Search

We aimed to prospectively assess the association between variety and quantity of fruits and vegetables (FV) and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) incidence and mortality due to the limited evidence. Our analysis included 2,918 adults with a follow-up period of 29,559 person-years. An inverse association was detected between fruit intake and the risk of incidence and mortality from CVD. We found no association between diversity scores of fruits, vegetables, and FV with CVD risk. Subjects with high quantity-high variety, high quantity-low variety, and low quantity-high variety of fruits, vegetables, or FV exhibited no difference in CVD risk compared to the subjects with low quantity-low variety intake. Increasing the variety of FV was associated with increases in the intake of β-carotene, lycopene, lutein, vitamin C, selenium, fibre, fat, and protein after adjustment for the quantity and covariates. We detected an inverse association between fruit intake and the incidence and mortality rates of CVD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowing the true levels of nutrients and dietary bioactives in fruit juices at the point of consumption is key to properly understand their potential health benefits. The objective was to characterise the vitamin C and flavanone content in commercial orange juices consumed in Europe, compared with fresh-squeezed juices. Commercial juices were a rich source of vitamin C (>30% of the Nutrient Reference Value). Vitamin C in fresh-squeezed juices, at the end of their shelf-life, remained 33% higher than the levels found in the commercial juices. Flavanones had similar values from both commercial and fresh juices, except for fresh samples stored for 48 h, where fresh juices had higher values (22.36 mg/100 mL). Thus, orange juices preserve their bioactive compounds during storage, with very little influence of the brand, country, industrial process or storage conditions. Main bioactive compounds in commercial juices are present at nutritionally significant levels to the freshly-squeezed ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Results from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) testing the effect of vitamin C supplementation on blood pressure (BP) have been inconsistent. This systematic review evaluated the effects of vitamin C supplementation on BP and included RCTs testing the effects of vitamin C supplementation alone, on systolic and diastolic BP in adult participants (≥18 years). Random-effect models were conducted to estimate the pooled effects of vitamin C supplementation on BP. A total of 20 studies with 890 participants were included. The median dose of vitamin C was 757.5 mg/d, the median duration was 6 weeks. Vitamin C supplementation was found to reduce systolic BP by −3.0 mmHg (95%CI: −4.7, −1.3 mmHg; p = 0.001). Subgroup analysis showed a more pronounced effect on systolic BP in patients with hypertension (−3.2 mmHg, 95%CI −5.2, −1.2 mmHg, p = 0.002) and diabetes (−4.6 mmHg, 95%CI −8.9, −0.3 mmHg, p = 0.03). Further research needs to evaluate the long-term effect of vitamin C on BP in populations with impaired cardio-metabolic health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article was to assess the existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses for the association between vitamin C intake and multiple health outcomes. A total of 76 meta-analyses (51 papers) of randomised controlled trials and observational studies with 63 unique health outcomes were identified. Dose–response analysis showed that vitamin C intake was associated with reduced risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease (CVD), oesophageal cancer, gastric cancer, cervical cancer and lung cancer with an increment of 50–100 mg per day. Beneficial associations were also identified for respiratory, neurological, ophthalmologic, musculoskeletal, renal and dental outcomes. Harmful associations were found for breast cancer and kidney stones for vitamin C supplement intake. The benefits of vitamin C intake outweigh the disadvantages for a range of health outcomes. However, the recommendation of vitamin C supplements needs to be cautious. More prospective studies and well-designed randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eight different Serbian genotypes were analysed for their polyphenol, carotenoid, vitamin C content and evaluated for their antioxidant properties. The highest content of biologically important carotenoids such as lutein (4.58 mg/10 g), lycopene (160.64 mg/10 g) and β-carotene (189.64 mg/10 g) were detected in the genotype S606. Rutin was the most abundant phenolic compound in all tastes samples, but its content is highest in the genotype S615 (1424.30 µg/100 g dw). All tomato samples were the great source of vitamin C, where the sample S615 stood out (68.54 mg AA g-1 of dw). Their content of antioxidant compounds suggested that genotypes S606 and S615 showed the best antioxidant potential. Principal component analysis (PCA) and Partial least squares (PLS) were applied to analyse results. The results obtained in the present study could be of considerable interest for breeding programmes wishing to select tomato genotypes with high biological and nutritional properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work studied the effect of the year of harvest, the genotype and the cultivation method on the nutritional quality and the allergen content of three plum cultivars. The common quality parameters and the phytochemical content strongly varied with the year and the cultivar, while the system of cultivation had a minor influence. In particular, ascorbic acid greatly decreased in 2016 compared to 2015, while polyphenols were higher in 2016. The health-promoting compounds, and particularly phenolics, were significantly correlated with the antioxidant capacity. Finally, the allergen content was strongly dependent on the content of flavan-3-ols, suggesting that this class of phenolics is determinant in influencing the allergen content in plums. Results showed that the major factor affecting the quality and the concentration of natural metabolites of plum, in addition to the diversity among genotypes, is the year-to-year variation, whereas the system of cultivation plays a marginal role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vitamin C is an organic compound that is almost ubiquitous in the daily diet of individuals. There are clear indications of supplementation when secondary deficiency is detected related with reduced dietary intake or reduced absorption. On the other hand, indications for supplementation concerning an increased need are controversial. Several authors have studied the role of vitamin C as an adjuvant in the treatment of diseases that may affect children and adolescents. These diseases affect all organs and systems: specifically, vitamin C supplementation could play a role in respiratory, neurological, psychiatric, oncohematological, nephrological, ophthalmological and nutritional disorders. In paediatric age, a significant benefit of vitamin C supplementation has been observed in depressive pathology, iron-deficiency anaemia and chronic renal failure related to haemodialysis. No evidence was found with vitamin C supplementation on mortality, cognitive performance, quality of life, eye diseases, infections, cardiovascular diseases and tumours. This evidence may be related to the fact that in developed countries, vitamin C is almost ubiquitous in the daily diet of each individual. In conclusion, studies on non-industrialised populations in which there could be a real benefit from such supplementation, have yet to be conducted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Western-style diets are associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). In particular, a strong correlation has been documented between CRC and the consumption of large amounts of red meat, especially processed red meat. Compared with white meat, red meat contains high levels of haem iron, a molecule that can exert a variety of genotoxic and other adverse effects on the colonic epithelium. According to current international guidelines, the reduction of red meat intake combined with the consumption of food containing antioxidant and chemoprotective substances may significantly reduce the risk of developing CRC. The dietary strategies that can help to contrast the harmful effects of haem iron are reported and discussed in this review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the stability of strawberry pulp subjected to three factors, pasteurisation (pasteurised and unpasteurised), freezing method (static air and forced air) and storage time (0, 2, 4 and 6 months). Pasteurisation favoured vitamin C retention during storage but enhanced the total loss of phenolics without affecting anthocyanin levels. Freezing by forced air was more effective in retaining phenolics during the first 4 months of storage, although the freezing method did not affect the anthocyanin levels. Processing and storage reduced the levels of individual phenolics. Freezing by forced air was more effective than static air in retaining antioxidant activity of the pulp. Polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase enzyme levels were relatively stable and independent of pasteurisation, freezing and storage time. Even after 6 months of frozen storage, strawberry pulp is a significant source of nutrients and bioactive compounds and retains high antioxidant capacity independent of pasteurisation and freezing method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flours of four pigmented (from orange to red and dark red) local Italian corns, studied for their soluble, soluble conjugate, and insoluble-bound phenols and flavonoids, showed a prevalence of the insoluble-bound fraction (70–80%). Correlations were found between the flours antioxidant capacity, measured with CUPRAC, FRAP, and DPPH methods, and soluble phenols and flavonoids content. A correlation was also found between ascorbic acid content and flours antioxidant power. Anthocyanins were present in small amounts in the red/dark red seeds; however, acid-alcohol assays and spectral analyses of pericarp extracts indicated the presence of red-brick phlobaphenes in these varieties. Spectrophotometrically quantified total carotenoids were significantly higher in one of the local varieties (Nano); RP-HPLC analyses indicated that the local varieties contained significantly higher amounts of zeaxanthin and β-carotene, and lower amounts of lutein, than a commercial line. Among local varieties, Nano expressed the highest levels of zeaxanthin, β-carotene, and β-cryptoxanthin. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Dietary total antioxidant capacity (DTAC) seems to be associated with reducing risk of diseases. However, data about the influence of the DTAC on oxidative stress parameters are scarce. The aim of this study was to estimate the DTAC and its influence on plasma total antioxidant capacity (PTAC), and damage to lipids, proteins and DNA in healthy women. It was found a positive correlation between DTAC and PTAC in young and healthy subjects, where presumably the endogenous defenses are fully functional. DTAC and PTAC were positively correlated with the intake of known antioxidants, including vitamin C and polyphenols. The DTAC exhibited a negative correlation with lipid oxidative damage, while PTAC showed a negative correlation with DNA damage. This data contributes to better understanding of the recommended dietary antioxidant intake for promoting health. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]