Dietary fructose in relation to blood pressure and serum uric acid in adolescent boys and girls

Evidence that fructose intake may modify blood pressure is generally limited to adult populations. This study examined cross-sectional associations between dietary intake of fructose, serum uric acid and blood pressure in 814 adolescents aged 13–15 years participating in the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study. Energy-adjusted fructose intake was derived from 3-day food records, serum uric acid concentration was assessed using fasting blood and resting blood pressure was determined using repeated oscillometric readings. In multivariate linear regression models, we did not see a significant association between fructose and blood pressure in boys or girls. In boys, fructose intake was independently associated with serum uric acid (P<0.01), and serum uric acid was independently associated with systolic blood pressure (P<0.01) and mean arterial pressure (P<0.001). Although there are independent associations, there is no direct relationship between fructose intake and blood pressure. Our data suggest that gender may influence these relationships in adolescence, with significant associations observed more frequently in boys than girls

Dietary recommendations: comparing dietary guidelines from Brazil and the United States Recomendações dietéticas: comparação entre os guias alimentares brasileiro e americano

The Brazilian dietary guidelines are based in part on mainstream United States' recommendations, in spite of the criticisms and shortcomings of the American guidelines. In this paper, Brazilian food guidelines are summarized and discussed in comparison with the USA recommendations. American and Brazilian dietary recommendations are quite similar in many aspects, particularly those related to variety in the diet, the importance of physical activity and weight management. Different to American guidelines, those from Brazil advise people to choose fresh foods, to prefer healthier types of fat, to limit trans fat intake and to eat good sources of protein, but does not recommend the consumption of whole grains. Besides the challenges related to their implementation, indicators for the evaluation of the effectiveness of these guidelines should be established from the beginning, particularly those related to changes in dietary habits and the prevalence of obesity.<br>O guia alimentar brasileiro é baseado parcialmente nas recomendações americanas a despeito das críticas e problemas identificados no documento dos Estados Unidos. Neste artigo, as recomendações alimentares para o Brasil são resumidas e discutidas em comparação com as recomendações estadunidenses. Os guias alimentares brasileiro e americano são bastante similares em diversos aspectos, particularmente aqueles relacionados com a variação da dieta, a importância da atividade física e o gerenciamento do peso. Diferentemente dos Estados Unidos, o guia brasileiro estimula o consumo de alimentos frescos, aconselha o uso de fontes saudáveis de gorduras, a limitação do consumo de gordura trans, o consumo de boas fontes de proteínas, mas não indica o consumo de grãos integrais. Além dos desafios relacionados com a sua implantação, os indicadores para a avaliação da eficácia dos guias alimentares devem ser estabelecidos desde sua implantação, particularmente, os relacionados a mudanças nos hábitos alimentares e à prevalência da obesidade

Hyperuricemia and associated factors: a cross-sectional study of Japanese-Brazilians

This cross-sectional study aimed to estimate the prevalence of hyperuricemia and associated risk factors among Japanese-Brazilians. We obtained data on demographic, health history, food intake, and laboratory variables. Chi-square and prevalence ratios were used as measures of association. 35.3% of the subjects presented hyperuricemia, which was more frequent in smokers, males, age > 55 years, with co-morbidities, individuals on uric acid-increasing medication, serum creatinine > 1.4mg/dL, high alcohol consumption, and low consumption of milk and dairy products. In the multivariate analysis, the associations remained significant with gender, overweight, central obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, and use of specific drugs. Among males, low intake of saturated fat was associated with hyperuricemia. Individuals with hypertension showed a negative association with dairy product consumption. The high hyperuricemia prevalence suggests that changes in nutritional profile and control of associated co-morbidities could help minimize occurrence of this condition