Potential and nutritional properties of local food plants from Angola to combat malnutrition − suitable alternatives to frequently cultivated crops

The human diet of the local population in the province Uíge, Angola mainly consists of carbohydrate rich plants originating from America or Asia. Acidic soils lead to various deficiency syndromes and low livestock yield. The aim of this study is to evaluate the nutritional potential of 14 native plants from Africa (Aframomum alboviolaceum, Aframomum angustifolium, Aframomum giganteum, Antidesma venosum, Clitandra cymulosa, Landolphia buchananii, Landolphia lanceolata, Landolphia owariensis, Oncoba welwitschii, Parinari capensis, Piper umbellatum, Pseudospondias microcarpa, Tristemma mauritianum, Vitex madiensis subsp. madiensis). The amino acid composition, beta-carotene, vitamin B1, B2, C and E content was determined for the respective edible plant part. Fruits of P. capensis were found to be rich in beta-carotene. The pulp of O. welwitschii shows a high nutritional value (high in vitamin B1, B2, C, E and in indispensable amino acids). Leaves of P. umbellatum are determined as convenient substitutes for the human nutrition containing beta-carotene, vitamin B1, B2, C and E. The integration and cultivation of studied plants indicate positive health effects, supplying different amounts of frequently lacking vitamins and beneficial ratios of indispensable amino acids. Studies examining dependencies between site location, ripeness, storage or transportation are urgently needed as they directly influence the micronutrient content

Age-related Changes of Plasma Bile Acid Concentrations in Healthy Adults : Results from the Cross-Sectional KarMeN Study

Bile acids (BA) play an important role in lipid metabolism. They facilitate intestinal lipid absorption, and BA synthesis is the main catabolic pathway for cholesterol. The objective of this study was to investigate associations of age, sex, diet (fat intake) and parameters of lipid metabolism (triglycerides, LDL, HDL, body fat content) with fasting plasma BA concentration of healthy individuals. Fasting plasma samples from a cross-sectional study were used to determine the concentrations of 14 BA using an LC-MS stable isotope dilution assay. Triglycerides, LDL and HDL were analyzed by standard clinical chemistry methods and body fat content was measured with a DXA instrument. The dietary fat intake of the 24 h period prior to the sampling was assessed on the basis of a 24 h recall. Subsequent statistical data processing was done by means of a median regression model. Results revealed large inter-individual variations. Overall, higher median plasma concentrations of BA were observed in men than in women. Quantile regression showed significant interactions of selected BA with age and sex, affecting primarily chenodeoxycholic acid and its conjugates. No associations were found for LDL and the amount of fat intake (based on the percentage of energy intake from dietary fat as well as total fat intake). Additional associations regarding body fat content, HDL and triglycerides were found for some secondary BA plasma concentrations. We conclude that age and sex are associated with the fasting plasma concentrations. Those associations are significant and need to be considered in studies investigating the role of BA in the human metabolism

Anatomy and nutritional value of Dracaena camerooniana Baker

Even though some Dracaena species are used as medicine, their utilization as food is rather unusual. In northern Angola, however, leaves and underground tubers of Dracaena camerooniana Baker are frequently consumed. In particular, the leaves are of increasing economic value in the region. But the anatomy and nutritional aspects of the plant have not been studied so far. Therefore, a detailed anatomic description of the plant was conducted. In a second step the nutritional value of the defined material was analysed, providing a basis for the discussion of a more intensive utilisation of this rainforest shrub

Age-Related Changes of Plasma Bile Acid Concentrations in Healthy Adults--Results from the Cross-Sectional KarMeN Study.

Bile acids (BA) play an important role in lipid metabolism. They facilitate intestinal lipid absorption, and BA synthesis is the main catabolic pathway for cholesterol. The objective of this study was to investigate associations of age, sex, diet (fat intake) and parameters of lipid metabolism (triglycerides, LDL, HDL, body fat content) with fasting plasma BA concentration of healthy individuals. Fasting plasma samples from a cross-sectional study were used to determine the concentrations of 14 BA using an LC-MS stable isotope dilution assay. Triglycerides, LDL and HDL were analyzed by standard clinical chemistry methods and body fat content was measured with a DXA instrument. The dietary fat intake of the 24 h period prior to the sampling was assessed on the basis of a 24 h recall. Subsequent statistical data processing was done by means of a median regression model. Results revealed large inter-individual variations. Overall, higher median plasma concentrations of BA were observed in men than in women. Quantile regression showed significant interactions of selected BA with age and sex, affecting primarily chenodeoxycholic acid and its conjugates. No associations were found for LDL and the amount of fat intake (based on the percentage of energy intake from dietary fat as well as total fat intake). Additional associations regarding body fat content, HDL and triglycerides were found for some secondary BA plasma concentrations. We conclude that age and sex are associated with the fasting plasma concentrations. Those associations are significant and need to be considered in studies investigating the role of BA in the human metabolism

Results of quantile regression analysis of individual bile acid concentrations with sex and age.

<p>Results of quantile regression analysis of individual bile acid concentrations with sex and age.</p

Sex- and age-dependency of CDCA and DCA in fasting plasma.

<p>Selected plot demonstrating the interaction of sex and age (CDCA), and an equal effect of age in both sexes (DCA) regarding the fasting plasma concentrations. Lines depict the predicted values according to the median regression model for men (blue) and women (pink).</p

Results of participants fasting plasma BA concentrations (nM) to display their inter-individual variability.

<p>Results of participants fasting plasma BA concentrations (nM) to display their inter-individual variability.</p

Dynamics and determinants of human plasma bile acid profiles during dietary challenges

In recent years, bile acids (BA) have received great interest due to their pleiotropic biological activity and the presence of plasma membrane-bound and nuclear receptors. Moreover, BA in blood have been identified by metabolite screening approaches as biomarkers that are associated with various diseases and even with a human longevity phenotype. With the growing interest in the microbiota contribution to the health-disease trajectory, BA that undergo deconjugation and other modifications by bacteria in the large intestine have become a prime target as a microbiome diversity modifier. We here profiled BA by a quantitative and a semiquantitative approach in 15 healthy and phenotypically very similar young individuals for over a 36-h fasting period, an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), and an oral lipid tolerance test (OLTT). We demonstrate a remarkable heterogeneity of the responses and describe the different dynamics of the plasma changes that likely originate from different routes by which BA enters the peripheral blood, and that may represent a direct secretion from the liver into the blood and a route that reaches the blood as a spill-over after passing from the gallbladder through the intestine and the portal system. We discuss the finding that an individual transport process involved in the passage of BA could be a critical determinant in the kinetics of plasma appearance and the overall phenotypic variability found