Associations among serum folate, waist-to-hip ratio, lipid profile, and eating habits with homocysteine in an elderly Thai population.

A lower serum folate level is common in older populations and is associated with increased serum homocysteine concentration. In turn, an elevated homocysteine level is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and age-related diseases. Contemporary studies of folate and dietary risk factors for cardiovascular disease among the elderly population in Thailand are lacking. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the relationships among serum folate, homocysteine level, and nutritional status in the elderly Thai. Three hundred individuals, aged 60 years and over, underwent anthropometric and physiological measurements, and biochemical parameters, and eating habits were also determined. Folate insufficiency was found in approximately 35% of subjects. Folate and homocysteine showed a significant inverse correlation. Serum homocysteine levels rose with increasing age. Folate deficiency and high waist-to-hip ratio were associated with 7-fold and 2.5-fold increased risk for hyperhomocysteinemia, respectively. There were positive correlations between homocysteine and waist-to-hip ratio and systolic blood pressure, but a negative correlation between homocysteine and high-density lipoprotein (r = -0.239, p < 0.01), which are markers for cardiovascular disease risk. Folate negatively correlated with body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, and diastolic blood pressure, but positively with high-density lipoprotein (r = 0.162, p < 0.01). Investigation of eating habits showed that low consumption of green leafy vegetables and high consumption of sugary foods were associated with high homocysteine levels. Given associations between nutritional status and cardiovascular disease confirmed in this study, nutrition education, holistic health promotion, and appropriate behavioral modification of eating habits represent important measures for preventing premature cardiovascular disease in the elderly Thai population.

Association of antioxidant status and inflammatory markers with metabolic syndrome in Thais.

BACKGROUND: An oxidant/antioxidant disequilibrium has been suggested as having a role in the pathogenesis of some diseases. Metabolic syndrome (MS) is significantly associated with cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. The pathogenesis of MS is complex and not well understood. The purposes of the present study were to compare enzymatic and non-enzyme antioxidants, anthropometric, hematological, and biochemical findings between subjects with MS and without MS and to evaluate the relationship between antioxidant status and hematological parameters with the components of MS. METHODS: Metabolic syndrome was assessed by using the modified National Cholesterol Education Program, Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. Three hundred Thais, 124 with MS and 176 without MS, were included in the study. Each subject was tested for erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase, (GPX), catalase (CAT), albumin and vitamin C levels, and hematological findings. RESULTS: Subjects with MS had lower SOD and CAT levels than those without MS (p < 0.01). Subjects with MS had lower vitamin C and albumin levels than those without MS (p < 0.05). The hematological findings were not significantly different between those with and without MS except the white blood cell (WBC) count which was significantly higher in those with MS. SOD and CAT levels were significantly positively associated with HDL-C levels and negatively associated with components of MS. After adjusting for potential covariates, we found lower SOD and vitamin C levels and higher WBC counts were significantly associated with MS (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest an alteration in antioxidant status and an increase in inflammatory markers are associated with MS and its components among Thais; subjects with MS may be more likely to have oxidative stress problems.

Thai generic-brand dry canine foods: mutagenicity and the effects of feeding in vivo and in vitro.

BACKGROUND: The commercial pet-food industry and the market value of the pet industry have increased. Most owners are concerned about their pets' health, and prefer commercial pet foods as their regular diet. This study thus aimed to determine whether a selection of local generic-brand dry canine foods had any potential to promote chronic disease. METHODS: Five local, generic-brand, dry canine foods were studied for potential mutagenicity; the effects of long-term consumption were also observed in rats. All canine foods were extracted with distilled water and absolute ethanol. The Ames test was used to detect short-term genetic damage, using Salmonella typhimurium tester strains TA98 and TA100. Simultaneously, the long-term effects were studied in an animal model by observing rats fed with these canine foods, compared with normal rat food, for a period of 15 weeks. RESULTS: Using the water extracts, all dry canine foods studied showed considerable mutagenic effects on the tester strains. One brand affected both tester strains, whereas 3 showed positive to TA98, and one to TA100. With the absolute ethanol extract, three of the five brands had a considerable mutagenic effect on TA98, and another affected TA100. In the long-term test, all rats remained alive until the end of the experiment, exhibited no apparent signs of toxicity or serious illness, and maintained normal bodyweight and weight gain. Serum blood biochemistry and hematological parameters in canine food-fed rats showed some negative effects. Correspondingly, histopathological investigation of their liver and kidneys showed deterioration. CONCLUSIONS: Mutagenic potential and the negative potential health impacts were observed in all local-brand dry canine foods tested.

Metallothionein mRNA levels are influenced by dietary cyclodextrins in rats.

The relationship between metallothionein mRNA levels and the amounts of copper and zinc in liver, kidney and small intestine by feeding dietary cyclodextrin was examined in growing Wistar rats. alpha-, beta- or gamma-cyclodextrin was fed at 50 g/kg of diet for a 7-days period (ad libitum). After feeding, the liver zinc of rats fed beta-cyclodextrin was greater than those of rats fed the other three diets. Copper accumulated in kidney of rats fed alpha- or beta-cyclodextrin. Copper content in the small intestine did not show any alterations among rats fed all kinds of diets. The cyclodextrin-supplemented diets were ineffective in zinc content in every organ. There was the greatest level of copper in serum of rats fed beta-cyclodextrin, whereas the highest level of serum zinc was observed in rats fed gamma-cyclodextrin diet. Northern blot analysis demonstrated that dietary beta- and gamma-cyclodextrins, but not alpha-cyclodextrin markedly increased the metallothionein mRNA in the liver, whereas small intestinal metallothionein mRNA levels were markedly decreased. Kidney metallothionien mRNA levels were raised appreciably by all dietary cyclodextrin intakes. Metallothionein gene expressions in liver, kidney and small intestine were not proportional to liver and serum copper or zinc levels in those tissues. These results suggest that regulation of the metallothionein mRNA levels may at least partly involved with the accumulation of metals as copper in liver and kidney of rats fed cyclodextrins.