The Influence of Diet and Physical Activity on Oxidative Stress in Romanian Females with Osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent chronic joint disease, increases in prevalence with age, and affects most individuals over 65. The present study aimed to assess the oxidative status in relation to diet and physical activity in patients with OA. We used a cross-sectional study applied to 98 females with OA. Blood samples were collected to determine oxidative stress markers: malonyl dialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH), oxidized glutathione (GSSG), and GSH/GSSG. Diet was estimated with a standardized food frequency questionnaire. We used the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) to assess the females' physical activity. Multiple regression analyses were executed to determine the association between the oxidative markers and the intake of vegetables and fruit. The study showed that most patients were overweight or obese (88.8%). The level of physical activity was above the recommended level for adults, mainly based on household activities. The intake of vegetables and fruit was low. The MDA marker was inversely, statistically significantly associated with the consumption of vegetables (p < 0.05). Public health policies must address modifiable risk factors to reduce energy intake and obesity and increase the intake of vegetables and fruit. Higher consumption of vegetables and fruit may provide natural antioxidants that can balance oxidative compounds.

Chemical Structure, Sources and Role of Bioactive Flavonoids in Cancer Prevention: A Review.

There has been a major shift in the collective mindset around the world in recent decades, both in terms of food and in terms of the treatment of chronic diseases. Increasing numbers of people are choosing to prevent rather than treat, which is why many consumers are choosing plant-based diets, mainly due to their bioactive compounds. A significant case of bioactive compound is flavonoids-a wide subclass of an even wider class of phytochemicals: polyphenols. Flavonoids are a broad topic of study for researchers due to their potential in the prevention and treatment of a broad range of cancers. The aim of this review is to inform/update the reader on the diversity, accessibility and importance of flavonoids as biomolecules that are essential for optimal health, focusing on the potential of these compounds in the prevention of various types of cancer. Along with conventional sources, this review presents some of the possible methods for obtaining significant amounts of flavonoids based on a slightly different approach, genetic manipulation.

Vitamin D and Its Role in the Lipid Metabolism and the Development of Atherosclerosis.

Vitamin D, a crucial hormone in the homeostasis and metabolism of calcium bone, has lately been found to produce effects on other physiological and pathological processes genomically and non-genomically, including the cardiovascular system. While lower baseline vitamin D levels have been correlated with atherogenic blood lipid profiles, 25(OH)D supplementation influences the levels of serum lipids in that it lowers the levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL-cholesterol and increases the levels of HDL-cholesterol, all of which are known risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Vitamin D is also involved in the development of atherosclerosis at the site of the blood vessels. Deficiency of this vitamin has been found to increase adhesion molecules or endothelial activation and, at the same time, supplementation is linked to the lowering presence of adhesion surrogates. Vitamin D can also influence the vascular tone by increasing endothelial nitric oxide production, as seen in supplementation studies. Deficiency can lead, at the same time, to oxidative stress and an increase in inflammation as well as the expression of particular immune cells that play a pivotal role in the development of atherosclerosis in the intima of the blood vessels, i.e., monocytes and macrophages. Vitamin D is also involved in atherogenesis through inhibition of vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation. Furthermore, vitamin D deficiency is consistently associated with cardiovascular events, such as myocardial infarction, STEMI, NSTEMI, unstable angina, ischemic stroke, cardiovascular death, and increased mortality after acute stroke. Conversely, vitamin D supplementation does not seem to produce beneficial effects in cohorts with intermediate baseline vitamin D levels.