The effect of a natural polyphenol supplement on iron absorption in adults with hereditary hemochromatosis.

OBJECTIVES: We developed a natural polyphenol supplement that strongly chelates iron in vitro and assessed its effect on non-heme iron absorption in patients with hereditary hemochromatosis (HH). METHODS: We performed in vitro iron digestion experiments to determine iron precipitation by 12 polyphenol-rich dietary sources, and formulated a polyphenol supplement (PPS) containing black tea powder, cocoa powder and grape juice extract. In a multi-center, single-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over study, we assessed the effect of the PPS on iron absorption from an extrinsically labelled test meal and test drink in patients (n = 14) with HH homozygous for the p.C282Y variant in the HFE gene. We measured fractional iron absorption (FIA) as stable iron isotope incorporation into erythrocytes. RESULTS: Black tea powder, cocoa powder and grape juice extract most effectively precipitated iron in vitro. A PPS mixture of these three extracts precipitated ~ 80% of iron when 2 g was added to a 500 g iron solution containing 20 µg Fe/g. In the iron absorption study, the PPS reduced FIA by ~ 40%: FIA from the meal consumed with the PPS was lower (3.01% (1.60, 5.64)) than with placebo (5.21% (3.92, 6.92)) (p = 0.026)), and FIA from the test drink with the PPS was lower (10.3% (7.29 14.6)) than with placebo (16.9% (12.8 22.2)) (p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that when taken with meals, this natural PPS can decrease dietary iron absorption, and might thereby reduce body iron accumulation and the frequency of phlebotomy in patients with HH. TRIAL REGISTRY: clinicaltrials.gov (registration date: 9.6.2019, NCT03990181).

Adherence to the MIND diet and the odds of mild cognitive impairment in generally healthy older adults: The 3-year DO-HEALTH study.

BACKGROUND: The Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet may slow cognitive decline in older adults. A potential mechanism could be possible anti-inflammatory properties of the MIND-diet. OBJECTIVE: To examine whether adherence to the MIND diet at baseline is associated with the odds of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and changes in biomarkers of inflammation (High-sensitivity C-reactive Protein(hsCRP), interleukin-6(IL-6)) over three years in adults ≥70 years. METHODS: Adherence to the MIND diet was assessed by food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) at baseline and after three years. Presence of MCI based on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was defined as <26 (MCI26), or <24 (MCI24). We performed a minimally adjusted model controlling for sex, prior fall, linear spline at age 85, time, treatment and study site. The fully adjusted model also adjusted for education, BMI, physical activity, depression score, daily energy intake, and comorbidity score. To assess the change in inflammatory markers from baseline, we used linear-mixed-effect models adjusted for the same variables plus the respective baseline concentrations. Sensitivity analyses accounting for practice effects of repeated cognitive tests using the reliable change index for both MoCA cut-offs were done. RESULTS: We included 2028 of 2157 DO-HEALTH participants (60.5% women; mean age 74.88 years) with complete data. Adherence to the MIND diet at baseline was not associated with cognitive decline over three years, neither at MoCA < 26 (OR (95%CI) = 0.99 (0.94-1.04)) nor at MoCA < 24 (OR (95%CI) = 1.03 (0.96-1.1)). Applying the reliable change index to the two cut-offs confirmed the findings. Further, the MIND diet adherence was not associated with the change in MoCA score from baseline in DO-HEALTH. For inflammatory biomarkers MIND-diet baseline adherence was not associated with changes in hsCRP or IL-6. CONCLUSION: Adherence to the MIND-diet was neither associated with the odds of MCI, nor with hsCRP or IL-6 at baseline. Moreover, change in MIND-diet over three years was not associated with changes in hsCRP or IL-6.

Nonalcoholic beer reduces inflammation and incidence of respiratory tract illness.

PURPOSE: Strenuous exercise significantly increases the incidence of upper respiratory tract illness (URTI) caused by transient immune dysfunction. Naturally occurring polyphenolic compounds present in food such as nonalcoholic beer (NAB) have strong antioxidant, antipathogenic, and anti-inflammatory properties.The objective of this study was to determine whether ingestion of NAB polyphenols for 3 wk before and 2 wk after a marathon would attenuate postrace inflammation and decrease URTI incidence. METHODS: Healthy male runners (N = 277, age = 42 ± 9 yr) were randomly assigned to 1-1.5 L · d(-1) of NAB or placebo (PL) beverage (double-blind design) for 3 wk before and 2 wk after the Munich Marathon. Blood samples were collected 4 and 1 wk before the race and immediately and 24 and 72 h after the race and analyzed for inflammation measures (interleukin-6 and total blood leukocyte counts). URTI rates, assessed by the Wisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Survey, were compared between groups during the 2-wk period after the race. RESULTS: Change in interleukin-6 was significantly reduced in NAB compared with PL immediately after the race (median (interquartile range) = 23.9 (15.9-38.7) vs 31.6 (18.5-53.3) ng · L(-1), P = 0.03). Total blood leukocyte counts were also reduced in NAB versus PL by approximately 20% immediately and 24 h after the race (P = 0.02). Incidence of URTI was 3.25-fold lower (95% confidence interval = 1.38-7.66) (P = 0.007) in NAB compared with PL during the 2-wk postmarathon period. CONCLUSIONS: Consumption of 1-1.5 L · d(-1) of NAB for 3 wk before and 2 wk after marathon competition reduces postrace inflammation and URTI incidence.