COL·LABORACIONS

ADRECEM L’INCONSCIENT Autor: Ramón Duran PER FI LES VACANCES! Autora: Rosa Deulofeu Ambdós autors de l’Àmbit Maria Corra

Trimester-Specific Reference Ranges for Saturated, Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Serum of Pregnant Women: A Cohort Study from the ECLIPSES Group

In the course of pregnancy, increasing importance is being placed on maintaining optimal fatty acid (FA) levels and particularly n-3 PUFAs to ensure correct fetal development. However, reference ranges for FA have been reported in only a few studies. Our objective is to provide quantitative reference intervals for SFAs, MUFAs, and PUFAs (n-6 and n-3) in a large population of healthy pregnant women from a developed country. A prospective study of pregnant women (n = 479) was conducted from the first trimester (T1) to the third trimester (T3). A total of 11 fatty acids were analyzed in serum by gas chromatography mass spectrometry and were expressed as absolute (µmol/L) and relative (percentage of total FA) concentration units. Serum concentrations of SFAs, MUFAs, n-6 PUFAs, n-3 PUFAs, various FA ratios, and the EFA index were determined. The reference intervals (2.5/97.5 percentiles) in absolute values from T1 ranged from 1884.32 to 8802.81 µmol/L for SFAs, from 959.91 to 2979.46 µmol/L for MUFAs, from 2325.77 to 7735.74 µmol/L for n-6 PUFAs, and from 129.01 to 495.58 µmol/L for n-3 PUFAs. These intervals mainly include the values of other studies from European populations. However, reference ranges vary according to some maternal factors. The FA levels proposed, obtained from a large sample of pregnant women, will be a useful tool for assessing the degree of adequacy of FAs in pregnant women and will help to carry out dietary interventions based on certain maternal factors.</jats:p

Acute Effects of High-Fat Meals Enriched With Walnuts or Olive Oil on Postprandial Endothelial Function

ObjectivesWe sought to investigate whether the addition of walnuts or olive oil to a fatty meal have differential effects on postprandial vasoactivity, lipoproteins, markers of oxidation and endothelial activation, and plasma asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA).BackgroundCompared with a Mediterranean diet, a walnut diet has been shown to improve endothelial function in hypercholesterolemic patients. We hypothesized that walnuts would reverse postprandial endothelial dysfunction associated with consumption of a fatty meal.MethodsWe randomized in a crossover design 12 healthy subjects and 12 patients with hypercholesterolemia to 2 high-fat meal sequences to which 25 g olive oil or 40 g walnuts had been added. Both test meals contained 80 g fat and 35% saturated fatty acids, and consumption of each meal was separated by 1 week. Venipunctures and ultrasound measurements of brachial artery endothelial function were performed after fasting and 4 h after test meals.ResultsIn both study groups, flow-mediated dilation (FMD) was worse after the olive oil meal than after the walnut meal (p = 0.006, time-period interaction). Fasting, but not postprandial, triglyceride concentrations correlated inversely with FMD (r = −0.324; p = 0.024). Flow-independent dilation and plasma ADMA concentrations were unchanged, and the concentration of oxidized low-density lipoproteins decreased (p = 0.051) after either meal. The plasma concentrations of soluble inflammatory cytokines and adhesion molecules decreased (p < 0.01) independently of meal type, except for E-selectin, which decreased more (p = 0.033) after the walnut meal.ConclusionsAdding walnuts to a high-fat meal acutely improves FMD independently of changes in oxidation, inflammation, or ADMA. Both walnuts and olive oil preserve the protective phenotype of endothelial cells

Assessment of vitamin E nutritional status

Este documento fue publicado en su primera versión en Documentos de la revista Química Clínica 1996; 15(6): 445-449. La presente versión revisa dicha información, introduce aspectos nutricionales no tratados anteriormente e incorpora un análisis DAFO de la situación actual respecto a la evaluación del estatus de vitamina E. Este documento tiene la conformidad de las otras dos Sociedades (AEBM-ML y AEFA) como Recomendación profesional en el ámbito del Laboratorio Clínico.Objeto del documento y campo de aplicación: El objeto de este documento es revisar los aspectos principales de la evaluación del estatus de vitamina E desde un punto de vista nutricional y analítico, proponiendo unas recomendaciones sobre el procedimiento de medida e indicando las principales limitaciones existentes en la interpretación de resultados. Este documento pretende complementar el documento disponible «Procedimiento recomendado para la determinación de alfa-tocoferol en suero», actualizando dicha información e incorporando aspectos no tratados anteriormente. El documento está dirigido a los especialistas del laboratorio clínico, clínicos y profesionales dedicados al estudio, diagnóstico y tratamiento de las alteraciones en el estatus nutricional de la vitamina E.Peer Reviewe