Strong and weak plasma response to dietary carotenoids identified by cluster analysis and linked to beta-carotene 15,15'-monooxygenase 1 single nucleotide polymorphisms.

The mechanisms as well the genetics underlying the bioavailability and metabolism of carotenoids in humans remain unclear. To begin to address these questions, we used cluster analysis to examine individual temporal responses of plasma carotenoids from a controlled-diet study of subjects who consumed carotenoid-rich beverages. Treatments, given daily for 3 weeks, were watermelon juice at two levels (20-mg lycopene, 2.

Assessment of DNA damage and repair in adults consuming allyl isothiocyanate or Brassica vegetables.

Allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) is a dietary component with possible anticancer effects, though much information about AITC and cancer has been obtained from cell studies. To investigate the effect of AITC on DNA integrity in vivo, a crossover study was conducted. Adults (n=46) consumed AITC, AITC-rich vegetables [mustard and cabbage (M/C)] or a control treatment with a controlled diet for 10 days each.

Effect of cocoa and green tea on biomarkers of glucose regulation, oxidative stress, inflammation and hemostasis in obese adults at risk for insulin resistance.

Background/objectives: Flavanols may provide protection against insulin resistance, but little is known about the amounts and types of flavanols that may be efficacious.

Subjects/methods: This study was designed to determine whether cocoa flavanols, over a range of intakes, improve biomarkers of glucose regulation, inflammation and hemostasis in obese adults at risk for insulin resistance. As an adjunct, green tea and cocoa flavanols were compared for their ability to modulate these biomarkers.

Anthocyanin kinetics are dependent on anthocyanin structure.

The kinetics of anthocyanin metabolism was investigated in a human feeding trial. Volunteers (n 12) consumed purple carrots containing five anthocyanin forms: cyanidin-3-(xylose-glucose-galactoside), cyanidin-3-(xylose-galactoside), cyanidin-3-(xylose-sinapoyl-glucose-galactoside), cyanidin-3-(xylose-feruloyl-glucose-galactoside) and cyanidin-3-(xylose-coumuroyl-glucose-galactoside). The purple carrots were served as three different treatments in a crossover design with a 3-week washout between treatments.

Whey protein but not soy protein supplementation alters body weight and composition in free-living overweight and obese adults.

A double-blind, randomized clinical trial was conducted to determine the effect of consumption of supplemental whey protein (WP), soy protein (SP), and an isoenergetic amount of carbohydrate (CHO) on body weight and composition in free-living overweight and obese but otherwise healthy participants. Ninety overweight and obese participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatment groups for 23 wk: 1) WP; 2) SP (each providing ~56 g/d of protein and 1670 kJ/d); or 3) an isoenergetic amount of CHO. Supplements were consumed as a beverage twice daily.

Oolong tea does not improve glucose metabolism in non-diabetic adults.

Background: Studies of the influence of tea on glucose metabolism have produced inconsistent results, possibly because of the lack of dietary control and/or unclear characterization of tea products.

Methods: Therefore, a double-blind crossover study was conducted in which healthy males (n = 19) consumed each of three oolong tea products or a control beverage as part of a controlled diet. Treatment beverages (1.

Vitamin K absorption and kinetics in human subjects after consumption of 13C-labelled phylloquinone from kale.

The absorption and plasma disappearance of vitamin K were investigated by uniformly labelling phylloquinone in kale with carbon-13, and by feeding the kale to study subjects. Seven healthy volunteers ingested a single 400 g serving of kale with 30 g vegetable oil. The kale provided 156 nmol of phylloquinone.

Bioavailability of anthocyanins from purple carrot juice: effects of acylation and plant matrix.

Absorption of cyanidin-based anthocyanins is not fully understood with respect to dose or anthocyanin structure. In feeding studies using whole foods, nonacylated anthocyanins are more bioavailable than their acylated counterparts, but the extent to which plant matrix determines relative bioavailability of anthocyanins is unknown. Using juice of purple carrots to circumvent matrix effects, a feeding trial was conducted to determine relative bioavailability of acylated and nonacylated anthocyanins and to assess dose-response effects.

Phytosterol intake and dietary fat reduction are independent and additive in their ability to reduce plasma LDL cholesterol.

We studied the interrelationship of diet and plant sterols (PS) on plasma lipids, lipoproteins and carotenoids. Mildly hypercholesterolemic men (n = 13) and postmenopausal women (n = 9) underwent four randomized, crossover, double-blind, controlled feeding periods of 23 days each. The design consisted of two levels of PS (0 and 3.

Anthocyanin excretion by humans increases linearly with increasing strawberry dose.

A clinical study was conducted to investigate the dose response and metabolism of strawberry anthocyanins. In a crossover study design, 12 healthy adults consumed each of 3 strawberry treatments. The treatments were 100 g, 200 g, and 400 g of pureed strawberries, delivering 15 micromol, 30 micromol, and 60 micromol anthocyanin, respectively.

Effects of anthocyanin and carotenoid combinations on foliage and immature fruit color of Capsicum annuum L.

Shades ranging from violet to black pigmentation in pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) are attributed to anthocyanin accumulation. High-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry analysis of violet and black fruit tissue identified a single anthocyanin that was determined to be delphinidin-3-p-coumaroyl-rutinoside-5-glucoside.

Anthocyanins present in selected tropical fruits: acerola, jambolão, jussara, and guajiru.

Many tropical fruits are rich in anthocyanins, though limited information is available about the characterization and quantification of these anthocyanins. The identification and quantification of anthocyanin pigments in four tropical fruits were determined by HPLC-MS/MS. Fruits studied included acerola (Malphigia emarginata), jussara (Euterpe edulis), jambolão (Syzygium cumini), and guajiru (Chrysobalanus icaco).

effect of dose size on bioavailability of acylated and nonacylated anthocyanins from red cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. Var. capitata).

Recent studies indicate that anthocyanin intake conveys a variety of health benefits, which depend on absorption and metabolic mechanisms that deliver anthocyanins and their bioactive metabolites to responsive tissues. The anthocyanin bioavailability of red cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. var.

Measures of adiposity and body fat distribution in relation to serum folate levels in postmenopausal women in a feeding study.

Objective: To assess the associations between serum folate concentration and measures of adiposity in postmenopausal women.

Design: This study was conducted as a cross-sectional analysis within the control segment of a randomized, crossover trial in which postmenopausal women (n=51) consumed 0 g (control), 15 g (one drink) and 30 g (two drinks) alcohol (ethanol)/day for 8 weeks as part of a controlled diet. Subjects in one treatment arm were crossed-over to another arm after a 2- to 5-week washout period.

Watermelon consumption increases plasma arginine concentrations in adults.

Objective: Watermelon is a rich source of citrulline, an amino acid that can be metabolized to arginine, a conditionally essential amino acid for humans. Arginine is the nitrogenous substrate used in the synthesis of nitric oxide and plays an essential role in cardiovascular and immune functions. No detailed studies have been conducted to evaluate plasma arginine response in humans after long-term feeding of citrulline from natural plant sources.

Body Mass Index, percent body fat, and regional body fat distribution in relation to leptin concentrations in healthy, non-smoking postmenopausal women in a feeding study.

Background: The relationship between BMI and leptin has been studied extensively in the past, but previous reports in postmenopausal women have not been conducted under carefully controlled dietary conditions of weight maintenance using precise measures of body fat distribution. The aim of the present study was to examine the association between serum leptin concentration and adiposity as estimated by BMI and dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) measures (percent body fat, central and peripheral fat, and lean mass) in postmenopausal women.

Methods: This study was conducted as a cross-sectional analysis within the control segment of a randomized, crossover trial in which postmenopausal women (n = 51) consumed 0 (control), 15 (one drink), and 30 (two drinks) g alcohol (ethanol)/d for 8 weeks as part of a controlled diet.

Usefulness of body mass index as a sufficient adiposity measurement for sex hormone concentration associations in postmenopausal women.

Background: Both obesity and sex hormones are known risk factors for postmenopausal breast cancer. Although adiposity and sex hormones have been studied in the past, previous reports in postmenopausal women have not been conducted under carefully controlled dietary conditions. In this study, we investigated the usefulness of body mass index (BMI) as a sufficient adiposity measurement to assess associations with sex hormone levels.

Comparison of energy expenditure estimates from 4 physical activity questionnaires with doubly labeled water estimates in postmenopausal women.

Background: Physical activity energy expenditure (EE) is an important determinant of health, and epidemiologists have used various methods, such as physical activity and energy intake recalls and records, to estimate energy cost. However, most epidemiologic studies have not validated these methods against the doubly labeled water (DLW) technique for measuring EE.

Objective: The aim was to compare EE estimated by 4 physical activity questionnaires with that obtained with the DLW technique in free-living postmenopausal women.

Calorie intake misreporting by diet record and food frequency questionnaire compared to doubly labeled water among postmenopausal women.

Objective: We assessed the extent of energy misreporting from the use of a self-administered 7-day diet record (7-DDR) and a widely used food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) compared to total energy expenditure from doubly labeled water (DLW) in a group of postmenopausal women.

Design: At baseline, 65 healthy postmenopausal women were instructed to fill out the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) FFQ and a 7-DDR. Average total energy expenditure using the DLW method was also performed at baseline.

Plasma and urine responses are lower for acylated vs nonacylated anthocyanins from raw and cooked purple carrots.

The bioavailability of acylated vs nonacylated anthocyanins and the effect of cooking and dose on the comparative bioavailability were investigated in a clinical feeding study using purple carrots as the anthocyanin source. Treatments were purple carrots as follows: 250 g raw (463 micromol of anthocyanins: 400 micromol acylated, 63 micromol nonacylated), 250 g cooked (357 micromol of anthocyanins: 308.5 micromol acylated, 48.

No association between alcohol supplementation and autoantibodies to DNA damage in postmenopausal women in a controlled feeding study.

Alcohol consumption is linked to increased breast cancer risk. Since oestrogens increase breast cancer risk, possibly through oxidative damage, and we have shown that alcohol consumption increases serum oestrogens, we tested whether moderate alcohol supplementation increased oxidative DNA damage among healthy postmenopausal women not on hormone replacement therapy in a randomized controlled crossover study. We used serum 5-hydroxymethyl-2-deoxyuridine (5-HMdU) autoantibodies (aAbs) as a marker of oxidative DNA damage.

Plasma appearance of labeled beta-carotene, lutein, and retinol in humans after consumption of isotopically labeled kale.

The bioavailability of carotenoids from kale was investigated by labeling nutrients in kale with 13C, feeding the kale to seven adult volunteers, and analyzing serial plasma samples for labeled lutein, beta-carotene, and retinol. Ingested doses of labeled carotenoids were 34 micromol for beta-carotene and 33 micromol for lutein. Peak plasma concentrations, areas under the plasma concentration-time curves (AUCs), and percentages of dose recovered at peak plasma concentrations were calculated.