Functional ingredient taurine: adequate and clinically effective doses

Taurine is a sulfur-containing amino acid. Taurine is necessary for the conjugation of bile acids, has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory properties, acts as an anti-apoptotic factor; cell membrane stabilizer; regulator of Ca2+ signaling, fluid homeostasis in cells, retinal photoreceptor activity; contributes to osmoregulation and conduction in the nervous and muscular systems; a neurodevelopmental stimulant; and an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. Taurine is not only synthesized from cysteine and methionine, but also comes from food. Taurine intake is 40–400 mg/day. The main food sources are animal products: shellfish, fish, meat. Taurine is part of breast milk and adapted milk formulas for the nutrition of young children. Under stress and some diseases, the endogenous synthesis of taurine is reduced. The risk groups for taurine deficiency include people who follow a vegetarian diet and observe religious fasts. There are a number of products in which taurine is added: specialized food products (SF) and food supplements (FS) contain 60–1200 mg of taurine per serving, energy drinks – 300–400 mg per 100 ml. The clinical effects of taurine in diabetes mellitus, heart failure are manifested when it is included in diet therapy in doses of 1.5–3 g for  2–16 weeks. Even the maximum doses allowed for use as part of SFP and dietary supplements are significantly less than the doses that ensure the achievement of a clinical effect, which does not guarantee the expected result when using SF

On the use of vitamins in the nutrition of professional athletes

Objective: assessment of the vitamin content in the basic and supplementary diets of highly qualified athletes in the pre-competition period of sports activities. Materials and methods: 159 highly skilled athletes of both sexes participated in the study (92 men, mean age 21.7 ± 0.8 years, 67 women, 23.1 ± 1.5 years). Studies were carried out on the basis of the Center for Physiotherapy and Sports Medicine of FMBA. The content of vitamins in the basic and supplementary diets was estimated by the questionnaire method of 24-hour (daily) nutrition reproduction using the «Album of Food and Food Portions», according to the chemical composition of the actually consumed foods and dishes. The processing and analysis of data was carried out by standard statistical methods. Results: the basic diet of athletes does not provide adequate intake of vitamins. The most pronounced deficiency of B vitamins and vitamin C in the basic diet was noted in female bobsleighs. Only additional consumption of weighty doses of vitamins and specialized products for nutrition of athletes and dietary supplements allows reaching the recommended level. Some sportsmen have exceeded thus consumption of vitamins В1 and В2 with enriching additives in supplements and specialized foodstuff. Conclusions: the groundlessness of using in the diet of athletes excessively high doses of antioxidant vitamins is discussed. Before making a decision about the use of a vitamin supplement and doses of vitamins contained in it, a complete assessment of the individual diet of each athlete is necessary

Antioxidant vitamin status of obese patients in terms of the risk of comorbidities

BACKGROUND: Synchronously optimized concentrations of vitamins C, E, A, carotenoids and their ratios in blood plasma help to prevent or slow down the development of many alimentary-dependent diseases and their complications. AIMS: to characterize the vitamin status of obese patients from the standpoint of the risk of progression of existing and development of associated diseases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An observational single-site cross-sectional study of the sufficiency with antioxidant vitamins in 81 patients (21 men, 60 women) aged 20–75 years with body mass index 40,7±1,2 kg/m2, enrolled for treatment from April to June in Federal Research Centre of Nutrition, Biotechnology had been conducted. The concentration of α- and γ-tocopherols, retinol, ascorbic acid, β-carotene was determined in blood serum and their ratios with lipid profile were calculated. RESULTS: Indicators of vitamin status were determined in 35 patients with obesity, 27 patients with obesity and cardiovascular diseases (CVD), 19 patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The concentration of ascorbic acid in more than 50% of patients did not reach the optimal level (50 µmol/l). Compared to patients of other groups, patients with T2DM were better supplied with vitamin E, but worse with other vitamins. They have a non-optimal ratio of concentrations of vitamin C and E more often compared with patients of other groups (p≤0.050). Among them, the combined suboptimal level of vitamin C and β-carotene (<0.4 µmol/l) was detected 1.6–1.8 fold more often. The lack of antioxidants in patients with T2DM according to simultaneously reduced vitamin C/vitamin E ratio (<1.5) and β-carotene level was detected 3.3-fold more often, synchronously lowered vitamin C/vitamin E ratio and vitamin C level – 2.4-fold. γ-tocopherol level in serum of patients with T2DM tended to increase compared with that in patients with obesity (p=0.063) and CVD (p=0.081), γ-tocopherol/triacylglycerides ratio was 1.5-fold higher (respectively р=0.009 и р=0.076). Only in 2 patients with obesity and 2 patients with CVD all serum indicators corresponded to the optimal level of all vitamins. In terms of α-tocopherol/cholesterol (<5 µmol/mol), an increased risk of myocardial infarction was detected in 10.5–42.9% of the examined patients. Glucose level was positively associated with serum levels of α- and γ-tocopherols, as well as cholesterol-adjusted individual tocopherols; while glycemia was inversely associated with triacylglycerides-standardized individual tocopherols, as well as β-carotene and vitamin C/vitamin E ratio. CONCLUSIONS: In most patients, a non-optimal serum vitamin content was found according to one or several parameters. In order to vitamin C/vitamin E ratio, patients with T2DM need to increase vitamin C intake. Increasing serum β-carotene and achieving an optimal C/E ratio will help to prevent an increase in glycemia

Fortification of food with micronutrients: development of methodological and regulatory framework in the Russian Federation

The available scientific literature, domestic and international regulatory codes of normative documents concerning the fortification of various types of food products have been analyzed. The groups of food products of conventional and regular consumption included into the diets of all categories of consumers, recommended for fortification with essential micronutrients, have been determined: wheat and cereal flour (spelt wheat, buckwheat, oat, corn flour, etc.); pastry; milk and dairy products, including ice cream; non-alcoholic soft drinks; mineralized drinking water; fruit and vegetable juices; fat and oil products (vegetable oils, margarines, spreads, mayonnaise); confectionery and sweets (pastry, sugar, chocolate); cereals (breakfast cereals, muesli, ready-to-eat extruded cereals, instant pasta and cereals, mixtures for bakery, flour for sweet pastry); food concentrates (jelly, instant drinks, concentrates of sweet foods, instant food, instant cereal concentrates); table salt. The groups of food products assigned for certain categories of population are used as part of therapeutic diets for patients with various diseases (metabolic disorder syndrome, cardio-vascular system pathology with atherosclerotic vascular injury, type 2 diabetes mellitus, gastrointestinal tract diseases, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, diabetic nephropathy, etc.), as well as assigned to reduce the risk of diseases developing, the nutrients are recommended for targeted fortification of certain types of food. Examples of micronutrients fortification of sausages and minced meat semifinished products are given below. Requirements for fortification of mass consumption food products and for fortification of foods for special dietary uses are formulated in this article, the amount of fortifying components in the various groups of food products are justified, ensuring their efficiency for improving the micronutrient status and safety of its consumption. Based on the analysis of the available scientific literature, domestic and international regulatory framework of normative documents on fortification of various types of food products, recommendations have been developed for fortification of food with micronutrients

Национальная программа по оптимизации обеспеченности витаминами и минеральными веществами детей России. Краткий обзор документа

Providing the body with micronutrients — vitamins and minerals — is an indispensable component of human health and is essential in the  early stages of ontogenesis. However, studies conducted abroad and  in our country show that due to the fact that the content of  micronutrients in the daily ration can vary significantly, it is  impossible to provide the necessary consumption them with food.  This is confirmed by data on the high incidence of insufficient  provision with vitamins and minerals of all strata of the population.  In February 2017 at the congress of the Union of Pediatricians of  Russia, the consensus paper «The National Program for Optimization of Provision with Vitamins and Minerals of Children in Russia» was  presented. It sums up the results of the work of expert group  including pediatricians, nutritionists, clinical pharmacologists,  biochemists, vitaminologists, neonatologists, gastroenterologists, allergologists-immunologists, psychoneurologists, and others from several cities of Russia. The first chapter of the document highlights  general issues including a definition of concepts, current  epidemiological data on provision, and methodological approaches.  The second chapter presents the evidence base for the use of  vitamins and minerals in different areas of pediatrics. The purpose of this publication is to acquaint a wide range of the pediatric  community with the main provisions of the document.Обеспеченность организма микронутриентами — витаминами и минеральными веществами — является обязательной составляющей здоровья человека и критически важна на ранних  этапах онтогенеза. Однако, как показывают исследования, проведенные за рубежом и в  нашей стране, вследствие того что содержание микронутриентов в суточном рационе может  значительно колебаться, обеспечить необходимое их потребление с пищей не удается. Это  подтверждают данные о высокой частоте недостаточной обеспеченности витаминами и  минеральными веществами всех слоев населения. В феврале 2017 года на съезде Союза  педиатров России был представлен согласительный документ «Национальная программа по  оптимизации обеспеченности витаминами и минеральными веществами детей России»,  ставший итогом работы группы экспертов, в которую вошли представители разных специальностей — педиатры, диетологи, клинические фармакологи, биохимики,  витаминологи, неонатологи, гастроэнтерологи, аллергологи-иммунологи, психоневрологи и  другие специалисты из нескольких городов России. В первой главе документа освещаются общие вопросы, включая определение понятий, современные эпидемиологические данные  по обеспеченности, методологические подходы. Во второй главе представлена  доказательная база применения витаминов и минеральных веществ в различных областях  педиатрии. Целью настоящей публикации является ознакомление с основными положениями документа широких кругов педиатрического сообщества.Конфликт интересов.В.М. Коденцова выступала с лекциями для компаний Пфайзер, КРКА, АО «ПРОГРЕСС».Л.С. Намазова-Баранова — получение исследовате льских грантов от фармацевтических  компаний Пьер Фабр, Genzyme Europe B. V., ООО «Астра зенека Фармасьютикалз»,  Gilead/PRA «Фармасьютикал Рисерч Ассошиэйтс СиАйЭс», Teva Branded Pharmaceutical products R&D, Inc/ООО «ППД Девелопмент (Смоленск)», «Сталлержен С. А.»/«Квинтайлс ГезмбХ» (Австрия).С.Г. Макарова является научным консультантом компании «Нутриция».Источник финансирования.Статья опубликована при поддержке компании Pfizer

Decreasing the use of edible oils in China using WeChat and theories of behavior change: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

The consumption of edible oils in China has increased rapidly in recent years, and the total amount of edible-oil intake in the country has ranked first in the world. The choice and intake of edible oils, as a source of fats, are important factors that affect people's health. Many chronic diseases are closely associated with high-calorie and saturated-fat intake. The influence of traditional concepts that promote the use of edible oils among women, particularly housewives, plays a key role in a household's diet and nutrition because the diet-related knowledge, attitude and behaviour of housewives are dominant factors in planning and preparing their family's meals. WeChat, which was developed by Tencent, is a multipurpose messaging, social media and mobile payment application (app) in China. Described by Forbes as one of the world's most powerful apps, WeChat provides considerable convenience in disseminating knowledge. Accordingly, this study aims to design a pilot intervention to decrease the use of edible oils in Chinese households. The intervention, which is based on theories of behaviour change, will be implemented through WeChat. The study design is a randomised controlled trial that adopts knowledge, attitude and practice, social cognitive and stages of change theories as theoretical models. A total of 800 housewives between the ages of 25 and 45 years will be recruited on WeChat and from the communities in four areas (including rural and urban) in Chongqing, China. A self-administered questionnaire will be used to collect information regarding age, educational level, occupation, family members, edible-oil intake habits, knowledge of edible oils and WeChat usage habits. A total of 200 participants will be selected and randomly assigned to two equal-sized groups: group A (the intervention group) and group B (the control group). Group A will receive health education regarding edible oils for four consecutive weeks, whereas group B will be treated as the blank control. Each participant will complete a battery of knowledge, attitude and behaviour tests immediately, 3 months and 6 months after the intervention. In addition, weight, moisture rate, fat rate, visceral fat level and body mass index will be calculated using a multifunctional weighing scale, namely, Tanita BC-601 (Japan). The study is currently in the design stage. This study aims to increase knowledge and awareness of the appropriate use of edible oils, thereby encouraging participants to change behaviour by decreasing the intake of unhealthy levels of edible oils. It will be the first intervention to investigate the use of edible oils in China through WeChat. We predict that receiving health education regarding edible oils through WeChat will substantially improve the knowledge and attitude of the respondents. The members of the intervention group will have increased awareness and will be willing to decrease their use of edible oils to remain healthy. Results of this study may provide scientific evidence for the effect of health education through WeChat on edible oil-intake behaviour, thereby offering a comprehensive intervention to decrease the use of edible oils and promote a healthy lifestyle. Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (primary registry in the World Health Organisation registry network): ChiCTR-IOR-17013472 . Registered on 21 November 2017

Эффективность применения витаминных комплексов в виде мармеладных пастилок у здоровых детей и детей с аллергическими заболеваниями дошкольного и школьного возраста

Background. Vitamins and minerals are significant components of the diet of a person of any age. Nowadays, when there is a focus on the ‘Western’ type of food, it is impossible to get the necessary amount of all vitamins and minerals with a normal diet, which explains the high prevalence of hypovitaminosis in children. It is known that children with allergic diseases have a lower provision of vitamins as compared to apparently healthy children, which is the rationale for the relevance of this study.Our aim was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of vitamin complexes in children, including children with allergic reactions.Patients and Methods. The work was performed at the Federal State Autonomous Institution ‘NMRC for Children’s Health’ of the Ministry of Healthcare of Russia from February to August 2017. We examined 90 apparently healthy children without severe somatic pathology at the age of 4–14 years, including 17 children with a history of allergic reactions. The children were divided into 2 groups. Group 1 received marmalade pastilles with vitamins C (16–27% of the recommended dietary allowance, RDA), E (29–40% of the RDA), A (24–34% of the RDA), B5 (40–80% of the RDA) , B9 (18–35% of the RDA), and D3 (4–9% of the RDA). Group 2 received marmalade pastilles with vitamins C (57–80% of the RDA), E (50–86% of the RDA), A (40–80% of the RDA), B5 (143–167% of the RDA), B3 (44 –73% of the RDA), D3 (10% of the RDA), B6 (82–117% of the RDA), and B12 (83–167% of the RDA). The tolerance of the vitamin complex was evaluated by the questionnaire method. The provision of vitamins C and B6 was evaluated in 39 children by an hourly urinary excretion of vitamins at the beginning of the study before taking the vitamin complex and 1 month after the start of intake.Results. The studied vitamin complexes showed good clinical tolerance in all children, including those with a history of allergic reactions to vitamin-mineral complexes. Evaluation of the efficacy of the vitamin complex in the 2nd group showed an improved provision, especially in children who had a deep deficiency of vitamins C (10%) and B6 (22%). At the same time, the excretion of vitamin B6 metabolite increased by 42.2%.Conclusion. The study showed the effective absorption of the studied vitamins and the good tolerability of the used vitamin complexes, including children with a history of allergic reactions to vitamin-mineral complexes.Обоснование. Витамины и минеральные вещества — значимые составляющие рациона человека любого возраста. В современном мире, ориентированном на «западный» тип питания, невозможно получить необходимое количество всех витаминов и минеральных веществ с обычным рационом, что объясняет высокую распространенность гиповитаминозов у детей. Известно, что дети с аллергическими заболеваниями имеют более низкую обеспеченность витаминами по сравнению с практически здоровыми детьми, чем и обоснована актуальность данного исследования.Цель исследования — оценить эффективность и переносимость витаминных комплексов у детей, в том числе детей с аллергическими реакциями.Методы. Работа выполнена в ФГАУ «НМИЦ здоровья детей» Минздрава России с февраля по август 2017 г. Обследовано 90 практически здоровых детей без тяжелой соматической патологии в возрасте 4–14 лет, в том числе 17 детей с аллергическими реакциями в анамнезе. Дети были разделены на 2 группы. Группа 1 получала мармеладные пастилки с витаминами С (16–27% от рекомендуемой нормы потребления, РНП), Е (29–40% от РНП), А (24–34% от РНП), B5 (40–80% от РНП), B9 (18–35% от РНП) и D3 (4–9% от РНП). Группа 2 получала мармеладные пастилки с витаминами С (57–80% от РНП), Е (50–86% от РНП), А (40–80% от РНП), B5 (143–167% от РНП), B3 (44–73% от РНП), D3 (10% от РНП), В6 (82–117% от РНП) и В12 (83–167% от РНП). Оценку переносимости витаминного комплекса осуществляли опросно-анкетным методом. Обеспеченность витаминами С и В6 оценивали у 39 детей по часовой экскреции витаминов с мочой в начале исследования перед началом приема витаминного комплекса и через 1 мес.Результаты. Исследуемые витаминные комплексы показали хорошую клиническую переносимость у всех детей, включая лиц с аллергическими реакциями на витаминно-минеральные комплексы в анамнезе. Оценка эффективности применения витаминного комплекса во 2-й группе показала улучшение обеспеченности, особенно у детей, имевших глубокий дефицит витаминов С (10%) и В6 (22%). При этом экскреция метаболита витамина В6 повысилась на 42,2%.Заключение. Проведенное исследование показало эффективное усвоение исследованных витаминов и хорошую переносимость применявшихся витаминных комплексов, в том числе у детей с аллергическими реакциями на витаминно-минеральные комплексы в анамнезе

Анализ 19,9 млн публикаций базы данных PubMed/MEDLINE методами искусственного интеллекта: подходы к обобщению накопленных данных и феномен “fake news”

Introduction. The English-language databases PubMed/MEDLINE and Embase are valuable information resources for finding original publications in basic and clinical medicine. Currently, there are no artificial intelligence systems to evaluate the quality of these publications.Aim. Development and testing of a system for sentiment analysis (i.e. analysis of emotional modality) of biomedical publications.Materials and methods. The technique of analysis of the “Big data” of biomedical publications was formulated on the basis of the topological theory of sentiment analysis. Algorithms have been developed that allow for the classification of texts from 16 sentiment classes with 90% accuracy (manipulative speech, research without positive results, propaganda, falsification of results, negative personal attitude, aggressive text, negative emotional background, etc.). Based on the algorithms, a scale for assessing the sentiment quality of research (β-score) is proposed.Results. Abstracts of 19.9 million publications registered in PubMed/MEDLINE over the past 50 years (1970–2019) were analyzed. It was shown that publications with low sentiment quality (the value of the β-score of the text is less than zero, which corresponds to the prevalence of manipulative and negative sentiments in the text) comprise only 18.5% (3.68 out of 19.9 million). The greatest values of the β-score were characterized by publications on sports medicine, systems biology, nutrition, on the use of applied mathematics and data mining in medicine. The rubrication of the entire array of publications by 27,840 headings (MESH-system of PubMed/MEDLINE) indicated an increase in the β-score by years (i.e., the positive dynamics of sentiment quality of the texts of publications) for 27,090 of the studied headings. The most intense positive dynamics was found for research in genetics, physiology, pharmacology, and gerontology. 249 headings with sharply negative dynamics of sentiment quality and with a pronounced increase in the manipulative sentiments characteristic of the tabloid press were highlighted. Separate assessments of international experts are presented that confirm the patterns identified.Conclusion. The proposed artificial intelligence system allows a researcher to make an effective assessment of the sentiment quality of biomedical research papers, filtering out potentially inappropriate publications disguised as “evidence-based”.  Введение. Англоязычные базы данных PubMed/MEDLINE и Embase являются ценными информационными ресурсами для нахождения оригинальных публикаций по фундаментальной и клинической медицине. В настоящее время не существует систем искусственного интеллекта, позволяющих оценивать качество этих публикаций.Цель. Разработка и апробация системы для проведения сентимент-анализа (то есть анализа эмоциональной модальности) публикаций по биомедицине.Материалы и методы. Сформулирована методика анализа «больших данных» биомедицинских публикаций, основанная на топологической теории сентимент-анализа медицинских текстов. Разработаны алгоритмы, позволяющие с 90%-й точностью классифицировать тексты по 16 классам сентиментов (манипулятивные обороты речи, исследования без положительных результатов, пропаганда, подделка результатов, негативное личное отношение, агрессивность текста, негативный эмоциональный фон и др.). На основе алгоритмов предложена балльная шкала оценки сентимент-качества исследований (β-балл).Результаты. Проведен анализ текстов абстрактов 19,9 млн публикаций, зарегистрированных в PubMed/MEDLINE за последние 50 лет (1970–2019). Показано, что публикации с низким сентимент-качеством (значение β-балла текста меньше нуля, что соответствует преобладанию манипулятивных и негативных сентиментов в тексте) составляют всего 18,5% (3,68 из 19,9 млн).  Наибольшими значениями β-балла характеризовались публикации по спортивной медицине,  системной биологии, нутрициологии, по использованию методов прикладной математики и интеллектуального анализа данных в медицине. Рубрикация всего массива публикаций по 27840 рубрикам (MESH-система PubMed/MEDLINE) указала на повышение β-балла по годам (то есть на положительную динамику сентимент-качества текстов публикаций) для 27090 исследованных рубрик. Наиболее интенсивная положительная динамика найдена для исследований по генетике, физиологии, фармакологии и геронтологии. Выделены 249 рубрик с резко отрицательной  динамикой сентимент-качества и с выраженным нарастанием манипулятивных сентиментов,  характерных для «желтой» англоязычной прессы. Приведены отдельные оценки международных экспертов, которые подтверждают выявленные закономерности. Заключение. Разработанная система искусственного интеллекта позволяет проводить  эффективную оценку сентимент-качества биомедицинских исследований, отфильтровывая  потенциально неадекватные публикации, публикуемые под маской «доказательных».