The American journal of clinical nutrition
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This paper reviews the evidence that salt sensitivity of blood pressure is related both to the anion ingested with sodium as well as to other components of the diet. In several experimental models of salt-sensitive hypertension and in humans, blood pressure is not increased by a high sodium intake provided with anions other than chloride. ⋯ In experimental animals, a high intake of simple carbohydrates also augments sodium chloride sensitivity of blood pressure. These observations indicate that the effect of dietary sodium on blood pressure is modulated by other components of the diet.
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The battle over salt has changed over the centuries from one of where to find salt sources to one of how much salt to use in a healthful manner. Many questions were answered by the INTERSALT Study across numerous countries and, yet, many questions persist. It is a love-hate relationship, an approach-avoidance paradigm. ⋯ In some cases stress unmasks the salt sensitivity. For instance, the social context can modulate blood pressure responses to a high-sodium diet. Therefore, 24-h monitoring of blood pressure becomes important, especially in salt-sensitive persons.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
No effect of supplementation with vitamin E, ascorbic acid, or coenzyme Q10 on oxidative DNA damage estimated by 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine excretion in smokers.
The protective effect of fruit and vegetables against cancer has been related to their high antioxidant content. However, results from intervention trials have not been conclusive on the protective effect of antioxidant supplementation. In a randomized placebo-controlled trial we investigated the effect of dietary supplementation with antioxidants on a biomarker of oxidative DNA damage with mechanistic relation to carcinogenesis. ⋯ Two months of supplementation did not result in significant changes in the urinary excretion rate of 8-oxodG in any group. The lack of effect of antioxidant supplementation on the excretion rate of 8-oxodG, despite substantial increases in plasma antioxidant concentrations, agrees with the results from recent large intervention studies with cancer as an endpoint. The cancer-protective effect of fruit and vegetables seems to rely not on the effect of single antioxidants but rather on other anticarcinogenic compounds or on a concerted action of several micronutrients present in these foods.
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The health consequences of coffee drinking remain controversial. We report on an association between coffee consumption and the concentration of total homocysteine (tHcy) in plasma, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and for adverse pregnancy outcome. The study population consisted of 7589 men and 8585 women 40-67 y of age and with no history of hypertension, diabetes, ischemic heart disease, or cerebrovascular disease. ⋯ The combination of cigarette smoking and high coffee intake was associated with particularly high tHcy concentrations. A strong inverse relation between tea and tHcy concentration in univariate analysis was substantially attenuated after smoking and coffee drinking were adjusted for. The results of the present report should promote future studies on tHcy as a possible mediator of adverse clinical effects related to heavy coffee consumption.