This abstract was presented as the Nutrition and Optimum Life Course Theme Highlight.

The n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n-3), are known for their beneficial roles in regulating inflammation(1). The omega 3 index (O3I) refers to the percentage of EPA+DHA within the erythrocyte membrane with respect to total fatty acids and is a recognised biomarker for cardiovascular disease(2). An O3I >8% is proposed to confer the greatest level of cardioprotection(2). Fish is the richest dietary source of n-3 PUFAs and has been noted as one of the main predictors of a higher O3I(3). Current UK dietary guidelines recommend the consumption of two portions of fish per week; albeit the efficacy of these recommendations in raising the O3I is unknown(4). The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of consuming two portions of fish per week on the O3I amongst low fish consuming women of childbearing age.

Data were analysed from the iFish study(5), an 8-week randomised controlled trial where low fish consuming women, were randomly assigned to consume either no fish (n = 18) or 2 portions of tuna (n = 8) or sardines (n = 9) per week. Total n-3 PUFA concentrations of the fish provided in the intervention were 6.47g/100g for sardines and 4.57g/100g for tuna. Fasting blood samples were collected at baseline and post-intervention. The O3I was determined in red blood cells in the control and two portions of fish groups by OmegaQuant Europe. Analysis of covariance, adjusting for age, BMI, and baseline O3I, examined the effect of the fish intervention on the O3I. Chi-square test was used to compare the O3I between groups when categorised as at risk (<4%), intermediate risk (48%) and low risk (>8%).

Participants had a mean ± SD age of 25.5 ± 6.4 years. Baseline median (IQR) O3I of the cohort was 5.7 (5.2, 6.7) %. There was no significant difference in the O3I between treatment groups at baseline. Consumption of two portions of fish significantly increased the O3I when compared to the consumption of no fish [6.73 (5.41, 7.38) % vs 5.58 (5.12, 6.49) %, respectively, p = 0.034]. Those consuming two portions of sardines, an oily fish high in n-3 PUFAs, had a significantly greater O3I when compared to those consuming two portions of tuna [7.38 (6.83, 8.37) % vs 5.61 (5.29, 6.79) %, respectively, p<0.001]. Post-intervention, the proportion of participants in the low risk O3I category (>8%) was greater in the two portions of fish group when compared to the control group; albeit this did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.104).

In support of the current dietary guidelines, increasing fish consumption of low consumers to two portions of any fish per week will increase the O3I. Future research should determine the potential cardioprotective properties of a higher O3I as a result of consuming fish.

Dietary intake can influence immune function indirectly by affecting the gut microbiota composition and metabolism(1). Fish consumption has been shown to positively regulate the gut microbiota in humans(2,3);albeit in those studies fish was consumed in high amounts (500-750g/week) and immune function was not investigated. This study investigated the effect of consuming the UK dietary recommendation for fish(4) (2 portions [140-280g/week], one of which is oily) on the gut microbiota alpha diversity. Further, we examined if changes (pre- to post-intervention) in the gut microbiota composition were associated with changes in immune cytokine concentrations.

An 8-week randomised controlled trial in low fish consuming women of childbearing age (n = 41; median age 23y) investigated the effect of consuming 1 or 2 portions of fish (tuna or sardines)/week compared to not consuming fish. A blood sample was collected to measure inflammatory cytokines (tumour necrosis factor-a, interleukin [IL]-1b, IL-5, IL-6, IL-17A and IL-22) pre-and post-intervention. Faecal samples were collected at both timepoints and extracted DNA was used to determine gut microbiota compositional profiles using 16S metagenomic sequencing (Illumina, USA). Statistical analysis investigated significant differences in changes in gut microbiota alpha diversity and compositional relative abundances between fish intervention (N = 26) and control (N = 15), then secondary analysis stratified by portion size (1 vs 2 portions) and type of fish (tuna vs sardines). Differences in cytokines between fish intervention and control were assessed by Mann-Whitney U. Spearman rank coefficient assessed associations between the changes in gut microbiota relative abundances with cytokine changes in fish and control groups.

Fish consumption increased gut microbiota alpha diversity indices (Chao1 [7.37±41.23], Simpson [0.003±0.163], Shannon [0.07±0.33], phylogenetic diversity [0.35±2.59], observed species [9.00±40.06]), albeit this was not significant compared to the control group (p>0.05). Consumption of fish, specifically sardines, for 8 weeks significantly reduced Bacteroidetes (-4.77±4.88%) when compared to control (+4.15±7.58%) (p<0.01). No significant differences were observed between the change in relative abundances of gut microbiota at genus-level taxa or inflammatory cytokines between the fish intervention and control. In the fish intervention group, increases in IL-17A, IL-22 and IL-6 concentrations were positively correlated with changes in Alistipes, Rhodococcus, Haemophilus, Barnesiella and Akkermansia relative abundances (p<0.05).

Although not statistically significant, consistent findings suggest that fish intake, in line with dietary guidelines, may have favourable impact on gut microbiota. Sardines, oily fish rich in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, may have health benefits in disease states where Bacteroidetes is elevated; nevertheless, further research is required in a larger cohort over a longer period.

Higher consumption of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) is associated with reduced severity of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and autoimmunity(1). The n-3 index (O3I), which correlates to n-3 PUFA habitual intake, is a useful clinical biomarker in determining cardiovascular risk(2). Individuals with an O3I <4% are considered to have higher cardiovascular risk, with 4-8% characterised as medium risk. The desirable O3I is >8% and deemed low risk for a cardiovascular event(3). Yet, little is known about O3I in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients who have a higher risk of CVD associated with their disease. This analysis aimed to determine the O3I of SLE patients, and its associations with disease activity.

A non-fasted blood sample was collected from SLE patients (n = 15) and healthy participants (n = 15). Isolated red blood cells were used to determine O3I and expressed as %. Habitual intake of fish, a rich source of n-3 PUFAs was assessed by questionnaire. Disease activity of SLE patients was assessed by a clinician using the British Isle Lupus Assessment Group (BILAG), Systemic Lupus Activity Measure-Revised (SLAM-R) and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI). Mann-Whitney U was used to evaluate O3I differences between SLE patients and healthy participants. Spearman’s rank coefficient assessed associations between O3I and SLE disease activity.

SLE patients had an O3I of 4.38% and categorised to have a medium risk of a cardiovascular event, which was significantly lower compared to healthy participants for cardiovascular risk (5.48%; p<0.01). Some 67% SLE patients (n = 10) reported to never/rarely consume fish (≤1 portion per month) whereas 53% healthy participants (n = 8) reported that they consumer >2 portions of fish per month. Correlation analysis showed O3I was negatively associated with BILAG (rho=−0.061), SLAM-R (rho=−0.215) and SLEDAI (rho=−0.122); albeit these associations were not significant (p>0.05).

This is the first report of O3I in SLE patients and identified lower O3I compared to healthy participants, suggesting that SLE patients might benefit from increasing fish consumption to reduce their risk of CVD. Further research is required to fully elucidate associations between O3I and SLE disease activity.

Findings from animal models suggest early exposure to polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) during pregnancy may influence developmental plasticity including adiposity(1). Birth cohort studies examining associations between offspring weight and maternal n-3 PUFA status or maternal fish intakes, the richest dietary source of n-3 PUFAs have been few and have yielded inconsistent findings. Some have reported lower weight at birth and throughout childhood with increasing maternal fish intakes and n-3 PUFA status(2), whilst others have observed positive or null associations(3,4). These have focused on the first few years of life and have been conducted within low fish-consuming populations. Our study provides novel data by examining associations between maternal fish consumption and prenatal PUFA (n-3 & n-6) status and offspring weight at birth and throughout childhood (7 & 13 years) in a high fish-eating population.

Pregnant women were enrolled in the Seychelles Child Development Study Nutrition Cohort 2 between 2008-2011. Serum PUFAs were quantified in maternal blood collected at 28-weeks’ gestation and in cord blood collected at delivery using gas-chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Maternal fish consumption was assessed at 28-weeks’ gestation using a Fish Use Questionnaire. Childbirth weight (kg) was measured at delivery and classified according to WHO growth standards(5) (n = 1185). Child height (m), weight (kg), waist and hip circumference (cm) were recorded at 7 (n = 1167) and 13 (n = 878) years. Statistical analysis was conducted using logistic and multiple linear regression adjusting for child sex, gestational age, maternal age, BMI, alcohol use, socioeconomic status, and parity. Models at 7 & 13 years were additionally adjusted for child height and fish intakes.

Women were consuming on average 8.49 ± 4.51 fish meals/week during pregnancy. No significant associations were found between maternal fish intakes and anthropometric outcomes at birth, 7 & 13 years. No significant associations were observed between maternal PUFAs and offspring weight at birth. At both 7 & 13 years, however, higher maternal total n-6 PUFAs were associated with increased child weight [7yr; β = 0.070, p = 0.003, 13yr; β = 0.097, p = 0.004], waist circumference [7yr; β = 0.086, p = 0.003, 13yr; β = 0.105, p = 0.004], and hip circumference [7yr; β = 0.062, p = 0.027, 13yr; β = 0.090, p = 0.013]. No significant associations were found between cord n-6 PUFAs and birth weight. In quartile analysis, cord docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; C22:6n-3) concentrations <0.071mg/ml were associated with a higher risk of large for gestational age (LGA; >90th percentile) when compared to cord DHA concentrations >0.129mg/ml [OR 4.17, p = 0.017]. There were no significant associations between cord PUFAs and anthropometric outcomes at 7 & 13 years.

These findings suggest lower cord DHA, an n-3 PUFA, may be associated with higher risk of LGA at birth whilst higher n-6 PUFAs during pregnancy may be associated with adiposity development throughout childhood. Future work is needed to determine the potential long-term metabolic consequences of such associations.

Boarfish (Capros aper) is an underutilised pelagic fish species found in abundance in Irish waters. Research previously undertaken has shown a favourable effect of boarfish derived protein hydrolysate (BFH) consumption on glycaemic control in diabetic murine models. This study aims to investigate the effect of daily BFH consumption on glycated haemoglobin and body mass index (BMI) in overweight human participants.

A randomised parallel placebo-controlled human intervention study was undertaken to investigate the effect of consuming BFH (3.5g/day) for 12 weeks. Participants (n = 40) that met the following inclusion criteria were recruited; aged between 18–65 years, non-smoker, not currently pregnant or lactating, BMI > 25.0 kg/m2, free from illness. Participants were randomly assigned to consume either BFH or cellulose capsules for 12 weeks. Measures taken at baseline and post-intervention (week 12) included fasting measures of: glycated haemoglobin, glucose, insulin, leptin, glucagon like peptide (GLP-1), adiponectin as well as lipid profile. Height and weight were also recorded at both timepoints. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) controlling for baseline values as well as other covariates (age & BMI), was used to compare differences between groups over time.

Consumption of BFH (3.5g/day) for 12 weeks had no significant effect on glucose, insulin, leptin, glucagon like peptide (GLP-1), adiponectin, high density lipoprotein (HDL), total cholesterol, triglycerides, low density lipoprotein compared with control. No significant difference in glycated haemoglobin change over time (P = 0.123) was noted following consumption of placebo (2.5% increase) in comparison to those consuming the boarfish treatment (1.5% reduction).

This study showed that 3.5 g of BFH per day did not elicit an effect on any of the markers of metabolic health. Previous studies investigating the effect of protein consumption on metabolic health have used higher concentrations than were utilized in this study, however using similar concentrations in this study was not plausible given the lack of organoleptic acceptability of the BFH. Addressing the organoleptic properties of BFH may enable future studies to increase the dose of BFH to a level that may be more efficacious than the current study.

Prebiotics are considered beneficial to health owing to positive effects upon the gut microbiota (GM). These effects on the GM include stimulating the growth of beneficial species and increasing short chain fatty acid (SCFA) production (1). Accumulating evidence suggests that the putative health benefits associated with seaweed consumption may be, in part, owing to their effects on the GM(2). The red seaweed Palmaria palmata is a source of xylan, a β(1–3) and β(1–4) D-xylose polysaccharide. Given that xylo-oligosaccharides are a recently accepted prebiotic (3), the aim of this investigation was to assess the prebiotic potential of xylan from Palmaria palmata using an in-vitro fermentation gut model. Fibres were subjected to an in-vitro digestion and underwent in-vitro batch culture fermentation (MicroMatrix) over 24 hours. Fermentation vessels were inoculated using a pooled faecal slurry (5% v/v), prepared from six healthy volunteers. Xylan fibre (n = 4) was compared to Cellulose (negative control, n = 8) and Synergy 1 (positive control, n = 8). Changes to GM composition was determined using qPCR (total bacteria, Lactobacilli, and Bifidobacteria), and MiSeq 16S rRNA sequencing. Short chain fatty acid analysis was conducted using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The differential abundance of taxa between fermentation substrates was determined using linear discriminant analysis (LDA) effect size (LEfSe). A permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PerMANOVA) was used to determine statistical differences of beta diversity whilst treatment associated differences of short chain fatty acids were determined using an unpaired Mann-Whitney U Test. Xylan altered GM composition at Phylum, Family and Genus taxonomic levels, notably a significant reduction in the Firmicutes/Bacteroides ratio (p = 0.004). Both 16S sequencing data and qPCR analysis revealed a significant increase in Bifidobacteria relative to cellulose, where the effect was comparable to Synergy 1. No significant differences in microbiota diversity were noted for either Xylan or Synergy 1 in comparison to the cellulose control. Xylan was shown to significantly modulate GM activity through increased short chain fatty acid production with increased acetate, propionate and butyrate. The evidence gained from this study suggests that Xylan from Palmaria palmata is a fermentable fibre with potential prebiotic characteristics, and therefore warrants further investigation in humans.

This research was funded under the National Development Plan, through the Food Institutional Research Measure, administered by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Ireland (13/F/511) and a Northern Ireland Department of Education and Learning PhD scholarship to Paul Cherry.

Evidence from observational studies indicates that seaweed consumption may reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type two diabetes, and obesity. Accumulating evidence from in vitro and animal studies suggest seaweed have antihyperlipidemic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties which may in part be attributed to the high content of soluble dietary fibre in seaweeds. The viscosity of seaweed fibres is suggested to mediate antihyperlipdiemic effects via the alteration of lipid/bile acid absorption kinetics to decrease low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL). Thus, there is a need to evaluate the efficacy of seaweed derived dietary fibre in the management of dyslipidemia. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the effect of a fibre rich extract from Palmaria palmata on the lipid profile as well as markers of inflammation and oxidative stress in healthy adults. A total of 60 healthy participants (30 male and 30 female) aged 20 to 58 years, were assigned to consume the Palmaria palmata fibre extract (5g/day), Synergy-1 and the placebo (maltodextrin) for a duration of 4 weeks with a minimum 4 week washout between each treatment in a double blind, randomised crossover study conducted over 5 months. Fasting concentrations of cholesterol, triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) were analysed and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) and LDL: HDL ratio was calculated. C-reactive protein (CRP) and Ferric Reducing Ability of Plasma (FRAP) were analysed as markers of inflammation and oxidative stress, respectively. Supplementation for 4 weeks with Palmaria palmata resulted in favourable changes to lipid profiles with a reduced LDL:HDL ratio; however intention-to-treat univariate ANCOVA identified no significant difference between the treatment groups over time on any of the lipid profile markers. A non-significant increase in CRP and triglyceride concentration along with lower FRAP was also observed with Palmaria palmata supplementation. Evidence from this study suggests that Palmaria palmata may have effects on lipid metabolism and appears to mobilise triglycerides. More research is needed in individuals with dyslipidaemia to fully elucidate these effects.

Recent literature suggests that Ca supplements have adverse effects on cardiovascular health. The effects of a Ca-rich supplement administered alone or in combination with short-chain fructo-oligosaccharides (scFOS) on serum lipids in postmenopausal women were examined using secondary data from a 24-month double-blind randomised controlled study. A total of 300 postmenopausal women were randomly assigned to daily supplements of 800 mg of Ca (2·4 g Aquamin) (Ca), 800 mg of Ca with 3 g of scFOS (CaFOS) or control (maltodextrin) (MD). A full lipid profile, body composition, blood pressure and a range of cytokines were measured at baseline and after 24 months. Intention-to-treat ANCOVA assessed treatment effects between the groups. A significant time-by-treatment effect was observed for LDL and total cholesterol for the Ca and CaFOS groups, with both groups having lower LDL and total cholesterol concentrations compared with MD after 24 months. The control group had mean (5·2 mmol/l) total cholesterol concentrations above the normal range (≤5 mmol/l) at 24 months, whereas values remained within the normal range in the treatment groups. There was no significant treatment effect on HDL-cholesterol, TAG, body composition, blood pressure or cytokine concentrations at 24 months, with the exception of IL-4, where there was a significant increase in the CaFOS group compared with the placebo. This study demonstrates a lipid-lowering effect of both the Ca-rich supplement alone and the supplement with scFOS. At the 4-year follow-up, there was no significant difference between the groups for reported diagnosed cardiovascular conditions.

Hyperspectral cathodoluminescence imaging provides spectrally and spatially resolved information on luminescent materials within a single dataset. Pushing the technique toward its ultimate nanoscale spatial limit, while at the same time spectrally dispersing the collected light before detection, increases the challenge of generating low-noise images. This article describes aspects of the instrumentation, and in particular data treatment methods, which address this problem. The methods are demonstrated by applying them to the analysis of nanoscale defect features and fabricated nanostructures in III-nitride-based materials.