Factors related to blood pressure in a biracial adolescent female population.

Blood pressure levels, anthropometric parameters, and dietary intakes were assessed in 1981 and 1983 in a population of black (n = 236) and white (n = 296) adolescent girls, aged 14 and 16 years in 1983. The 14-year-old black girls exhibited significantly higher mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures than whites in both years. Body weight and Quetelet index were more strongly associated with blood pressure than were height and triceps skinfold thickness. Correcting blood pressures for weight, Quetelet index, 2-year changes in height, and age at menarche decreased in each case (but did not negate) the observed race differences in blood pressure. Dietary calcium and potassium intakes were inversely related to blood pressure, and a race difference in the intake of these nutrients (whites greater than blacks) was observed. Covariate adjustment for calcium, but not for potassium, decreased the magnitude of race differences in blood pressure. Family type (single-parent vs nuclear) and place of residence (urban vs nonurban) appeared to be the most important confounding variables for race differences in blood pressure, since differences largely were eliminated by controlling for these factors. Conflicting reports in the literature regarding the age range during which race differences in blood pressure become apparent may be partially attributed to the complex interrelationships among these factors and the potential influence of other genetic-environmental interactions that may also play a role in blood pressure regulation.

Intakes of vitamins and minerals by pregnant women with selected clinical symptoms.

Toxemia in pregnancy is characterized by a combination of at least two of the following clinical symptoms: hypertension, edema, and proteinuria. In this study the dietary intakes of young pregnant women attending a Maternal and Infant Care Program at Tuskegee Institute were evaluated for selected vitamins and minerals. Women with toxemia were identified, and women without toxemia served as controls. The toxemia group generally consumed lesser amounts of vitamins and minerals than the controls. However, both groups were deficient (less than two-thirds RDA) in calcium, magnesium, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and thiamin. Milk, meat, and grains supplied an appreciable proportion of each vitamin except vitamin A, which was found primarily in the two vegetable groups. Meat and grains contained the greatest quantities of minerals, but milk provided a relatively good proportion of potassium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus. Anemia was not related to the incidence of toxemia. Women exhibiting anemia consumed smaller amounts of vitamins studied than did women without anemia.

Effects of supplemented omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid rich oils on the cardiovascular system of thermally injured rabbits: changes in plasma and platelet fatty acids.

The effects of omega-3 fatty acid rich oil (MaxEPA oil), omega-6 fatty acid rich oil (soybean oil), and a combination of omega-3 and omega-6 oils (MaxEPA oil + soybean oil) on cardiovascular health-related parameters of thermally injured and control (sham) rabbits were determined. Plasma and platelet analyses of burned rabbits fed with MaxEPA oil revealed significantly higher concentrations of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid + myristic acid. Linolenic acid concentrations declined in animals supplemented with soybean oil + MaxEPA oil. At the end of this study the lowest concentrations of linoleic acid and arachidonic acid were found in the sham and burned groups supplemented with soybean oil + MaxEPA oil. Overall, favorable significant differences in plasma and platelet fatty acids concentrations were found in burned or sham groups supplemented with MaxEPA when compared with those of groups supplemented with soybean oil. These favorable changes in plasma and platelet lipids may have an impact on the risk of cardiovascular disease in thermally injured patients.

Effects of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid-rich oils on the cardiovascular system of thermally injured rabbits: changes in plasma triglycerides, plasma cholesterol, relative blood viscosity, platelet count, and bleeding time.

New Zealand white male rabbits were studied to determine how supplements of soybean oil, soybean + MaxEPA oil, or MaxEPA oil affected their cardiovascular status when they were burned. Plasma triglyceride concentrations increased at 2 hours after burn injury (28 days after supplement administration) and declined by the end of the study in all three experimental groups of rabbits. These same animals showed no noticeable differences in the plasma concentrations of total cholesterol or in the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol subfractions. Plasma low-density/very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels remained unchanged at 2 hours after burn injury/sham treatment but increased by the end of the study in all three experimental groups of rabbits. The mean platelet number was significantly higher in burned/sham treated rabbits given soybean oil supplement as compared with numbers in those given either soybean oil + MaxEPA oil or MaxEPA oil supplement. Plasma relative viscosity was highest in the soybean oil-supplemented rabbits, decreased in animals fed soybean oil + MaxEPA, and lowest in MaxEPA oil-supplemented rabbits. Mean bleeding time was lowest in soybean oil-fed rabbits. The bleeding time was higher in rabbits fed soybean oil+MaxEPA oil and highest in MaxEPA oil-supplemented animals. Platelet number and plasma viscosity were highest in the soybean oil-supplemented rabbits and lowest in the MaxEPA oil-supplemented group. The reverse pattern occurred when bleeding time was established. Overall results obtained suggest that supplementation with oils rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids may have significant effects on the cardiovascular health of burned male New Zealand white rabbits.