3 nutrient intake papers

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Hi All,

Below are three not pdf-available papers represented by their Medline citations

and

abstracts.

For the first, eating more folate seems to lead to improvement in immune

function

caused by aging, much as seems to be done byCR.

Our eating folate seems to result in elevation of vitamin B12 also.

J Nutr Biochem. 2005 Aug 9; [Epub ahead of print]

Dietary folate improves age-related decreases in lymphocyte function.

Field CJ, Van Aerde A, Drager KL, Goruk S, Basu T.

Although low folate status is thought to be fairly common in the older

population, its implication on immunity has not been adequately investigated.

Using

11-month-old and 23-month-old male rats (Fisher 344), the present study was

undertaken to examine the modifying effects of feeding a control diet (NIH-07)

supplemented with folate (35.7 mg/kg) for 3 weeks on the immune cells of spleen

and

mesenteric lymph node (MLN) origin. The serum concentrations of folate along

with

vitamin B(12) were elevated in response to the folate supplementation (P<.05).

These

results were accompanied by an improved proliferative response (stimulation

index)

to mitogens in both the spleen and MLNs (P<.05). The proportion of T cells in

the

MLNs, but not in the spleen, was significantly increased in rats fed a diet

supplemented with folate. In the spleen, the folate-supplemented diet prevented

the

age-associated decrease (P<.05) in the production of interferon (IFN)alpha by

unstimulated cells and the decrease in T-helper (Th)1/Th2-type response after

stimulation with phorbol myristate acetate and ionomycin. In the MLNs, on the

other

hand, the folate-supplemented diet failed to influence any age-related increase

in

interleukin (IL)-2, tumor necrosis factor alpha and IFNgamma following

stimulation

but did result in a significantly increased production of IL-4 (P<.05). Overall,

this study provides data suggesting that aging is associated with changes in the

proportion of T cells, the ability of immune cells to proliferate and the

production

of cytokines after stimulation. Supplementing a folate-sufficient diet with

additional folate improves proliferative response to mitogens, the distribution

of T

cells in the MLNs and the age-related changes in cytokine production in the

spleen.

These results suggest that the dietary folate requirement may be higher in the

older

population than in the younger population to support immune functions.

PMID: 16098728

The n-6/n-3 ratio, for the second paper, does appear to effectively result in

higher

docosahexaenoic acid levels. Bones appear to benefit from the higher

docosahexaenoic acid levels.

J Nutr Biochem. 2005 Aug 12; [Epub ahead of print]

Dietary ratio of n-6/n-3 PUFAs and docosahexaenoic acid: actions on bone mineral

and

serum biomarkers in ovariectomized rats.

Watkins BA, Li Y, Seifert MF.

Hypoestrogenic states escalate bone loss in animals and humans. This study

evaluated the effects of the amount and ratio of dietary n-6 and n-3

polyunsaturated

fatty acids (PUFAs) on bone mineral in 3-month-old sexually mature

ovariectomized

(OVX) Sprague-Dawley rats. For 12 weeks, the rats were fed either a high-PUFA

(HP)

or a low-PUFA (LP) diet with a ratio of n-6/n-3 PUFAs of 5:1 (HP5 and LP5) or

10:1

(HP10 and LP10). All diets (modified AIN-93G) provided 110.4 g/kg of fat from

safflower oil and/or high-oleate safflower oil blended with n-3 PUFAs (DHASCO

oil)

as a source of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Fatty acid analyses confirmed that

the

dietary ratio of 5:1 significantly elevated the amount of DHA in the periosteum,

marrow and cortical and trabecular bones of the femur. Dual-energy X-ray

absorptiometry measurements for femur and tibia bone mineral content (BMC) and

bone

mineral density showed that the DHA-rich diets (HP5 and LP5) resulted in a

significantly lower bone loss among the OVX rats at 12 weeks. Rats fed the LP

diets

displayed the lowest overall serum concentrations of the bone resorption

biomarkers

pyridinoline (Pyd) and deoxypyridinoline, whereas the bone formation marker

osteocalcin was lowest in the HP groups. Regardless of the dietary PUFA content,

DHA

in the 5:1 diets (HP5 and LP5) preserved rat femur BMC in the absence of

estrogen.

This study indicates that the dietary ratio of n-6/n-3 PUFAs (LP5 and HP5) and

bone

tissue concentration of total long-chain n-3 PUFAs (DHA) minimize femur bone

loss as

evidenced by a higher BMC in OVX rats. These findings show that dietary DHA

lowers

the ratio of 18:2n-6 (linoleic acid)/n-3 in bone compartments and that this

ratio in

tissue correlates with reduced Pyd but higher bone alkaline phosphatase activity

and

BMC values that favor bone conservation in OVX rats.

PMID: 16102959

For the third paper, pomegranate juice appears to lead to improved blood lipids.

For pomegranate juice, oxidation of low density lipoprotein was reduced.

Definitions are:

foam cell: Lipid laden macrophages and, to a lesser extent smooth muscle cells,

found in fatty streaks on the arterial wall.

fatty streak: Superficial fatty patch in the artery wall caused by the

accumulation

of cholesterol and cholesterol oleate in distended foam cells.

J Nutr Biochem. 2005 Sep;16(9):570-6.

Pomegranate juice inhibits oxidized LDL uptake and cholesterol biosynthesis in

macrophages.

Fuhrman B, Volkova N, Aviram M.

... Pomegranate juice (PJ) was shown to inhibit macrophage foam cell

formation

and development of atherosclerotic lesions. ... oxidized LDL (Ox-LDL) ...

Preincubation of macrophages with PJ resulted in a significant reduction (P<.01)

in

Ox-LDL degradation by 40%. On the contrary, PJ had no effect on macrophage

degradation of native LDL or on macrophage cholesterol efflux. Macrophage

cholesterol biosynthesis was inhibited by 50% (P<.01) after cell incubation with

PJ.

This inhibition, however, was not mediated at the 3-hydroxy-3 methylglutaryl

coenzyme A reductase level along the biosynthetic pathway. We conclude that

PJ-mediated suppression of Ox-LDL degradation and of cholesterol biosynthesis in

macrophages can lead to reduced cellular cholesterol accumulation and foam cell

formation.

PMID: 16115546

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstra\

ct & list_uids=16115546 & query_hl=61

Al Pater, PhD; email: old542000@...

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