Percorrer por autor "Nauta, Marten"
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- Identification of risks and benefits associated to the consumption of raw milk: the first step of a risk-benefit assessmentPublication . Assunção, Ricardo; Pires, Sara; Nauta, MartenMilk is a highly nutritious food. Due to consumers’ perception that raw milk (RM) is a better source of nutrients and other active components there is currently considerable debate on the potential health benefits of consumption of RM compared to pasteurized milk (PM). Current trends advocating for “consuming natural” and “purchasing locally” have contributed to the increased popularity of RM in some countries (e.g. Italy, Estonia and the US). Claimed health benefits are e.g. “higher nutritional value”, especially in terms of vitamins’ contents, “beneficial microflora” as probiotic bacteria, and “allergy prevention”. However, several human pathogens can be present in RM and have been identified as the cause of several foodborne outbreaks. Consequently, this new trend encourages a proper assessment of the associated risks and benefits through a quantitative risk-benefit assessment (RBA). Traditionally, RBA considers as a first step the identification of the risks and the benefits posed by the considered food product, gathering scientific evidence for the inclusion or exclusion of each food component. This study aimed to identify the risks and the benefits associated to the consumption of RM when compared to PM. Through literature search, the nutritional, toxicological and microbiological food components that could be present in RM and PM were identified. For each identified food component, scientific evidence were analysed to support the decision about the inclusion or exclusion of each food component. Microbiological pathogens (Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., Campylobacter jejuni and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli), probiotic bacteria (Lactobacillus spp.) and nutritional components (vitamins B2 and A) were identified, as well as the potential impact of RM in the reduction of the allergies’ prevalence. Since it is not expected that heat-treatment could affect the occurrence of chemical toxic compounds in milk, no toxicological components were identified in the assessment. We identified the main components that should be considered in RBA of RM consumption. Such a quantitative RBA will contribute to inform the consumers about the magnitude of the risk and the expected health impact.
- Nut consumption in Portugal: the balance between the risks and the benefits regarding liver cancer and cardiovascular diseasePublication . Assunção, Ricardo; Jakobsen, Lea; Alvito, Paula; Carmona, P.; Carvalho, C.; Lopes, C.; Martins, C.; Monteiro, Sarogini; Nabais, P.; Correia, D.; Torres, D.; Viegas, Carla; Viegas, S.; Nauta, Marten; Pires, SaraNuts are rich sources of cis-unsaturated fatty acids, fibre, vitamins, minerals, and a number of bioactive substances and the regular consumption of nuts are being associated with a reduction in all-cause mortality, particularly cardiovascular disease (CVD). At the same time, the occurrence of mycotoxins in nuts, including the most potent carcinogenic aflatoxins (AFTs), has been reported by several authors worldwide. According to the National Food, Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (IAN-AF 2015-16), the usual consumption of nuts by the Portuguese adults is 2.7 g/day. Some recent epidemiological studies (e.g. PREDIMED) suggested that a daily nuts consumption of 30 g could reduce the incidence of CVD. The present study aimed to quantify the health impact in terms of Disability-adjusted life years (DALY) of increasing nut consumption to 30 g/day by adult Portuguese population, when compared to the current intake. Regarding nut consumption, two scenarios were established: current consumption (CS) – 2.7 g/day; alternative scenario (AS) – 30 g/day. AFTs occurrence in nuts available in Portuguese market and nut consumption data were used to estimate AFTs intake. Epidemiological and National population data were used to estimate the DALYs, considering two different endpoints: the occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma due to exposure to AFTs (IPSC/WHO) and the prevention of acute myocardial infarction due to nuts’ consumption (PREDIMED). A mean daily intake of AFTs of 0.013 (CS) and 0.142 (AS) ng/kg bw/day was predicted. This intake is estimated to cause 0.013 (CS) and 0.15 (AS) extra cases of Hepatocellular Carcinoma, corresponding to 0.2 (CS) and 2.7 (AS) annual DALYs. In contrast, the estimated number of preventable cases of myocardial infarction due to the increasing of nut consumption to 30 g/day was 1402 and the DALYs gained was 5658. Integrating risks and benefits, 5656 annual DALYs could be potentially saved. These results suggest an overall beneficial health effect of increased nut consumption in Portugal. Therefore, it seems not advisable to reduce exposure to AFTs by recommending a reduced intake of nuts.