Differences in cow's milk composition between Iceland and the other Nordic countries and possible connections to public health

To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Link fieldBackground: The Icelandic bovine herd has been isolated for over 1100 years. Knowledge is needed about how its milk constituents differ from those of milk in the other Nordic countries, where cattle have been interbred with other European races. As milk and dairy products comprise a substantial part of food intake, especially in children, variations in cow's milk composition may be of value when considering environmental factors in public health. Regional variation in milk composition may explain contradictory results from studies on milk consumption and aetiology of diseases, type 1 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. Objective: To investigate differences in milk composition, particularly substances suggested to influence public health. Design: Analyses of the proteins ß-casein and ß-lactoglobulin, as well as fatty acid profiles and nitrates, were performed in samples of cow's milk as sold to consumers, at four different times during 1 year in three different regions in Iceland and in the capital areas of the other countries. Results: The Icelandic milk was significantly (p<0.05) lower in ß-casein fractions A1 and B and higher in the A2 fraction, lower in ß-lactoglobulin B and higher in A (p<0.001), had less than half in n-6/n-3 ratio and was higher in the very long-chain n-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid. It was slightly higher in saturated fatty acids. No significant difference was seen in the total amount of ß-caseins, ß-lactoglobulins or nitrates. Conclusions: Although slightly higher in saturated fatty acids, the Icelandic milk has a composition of proteins and fatty acids that may be associated with health benefits

Plasma alkylresorcinols C17:0/C21:0 ratio, a biomarker of relative whole-grain rye intake, is associated to insulin sensitivity: a randomized study.

To access publisher's full text version of this article click on the hyperlink at the bottom of the pageFew studies have used biomarkers of whole-grain intake to study its relation to glucose metabolism. We aimed to investigate the association between plasma alkylresorcinols (AR), a biomarker of whole-grain rye and wheat intake, and glucose metabolism in individuals with metabolic syndrome (MetS).Participants were 30-65 years of age, with body mass index 27-40 kg/m(2) and had MetS without diabetes. Individuals were recruited through six centers in the Nordic countries and randomized to a healthy Nordic diet (ND, n=96), rich in whole-grain rye and wheat, or a control diet (n=70), for 18-24 weeks. In addition, associations between total plasma AR concentration and C17:0/C21:0 homolog ratio as an indication of the relative whole-grain rye intake, and glucose metabolism measures from oral glucose tolerance tests were investigated in pooled (ND+control) regression analyses at 18/24 weeks.ND did not improve glucose metabolism compared with control diet, but the AR C17:0/C21:0 ratio was inversely associated with fasting insulin concentrations (P=0.002) and positively associated with the insulin sensitivity indices Matsuda ISI (P=0.026) and disposition index (P=0.022) in pooled analyses at 18/24 weeks, even after adjustment for confounders. The AR C17:0/C21:0 ratio was not significantly associated with insulin secretion indices. Total plasma AR concentration was not related to fasting plasma glucose or fasting insulin at 18/24 weeks.The AR C17:0/C21:0 ratio, an indicator of relative whole-grain rye intake, is associated with increased insulin sensitivity in a population with MetS.NordForsk NCoE in Food Nutrition and Health 070014 Academy of Finland Finnish Diabetes Research Foundation Finnish Foundation for Cardiovascular Research Sigrid Juselius Foundation Kuopio University Hospital (Finland) Druvan Foundation ESPEN Skane County Council Research and Development Foundation Swedish Research Council for Health EXODIAB (Excellence of Diabetes Research in Sweden) Heart-Lung Foundation Diabetesfonden Foundation Cerealia (Sweden) Danish Obesity Research Centre (DanORC) Danish Council for Strategic Research (Dairy Health, BioFunCarb) (Denmark) Agricultural Productivity Fund (Iceland) Icelandic Research Fund for graduate students/ 120688006