Search Results (4)

Selenium is essential for the synthesis and function of various selenoenzymes, such as glutathione peroxidases, selenoprotein P, and thioredoxin reductase. These enzymes play a critical role in both antioxidant defense and in limiting oxidative damage. Numerous studies have reported associations between serum selenium concentration, obstetric complications and pregnancy outcomes. The aim of this study was to determine whether the dietary intake of selenium, its serum concentration, and the activity of glutathione peroxidase in subsequent trimesters of pregnancy affect the birth condition of newborns. This was assessed based on the APGAR score in the 1st and 5th minute of life, birth weight, body length and head and chest circumference in both physiological and complicated pregnancy courses. Twenty-seven pregnant women, with a mean age of 29.6 ± 4.8 years from the Lower Silesia region of Poland, participated in the study. Fifty-five percent of the study group experienced pregnancy complications. The median reported selenium intake and serum selenium content for Polish pregnant women in the first trimester was 56.30 μg/day and 43.89 μg/L, respectively. These figures changed in the second trimester to 58.31 μg/day and 41.97 μg/L and in the third trimester to 55.60 μg/day and 41.90 μg/L. In the subgroup of pregnant women with a physiological pregnancy course, a weak, positive correlation was observed in the first trimester between Se intake and the length (R = 0.48, p = 0.019) and the birth weight of newborns (R = 0.472, p = 0.022). In the second trimester, a positive correlation was noted with the APGAR score at the 1st (R = 0.680, p = 0.005) and 5th minutes (R = 0.55, p = 0.033), and in the third trimester with the APGAR score at the 1st minute (R = 0.658, p = 0.019). The glutathione peroxidase activity had a strong positive correlation with the APGAR score at the 1st min (R = 0.650, p = 0.008) in the second trimester and with the birth weight of the newborns (R = 0.598, p = 0.039) in the third trimester. No correlation was found between newborns’ birth measurements and serum selenium concentration. In the subgroup of pregnant women with complications, a strong, negative correlation was found between Se intake in the second trimester and gestational age (R = −0.618, p = 0.032). In the third trimester, a positive correlation was noted between Se concentration in serum and head circumference (R = 0.587, p = 0.021). The results indicate that maternal selenium status during pregnancy, including dietary intake, serum concentration, and glutathione peroxidase activity, correlates with anthropometric parameters of the newborn, such as birth weight, length, and APGAR score, especially in pregnancies with a physiological course. However, these relationships diminish in importance when pregnancy complications occur. Full article

There have been reports of food hypersensitivity reactions to food additives (HFA) for many years. The mechanisms of HFA and their frequency are difficult to precisely define, as most of the data come from outdated studies with poor methodology. In 2020, the European Food Safety Authority completed a review of additives, examining their influence on the occurrence of HFA, but did not include all of them. The aim of this review is to systematise knowledge about selected groups of food additives (FAs) and the HFA induced by them. We also briefly discuss the issues of diagnosis and therapy in this disease. FAs are commonly used in prosscessed foods, but HFA appears to be a rare phenomenon. Identification of the FA responsible for hypersensitivity and its treatment is difficult. Diagnosis is a challenge for the clinician and for the patient. A food diary is a helpful diagnostic tool. It allows diet therapy to be monitored based on the partial or complete elimination of products containing a harmful additive. An elimination diet must not be deficient, and symptomatic pharmacotherapy may be necessary if its application is ineffective. Taking all this into account, we conclude that it is necessary to conduct randomised multicentre studies based on the double-blind placebo control protocol in this field. Full article

Background: The mother’s diet has a direct impact on fetal development and pregnancy, and can also be important in the course of the body’s inflammatory response. An anti-inflammatory diet can be a promising way to counter an excessive inflammatory response in pregnancy. Objective: The aim of the study was to examine the association between the dietary inflammatory index (DII) and the pregnant women’s serum interleukin 6 (IL-6) and 10 (IL-10) and C-reactive protein (CRP) concentration in the course of normal and complicated pregnancy. Research Methods and Procedures: The study included 45 Polish pregnant women recruited to the study. The DII, a literature-based dietary index to assess the inflammatory properties of diet, was estimated based on a seven-day 24-h recall and an food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) in each trimester of pregnancy. At the same time as the nutritional interviews, blood samples were collected for the determination of IL-6, IL-10, and CRP concentrations. The studied group was divided into subgroups with normal and complicated pregnancy and depending on the DII median. Results: With the development of pregnancy, the DII score slightly decreased in subsequent trimesters: −1.78 in the first trimester, −2.43 in the second trimester, and −2.71 in the third trimester (p = 0.092). Independent of the trimester of pregnancy and the occurrence of pregnancy complications, the DII score did not affect the differences in the serum concentrations of IL-6, IL-10, and CRP, with the exception of CRP level in the second trimester in women with complicated pregnancy (subgroup with DII < median had a lower CRP level than subgroup with DII > median). In the first and third trimesters, there was a weak but significant positive correlation between the DII score and CRP concentration. During the second trimester, in the group with normal pregnancy and DII below the median, a significant negative correlation between the DII score and the serum IL-6 and IL-10 concentration was noted as well as in the third trimester for IL-6. Conclusion: The anti-inflammatory potential of a pregnant woman’s diet increases slightly with pregnancy development; however, its value has no permanent significant association with the level of CRP, IL-6, and IL-10. Full article

Silicon in nutritional amounts provides benefits for bone health and cognitive function. The relationship between silicon intake from a common daily diet and silicon blood level has been scarcely elucidated, so far. The aim of this study was to analyze the associations between plasma silicon levels and the total and bioavailable silicon intake—along with the contribution of silicon made by food groups—in a healthy adult Polish population. Si intake was evaluated in 185 healthy adults (94 females and 91 males, aged 20–70) using a 3-day dietary recall and a database on the silicon content in foods, which was based on both previously published data and our own research. Fasting plasma silicon levels were measured in 126 consenting subjects, using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. The silicon intake in the Polish population differed significantly according to sex, amounting to 24.0 mg/day in women and 27.7 mg/day in men. The median plasma silicon level was 152.3 µg/L having no gender dependency but with a negative correlation with age. Significant correlations were found between plasma silicon level and total and bioavailable silicon intake, as well as water intake in the diet (r = 0.18, p = 0.044; r = 0.23, p = 0.011; r = 0.28, p = 0.002, respectively). Silicon intakes from non-alcoholic beverages, cereal foods, and carotene-rich vegetables were also positively associated with plasma silicon levels. These results may help establish dietary silicon recommendations and formulate practical advice on dietary choices to ensure an appropriate supply of silicon. The outcome of this study, however, needs to be confirmed by large-scale epidemiological investigations. Full article