Coffee and Tea Group Contribute the Most to the Dietary Total Antioxidant Capacity of Older Adults: A Population Study in a Medium-Sized Brazilian City

From a Cup of Tea to Cardiovascular Care: Vascular Mechanisms of Action

Tea consumption is increasingly recognized for its potential benefits to cardiovascular health. This study reviews the available research, concentrating on the major components of tea and their mechanisms of action in the cardiovascular system. Tea is abundant in bioactive compounds, such as flavonoids and polysaccharides, which possess significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. These compounds play a crucial role in mitigating oxidative stress and inflammation, thereby supporting cardiovascular health. They enhance endothelial function, leading to improved vascular relaxation and reduced arterial stiffness, and exhibit antithrombotic effects. Additionally, regular tea consumption is potentially associated with better regulation of blood pressure, improved cholesterol profiles, and effective blood sugar control. It has been suggested that incorporating tea into daily dietary habits could be a practical strategy for cardiovascular disease prevention and management. Despite the promising evidence, more rigorous clinical trials are needed to establish standardized consumption recommendations and fully understand long-term effects. This review offers a more comprehensive analysis of the current evidence based on endothelium function and identifies the gaps that future research should address.

The impact of diet, exercise, and sleep on Helicobacter pylori infection with different occupations: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Associations between Helicobacter pylori infection and lifestyle factors vary greatly by geographic location. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in the Hunan cohort of central China and analyze the associations between Helicobacter pylori infection and lifestyle factors in different occupations.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study. Participants who received an annual physical examination were invited. Helicobacter pylori infection was detected by the 13 C-urea breath test. Self-reported physical examination questionnaires were used to analyze participants' demographic information, diet, exercise status, and sleep situations.

RESULTS

23254 participants finished this study. The Helicobacter pylori infection rate in the Hunan area was 25.8%, with the lowest prevalence in students (8.5%) and the highest prevalence in business managers (29.9%). The risk factors for Helicobacter pylori infection were marital status (divorced or married) (OR:1.16, 95%CI:1.090-1.234), overeating (OR:1.105, 95%CI: 1.001-1.220), and consumption of eggs (OR:1.047, 95%CI:1.004-1.092), animal viscera (OR: 1.077, 95%CI:1.014-1.144) and coffee (OR:1.074, 95%CI:1.019-1.132). Participants' education level (OR:0.911, 95%CI:0.881-0942), consumption of midnight snack (OR:0.926, 95%CI:0.877-0.977), and vegetable (OR:0.927, 95%CI: 0.884-0.972) were protective factors against Helicobacter pylori infection. Whether participants exercised regularly or had sleep problems had no significant effect on Helicobacter pylori infection. Different professionals showed significant differences in the rates of overeating, eating three meals on time, midnight snack, and consuming coffee, eggs, animal viscera, and vegetables > 3 times/week (P values < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Helicobacter pylori infection showed a significant relationship with dietary factors, but not significantly with sleep and exercise factors. Different occupations showed different dietary tendencies related to Helicobacter pylori infection. The design of an occupation-based Helicobacter pylori screening and prevention program is supported.

Dietary inflammatory index, dietary total antioxidant capacity, and frailty among older Chinese adults

OBJECTIVES

Frailty is an age-related syndrome associated with poor health outcomes. Studies in developed countries indicate that the dietary inflammatory index (DII) and dietary total antioxidant capacity (DTAC) are important dietary factors influencing the risk of frailty in older adults. However, few studies have explored the association between DII, DTAC, and frailty among older Chinese adults. The objective of the current study was to examine whether DII and DTAC were associated with pre-frailty or frailty among older Chinese adults.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Community-based.

PARTICIPANTS

We included 6414 participants aged ≥60 years.

MEASUREMENTS

Dietary intake was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). The DII and energy-adjusted DII (E-DII) were calculated using food parameters. DTAC was estimated using two widely adopted antioxidant scores: DTAC based on ferric reducing antioxidant power and dietary antioxidant quality score (DAQS) obtained from vitamins (vitamins A, C, and E) and minerals (zinc and selenium) with antioxidant functions. Frailty was assessed using the frailty index (FI) calculated from 28 health-related deficits. Individuals were classified as robust (FI ≤ 0.10), pre-frailty (FI > 0.10 to <0.25), or frailty (FI ≥ 0.25). Multiple logistic regression models were used to evaluate the associations of DII and DTAC with pre-frailty and frailty.

RESULTS

After adjusting for confounding factors, individuals in the highest DII quintile (Q5) were more likely to have pre-frailty (odds ratio [OR] = 1.56; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.25-1.93; P for trend <0.001) than those in the lowest Q1. A similar positive association was detected for E-DII and pre-frailty. A significant association was found between DII and frailty. Compared with the lowest Q1, the highest Q5 of DTAC was negatively correlated with pre-frailty (OR = 0.66; 95% CI: 0.52-0.84; P for trend <0.001) and frailty (OR = 0.71; 95% CI: 0.50-0.1.03; P for trend <0.001). The DAQS yielded results similar to pre-frailty results (OR = 0.72; 95% CI: 0.58-0.89; P < 0.001). There was no evidence suggesting an association between DAQS and frailty.

CONCLUSIONS

More proinflammatory diets were linked to higher pre-frailty risk, whereas higher levels of dietary antioxidants were associated with lower pre-frailty and frailty risk among older Chinese adults.

Research progress regarding the effect and mechanism of dietary phenolic acids for improving nonalcoholic fatty liver disease via gut microbiota

Phenolic acids (PAs), a class of small bioactive molecules widely distributed in food and mainly found as secondary plant metabolites, present significant advantages such as antioxidant activity and other health benefits. The global epidemic of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is becoming a serious public health problem. Existing studies showed that gut microbiota (GM) dysbiosis is highly associated with the occurrence and development of NAFLD. In recent years, progress has been made in the study of the relationship among PA compounds, GM, and NAFLD. PAs can regulate the composition and functions of the GM to promote human health, while GM can increase the dietary sources of PAs and improve its bioavailability. This paper discussed PAs, GM, and their interrelationship while introducing several representative dietary PA sources and examining the absorption and metabolism of PAs mediated by GM. It also summarizes the effect and mechanisms of PAs in improving and regulating NAFLD via GM and their metabolites. This helps to better evaluate the potential preventive effect of PAs on NAFLD via the regulation of GM and expands the utilization of PAs and PA-rich food resources.

Decrease of glutathione peroxidase in arrhythmic cardiac pathology in young individuals and its therapeutic implications

Glutathione peroxidase (GPx), as an antioxidant enzyme, is involved in the regulation of processes that cause cellular oxidative stress, with implications in various pathologies. The aim of the present study was to evaluate GPx variations in patients with arrhythmic, non-structural cardiac disorders. The research was performed on 120 patients, with a mean age of 33 years old, divided into 3 equal groups, of which 2 groups included patients with cardiac arrhythmias, the first group, associated with dyslipidemia and the second one, without dyslipidemia, and a control group consisting of healthy individuals. The method for determining GPx was based on the GPx enzyme catalysis reaction of the reduced glutathione (GSH) oxidation reaction by cumene hydroperoxide. The results revealed that GPx variation was decreased in patients with cardiac arrhythmias, with or without dyslipidemia, up to 66 and 74% of mean control values, respectively, the differences being statistically significant, showing the existence of an oxidative stress imbalance, that may be involved in triggering arrhythmogenic electrochemical mechanisms. The GPx deficiency determined in relation to cardiac arrhythmias was in dyslipidemic and non-lipidemic patients as follows: 29-35% in sinus bradycardia, 31-35% in associated cardiac arrhythmias, 30-33% in sinus tachycardia, 27-33% in atrial fibrillation, 32-33% in atrial flutter, 27-32% in atrial extrasystolic arrhythmia, 28-30% in ventricular extrasystolic arrhythmia and 18-26% in paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia. Collectively, the results revealed that GPx, an antioxidant enzyme, is a specific biomarker, whose decrease indicated the existence of oxidative stress in young individuals with cardiac arrhythmias and its involvement in arrhythmogenic electrochemical processes. In addition, GPx deficiencies were between 18-35% in all types of cardiac arrhythmias, the highest being recorded in sinus bradycardia and the lowest in paroxysmal supraventircular tachycardia. Furthermore, the oxidative stress favored by the decrease of GPx induced lipid oxidation, regardless of the presence or absence of dyslipidemia, which triggered the formation of anti-lipid antibodies and a subclinical endothelial aggression, with early atherosclerotic potential. GPx evaluation may argue for the existence of oxidative stress in non-structural cardiac arrhythmias, and by its proper correction (antioxidants), prophylaxis of atherogenic dysfunction.

Metabolic Disorders in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection: Coffee as a Panacea? (ANRS CO22 Hepather Cohort)

People living with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection are at high risk of liver disease progression, which is positively associated with metabolic disorders, but inversely associated with dyslipidemia. Diet, including dietary antioxidants, is a lever of metabolic disorder management. In particular, elevated coffee consumption is associated with different metabolic outcomes in the general population. We aimed to test whether such associations occur in HBV-infected people. Based on cross-sectional data from the ANRS CO22 Hepather cohort, we performed logistic regression models with (i) dyslipidemia, (ii) hypertension, and (iii) diabetes as outcomes, and with demographic, clinical, and socio-behavioral (including coffee consumption) data as explanatory variables. Among 4746 HBV-infected patients, drinking ≥3 cups of coffee per day was associated with a higher risk of dyslipidemia (adjusted odds ratio [95% confidence interval] 1.49 [1.10–2.00], p = 0.009) and a lower risk of hypertension (0.64 [0.50–0.82], p = 0.001). It was not associated with diabetes. Elevated coffee consumption was associated with a higher risk of dyslipidemia and a lower risk of hypertension in HBV-infected patients, two effects expected to be associated with favorable clinical outcomes. Further studies should test whether such metabolic benefits translate into reduced mortality risk in this population.

Dietary total antioxidant capacity is inversely associated with cardiovascular events and cardiometabolic risk factors: A cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

Dietary total antioxidant capacity (dTAC) has been introduced as a useful tool to quantify the antioxidant content of a diet. However, few studies have evaluated the association of dTAC with cardiovascular disease (CVD) occurrence and cardiometabolic risk factors in people with established CVD events. Thus, we aimed to investigate the presence of an association between dTAC values, cardiovascular events, and cardiometabolic risk factors in individuals with previous CVD in a Brazilian multicenter study.

METHODS

This study has a cross-sectional design. We evaluated baseline data from the Brazilian Cardioprotective Nutritional Program Trial. Sociodemographic, anthropometric, clinical, and food-consumption data were collected in face-to-face interviews. We estimated dTAC from the mean of two 24-h dietary recalls by values of ferric-reducing antioxidant power.

RESULTS

We evaluated 2346 participants, most of whom were men (58.4%), older adults (64.2%), and overweight (68.6%), and had coronary artery disease (92.4%). The mean dTAC was equal to 5.6 (interquartile range, 3.9-7.8) mmol/1000 kcal. Participants in the third dTAC tertile (9.2 mmol/1000 kcal) had a 22%, 59%, and 69% lower chance, respectively, of having hypertriglyceridemic waist phenotype, abdominal aortic aneurysm, and amputation due to arterial disease in comparison to the first tertile (3.4 mmol/1000 kcal).

CONCLUSIONS

The dTAC was inversely associated with hypertriglyceridemic waist phenotype, abdominal aortic aneurysm, and amputation due to arterial disease in individuals undergoing secondary care for CVD. Our results can guide strategies for the prevention of new CVD and its consequences.