Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2012-10-15"
Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Carotenoids of Traditional Foods from Black Sea Area Countries and their relation with Immune ResponsePublication . 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.
- Vitamins with anti-inflammatory properties in diabetic and nondiabetic subjectsPublication . Valente, A.; Bicho, M.; Albuquerque, T.G.; Duarte, R.; Raposo, J.F.; Costa, H.S.Type 2 diabetes mellitus predisposes patients to increased susceptibility to various infections. Nutrition plays a critical role in maintaining normal immune function. Adequate status of antioxidant vitamins are required for the immune system to function efficiently. The aim of the study is to evaluate the blood status of the major antioxidant vitamins with anti-inflammatory proprieties in diabetic patients and nondiabetic subjects. The blood levels of vitamins C, A and E were measured in 150 Portuguese type 2 diabetic patients and 143 health age-matched controls using previously validated HPLC methods. The study population was divided into three groups: group I- 75 diabetics with angiopathy; group II- 75 diabetics without angiopathy and group III- 143 nondiabetic subjects. The statistical analysis was performed by one-way analysis of variance and Pearson Correlation Coefficient. Group III had a lower mean level of vitamin E (22.2 µM) compared to the mean values obtained for groups I (29.4 µM) and II (31.1 µM). For vitamin C, group I showed lower plasma mean values (3.84 µg/ml) compared to groups II (4.04 µg/ml) and III (5.61 µg/ml). Vitamin A had the most similar mean levels between the three study groups, being for group I- 4.76 µM, group II- 4.08 µM and group III- 4.28 µM. Antioxidant vitamins mean levels were statistically (p = 0.05) different between the study groups. For vitamin C, differences were observed between groups I and III. The mean values for vitamin A were different between diabetic patients with and without angiopathy and also between diabetics with angiopathy and nondiabetic subjects. The mean levels of vitamin E were significantly different between diabetic and nondiabetic subjects. The prevalence of hipovitaminose C was higher than 95% for all groups. For vitamin E, the percentage of subjects with low levels was for group I- 60%, group II- 51% and group III- 84%. The prevalence of hipovitaminose A was insignificant in the study population. The prevalence of low levels of vitamins with anti-inflammatory proprieties does not seem to be related with the presence of diabetes or angiopathy. Vitamin C and E deficiency was high in diabetic and nondiabetic subjects. Supplementation with these two vitamins should be considered, especially in diabetic patients who have suppressed immunity and a higher risk to develop or aggravate infections.
- Eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids daily intake among diabetic and nondiabetic subjects: relation to cardiovascular diseasePublication . Valente, A.; Bicho, M.; Albuquerque, T.G.; Duarte, R.; Raposo, J.F.; Costa, H.S.Cardiovascular disease (CVD) accounts for up to 80% of the mortality in persons with type 2 diabetes, with the age-adjusted relative risk of death due to CVD being 2 to 4 times higher than in the general population. There is considerable evidence that a diet enriched with n-3 fatty acids, specifically eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5 n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6 n-3), protects against anti-inflammatory process, atherosclerotic heart disease, myocardial infarction and sudden death. The aim of the study is to estimate and compare the mean daily intake of EPA and DHA polyunsaturated fatty acids in type 2 diabetic patients and nondiabetic subjects. The mean daily intakes of EPA and DHA were also compared with several dietary recommendations to prevent cardiovascular diseases. The study was performed in 150 Portuguese type 2 diabetic patients and 143 nondiabetic subjects. The study population was divided into three groups: group I- 75 diabetics with angiopathy; group II- 75 diabetics without angiopathy and group III- 143 nondiabetic subjects. The statistical analysis was performed by one-way analysis of variance and Scheffe test. Nutrients intake were estimated from a food-frequency questionnaire previously validated for Portuguese adults with cardiovascular disease by the Epidemiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oporto. Group III had a lower mean EPA daily intake (96 mg/day) compared to the mean values obtained for groups I (115 mg/day) and II (114 mg/day). For DHA, groups I and II had the same mean daily intake (260 mg/day), which was higher than the mean value estimated for group III (216 mg/day). Statistical differences were achieved for EPA and DHA daily intakes between diabetic patients and nondiabetic patients. According to the recommendations of the French Food Safety Agency, American Dietetic Association and the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids, to prevent cardiovascular diseases, the sum of EPA+DHA daily intake should provide 500 mg/day. All groups in the study had a mean daily intake significantly different than the recommended value, but the prevalence of subjects with daily intakes lower than the recommended values was for each group, respectively: group I - 75%, group II - 79% and group III - 93%. As recommended by the French Food Safety Agency, the mean daily intakes of DHA for all study groups were higher than 120 mg/day. The daily intake of EPA and DHA is similar between diabetics with and without angiopathy, but higher in diabetics compared to nondiabetic subjects. These results suggest that diabetic patients are more concern with the diet than nondiabetic subjects. The prevalence of EPA and DHA daily intake below the recommended values is very high in the study population. This fact is associated with a higher risk to develop cardiovascular disease and with a lower ability to protect against inflammatory process in diabetes.