The British journal of nutrition
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Pattern of 25-hydroxy vitamin D response at short (2 month) and long (1 year) interval after 8 weeks of oral supplementation with cholecalciferol in Asian Indians with chronic hypovitaminosis D.
Hypovitaminosis D is common in Asian Indians. Physicians often prescribe 1500 mug (60 000 IU) cholecalciferol per week for 8 weeks for vitamin D deficiency in India. Its efficacy to increase serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) over short (2 months) and long (1 year) term is not known. ⋯ Thus, with 8 weeks of cholecalciferol supplementation in Asian Indians with chronic hypovitaminosis D, mean serum 25(OH)D levels would be normalized and serum PTH value would be reduced to half. However, such quick supplementation would not maintain their 25(OH)D levels in the sufficient range for 1 year. For sustained improvement in 25(OH)D levels vitamin D supplementation has to be ongoing after the initial cholecalciferol loading.
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Increased fruit and vegetable consumption has become a health priority in many countries. Therefore, data investigating the influence of different types of fruits and vegetables on serum antioxidant levels would be useful. The objective of the study was to assess the relationship between fruit and vegetable consumption and vitamin serum antioxidant concentrations. ⋯ Root vegetables and citrus fruits were particularly associated with beta-carotene serum status as were citrus fruits for vitamin C. Fruit and vegetable consumption was either not or weakly associated with alpha-tocopherol serum concentrations. These results describe antioxidant serum concentrations according to fruit and vegetable consumption in a large sample and support the findings of previous studies involving a more limited number of subjects.
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The present study assessed the relationship between coffee consumption and mortality in a home-dwelling elderly population. A population-based cohort of 817 men and women born in 1920 or earlier and living in northern Finland provided complete data on daily coffee consumption and other variables at the baseline examination in 1991-1992. Deaths were monitored through to the end of 2005 by national death certificates, resulting in 6960 person-years of follow-up. ⋯ The observed associations between coffee consumption and mortality from CVD, cancer, and other or unknown causes, respectively, were qualitatively similar to that of total mortality but the estimates were less precise. The effect of coffee consumption at baseline appeared to attenuate after 10 years since the start of follow-up. The present study provides evidence for daily (caffeine-containing) coffee intake being inversely associated with mortality in the elderly.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effect of iron supplementation during pregnancy on the behaviour of children at early school age: long-term follow-up of a randomised controlled trial.
Although routine Fe supplementation in pregnancy is a common practice, its clinical benefits or risks are uncertain. Children born to mothers in the Fe group in a trial of Fe supplementation in pregnancy have been found to have a significantly higher risk of abnormal behaviour at 4 years of age than those born to mothers in the placebo group. The objective of the present study therefore was to determine whether Fe supplementation in pregnancy influences child behaviour at early school age. ⋯ However, the incidence of children with an abnormal teacher-rated peer problems subscale score was higher in the Fe group (eleven of 112 subjects; 8 %) than in the placebo group (three of 113 subjects; 2 %); the relative risk was 3.70 (95 % CI 1.06, 12.91; P = 0.026). We conclude that prenatal Fe supplementation had no consistent effect on child behaviour at early school age in this study population. Further investigation regarding the long-term effects of this common practice is warranted.