Docosahexaenoic acid-enriched canola oil increases adiponectin concentrations: a randomized crossover controlled intervention trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Little is known about the effect of various dietary fatty acids on pro- and anti-inflammatory processes. We investigated the effect of 5 oils containing various amounts of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), linoleic acid (LA), oleic acid (OA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on plasma inflammatory biomarkers and expression levels of key inflammatory genes and transcription factors in whole blood cells. METHODS AND RESULTS: In a randomized, crossover controlled nutrition intervention, 114 adult men and women with abdominal obesity and at least one other criterion for the metabolic syndrome consumed 5 experimental isoenergetic diets for 4 weeks each, separated by 4-week washout periods. Each diet provided 60 g/3000 kcal of different oils: 1) control corn/safflower oil blend (CornSaff; LA-rich), 2) flax/safflower oil blend (FlaxSaff; ALA-rich), 3) conventional canola oil (Canola; OA-rich), 4) high oleic canola oil (CanolaOleic; highest OA content), 5) DHA-enriched high oleic canola oil (CanolaDHA; OA- and DHA-rich). Gene expression in whole blood cells was assessed in a subset of 62 subjects. CanolaDHA increased plasma adiponectin concentrations compared with the control CornSaff oil treatment (+4.5%, P = 0.04) and FlaxSaff (+6.9%, P = 0.0008). CanolaDHA also reduced relative expression levels of interleukin (IL)1B compared with CornSaff and Canola (-11% and -13%, respectively, both P = 0.03). High-sensitivity C-reactive protein concentrations were lower after Canola than after FlaxSaff (-17.8%, P = 0.047). CONCLUSION: DHA-enriched canola oil exerts anti-inflammatory effects compared with polyunsaturated fatty acids from plant sources.

Validity and reproducibility of a web-based, self-administered food frequency questionnaire.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: To assess the validity and the reproducibility of a newly developed web-based, self-administered food frequency questionnaire (web-FFQ). SUBJECTS/METHODS: A total of 74 healthy subjects (34 men and 40 women) from the Québec City metropolitan area were asked to complete, in random order, the web-FFQ, a validated interviewer-administered FFQ (IA-FFQ) and a 3-day food record (3-day FR). RESULTS: Mean intakes of 17/22 nutrients assessed between the web-FFQ and the 3-day FR were not significantly different (differences <10%, P≥0.11). Sex and energy-adjusted de-attenuated Pearson correlation coefficients for each nutrient varied from 0.12-0.98 (mean R=0.55, 95% confidence interval 0.46; 0.63) between the web-FFQ and the 3-day FR. All correlations were significant (P≤0.01) and above 0.34 (mean R=0.59, 95% confidence interval 0.54; 0.65) between the web-FFQ and the IA-FFQ, except for sodium (R=0.17, P=0.14). Cross-classification analysis revealed that on average, 77% of subjects were classified in the same or adjacent quartile of nutrient intake between the web-FFQ and the 3-day FR. Correlation coefficients for reproducibility of the web-FFQ tested 4-6 weeks apart in the same individuals were all equal or above 0.48 (P≤0.0001; mean R=0.72, 95% confidence interval 0.68; 0.76). More than 90% of the subjects were classified in the same or adjacent quartile between the two administrations of the web-FFQ, while only 0.8% was misclassified. CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrate that the newly developed web-based FFQ appears to have reasonable validity and good reproducibility for assessing nutrient intakes at the group and individual levels in a population of healthy adults.

[Decentralized focus of the campaign against AIDS in Quebec]. / Enfoque descentralizado de la lucha contra el SIDA en Quebec.

The aim of this article is to describe the operation of a local health system within the social and public health context in the Province of Quebec, Canada. Following a review of the local health system concept, a description is given of the resources that have been used to combat acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in the city of Quebec and the surrounding region. Some of the results obtained and difficulties encountered are presented, as are prospects for this work in the future.