Antioxidant intake among Brazilian adults - The Brazilian Osteoporosis Study (BRAZOS): a cross-sectional study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Antioxidant nutrient intake and the lesser formation of free radicals seem to contribute to chronic diseases. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the intake profile of the main dietary antioxidants in a representative sample of the adult Brazilian population and discuss the main consequences of a low intake of these micronutrients on overall health.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The sample comprised 2344 individuals aged 40 years or older from 150 cities and was based on a probabilistic sample from official data. The research was conducted through in-home interviews administered by a team trained for this purpose. Dietary intake information was obtained through 24-h recall. The Nutrition Data System for Research software program was used to analyze data on the intake of vitamins A, C and E, selenium and zinc, which was compared to Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs). Differences in intake according to sex, anthropometrics, socioeconomic status and region were also evaluated. The SPSS statistical package (version 13) was used for the statistical analysis. P-values < 0.05 were considered significant.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Higher proportions of low intake in relation to recommended values were found for vitamin E (99.7%), vitamin A (92.4%) and vitamin C (85.1%) in both genders. Intake variations were found between different regions, which may reflect cultural habits.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results should lead to the development of public health policies that encourage educational strategies for improving the intake of micronutrients, which are essential to overall health and prevention of non-communicable diseases.</p

Representações sobre o consumo de frutas, verduras e legumes entre fruticultores de zona rural Representations on fruit and vegetable consumption among fruit growers

OBJETIVO: O objetivo do estudo foi investigar aspectos subjetivos do consumo de frutas, verduras e legumes entre agricultores. MÉTODOS: Trata-se de um estudo qualitativo sobre o universo simbólico do consumo de frutas, verduras e legumes entre fruticultores da zona rural, do município de Valinhos, estado de São Paulo, Brasil. Foram empregadas técnicas de observação participante e entrevista não estruturada focalizada. Para tratamento de dados foi utilizada a teoria das representações sociais de Moscovici. RESULTADOS: A representação central das falas analisadas é: fruta não é comida, é trabalho, a qual tem função estruturante de outras representações relativas a fruta: 1) não tem função de alimentar; 2) seu consumo não é essencial; 3) garante a sobrevivência do trabalho familiar no campo, representando o sustento familiar. Apesar de cultivadas e consumidas rotineiramente, são consideradas comida somente quando são compradas. Verduras e legumes são classificados como alimentos de importância secundária. Conceitos de alimentação saudável expressos pelo grupo contemplam elementos que vão além do valor nutricional dos alimentos, incluindo: prazer, comensalidade, valores sócio-culturais, memória familiar e celebrações. CONCLUSÃO: O consumo de frutas relaciona-se mais à esfera do trabalho na lavoura do que a elementos que a aproximem ao conceito de comida. As representações sociais relativas a Frutas Verduras e Legumes contribuem com a formulação de conceitos subjetivos de alimentação saudável e estruturam as práticas alimentares dos agricultores.<br>OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate subjective aspects in the consumption of fruits and vegetables by fruit growers. METHODS: This is a qualitative study on the symbolic universe of consumption of these food items among fruit growers living in the rural area of Valinhos, a city located in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Participant observation techniques and non-structured but focused interviews were used. Moscovici's theory of social representations was applied to analyze data. RESULTS: The core message of the analyzed statements is: fruit is not food, it is work; which leads to other representations related to fruits such as: 1) fruits have no nourishing function; 2) its consumption is not essential; 3) they ensure the survival of the rural family's work and represent their livelihood. Although cultivated fruits are regularly consumed, they are regarded as food only when they are bought. Vegetables, including leaves, are classified as less important food items. The concept of healthy eating habits presented by this group includes aspects that transcend the nutritional value of food items, such as pleasure, commensality, social and cultural values, family memories and celebrations. CONCLUSION: The consumption of fruits is more related to their farming work than to elements which bring them closer to the concept of food. The social representations of Fruits and Vegetables support the formulation of subjective concepts of healthy eating habits and structure them among rural workers

Efeito da farinha de semente de abóbora (Cucurbita maxima, L.) sobre o metabolismo glicídico e lipídico em ratos The pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima, L.) seed flour effect on the rat glucose and lipid metabolism

OBJETIVO: O objetivo desta pesquisa foi avaliar o efeito da farinha de semente de abóbora (Cucurbita maxima, L.) sobre o metabolismo glicídico e lipídico em ratos. MÉTODOS: Vinte ratos Wistar machos recém-desmamados, distribuídos em quatro grupos, receberam por 10 dias, rações controle e experimental com farinhas de semente de abóbora integral, peneirada ou residual substituindo 30% do valor total de amido e dextrina da dieta controle. As dietas foram isocalóricas. Foram determinados os macronutrientes e a fibra insolúvel nas farinhas. As dietas tiveram a composição química calculada a partir dos dados dos rótulos dos produtos, da tabela de composição de alimentos e da análise química das farinhas de semente de abóbora. O peso corporal e a ingestão dos animais foram tomados a cada 48 horas. O sangue, coletado por punção cardíaca, teve os níveis de triacilgliceróis, colesterol e glicose analisados por métodos enzimáticos. RESULTADOS: As farinhas de semente de abóbora foram boas fontes de proteínas, lipídeos e, especialmente, fibras alimentares. Os animais tiveram ganho ponderal e ingestão semelhante (p>0,05). Os níveis de glicose e triacilgliceróis foram reduzidos significantemente para os grupos que receberam dietas com farinhas de semente de abóbora integral e peneirada. CONCLUSÃO: Frente às suas propriedades química e funcional, concluiu-se que a farinha de semente de abóbora interferiu no metabolismo do rato diminuindo significantemente os níveis de glicose e triacilgliceróis séricos.<br>OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present research was to evaluate the pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima, L.) seed flour effect on the rat glucose and lipid metabolism. METHODS: Twenty recent weaned male Wistar rats, divided in four groups, received for 10 days control and experimental diets containing whole, sifted and residual pumpkin seed flour on the rate of 30% of the total starch and dextrin in the control diet. All diets were isocaloric. Macronutrients and insoluble fiber were determined in the flours. All diets had their chemical composition calculated based on data from product labels, of food composition table and of the chemical analysis of the pumpkin seed flours. The animals´ growth and ingestion had been evaluated in 48 hours intervals. Blood samples drawn by cardiac puncture had their triacilglycerides, cholesterol and glucose levels measured by enzymatic methods. RESULTS: The pumpkin seed flour are good protein, lipids and, specially, dietary fiber sources.The animals' growth and food ingestion were similar along all the experiment (p>0.05). Glucose and triacilglycerides were significantly decreased in the groups taking diets with whole- and sifted-pumpkin seed flour respectively. CONCLUSION: Taking into account their properties chemistry and functional, it can be concluded that the pumpkin seed flour interfered in the rat metabolism decreasing significantly the serum glucose and triacilglycerides levels

Exploiting position effects and the gypsy retrovirus insulator to engineer precisely expressed transgenes

A major obstacle to creating precisely expressed transgenes lies in the epigenetic effects of the host chromatin that surrounds them. Here we present a strategy to overcome this problem, employing a Gal4-inducible luciferase assay to systematically quantify position effects of host chromatin and the ability of insulators to counteract these effects at phiC31 integration loci randomly distributed throughout the Drosophila genome. We identify loci that can be exploited to deliver precise doses of transgene expression to specific tissues. Moreover, we uncover a previously unrecognized property of the gypsy retrovirus insulator to boost gene expression to levels severalfold greater than at most or possibly all un-insulated loci, in every tissue tested. These findings provide the first opportunity to create a battery of transgenes that can be reliably expressed at high levels in virtually any tissue by integration at a single locus, and conversely, to engineer a controlled phenotypic allelic series by exploiting several loci. The generality of our approach makes it adaptable to other model systems to identify and modify loci for optimal transgene expression