The American journal of clinical nutrition
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Blood pressure lowering in elderly subjects: a double-blind crossover study of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
In 46 elderly (aged greater than or equal to 60 y) hypertensive subjects with entry systolic blood pressure (SBP) greater than or equal to 160 or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) greater than or equal to 90 mm Hg, our specific aim in a randomized, double-blind, crossover study (two 8-wk treatment periods separated by a 3-wk washout) was to compare blood pressure-lowering effects of 9 g fish oil/d [omega-3 (n-3) fatty acid] vs 9 g corn oil/d [omega-6 (n-6) fatty acid]. After a 4-wk baseline period, 22 subjects were randomly assigned to receive fish oil and 24 to receive corn oil. For both 8-wk treatments there were no between-group differences in the change in blood pressure. ⋯ There were no significant between-group differences in laboratory safety tests or categorical side effects. Fish oil lowered triglycerides by 0.47 mmol/L (P less than 0.001). In elderly subjects, diet plus both omega-3 and omega-6 supplements (9 g/d) safely and effectively lower SBP and DBP.
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Plasma zinc, iron, copper, and selenium and selected blood proteins were measured in 66 men before (BHW) and after (AHW) a 5-d period of sustained physical and psychological stress called Hell Week. Recovery blood samples were obtained from 26 men 7 d after Hell Week. Dietary intakes were determined BHW and during Hell Week; zinc, iron, copper, and selenium intakes during Hell Week averaged 23.6 +/- 3.4 mg/d, 35.4 +/- 3.9 mg/d, 3.0 +/- 0.5 mg/d, and 92.5 +/- 26.7 micrograms/d, respectively. ⋯ Haptoglobin concentrations increased 57% in 30 subjects but decreased 32% in 23 subjects AHW. The biochemical changes were transitory because protein (except ferritin) and mineral concentrations were similar to BHW values 7 d after Hell Week. Hell Week induced changes characteristic of an acute-phase response in physically active men.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Continuous glucose for treatment of patients with type 1 glycogen-storage disease: comparison of the effects of dextrose and uncooked cornstarch on biochemical variables.
Responses to uncooked cornstarch (UCS), dextrose (Dex), and a 3:1 mixture (UCS:Dex) were determined in seven children with type 1 glycogen-storage disease (GSD-1). UCS maintained blood glucose (BG) and serum insulin concentrations between 3.5 +/- 0.3 and 4.0 +/- 0.4 mmol/L (mean +/- SEM) and 50 +/- 7 and 79 +/- 22 pmol/L, respectively, in six of the seven patients for 4 h. ⋯ Two methods of providing dietary glucose overnight, continuous intragastric glucose infusion (COG) and intermittent UCS at 2100 and 0200, were compared by monitoring metabolites and glucoregulatory hormones. The use of UCS in amounts equal to the calculated glucose production rate is an effective method of providing a continuous dietary source of glucose overnight to patients with GSD-1.
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The National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) are important in the assessment of nutritional status of the population of the United States. The utility of these surveys for assessment of the nutritional status of older Americans has been limited because prior NHANES have not included persons aged greater than or equal to 75 y. This paper reviews the role of the NHANES for nutritional epidemiology, highlighting the unique opportunity NHANES III offers to expand the nutrition database for older persons. Data are presented on consequences of nonresponse in analytic work and mechanisms that have been devised to approach the potential problem of nonresponse within NHANES III.
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The ASCN Committee on Medical/Dental School and Residency Nutrition Education conducted a series of activities to establish guidelines for nutrition core content in a medical school curriculum. These activities included mail surveys of medical-nutrition educators and a representative group of medical school curriculum administrators and a national consensus workshop of nutrition educators. ⋯ There was consensus among the nutrition educators that 26 topics should be given priority ratings as essential for inclusion in medical course work. Further prioritization of these topics resulted in a listing of core content topics and subtopics to serve as a guide to administrators and educators for planning nutrition course work in a medical school curriculum.