Exploring Vitamin B12 Supplementation in the Vegan Population: A Scoping Review of the Evidence.

With a significant portion of the population adopting veganism and conflicting views among nutrition professionals regarding the necessity of vitamin B12 supplementation, this review aims to explore existing studies evaluating interventions through food supplementation. It focuses on the impact of vitamin B12 deficiency across different demographics. The present study seeks to understand how research has addressed the relationship between the rise in veganism and vitamin B12 deficiency over the past decade. A scoping review was conducted following the PRISMA flow diagram. Studies from 2010 to 2023 were identified using Boolean operators and key terms in electronic databases such as PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, and EBSCO (Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts, and Academic Search Complete). Out of 217 articles identified, 70 studies were included. The topical analysis categorized the studies into three groups: those associating vitamin B12 deficiency with diseases (n = 14), those analyzing the dietary habits of vegetarian individuals (vegan or not) without a specific focus on vitamin B12 (n = 49), and those addressing food guides and nutrition institution positions (n = 7). The authors concluded that vitamin B12 deficiency is prevalent among vegans due to limited consumption of animal products. For vegetarians, supplementation is an efficient means of treating and preventing deficiency; a daily dose of 50 to 100 micrograms is advised. There are still significant gaps in the research, nevertheless, such as the absence of randomized controlled trials evaluating various forms or dosages of vitamin B12 among vegetarians and the requirement for more information and awareness of the vitamin's significance in vegan diets.

Food supplement vitamins, minerals, amino-acids, fatty acids, phenolic and alkaloid-based substances: An overview of their interaction with drugs.

Food supplements are a widespread group of products ingested as a diet complement, whose consumption has recently skyrocketed due to the consumers' concern with their well-being. Among food supplements, vitamin- and mineral-based ones are the top sellers, and the demand of others, such as those containing polyphenols, is increasing. Owing to their alleged natural characteristics, consumers take the safety of food supplements for granted, and use them even when taking medicines. Thus, their potential interactions with drugs have been sparsely evaluated. This manuscript aims to bring forth an up-to-date overview of the most important knowledge involving the interactions between food supplements and drugs, relevant to be aware by nutritionists and other healthcare professionals. To this end, an extensive bibliographic review was conducted focusing on peer reviewed data from experimental in vivo evidence and clinical studies whenever major clinical interactions have been reported. Elder people and polymedicated or chronic patients are especially vulnerable to the therapeutic ineffectiveness and toxicity caused by these types of interactions. Drugs used to treat cardiovascular, autoimmune, nervous, and oncological diseases are commonly involved in important clinical interactions with food supplements, many with a narrow therapeutic margin.

Medicinal plants and their preparations in the European market: Why has the harmonization failed? The cases of St. John's wort, valerian, ginkgo, ginseng, and green tea.

BACKGROUND: Botanical ingredients based on plants, algae, fungi or lichens have become widely available on the European Union market offering numerous preparations with considerable differences in classification. They are under the categories of food supplements, herbal medicinal products, cosmetics or medical devices. PURPOSE: The aim of the present work is to highlight how the European regulations concerning the different categories of botanicals can lead to different commercial choices such as time/cost for product development, application for a marketing authorisation, permitted indication (medical or health claim), and as a consequence, the same botanical products are sold in European Union as herbal medicinal products, food supplements, cosmetics or medical devices. Five different widely used botanicals, namely St. John's wort, valerian, ginkgo, ginseng, and green tea were selected to better explain the failure of harmonization through European Union. METHODS: A search of PubMed, ScienceDirect, European Medicines Agency and European commission web sites for medical devices and cosmetics, and European Food Safety Authority websites were conducted and the available information on regulation of herbal medicinal products, food supplements, medical devices and cosmetics in the European Union was collected. In addition, a market survey of all the sold botanical products in Europe was analysed by consultation of the medicines, medical devices, cosmetic and food agencies websites of the European countries. RESULTS: The current European legislation needs implementation and follow up because in the different countries the legal positions of the botanical products varied and it is possible to find the same product classified in the different categories, namely registered medicinal product including prescription only medicine, traditional herbal medicinal product, well established herbal medicinal products or food supplement, or medical device, or homoeopathic/anthroposophical medical product, cosmetic. CONCLUSIONS: There is an urgent need of harmonization, together with the implementation of interoperable vigilance databases, to avoid borderline options.

Impact on Longevity of Genetic Cardiovascular Risk and Lifestyle including Red Meat Consumption.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular risk (CVR) underlies aging process and longevity. Previous work points to genetic and environmental factors associated with this risk. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this research is to look for any CVR gene-gene and gene-multifactorial/lifestyle interactions that may impact health and disease and underlie exceptional longevity. METHODS: A case-control study involving 521 both gender individuals, 253 centenarians (100.26 ± 1.98 years), and 268 controls (67.51 ± 3.25 years), low (LCR, n = 107) and high (HCR, n = 161) CVR. Hypertension, diabetes, obesity (BMI, kg·m-2), and impaired kidney function were defined according to standard criteria. CVR was calculated using Q risk®. DNA was genotyping (ACE-rs4646994, AGT-rs4762, AGR1-rs5182, GRK4-rs2960306, GRK4-rs1024323, NOS3-rs1799983, and SLC12A3-rs13306673) through iPlex-MassARRAY®, read by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, and analyzed by EARTDECODE®. RESULTS: Antilongevity factors consisted (OR 95% CI, p < 0.05) BMI 1.558 (1.445-1.680), hypertension 2.358 (1.565-3.553), smoking habits 4.528 (2.579-7.949), diabetes 5.553 (2.889-10.675), hypercholesterolemia 1.016 (1.010-1.022), and regular consumption of red meat 22.363 (13.987-35.755). Genetic aspects particularly for HCR individuals ACE II (OR: 3.96 (1.83-8.56), p < 0.0001) and NOS3 TT (OR: 3.11 (1.70-5.70), p < 0.0001) genotypes were also risk associate. Obesity, smoking, hypercholesterolemia, and frequent consumption of red meat have an additive action to hypertension in the longevity process. There was a synergistic interaction between the endothelial NOS3 genotypes and the severity of arterial hypertension. An epistatic interaction between functional genetic variants of GRK4 and angiotensinogen was also observed. CONCLUSIONS: Cardiovascular risk-related genetic and multifactorial or predominantly lifestyle aspects and its interactions might influence the aging process and contribute to exceptional longevity in Portuguese centenarians. Besides lifestyle, the activity of nitrite oxide synthase may be one of the main physiologic regulators of cardiovascular protection in the path of longevity.

Ibero⁻American Consensus on Low- and No-Calorie Sweeteners: Safety, Nutritional Aspects and Benefits in Food and Beverages.

International scientific experts in food, nutrition, dietetics, endocrinology, physical activity, paediatrics, nursing, toxicology and public health met in Lisbon on 2⁻4 July 2017 to develop a Consensus on the use of low- and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCS) as substitutes for sugars and other caloric sweeteners. LNCS are food additives that are broadly used as sugar substitutes to sweeten foods and beverages with the addition of fewer or no calories. They are also used in medicines, health-care products, such as toothpaste, and food supplements. The goal of this Consensus was to provide a useful, evidence-based, point of reference to assist in efforts to reduce free sugars consumption in line with current international public health recommendations. Participating experts in the Lisbon Consensus analysed and evaluated the evidence in relation to the role of LNCS in food safety, their regulation and the nutritional and dietary aspects of their use in foods and beverages. The conclusions of this Consensus were: (1) LNCS are some of the most extensively evaluated dietary constituents, and their safety has been reviewed and confirmed by regulatory bodies globally including the World Health Organisation, the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Food Safety Authority; (2) Consumer education, which is based on the most robust scientific evidence and regulatory processes, on the use of products containing LNCS should be strengthened in a comprehensive and objective way; (3) The use of LNCS in weight reduction programmes that involve replacing caloric sweeteners with LNCS in the context of structured diet plans may favour sustainable weight reduction. Furthermore, their use in diabetes management programmes may contribute to a better glycaemic control in patients, albeit with modest results. LNCS also provide dental health benefits when used in place of free sugars; (4) It is proposed that foods and beverages with LNCS could be included in dietary guidelines as alternative options to products sweetened with free sugars; (5) Continued education of health professionals is required, since they are a key source of information on issues related to food and health for both the general population and patients. With this in mind, the publication of position statements and consensus documents in the academic literature are extremely desirable.

Possibilidades terapêuticas da esteva (Cistus ladanifer L) / Posibilidades terapéuticas de la jara pringosa (Cistus ladanifer L.) / Therapeutic possibilities of the rockrose (Cistus ladanifer)

Cistus ladanifer L. (Cistaceae), comúnmente llamado jara pringosa, es un arbusto espontáneo de la región mediterránea occidental, que se extiende de Marruecos y Portugal hasta la Costa Azul y Argelia. Los preparados obtenidos de C. ladanifer L. (extratos, aceite esencial y lábdano) tienen una composición compleja y presentan propiedades farmacológicas que sugieren posibles aplicaciones terapéuticas. Ante la ausencia de monografía comunitaria de la Agencia Europea del Medicamento (EMA, European Medicines Agency) o de otros documentos de referencia, es de gran importancia la realización de trabajos que completen la necesaria información sobre C. ladanifer. El presente trabajo está destinado a proporcionar información acerca de la caraterización, hábitat, distribución geográfica de la jara pringosa y los estudios publicados acerca de su bioatividad. También se presentan los preparados obtenidos de C. ladanifer y se analiza su composición, mayoritariamente formada por fenoles, terpenos, lípidos y vitaminas. Se presentan los usos descritos en la medicina tradicional, así como los efectos farmacológicos basados en estudios in vitro e in vivo, destacando las acciones antioxidante, antitumoral, antiinflamatoria, antimicrobiana, antifúngica, antiprotozoaria, antiagregante plaquetaria, antidepresiva, antiespasmódica, inmunomoduladora y anTihipertensiva (AU)

Cistus ladanifer L. (Cistaceae), comúnmente llamado jara pringosa, es un arbusto espontáneo de la región mediterránea occidental, que se extiende de Marruecos y Portugal hasta la Costa Azul y Argelia. Los preparados obtenidos de C. ladanifer L. (extratos, aceite esencial y lábdano) tienen una composición compleja y presentan propiedades farmacológicas que sugieren posibles aplicaciones terapéuticas. Ante la ausencia de monografía comunitaria de la Agencia Europea del Me-dicamento (EMA, European Medicines Agency) o de otros documentos de referencia, es de gran importancia la realización de trabajos que completen la necesaria información sobre C. ladanifer. El presente trabajo está destinado a proporcionar información acerca de la caraterización, hábitat, distribución geográfica de la jara pringosa y los estudios publicados acerca de su bioatividad. También se presentan los preparados obtenidos de C. ladanifer y se analiza su composición, mayoritariamente formada por fenoles, terpenos, lípidos y vitaminas. Se presentan los usos descritos en la medicina tradicional, así como los efectos farmacológicos basados en estudios in vitro e in vivo, destacando las acciones an-tioxidante, antitumoral, antiinflamatoria, antimicrobiana, antifúngica, antiprotozoaria, antiagregante plaquetaria, antidepresiva, antiespasmódica, inmunomoduladora y antihipertensiva

Cistus ladanifer L. (Cistaceae), commonly referred as rock-rose, is a spontaneous shrub of western Mediterranean region, from Morocco and Portugal to French Riviera and Algeria. With complex composition, the preparations based on C. ladanifer (extracts, essential oil and labdanum) show pharmacological properties that make it interesting its future application. The absence of community onograph on this plant from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) or other reference documents makes of great importance to compile and analyze the existing information on C. ladanifer. This work is intended to provide information regarding characterization, habitat, and geographical distribution of rockrose, as well as on the bioactivity studies published. In addition, the herbal preparations obtained from C. ladanifer are also described, together with its composition, mainly formed by phenols, terpenes, lipids and vitamins. The uses described in traditional medicine and the pharmacological effects based on in vitro and in vivo studies are also reported, thereby highlighting the antioxidant, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antifungal, anti-protozoal, anti-aggregating, antidepressant, antispasmodic, immunomodulatory and antihypertensive actions (AU)

Evaluation of analgesic activities of tremetone derivatives isolated from the Chilean altiplano medicine Parastrephia lepidophylla.

Parastrephia lepidophylla, family Asteraceae, has ancient use in traditional medicine in the region of Tarapacá, Chile. Bioguided fractionation of extracts of this plant was undertaken in the search for compounds with analgesic and antioxidant activity. Two benzofuran derivatives were isolated as the major components of this plant, identified as tremetone 1 and methoxytremetone 6. Remarkably, neither of these showed antioxidant activity, but tremetone 1 exhibited a morphine-like analgesic property. Reduction of this analgesic effect by naloxone suggests a direct effect on opiate receptors as a possible signaling pathway. However, both the low diffusion across lipid membranes (PAMPA assay) and the lipophilicity (Log P) shown by tremetone 1 make elusive the mechanism explaining its induced analgesia.

Pharmacophore insights into rpoB gene mutations in Mycobacterium tuberculosis rifampicin resistant isolates.

This paper reports the susceptibility profile to rifabutin (RFB) 1 and six recently synthesized RFB analogs 3-8, of either rifampicin (RFP) susceptible Mycobacterium tuberculosis and resistant clinical isolates from two sources: Mexico and Brazil. Taking into account that about 95% of M. tuberculosis strains resistant to RFP present mutations in the rpoB gene, with some of these mutations being determinant also to RFB resistance, the RFB analogs were screened for activity against a set of known RFP susceptible and resistant strains. N'-Acetyl-RFB 5 and N'-(undec-10″-enoyl)-RFB 8 showed the best results, in particular with mutations in the codon 516, 522 and 531 of the rpoB gene, and were therefore selected for in vivo assessment of their efficacy. Studies conducted with tuberculous Balb/C mice previously infected with Ser531Leu mutated clinical isolate, evidenced both 5 and 8 as promoters of a significant decrease on tubercle bacilli burden in lungs associated with lower tissue damage, thus confirming them as good leads for drug discovery. The SAR of the acylated compounds 5 and 8 envisaging the identification of pharmacophore features, highlights the importance of profiling more clearly the chemistry within the molecular aspects for elucidation of the mode of action of RFB and analogs, in relation to mutations in Multidrug-Resistant (MDR) strains.

Requisitos de calidad de los aceites esenciales: importancia de las monografías de la Farmacopea Europea y de las normas ISO / Quality requirements for essential oils: importance of the monographs of the European Pharmacopoeia and ISO standards

Los aceites esenciales son productos naturales utilizados por diferentes industrias, entre las que destacan la alimentaria y la farmacéutica. Debido a la variabilidad inherente a los productos naturales y a los crecientes problemas de adulteraciones, el presente artículo tiene como objetivo promover y llamar la atención sobre la importancia de las normas internacionales existentes, especialmente las monografías de la Farmacopea Europea y las normas ISO, haciendo simultáneamente una comparación de los principales requisitos de estas directrices. Sólo el cumplimiento de estas normas puede garantizar que los aceites esenciales utilizados para diferentes fines tienen la calidad deseable para el propósito al que se destinan y que no se produzcan problemas de seguridad (AU)

Essential oils are natural products used by different industries, among which stand out pharmaceutical and food industries. Due to the variability inherent to all natural products and also to the growing problems of adulteration, this article aims to promote and draw attention to the importance of existing international standards, including the monographs of the European Pharmacopoeia and ISO standards, while making a comparison of the main requirements of these guidelines. Only the fulfillment of these standards can ensure that the essential oils used for different purposes have the desirable quality for the intended use and do not cause safety issues (AU)

The opposing effects of the flavonoids isoquercitrin and sissotrin, isolated from Pterospartum tridentatum, on oral glucose tolerance in rats.

The effect of an aqueous extract of Pterospartum tridentatum on the blood glucose levels of normal Wistar rats was investigated in a situation of oral glucose challenge. The extract at 300 mg/kg showed an antihyperglycaemic effect in the first 30 min after glucose challenge but then the blood glucose levels rose above those of the control group, indicating the presence of compounds with different effects on glucose tolerance. Nine compounds of isoflavone and flavonol skeletons were identified in the extract by HPLC-ESI-MS(n), four of them being identified for the first time in this species. The isoflavone sissotrin and the flavonol derivative, isoquercitrin, were selected for the oral glucose tolerance test. Isoquercitrin (100 mg/kg) showed time-dependent antihyperglycaemic activity by delaying the post-oral glucose load glycaemic peak at 30 min, as did the sodium-dependent glucose transporter inhibitor phloridzin (100 mg/kg). In contrast, sissotrin (100 mg/kg) showed an opposite effect, impairing glucose tolerance. In conclusion, these preliminary results indicate that the effect of the extract on blood glucose may be either antihyperglycaemic or hyperglycaemic. Additionally, as far as is known, these are the first in vivo results on the acute antihyperglycaemic potential of isoquercitrin.