Publications by authors named "Elena Alonso-Aperte"

Context: The melanocortin-4 receptor gene (MC4R) is associated with a higher risk of obesity by the presence of the C allele in rs17782313, but the mechanisms are not clear.

Objective: The present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to explore the association between the different genotypes of MC4R rs17782313 and energy intake and appetite.

Data Sources: A literature search was conducted up to June 2023 in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Collaboration databases, following PRISMA guidelines.

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Eating a nutritionally balanced breakfast can be a challenge when following a gluten-free diet (GFD). We assessed the ingredients and nutrient composition of 364 gluten-free breakfast products (GFPs) and 348 gluten-containing counterparts (GCCs), and we analysed the nutritional quality of breakfast in a group of Spanish children and adolescents with celiac disease (CD) ( = 70), as compared to controls ( = 67). Food intakes were estimated using three 24 h dietary records.

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Gluten-free products (GFP) are a good choice for the replacement of cereals when following a gluten-free diet due to celiac disease (CD). However, commercial GFP are made with highly refined flours and may contain more fat, sugar, and salt, and less fiber and micronutrients than gluten-containing analogues, thus challenging the nutritional adequacy of the diet. The aim of this study is to assess the contribution of GFP to the diets of children and adolescents with CD.

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The Mediterranean diet is a healthy dietary pattern in which fish consumption is an important key element. In Spain, fish intake is the second highest in Europe. Dietary guidelines recommend an intake of 1-3 portions a week of fish.

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The only available treatment for celiac disease is life-long gluten exclusion. We conducted a cross-sectional age- and gender-matched study in 64 celiac adults on a long-term (>1 year) gluten-free diet and 74 non-celiac volunteers from Spain, using dietary, anthropometric, and biochemical parameters, as well as assessing bone mineral density and physical activity. Celiac adults had deficient intake (below 2/3 of the recommended intake) for folates, vitamin E, and iodine and low intake of calcium (below 80% of the recommended intake).

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We developed a new database to evaluate the nutritional composition of lactose-free products from Spain. The database includes dairy products and other products, all of which show the "lactose-free" declaration on their label, accounting for 327 products in total. Of these, 123 are dairy products, 16 are non-dairy products which include a dairy ingredient (5%) and 188 items (57% of the sample) are non-dairy products that do not contain any dairy ingredient.

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Moving towards sustainable food systems and food consumption are proposed as strategies to reduce environmental impact. However, these strategies require joint action between different stakeholders, including the general population's knowledge and perception, as final consumers. To assess the knowledge and awareness on food sustainability and environmental impact concepts in a representative sample of Spanish adult population, we conducted a cross-sectional, nationally representative telephone survey.

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Article Synopsis
  • A comprehensive database of 629 gluten-free cereal products in Spain was created, revealing that the majority are made primarily from rice and corn flour, with 90% containing added rice starch.
  • Common fats include sunflower oil, and only 24.5% of products claim "no added sugar," although 56% contain sucrose.
  • Nutritional analysis indicates many products are high in calories, fats, sugars, and salt, with a modest reformulation towards better fat and salt content but limited use of alternative flours.
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Background: evidence from research suggests that the development of cancer disease is associated with environmental factors. There are few studies evaluating nutritional status in women suffering from cancer in Spain. Objectives: this study aimed to assess the nutritional status in breast cancer female patients at diagnosis in a northern region of Spain (Asturias), where breast cancer rates are particularly high when compared to the rest of Spain.

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Article Synopsis
  • Patients on a gluten-free diet (GFD), particularly celiac children and adolescents, may face nutritional deficiencies mainly in vitamins D, calcium, and magnesium due to restricted food choices.
  • A study comparing 70 celiac participants with 67 non-celiac volunteers found low vitamin D levels in both groups, with specific deficiencies more pronounced in celiac participants, especially girls.
  • Despite these deficiencies, overall dietary patterns and anthropometric measurements were similar between celiac and non-celiac individuals, indicating that the GFD does not significantly impact general nutritional trends compared to a regular diet.
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This study focuses on understanding factors that influence food agency in the Spanish population, specifically with regard to cooking habits, knowledge, and determinants and their possible relationship with body weight. A cross-sectional telephone survey was conducted. Individuals were asked about their cooking responsibilities, how they learned to cook, factors that affect their food choices, and their preferred cooking techniques.

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Information on grocery shopping patterns is one key to understanding dietary changes in recent years in Spain. This report presents an overview of Spanish food shopping patterns in the adult population. A cross-sectional, nationally representative telephone survey was conducted in Spain.

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Introduction: Folic acid (FA) is a synthetic compound commonly added for voluntary fortification of food products in many European countries. In our country, food composition databases (FCDB) lack comprehensive data on FA fortification practices and this is considered a priority research need when undergoing nutritional assessment of the population.

Methods: A product inventory was collected and updated by visiting retail stores in Madrid Region, conducting online supermarket searches, and by the provision of food label information by manufacturers.

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Water is the major component of our organism representing about 60% of total body weight in adults and has to be obtained through the consumption of different foods and beverages as part of our diet. Water is an essential nutrient performing important functions, including transport of other nutrients, elimination of waste products, temperature regulation, lubrication and structural support. In this context, hydration through water has an essential role in health and wellness, which has been highly acknowledged in recent years among the health community experts such as nutritionists, dietitians, general practitioners, pharmacists, educators, as well as by physical activity and sport sciences experts and the general population.

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Objective: To assess the potential contribution of foods fortified with folic acid (FA) to target population intakes when included as part of a healthy breakfast.

Design: Breakfast models aligned with the Spanish Dietary Guidelines were studied using the recommended, average and 95th percentile of serving sizes consumed by women of childbearing age. Food composition data were obtained from a database including FA analytical data from sixty-eight products and the Spanish food composition tables.

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Ready-to-eat foods have nowadays become a significant portion of the diet. Accordingly, nutritional composition of these food categories should be well-known, in particular its folate content. However, there is a broad lack of folate data in food composition tables and databases.

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Introduction: In the last years, the consumption of ready-to-eat foods has become an increasing part of the current Spanish diet. Accordingly, the nutritional composition of these food categories should be investigated in order to estimate its contribution to vitamin and nutrient intakes, in particular its folate content. The broad lack of folate data in food composition tables and databases justifies this approach.

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Article Synopsis
  • Folic acid plays a potential protective role in preserving the health of the hippocampus and related biochemical processes in aging rats, particularly as cognitive decline is linked to increased homocysteine levels.
  • The study involved feeding male rats varying levels of folic acid to assess its effects on methionine cycle markers and brain structure over 30 days.
  • Results indicated that low dietary folate led to increased homocysteine levels without significant changes in critical brain metabolites or neuron counts, suggesting that a moderate amount of folic acid may be sufficient for maintaining cognitive health in older populations.
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Historically, food fortification has served as a tool to address population-wide nutrient deficiencies such as rickets by vitamin D fortified milk. This article discusses the different policy strategies to be used today. Mandatory or voluntary fortification and fortified foods, which the consumer needs, also have to comply with nutritional, regulatory, food safety and technical issues.

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Objective: The aim was to investigate whether pregnancy-induced changes in total homocysteine (tHcy) are associated with folate and vitamin B12 nutritional status, genetic C677T polymorphism in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) enzyme, and gestation outcome at a time when folic acid supplementation started to be recommended in the Spanish health system.

Methods: In total 154 pregnant women were recruited from among gynecologic patients of the Alcorcón Public Hospital Outpatient Clinic (Madrid, Spain). Blood tests were performed at weeks 15, 24, and 32 of pregnancy.

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Background: Since mandatory folic acid fortification of grains and cereals was introduced in order to prevent neural tube defects, the number of products that are being fortified with folic acid is growing, especially milk and dairy products. However, the effectiveness of this action remains controversial.

Aim Of The Study: To investigate the efficiency of skimmed milk as a vehicle for folic acid fortification by the determination of the acute absorption from low-fat fortified milk compared to fortified and unfortified whole milk in healthy subjects.

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Background: Recent studies in animal models have shown that high methionine intakes induce atherosclerotic changes that may be exacerbated when deficiencies of vitamins B(6), B(12) and folate are present. However, the mechanism underlying this possible atherogenic effect remains unknown. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of methionine on the folate-dependent thymidylate-DNA synthesis, as a possible mechanism of atherogenicity, as well as the effect of high methionine/low folate on several key inflammation markers, such as vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in human aortic endothelial cells.

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Valproate (VPA) is a drug widely used to treat epilepsy, but it has serious adverse effects including hepatotoxicity, teratogenicity and antifolate activity. The mechanism underlying VPA toxicity is unclear although an interaction with folate and other metabolites involved in methionine metabolism has been suggested. The present study was undertaken to evaluate potential changes in the metabolic function of the methionine cycle after acute exposure to a single dose of valproate.

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