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To study whether the content of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity depends on the variety of blueberries grown, the content of flavonoids, resveratrol, total tannins and vitamin C of 4 varieties grown in southern Spain (Huelva) have been analyzed. After the analyses carried out, it can be verified that all the compounds identified, as well as the antioxidant activity, present significant differences between the varieties under study. Millennia was the variety with the highest concentration of monomeric anthocyanins, which showed more than double of concentration of Star variety. However, the latter had the highest concentration of flavan-3-ol derivatives. Only a flavonol could be identified in Millennia and Star varieties. Jewel was the variety with the highest resveratrol content, while Windsor had the highest concentration in total tannins and the best antioxidant activity values. A multivariate principal component analysis showed that the varieties can be differentiated mainly by their composition in flavonoid compounds. Finally, a multiple regression analysis showed that bioactive compounds influence antioxidant activity jointly and not individually [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Epidemiological evidence suggests that dietary factors can play a role in the etiology of prostate cancer. Results from several case-control and cohort studies on nutrient intake and prostate cancer have been unclear. The authors examined the effect of lipid intake on the risk of prostate cancer.Methods: In order to assess associations between lipid intake and prostate cancer risk, a case-control study was conducted between May 1994 and March 1998 in the Barcelona metropolitan area, Spain. Two hundred seventeen incident cases with histologically confirmed diagnosis of prostate cancer were matched to 434 hospital and community controls by age and residence. Information about food intake was gathered by a semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire. Unconditional logistic regression was used for the analysis.Results and Conclusions: Animal fat intake was associated with prostate cancer with an estimated OR for highest quartile of 2.0 (95% CI 1.2-3.2). Vitamin C intake was inversely associated with prostate cancer (OR = 0.6; 95% CI 0.3-0.9). The prostate cancer risk increased in proportion to alpha-linolenic acid intake. In the analysis adjusting for energy and major covariables the estimated OR for upper quartile of alpha-linolenic acid was 3.1 (95% CI 1.1-3.8). In conclusion, the association between fat intake and prostate cancer may be correlated with alpha-linolenic acid, although the specific mechanism has to be determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]