News
Adequate vitamin D levels may reduce frailty risk
17 December 2010
Maintaining defined vitamin D blood levels can reduce the incidence of frailty in older women, suggests a new US study.
21 July 2014
A new US study reports that high blood concentrations of antioxidant carotenoids and vitamin E in young adulthood may reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease in middle age.
The observational study measured the blood concentrations of carotenoids and vitamin E of 4,810 partici- pants (mean age 25 years) and documented cases of cardiovascular disease (CVD) during 25 years (1). The results showed that participants with high carotenoid and/or vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) levels had a signi- ficantly decreased risk for developing CVD, compared to participants with low levels. High blood gamma-tocopherol concentrations seemed to increase CVD risk.
The researchers commented the findings indicate that an antioxidant rich, plant based dietary pattern in young adulthood – including fruits and vegetables with carotenoids as well as alpha-tocopherol-rich olive and sunflower oils – may reduce the risk for CVD events through middle age. Serum antioxidant concentrations were measured because they much better reflect nutritional status and its potential association with disease risk than self-reported intakes (e.g., by food frequency questionnaires). Earlier study results indicated that gamma-tocopherol, found in soybean, canola and corn oils, may have different effects on health than alpha-tocopherol (2). In the US, the average blood plasma level of gamma-tocopherol is four or more times higher than those of European countries that consume sunflower and olive oil.
17 December 2010
Maintaining defined vitamin D blood levels can reduce the incidence of frailty in older women, suggests a new US study.
3 August 2015
A new randomized controlled trial has shown olive oil polyphenols that decrease plasma LDL concentrations and LDL atherogenicity in a cohort of healthy European young men aged between 20 and 59 years.
1 December 2015
Metabolic syndrome is a disorder of energy utilization and storage, diagnosed by the coincidence of overweight or obesity with disturbances of lipid and sugar metabolism and hypertension. Subclinical inflammation and a fatty liver are further components typically associated with this condition. Metabolic syndrome substantially increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Diets targeting weight loss by restricting either carbohydrate or fat intake are an effective approach to improve most conditions associated with metabolic syndrome, but the benefit is not successfully achieved over longer periods. Therefore, a balanced diet rich in nutrients improving metabolism may represent a successful strategy. The role of several related nutrients has been presented and discussed during the 12th European Nutrition Conference (FENS 2015) in Berlin.