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Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical... Dec 2023Globally, there appears to be an ever-increasing interest in adopting a vegetarian diet. However, there are concerns that avoiding meat may increase the risk of anaemia...
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Globally, there appears to be an ever-increasing interest in adopting a vegetarian diet. However, there are concerns that avoiding meat may increase the risk of anaemia and micronutrient deficiencies, especially for vulnerable populations, such as adolescent women. The objective of this study was to compare the micronutrient status of vegetarian and non-vegetarian adolescent women in New Zealand.
METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN
Adolescent women aged 15-18 y were recruited from eight locations across New Zealand. Blood samples were analysed for: haemoglobin, serum ferritin, soluble transferrin receptor, zinc, selenium, retinol binding protein, folate, vitamin B-12, vitamin D and parathyroid hormone.
RESULTS
Of the 182 participants who provided a blood sample, 15% self-identified as vegetarian (n=27). On average, vegetarians had 3.1% (95% CI -5.8 to -0.4, p=0.025) lower haemoglobin, and 8.3% (95%CI -14.1 to -2.1, p=0.004) lower selenium. In contrast, serum folate was 80.5% (95% CI 45.7 to 123.7, p<0.001) higher. The prevalence of zinc and selenium deficiency was higher among vegetarians (50% and 12%, respectively) than non-vegetarians (21%, and 2%, respectively).
CONCLUSIONS
Adolescent vegetarian women may be at increased risk of deficiency of micronutrients commonly found in animal products, including zinc and selenium, and may benefit from following dietary practices that enhance micronutrient intake and absorption.
Topics: Humans; Female; Adolescent; Micronutrients; Selenium; New Zealand; Diet, Vegetarian; Vegetarians; Malnutrition; Trace Elements; Folic Acid; Zinc; Hemoglobins; Nutritional Status
PubMed: 38135479
DOI: 10.6133/apjcn.202312_32(4).0008 -
Nutrients Jul 2023Micronutrition in pregnancy is critical to impact not only fetal growth and development but also long-term physical and psychiatric health outcomes. (Clinical Trial)
Clinical Trial
BACKGROUND
Micronutrition in pregnancy is critical to impact not only fetal growth and development but also long-term physical and psychiatric health outcomes.
OBJECTIVE
Estimate micronutrient intake from food and dietary supplements in a diverse cohort of pregnant women and compare intake to the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs).
DESIGN
Secondary analysis of women enrolled in a multi-site clinical trial of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation who provided their dietary intake using the diet history questionnaire-II ( = 843) or multiple 24 h recalls ( = 178) at baseline and their intake of nutritional supplements at baseline through 30 days postpartum.
PARTICIPANTS/SETTING
1021 participants from the parent trial who had reliable data for dietary intake, supplement intake, or both.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Micronutrient intake from dietary and supplement sources and percentage of intakes meeting the DRIs for pregnancy.
STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED
Percent of participants whose intake was below the estimated average requirement (EAR) or adequate intake (AI) and above the tolerable upper limit (UL).
RESULTS
Dietary intakes of choline, folate, iron, vitamin D, zinc, vitamin E, magnesium, and potassium, were below the AI or EAR for 30-91% of the participants; thiamin and vitamin B6 were also below the AI or EAR for non-Hispanic/Latina women. Supplement intake improved the intake for most; however, 80% of the group remained below the AI for choline and 52.5% for potassium while 30% remained below the EAR for magnesium. Folate and iron intakes were above the UL for 80% and 19%, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS
Dietary supplements, despite their variability, allowed the majority of this cohort of pregnant women to achieve adequate intakes for most micronutrients. Choline, magnesium, and potassium were exceptions. Of interest, folate intake was above the tolerable UL for the majority and iron for 16.8% of the participants. Clinicians have the opportunity to address the most common nutrient deficits and limits with advice on food sources that provide choline, magnesium, and potassium and to ensure folate is not overabundant. More research is needed to determine if these findings are similar in a cross-sectional population.
Topics: Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Choline; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diet; Dietary Supplements; Folic Acid; Iron; Magnesium; Micronutrients; Nutritional Requirements; Potassium; Pregnant Women; Trace Elements
PubMed: 37513643
DOI: 10.3390/nu15143228 -
The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging Feb 2024
Topics: Humans; Aged; Micronutrients; Malnutrition; Nutritional Status; Patients; Trace Elements
PubMed: 38309108
DOI: 10.1016/j.jnha.2024.100174 -
Nutrients Sep 2023Trace elements and vitamins, collectively known as micronutrients, are essential for basic metabolic reactions in the human body. Their deficiency or, on the contrary,... (Review)
Review
Trace elements and vitamins, collectively known as micronutrients, are essential for basic metabolic reactions in the human body. Their deficiency or, on the contrary, an increased amount can lead to serious disorders. Research in recent years has shown that long-term abnormal levels of micronutrients may be involved in the etiopathogenesis of some neurological diseases. Acute and chronic alterations in micronutrient levels may cause other serious complications in neurological diseases. Our aim was to summarize the knowledge about micronutrients in relation to selected neurological diseases and comment on their importance and the possibilities of therapeutic intervention in clinical practice.
Topics: Humans; Micronutrients; Vitamins; Trace Elements; Vitamin A; Nervous System Diseases
PubMed: 37836413
DOI: 10.3390/nu15194129 -
Journal of Experimental Botany Mar 2022The provision of sustainable, sufficient, and nutritious food to the growing population is a major challenge for agriculture and the plant research community. In this... (Review)
Review
The provision of sustainable, sufficient, and nutritious food to the growing population is a major challenge for agriculture and the plant research community. In this respect, the mineral micronutrient content of food crops deserves particular attention. Micronutrient deficiencies in cultivated soils and plants are a global problem that adversely affects crop production and plant nutritional value, as well as human health and well-being. In this review, we call for awareness of the importance and relevance of micronutrients in crop production and quality. We stress the need for better micronutrient nutrition in human populations, not only in developing but also in developed nations, and describe strategies to identify and characterize new varieties with high micronutrient content. Furthermore, we explain how adequate nutrition of plants with micronutrients impacts metabolic functions and the capacity of plants to express tolerance mechanisms against abiotic and biotic constraints. Finally, we provide a brief overview and a critical discussion on current knowledge, future challenges, and specific technological needs for research on plant micronutrient homeostasis. Research in this area is expected to foster the sustainable development of nutritious and healthy food crops for human consumption.
Topics: Agriculture; Crops, Agricultural; Food, Fortified; Homeostasis; Humans; Micronutrients; Trace Elements
PubMed: 35134869
DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erac014 -
Frontiers in Immunology 2023Copper, a transition metal, serves as an essential co-factor in numerous enzymatic active sites and constitutes a vital trace element in the human body, participating in... (Review)
Review
Copper, a transition metal, serves as an essential co-factor in numerous enzymatic active sites and constitutes a vital trace element in the human body, participating in crucial life-sustaining activities such as energy metabolism, antioxidation, coagulation, neurotransmitter synthesis, iron metabolism, and tetramer deposition. Maintaining the equilibrium of copper ions within biological systems is of paramount importance in the prevention of atherosclerosis and associated cardiovascular diseases. Copper induces cellular demise through diverse mechanisms, encompassing reactive oxygen species responses, apoptosis, necrosis, pyroptosis, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Recent research has identified and dubbed a novel regulatory cell death modality-"cuprotosis"-wherein copper ions bind to acylated proteins in the tricarboxylic acid cycle of mitochondrial respiration, resulting in protein aggregation, subsequent downregulation of iron-sulfur cluster protein expression, induction of proteotoxic stress, and eventual cell death. Scholars have synthesized copper complexes by combining copper ions with various ligands, exploring their significance and applications in cancer therapy. This review comprehensively examines the multiple pathways of copper metabolism, copper-induced regulatory cell death, and the current status of copper complexes in cancer treatment.
Topics: Humans; Copper; Trace Elements; Apoptosis; Cell Death; Iron-Sulfur Proteins; Iron
PubMed: 37600774
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1236063 -
Nutrients Nov 2023Adults with Crohn's disease (CD) may be at risk of micronutrient insufficiency in clinical remission through restrictive eating, malabsorption, abnormal losses or... (Review)
Review
Adults with Crohn's disease (CD) may be at risk of micronutrient insufficiency in clinical remission through restrictive eating, malabsorption, abnormal losses or inflammation. This systematic review synthesises the literature on micronutrient insufficiency in CD in clinical remission in terms of the prevalence of low circulating micronutrient concentrations and as a comparison against a healthy control (HC). Studies were included if the population was predominantly in remission. A total of 42 studies met the inclusion criteria; 12 were rated as low quality, leaving 30 studies covering 21 micronutrients of medium/high quality that were included in the synthesis. Vitamins D and B12 were the most frequently reported nutrients (8 and 11); there were few eligible studies for the remaining micronutrients. The prevalence studies were consistent in reporting individuals with low Vitamins A, B6, B12 and C, β-carotene, D, Magnesium, Selenium and Zinc. The comparator studies were inconsistent in finding differences with CD populations; Vitamin D, the most reported nutrient, was only lower than the HC in one-quarter of the studies. Adult CD populations are likely to contain individuals with low levels of one or more micronutrients, with the most substantial evidence for Vitamins D and B12. The studies on other micronutrients are of insufficient number, standardisation and quality to inform practice.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Micronutrients; Crohn Disease; Trace Elements; Vitamins; Vitamin A; Cholecalciferol
PubMed: 38004171
DOI: 10.3390/nu15224777 -
The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging Jan 2015Cognitive impairments are often related to aging and micronutrient deficiencies. Various essential micronutrients in the diet are involved in age-altered biological... (Review)
Review
Cognitive impairments are often related to aging and micronutrient deficiencies. Various essential micronutrients in the diet are involved in age-altered biological functions such as, zinc, copper, iron, and selenium that play pivotal roles either in maintaining and reinforcing the antioxidant performances or in affecting the complex network of genes (nutrigenomic approach) involved in encoding proteins for biological functions. Genomic stability is one of the leading causes of cognitive decline and deficiencies or excess in trace elements are two of the factors relating to it. In this review, we report and discuss the role of micronutrients in cognitive impairment in relation to genomic stability in an aging population. Telomere integrity will also be discussed in relation to aging and cognitive impairment, as well as, the micronutrients related to these events. This review will provide an understanding on how these three aspects can relate with each other and why it is important to keep a homeostasis of micronutrients in relation to healthy aging. Micronutrient deficiencies and aging process can lead to genomic instability.
Topics: Aging; Antioxidants; Cognition Disorders; DNA Damage; Diet; Genomic Instability; Humans; Mitochondria; Nutrigenomics; Oxidative Stress; Telomere; Trace Elements
PubMed: 25560816
DOI: 10.1007/s12603-014-0489-1 -
Annual Review of Microbiology Sep 2017Fungal cells colonize and proliferate in distinct niches, from soil and plants to diverse tissues in human hosts. Consequently, fungi are challenged with the goal of... (Review)
Review
Fungal cells colonize and proliferate in distinct niches, from soil and plants to diverse tissues in human hosts. Consequently, fungi are challenged with the goal of obtaining nutrients while simultaneously elaborating robust regulatory mechanisms to cope with a range of availability of nutrients, from scarcity to excess. Copper is essential for life but also potentially toxic. In this review we describe the sophisticated homeostatic mechanisms by which fungi acquire, utilize, and control this biochemically versatile trace element. Fungal pathogens, which can occupy distinct host tissues that have their own intrinsic requirements for copper homeostasis, have evolved mechanisms to acquire copper to successfully colonize the host, disseminate to other tissues, and combat host copper bombardment mechanisms that would otherwise mitigate virulence.
Topics: Copper; Fungi; Homeostasis; Trace Elements
PubMed: 28886682
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-micro-030117-020444 -
Psychiatria Polska Oct 2018In recent years it has been increasingly indicated that diet/nutrition is important in the pathogenesis, course and effectiveness of treatment of various mental... (Review)
Review
In recent years it has been increasingly indicated that diet/nutrition is important in the pathogenesis, course and effectiveness of treatment of various mental disorders. Most of the research published so far has focused on the role of nutrition and nutrients in the development and treatment of depression. The results indicated a relationship between diet and risk of depression. Few studies have examined the relationship between diet and bipolar disorder (BD), although it can be assumed that some of the observations related to people with depression may be related to BD. The authors present an overview of the relationship between diet and bipolar disorder and the use of dietary interventions in the treatment of BD. They also discuss the use of nutrients, including polyunsaturated fatty acids, N-acetylcysteine, vitamin D, folic acid, and zinc, in the treatment of BD. For patients, the supplementation of mood disorders treatment with dietary recommendations, supplementation with selected nutrients, supplementation of micronutrients, may provide - in addition to indirect and direct effect on brain function - the possibility of greater co-participation in the treatment, enhancing the sense of control, coping, which may have a significant effect on the course of BD and the effectiveness of its treatment.
Topics: Antioxidants; Bipolar Disorder; Diet; Humans; Micronutrients; Nutritional Requirements; Trace Elements; Vitamins
PubMed: 30584813
DOI: 10.12740/PP/OnlineFirst/78703