Daily consumption of milk enriched with fish oil, oleic acid, minerals and vitamins reduces cell adhesion molecules in healthy children.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Several studies have suggested that polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamins and minerals have beneficial effects on lipid profile and systemic inflammation in adults. METHODS AND RESULTS: We examined the effects of a daily intake of milk enriched with longchain polyunsaturated fatty acids, oleic acid, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and low in saturated fatty acids (SFAs) for 5 months, on several cardiovascular (CVD) risk biomarkers in healthy children aged 8-14 years. In a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial, a total of 107 children of both genders were assigned to two study groups: 1) a supplemented group (SG, n=53) who consumed 0.6 L/day of an enriched dairy product, and 2) a control group (CG, n=54) who consumed 0.6 L/day of standard whole milk. Both groups consumed the dairy drinks for 5 months, in addition to their usual diet. Serum levels of adhesion molecules as indices of vascular endothelial cell activation were assessed in both groups at 0 and 5 months as well as white blood cell counts, lipid profile, serum proteins, total serum calcium, 25-OH vitamin D, glucose, insulin and adiponectin. In the enriched dairy drink supplemented group, adhesion molecules E-selectin and ICAM-1 as well as lymphocyte levels decreased while plasma docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and serum calcium concentrations increased. In the control group, serum total protein, transferrin, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and adiponectin concentrations decreased. CONCLUSION: The consumption of a milk enriched with fish oil, oleic acid, minerals and vitamins reduced indices of endothelial cell activation in the studied group of healthy children.

One-month administration of hydroxytyrosol, a phenolic antioxidant present in olive oil, to hyperlipemic rabbits improves blood lipid profile, antioxidant status and reduces atherosclerosis development.

The present study analysed the effects of hydroxytyrosol (HT) on blood lipids, antioxidant status and the progression of aortic lesions in hyperlipemic rabbits. Sixty-four rabbits were distributed into eight groups of animals (n = 8). Animal groups C, A and H were fed for 1-month with a control diet containing sunflower oil (C), an atherogenic diet (A) high in saturated fat and cholesterol or the A diet together with HT, respectively. The other five groups were fed for 2-months with diets C or A (groups CC or AA, respectively), or for 1-month with the A-diet followed by a further month with diet C, extra virgin olive oil diet (O) or diet C with HT (groups AC, AO and AH, respectively). Four milligram of HT/kg body weight were used in the study. Fifty and 42% decrease in total cholesterol and triacylglycerols, respectively, and a 2.3-fold increase in HDL-cholesterol were observed in the AH group but not in the H group. The HT-supplemented groups improved their antioxidant status and reduced the size of atherosclerotic lesions measured as intimal layer areas of the aortic arch when compared with control animals. We conclude that HT supplementation may have cardioprotective effects in vivo.

[Cardiovascular effects of omega-3-fatty acids and alternatives to increase their intake]. / Efectos cardiovasculares de los ácidos grasos omega-3 y alternativas para incrementar su ingesta.

Cardiovascular diseases are the main mortality cause in Europe, the USA and a great extent of Asia. There are several risk factors associated with cardiovascular diseases, such as increased total cholesterol, homocysteine and triglycerides, hypertension, diabetes, and reduced levels of HDL-cholesterol. Many of these risk factors are diet influenced. In spite of the great amount of foods enriched with n-3 fatty acids available at the market, the knowledge about the effects produced by regular intake of these foods still is a challenge in the majority of cases. It appears that intake of foods enriches with n-3 polyunsatured fatty acids is an option that may be effective in reducing risk factors for diseases, by substituting supplements without modifying consumer's alimentary habits. Also shown are the outcomes from a nutritional study undergone with a functional milk-bases food that contains n-3 fatty acids, oleic acid and vitamins.

Efectos cardiovasculares de los ácidos grasos omega-3 y alternativas para incrementar su ingesta / Cardiovascular effects of omega-3-fatty acids and alternatives to increase their intake

Las enfermedades cardiovasculares son la principal causa de mortalidad en Europa, Estados Unidos y gran parte de Asia. Existen varios factores de riesgo asociados a las enfermedades cardiovasculares, entre ellos están el colesterol total, la homocisteína y los triglicéridos elevados, la hipertensión, la diabetes y niveles reducidos de colesterol HDL. Muchos de estos factores de riesgo son influenciables por la dieta. A pesar de la gran cantidad de alimentos enriquecidos en ácidos grasos n-3 disponibles en el mercado, el conocimiento de los efectos originados por el consumo regular de estos alimentos supone aún un reto en la mayoría de los casos. La ingesta de alimentos enriquecidos en ácidos grasos poliinsaturados n-3 parece ser una opción que puede ser eficaz en la reducción de factores de riesgo de enfermedades, sustituyendo a los suplementos sin originar cambios en los hábitos alimentarios del consumidor. También se muestran los resultados procedentes de un estudio nutricional que hemos llevado a cabo con un alimento funcional de base láctea que contiene ácidos grasos n-3, ácido oleico y vitaminas (AU)

Cardiovascular diseases are the main mortality cause in Europe, the USA and a great extent of Asia. There are several risk factors associated with cardiovascular diseases, such as increased total cholesterol, homocysteine and triglycerides, hypertension, diabetes, and reduced levels of HDL-cholesterol. Many of these risk factors are diet influenced. In spite of the great amount of foods enriched with n-3 fatty acids available at the market, the knowledge about the effects produced by regular intake of these foods still is a challenge in the majority of cases. It appears that intake of foods enriches with n-3 polyunsatured fatty acids is an option that may be effective in reducing risk factors for diseases, by substituting supplements without modifying consumer's alimentary habits. Also shown are the outcomes from a nutritional study undergone with a functional milk-bases food that contains n-3 fatty acids, oleic acid and vitamins (AU)

n-3 Fatty acids plus oleic acid and vitamin supplemented milk consumption reduces total and LDL cholesterol, homocysteine and levels of endothelial adhesion molecules in healthy humans.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Numerous studies suggest n -3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n -3 PUFA) and oleic acid intake have beneficial effects on health including risk reduction of coronary heart disease. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a commercially available skimmed milk supplemented with n -3 PUFA, oleic acid, and vitamins E, B(6), and folic acid (Puleva Omega3) on risk factors for cardiovascular disease. (CVD). METHODS: Thirty volunteers were given 500 ml/day of semi-skimmed milk for 4 weeks and then 500 ml/day of the n -3 enriched milk for 8 further weeks. Plasma and LDL lipoproteins were obtained from volunteers at the beginning of the study (T(pre)), and at 4, 8 and 12 weeks. RESULTS: The consumption of n -3 enriched milk produced a significant decrease in plasma concentration of total and LDL cholesterol accompanied by a reduction in plasma levels of homocysteine. Plasma and LDL oxidability and vitamin E concentration remained unchanged throughout the study. A significant reduction in plasma levels of vascular cell adhesion molecule 1, and an increase in plasma concentration of folic acid were also observed. CONCLUSION: Daily intake of n -3 PUFA and oleic acid supplemented skimmed milk plus folic acid and B-type vitamins has favourable effects on risk factors for CVD.

Antigenic relationships between chloroplast and cytosolic fructose-1,6-bisphosphatases.

Cytosolic fructose-1,6-biphosphatases (FBPase, EC 3.1.3.11) from pea (Pisum sativum L. cv Lincoln) and spinach (Spinacia oleracea L. cv Winter Giant) did not cross-react by double immunodiffusion and western blotting with either of the antisera raised against the chloroplast enzyme of both species; similarly, pea and spinach chloroplast FBPases did not react with the spinach cytosolic FBPase antiserum. On the other hand, spinach and pea chloroplast FBPases showed strong cross-reactions against the antisera to chloroplast FBPases, in the same way that the pea and spinach cytosolic enzymes displayed good cross-reactions against the antiserum to spinach cytosolic FBPase. Crude extracts from spinach and pea leaves, as well as the corresponding purified chloroplast enzymes, showed by western blotting only one band (44 and 43 kD, respectively) in reaction with either of the antisera against the chloroplast enzymes. A unique fraction of molecular mass 38 kD appeared when either of the crude extracts or the purified spinach cytosolic FBPase were analyzed against the spinach cytosolic FBPase antiserum. These molecular sizes are in accordance with those reported for the subunits of the photosynthetic and gluconeogenic FBPases. Chloroplast and cytosolic FBPases underwent increasing inactivation when increasing concentrations of chloroplast or cytosolic anti-FBPase immunoglobulin G (IgG), respectively, were added to the reaction mixture. However, inactivations were not observed when the photosynthetic enzyme was incubated with the IgG to cytosolic FBPase, or vice versa. Quantitative results obtained by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) showed 77% common antigenic determinants between the two chloroplast enzymes when tested against the spinach photosynthetic FBPase antiserum, which shifted to 64% when assayed against the pea antiserum. In contrast, common antigenic determinats between the spinach cytosolic FBPase and the two chloroplast enzymes were less than 10% when the ELISA test was carried out with either of the photosynthetic FBPase antisera, and only 5% when the assay was performed with the antiserum to the spinach cytosolic FBPase. These results were supported by sequencing data: the deduced amino acid sequence of a chloroplast FBPase clone isolated from a pea cDNA library indicated a 39,253 molecular weight protein, with a homology of 85% with the spinach chloroplast FBPase but only 48.5% with the cytosolic enzyme from spinach.