The consumption of acidophylus drinks and yogurts in selected population of pupils in years 2004 and 2008

The aim of this paper was to compare the frequency of consumption and the amount of consumed acidophylus drinks and yogurts at 427 respondents from various schools at the age between 12 and 26 years in two monitored years. 223 males and 204 females participaded at the survey. The questionaire again confirmed low level of yogurts and acidophylus drinks consumption. The consumption of white yogurts was confirmed only by 2 % of questioned pupils. Fruit yogurts are more popular among pupils and it is necessary to say that we registred the increase of fruit yogurts consumption in year 2008, mainly in cream fruit yogurts. The daily consumption of these increased with male population from 14.8 % in year 2004 to 26.2 % in year 2008. The significant increase of consumtption occured also with female population of half-fat yogurts and the similar trend was also niticed in low-fat fruit yogurts, mainly within the female population. The consumption of clabber, acidophylus drinks and buttermilk, according to our survey in year 2008 went up  in comparison with year 2004 in male population by 8.3 % and with female population by 9.5 %. Based on the monitored frequency of consumption a few times per week we detected growing trend in yogurt and acidophylus beverages, which we evaluate as the positive sing

Effect of short-term consumption bitter apricot seeds on the body composition in healthy population

The distribution of fat in different areas of the body is important since accumulation of fat within the abdominal cavity represents a much more severe cardiovascular risk than accumulation in subcutaneous adipose tissues. Apricot seeds contain a wide variety of bioactive compounds and that consumption can decrease blood pressure and total blood cholesterol levels, fight oxidative stress and maintain body weight. The aim of the study was to analyse body composition: body fat mass (BFM), fat free mass (FFM), skeletal muscle mass (SMM), body fat percentage (%BFM), visceral fat area (VFA), total body water (TBW) - intracellular water (ICW) and extracellular water (ECW) and to evaluate the changes that occur after 6-weeks consumption of bitter apricot seeds. The study group finally consisted of 34 healthy adults volunteers (21 females and 13 males). Volunteers were recruited from the general population of Slovakia. Respondents were 23 - 65 years old, where the average age of women was 40.65 ±11.31 years and the average age of men was 36.91 ±9.98 years. All participants were asked to consume 60 mg.kg-1 of body weight of bitter apricot seeds daily during 6 weeks. Body composition was diagnosed by multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (MFBIA) by InBody 720 (Biospace Co., Korea), which measures the total impedance at frequencies of 1, 5, 50, 100, 500, 1000 kHz. At baseline mean body weight was 85.78 ±14.66 and 62.84 ±12.19 kg in the male and female participants, respectively. After 6 weeks of consumation we observed non-significant decreasing of mean body weight. The mean BFM was 19.25 ±8.81 kg in the male group and 19.47 ±7.21 kg in the female group. After six weeks, BFM decreased non-significantly (on average 0.5 kg) in both groups. The mean FFM at baseline was 43.37 ±5.98 and 66.54 ±7.98 kg in the female and male participants, respectively. The statistical analysis confirmed that the increase of FFM (43.37 ±5.98 kg to 43.56 ±5.80 kg) in the female were statistically significant (p <0.05). VFA was greater in the men (82.04 ±39.82 cm2 at baseline and 78.65 ±39.79 cm2 after 6 weeks) comparison to women (79.82 ±29.03 cm2 at baseline and 78.29 ±29.90 cm2 after 6 weeks). The mean of TBW in males before the start of study was 48.78 ±5.77 kg and 47.88 ±5.57 kg after 6 weeks of consumption. The results of study show the small weight loss in the both group. Therefore, the results from this study indicate that daily consumption of bitter apricot seeds produce measurable health benefits, but further studies are also required

Dietary patterns and lifestyle of patients with myocardial infarction

Civilization diseases, including cardiovascular, are major health problems in current modern society. Numerous studies provided sufficient evidence that variety of risk factors are involved in cardiovascular diseases formation. Of the most important is the lifestyle that largely contributes to our health, up to 50 - 60%. Lifestyle includes all modifiable risk factors that together affect the development of these diseases. In our study we searched and evaluated the nutritional parameters and lifestyle of patients hospitalized in Cardiocentre Nitra. In order to obtain the necessary information we chose the questionnaire method. In our survey 194 patients were included, of which 155 were men (79.89%) and 39 (20.11%) women. These patients were hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction diagnosis. The vast majority of patients had overweight and obesity caused by improper eating habits. The high prevalence of overweight, BMI in the range 25 - 30 kg/m2, was also confirmed as statistically significant, p <0.05 (P=0.02). BMI over 25 kg/m2 was present in 85% of men and 80% of women. The consumption of selected food commodities with evidence of a positive or negative impact on the emergence of acute myocardial infarction was not statistically significant (p >0.05) when evaluating dietary habits. But we can confirm too frequent consumption of chicken at the expense of other types of meat and relatively frequent consumption of fish (once a week). We recorded the preference of semi-skimmed dairy products, but also high and inappropriate consumption of full-fat dairy products in men and women (37% and 17.8%, respectively). Daily intake of fruits and vegetables was in 85.9% of women and 64.7% of men. Everyday intake of bread and pastries was confirmed by 100% of respondents. Lifestyle was evaluated according to the presence of smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and physical activity. Up to 60.5% of men and 26.4% of women admitted smoking, while 34.6% of men and 7.5% women ended up with the habit after myocardial infarction. The excessive alcohol consumption was not detected in the study group. Approximately 67% of men and 56% of women carry out an easier walking and moderate physical activity while taking into account their health status

The influence of gluten-free bakery products consumption on selected anthropometric parameters

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of a short-term consumption (six weeks) of gluten-free bakery products on the anthropometric parameters. The study group was composed of volunteers from the general population and consisted of 30 healthy adults. The amount of bakery product was determined as follows: women consumed 150 - 200 grams per day; men 200 - 250 grams per day. Anthropometric measurements were made by using InBody 720, we received data such as body weight, Body Mass Index (BMI) and Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR), which we evaluated the presence of overweight and obesity in the monitored groups. We also observed visceral fat area (VFA). We found out that the 6-week consumption of gluten-free bread and bakery products showed a significant reduction in body weight and BMI (p <0.01), but also to a significant increase in VFA (p <0.05). By the impact of consumption we recorded the increase of body weight and BMI in 70% of participants (in 30% there was slight increase), decrease of WHR in 33% (increase in 43%) and decrease of VFA in 43% (increase in 57%). For other participants, the values remained unchanged. Two months after the termination of the consumption of gluten-free products we found out the increase of body weight and BMI, WHR remained unchanged, however in the case of VFA showed significant increase of values. We can summarize that dietary habits play a crucial role in the development of overweight and obesity and the consumption of bread and bakery products can also affect it. However, the overall effect of bread and bakery consumption on the development of overweight depends on many factors, such as the composition of the bread and bakery products and the presence of gluten

The occurence of risk factors of cardiovascular diseases and the effect of selected dietary habits on the lipid profile and body mass index

In a group of 204 randomly selected patients hospitalized in the Cardiocentre Nitra, of which 63 were women (30.88%) and 141 men (69.12%), we evaluated the prevalence of modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and the impact of dietary habits on the lipid profile and body mass index (BMI). We have recorded a high prevalence of risk factors, especially overweight and obesity, where 87.3% of women and 92.91% of men had BMI ≥25. Normal weight was observed only in 12.70% of women and in 7.09% of men. In the study group up to 60.32% of women and 57.45% of men had blood pressure higher than ≥130/85 mmHg. More than half of the respondents were simultaneously overweighted or obese together with high blood pressure occurence. The total cholesterol level higher than 5.2 mmol/Ll was recorded in 41.24% of women and 34.75% of men. There was statistically significant difference between men and women (P <0.05) in the prevalence of low HDL cholesterol to the detriment of men while the value below 1.3 mmol/L was recorded in 31.75% of women and the value lower than 1.1 mmol/L in 52.48 % of men. Values of triglycerides (TG) ≥1.7 mmol/L were recorded in 28.57% of women and in 35.42% of men. Fasting blood glucose levels ≥5.6 mmol/L were recorded in up to 68.25% of women and 71.63% of men. There was not statistically significant difference (P >0.05) in the occurrence of increased levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure and glycemia according to gender. We found out that most of the respondents consumed food 3-4 times per day, i.e. 53.97% of women and 60.99% of men. Food intake for five to six times a day was reported only by 28.57% of women and 19.15% of men. The number of daily meals was significantly reflected in the BMI values in men who consumed food 1-2 times a day compared to the men who ate 3-4 meals daily (P <0.001). We detected lower BMI values in women with more frequent food consumption, however the difference was not statistically significant. While assessing the nutritional history, we have recorded frequent consumption of meat and meat products which are consumed by 49.21% of women and 60.28% of men (P <0.001) more than four times a week, while more than 30% of women and men consume them daily. On the contrary, women consume fish more often, while 53.97% of women and 48.23% of men consume it 1 to 2 times a week. Although fruit and vegetable are part of daily diet of almost all patients, it is insufficient in portions of one or two pieces a day compared with dietary recommendations. We noticed significantly higher BMI (P <0.05) in men who consume sweetened beverages, than men who consume mostly non-sweetened beverages

Benefits of sea buckthorn juice consumption in women of productive age with hypercholesterolemia

Background. Sea buckthorn contains almost 200 nutrients and bioactive substances, including phenolic compounds such as flavonoids, vitamins, proteins, amino acids, minerals, alkaloids, chlorophyll derivatives, amines, organic acids, fatty acids and phytosterols. Human and animal studies suggest that sea buckthorn may have a variety of beneficial effects: cardioprotective, antiatherogenic, antioxidant, anticancer, immunomodulatory, antibacterial, antiviral and antiinflammatory. Objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of regular consumption of 100% sea buckthorn juice on the risk factors of cardiovascular diseases in women of productive age with hypercholesterolemia. Material and Methods. A clinical study involved 19 women with a mean age of 54.06 ±2.97 years who consumed 50 mL of sea buckthorn juice daily for 8 weeks. Anthropometric and biochemical parameters in blood serum were monitored before the start of sea buckthorn consumption and after 8 weeks of consumption. Body composition was determined using an multifrequency analyzer InBody720. Routine biochemical analyzes were performed by standard methods in an accredited laboratory of the University Hospital by automatic biochemical analyzer BioMajesty JCA-BM6010/C. Statistical comparison between individual measurements was performed using a paired t-test, using Statistica Cz version 10 (TIBCO Software, Inc., Palo Alto, CA, USA). Results. We observed significant decrease of body weight, body mass index (P0.05). After the intervention, we observed decrease of orosomucoid, immunoglobulin A, immunoglobulin G, immunoglobulin M (P<0.001) and C-reactive protein (P<0.01). Conclusions. The obtained results support the hypothesis that the daily consumption of sea buckthorn juice for eight weeks could contribute to the beneficial effects of reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases, such as the reduction of body and visceral fat, LDL-C, CRP and the increase of HDL-C

The effect of the regular consumption of lard from fats of crossbreed Mangalitsa and breed of meat type pig on the lipid profile of consumers

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of consumption of lard processed from crossbreed of the original mangalitsa genotype and the breed of meat type pigs on selected biochemical parameters: total cholesterol (T-C), LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and triacylglycerols (TAG). Twenty-nine probands participated in the study, of which 14 women and 15 men (aged 21 - 59) who consumed regularly lard four times a week during 5 weeks. By evaluating the lipid profile of probands, we observed elevated hypercholesterolemia at the beginning of the study in 43% women and 27% men. Statistically significant differences were recorded in this group of probands, where we recorded a decrease in TC of 0.55 mmol.L-1 in the whole sample of probands with p &lt;0.05 probability in the 2nd sample of study after 5 weeks of consumption of lard. Borderline high (up to 3.35 mmol.L-1) was found in 21% of women and 33% of men, and above LDL cholesterol was found in 79% of women and 60% of men. This high level of LDL cholesterol is considered a risk factor for the development of atherosclerosis. We can conclude from the results that regular consumption of lard has significantly reduced the total cholesterol levels, especially in women, this effect has been associated with lowering LDL cholesterol (p &lt;0.01) and lowering HDL cholesterol.&nbsp; Normal 0 21 false false false SK X-NONE X-NONE <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent

Does apricot seeds consumption cause changes in human urine?

Natural substances, such as amygdalin, used in alternative medicine gained high popularity. Common people as well as patients with different diseases have almost unlimited access to various natural supplements. To protect human health, it is very important to study effect of these substances. Amygdalin is a cyanogenic glucoside derived from seeds of rosaceous plants, for example seeds of bitter almonds (Prunus dulcis), or apricot, cherry, apple, peach, plum, etc. It is a natural product that owns antitumor activity, it has also been used for the treatment of asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, leprosy and diabetes and produces a kind of antitussive and antiasthmatic effects. The present in vivo study was designed to reveal whether amygdalin in apricot seeds has got an effect on human urine composition, pH value and urine associated health status after six weeks of oral administration. The study group finally consisted of 34 healthy adult volunteers (21 females and 13 males). All participants were asked to consume 60 mg.kg-1 body weight of bitter apricot seeds daily (approximately 3.0 mg.kg-1 of amygdalin) during 6 weeks. During the experiment, three urine collections were carried out (first collection - at the beginning of the experiment; second collection - after 21 days; third collection - after 42 days). Quantification of urine calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), phosphorus (P), sodium (Na), potassium (K), chlorides (Cl-), urea and pH value after apricot seeds supplementation was performed. Statistical analysis of variance showed, that consumption of bitter apricot seeds during 42 days had a significant (p &lt;0.01) effect on amount of calcium excreted in urine, though this decrease shifted its level from elevated mean value in control collection into normal physiological range. Significant changes were observed in urea (p &lt;0.05) and phosphorus (p &lt;0.01) levels in urine after apricot seed ingestion, but gender was also considered to be a source of their variation

Effect of apricot seeds on renal structure of rabbits

Amygdalin is the major cyanogenic glycoside present in apricot seeds and is degraded to cyanide by chewing or grinding. The animal data available did not provide a suitable basis for acute human health hazard. The apricot seeds are potentially useful in human nutrition and for treatment of several diseases especially cancer. The present study demonstrates the potential effect of short-term oral application of apricot seeds on renal structure of rabbit as a biological model. Meat line P91 Californian rabbits from the experimental farm of the Animal Production Research Centre Nitra (Slovak Republic) were used in the experiments. The animals were randomly divided into the three groups (C-control, P1, P2 - experimental groups) leading to 8 rabbits in each group. The control group received no apricot seeds while the experimental groups P1 and P2 received a daily dose 60 and 300 mg.kg-1 b.w. of crushed apricot seeds mixed with feed during 28 days, respectively. After 28 days all animals were slaughtered and kidney tissue was processed by standard histopathological techniques. Tissue sections were observed under an optical microscope with camera Olympus CX41 (Olympus, Japan) at a magnification of 10 x 0.40. The basic morphometric criteria of the preparations were quantified using image program MeasurIT (Olympus, Japan). From each sample (n = 24) three histological sections with five different fields of view in each section were analysed and followed parameters were analysed: diameter of renal corpuscles (RC), diameter of glomeruli (G), diameter of tubules (T) and the height of epithelial tubules (E). In our study, we observed a slight increase in the most frequent occurrence parenchyma dystrophy experimental animals. These changes were more pronounced in the experimental group (P2) rabbits received a daily dose of 300 mg.kg-1 of body weight of apricot seeds. Most often, we have found enlarged glomeruli filling the entire space of the capsule, and also glomerular basement membrane thickening. The most frequent alterations of tubular organs manifested by thickening and dilatation of proximal tubules and in the lumen of the occurrence fuchsinophilic mass, grains and hyaline cylinders. The occurrence of the vacuole and parenchymal atrophy was mostly balanced groups. Changes in P2 group are also reflected in morphometric evaluation structures. We have found significant decrease (p &lt;0.001) in the average of all renal structures (diameter of renal corpuscles, diameter of glomeruli, diameter of tubules, and the height of epithelial tubules). Inversely, oral administration a daily dose of 60 mg.kg-1 of body weight of apricot seeds had no significant impact on these parameters. The change displays only the increase of renal tubule diameter. Our data may provide more specific evidence of oral application of apricot seeds on renal structure but further detailed studies are also required

Phytonutrients of Bitter Apricot Seeds Modulate Human Lipid Profile and LDL Subfractions in Adults with Elevated Cholesterol Levels

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of short-term consumption of bitter apricot seeds phytonutrients on cardiovascular risk factors with a special focus on LDL cholesterol subfractions using the Lipoprint system. A group of 34 adult volunteers (21 female/13 male) consumed 60 mg kg&minus;1 of body weight of bitter apricot seeds daily for 42 days. Subjects were divided into two groups: one with normal cholesterol levels (NTC) and one with elevated total cholesterol levels (ETC). Blood serum levels of total cholesterol (T-C), low-density cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglycerides (TG) did not change significantly (p &gt; 0.05) in NTC group. However, there were significant decreasing of T-C (p &#706; 0.05) and LDL-C (p &lt; 0.01) in ETC group. The LDL1, LDL2, and atherogenic LDL3&minus;7 subfractions progressively decreased after 42 days of apricot seeds consumption in ETC group (p &lt; 0.05). Apricot seeds consumption was associated with a significant increase in the mean LDL particle size especially in ETC group (p &#706; 0.01). The results of the present study support the hypothesis that daily consumption of bitter apricot seeds for 42 days positively modified the lipoprotein profile in the group with elevated total cholesterol