A Set of Reliable Samples for the Study of Biomarkers for the Early Diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, diagnosed according to the clinical criteria that occur in already advanced stages of PD. The definition of biomarkers for the early diagnosis of PD represents a challenge that might improve treatment and avoid complications in this disease. Therefore, we propose a set of reliable samples for the identification of altered metabolites to find potential prognostic biomarkers for early PD. Methods: This case-control study included plasma samples of 12 patients with PD and 21 control subjects, from the Spanish European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Navarra cohort, part of the EPIC-Spain study. All the case samples were provided by healthy volunteers who were followed-up for 15.9 (±4.1) years and developed PD disease later on, after the sample collection. Liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry was used for the analysis of samples. Results: Out of 40 that were selected and studied due to their involvement in established cases of PD, seven significantly different metabolites between PD cases and healthy control subjects were obtained in this study (benzoic acid, palmitic acid, oleic acid, stearic acid, myo-inositol, sorbitol, and quinolinic acid). These metabolites are related to mitochondrial dysfunction, the oxidative stress, and the mechanisms of energy production. Conclusion: We propose the samples from the EPIC study as reliable and invaluable samples for the search of early biomarkers of PD. Likewise, this study might also be a starting point in the establishment of a well-founded panel of metabolites that can be used for the early detection of this disease.

Meat and heme iron intake and esophageal adenocarcinoma in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study.

Although recent studies suggest that high intakes of meat and heme iron are risk factors for several types of cancer, studies in relation to esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) are scarce. Previous results in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) based on a relatively small number of cases suggested a positive association between processed meat and EAC. In this study, we investigate the association between intake of different types of meats and heme iron intake and EAC risk in a larger number of cases from EPIC. The study included 481,419 individuals and 137 incident cases of EAC that occurred during an average of 11 years of follow-up. Dietary intake of meat (unprocessed/processed red and white meat) was assessed by validated center-specific questionnaires. Heme iron was calculated as a type-specific percentage of the total iron content in meat. After adjusting for relevant confounders, we observed a statistically significant positive association of EAC risk with heme iron and processed meat intake, with HR: 1.67, 95% CI: 1.05-2.68 and HR: 2.27, 95% CI:1.33-3.89, respectively, for comparison of the highest vs. lowest tertile of intake. Our results suggest a potential association between higher intakes of processed meat and heme iron and risk of EAC.

The relationship between dietary lipids and cognitive performance in an elderly population.

Epidemiological studies on the association between diet and cognitive function suggested a possible role of dietary fatty acids in cognitive decline. The aim of the present study was to examine whether intake of different types of fatty acids is associated with cognitive status. A cohort of 304 (127 men and 177 women) institutionalized elderly people, with a mean age of 75.3 +/- 6.7 years, were studied. Subjects were evaluated for global cognitive functions (Mini-Mental State Examination [MMSE], Spanish version). Fatty acid intake was assessed with a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Intake of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were found to be predictors of cognitive impairment as they were negatively associated with the MMSE score. In accordance with this, fish intake was inversely associated with cognitive impairment. On the contrary, the n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid ratio was positively related to the MMSE score. These results could not be explained by differences in age, sex, education, smoking behaviour, inactivity, alcohol, institution or energy intake. We suggest that consumption of EPA and DHA should be encouraged for reducing the risk of cognitive impairment and subsequently disability in elderly people.