Expert opinion
Phytonutrient intakes in Europe
1 October 2014
Fruit and vegetables make an important contribution to health, partly due to the phytonutrient composition, such as carotenoids and polyphenols.
23 February 2015
According to a new study people with higher blood vitamin E concentrations seem to have a lower risk of developing a chronic inflammation of the gum.
The study analyzed data of 4708 participants of the large US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) measuring serum vitamin E (tocopherols) levels and assessing periodontal status (1). The study results showed that participants with relatively low serum alpha-tocopherol concentrations had a significantly increased risk for periodontitis. These findings were independent of potential demographic,lifestyle, and biologic confounding factors.
The researchers commented that oxidative stress seems to play a central role in the development of periodontitis, a highly prevalent, microbially induced chronic inflammatory disease, characterized by loss of supporting periodontal ligament and alveolar bone. A well-accepted biologic function of vitamin E is its antioxidant activity, although other possible effects have been suggested, such as cofactors for enzymes and transcription factors for inflammatory and other metabolic pathways (2). The new findings warrant further confirmation in intervention settings.
1 October 2014
Fruit and vegetables make an important contribution to health, partly due to the phytonutrient composition, such as carotenoids and polyphenols.
31 May 2016
Early pre-term birth (ePTB) is defined as occurring at 34 weeks of pregnancy or earlier and imposes a considerable burden on mother, child and financial resources alike. Taking a 600mg per day supplement of Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) during the final two trimesters of pregnancy reduced early pre-term birth (ePTB) with a net average saving of $1,484 per pregnancy, according to a new study from the KUDOS (Kansas University DHA Outcome Study) cohort (1) in the U.S. This could produce total savings of $6 billion per year in the U.S.
1 February 2016
Professor Kathryn Dewey of the Nutrition Department of the University of California, Davis, was the principal investigator of a cluster-randomized controlled effectiveness trial in Bangladesh which demonstrated that a small, lipid-based micronutrient supplement could help reduce stunting in newborn babies.