Nutrition
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Mild to severe iodine deficiency has been documented in China since 1960. To eliminate this persisting iodine deficiency, legislation on universal salt iodization was introduced in 1995 as a long-term public health intervention strategy. We examined the urinary iodine excretion and the iodine content of drinking water and salt samples to assess the benefits and risks of this national strategy. ⋯ In each area, the median urinary iodine of schoolchildren was nearly or above 200 μg/L, which confirmed the effectiveness of the iodization strategy. However, in areas with an iodine content higher than 150 μg/L in the drinking water, the schoolchildren had more than adequate or excessive iodine intake, which was associated with the prevalence of goiter. Therefore, it is important to adjust the strategy of universal salt iodization control in China.
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Phase II biotransformation of flavonoids generates bioactive metabolites in vivo. However, data on the effect of environmental and physiologic factors and fetal programming on phase II pathways toward flavonoids are limited. We examined the effect of parental exposure to a diet high in saturated fats and fructose 1 mo before conception through lactation on in vitro hepatic uridine 5'-diphosphate (UDP)-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) activity toward quercetin in parent and offspring rats and the interaction between diet and sex. ⋯ High dietary fructose and saturated fat decreased UGT capacity toward quercetin in female rats and in utero exposure to the diet decreased the glucuronidation capacity of their pups.
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The present study identified the effects of heat oxidation on protein carbonyl content and α,α-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical-scavenging activity in soy protein. The changes on antioxidant status in male mice fed a heat-oxidized diet were also investigated. ⋯ Heat-oxidized soy protein showed a relatively higher protein carbonyl content and a loss of its free radical-scavenging activity in vitro. The heat oxidation also led the soy protein to generate reactive oxygen species, decrease the antioxidant status, and induce redox imbalance in vivo. The heat oxidation of food protein could be a potential health risk in humans.
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Editorial Comparative Study
Which are more important: prebiotics or probiotics?