Effects of cooking using multi-ply cookware on absorption of potassium and vitamins: a randomized double-blind placebo control study.

This 2-week interventional study involved a randomized allocation of subjects into three groups: Group A (daily ingestion of 350 g vegetables cooked without water using multi-ply [multilayer-structured] cookware), Group B (daily ingestion of 350 g vegetables; ordinary cookware) and Group C (routine living). Before and after intervention, each subject underwent health examination with 24-h urine sampling. Blood vitamin C significantly increased after intervention from the baseline in Group A (P < 0.01) and Group B (P < 0.05). ß-Carotene levels also increased significantly after intervention in Group A (P < 0.01) and Group B (P < 0.01). Oxidized low-density lipoprotein decreased significantly after intervention in Group A (P < 0.01). In Group A, 24-h urinary potassium excretion increased significantly (P < 0.01) and 24-h urinary sodium (Na)/K ratio improved significantly (P < 0.05) after intervention. In conclusion, a cooking method modification with multi-ply cookware improved absorption of nutrients from vegetables and enhanced effective utilization of the antioxidant potentials of vegetable nutrients.

Taurine in morning spot urine for the useful assessment of dietary seafood intake in Japanese children and adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Since our previous report on WHO CARDIAC Study data demonstrated that 24-hour urinary (24U) taurine (Tau) excretion was a useful biomarker of seafood (SF) intake and inversely related to the mortality rates of stroke and coronary heart diseases in the world, we determined that SF is important in the risk reduction of lifestyle related-diseases. The amounts of dietary SF intake are so far estimated from a nutritional survey or 24U Tau excretion.The sodium/potassium ratio of spot urine (SU) and the 24U ratio were reported to be significantly correlated with. Therefore, we presently examined the relationship of Tau excretion in the morning SU with 24U Tau for simplifying the population comparison and the follow-up of SF intake changes in the process of food education program (FEP). METHODS: After informed consent was obtained, 54 children aged 6-11 years (Children) and 193 adolescents aged 13-18 years (Adolescents) participated in collecting precisely 24U and SU of the first urination on the same day and answered the questionnaire including age and height and weight measurements. The urine samples were measured for creatinine (Cre) and Tau, and the association of these between 24U and SU were analyzed. RESULTS: The success rates of 24U sampling were very high in Children and Adolescents, 96.4% and 82.4%, respectively. From the result of the multiple regression analysis of SU Tau/Cre and weight we obtained formulas for predicting 24U Tau excretion in Children and Adolescents as follows: Children: 24U Tau = 16.3 (weight) + 314.3 (SU Tau/Cre) -175.2; and Adolescents: 24U Tau = 20.2 (weight) + 644.7 (SU Tau/Cre) - 569.4. CONCLUSIONS: The present study established the regression equation to estimate 24U Tau excretion from SU Tau/Cre and weight. These formulas are expected to contribute to the estimation of fish and SF intake and the follow-up of the change of the dietary behavior by FEP in Children and Adolescents.

Taurine's health influence on Japanese high school girls.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) in children and adolescents has been increasing at an alarming rate. MS risks during childhood and adolescence adversely affect health conditions in later life. Thus, the characterization of their MS risks is a critical research field. The aims of this study are to survey the health status of Japanese adolescent females, a poorly characterized population, and to investigate the potential relationship between their MS risks and dietary factors like potassium (K) and taurine. METHODS: Anthropometric characteristics of 243 healthy school girls aged 13 to 18 years were measured. Serum levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and plasma levels of glucose and insulin were analyzed in fasting blood samples. We assessed overweight, disturbed lipid prolife, higher blood pressure (hBP) and higher plasma glucose (hGlc) levels as indicators of MS risks. The relationships between MS risks and urinary K or taurine excretion were investigated by dividing into higher and lower groups at medians of their urinary excretions. RESULTS: Half of junior high school (JHS) and one-quarter of senior high school (SHS) girls had at least one MS risk. The quite common risk was hGlc, the rates being 21% in JHS girls and 14% in SHS. The prevalence of being overweight and obesity were only small portions, the rate being 0% and 0% in JHS girls, and 10% and 1% in SHS, respectively. Substantial differences in the prevalence of hBP were observed between JHS (22%) and SHS (4%) girls. Furthermore, higher urinary K excretion group showed a significant decrease in triglyceride level (P = 0.03) and increase in HDL level (P = 0.003) compared with the lower. Also, the higher urinary taurine excretion group exhibited a significant reduction in triglyceride level (P = 0.04) compared with the lower. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that control of plasma glucose level rather than body weight is a crucial task in Japanese pubertal girls, and that a dietary habit rich in K and taurine could improve their lipid profile. Nutritional education based on these findings would help to prevent the future development of MS in Japanese female adolescents.

Taurine in health and diseases: consistent evidence from experimental and epidemiological studies.

Taurine (T) was first noted as beneficial for stroke and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) prevention in genetic rat models, stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP). The preventive mechanisms of T were ascribed to sympathetic modulation for reducing blood pressure (BP) and anti-inflammatory action. Recent epidemiological surveys revealed the involvement of inflammatory mediators in the pathogenesis of stroke and also atherosclerosis for which T was proven to be effective experimentally. Arterio-lipidosis prone rats, a substrain of SHRSP selectively bred for higher reactive hypercholesterolemia, quickly develop not only arterial fat deposition but also fatty liver which could be attenuated by dietary T supplementation. CARDIAC (CVD and Alimentary Comparison) Study was a WHO-coordinated multi-center epidemiological survey on diets and CVD risks and mortalities in 61 populations. Twenty-four-hour urinary (24U) T was inversely related significantly with coronary heart disease mortality. Higher 24U-T excreters had significantly lower body mass index, systolic and diastolic BP, total cholesterol (T-Cho), and atherogenic index (AI: T-Cho/high density lipoprotein-cholesterol) than lower T excreters. T effects on CVD risks were intensified in individuals whose 24U-T and -magnesium (M) excretions were higher. Furthermore, higher Na excreters with higher heart rate whose BP were significantly higher than those with lower heart rate were divided into two groups by the mean of 24U-T, high and low T excreters. Since the former showed significantly lower BP than the latter, T may beneficially affect salt-sensitive BP rise. Included among the typical 61 populations, were Guiyang, China or St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada where in which the means of both 24U-T and -M were high or low, respectively. The former and the latter had low and high CVD risks, respectively. Australian Aboriginals living at the coastal area in Victoria were supposed to eat T- and M-rich bush and sea foods and be free from CVD 200 years ago, but they presently have nearly the highest CVD risks indicating that T- and/or M-containing seafood, vegetables, fruits, nuts, milk, etc, similar to prehistoric hunters' and gatherers' food should be good for CVD prevention. The preventive effects of T, good for health and longevity, first noted experimentally, were also proven epidemiologically in humans.

Deterioration of traditional dietary custom increases the risk of lifestyle-related diseases in young male Africans.

BACKGROUND: Prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) is rapidly increasing worldwide. To investigate the spread of MS risks and its relationship with eating habits including fish intake, we carried out a health examination for young and middle-aged men. METHODS: The subjects were 97 healthy men (20 to 50 years) living in Mwanza, located on the shore of Lake Victoria in Tanzania. The health examination was conducted according to the basic protocol of WHO-CARDIAC (Cardiovascular Diseases and Alimentary Comparison) Study. This survey included anthropometric measurements, a dietary questionnaire, blood pressure measurement, and blood and 24-hour urine (24U) collection. Excretions of sodium, potassium and taurine (Tau) in 24U were estimated as the biomarkers of salt, vegetable and fish product intakes respectively. RESULTS: In this survey, 62.5 % of the young and 63.3% of the middle-aged adults had MS risks. The most prevalent MS risk factor was increased blood pressure (50.0% of young adults and 53.1% of the middle-aged). Tau excretions in 24U and n-3 fatty acid levels in plasma were significantly lower in young adults than those in the middle-aged (both P < 0.05). The eating frequencies of non-traditional foods such as donuts and ice cream showed negative correlations with age (r = -0.282, P < 0.01 and r = -0.246, P < 0.05), while salt intake positively correlated with age (r = 0.236, P < 0.05). Tau excretion in 24U was inversely correlated with atherosclerosis index (r = -0.306, P < 0.01) and fasting blood glucose (r = -0.284, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Young adults in Mwanza had a decreased frequency of eating habit of fish products compared with the middle-aged as indicated by Tau excretion in 24U and n-3 fatty acid level in the plasma, and over half of young adults had one or more MS risks just as the middle-aged. The change in food habit of lowered fish intake and raised exotic food intake might be concluded to increase MS risks in young men.

Antithrombotic effect of taurine in healthy Japanese people may be related to an increased endogenous thrombolytic activity.

INTRODUCTION: Prevention of arterial thrombotic diseases has high priority in developed countries. Taurine (2-aminomethylsulfonic acid), which is rich in sea foods, showed antithrombotic effect in animal models of thrombosis. The present study aimed to investigate such effect in healthy human volunteers. METHODS AND RESULTS: In 101 healthy Japanese people the overall thrombotic status was accessed from non-anticoagulated blood sample by the Global Thrombosis Test (GTT). There was no significant correlation between taurine concentration in urine samples and GTT-Occlusion Times (OT; mainly reactivity of platelets). In contrast, a significant inverse correlation was demonstrated between urine taurine concentrations and GTT-Lysis Times (LT; showing spontaneous thrombolytic activity). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that taurine enhances endogenous thrombolytic activity which could be a mechanism of the earlier observed cardioprotective and antithrombotic effect.

Serum folate, total homocysteine levels and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase 677C>T polymorphism in young healthy female Japanese.

Environmental and genetic factors influence serum total homocysteine (tHcy), a risk factor for vascular diseases. The gene polymorphism of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is reported to be a genetic factor for influencing tHcy. However, it is not clear whether MTHFR polymorphism influences tHcy in the younger generation. To investigate the influence of MTHFR polymorphism on vascular disease risks in young Japanese females, we determined dietary intakes, serum folate and tHcy, and examined the influence of MTHFR 677C>T polymorphism in healthy junior and high school students (n=192, 12-18y). The relationships between MTHFR polymorphism and folate intake, serum folate or tHcy were investigated by dividing participants into CC, CT and TT types. Among individuals with the TT genotype, folate and tHcy levels were significantly lower (p<0.05) or higher (p<0.0001), respectively, than in those with the other genotypes; although there were no significant differences in the intake of folate among genotypes. In addition, a significant inverse correlation between folate and tHcy (p<0.05) was noted in all genotypes, even in young females, so far not examined in Asian populations. Therefore, MTHFR genotypes were proven to be a significant determinant for folate and tHcy concentrations. However, the association of increased folate intake with lower tHcy concentration, even in cases of the mutation TT type, indicates the importance of folate intake in young Japanese females for early detection of risk, as well as the prevention of vascular diseases.

Possible association of high urinary magnesium and taurine to creatinine ratios with metabolic syndrome risk reduction in Australian aboriginals.

Background. Because of the epidemic of metabolic syndrome (MS) in Australian Aboriginals known for their higher cardiovascular mortality and shorter life expectancy, we analyzed the possible relationship of their MS risks with the current dietary custom. Methods. The subjects were 84 people aged 16-79 years. The health examination was conducted according to the basic protocol of WHO-CARDIAC (Cardiovascular Diseases and Alimentary Comparison) Study. Results. The highest prevalence among MS risks was abdominal obesity (over 60%). After controlling for age and sex, the odds of obesity decreased significantly with high level of urinary magnesium/creatinine ratio (Mg/cre) (OR, 0.11; 95% CI, 0.02-0.57; P < .05). The significant inverse associations of fat intake with Mg/cre and of fast food intake with urinary taurine/creatinine ratio were revealed. Conclusions. The high prevalence of obesity in the Aboriginal people of this area may partly be due to the reduction of beneficial nutrients intake including Mg and taurine.