Lipectomy associated to obesity produces greater fat accumulation in the visceral white adipose tissue of female compared to male rats.

BACKGROUND: Mobility of fat deposited in adipocytes among different fatty territories can play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of obesity-related diseases. Our goal was to investigate which of the remaining fat pads assume the role of accumulating lipids after surgical removal of parietal WAT (lipectomy; LIPEC) in rats of both sexes displaying MSG-induced obesity. METHODS: The animals entered the study straight after birth, being separated according to gender and randomly divided into CON (control, saline-treated) and MSG (monosodium glutamate-treated) groups. Next, the animals underwent LIPEC or sham-operated surgery (SHAM). Obesity was induced by the injection of MSG (4 mg/g/day) during neonatal stage (2nd to 11th day from birth). LIPEC was performed on the 12th week, consisting in the withdrawal of parietal WAT. On the 16th week, the following WATs were isolated and collected: peri-epididymal-WAT (EP-WAT); parametrial-WAT (PM-WAT); omental-WAT (OM-WAT); perirenal-WAT (PR-WAT) and retroperitoneal-WAT (RP-WAT). RESULTS: The adiposity index was significantly increased in both male (3.2 ± 0.2** vs 1.8 ± 0.1) and female (4.9 ± 0.7* vs 2.6 ± 0.3) obese rats compared to their respective control groups. LIPEC in obese animals produced fat accumulation in visceral fat sites in a more accentuated manner in female (3.6 ± 0.3** vs 2.8 ± 0.3 g/100 g) rather than in male (1.8 ± 0.2* vs 1.5 ± 0.1 g/100 g) rats compared to obese non-lipectomized animals. Among the visceral WATs, the greater differences were observed between gonadal WATs of obese lipectomized rats, with higher accumulation having been observed in PM-WAT (2.8 ± 0.3* vs 2.1 ± 0.2 g/100 g) rather than in EP-WAT (1.0 ± 0.1 ± 0.9 ± 0.1 g/100 g) when compared to obese non-lipectomized animals. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study led us to conclude that obesity induced by MSG treatment occurs differently in male and female rats. When associated with parietal LIPEC, there was a significant increase in the deposition of visceral fat, which was significantly higher in obese female rats than in males, indicating that fat mobility among WATs in lipectomized-obese rats can occur more expressively in particular sites of remaining WATs.

Valor da soja como alimento funcional nas doenças cardiovasculares ateroscleróticas / Value of soybean as a functional food in atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases

A soja tem sido empregada como alimento funcional pela possibilidade de prevenir e tratar várias doenças crônicas, principalmente devido a dois componentes: proteínas e isoflavonóides. Administrando-se proteína da soja, na dose média de 25g/dia (ou 6,25g, quatro vezes ao dia), consegue-se reduzir o colesterol total, o LDL-colesterol e os triglicerídios, sem altera o HDL-colesterol. A redução do colesterol total e do LDL-colestrolé proporcional aos níveis iniciais desses lipídios. As proteínas da soja e/ou os isoflavonóides podem aumentar a reatividade vascular, melhorar a função endotelial e inibir os eventos que levam à lesão e à formação do trombo. Em 1999, o FDA divulgou documento, onde se conclui que a proteína da soja, incluída em dieta pobre em gorduras saturadas e colesterol, pode reduzir o risco de doença coronariana, como conseqüência à redução do colestrol, e autorizou as empresas que produzissem alimentos à base de soja a indicar esses benefícios nos rótulos. A redução do colesterol plasmático, quando se ingerem os produtos da soja, está bem comprovada, mas, para se demonstrar a diminuição da incidência de doenças cardiovasculares ateroscleróticas, faltam ensaios clínicos convincentes.

Consumo de bebidas alcoolicas: interacoes com o benzeno e outras substancias de uso ocupacional / Alcohol use: interactions with benzene and other substances at the workplace

O consumo de bebidas alcoolicas e um grave problema de saude publica, atingindo todas as faixas etarias da populacao, onde, no Brasil, estima-se que 1 entre 10 pessoas apresenta problemas com o uso indevido...