The Journal of nutrition
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The Journal of nutrition · May 2009
Randomized Controlled TrialMulti-micronutrient-fortified biscuits decreased prevalence of anemia and improved micronutrient status and effectiveness of deworming in rural Vietnamese school children.
Concurrent micronutrient deficiencies are prevalent among Vietnamese school children. A school-based program providing food fortified with multiple micronutrients could be a cost-effective and sustainable strategy to improve health and cognitive function of school children. However, the efficacy of such an intervention may be compromised by the high prevalence of parasitic infestation. ⋯ Fortification reduced the risk of anemia and deficiencies of zinc and iodine by >40%. Parasitic infestation did not affect fortification efficacy, whereas fortification significantly enhanced deworming efficacy, with the lowest reinfection rates in children receiving both micronutrients and Alb. Multi-micronutrient fortification of biscuits is an effective strategy to improve the micronutrient status of Vietnamese schoolchildren and enhances effectiveness of deworming.
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Endogenous production of glutamine may become insufficient during critical illness. The shortage of glutamine is reflected as a decrease in plasma concentration, which is a prognostic factor for poor outcome in sepsis. Because glutamine is a precursor for nucleotide synthesis, rapidly dividing cells are most likely to suffer from a shortage. ⋯ This will give an indication for treatment as well as proper dosing. Most patients will have a normalized plasma glutamine concentration by adding 20-25 g/24 h. Furthermore, there are no reported adverse or negative effects attributable to glutamine supplementation.
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The Journal of nutrition · Sep 2008
Priority areas for research on the intake, composition, and health effects of tree nuts and peanuts.
This article summarizes the main conclusions drawn from a conference on the health effects of nut consumption and identifies priority areas for future research. Individuals with higher intakes of nuts generally have higher intakes of many beneficial dietary constituents. More information is needed on nut composition, the bioavailability of nutrients, and other bioactive constituents. ⋯ Higher nut consumption is associated with lower risk of diabetes and associated cardiovascular disease. More remains to be learned about the effects of nuts on postprandial glycemic and insulin response, glycemic control, and improvement of disease risk factors in subjects with prediabetes and diabetes. Information is needed on nut-induced allergic reactions, including their prevalence and consequences, causes of sensitization, biomarkers of severe reactions, and cross-reactivity to different types of nuts.
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The Journal of nutrition · Sep 2008
Excess dietary L-cysteine causes lethal metabolic acidosis in chicks.
A 72-h time-course study was conducted to elucidate the physiological mechanism underlying cysteine (Cys) toxicity in chicks beginning at 8-d posthatch. Biochemical markers quantified in plasma and liver samples collected from chicks receiving 30 g/kg excess dietary Cys were compared with baseline measurements from chicks receiving an unsupplemented corn-soybean meal diet over a 72-h feeding period. Concomitant with chick mortality were indices of acute metabolic acidosis, including a rapid increase (P < 0.001) in anion gap that resulted from a reduction (P < 0.001) in plasma HCO(3)(-) of approximately 40% and a 2.8-fold increase (P < 0.001) in plasma sulfate in chicks receiving excess Cys. ⋯ Excess dietary Cys did not affect plasma free Met, but plasma free Cys increased (P < 0.05) from 89 to 107 mumol/L at 12 h and remained elevated through 36 h. Strikingly, ingestion of 30 g/kg excess Cys caused more than a doubling (P < 0.001) of plasma free cystine, the oxidized form of Cys, beginning 12 h after initiating the study, and it remained elevated throughout the 72-h feeding period. Taken together, these data suggest that ingestion of 30 g/kg excess l-Cys causes both acute metabolic acidosis and oxidative stress in young chicks when fed a nutritionally adequate, corn-soybean meal diet.
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The Journal of nutrition · Apr 2008
Intake of vegetables, legumes, and fruit, and risk for all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality in a European diabetic population.
We examined the associations of intake of vegetables, legumes and fruit with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in a population with prevalent diabetes in Europe. A cohort of 10,449 participants with self-reported diabetes within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study was followed for a mean of 9 y. Intakes of vegetables, legumes, and fruit were assessed at baseline between 1992 and 2000 using validated country-specific questionnaires. ⋯ Cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality and mortality due to non-CVD/non-cancer causes were significantly inversely associated with intake of total vegetables, legumes, and fruit (RR 0.88 [95% CI 0.81-0.95] and 0.90 [0.82-0.99], respectively) but not cancer mortality (1.08 [0.99-1.17]). Intake of vegetables, legumes, and fruit was associated with reduced risks of all-cause and CVD mortality in a diabetic population. The findings support the current state of evidence from general population studies that the protective potential of vegetable and fruit intake is larger for CVD than for cancer and suggest that diabetes patients may benefit from a diet high in vegetables and fruits.