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1 MRC Human Nutrition Research, Downham's Lane, Milton Road,
Cambridge CB4 1XJ, UK (formerly MRC Dunn Nutritional Laboratory)
2 University of Ulster at Coleraine, School of Biomedical Sciences, Coleraine BT52 1SA, UK
3 Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK
Summary
The National Diet and Nutrition Survey, nationally representative for the British population aged 65 years and over, has revealed a north-south geographical gradient, with a decline from south to north of vitamin B6 status indices. The present study further explores the possible explanatory factors (dietary intake of vitamin B6 and riboflavin, alcohol consumption, smoking habits and some other lifestyle determinants) on the difference of vitamin B6 indices plasma concentrations of pyridoxal phosphate (pPLP) and pyridoxic acid (pPA), between older people living in the north (Scotland, North of England) and the south (Southern England, Wales and Midlands). The results showed that older people living in the northern half of Britain are at greater risk of poor vitamin B6 status, mainly as a result of low intakes of this vitamin, than the people living in the southern half of the country. Riboflavin intake, alcohol consumption, smoking and socio-economic status also correlated with the north-south gradient of pPLP and pPA. Other potential determinants such as use of vitamin B6 supplements, medicines probably affecting vitamin B6 metabolism, were not independent correlates of the north-south gradient in vitamin B6 status indices. This may have important implications for disease-risk geographical gradients in the UK.
Key words
Vitamin B6 status, pPLP, pPA, north-south differences, older British people
International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research,
Band 69, 1999, Heft 6 © Verlag Hans Huber AG, Bern
1 Dipartimento di Scienze Animali Vegetali e dell'Ambiente, Università degli Studi del Molise, 86100 Campobasso (Italy)
2 Istituto di Produzioni e Preparazioni Alimentari, Università di Bari, 71100 Foggia (Italy)
Summary
The effects of intramuscularly administrated vitamin E on total lipids, fatty acid profile, and lipid stability to oxidation was investigated in lamb liver. Twenty-four 5-day-old lambs were allotted to 4 groups of 6 each and given respectively 0 (control), 125, 200, 300 mg dl-a-tocopheryl acetate weekly from day 5 to 33. a-Tocopherol stored in lamb liver at the end of experiment showed linear correlation with the level of injected vitamin E. No effect on total lipids was found. A decrease in the level of liver thiobarbituric-acid reactive substances (TBARS), significantly correlated with liver a-tocopherol content, was found in vitamin E groups. The amount of linoleic and linolenic acids significantly increased in the vitamin E groups as compared to control group, and were correlated with the liver a-tocopherol content. TBARS were negatively correlated with the concentration of unsaturated fatty acids. Finally, in the liver of the treated groups, vitamin E concentrations in the range 3050 mg/g showed adequate for an efficient protection from peroxidation of membrane lipids, and determined an increase in the unsaturated to saturated fatty acid ratio.
Key words
Vitamin E, fatty acid, peroxidation, lamb
International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research,
Band 69, 1999, Heft 6, © Verlag Hans Huber AG, Bern
1 Departments of Public Health and Biochemistry, Fujita
Health University School of Health Sciences, Toyoake (Japan)
2 Department of Public Health, Gifu University School of Medicine, Gifu (Japan)
3 Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational & Environmental Health, Japan, Kitakyusyu (Japan)
4 Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, School of Medicine, California (USA)
5 Urban Environment and Health Project, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba (Japan)
Summary
Serum concentrations of carotenoids, a-tocopherol, fatty acids, and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) were measured in 217 Japanese residents of Japan, and in 99 Japanese and 100 Caucasian residents of the US, aged from 50 y to 74 y. In females, serum values of carotenoids such as b-carotene (BC) and zeaxanthin & lutein (ZL) were highest among Japanese in Japan, followed by Japanese in the US and Caucasians in the US. In males, these values, except for serum BC values, were also highest among Japanese in Japan. Moreover, serum values of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3PUFAs) such as eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid were significantly higher among Japanese in Japan than among Japanese and Caucasians in the US in both sexes. In contrast, serum values of n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids such as linoleic acid and arachidonic acid were lowest among Japanese in Japan. For women, serum levels of n-9 unsaturated fatty acids were lowest among Japanese living in Japan. Serum TBARS values were highest among Japanese in Japan, followed by Japanese in the US and Caucasians in the US. A significant positive correlation was observed between serum values of TBARS and n-3 PUFAs among Japanese both in Japan and in the US. Serum TBARS values showed a significant inverse relationship with the serum values of BC and ZL among Japanese in Japan and with those of BC among Japanese in the US. These relationships were not always observed among Caucasians in the US. The results of this study suggest that the high TBARS values among Japanese in Japan may depend in part on lipid peroxidation induced in vitro by n-3PUFAs, while high reduction of lipid peroxidation could be expected among Japanese in Japan with high antioxidants such as BC and ZL.
In conclusion, serum levels of nonprovitamin A carotenoids such as ZL may be a useful intake marker of vegetables. Dietary intakes of dark green vegetables and fish rich in n-3PUFAs might be more important in the prevention of some sites of cancer and of ischemic heart disease.
Key words
Carotenoid, xanthophyll, lipid peroxides, fatty acids, a-tocopherol
International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research,
Band 69, 1999, Heft 6, © Verlag Hans Huber AG, Bern
1 Institut für Ernährungswissenschaften,
Althanstraße 14, 1090 Wien
2 Ignaz-Semmelweis-Frauenklinik, Bastiengasse 3638, 1180 Wien
Summary
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of multivitamin/mineral-supplementation during pregnancy on plasma levels of antioxidants and sister chromatid exchange (SCE) rate an indicator of damage to DNA. A controlled, semi-randomized, prospective trial was performed comparing the supplement group, who received multivitamin/mineral tablet once daily for 10 weeks, to the control group. Plasma levels of antioxidants and SCE in lymphocytes were measured initially (20 wk gestation) and at the end of the intervention (34 wk gestation). In the control group, SCE rates increased significantly at 34 wk gestation compared to 20 wk gestation, whereas there was no change in the supplement group. Plasma retinol, b-carotene and ascorbate decreased significantly in the control group. In the supplement group, a significant increase in plasma b-carotene (55.6%), coenzyme Q10 (40.2%), folic acid (15.9%) and zinc (24.2%) was observed after 10 weeks of supplement. Increased plasma levels of antioxidants in the supplement group could not decrease SCE rates, however, they could prevent an increase in SCE rates which may be induced by reactive oxygen species generated from the enhanced steroid hormones in the last trimester, suggesting that multivitamin/mineral-supplement during pregnancy may prevent DNA damage due to the altered hormonal profile.
Key words
Pregnancy, multivitamin/mineral supplementation, sister chromatid exchange, sex hormones, antioxidants
International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research,
Band 69, 1999, Heft 6, © Verlag Hans Huber AG, Bern
1 Department of Physiology and Nutrition, University of Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
2 Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of País Vasco, 01006 Vitoria, Spain
3 Laboratory of Nutrition-ISTAB, University of Burdeos-I, 33405 Talence, France
Summary
This feeding trial evaluated the influence of a diet containing heated chickpea in a dietary induced rat model of hypercholesterolemia in order to assess some possible protective and therapeutic effects on lipid and carbohydrate metabolism disorders as found with other legumes. Rats fed a diet enriched with coconut oil (25%) and cholesterol (1%) for 42 days (HH) showed a situation of type IIa hyperlipoproteinemia. However, these lipid alterations were improved in the hypercholesterolemic rats receiving control (HC) and legume (HL) diets for 16 days. Moreover, results confirm that the chickpea was more effective than the control diet containing casein in the normalization of triglycerides as well as total and LDL-cholesterol levels. On the other hand, the HH group showed a marked reduction in the liver glycogen content and Glucose-6-Phase activity (involved in glyconeogenesis) and an increase in Glucokinase (GK) activity (involved in glucose utilization). In contrast, the rats receiving chickpea re-established the liver glycogen deposition as compared to the HH group. Also, the chickpea intake increased the GK activity as compared to the control diet. The overall results support that chickpea intake may be recommended in humans with altered lipid profile such as type IIa hyperlipoproteinemia. Additionally, data concerning carbohydrate utilization indicated its potential positive effects in diabetes therapy and their role as biological active food supplements.
Key words
Legume, chickpea, hypercholesterolemia, fat, carbohydrate metabolism
International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research,
Band 69, 1999, Heft 6, © Verlag Hans Huber AG, Bern
1 Department of Liberal Arts and Sciences, School of Health Sciences, Sapporo Medical University, South-1 and West-17,, Sapporo 060-8556, Japan
2 Department of Home Economics, Faculty of Education, Hokkaido University of Education, Ainosato, Sapporo 002-8075, Japan
3 Department of Laboratory Diagnostic Ultrasound and Medical Electronics, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo 060-8556, Japan
Summary
We have already reported that raw nori (Porphyra tenera) contains cobalamin (Cbl) but not Cbl analogues (J. Nutr. Sci. Vitaminol., 42, 497, 1996). It seems, therefore, that it is an excellent natural vegetable source of Cbl. On the other hand, it has been reported that the Cbl nutritional status of vegetarian children deteriorated as estimated by the hematological index, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), after they had dried nori as a source of Cbl. Such a discrepancy between raw and dried nori as a source of Cbl led us to investigate whether Cbl in dried nori had different properties from that in raw nori. We found that contents of Cbl homologues determined by a bioassay method in both raw and dried nori were similar. The urinary methylmalonic acid excretion increased when human female volunteers were given 40 g of dried nori daily during the test period. On the other hand, the urinary methylmalonic acid excretion did not change when volunteers were daily given 320 g of raw nori, which was equivalent to 40 g of the dried one on the basis of dehydrated weight, during the test period. By paper chromatography, 65% of the Cbl homologues were found to be comprised of Cbl analogues in dried nori, while 73% of the Cbl homologues in the raw nori were genuine Cbl. These results were confirmed by the finding that the bioassay method gave higher values for Cbl homologues than those obtained by a competitive binding assay method using an intrinsic factor as a Cbl-binding protein. Our present data demonstrated that Cbl in raw nori can be changed into harmful Cbl analogues by the drying process.
Key words
Bioavailability, dried asakusanori, cobalamin
International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research,
Band 69, 1999, Heft 6, © Verlag Hans Huber AG, Bern
1 Queens College of the City University of New York, Flushing, NY 11367, USA
2 National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
Summary
We examined the intra- and interindividual variability in selected measures of overall diet quality in relation to socio-demographic, lifestyle, and health-related characteristics. Three days of dietary data from the Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (CSFII), 198991 (7841 respondents, 3337 men and 4504 women, aged > 19 years), were examined. Measures of overall diet quality were: 1. the Dietary Diversity Score (DDS), a measure of variety among the major food groups; 2. the Overall Variety Score (OVS), examined the number of nutrient-dense foods reported; and 3. the Nutrient Adequacy Score (NAS100), evaluated the number of nutrients consumed at least at the level of the RDA from a total of 11. The ratio of intra- to interindividual variance for DDS, OVS, and NAS100 was 1.66, 1.09, and 1.21, respectively, indicating higher intraindividual variability relative to interindividual variability. For each of the three scores, gender, income, education, and smoking were associated with greater intraindividual variability; however, age, and special diet status were associated with lower variability. Thus, the reliability of a given dietary assessment protocol for evaluating "usual" diet quality is likely to vary by the socio-demographic and lifestyle characteristicsof the study population.
Key words
Overall diet quality, dietary diversity, variability, intraindividual variation, interindividual variation, CSFII, components of variance, dietary measurement, nutrition survey, diet quality indexes
International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research,
Band 69, 1999, Heft 6, © Verlag Hans Huber AG, Bern