Flavonoids as potential therapeutic agents for type 1 diabetes

Prevalence of hyperthyroidism according to type of vegetarian diet

OBJECTIVE

Vegetarian diets may be associated with low prevalence of autoimmune disease, as observed in rural sub-Saharan Africans. Graves' disease, an autoimmune disorder, is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism. We studied prevalence of hyperthyroidism according to dietary pattern in a population with a high proportion of vegetarians.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional prevalence study. The association between diet and prevalence of hyperthyroidism was examined using multivariate logistic regression analyses controlling for sociodemographic characteristics and salt use.

SETTING

The Adventist Health Study-2 conducted in the USA and Canada.

SUBJECTS

Church members (n 65 981) provided demographic, dietary, lifestyle and medical history data by questionnaire.

RESULTS

The prevalence of self-reported hyperthyroidism was 0·9 %. Male gender (OR=0·32; 95 % CI 0·26, 0·41) and moderate or high income (OR=0·67; 95 % CI 0·52, 0·88 and OR=0·73; 95 % CI 0·58, 0·91, respectively) protected against hyperthyroidism, while obesity and prevalent CVD were associated with increased risk (OR=1·25; 95 % CI 1·02, 1·54 and OR=1·92; 95 % CI 1·53, 2·42, respectively). Vegan, lacto-ovo and pesco vegetarian diets were associated with lower risk compared with omnivorous diets (OR=0·49; 95 % CI 0·33, OR=0·72, 0·65; 95 % CI 0·53, 0·81 and OR=0·74; 95 % CI 0·56, 1·00, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Exclusion of all animal foods was associated with half the prevalence of hyperthyroidism compared with omnivorous diets. Lacto-ovo and pesco vegetarian diets were associated with intermediate protection. Further study of potential mechanisms is warranted.

Antidiabetic and antiacetylcholinesterase effects of ethyl acetate fraction of Chaenomeles sinensis (Thouin) Koehne fruits in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

The present study was intended to examine the effects of the supplementation of active α-glucosidase, α-amylase and lipase inhibitory ethyl acetate (CSE) fraction from the fruits of Chaenomeles sinensis (Thouin) Koehne on blood glucose (BG), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransaminase (AST), acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and antioxidant levels. The diabetic rats were treated orally with CSE at the doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg bw for 14 days. BG, TC, TG, HDL-C, ALT, AST and AChE levels were significantly reduced; on the other hand antioxidant levels were significantly increased in the treated groups. These observations suggest protective effects of CSE against STZ-induced diabetic dementia model.

Daily vegetable intake during pregnancy negatively associated to islet autoimmunity in the offspring--the ABIS study

OBJECTIVE

To investigate if maternal diet during pregnancy is associated with occurrence of islet autoimmunity (IA) in the offspring.

METHODS

Of 21 700 infants invited to the All Babies in South-east Sweden (ABIS) study, 16 004 screening questionnaires, including a 22-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) regarding the mothers' diet during pregnancy, were completed after delivery. Follow-up of the children (questionnaires and blood sampling) was performed at 1, 2.5 and 5 yr of age. IA was defined as being positive (above the 95th percentile for healthy children) in two or more measurements of autoantibodies [glutamic acid decarboxylase (GADA); tyrosine phosphatase (IA-2A), insulin autoantibodies (IAA)] analysed at the three time points or being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes during the 5-yr follow-up period. The 5 724 children in whom we carried out two to three possible blood samplings were included in the study. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify variables predicting IA.

RESULTS

Of 5 724 children,191 (3.3%) were considered positive for IA. In a univariate analysis, less than daily consumption of vegetables (3-5 times/week) in the mothers' diet was associated with increased risk of IA (OR 1.71, 95% CI:1.24-2.35, p = 0.001) compared to daily consumption (p for trend = 0.004). The association was strengthened when adjusting for known IA-risk factors (p for trend <0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Daily consumption of vegetables in the mothers' diet during pregnancy was associated with a decreased risk of IA in the offspring.