A Systematic Review on the Implication of Minerals in the Onset, Severity and Treatment of Periodontal Disease

Periodontal disease is an inflammatory disease with high prevalence in adults that leads to destruction of the teeth-supporting tissues. Periodontal therapy has been traditionally directed at reduction of the bacterial load to a level that encourages health-promoting bacteria and maintenance of oral-hygiene. The role of nutrition in different chronic inflammatory diseases has been the subject of an increasing body of research in the last decades. In this sense, there has been an important increase in the volume of research on role of nutrition in periodontitis since the diet has known effects on the immune system and inflammatory cascades. Minerals play a key role in all these processes due to the multiple pathways where they participate. To clarify the role of the different minerals in the establishment, progression and/or treatment of this pathology, a systemically review of published literature cited in PubMed until May 2016 was conducted, which included research on the relationship of these elements with the onset and progression of periodontal disease. Among all the minerals, calcium dietary intake seems important to maintain alveolar bone. Likewise, dietary proportions of minerals that may influence its metabolism also can be relevant. Lastly, some observations suggest that all those minerals with roles in immune and/or antioxidant systems should be considered in future research

Macro- and micronutrients in patients with congestive heart failure, particularly African-Americans

Not all patients with heart failure, defined as a reduced ejection fraction, will have an activation of the RAAS, salt and water retention, or the congestive heart failure (CHF) syndrome. Beyond this cardiorenal perspective, CHF is accompanied by a systemic illness that includes oxidative stress, a proinflammatory phenotype, and a wasting of soft tissues and bone. A dyshomeostasis of calcium, magnesium, zinc, selenium, and vitamin D contribute to the appearance of oxidative stress and to compromised endogenous defenses that combat it. A propensity for hypovitaminosis D, given that melanin is a natural sunscreen, and for secondary hyperparathyroidism in African-Americans make them more susceptible to these systemic manifestations of CHF—a situation which is further threatened by the calcium and magnesium wasting that accompanies the secondary aldosteronism of CHF and the use of loop diuretics

Complications of Celiac Disease

Celiac disease is a small bowel disorder, due to defect in gluten diet, leading to mucosal inflammation, villous atrophy and crypt hyperplasia. For the diagnosis of celiac disease, one has to be on gluten free diet. Due to commonly available various serologic tests and histopathology, celiac disease, can be categorized as asymptomatic, silent or potential. Between 80 and 90% of all patients with celiac disease remained undiagnosed. Because of this late diagnosis, patients may develop various complications including anemia, bone loss, depression and cancers. Patients may have different types of anemia including iron deficiency, folic acid or B12 deficiency. Any of these may occurred separately or may be manifested together. The same variation is seen in bone loss, starting from osteopenia, osteomalacia to osteoporosis and even dysplasias. Patient may develop lymphoma, gastric or oesophageal carcinomas as well. Celiac disease is also associated with other autoimmune illnesses as it is an autoimmune process by itself. The complications of celiac disease, is either due to direct consequence of celiac, or due to significant damage to the small intestine. With the early detection and diagnosis, the symptomatology and complications of celiac disease can be spared

Postoperative Osteoporosis in Subjects with Morbid Obesity Undergoing Bariatric Surgery with Gastric Bypass or Sleeve Gastrectomy

Obesity has become a worldwide epidemic accompanied by adverse health effects. The limited efficiency of traditional weight reduction regimens has led to a substantial increase in the use of bariatric surgery. Today, sleeve gastrectomy (SG) and Roux-en-Y-gastric bypass (RYGB) are the most used procedures. The present narrative review focuses on the risk of developing postoperative osteoporosis and summarizes some of the most relevant micronutrient deficiencies associated with RYGB and SG. Preoperatively, the dietary habits of obese individuals might lead to precipitated deficiencies in vitamin D and other nutrients affecting bone mineral metabolism. Bariatric surgery with SG or RYGB can aggravate these deficiencies. The various surgical procedures appear to affect nutrient absorption differently. Being purely restrictive, SG may particularly affect the absorption of vitamin B12 and also vitamin D. In contrast, RYGB has a more profound impact on the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins and other nutrients, although both surgical methods induce only a mild protein deficiency. Despite adequate supplementation of calcium and vitamin D, osteoporosis may still occur after the surgery. This might be due to deficiencies in other micronutrients, e.g., vitamin K and zinc. Regular follow-ups with individual assessments and nutritional advice are indispensable to prevent osteoporosis and other adverse postoperative issues.publishedVersio

Assessment of Nutrition Knowledge and Dietary Behaviors of Post Bariatric Surgery Patients Attending the Outpatient Clinic of Rashid Hospital, Dubai

Obesity is regarded as an increasingly prevalent public health problem, with enormous adverse health consequences. It also increases the risk for co-morbidities. There are several means to treat obesity, and bariatric surgery has emerged as one of the most prevalent ways to treat obesity. Despite the vast research assessing nutrition knowledge of patients regarding several health conditions, existing research assessing the nutrition knowledge of post-bariatric surgery patients is limited, although this category of patients is very susceptible to malnutrition post-surgery. The aim of this study was to assess the patients’ general nutrition knowledge and the knowledge specific to the dietary protocol post-surgery. This study also assessed the medical and nutritional complications associated with bariatric surgery, including patients’ awareness and understanding of dumping syndrome, patients’ perception of the clarity of information conveyed by the dietitians and its effect on their levels of compliance with post-surgery dietary protocol and the follow- up appointments with the dietitians. Results of this study showed that patients had good general nutrition knowledge. The questions assessing nutrition knowledge of the dietary protocol showed that the majority of the participants (66.2%) had average knowledge. In addition, most patients did not know what dumping syndrome is, and of those who knew what it is, only had knowledge about the food that promotes its occurrence. On the other hand, most patients followed up with a dietitian, although only 29% showed strong compliance to the dietitian’s instructions. This was strongly related to majority of patients (71.2%) finding the information conveyed as vague and unclear. The most experienced symptom post-bariatric surgery was nausea, followed by dizziness, dehydration, and vomiting. As for the overall quality of life, most of the patients never felt agitated, fatigued and/or regretted their decision of undergoing the surgery, and almost all participants found their daily activities to be more enjoyable. Future research on the relation of compliance to dietary protocol and improved quality of patients’ life post bariatric surgeries to extend our findings is needed

Fish as an Important Functional Food for Quality Life

If the principle of “enhanced function” and “reduced risk of disease” claim is valid regarding the definition of functional foods, then fish must be chosen as one of the most important functional foods. Functional foods are foods that have potentially positive effects on health beyond basic nutrition. Fish contains components that can improve physical and mental health, and even can reduce the risk of diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetics, dementia, osteoporosis, psoriasis, lupus, arthritis, retinopathy, and other chronic and inflammatory diseases. Fish and fish products are a rich source of important components such as proteins, lipids, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, which are of significant nutritional values. Example of functional food components are important n-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA which have anti-inflammatory property and many health related roles. So, fish in human nutrition is required for growth, development, maintenance, and optimum health. As consumers of the age become more health conscious, the demand and market values for health promoting functional foods are expected to grow. The present study is to review the efficiency of functional food components of fish and fish products including safety for promotion of quality of human life