Agroecology and Health: Lessons from Indigenous Populations.

Purpose of reviewThe article aims to systematize and disseminate the main contributions of indigenous ancestral wisdom in the agroecological production of food, especially in Latin America. For this purpose, it is necessary to ask whether such knowledge can be accepted by academia research groups and international forums as a valid alternative that could contribute to overcome the world's nutritional problems.Recent findingsAlthough no new findings are being made, the validity of ancestral knowledge and agroecology is recognized by scientific research, and by international forums organized by agencies of the United Nations. These recommend that governments should implement them in their policies of development, and in the allocation of funds to support these initiatives. Agroecology and ancestral knowledge are being adopted by a growing number of organizations, indigenous peoples and social groups in various parts of the world, as development alternatives that respond to local needs and worldviews. Its productive potential is progressively being recognized at an international level as a model that contributes to improve the condition of people regarding nutritional food

PCOS

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a chronic disorder with a prevalence of 10% in women worldwide and its etiology still remains poorly understood. Insulin resistance is believed to be a main pathogenic factor involved in metabolic disturbances of PCOS. Butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) has been shown to be linked with insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Reduced activity of paraoxonase 1 (PON1) has also been reported in susceptibility to insulin resistance and the other metabolic diseases. It was to evaluate the enzymatic activity of BuChE, PON1 and their association with insulin resistance in PCOS women. In this case-control study, 56 PCOS women as the case group and 62 non-PCOS women as the control group were enrolled. Menstrual status, metabolic parameters such as fasting blood insulin (FINS), fasting blood sugar (FBS), homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), body mass index (BMI) was measured. Enzymatic activity of BuChE and PON1 was also measured. PCOS women had significantly higher menstrual irregularity (P=0.001), FINS (P=0.018), HOMA-IR (P=0.034) and BuChE activity (P=0.004) and lower PON1 activity (P = 0.006) than control. In PCOS women, BuChE was significantly correlated with BMI. In Insulin resistant women, BuChE activity was significantly higher in PCOS than control (P=0.012). No significant relationship was found between BuChE and PON1 activity in PCOS patients (P = 0.07). These results indicate that higher BuChE and lower PON1 activity are associated with pathogenesis of PCOS and insulin resistance could be a link for this connection