Relationship between dietary oxidative balance score, anthropometric measurements and socioeconomic factors in women at low risk of cardiovascular disease.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the dietary oxidative balance score (OBS), an indicator of oxidative stress, anthropometric measures and socioeconomic factors in women at low risk of cardiovascular disease. METHODS: The participants' 3-day dietary intake, demographic information, anthropometric measurements and blood pressure values were recorded, and the Framingham Risk Score (FRS) and OBS values were determined. Oxidative balance score consists of prooxidant and antioxidant scores. Prooxidant scores were calculated from red meat consumption, total iron and polyunsaturated fatty acid intake, alcohol and cigarette consumption parameters, while antioxidant scores were calculated by assessing cruciferous consumption, dietary total vitamin C, vitamin E, ß-carotene, ß-cryptoxanthin, ß-carotene, ß-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, lutein+zeaxanthin and selenium intake. RESULTS: A total of 145 women were included in the study. Education level was associated with anthropometric measurements, income status with antioxidant and prooxidant scores, and exercise status with OBS (p<0.05). Weight, waist, hip, BMI, waist/hip, and waist/height ratio were significantly lower in subjects with low prooxidant score (p<0.05); there was no significant relationship between age, systolic, diastolic, FRS (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: The study, conducted in healthy women, showed that dietary oxidative balance scoring is promising in preventing the development of CVD and reducing the burden of disease, and that prospective cohort studies should be conducted in this area.

Papaver Plants: Current Insights on Phytochemical and Nutritional Composition Along with Biotechnological Applications.

The genus Papaver is highly esteemed in the pharmacy industry, in the culinary field, and as ornamental plants. These plants are also valued in traditional medicine. Among all Papaver species, Papaver somniferum L. (opium poppy) is the most important species in supplying phytochemicals for the formulation of drugs, mainly alkaloids like morphine, codeine, rhoeadine, thebaine, and papaverine. In addition, Papaver plants present other types of phytochemicals, which altogether are responsible for its biological activities. Therefore, this review covers the phytochemical composition of Papaver plants, including alkaloids, phenolic compounds, and essential oils. The traditional uses are reviewed along with their pharmacological activities. Moreover, safety aspects are reported to provide a deep overview of the pharmacology potential of this genus. An updated search was carried out in databases such as Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and PubMed to retrieve the information. Overall, this genus is a rich source of alkaloids of different types and also contains interesting phenolic compounds, such as anthocyanins, flavonols, and the characteristic indole derivatives nudicaulins. Among other pharmacological properties, numerous preclinical studies have been published about the analgesic, anticancer, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and antidiabetic activities of Papaver plants. Although it highlights the significant impact of this genus for the treatment of a variety of diseases and conditions, as a future prospect, characterization works accompanying preclinical studies are required along with clinical and toxicology studies to establish a correlation between the scientific and traditional knowledge.