Current and New Insights on Delivery Systems for Plant Sterols in Food.

Plant sterols are minor bioactive components of food lipids, which are often used for the formulation of functional foods due to their cholesterol-lowering properties. However, they have low solubility and tend to crystallize, which may affect their biological effects, the sensory profile of the sterol-enriched food, and its consumer acceptability. Moreover, due to the unsaturated structure of sterols, they are susceptible to oxidation, so different encapsulation systems have been developed to improve their dispersibility/solubility, stability, delivery, and bioaccessibility. This chapter provides an overview of the main encapsulation systems currently used for plant sterols and their application in model and food systems, with a particular focus on their efficiency and impact on sterol bioaccessibility.

Effect of ß-cryptoxanthin plus phytosterols on cardiovascular risk and bone turnover markers in post-menopausal women: a randomized crossover trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Post-menopausal women are at higher risk of cardiovascular disease and bone demineralization. Phytosterols (PS) may be used for hypercholesterolemia in some groups and ß-cryptoxanthin (ß-Cx) displays a unique anabolic effect on bone. Our aim was to assess the changes in cardiovascular and bone turnover markers from the oral intake of ß-Cx and PS in post-menopausal women. METHODS AND RESULTS: A randomized, double-blind, crossover study with ß-Cx (0.75 mg/day) and PS (1.5 g/day), single and combined, was performed in 38 postmenopausal women. Diet was supplemented with 1 × 250 mL milk-based fruit drink/day for 4 weeks with a wash-out period of 4-weeks in between. Serum ß-Cx and PS were determined by UPLC and CG-FID respectively. Outcome variables included markers of bone turnover and cardiovascular risk. Biological effect was assessed by paired t test and generalized estimating equations analysis that included the previous treatment, the order of intervention and the interactions. The intake of beverages containing ß-Cx and PS brought about a significant increase in serum levels of ß-Cx, ß-sitosterol and campesterol. Intervention caused changes in almost all the markers while the order, previous treatment and the interaction did not reach statistical significance. Only the intake of the beverage containing ß-Cx plus PS brought about significant decreases in total cholesterol, c-HDL, c-LDL and bone turnover markers. CONCLUSIONS: ß-Cx improves the cholesterol-lowering effect of PS when supplied simultaneously and this combination may also be beneficial in reducing risk of osteoporosis. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRY: ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT01074723.

[Prebiotics and nucleotides in infant nutrition; review of the evidence]. / Prebióticos y nucleótidos en alimentación infantil; revisión de la evidencia.

INTRODUCTION: Most of the initiation and maintenance pediatric formulas commercialized in Spain contain prebiotics and/or nucleotides aiming at achieving beneficial effects on prevention of different pathologies and immune protection, similar to human breast milk. However, according to the current legislation, its inclusion is optional since sufficient scientific evidences supporting its mandatory inclusion is lacking. OBJECTIVE: To systematically review the scientific evidence from randomized clinical studies with a control group allowing determining the beneficial role for infant health derived from the inclusion of prebiotics and/or nucleotides in pediatric formulas. METHODOLOGY: We looked for and selected both original papers and reviews in Spanish and English language of placebo controlled randomized clinical studies published in the databases MEDLINE/PubMed, Scielo, Science Direct, and Scopus, until October of 2011. RESULTS: We found 43 randomized clinical trials meeting the inclusion criteria. CONCLUSIONS: More long-term randomized studies with higher number of patients, and standardized supplemental amounts and experimental conditions are needed to establish healthy statements with stronger scientific support regarding the addition of a mixture of prebiotics (GOS/FOS) and/or nucleotides in pediatric formulas. The current trend to include them in pediatric formulas may be justified based on the currently available evidence, as well as their safety and their presence in human breast milk.

Prebióticos y nucleótidos en alimentación infantil; revisión de la evidencia / Prebiotics and nucleotides in infant nutrition; review of the evidence

Introducción: Una gran mayoría de preparados infantiles de inicio y continuación comercializados en España presentan en su formulación prebióticos y/o nucleótidos, con objeto de lograr efectos beneficiosos en la prevención de diferentes patologías y protección inmunológica, similares a los de la leche materna. No obstante, atendiendo a la reglamentación vigente, su adición es opcional, ya que no existe suficiente evidencia científica que certifique la obligatoriedad de su inclusión. Objetivo: Revisar sistemáticamente la evidencia científica proveniente de estudios clínicos aleatorizados con grupo control que permita determinar el papel beneficioso para la salud de los lactantes derivada de la adición de prebióticos y/o nucleótidos en preparados infantiles. Metodología: Se buscaron y seleccionaron tanto artículos originales como revisiones en inglés y español de estudios clínicos aleatorizados con grupo control, publicados en las bases de datos de MEDLINE/PubMed, Scielo, Science Direct y Scopus, hasta octubre de 2011. Resultados: Se encontraron 43 ensayos clínicos aleatorizados que cumplieron con los criterios de inclusión. Conclusiones: Son necesarios más estudios a largo plazo, con mayor número de individuos y aleatorizados, así como estandarización de las cantidades suplementadas y demás condiciones experimentales, para poder establecer declaraciones saludables con mayor base científica respecto a la adición de la mezcla de prebióticos (GOS/FOS) y/o nucleótidos en preparados infantiles. La tendencia actual a su inclusión en preparados infantiles puede justificarse en base a las evidencias científicas disponibles hasta el momento, así como a su seguridad y a su presencia en la leche materna (AU)

Introduction: Most of the initiation and maintenance pediatric formulas commercialized in Spain contain prebiotics and/or nucleotides aiming at achieving beneficial effects on prevention of different pathologies and immune protection, similar to human breast milk. However, according to the current legislation, its inclusion is optional since sufficient scientific evidences supporting its mandatory inclusion is lacking. Objective: To systematically review the scientific evidence from randomized clinical studies with a control group allowing determining the beneficial role for infant health derived from the inclusion of prebiotics and/or nucleotides in pediatric formulas. Methodology: We looked for and selected both original papers and reviews in Spanish and English language of placebo controlled randomized clinical studies published in the databases MEDLINE/PubMed, Scielo, Science Direct, and Scopus, until October of 2011. Results: We found 43 randomized clinical trials meeting the inclusion criteria. Conclusions: More long-term randomized studies with higher number of patients, and standardized supplemental amounts and experimental conditions are needed to establish healthy statements with stronger scientific support regarding the addition of a mixture of prebiotics (GOS/FOS) and/or nucleotides in pediatric formulas. The current trend to include them in pediatric formulas may be justified based on the currently available evidence, as well as their safety and their presence in human breast milk (AU)

Analysis of phytosterols in foods.

Phytosterols are bioactive compounds, one of their most studied and outstanding properties being their cholesterol-lowering activity. This explains the growing interest in the phytosterol contents of foods as either intrinsic or added components. The different steps (extraction, saponification, clean up, chromatographic determination) of plant sterol determination are reviewed, and emphasis is placed on the methods used to assay different phytosterols in food.