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Objective: The present study aimed at surveying the nutritional quality of prepacked biscuits and sweet snacks sold on the Italian market, and at identifying whether the product type and other information reported on the pack could discriminate the overall quality of products analysed.Design: Data on energy, nutrient and salt content of the products from two different categories of prepacked sweet cereal products (i.e. biscuits and sweet snacks) were collected from thirteen retailers present on the Italian market. Based on the product type, nutrition and health claim (NHC) and gluten-free (GF) declaration, a comparison of nutrient profile within each category was performed.Setting: This work is part of the Food Labelling of Italian Products (FLIP) study that aims at systematically investigating the overall quality of the prepacked foods sold on the Italian market.Results: A total of 1290 products were analysed (63 % biscuits and 37 % sweet snacks). After comparing different product types within each category, a high intra-type product variability was evidenced, which was more pronounced for biscuits. Overall, NHC-carrying products seemed to have a better nutrition profile than those without claims, except for salt content. Conversely, a comparison between GF and gluten-containing products did not show consistent results within the two categories analysed.Conclusions: Due to the high intra-type variability within each category, the different characteristics and regulated information reported on the pack do not seem to be a clear marker of the overall nutritional quality of biscuits and snacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: The glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) are useful parameters in the nutritional classification of carbohydrate foods. Diets characterized by a low GI and/or a low GL have been repeatedly and independently associated with decreased risk of diabetes and other chronic diseases. The aim of this study is to report the GI and GL value of carbohydrate-rich foods available on the Italian market and mostly consumed in Italy.Methods and Results: GI values were determined according to FAO/WHO (1997) and ISO (2010). Overall, the 141 commercial foods that were analyzed represent food categories that are the source of >80% carbohydrate intake in Italy. The food items chosen were based mainly on the market share of the brand within each food category and grouped into 13 food categories: 1) beverages: fermented milk drink, juice, smoothie, soft drink; 2) biscuits; 3) breads; 4) bread substitutes; 5) breakfast cereals; 6) cakes and snacks; 7) candy and confectionery; 8) cereals; 9) desserts and ice-creams; 10) marmalade and jam; 11) pasta; 12) pizza; 13) sugar and sweetener.Conclusion: This database of commercial Italian foods partly overcomes the lack of information on GI and GL of local foods, contributing to a better understanding of the association between GI/GL and health and providing a more informed choice to Italian consumers and health practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Macrophages, a heterogeneous and ubiquitous cell population representing up to 15% of the cellular content of different types of tissue, are the principal cell mediators in response to pathogens, inflammation process, tissue homeostasis and repair and play a pivotal role in atherosclerosis and insulin resistance because of their capacity to be the major source of inflammatory cytokines, which can function through paracrine and endocrine mechanisms. Recently, differently activated macrophage populations have been described, depending on a large variety of microenvironmental signals, and it is now recognized that their activation plays a crucial role in the development and progression of atherosclerosis. There is good evidence of the ability of conjugated linoleic acids and polyphenolic compounds to modulate inflammation in experimental models involving macrophages. This observation leaves room to the intriguing hypothesis that macrophage polarization could represent one of the unifying mechanisms through which specific food components can exert anti-inflammatory effects in humans, contributing to the prevention of chronic diseases strongly linked to inflammation, such as atherosclerosis. Future studies should be addressed to substantiate this hypothesis, investigating whether or not physiological concentrations of food-derived metabolites can perturb macrophage activation in vitro. On the in vivo side, the evaluation of macrophage populations in tissues, however complex, should be included among the analyses performed in observational and intervention studies, in order to understand if macrophage activation is involved in the anti-inflammatory activity of a specific dietary regimen. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]