Soberanía Alimentaria. Transformación Artesanal y Género

El colectivo de mujeres campesinas sufre hoy en día una triple discriminación e invisibilización: por vivir en un entorno rural, por ser campesina y por ser mujer. En este contexto, una de las estrategias de las mujeres para desarrollar proyectos de vida autónomos, complementar las rentas agrarias y mantener las explotaciones conservando prácticas y conocimientos de los que las mujeres han sido protagonistas como responsables de la alimentación familiar, ha sido la actividad de transformación de los alimentos en la propia finca. Esta transformación en finca, a pequeña escala, se conoce como transformación artesanal, aunque como luego veremos, en la actualidad dentro del concepto, y según los contextos, se esconden diferentes variantes de la definición. La artesanía da un valor añadido a los productos agrarios asociando estos productos a la producción de calidad al mismo tiempo que permite no depender tanto de los ciclos estacionales y las fluctuaciones del mercado.Peer reviewe

Serum sterol responses to increasing plant sterol intake from natural foods in the Mediterranean diet

BACKGROUND: Phytosterols in natural foods are thought to inhibit cholesterol absorption. The Mediterranean diet is rich in phytosterol-containing plant foods. AIM OF THE STUDY: To assess whether increasing phytosterol intake from natural foods was associated with a cholesterol-lowering effect in a substudy of a randomized trial of nutritional intervention with Mediterranean diets for primary cardiovascular prevention (PREDIMED study). METHODS: One hundred and six high cardiovascular risk subjects assigned to two Mediterranean diets supplemented with virgin olive oil (VOO) or nuts, which are phytosterol-rich foods, or advice on a low-fat diet. Outcomes were 1-year changes in nutrient intake and serum levels of lipids and non-cholesterol sterols. RESULTS: Average phytosterol intake increased by 76, 158 and 15 mg/day in participants assigned VOO, nuts and low-fat diets, respectively. Compared to participants in the low-fat diet group, changes in outcome variables were observed only in those in the Mediterranean diet with nuts group, with increases in intake of fibre, polyunsaturated fatty acids and phytosterols (P < 0.020, all) and significant (P < 0.05) reductions of LDL-cholesterol (0.27 mmol/l or 8.3%) and the LDL/HDL-cholesterol ratio (0.29 mmol/l or 11.5%). Variations in saturated fat, cholesterol or fibre intake were unrelated to LDL-cholesterol changes. In the whole group, changes in serum sitosterol-to-cholesterol, which reflect those of dietary phytosterol intake and absorption, correlated inversely to LDL-cholesterol changes (r = -0.256; P = 0.008). In multivariate analyses, baseline LDL-cholesterol, increases in serum sitosterol ratios and statin use were independently associated with LDL-cholesterol reductions. CONCLUSIONS: Small amounts of phytosterols in natural foods appear to be bioactive in cholesterol lowering.The PREDIMED study is supported by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Health (FIS) RTIC G03/140, PI04/1828, PI04/1837, PI 04/2239, PI05/1839, PI06/0365, PI 07/240 and RTIC RD06/0045.Peer reviewe

Phytosterol plasma concentrations and coronary heart disease in the prospective Spanish EPIC cohort

Phytosterol intake with natural foods, a measure of healthy dietary choices, increases plasma levels, but increased plasma phytosterols are believed to be a coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factor. To address this paradox, we evaluated baseline risk factors, phytosterol intake, and plasma noncholesterol sterol levels in participants of a case control study nested within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Spanish cohort who developed CHD (n = 299) and matched controls (n = 584) who remained free of CHD after a 10 year follow-up. Sitosterol-to-cholesterol ratios increased across tertiles of phytosterol intake (P = 0.026). HDL-cholesterol level increased, and adiposity measures, cholesterol/HDL ratios, and levels of glucose, triglycerides, and lathosterol, a cholesterol synthesis marker, decreased across plasma sitosterol tertiles (P < 0.02; all). Compared with controls, cases had nonsignificantly lower median levels of phytosterol intake and plasma sitosterol. The multivariable-adjusted odds ratio for CHD across the lowest to highest plasma sitosterol tertile was 0.59 (95% confidence interval, 0.36–0.97). Associations were weaker for plasma campesterol. The apolipoprotein E genotype was unrelated to CHD risk or plasma phytosterols. The data suggest that plasma sitosterol levels are associated with a lower CHD risk while being markers of a lower cardiometabolic risk in the EPIC-Spain cohort, a population with a high phytosterol intake