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Browsing by Author "Trichopoulou, A."

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  • An overview of the European health examination survey pilot joint action
    Publication . Kuulasmaa, K.; Tolonen, H.; Koponen, P.; Kilpeläinen, K.; Avdicová, M.; Broda, G.; Calleja, N.; Dias, Carlos Matias; Gösswald, A.; Kubinova, R.; Mindell, J.; Männistö, S.; Palmieri, L; Tell, G. S.; Trichopoulou, A.; Verschuren, Monique
    Background Health Examination Surveys (HESs) can provide essential information on the health and health determinants of a population, which is not available from other data sources. Nevertheless, only some European countries have systems of national HESs. A study conducted in 2006-2008 concluded that it is feasible to organize national HESs using standardized measurement procedures in nearly all EU countries. The feasibility study also outlined a structure for a European Health Examination Survey (EHES), which is a collaboration to organize standardized HESs in countries across Europe. To facilitate setting up national surveys and to gain experience in applying the EHES methods in different cultures, EHES Joint Action (2010-2011) planned and piloted standardized HESs in the working age population in 12 countries. This included countries with earlier national HESs and countries which were planning their first national HES. The core measurements included in all surveys were weight, height, waist circumference and blood pressure, and blood samples were taken to measure lipid profiles and glucose or glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c). These are modifiable determinants of major chronic diseases not identified in health interview surveys. There was a questionnaire to complement the data on the examination measurements. Methods Evaluation of the pilot surveys was based on review of national manuals and evaluation reports of survey organizers; observations and discussions of survey procedures during site visits and training seminars; and other communication with the survey organizers. Results Despite unavoidable differences in the ways HESs are organized in the various countries, high quality and comparability of the data seems achievable. The biggest challenge in each country was obtaining high participation rate. Most of the pilot countries are now ready to start their full-size national HES, and six of them have already started. Conclusions The EHES Pilot Project has set up the structure for obtaining comparable high quality health indicators on health and important modifiable risk factors of major non-communicable diseases from the European countries. The European Union is now in a key position to make this structure sustainable. The EHES core survey can be expanded to cover other measurements.
    2012-08-28Journal article Open access Show more
  • Avaliação nutricional dos alimentos tradicionais
    Publication . Costa, H.S.; Albuquerque, T.G.; Sanches-Silva, A.; Vasilopoulou, E.; Trichopoulou, A.; D’Antuono, F.; Finglas, P.
    Os alimentos tradicionais são um elemento importante, para a cultura, história, património e identidade de uma região ou país. Estes alimentos são normalmente conhecidos como alimentos característicos de um determinado local, onde foram consumidos durante muito tempo e cujo método de preparação foi passado de geração em geração. Os alimentos tradicionais podem também contribuir para o desenvolvimento e sustentabilidade económica das zonas rurais, e para a preservação da biodiversidade. Um dos objetivos do projeto EuroFIR (European Food Information Resource) foi determinar a composição nutricional de 55 alimentos tradicionais de 13 países Europeus. Para cumprir este objetivo foram desenvolvidos procedimentos harmonizados que foram aplicados ao estudo sistemático dos alimentos tradicionais. Os alimentos tradicionais foram selecionados e prioritizados com base na definição de “Alimento tradicional” desenvolvida no EuroFIR. Desta forma, os critérios específicos para a seleção dos alimentos foram: documentação de caráter tradicional; dados de composição; dados de consumo; implicação para a saúde e potencial de marketing. Para assegurar a qualidade dos resultados analíticos, foram selecionados laboratórios acreditados ou laboratórios que participassem com êxito em ensaios interlaboratoriais. Os 55 alimentos tradicionais selecionados, foram totalmente documentados no que diz respeito a: descrição dos alimentos, ingredientes, receita, plano de amostragem, preparação de amostras, identificação dos componentes, métodos analíticos utilizados e avaliação da qualidade dos resultados, de acordo com as normas EuroFIR para inclusão de dados nas bases de dados nacionais de composição de alimentos. A abordagem utilizada no EuroFIR para estudar os alimentos tradicionais, foi posteriormente aplicada ao projeto BaSeFood (Sustainable exploitation of bioactive components from the Black Sea Area traditional foods), que tem como principal objetivo recolher informações sobre os compostos bioativos, com potenciais efeitos benéficos para a saúde, com a finalidade de dar oportunidade às partes interessadas para desenvolver dietas sustentáveis. Para cumprir este objetivo foram selecionados 33 alimentos tradicionais de 6 países da região do Mar Negro, para os quais foi determinada a composição nutricional e a composição em compostos bioactivos, utilizando as regras previamente desenvolvidas e validadas no projeto EuroFIR. A utilização de uma metodologia comum para o estudo de alimentos tradicionais permitirá aos países interessados continuarem a investigar estes alimentos, bem como continuar a atualizar as bases de dados nacionais de composição de alimentos. Além disso, a base de conhecimento dos alimentos tradicionais de países da região do Mar Negro contribuirá para promover a biodiversidade local e as dietas sustentáveis, através da manutenção de hábitos alimentares saudáveis.
    2012-05-25Conference object Restricted access Show more
  • BaSeFood. Nutritional data on traditional foods and analytical data on plant raw materials
    Publication . Costa, H.S.; Albuquerque, T.G.; Sanches-Silva, A.; D’Antuono, L.F.; Vasilopoulou, E.; Trichopoulou, A.; Alexieva, I.; Boyko, N.; Costea, C.; Fedosov, S.; Hayran, O.; Jorjadze, M.; Karpenko, D.; Finglas, P.
    Introduction. The Sustainable exploitation of bioactive components from the Black Sea Area traditional foods (BaSeFood) consists of a research consortium of 13 partners [1]. A general objective is to contribute towards the establishment of a rationale for integrating the concept of health-promoting for traditional foods. The specific aim of this study was to produce analytical data detailing the nutritional and bioactive content of selected traditional foods from six Black Sea area countries, and to evaluate the diversity of bioactive compounds content of some plant raw materials. Results. A total of 33 traditional foods from Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russian Federation, Turkey and Ukraine were selected and prioritised in WP1. Within WP2, a list of components for the nutritional composition of each traditional food was prioritised on the basis of (1) inclusion of relevant data in national food composition databases; (2) the most relevant components to be analysed for each food and (3) their importance in relation to the increased risk of diet‐related chronic diseases. The prioritised list of components to be quantified in the selected traditional foods was: water, ash, total protein, total fat, individual fatty acids, total starch, total sugars, total dietary fibre, vitamins, minerals and trace elements. Besides the nutritional composition and total polyphenols determination, additional analyses on carotenoids ( carotene, -carotene, -cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin, neoxanthin, violaxanthin, lutein and lycopene) were performed. A common approach on sampling and sample handling of traditional foods using harmonised guidelines was established, for all countries, to ensure that representative food samples would be analysed in order to produce reliable and high quality data [2,3]. The following relevant results were obtained for raw materials. Kales confirmed to be an interesting source of glucobrassicin; variability of glucosinolate, carotenoids and phenolic content was detected. Among primitive wheats, einkorn wheat was the richest in carotenoids and phenolics content, with slightly different sterol composition from the others species. Among oilseeds, sesame was the richest source of sterols and tocols, whereas walnuts were by far the richest in phenolic compounds; the importance of the initial oxidative conditions of raw materials for further processing is stressed. Conclusions. The use of a common methodology to study traditional foods will be essential to maintain the European cultural heritage, thus enabling future generations to experience and enjoy local specialities. Furthermore, this study provides new data on the nutritional composition and bioactive compounds content of the selected traditional foods from Black Sea Area countries in order to elucidate their role in the dietary pattern of each country. Moreover, knowledge base of traditional foods and related plant raw materials from Black Sea Area countries will contribute to promote local biodiversity and sustainable diets, by maintaining healthy dietary patterns within local cultures.
    2012-10-04Conference object Restricted access Show more
  • Carotenoids of Traditional Foods from Black Sea Area Countries and their relation with Immune Response
    Publication . Sanches-Silva, A.; Albuquerque, T.G.; Finglas, P.; D'Antuono, F.; Trichopoulou, A.; Vasilopoulou, E.; Alexieva, I.; Boyko, N.; Costea, C.; Dubtsov, G.; Fedosova, K.; Hayran, O.; Kilasonia, Z.; Costa, H.S.
    Carotenoids are colourful compounds which provide photoprotection of plants and participate in their photosynthesis. Particularly β-carotene may enhance the human immune response. Some epidemiological studies have suggested an association between carotenoids intake and reduced incidence of some forms of cancer, which might be related with the antioxidant properties of carotenoids, namely by their ability of reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) damages in cell membranes. Moreover, carotenoids may also influence the activity of redox-sensitive transcription factors and the production of cytokines and prostaglandins. Carotenoids were extracted from Black Sea Area Countries (BSAC) traditional foods with a mixture of hexane/ethanol, 4:3 (v/v). In all samples, a procedure with and without saponification step was applied. Separation and quantification was performed by Ultra High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (UHPLC). Chromatographic separation was performed with a UPLC® BEH guard-column (2.1 x 5 mm, 1.7 µm particle size) and a UPLC® BEH analytical column (2.1 x 50 mm, 1.7 µm particle size). Mobile phases were (A) ultrapure water; (B) acetonitrile/methanol (containing ammonium acetate)/dichloromethane (75:20:5, v/v/v). The flow-rate was 0.5 mL/min. From the 28 analysed traditional foods for carotenoids content, α-carotene was quantified in 7. The highest level was found for rodopian dried beans, followed by vegetable okroshka. β-carotene was quantified in 53.4% of the analysed traditional foods from BSAC. The sample with highest β-carotene content was plums jam followed by kale soup and nettles sour soup. Once more, as it was expected, the group that most contributes for β-carotene intake is the vegetable and vegetables based foods followed by fruit or fruit based foods. Wild plum sauce was the sample that presented the highest β-cryptoxanthin content (63.8 µg/100 g of edible portion). Lycopene was quantified in about 43% of the analysed traditional foods from BSAC. The foods with highest lycopene content were watermelon juice, Ukrainian borsch and sautéed pickled green beans. The analysed traditional foods from BSAC can be considered good sources of bioactive compounds, although it was found a great variability on the content of carotenoids. Due to the putative health benefits of these compounds, the consumption of those with higher content of bioactive compounds should be encouraged and promoted.
    2012-10-15Conference object Restricted access Show more
  • Carotenoids, vitamins (A, B2, C and E) and total folate of traditional foods from Black Sea Area countries
    Publication . Sanches-Silva, A.; Albuquerque, T.G.; Finglas, P.; Ribeiro, T.; Valente, A.; Vasilopoulou, E.; Trichopoulou, A.; Alexieva, I.; Boyko, N.; Costea, C.; Hayran, O.; Jorjadze, M.; Kaprelyants, L.; Karpenko, D.; D'Antuono, L.F.; Costa, H.S.
    BACKGROUND: Carotenoids, vitamins (A, B2, C and E) and total folate are related to health promotion. However, there are still many food matrices for which the content of these compounds is not available. In order to fill this gap, traditional foods from Black Sea Area countries (BSAC) were analysed in order to investigate their potential health benefits. RESULTS: The most abundant carotenoid was β-carotene. Plum jam was the sample with the highest β-carotene content (608 μg 100 g−1 edible portion). The group of vegetables and vegetable-based foods contributed most to β-carotene content. Evergreen cherry laurel presented the highest L-ascorbic acid content (29.9 mg 100 g−1 edible portion), while the highest riboflavin and total folate contents were found for roasted sunflower seeds. Approximately 61% of the analysed samples showed quantifiable amounts of α-tocopherol but did not contain retinol. CONCLUSION: Despite the great variability in the content of carotenoids, vitamins and total folate, most of the analysed traditional foods from BSAC can be considered good sources of these compounds. Therefore, owing to their putative health benefits, the consumption of those with higher contents of these compounds should be encouraged and promoted.
    2013-11Journal article Restricted access Show more
  • Comparison of proximate data among traditional foods from Black Sea Area countries per food group
    Publication . Albuquerque, T.G.; Sanches-Silva, A.; Finglas, P.; Trichopoulou, A.; Vasilopoulou, E.; Alexieva, I.; Boyko, N.; Costea, C.; Fedosova, K.; Jorjadze, M.; Karpenko, D.; Koçaoglu, B.; D’Antuono, L.F.; Costa, H.S.
    Introduction. Traditional foods from 6 Black Sea Area Countries (Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russian Federation, Turkey and Ukraine) were prioritized within the frame of the European Project BaSeFood (Sustainable Exploitation of Bioactive Components Black Sea Area traditional foods). The selected traditional foods were categorized into 6 food groups: 1) Cereal or cereal based foods; 2) Fruit or fruit based foods; 3) Vegetable or vegetable based foods; 4) Oilseeds or oilseed products; 5) Herbs, spices and aromatic plants; and 6) Low or non-alcoholic fermented products. One of the aims within BaSeFood project was to produce an overview of the nutritional value of each traditional food and compare it among the categorized food groups. Material and methods. The 33 selected traditional foods were prepared according to a recorded traditional recipe, ingredients and traditional preparation methods. The following components were determined: moisture, ash, total nitrogen (for protein), total fat, individual fatty acids, starch, total sugars and dietary fibre for each food. Results. Our results show that vegetables and vegetable based foods; herbs, spices and aromatic plants; and low or non-alcoholic fermented foods and beverages of plant origin were the food groups with the lower energy content mainly due to its high water content (>60.0 g/100 g). Oilseeds or oilseed products were the group that presented the highest mean content of ash (2.23 g/100 g), total protein (15.9 g/100 g) and total fat (72.0 g/100 g). Sour rye bread, which belongs to the cereals and cereal based foods group, contained the highest starch content (66.3  0.55 g/100 g). The highest total sugars content (85.3  0.30 g/100 g) was found in rose jam, a food from the fruit or fruit based foods group. All results are given per 100 g of edible portion. Conclusions. The proximate composition of the selected traditional foods from Black Sea Area countries is important in order to elucidate their role in the dietary pattern of populations and will be useful to include new nutritional data in national food composition databases.
    2012-10Conference object Restricted access Show more
  • Definition and documentation of traditional foods of the Black Sea Area Countries: potential nutrition claims
    Publication . Dillis, V.; Vasilopoulou, E.; Alexieva, I.; Boyko, N.; Bondrea, A.; Fedosov, S.; Hayran, O.; Jorjadze, M.; Karpenko, D.; Costa, H.S.; Finglas, P.; Trichopoulou, A.
    BACKGROUND: Nutrition and health claims are permitted in foods marketed in the European Union under Regulation 1924/2006. Quality products such as traditional foods might benefit from this act, as it can highlight their nutritional richness. In this study the nutritional content of 33 traditional foods from the Black Sea Area Countries was evaluated against the thresholds of the Regulation for nutrition claims. RESULTS: Most of the foods were eligible to bear several nutrition claims, mostly related to their fat, sugar, fiber and sodium content. The average number of claims per traditional food was two, with a range between zero and nine. Overall, about 72 nutrition claims were potentially relevant for the 33 traditional foods studied. Foods linked with the most claims were nuts and seeds. CONCLUSION: The inclusion of traditional foods under this standardized European scheme could be an efficient way to highlight their possible beneficial nutritional properties. The production and marketing of traditional foods could be of benefit to both the health of consumers and the economic viability of producers, especially small- and medium-size enterprises.
    2013-11Journal article Restricted access Show more
  • Determination of total folate content in traditional foods from Black Sea Area countries
    Publication . Finglas, P.; Roe, M.; Sanches-Silva, A.; Vasilopoulou, E.; Trichopoulou, A.; D’Antuono, F.; Alexieva, I.; Kaprelyants, L.; Karpenko, D.; Kilasonia, Z.; Kocaoglu, B.; Mudryk, M.; Stroia, A.L.; Costa, H.S.
    Rationale and objectives: Folates occur naturally as a variety of polyglutamates, with different biological activity. Folate is a generic term for a water-stable vitamin from B-complex, which exists in many chemical forms. It is essential for many of the methylation reactions involved in the synthesis of DNA and RNA, and hence plays a crucial role in cell division. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) is 400 µg/day (for both men and women) of dietary folate equivalents. Food folates have approximately 50% lower bioavailability than folic acid. The ingestion of a supplement of folic acid during the periconceptional period significantly reduces the risk of giving birth to a child with a neural tube defect. Materials and methods: The determination of the total folate content in foodstuffs was carried out by a microbiological assay (EN 14131:2003) with turbidimetric detection of the growth of the microorganism Lactobacillus casei, subspecies rhamnosus (ATCC 7469). The analyses were performed in an accredited laboratory according to ISO/IEC/17025. This method was applied to the selected traditional foods of European Project BaSeFood (Sustainable Exploitation of Bioactive Components from the Black Sea Area Traditional Foods). Results: Total folate content of cereals or cereals based foods ranged from 11.7 to 20.5 µg/100 g, while for vegetables based foods it varied between 5.2 µg/100 g (Ukrainian Borsch) and 97.2 µg/100 g (Nettles with walnut sauce). The highest total folate content was found in the group of products from oilseeds for roasted sunflower seeds (113 µg/100 g). All traditional foods containing fruits have a total folate content lower than 5 µg/100 g. The analytical results are expressed per 100 g of edible portion. Conclusions: Our results show that some of the analysed traditional foods are a good dietary source of natural folates in the diet of Black Sea Area countries. Fruit based foods presented the lower total folate content and products from oilseeds were the group with the highest content.
    2011-09Conference object Open access Show more
  • Dietary data and mortality patterns in countries of the Black Sea Region
    Publication . Naska, A.; Sanches-Silva, A.; Albuquerque, T.G.; Costa, H.S.; Finglas, P.; Konic-Ristic, A.; Glibetic, M.; D’ Antuono, F.; Trichopoulou, A.; on behalf of the BaSeFood Black Sea area partners
    INTRODUCTION: Worldwide dietary data for nutrition monitoring and surveillance are commonly derived from Food Balance Sheets (FBS) and Household Budget Surveys (HBS). OBJECTIVES: To identify and monitor dietary patterns in six countries surrounding the Black Sea (Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russian Federation, Turkey and Ukraine) based on comparable data and to explore possible effects on mortality rates in the region. METHOD/DESIGN: In the context of the Sustainable exploitation of bioactive components from the Black Sea Area traditional foods (BaSeFood) project, food supply data from FBS, food availability data from HBS and age-standardised mortality rates from the WHO database were retrieved and analysed. RESULTS: Both food supply and availability data indicate plant-based dietary patterns in the area, with cereals and cereal products, fruits, vegetables and vegetable oils being mostly consumed. Nonetheless, the availability of staple plant foods decreased in years following political changes in the region. Due to religious and other cultural norms, pork meat is preferred in Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine; poultry in Turkey; and, beef in the Russian Federation and Georgia. With respect to socio-economic inequalities, HBS data of the last decade clearly indicate the high dependence of diet on the participants’ residential area, educational attainment and income. Mortality indices retrieved from the WHO databases show that diseases of the circulatory system are the main cause of death in the region, with rates being substantially higher than the EU averages. CONCLUSIONS: The change in the regime, the economic crisis following the USSR dissolution in 1991 and the opening of the food market have largely affected the population dietary choices and mortality rates. Targeted public health nutrition policies encouraging the consumption of health promoting traditional foods particularly among individuals of low socio-economic status are in need in the region.
    2011-10Conference object Open access Show more
  • Fatty acids composition and total fat content in traditional foods from Black Sea Area countries
    Publication . Albuquerque, T.G.; Sanches-Silva, A.; Finglas, P.; D'Antuono, L.F.; Trichopoulou, A.; Alexieva, I.; Boyko, N.; Costea, C.; Fedosova, K.; Karpenko, D.; Kilasonia, Z.; Koçaoglu, B.; Costa, H.S.
    Objectives: This work was performed within the collaborative research program Sustainable exploitation of bioactive components from the Black Sea Area traditional foods (BaSeFood), funded by the European Commission. The overall objective of this study was to determine the total fat content and fatty acids (FA) composition among 33 traditional foods from six Black Sea Area countries (BSAC). Method: Total fat analysis was performed by an acid hydrolysis method with Soxhlet extraction (AOAC 948.15, 2000). Preparation of FA methyl esters was carried out by a combined method of methylation and transesterification. For FA determination chromatographic analysis was performed using a gas chromatograph with mass detector. FA methyl esters were separated in an Agilent HP-88 column (100 m x 0.25 mm i.d., 0.25 µm). Helium was the carrier gas. Split ratio of 50:1 and an injection volume of 1.0 µL were used. FA methyl esters were identified by comparing the retention times of the standards with those of the samples. Results: Total fat content ranged between 0.138 ± 0.0 g/100 g for Uzvar (Ukraine) and 99.9 ± 0.0 g/100 g for flax oil and mustard oil. From the 33 analysed traditional foods, 27.3% had fat contents below the limit of quantification (< 0.1 g/100 g). The highest content for saturated and polyunsaturated FA was found for flax oil (15.3 ± 0.6 g/100 g and 58.5 ± 0.5 g/100 g, respectively). Mustard oil showed the highest value for monounsaturated FA (55.1 ± 0.7 g/100 g), although it also has a high polyunsaturated FA content (38.0 ± 0.6 g/100 g of edible portion). Conclusions: In general, there was a great variability of results with respect to the FA profile of the analyzed traditional foods from BSAC, since there is a wide range of traditional foods from different countries and cultures. Some traditional foods from BSAC are a good source of unsaturated FA which are related to several health benefits. Acknowledgements: The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n.º 227118.
    2013-03Conference object Open access Show more