Nutrient intake and food habits of soccer players: analyzing the correlates of eating practice.

Despite the impact and popularity of soccer, and the growing field of soccer-related scientific research, little attention has been devoted to the nutritional intake and eating habits of soccer players. Moreover, the few studies that have addressed this issue suggest that the nutritional intake of soccer players is inadequate, underscoring the need for better adherence to nutritional recommendations and the development and implementation of nutrition education programs. The objective of these programs would be to promote healthy eating habits for male and female soccer players of all ages to optimize performance and provide health benefits that last beyond the end of a player's career.

Microbial targets for the development of functional foods accordingly with nutritional and immune parameters altered in the elderly.

Objective: The development of functional foods for microbiota modulation in the elderly constitutes an interesting strategy. However, for such development, specific targets, not just in terms of microbiota but also considering immune and nutritional parameters, should be identified in this population.

Methods: We analyzed the intestinal microbiota and immune parameters in 38 institutionalized elderly (mean 84 years old) and a group of 38 elderly adults (mean 62 years old).

Fatty acids intake and immune parameters in the elderly.

Introduction: The rapid increase on life-expectancy represents a major challenge and economic burden for modern societies. Several studies have focused on the effects of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) upon the immune system; however less attention has been paid to the effects of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA). In this work we investigated the relationship of habitual consumption of different types of fatty acids with different immune parameters in the elderly.

Is there a relationship between the playing position of soccer players and their food and macronutrient intake?

Many authors have proposed the necessity of the design and implementation of dietary and nutrition education programs for soccer players, although little information is available about the determinants of food selection and nutrient intake. The aim of this study was to evaluate the nutritional intake and eating patterns of soccer players according to their playing position in the team. Eighty-seven young male soccer players (aged 16-21 years) were recruited from the junior teams of a Spanish First Division Soccer League Club and divided into 6 positional categories (goalkeepers, full-backs, centre-backs, midfielders, wingers, and forwards).

The relationship between dietary lipids and cognitive performance in an elderly population.

Epidemiological studies on the association between diet and cognitive function suggested a possible role of dietary fatty acids in cognitive decline. The aim of the present study was to examine whether intake of different types of fatty acids is associated with cognitive status. A cohort of 304 (127 men and 177 women) institutionalized elderly people, with a mean age of 75.

17beta-estradiol treatment is unable to reproduce p85 alpha redistribution associated with gestational insulin resistance in rats.

Maternal metabolic adaptations are essential to ensure proper fetal development. According to changes in insulin sensitivity, pregnancy can be divided into two periods: early pregnancy, characterized by an increase in maternal insulin sensitivity, and late pregnancy, in which there is a significant increase in insulin resistance. The aims of the present work were two-fold: firstly, the molecular mechanisms associated with the development of pregnancy-related insulin resistance in peripheral tissues, mainly retroperitoneal adipose tissue and skeletal muscle, were studied in pregnant rats at 6, 11, and 16 days gestation.

Differences in overall mortality in the elderly may be explained by diet.

Background: Although a relationship between diet and mortality is well recognized, there is little information on the extent to which different food sources contribute to survival in elderly people.

Objective: To examine the effect of individual food groups on mortality in institutionalized elderly people from Asturias (Northern Spain) after 6 years of follow-up.

Method: The dietary intake of 288 elderly people aged 60-85 years was assessed using a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ).

Food preferences do not influence adolescent high-level athletes' dietary intake.

To assess the influence of preferences on food and nutritional intake in a group of adolescent high-level athletes, 22 male soccer players (14-16 years) were recruited. Individuals were asked to fill in a specific questionnaire including 15 food groups that had to be ranked according to their preferences. Three categories were established: "Like" (ranked 1-5), "Indifferent" (6-10), and "Dislike" (11-15).

Homocysteine increases the risk of mortality in elderly individuals.

Although total plasma homocysteine (tHcy) has been extensively studied as a risk factor of CVD, longitudinal evidence on its association with mortality is scarce, especially among the elderly. The study cohort consisted of 215 subjects (eighty-eight male and 127 female), aged 60 years or older, recruited in fourteen elderly care institutions from Asturias (Spain). All participants were free of major chronic pathology and took no vitamin and/or mineral supplements.

Life-quality indicators in elderly people are influenced by selenium status.

Background And Aims: Selenium is of fundamental importance to human health. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of selenium (intake and serum levels) on subjective indicators of quality of life in older people, such as self-perceived health, chewing ability and physical activity.

Methods: The sample was a cohort of 227 elderly people (93 men and 134 women) residing in 14 nursing homes in Asturias (Spain).

Regulation of estrogen receptor alpha by estradiol in pregnant and estradiol treated rats.

Estrogens play an important role in tissue metabolism through specific regulation of several intracellular pathways. We studied ERalpha regulation in muscle and adipose tissue from pregnant and estradiol treated rats. In both groups, we identified three different ERalpha inmunoreactive proteins (80, 67 and 46 kDa) using total protein extracts.

Lipid peroxidation, antioxidant status and survival in institutionalised elderly: a five-year longitudinal study.

Oxidative stress has been related to ageing and risk of death. To determine whether oxidative status was associated with all-cause risk of death we carried out a prospective study in 154 non-smoking Spanish elderly without major illness. Baseline glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were analysed in plasma and erythrocytes.

Effect of food restriction on the insulin signalling pathway in rat skeletal muscle and adipose tissue.

We tried to elucidate the effects of a brief and severe model of food restriction on insulin sensitivity in female rats, focusing on key proteins involved in the insulin signalling pathway in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue after 5, 10 and 15 days of food restriction. Using euglycemic clamp, we detected that food-restricted rats are significantly less sensitive to insulin action than control rats. However, the time of restriction promotes a progressive increase on insulin sensitivity.

Food habits and nutritional status assessment of adolescent soccer players. A necessary and accurate approach.

The aim of this study was to assess the food habits and nutritional status of high level adolescent soccer players (N = 33; ages 14-16 yrs) living in their home environment. Body composition (height, mass, skinfolds), biochemical and hematological parameters, performance in soccer-specific tests (sprinting, jumping, intermittent endurance), and dietary intake (weighed food intake method) and related behaviors (nutrient supplement use, daily activity profile) were assessed. Daily energy expenditure and energy intake were 12.

No evidence for oxidative stress as a mechanism of action of hyperhomocysteinemia in humans.

Oxidative stress has been suggested as one of the physiopathologic conditions underlying the association of total plasma homocysteine (p-tHcy) with cardiovascular disease (CVD), but this hypothesis has not been validated in human epidemiological studies. We measured plasma and erythrocyte antioxidant enzymes glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), along with serum lipid-soluble antioxidants alpha-tocopherol, beta-carotene, lycopene and retinol, in a sample of 123 healthy elderly subjects (54 men, 69 women). Plasma malondialdehyde (p-MDA) was determined as a marker of lipid peroxidation, and p-tHcy was quantified by HPLC.

Folate and cobalamin synergistically decrease the risk of high plasma homocysteine in a nonsupplemented elderly institutionalized population.

Objective: Total plasma homocysteine (tHcy) has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in the general population and elderly subjects are at high risk of elevated homocysteine because of an impaired vitamin status. The aim of the present study was to determine the independent and interactive association of adequate folate and cobalamin (intake and serum levels) with tHcy in elderly subjects who were not taking vitamin supplementation.

Design And Methods: Cross-sectional analysis of a sample of 140 elderly recruited from seven nursing homes in Asturias (Northern Spain).

Serum selenium is associated with plasma homocysteine concentrations in elderly humans.

Low selenium levels in humans have been associated with several pathologies; however, an earlier animal investigation found a direct association between Se intake and total plasma homocysteine (tHcy) concentrations. To date, the importance of serum selenium levels in association with tHcy in humans has not been determined. We evaluated the cross-sectional association of blood selenium concentrations with plasma tHcy and other determinants of this cardiovascular disease risk factor.

Plasma iron is associated with lipid peroxidation in an elderly population.

Epidemiological evidence has raised concern that a moderate elevation in body iron stores may increase oxidative stress and risk of heart disease. We examined the cross-sectional association between plasma iron and factors that could affect its levels (antioxidant enzymes, diet), with the concentration of plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) as a marker of lipid peroxidation. Participants were 162 non-smoking institutionalised elderly.

Food habits are associated with lipid peroxidation in an elderly population.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the association between dietary intake and lipid peroxidation.

Design: Cross-sectional population analysis from an ongoing prospective study. Malondialdehyde (MDA) was measured as a marker of lipid peroxidation.

Role of 17beta-estradiol administration on insulin sensitivity in the rat: implications for the insulin receptor.

The role of 17beta-estradiol in the early steps of insulin action is only partially known, although its effect on glucose homeostasis has been reported. In this paper, we attempt to prove the influence of 17beta-estradiol on the insulin receptor of ovariectomized rats treated with different hormonal doses. Our results show that high doses of estradiol impair insulin sensitivity while low doses improve it.

Independent and interactive association of blood antioxidants and oxidative damage in elderly people.

Oxidative stress is recognized as one of the major contributors to the increased risk of several diseases. Many recent population studies have established a close link between antioxidant defense and lowered risk of morbidity and mortality from cancer and heart disease, but little is known about the cooperative interactions of antioxidants. We examined the cross-sectional independent and interactive association of serum lipid-soluble antioxidant levels and free radical scavenging enzymes to serum malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, as a marker of oxidative damage.