Markers of endothelial dysfunction in young non-overweight women - effect of serum lipids, body measures and nutrition

Purpose: Since endothelial dysfunction can develop early in the adulthood, the purpose of the study was to determine how serum lipids, body measures and dietary habits affect serum markers of vascular activation in young women. Materials and methods: Twenty five healthy women, aged 19-22 years, were enrolled in the study. Serum lipids profile (total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides) was assayed with laboratory test kits. Concentrations of sICAM-1, sVCAM-1 and E-selectin were determined with the ELISA technique. Anthropometric measurements were taken including skinfold thickness and waist circumference. Food consumption data were collected using 3 repeats of 24-hour dietary recalls. Dietary habits of the women were assessed with a 9-point alternate Mediterranean Diet score (a-MED). Results: Sixty eight percent of the subjects had their HDL-cholesterol levels below the desirable concentration, 20% had LDL-cholesterol elevated, and 32% demonstrated increased total triacylglycerols (TAG). The levels of serum TAG >199 mg/dL were associated with a significant rise in the VCAM-1 concentration. Dietary wholegrain products seem to reduce the serum E-selectin. Conclusions: The results suggest that young women of normal body mass, but demonstrating increased levels of serum TAG, may be at risk of developing endothelial dysfunction. An implementation of the wholegrain products consumption into their dietary practices would possibly be of health benefit

Dietary intake of 20 polyphenol subclasses in a cohort of UK women

Background: Establishing and linking the proposed health benefits of dietary polyphenols to their consumption requires measurement of polyphenol intake in appropriate samples and an understanding of factors that influence their intake in the general population. Methods: This study examined polyphenol intake estimated from 3- and 7-day food diaries in a sample of 246 UK women aged 18–50 years. Estimation of the intake of 20 polyphenol subclasses commonly present in foods consumed by the sample studied was done using Phenol-Explorer® and USDA polyphenol databases. Women were participants in the Leeds Women’s Wellbeing Study (LWW) (n = 143), a dietary intervention study aimed at overweight women (mean age 37.2 ± 9.4 years; mean BMI 30.8 ± 3.1 kg/m2), and the Diet and Health Study (DH) (n = 103) which aimed to examine the relationship between polyphenol intake and cognitive function (mean age 25.0 ± 9.0 years; mean BMI 24.5 ± 4.6 kg/m2). Results: The estimated intake of polyphenol subclasses was significantly different between the two samples (p < 0.01) with consumption of 1292 ± 844 and 808 ± 680 mg/day for the LWW and DH groups, respectively. Flavanols and hydroxycinnamic acids were the most important contributors to the polyphenols consumed by both groups, owing to tea and coffee consumption. Other major polyphenol food sources included fruits, vegetables and processed foods. Conclusion: Older women consumed more polyphenol-containing foods and beverages, which was due to the higher coffee and tea consumption amongst the LWW participants