the NRF9.3 score and may reduce stress by enhancing Lachnospira abundance. These findings suggest that the consumption of natto, tomatoes, and green peppers may contribute to increasing NRF9.3 scores and the abundance of Lachnospira, and potentially decreasing the physical and mental stress response scores.

Limited crop production due to lower rainfall has a major impact on the supply and demand of food for the human population. In potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), one of the major crops, there is also concern about a lack of production due to drought stress. Especially the cultivar "Toyoshiro" suitable for processing, has significant reduction in drought yield. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the mechanism of gene expression changes that occur in potato "Toyoshiro" plants and tubers during drought.

Seed potatoes were split in half and one was used as a control plant (CT), and the other was used as a drought-stressed plant (DS). CT was watered daily, and DS watered off to mimic the weather conditions of the Tokachi-Obihiro region in 2021. These tubers were harvested at week 14 and the transcriptome was analyzed. DS plants showed 423 downregulated genes and 197 upregulated genes compared to CT. Factors related to cell wall modification, heat stress response, and phytosterol metabolism were detected among the genes whose expression changed. Moreover, the expression of "Abscisic acid and environmental stress-inducible protein TAS14 like (TAS14)," a molecule reported to be upregulated under drought stress, was also upregulated, and was upregulated expression in all strains that reproduced drought. The localization of this molecule in the nucleus and plasma membrane was confirmed in a mCherry-tagged TAS14 mutant line.

Our findings contribute to understanding the survival strategy system of Japanese processing potatoes in response to drought stress.

Regular consumption of dietary components with anti-inflammatory properties is a promising strategy for management of inflammation-associated diseases.Oats, increasingly consumed in various forms such as oatmeal, granola, and oat milk, contain noteworthy anti-inflammatory elements.Here we review the functional components of oats: the glycolipid digalactosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG), estolides (esters of hydroxy fatty acids and fatty acids), and the oat-specific glycolipid DGDG-monoestolides.DGDG and estolides have garnered interest as functional lipids, and their physiol. functions have been well documented.On the other hand, the biol. functions of DGDG-monoestolides have been relatively unknown despite the fact that they contain DGDG and estolides as building blocks.Therefore, we have isolated a major DGDG-monoestolide mol. species from oats, analyzed its structure, and investigated its anti-inflammatory properties.Further in-depth knowledge of the functional components of oats, including the DGDG-monoestolides introduced in this review, will hopefully pave the way for wider utilization of oats as a functional food.