Food and agricultural biodiversity: a tool to describe the relationship between dietary intake and nutritional status in Italian populations groups

An observational study was conducted on 300 free-living healthy subjects in Northern, Central and Southern Italy to identify the relationship between consumption of specific food groups and nutritional status amd to verify the contribution of local and traditional foods to the overall diet qualit

Effect of Red Orange Juice Consumption on Body Composition and Nutritional Status in Overweight/Obese Female: A Pilot Study

The main objective of this research was to determine whether a commercial orange juice rich in anthocyanins could have an effect on body weight and on clinical parameters related to obesity including antioxidant status, lipid profile, and metabolic and inflammatory biomarkers. 11 women with an average BMI of 34.4±4.8 kg/m2 were enrolled in a pilot study. Over a period of 12 weeks they received 500 mL daily dose into two doses (250 mL) of commercial red orange juice (COJ). The biochemical parameters were measured at baseline and at the end of the study (12 weeks). One month later upon free diet, a follow-up was performed measuring the same variables. The daily consumption of 500 mL of COJ had no significant effects on body weight, while there was a decrease in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. The grade of obesity implies different changes in inflammation biomarkers. In obese women, our data do not seem to support evidence that commercial red orange juice consumption acts as functional food preventing obesity and metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance and/or inflammatory status

Absorption of strawberry phytochemicals and antioxidant status changes in humans

In this study the antioxidant composition of fresh and stored strawberries and the bioavailability of the main strawberry bioactive compounds were determined in humans. In addition we have investigated plasma total antioxidant capacity. On 13 healthy volunteers, blood samples were collected before and after acute ingestion of fresh and stored strawberries, 300g respectively. Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) values after consumption of fresh and stored strawberries showed a significant increase (P < 0.05) at 5 and 8 hours time interval, while significantly decreased TRAP (Total Radical-Trapping Antioxidant Parameter) values (P < 0.05) were found at 8 hours respect to baseline after stored strawberries consumption. After consuming fresh strawberries, plasma levels of α-carotene increased significantly (P < 0.05) respect to stored ones. Moreover, consumption of fresh and stored strawberries resulted in a significant increase of vitamin C at 2, 3 and 5 hours (P < 0.05). The bioavailable amount of strawberries antioxidant compounds reflects the variations observed in fresh and stored fruits. We could summarize that the global food quality is related to both native quantity of bioactive compounds and storage treatments

Bioavailability of strawberry antioxidants in human subjects.

Strawberries contain many antioxidant phytochemicals such as vitamin C, carotenoids and phenolic compounds including anthocyanins (ACN). In the present study, antioxidant composition of fresh strawberries (FS) and stored strawberries (SS) and the bioavailability of the main strawberry bioactive compounds were determined in human subjects. Thirteen healthy volunteers consumed 300 g of FS and SS on two separate occasions. Blood, before and at different time points from meal consumption, as well as 24 h urine, was collected, and parent compounds and metabolites of the different compounds were determined by HPLC or LC/MS/MS. A reduction in α-carotene plasma concentrations v. baseline values was recorded after the consumption of FS, although the amount of this carotenoid was higher in the SS. On the contrary, a significant increase of plasma vitamin C after 2, 3 and 5 h (P < 0.05) of FS and SS consumption was recorded. No quercetin and ACN were found in plasma, while coumaric acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (4HBA, 56 and 54% of pelargonidin-3-glucoside (Pel-glc) ingested with FS and SS, respectively) and protocatechuic acid (59 and 34% of cyanidin-3-glucoside ingested with FS and SS, respectively) over 8 h from strawberry consumption were retrieved in the plasma. Pelargonidin glucuronide, pelargonidin glucoside and pelargonidin aglycone peaked in urine within 2 h of strawberry consumption, and the 24 h amount excreted was always approximately 0.9% of the Pel-glc dose ingested. The data indicated that the content of phytochemicals in strawberries may influence the bioavailability of individual compounds. Furthermore, in the present study, the metabolism of Pel-glc was elucidated, and, for the first time, 4HBA was suggested to be a major human metabolite of Pel-glc