Associations of serum retinol, α-tocopherol, and γ-tocopherol with biomarkers among healthy Japanese men

Smoking a Dangerous Addiction: A Systematic Review on an Underrated Risk Factor for Oral Diseases

Despite growing knowledge of the adverse effects of cigarette smoking on general health, smoking is one of the most widely prevalent addictions around the world. Globally, about 1.1 billion smokers and over 8 million people die each year because of cigarette smoking. Smoking acts as a source for a variety of oral and systemic diseases. Various periodontal issues such as increased pocket depth, loss of alveolar bone, tooth mobility, oral lesions, ulcerations, halitosis, and stained teeth are more common among smokers. This systematic review was conducted according to the guidelines from PRISMA, and research articles were retrieved from the Web database sources on 31 May 2021. The quality of research articles was ensured by the type of evidence from combined schema incorporating as schema-13 evidence type description, Cochrane health promotion and public health field (CHPPHF), and the health gains notation framework-14 screening question for quality assessment of qualitative and quantitative studies. Smokers have been found to have bleeding on probing, periodontal pockets, and clinical attachment loss compared to nonsmokers. Oral and respiratory cancers are among the most lethal known diseases caused by cigarette smoking and other commonly occurring sequelae such as stained teeth, periodontal diseases, etc.

Negative Correlation Between Vitamin A and Positive Correlation Between Vitamin E and Inflammation Among Healthy Adults in Korea: Based on the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2016-2018 7th Edition

PURPOSE

Vitamins exert its effect through different isoforms. The isoform conversion phases involved are affected outside factors. Here, we investigated the correlation between serum retinol, α-tocopherol, and serum inflammatory markers using stratified data acquired from 2016 to 2018 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study was based on data acquired from the 7th edition (2016-2018) of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, consisting of survey data on smoking and alcohol drinking, serum retinol level, serum α-tocopherol level, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and baseline characteristics.

RESULTS

There was a negative correlation between serum retinol and hs-CRP in alcohol drinking men. There was a negative correlation between serum retinol and hs-CRP in the alcohol-nonsmoking female group. There was a positive correlation between α-tocopherol and hs-CRP in the nonsmoking and alcohol-drinking group. There was a positive correlation between α-tocopherol and hs-CRP in the nonsmoking and alcohol-drinking female group. There was positive correlation between vitamin A and E and metabolic syndrome. The lowest vitamin A level was observed in subjects with all five metabolic syndrome criteria matched.

CONCLUSION

There was a negative correlation between serum retinol and hs-CRP and positive correlation between α-tocopherol and hs-CRP. Absorption and secretion of serum retinol are affected by inflammation status through retinol-binding protein. Alcohol acts as a competitive inhibitor of vitamin A oxidation through alcohol dehydrogenase and ALDH activity. Smoking causes inflammation and induces reactive oxygen species scavenging system and increases cytochrome p450 levels. These factors may have contributed to the observed findings. Metabolic syndrome subjects increased as the levels of vitamin A and vitamin E increased. Since obesity is inversely related to ALDH activity, we postulate that patients with metabolic syndrome may also have low ALDH activity, especially in the Asian population. Future studies are warranted to study the efficacy of ALDH or ALDH inducers in patients with vitamin A deficiency or metabolic syndrome.

Duality of Tocopherol Isoforms and Novel Associations with Vitamins Involved in One-Carbon Metabolism: Results from an Elderly Sample of the LifeLines Cohort Study

Whether the affinity of serum vitamin E with total lipids hampers the appropriate assessment of its association with age-related risk factors has not been investigated in epidemiological studies. We aimed to compare linear regression-derived coefficients of the association of non-indexed and total lipids-indexed vitamin E isoforms with clinical and laboratory characteristics pertaining to the lipid, metabolic syndrome, and one-carbon metabolism biological domains. We studied 1429 elderly subjects (non-vitamin supplement users, 60-75 years old, with low and high socioeconomic status) from the population-based LifeLines Cohort and Biobank Study. We found that the associations of tocopherol isoforms with lipids were inverted in total lipids-indexed analyses, which may be indicative of overcorrection. Irrespective of the methods of standardization, we consistently found positive associations of α-tocopherol with vitamins of the one-carbon metabolism pathway and inverse associations with characteristics related to glucose metabolism. The associations of γ-tocopherol were often opposite to those of α-tocopherol. These data suggest that tocopherol isoforms and one-carbon metabolism are related, with beneficial and adverse associations for α-tocopherol and γ-tocopherol, respectively. Whether tocopherol isoforms, or their interplay, truly affect the one-carbon metabolism pathway remains to be further studied.

Alcohol consumption and serum metabolite concentrations in young women

PURPOSE

Alcohol consumption is an established breast cancer risk factor, though further research is needed to advance our understanding of the mechanism underlying the association. We used global metabolomics profiling to identify serum metabolites and metabolic pathways that could potentially mediate the alcohol-breast cancer association.

METHODS

A cross-sectional analysis of reported alcohol consumption and serum metabolite concentrations was conducted among 211 healthy women 25-29 years old who participated in the Dietary Intervention Study in Children 2006 Follow-Up Study (DISC06). Alcohol-metabolite associations were evaluated using multivariable linear mixed-effects regression.

RESULTS

Alcohol was significantly (FDR p < 0.05) associated with several serum metabolites after adjustment for diet composition and other potential confounders. The amino acid sarcosine, the omega-3 fatty acid eicosapentaenoate, and the steroid 4-androsten-3beta,17beta-diol monosulfate were positively associated with alcohol intake, while the gamma-tocopherol metabolite gamma-carboxyethyl hydroxychroman (CEHC) was inversely associated. Positive associations of alcohol with 2-methylcitrate and 4-androsten-3beta,17beta-diol disulfate were borderline significant (FDR p < 0.10). Metabolite set enrichment analysis identified steroids and the glycine pathway as having more members associated with alcohol consumption than expected by chance.

CONCLUSIONS

Most of the metabolites associated with alcohol in the current analysis participate in pathways hypothesized to mediate the alcohol-breast cancer association including hormonal, one-carbon metabolism, and oxidative stress pathways, but they could also affect risk via alternative pathways. Independent replication of alcohol-metabolite associations and prospective evaluation of confirmed associations with breast cancer risk are needed.

Vitamin E status in healthy population in Asia: A review of current literature

Vitamin E is a lipid soluble antioxidant which mainly circulates as α-tocopherol in the human plasma. Its deficiency is associated with ataxia, neuropathy, anaemia and several other health conditions. Although substantial data on vitamin E status has been published worldwide, there is paucity of data on the extent of deficiency from most Asian countries, including India. Part of the problem is lack of validated biomarkers for vitamin E and no consensus on cut offs for defining deficiency and sufficiency. Thus, interpretation of the data on the vitamin E status is difficult. Limited available data from 31 studies on vitamin E status in healthy people from Asia, the most populated continent, has been collated for the purpose of this review. Broadly, the results suggest inadequate vitamin E status in most age groups, with the prevalence of deficiency reaching 67%, 80%, 56% and 72% in infants, children and adolescents, adults, elderly and pregnant women, respectively, based on varying cut offs. The findings are not surprising as both, vitamin E intakes and its status have not received too much attention in the past. Lack of conclusive data accentuates the need for more research on the vitamin E status across all age groups and to define age, gender and physiological state specific cut offs for vitamin E levels.

Vitamin E status of 20- to 59-year-old adults living in the Seoul metropolitan area of South Korea

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin and functions primarily as a lipid antioxidant. Inadequate vitamin E status may increase risk of several chronic diseases. Thus, the objectives of this study were to estimate intake and plasma concentration of each tocopherol and to evaluate vitamin E status of Korean adults.

SUBJECTS/METHODS

Three consecutive 24-h food recalls and fasting blood samples were collected from healthy 20- to 59-y-old adults (33 males and 73 females) living in the Seoul metropolitan area, South Korea. α-, β-, δ-, and γ-tocopherol intakes and plasma concentrations of tocopherols (α-, δ-, and γ-tocopherol) were analyzed by gender.

RESULTS

Dietary vitamin E and total vitamin E intake (dietary plus supplemental vitamin E) was 17.68 ± 14.34 and 19.55 ± 15.78 mg α-tocopherol equivalents, respectively. The mean daily α-tocopherol, and γ-tocopherol intakes were 3.07 ± 2.27 mg and 5.98 ± 3.74 mg, respectively. Intakes of total vitamin E and each tocopherol of males were significantly higher than those of females (P < 0.05). Plasma α-tocopherol concentration was 15.45 ± 10.16 of males and 15.00 ± 4.54 µmol/L of females, respectively. There were no significant differences in plasma tocopherol concentrations by gender (P ≥ 0.05). Plasma α-tocopherol was negatively correlated with γ-tocopherol intake (P < 0.05). Twenty-three percent of the subjects had plasma α-tocopherol concentrations < 12 µmol/L indicating a biochemical deficiency of vitamin E. Approximately 8% and 9% of these participants had plasma α-tocopherol:total lipid ratio less than 1.59 µmol/mmol and plasma α-tocopherol:total cholesterol ratio less than 2.22 µmol/mmol, respectively, which are also indicative of vitamin E deficiency.

CONCLUSIONS

Vitamin E intakes of Korean adults were generally adequate with the Korean Dietary Reference Intakes for vitamin E. However, α-tocopherol intake was lower than that reported in other countries, and 23% of the subjects in the current study were vitamin E deficient based on plasma α-tocopherol concentrations.