The Impact of Coconut Oil and Epigallocatechin Gallate on the Levels of IL-6, Anxiety and Disability in Multiple Sclerosis Patients.

BACKGROUND: Due to the inflammatory nature of multiple sclerosis (MS), interleukin 6 (IL-6) is high in blood levels, and it also increases the levels of anxiety related to functional disability. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) decreases IL-6, which could be enhanced by the anti-inflammatory effect of high ketone bodies after administering coconut oil (both of which are an anxiolytic). Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the impact of coconut oil and EGCG on the levels of IL-6, anxiety and functional disability in patients with MS. METHODS: A pilot study was conducted for four months with 51 MS patients who were randomly divided into an intervention group and a control group. The intervention group received 800 mg of EGCG and 60 mL of coconut oil, and the control group was prescribed a placebo. Both groups followed the same isocaloric Mediterranean diet. State and trait anxiety were determined before and after the study by means of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). In addition, IL-6 in serum was measured using the ELISA technique and functional capacity was determined with the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and the body mass index (BMI). RESULTS: State anxiety and functional capacity decreased in the intervention group and IL-6 decreased in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: EGCG and coconut oil improve state anxiety and functional capacity. In addition, a decrease in IL-6 is observed in patients with MS, possibly due to the antioxidant capacity of the Mediterranean diet and its impact on improving BMI.

Potato Consumption Is not Associated with Higher Risk of Mortality: A Longitudinal Study among Southern Italian Older Adults.

OBJECTIVE: The consumption of potatoes is increasing worldwide, but few studies have assessed the association between potato consumption and mortality, particularly in Mediterranean countries. We therefore investigated whether potato consumption is associated with higher risk of death in a large cohort of people living in South Italy. DESIGN: Longitudinal. SETTING: Community-dwelling. MEASUREMENTS: 2,442 participants coming from MICOL and NUTRIHEP studies aged more than 50 years at baseline were followed-up for 11 years. Dietary intake was assessed by means of a Food Frequency Questionnaire. Potato consumption was categorized in quintiles according to their daily consumption (< 3.95, 3.96-8.55, 8.56-15.67, 15.68-22.0, and > 22.0 g/day). Mortality was ascertained through validated cases of death. The association between potato consumption and mortality was assessed through Cox's regression models, adjusted for potential confounders, and reporting the data as hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: The 2,442 eligible participants were prevalently males (54.6%) and aged a mean of 64.3±9.3 years. During the 11-year follow-up, 396 (=16.2%) participants died. After adjusting for 12 potential baseline confounders, and taking those with the lowest consumption of potatoes as the reference group, participants with the highest consumption of potatoes did not have an increased overall mortality risk (HR=0.75; 95%CI: 0.53-1.07). Modelling the potato consumption as continuous (i.e. as increase in 10 g/day) did not substantially change our findings (fully-adjusted HR=0.93; 95%CI: 0.84-1.02). CONCLUSION: Overall potato consumption was not associated with higher risk of death in older people living in a Mediterranean area. Future studies are warranted to elucidate the role of potato consumption on all-cause and cause-specific mortality.

Does cooking with vegetable oils increase the risk of chronic diseases?: a systematic review.

Overweight/obesity, CVD and type 2 diabetes are strongly associated with nutritional habits. High consumption of fried foods might increase the risk of these disorders. However, it is not clear whether the use of vegetables oils for cooking increases the risk of chronic diseases. We systematically searched for published studies that assessed the association between vegetable oil consumption including fried food consumption and the risk of overweight/obesity or weight gain, T2DM or the metabolic syndrome, and CVD or hypertension in the following databases: PubMed; Web of Science; Google Scholar. Keywords such as 'fried food' or 'vegetable oil' or 'frying' or 'frying oils' or 'dietary fats' and 'weight gain' or 'overweight' or 'obesity' or 'CHD' or 'CVD' or 'type 2 diabetes' or 'metabolic syndrome' were used in the primary search. Additional published reports were obtained through other sources. A total of twenty-three publications were included based on specific selection criteria. Based on the results of the studies included in the present systematic review, we conclude that (1) the myth that frying foods is generally associated with a higher risk of CVD is not supported by the available evidence; (2) virgin olive oil significantly reduces the risk of CVD clinical events, based on the results of a large randomised trial that included as part of the intervention the recommendation to use high amounts of virgin olive oil, also for frying foods; and (3) high consumption of fried foods is probably related to a higher risk of weight gain, though the type of oil may perhaps modify this association.

Possible adverse effects of frying with vegetable oils.

The question of whether heated fats in the diet may be detrimental to health is nowadays of the upmost concern, but finding an answer is not easy and requires careful consideration of different aspects of lipid oxidation. This review is divided into two sections. The first part deals with the nature of the new compounds formed at high temperature in the frying process as well as their occurrence in the diet while the second part focuses on their possible nutritional and physiological effects. Oxidation products present in abused frying fats and oils are the compounds most suspected of impairing the nutritional properties of the oils or involving adverse physiological effects. The recent studies on their health implications include those related to their fate and those focused on their effects in metabolic pathways and the most prevalent diseases.

Association between dietary intake of polychlorinated biphenyls and the incidence of hypertension in a Spanish cohort: the Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra project.

Polychlorinated biphenyls are persistent organic pollutants that are consumed because of their bioaccumulation through the food chain. Evidence from different sources suggests a positive association between polychlorinated biphenyls exposure and the incidence of hypertension. However, no previous prospective study has investigated this potential relationship in adults. We prospectively assessed the association between dietary intake of polychlorinated biphenyls and the incidence of hypertension in a large cohort. The Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra project is a Spanish cohort of university graduates, most of them health professionals. We included 14521 participants, initially free of hypertension, who were followed-up for a median of 8.3 years. Dietary intake of polychlorinated biphenyls was assessed at baseline through a previously validated 136-item semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. The published concentration levels of polychlorinated biphenyls measured in samples of food consumed in Spain were used to estimate dietary intake. Multivariable Cox regression models were fitted to estimate hazard ratios and 95% confidence interval for incident hypertension. During follow-up, 1497 incident cases of medically diagnosed hypertension were identified. After adjusting for total energy intake and for potential confounders, participants in the fifth quintile of total polychlorinated biphenyls intake were at higher risk of developing hypertension (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.43 [95% confidence interval, 1.09-1.88; P for trend 0.017]) compared with those in the first quintile. In this Mediterranean cohort, dietary intake of polychlorinated biphenyls, estimated using a food frequency questionnaire, was associated with a higher risk of developing hypertension during follow-up. Nevertheless, further longitudinal studies are needed to confirm our results.

The role of lipid transfer proteins in allergic diseases.

Nonspecific lipid transfer proteins (LTPs) are important allergens in fruits, vegetables, nuts, pollen, and latex. Despite their wide distribution throughout the plant kingdom, their clinical relevance is largely confined to the Mediterranean area. As they can sensitize via the gastrointestinal tract, LPTs are considered true food allergens, and IgE reactivity to LTPs is often associated with severe systemic symptoms. Although Pru p 3 represents the predominant LTP in terms of patients' IgE recognition, the contribution of pollen LTPs in primary sensitization cannot be ruled out. Due to structural homology, LTPs from different allergen sources are generally IgE cross-reactive. However, sensitization profiles among allergic patients are extremely heterogeneous, and individual cross-reactivity patterns can be restricted to a single LTP or encompass many different LTPs. Molecule-based approaches in allergy research and diagnosis are important for better understanding of LTP allergy and could assist clinicians with providing adequate patient-tailored advice.

Ácidos grasos omega-3 en las lesiones deportivas ¿una posible ayuda terapéutica? (II) / Omega-3 fatty acid: a posble therapeutic aid? (II)

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[Mediterranean diet, micronutrients and prostate carcinoma: a rationale approach to primary prevention of prostate cancer]. / Mediterranean diet, micronutrients and prostate carcinoma: a rationale approach to primary prevention of prostate cancer.

Cancer of the prostate is one of the most commonly diagnosed solid malignancies and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men living in Italy. With an ageing population, the number of men living with early stages of prostate cancer is expected to increase. There is an impelling need to prevent the onset of the cancer or delay the progression of carcinogenesis in this organ. The chemoprevention of cancer is a relatively new concept defined as the administration of pharmacological agents (drug or diet-derived supplements) to prevent, delay or reverse the carcinogenesis. Epidemiological data showing ethnic and geographic variations in the incidence of, and mortality from, prostate cancer have suggested that the consumption of dietary factors may be protective. There is increasing evidence that diet (particularly dietary fat intake) may play a significant role in early prostate carcinogenesis. Dietary micronutrients and antioxidants are under intense scrutiny. These factors include the vitamin D and E, lycopene, selenium, zinc, poliphenols, isoflavonoids, and phytoestrogens (especially soy products and green tea). The old Mediterranean diet (based on cereals, vegetables, polyunsaturated fats, fruits, fish and low quantities of dairy products and meat) is now sparingly adopted because of the globalisation of the food chain which now involves also our country. Nevertheless, our traditional dietary habits are considered of great value in the prevention of cardiovascular or cancerous diseases and particularly of prostate cancer.