European journal of clinical nutrition
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More than a decade has passed since it was unintentionally discovered that grapefruit juice interacts with certain drugs. The coadministration of these drugs with grapefruit juice can markedly elevate drug bioavailability, and can alter pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters of the drug. The predominant mechanism for this interaction is the inhibition of cytochrome P-450 3A4 in the small intestine, resulting in a significant reduction of drug presystemic metabolism. ⋯ A single exposure to one glass of the juice can usually produce the maximal magnitude of the interaction. The data available so far, concerning this interaction and its clinical implications, are reviewed in this article. It is likely that more information regarding this interaction will accumulate in the future, and awareness of such is necessary for achieving optimal drug therapy.
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To evaluate the validity and reliability of the food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) used in the Shanghai Women's Health Study (SWHS), 200 SWHS participants were recruited for a dietary calibration study. Study participants completed an FFQ at baseline and 24-h dietary recalls (24-HDR) twice per month consecutively for 12 months. At the end of the study, a second FFQ was administered. ⋯ When nutrient and food group intakes were categorized into quartiles, FFQ and 24-HDR produced exact agreement rates between 33 and 50%. Misclassification to adjacent quartile was common, ranging from 34-48%, while misclassification to an extreme quartile was rare (1-6%). These data indicate that the SWHS FFQ can reliably and accurately measure usual intake of major nutrients and food groups among women in Shanghai.
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To identify if the nutritional status and improvements in Vietnam during the 1990s applied equally to the key vulnerable population groups (poor, rural, and ethnic minority) as it did to the nonpoor-largely in the urban areas. ⋯ Although the key vulnerable groups-rural, poor, and minority populations-showed improvements in diet, there still remains an inequity between these groups and the nonpoor of the population. In particular, the vulnerable groups consumed less of their daily consumption from the desirable high-quality proteins of animal foods and fats, and more from cereals and other starches-lagging the better-off populations in desired composition.