Anna Malinowska

Wageningen University & Research | WUR · Laboratory of Microbiology

Context: It is well known that the microbiome undergoes cyclical diurnal rhythms. It has thus been hypothesized that meal timing may affect gut microbial composition, function, and host health. Objective: This review aims to examine the effects of time-restricted eating (TRE) and Ramadan fasting (RF) on the composition of the gut microbiota in a...

Background: Short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) are considered beneficial to human health. The associations between the bacterial capacity to produce SCFA, diet, and health are not fully understood. Objective: We aimed to evaluate the capacity of human fecal microbiota to produce SCFA and to metabolize soluble and insoluble fiber, and to study the as...

BACKGROUND: Changes in DNA methylation along the life have been documented, and environmental exposures (including diet, physical activity and smoking) can accelerate or decelerate this process. The epigenetic clock estimates the biological age of an individual measuring methylation patterns in specific areas of its genome. Recently, a new epigenet...

Purpose Some dietary habits cluster together, and for this reason it is advised to study the impact of entire dietary patterns on human health, rather than that of individual dietary habits. The main objective of this study was to evaluate differences in gut microbiota composition and their predicted functional properties between people with a heal...

Objective: Choline and its metabolites seem to have relationships with body mass index (BMI), body fat, and body weight, but research results have proved inconsistent. We thus investigated the associations of plasma levels of TMAO, choline, and betaine, with anthropometric measurements, including modulatory effects of genetics and diet. Methods:...

Scope: Mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn) and its methylation level in the D-loop area have been correlated with metabolic health and are suggested to vary in response to environmental stimuli, including diet. Circulating levels of trimethylamine-n-oxide (TMAO), which is an oxidative derivative of the trimethylamine (TMA) produced by the gut...

Although some bacteria inhabiting the human gut synthesize folates, it has not yet been established whether bacterial folate biosynthesis can impact human folate status. The main objectives of this study were to evaluate associations between different lifestyle factors and the potential of fecal microbiota to produce folates, and to investigate whe...

Mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn) has been proposed for use as a surrogate biomarker of mitochondrial health, and evidence suggests that mtDNA might be methylated. Intermediates of the one-carbon cycle (1CC), which is duplicated in the cytoplasm and mitochondria, have a major role in modulating the impact of diet on the epigenome. Moreover, e...

Objectives : The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between β-glucuronidase and androgen levels in overweight and obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome PCOS. The connection between β-glucuronidase, the abundance of selected gut bacteria, carbohydrate metabolism, and diet quality was also determined. Methods : This cross-sectio...

Background: There is a lack of simple tools that could allow members of the general population to estimate their own dietary patterns and to associate them with unfavourable health outcomes. The present study aimed to develop and validate a simple self-administered tool, called the Easy Diet Screener (EDS), that would identify healthy and unhealth...

The aim of the present study was to compare biomarkers of one-carbon metabolism (OCM), lipid metabolism, and fatty liver in people with normal and increased body weight. The study was performed on 421 participants, aged 20–40 years, enrolled in Poznan, Poland, in 2016–2018. Choline and betaine intakes were assessed. DNA samples were genotyped for p...

The determinants of the intake of high-fat products are not well recognized, but fat preference may be one of them. The aim of this study was thus to determine whether intake of different types of high-fat food is associated with fat preference in people with normal and increased body weight. Participants aged 20–40 years [n = 421] were enrolled in...

The main aim of this study was to analyze coffee and tea intake patterns considering body weight status and polymorphism of genes involved in bitter taste sensitivity. A group of normal weight and overweight or obese subjects aged 20–40 (n = 411) was recruited in Poznań, Poland. Three-day dietary records were used to assess daily intakes. Single nu...

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of probiotic and synbiotic supplementation on glucose metabolism in pregnant women using data from randomized controlled trials. Furthermore, this meta-analysis examines whether the observed effects depend on the presence or absence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), and if the effect is dependen...

Taste perception is the main biological determinant of food choice. It has thus been hypothesized that fatty acid sensitivity may affect fat intake. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between fatty acid sensitivity, frequency of consumption of high-fat products, polymorphism of genes encoding proteins involved in fat taste percep...

Some species of gut bacteria produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) from dietary fiber—mainly acetate, propionate, and butyrate. The composition of human gut microbiota is dependent on dietary intake and health status. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of diet and anthropometric parameters on the potential of gut microbiota to metabol...

A link has recently been underlined between one-carbon metabolism and body weight and body composition, suggesting that folate may account for body mass determination and lipid metabolism. The aim of this study was thus to analyze whether folate intake is associated with body weight, body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage, and liver status. 409...

Choline is an essential nutrient involved in several processes, including the export of lipids from the liver. Recent studies have underlined that low choline intake may be linked to greater body weight and liver dysfunction. The aim of this study was thus to determine whether choline intake is associated with body weight, body mass index (BMI), bo...

Human gut microbiota may affect metabolism and health by synthesizing metabolites and processing of food components. Those processes are specific to genus and species (or even strain), and dietary intake and metabolic state (such as obesity) can affect the composition of gut microbiota. The aim of the study was to assess the effect of dietary patte...

Background: The link between folate metabolism and obesity has recently been underlined, suggesting that folate deficiency may lead to body weight gain and adiposity. We thus wished to determine whether the inefficiency in folate metabolism caused by genetic variation in the MTHFR and DHFR genes in folate metabolism, or inadequate folate intake, i...

Background The determinants of the intake of high-fat products are not well understood. Objective The aim of this study was to examine the relations between fat perception, intake of high-fat food, and body-weight status, taking into account the polymorphism of the genes that encode the proteins involved in oral fat perception. Methods A total of...

Background: Taste sensitivity is one of the most important biological determinants of food choice. Polymorphisms within the bitter taste receptor genes TAS2R3 (rs765007), TAS2R5 (rs2234012), TAS2R19 (rs10772420), and TAS2R50 (rs1376251) may affect bitter taste sensitivity and thus food choices and thereby metabolic biomarkers in blood. The aim of...

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Objective: The aim of the study was to identify dietary patterns associated with overweight and obesity and to examine the effect of including and excluding misreporters on the analysis of these dietary patterns and on the associations between identified dietary patterns and anthropometric parameters. Methods: The study was carried out with adul...

Aim Physiological homocysteine (Hcy) concentrations depend on several factors, both dietary (including folate and choline intake) and biological (such as polymorphism of the genes involved in Hcy metabolism). This study aimed to thus test the associations between genes functionally linked with Hcy metabolism (MTHFR, BHMT and PEMT), folate and choli...

Background: We evaluated the feasibility of an application for measuring the frequency of consumption of high-fat foods and compared this application with standard methods. Methods: Twenty-six females and thirty six males aged 20–40 were enrolled in Poland. Participants completed the Block Screening Questionnaire for Fat Intake (BSQF; Q1) and a sec...

We conducted a randomized controlled trial to examine the effect of two energy-restricted diets on body weight (BW), visceral fat (VF) loss, and the risk factors for metabolic syndrome. A total of 144 centrally obese postmenopausal women were assigned to the moderate in fat Mediterranean diet (MED) or to the Central European diet (CED), which is mo...

One-carbon metabolism is critical to pregnancy outcomes, because it determines the availability of nutrients involved in cell divisions and DNA methylation. The aim of this study was to analyze how 50% prenatal calorie restriction affected one-carbon metabolism in pregnant Wistar rats of the F0 to F2 generations. Mean choline (p < 0.001), betaine (...

Dietary triggers acting on a developing fetus can affect the functioning of the body in later life; this can be observed on various levels, including epigenetic modifications and gene expression. Early-life programmed changes may be transmitted to successive generations. In this study, the impact of prenatal restricted diet was studied in four gene...

Supporting information file. (DOC)

The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effect of the rs6586282 polymorphism of the cystathionine-β-synthase (CBS) gene, and of the intake of B vitamins on anthropometric parameters, tHcy levels, and lipoprotein levels in women over 60 years of age. 122 volunteers were supplemented with 400 μg/day folic acid for 8 weeks. The intake of B vit...

Objective: Taste sensitivity is one of the most important biological determinants of food choice. Three SNPs of the TAS2R38 gene (rs713598, rs1726866, and rs10246939) give rise to two common haplotypes: PAV and AVI. These haplotypes, as well as an SNP within the CA6 gene (rs2274333) that encodes carbonic anhydrase VI (CA6), correlate with bitterne...

The objective of the study was to evaluate the nutritional, anthropometric, and biochemical factors that influence choline, l-carnitine, trimethylamine (TMA), and trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) metabolism in elderly women. The volunteers' diet was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire. Dietary patterns were estimated using a self-established...

The reactions of the methionine/homocysteine pathway are mediated by several enzymes, including phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase, cystathionine β-synthase, and betaine-homocysteine methyltransferase. Homocysteine homeostasis is regulated by these enzymes. We hypothesized here that the protein and folic acid content in the maternal diet...

The influence of protein and sulphur amino acid deficiency during foetal life and the suckling period on the growth scheme and methylation of the PPARα gene was studied in Wistar rats. Protein and cysteine malnutrition resulted in significantly lower average body and organ masses in four-week old offspring. Interestingly, this effect had completely...

The aim of this review is to present a general overview of the relationships among homocysteine metabolism, polymorphism of the genes encoding homocysteine metabolism-related enzymes, and the nutrients influencing the plasma homocysteine level. Combining these factors creates a profile of an individual's susceptibility to complex diseases associate...