Development of a genetic risk score to predict the risk of hypertension in European adolescents from the HELENA study.

Introduction: From genome wide association study (GWAS) a large number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have previously been associated with blood pressure (BP) levels. A combination of SNPs, forming a genetic risk score (GRS) could be considered as a useful genetic tool to identify individuals at risk of developing hypertension from early stages in life. Therefore, the aim of our study was to build a GRS being able to predict the genetic predisposition to hypertension (HTN) in European adolescents.

Comparison of different approaches to calculate nutrient intakes based upon 24-h recall data derived from a multicenter study in European adolescents.

Purpose: The European "Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence" (HELENA) project evaluated two different approaches to harmonize the matching procedures between 24-h recall data and food composition databases. In the first approach, the 24-h recall data were linked to the local/national food composition databases using standardized procedures, while in the second approach, the 24-h recall data were linked to the German BLS database which includes a larger food list. The aim of this paper was to compare the intakes of energy and eight nutrient components calculated via both approaches.

Associations between macronutrient intake and serum lipid profile depend on body fat in European adolescents: the Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence (HELENA) study.

The present study aimed to investigate the relationships between macronutrient intake and serum lipid profile in adolescents from eight European cities participating in the HELENA (Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence) cross-sectional study (2006-7), and to assess the role of body fat-related variables in these associations. Weight, height, waist circumference, skinfold thicknesses, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), LDL-cholesterol, TAG, apoB and apoA1 were measured in 454 adolescents (44% boys) aged 12.5-17.

Sex hormones and macronutrient metabolism.

The biological differences between males and females are determined by a different set of genes and by a different reactivity to environmental stimuli, including the diet, in general. These differences are further emphasized and driven by the exposure to a different hormone flux throughout the life. These differences have not been taken into appropriate consideration by the scientific community.

The role of dietary fat on the association between dietary amino acids and serum lipid profile in European adolescents participating in the HELENA Study.

Background/objectives: The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between amino acid (AA) intake and serum lipid profile in European adolescents from eight European cities participating in the cross-sectional (2006-2007) HELENA (Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence) study, and to assess whether this association was independent of total fat intake.

Subjects/methods: Diet, skinfold thickness, triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), TC/HDL-c ratio, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), apolipoprotein B (Apo B), apolipoprotein A1 (Apo A1) and Apo B/Apo A1 ratio were measured in 454 12.5- to 17.

Sleep time and cardiovascular risk factors in adolescents: the HELENA (Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence) study.

Objective: We aimed to examine the association between adolescents' sleep time and a cardiometabolic risk score. A second aim was to examine associations between sleep time and individual cardiometabolic risk factors.

Methods: Adolescents (N=699; ages, 12.

High fat diets are associated with higher abdominal adiposity regardless of physical activity in adolescents; the HELENA study.

Background & Aims: Failure to attain fat balance may contribute to obesity development even without excessive energy intake. The objective of this study was to examine the associations of dietary macronutrient distribution with abdominal adiposity in adolescents and to evaluate whether these relationships were attenuated by physical activity.

Methods: A total of 224 Spanish adolescents (51% females, 14.

More physically active and leaner adolescents have higher energy intake.

Objective: To test whether youths who engage in vigorous physical activity are more likely to have lean bodies while ingesting relatively large amounts of energy. For this purpose, we studied the associations of both physical activity and adiposity with energy intake in adolescents.

Study Design: The study subjects were adolescents who participated in 1 of 2 cross-sectional studies, the Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence (HELENA) study (n = 1450; mean age, 14.

Increased sedentary behaviour is associated with unhealthy dietary patterns in European adolescents participating in the HELENA study.

Background/objectives: To assess dietary patterns (DPs) in European adolescents and to examine their relationship with several indicators of sedentary behaviour.

Subjects/methods: A multinational cross-sectional study was carried out in 2202 adolescents (45.4% boys) aged 12.

Quantitation of tr-cinnamaldehyde, safrole and myristicin in cola-flavoured soft drinks to improve the assessment of their dietary exposure.

Quantitation of tr-cinnamaldehyde, safrole and myristicin was carried out in 70 samples of cola-flavoured soft drinks purchased in eight European countries with the purpose of assessing the variability in the levels of these substances. Results indicated a limited variability in the content of the three substances: the ratio between the 90th and the 10th percentile concentration amounted to 21, 6 and 13 for tr-cinnamaldehyde, safrole and myristicin, respectively. The uncertainty in the assessment of dietary exposure to these substances due to the variability of their level in cola-flavoured drinks was low.

A liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry approach to study "glucosinoloma" in broccoli sprouts.

Glucosinolates are an important class of secondary plant metabolites, possessing health-promoting properties. Young broccoli plants are a very good source of glucosinolates with concentrations several times greater than in mature plants. The aim of our study was to develop a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry qualitative and quantitative method for the measure of glucosinolates in broccoli sprouts.

Analysis of fatty acids in 12 Mediterranean fish species: advantages and limitations of a new GC-FID/GC-MS based technique.

When fatty acids in fish are analyzed, results in percentage form (profile analysis) are mostly reported. However, the much more useful results expressed as mg/100 g (absolute analysis) is the main information required. Absolute methods based on calibration curves are of good accuracy but with a high degree of complexity if applied to a great number of analytes.

Evaluation of food and nutrient intake assessment using concentration biomarkers in European adolescents from the Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence study.

Accurate food and nutrient intake assessment is essential for investigating diet-disease relationships. In the present study, food and nutrient intake assessment among European adolescents using 24 h recalls (mean of two recalls) and a FFQ (separately and the combination of both) were evaluated using concentration biomarkers. Biomarkers included were vitamin C, β-carotene, DHA+EPA, vitamin B12 (cobalamin and holo-transcobalamin) and folate (erythrocyte folate and plasma folate).

Evaluation of antioxidant activity and antiproliferative effect of fruit juices enriched with Pycnogenol® in colon carcinoma cells. The effect of in vitro gastrointestinal digestion.

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of in vitro gastrointestinal digestion on the antioxidant and antiproliferative effect of fruit juices enriched with Pycnogenol® (0.5 g/L) on a colon carcinoma cell line (Caco-2). The total phenolic concentration (TPC), antioxidant activity and inhibition cell growth were studied in fresh and digested pineapple juice and red fruits juice (both enriched with pine bark extract and not).

Quantification of estragole in fennel herbal teas: implications on the assessment of dietary exposure to estragole.

Quantification of estragole content in commercial fennel herbal teas was carried out in order to allow for a more accurate estimate of the dietary exposure to estragole. A simple and rapid analytical method, based on Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction and GC-MS, was developed for this purpose. Fennel teas obtained from different types of commercial products were analysed.

Stability of Pycnogenol® as an ingredient in fruit juices subjected to in vitro gastrointestinal digestion.

Background: The enrichment of fruit juices with concentrated polyphenolic extracts is an expedient strategy to compensate possible phenolic loss through gastrointestinal processing. Pycnogenol, a standardised procyanidin-rich extract from pine bark, has been proposed as a potential candidate for polyphenol enrichment of foods. In this study the effects of in vitro digestion on the phenolic profile of fruit juices enriched with Pycnogenol were investigated.

The third Italian National Food Consumption Survey, INRAN-SCAI 2005-06--part 1: nutrient intakes in Italy.

Background And Aims: Italian National Food Consumption Survey, INRAN-SCAI 2005-06, is the third national food consumption survey performed in Italy. This study describes energy and nutrient intakes in Italy.

Methods And Results: A national cross-sectional food consumption survey was conducted using consecutive 3-day food records between October 2005 and December 2006.

Tocotrienols activity in MCF-7 breast cancer cells: involvement of ERbeta signal transduction.

The term Vitamin E is utilized to describe eight molecules, subdivided into two groups, tocopherols and tocotrienols (TTs). It has been shown that specific TTs affect the growth of several lines of tumour cells, and that this activity is not shared by tocopherols. In agreement with these observations, a TTs-rich fraction from palm oil (PTRF) was reported to inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis in several cancer cells.

Effect of quercetin on paraoxonase 2 levels in RAW264.7 macrophages and in human monocytes--role of quercetin metabolism.

There is increasing evidence that the intracellular antioxidant enzyme paraoxonase 2 (PON2) may have a protective function in the prevention of atherogenesis. An enhancement of PON2 activity by dietary factors including flavonoids is therefore of interest. In the present study we determined the effect of quercetin on paraoxonase 2 levels in cultured murine macrophages in vitro and in overweight subjects with a high cardiovascular risk phenotype supplemented with 150 mg quercetin/day for 42 days in vivo.

Red wine metabolites modulate NF-kappaB, activator protein-1 and cAMP response element-binding proteins in human endothelial cells.

We have studied the effect of human serum, collected after red wine consumption (RWS), on TNF-alpha-dependent activation of transcription factors (NF-kappaB, activator protein-1 (AP-1) and cAMP response element-binding proteins) and on the expression of selected genes involved in cell adhesion or fibrinolysis processes in human primary endothelial cells (human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC)). Our data indicate that RWS containing RW metabolites, isolated after 40 min from an acute consume of wine (5 ml/kg body weight), induces nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB and AP-1 in the absence of any further stimulus. On the other hand, TNF-alpha treatment in the presence of RWS is associated with a delay in transcription factor activation and to a negative modulation on the expression of specific genes.

The anti-inflammatory pharmacology of Pycnogenol in humans involves COX-2 and 5-LOX mRNA expression in leukocytes.

We investigated the effects of Pycnogenol supplementation on the arachidonic acid pathway in human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL) in response to an inflammatory stimulus. Pycnogenol is a standardised extract of French maritime pine bark consisting of procyanidins and polyphenolic monomers. Healthy volunteers aged 35 to 50 years were supplemented with 150 mg Pycnogenol a day for five days.

A novel mechanism of natural vitamin E tocotrienol activity: involvement of ERbeta signal transduction.

Vitamin E is a generic term used to indicate all tocopherol (TOC) and tocotrienol (TT) derivates. In the last few years, several papers have shown that a TT-rich fraction (TTRF) extracted from palm oil inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis in a large number of cancer cells. However, the molecular mechanism(s) involved in TT action is still unclear.

The Italian National Food Consumption Survey INRAN-SCAI 2005-06: main results in terms of food consumption.

Objective: The current paper aims to present the main results of the Italian National Food Consumption Survey INRAN-SCAI 2005-06.

Design: A cross-sectional study was performed. Households were randomly selected after geographical stratification of the national territory.

The amelioration of olfactory acuity upon sexual maturation might affect food preferences.

Upon sexual maturation, olfactory acuity in women ameliorates and starts oscillating across the cycle. During ovulation, mean olfactory threshold is 30 times lower than during bleeding. Interestingly, menstruated women undergo maleodorant trimethylaminuria.

New trends in the seafood market. Sutchi catfish (Pangasius hypophthalmus) fillets from Vietnam: Nutritional quality and safety aspects.

Sutchi catfish (Pangasius hypophthalmus) produced in the freshwater basins of Vietnam, available on the Italian market as frozen or thawed fillets, were studied for their nutritional quality and safety aspects. Proximate composition, mineral content, fatty acid profile, unsaponifiable components of the lipid fraction and drip loss during thawing at 5°C were determined on the fillets. Fillets were characterised by high moisture levels (80-85%) and low protein (12.