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Calcium (Ca) intakes may affect cardiovascular disease risk by altering body composition (body weight and fat) and serum lipid profile, but results have been inconsistent and the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. The effects of dietary Ca on body composition and lipid metabolism were examined in rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed high-fat, high-energy diets containing (g/kg) low (0.75Ca, 0.86 ± 0.05; 2Ca, 2.26 ± 0.02), normal (5Ca, 5.55 ± 0.08) or high (10Ca, 11.03 ± 0.17; 20Ca, 21.79 ± 0.15) Ca for 10 weeks. Rats fed the lowest Ca diet (0.75Ca) had lower (p < 0.05) body weight and fat mass compared to other groups. Rats fed the high Ca diets had lower serum total and LDL cholesterol compared to rats fed normal or low Ca. Liver total cholesterol was lower in rats fed high compared to low Ca. In general, liver mRNA expression of genes involved in cholesterol uptake from the circulation (Ldlr), cholesterol synthesis (Hmgcr and Hmgcs1), fatty acid oxidation (Cpt2) and cholesterol esterification (Acat2) were higher in rats fed higher Ca. Apparent digestibility of total trans, saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids was lower in rats fed the high compared to the low Ca diets, with the largest effects seen on trans and saturated fatty acids. Fecal excretion of cholesterol and total bile acids was highest in rats fed the highest Ca diet (20Ca). The results suggest little effect of dietary Ca on body composition unless Ca intakes are very low. Decreased bile acid reabsorption and reduced absorption of neutral sterols and saturated and trans fatty acids may contribute to the better serum lipid profile in rats fed higher Ca.

To date, of the many studies on early algebraic thinking, none, to our knowledge, has examined the relationships between algebraic thinking and negative numbers. Students encounter persistent difficulties in dealing with these numbers, and we believe that these could be addressed through the development of algebraic thinking. We are particularly interested in relational thinking, a form of algebraic thinking involved in generalised arithmetic, characterised by the ability to identify the structure of an expression as well as the relationships between numbers. The idea of the ‘subtractive number’ has been highlighted in this context. The aim of the study was to investigate the role of relational thinking in dealing with negative numbers. We submitted a paper-and-pencil test to 166 grade 6 students in order to analyse their skills in operations with integers, as well as their relational thinking in questions relating to the compensation strategy in subtraction. We then examined the extent to which the students who answered the compensation questions correctly performed the operations with integers better than those who answered them incorrectly. Our results showed that students’ ability to see the subtraction operation as a ‘transformation’ involving a unary use of the minus sign appears to be a factor in their success in operations with negatives. Few students demonstrated this ability, yet it can be seen as an essential stage on which to base the progressive development of relational thinking.

Purpose Canada’s public health objective is that ≥ 90% of the population consume <1% of total energy (< 1%En) as trans fatty acids (TFA), in line with World Health Organization recommendations. Our study aimed to estimate usual intakes of total TFA, industrially-produced TFA (i-TFA), and naturally occurring TFA (n-TFA) overall and in subgroups of the population before Canada’s 2018 prohibition on the use of partially hydrogenated oils (PHO) in foods. Methods Data from 1–2 24-h recalls was available for 19,670 participants in the cross-sectional Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS)—Nutrition 2015. Usual intakes of total TFA, i-TFA, n-TFA, and mixed TFA (TFA from foods containing both i-TFA and n-TFA) from all foods and beverages were generated according to the National Cancer Institute method, and weighted to represent the population of Canada aged ≥ 1 and within age, sex, income, and self-reported racial groups. Results For the overall population, the mean usual intake of total TFA was 1.2 g/day (SE:0.02) and represented 0.57%En (SE:0.001). All age-sex groups had mean total TFA intakes <1%En, ranging from 0.52 to 0.71%En. On average, foods containing only n-TFA provided >1/2 of total TFA intake (0.32%En, SE:0.01). The target of ≥ 90% of the population consuming <1%En as TFA had already been achieved before the PHO prohibition in all income, racial, and age-sex groups, except children 1–3 years old, with 86% within target. In that group, foods containing only n-TFA provided >2/3 of total TFA intake (0.48%En, SE:0.02). Conclusion Total TFA intakes in Canada before the PHO prohibition were relatively low, likely due to previous initiatives to reduce i-TFA in foods.

Epidemiologic data suggest an inverse relationship between the consumption of soy isoflavones and cardiovascular disease risk. The aims of this review are to determine if isoflavones play a role in the hypocholesterolemic effect of soy and whether the studies realized with that scope were adequately designed. In humans, most studies have been performed in postmenopausal women. The results are inconsistent, however; some studies show a decrease in total cholesterol and low‐density lipoprotein concentrations, and an increase in high‐density lipoprotein levels, and other investigations fail to show any beneficial effect of soy isoflavones on lipid profiles. In most studies, beneficial effects could not be attributed with certainty to soy isoflavones. If these components have any health‐protecting effect in humans, it is small in comparison with the effect of soy protein itself. There are currently not enough data to recommend the consumption of isoflavone supplements to lower plasma cholesterol levels.

Research focusing on algebra from primary to early secondary school level has made several major advances over the past decades. Students' difficulties have been identified and supportive teaching and learning environments have been set up (Cai & Knuth, 2011; Kieran, 2007; Radford, 2008, Mathematics Education Research Journal, 26, 257–277, 2014). The effectiveness of these environments relies on the teachers' ability to pay careful attention to students' thinking, which then guides their instructional decisions. This inevitably raises the crucial question of the teachers' knowledge for managing these types of situations in the classroom. In this context, this paper focuses on the mathematical knowledge for teaching figurai pattern activities of 100 teachers at the primary and early secondary school levels. The results show that many primary teachers lack the essential knowledge for teaching these types of activities: they do not have a clear idea of their goal, they do not consider non-standard algebraic generalisations to be correct and they generally seem unable to help students to improve their arithmetical generalisation. Secondary school teachers also seem unable to give adequate feedback to improve students' arithmetical generalisation. Although they seem to recognise that these activities are intended to improve algebraic thinking, they do not have a clear perception of the role that primary school learning can play in the development of this algebraic thinking.

Purpose Plant sterols (PS) are well known for their low-density lipoprotein cholesterol-lowering effect. Until recently, they were believed to have little or no impact on blood triglycerides (TG). However, studies taken individually were possibly lacking statistical power to detect modest TG decreases. This study was performed to quantify the TG-lowering effect of PS by pooling individual subject data from 12 randomised controlled trials that investigated the effects of PS on blood lipids. Methods The main outcome variable was the control-adjusted PS effect on relative (%) and absolute (mmol/L) changes in TG. The relative and absolute changes in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were also assessed. Differences in changes of serum lipid concentrations between PS and control treatments were estimated by an ANCOVA using a random effect model which included PS intake (active or control), study and predefined subject characteristics. Results The twelve randomised controlled trials included in total 935 hypercholesterolaemic subjects not preselected based on their baseline TG concentrations. In most studies, the PS dose ranged between 1.6 and 2.5 g/day. PS intake significantly lowered serum TG by 6.0% (95% CI: −10.7, −1.2) or 0.12 mmol/L (95% CI: −0.20, −0.04). No significant interaction was observed between PS intake and baseline TG concentrations on relative changes, but, on absolute changes, interaction was significant with larger TG decreases observed with higher TG concentrations at baseline. No effects were observed on HDL-C concentrations. Conclusions These results show that PS exert a modest TG-lowering effect which is dependent on baseline concentrations.

Sprague‐Dawley rats were fed purified diets varying in both protein (20%) and lipid (11%) content for 28 d to verify the independent and interactive effects of dietary proteins and lipids on serum and hepatic lipids, and on tissue lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity in both fasted and postprandial states. These diets consisted of either casein‐menhaden oil, casein‐coconut oil, soy protein‐menhaden oil (SPMO), soy protein‐coconut oil, cod protein‐menhaden oil, or cod protein‐coconut oil. A randomized 3×2 factorial design was used. A significant protein‐lipid interaction was seen on serum triglyceride levels: menhaden oil, compared with coconut oil, induced a decrease in serum triglyceride levels when combined with soy protein but not when combined with cod protein and casein. The lower serum triglyceride concentrations observed in the SPMO‐fed rats could be the result of decreased hepatic triglycerides when soy protein was compared with casein and when menhaden oil was compared with coconut oil. Total LPL activity in the heart was higher in menhaden oil‐fed rats than in coconut oil‐fed rats in the postprandial state. The higher LPL activity in the heart could, however, explain only 10% of the reduction of serum triglycerides, contributing slightly to the lowering effects of SPMO diet on serum triglycerides. Therefore, the present results indicate that dietary proteins can modulate the effects of fish oil on triglyceridemia in the rat, and that could be mainly related to specific alterations in hepatic lipid concentrations.

Plant sterols (PS) and MUFA are well-documented cholesterol lowering agents. We aimed to determine the effect of PS esterified to olive oil fatty acids (PS-OO) on blood lipid profile and lipid peroxidation in hypercholesterolaemic subjects. Twenty-one moderately overweight, hypercholesterolaemic subjects consumed three consecutive treatment diets, each lasting 28 d and separated by 4-week washout periods, using a randomized crossover design. Diets contained 30 % energy as fat, 70 % of which was provided by olive oil (OO), and differed only in the treatment oils: OO, PS esterified to sunflower oil fatty acids (PS-SO), and PS-OO. Both PS-SO and PS-OO treatments provided 1·7 g PS /d. PS-OO and PS-SO consumption resulted in a decrease (P = 0·0483) in LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) concentrations compared with the OO diet. Although total cholesterol and apo B-100 levels were not significantly affected, PS-SO and, to some extent, PS-OO reduced the total:HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) ratio (P = 0·0142) and the apo B-100:apo A-I ratio (P = 0·0168) compared with the OO diet. There were no differences across diets in lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) and lipid peroxidation levels. However, following consumption of OO and PS-SO, Lp(a) concentrations increased (P = 0·0050 and 0·0421, respectively), while PS-OO treatment did not affect Lp(a) levels. Furthermore, there was a decrease (P = 0·0097) in lipid peroxidation levels with PS-OO treatment during the supplementation phase. Our results suggest that supplementing an OO-rich diet with PS-OO favourably alters the plasma lipid profile and may decrease the susceptibility of LDL-C to lipid peroxidation in hypercholesterolaemic subjects.

The present study was designed to evaluate the independent and interactive effects of a once-a-day yoghurt drink providing 2 g plant sterols/d and capsules providing 2 g fish oil n-3 long-chain (LC) PUFA/d on plasma lipids, apolipoproteins and LDL particle size. Following a 2-week run-in period, 200 mildly hypercholesterolaemic Indian adults aged 35–55 years were randomised into one of four groups of a 2 × 2 factorial, double-blind controlled trial. The 4-week treatments consisted of (1) control yoghurt drink and control capsules, (2) control yoghurt drink and fish oil capsules, (3) plant sterol-enriched yoghurt drink and control capsules, or (4) plant sterol-enriched yoghurt drink and fish oil capsules. Blood was drawn before and after the 4-week intervention. Changes in health status, lifestyle and dietary habits, and daily compliance were recorded. The main effects of plant sterols were a 4·5 % reduction in LDL-cholesterol and a 15 % reduction in TAG without a significant change in HDL-cholesterol. Overall, fish oil n-3 LC-PUFA did not significantly affect cholesterol concentrations but reduced TAG by 15 % and increased HDL-cholesterol by 5·4 %. The combination significantly lowered TAG by 15 % v. control. No significant interaction between plant sterols and n-3 LC-PUFA was observed on plasma cholesterol concentrations. In conclusion, once-a-day intake of 2 g plant sterols/d in a yoghurt drink, 2 g fish oil n-3 LC-PUFA/d in capsules, and their combination had beneficial effects on the lipid profile of mildly hypercholesterolaemic Indian adults. The potent hypotriacylglycerolaemic effect of plant sterols observed in the present study and this population warrants additional investigation.

The hypolipidaemic effects of plant sterols are well established. However, mechanisms by which plant sterols lower plasma cholesterol levels, particularly at the molecular level, have not been clearly elucidated. The objective of the present study was to determine whether different plant sterol analogues reduce plasma cholesterol levels by up regulating the sterol transporters ABCG5 and ABCG8 in the liver and/or small intestine. Male Golden Syrian hamsters were divided into eight groups. Groups 1 and 2 were fed a maize starch–casein–sucrose-based diet that did not contain cholesterol (control; Con) or the Con diet with the addition of 0·25 % cholesterol (Ch-Con). Groups 3–8 were fed the Ch-Con diet supplemented with 1 % plant sterols, 1 % plant stanols, 1 % of a plant sterol and stanol mixture (50:50), 1·76 % plant sterol–fish oil esters, or 0·71 or 1·43 % stanol–ascorbic acid esters, respectively. After 5 weeks, the Ch-Con diet up regulated the ABCG5 mRNA expression and tended (P = 0·083) to increase ABCG8 mRNA expression in the liver, but did not affect both genes’ expression in the small intestine compared with the Con diet. Hamsters fed 0·7 % stanol esters showed lower plasma cholesterol levels (P < 0·001) and also lower liver ABCG5 mRNA expression (P < 0·05) compared with the Ch-Con diet. Plant stanols, stanol esters, and sterol esters did not affect the ABCG5 or ABCG8 mRNA expressions in the liver and intestine although they reduced plasma cholesterol levels. These results suggest that plant sterols and their derivatives reduce plasma cholesterol levels independently from the mRNA expression of ABCG5 and ABCG8 transporters.