Reduced Antioxidant Potential of LDL Is Associated With Increased Susceptibility to LDL Peroxidation in Type II Diabetic Patients

The Effect of Organic Vegetable Mixed Juice on Blood Circulation and Intestine Flora: Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial

Epidemiological evidence suggests that fruit and vegetable intake significantly positively affects cardiovascular health. Since vegetable juice is more accessible than raw vegetables, it attracts attention as a health functional food for circulatory diseases. Therefore, this study measured blood lipids, antioxidants, blood circulation indicators, and changes in the microbiome to confirm the effect of organic vegetable mixed juice (OVJ) on improving blood circulation. This 4-week, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study involved adult men and women with borderline total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels. As a result, blood lipid profile indicators, such as TC, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B, decreased (p < 0.05) in the OVJ group compared with those in the placebo group. Additionally, the antioxidant biomarker superoxide dismutase increased (p < 0.05). In contrast, systolic and diastolic blood viscosities, as blood circulation-related biomarkers, decreased (p < 0.05) in the OVJ group compared with those in the placebo group. After the intervention, a fecal microbiome analysis confirmed differences due to changes in the intestinal microbiome composition between the OVJ and placebo groups. In conclusion, our research results confirmed that consuming OVJ improves blood circulation by affecting the blood lipid profile, antioxidant enzymes, and microbiome changes.

Effects of acute strawberry consumption on serum levels of vitamin C and folic acid, the antioxidant potential of LDL and blood glucose response: a randomised cross-over controlled trial

Strawberry contains many bioactive compounds such as vitamin C and polyphenols as well as folate, a vitamin that is especially important for women of childbearing age. We investigated the effects of the acute consumption of strawberry on the serum levels of vitamin C and folate, and on the antioxidant potential of low-density lipoprotein (LDL). In a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover study, twenty-three healthy female volunteers (age 22⋅5 ± 1⋅4 years) ingested 500 g of a strawberry purée beverage or a sugar content-matched placebo beverage. Blood samples were collected at fasting and at 0⋅5, 1, 2 and 4 h post-ingestion. The serum concentrations of vitamin C and folate were significantly elevated from 0⋅5 to 4 h after the strawberry beverage ingestion (P < 0⋅001); the levels peaked at 2 h, with peak levels of 15⋅0 ± 2⋅5 μg/ml for vitamin C and 14⋅4 ± 7⋅0 ng/ml for folate. Notably, at 1 h after the strawberry beverage ingestion, the LDL oxidation lag time was significantly prolonged (P < 0⋅05), suggesting that the antioxidant potential of LDL was increased. After the ingestion of either beverage, the serum levels of glucose and insulin reached a peak at 0⋅5 h and then quickly returned to baseline levels. These results suggest that strawberries are a useful source of vitamin C and folate and may help enhance the antioxidant potential of LDL in healthy young women.

Increased Cardiac Sympathetic Activity and Oxidative Stress in Habitual Electronic Cigarette Users: Implications for Cardiovascular Risk

Importance

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have gained unprecedented popularity, but virtually nothing is known about their cardiovascular risks.

Objective

To test the hypothesis that an imbalance of cardiac autonomic tone and increased systemic oxidative stress and inflammation are detectable in otherwise healthy humans who habitually use e-cigarettes.

Design, Setting, and Participants

Cross-sectional case-control study of habitual e-cigarette users and nonuser control individuals from 2015 to 2016 at the University of California, Los Angeles. Otherwise healthy habitual e-cigarette users between the ages of 21 and 45 years meeting study criteria, including no current tobacco cigarette smoking and no known health problems or prescription medications, were eligible for enrollment. Healthy volunteers meeting these inclusion criteria who were not e-cigarette users were eligible to be enrolled as control individuals. A total of 42 participants meeting these criteria were enrolled in the study including 23 self-identified habitual e-cigarette users and 19 self-identified non-tobacco cigarette, non-e-cigarette user control participants.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Heart rate variability components were analyzed for the high-frequency component (0.15-0.4 Hz), an indicator of vagal activity, the low-frequency component (0.04-0.15 Hz), a mixture of both vagal and sympathetic activity, and the ratio of the low frequency to high frequency, reflecting the cardiac sympathovagal balance. Three parameters of oxidative stress were measured in plasma: (1) low-density lipoprotein oxidizability, (2) high-density lipoprotein antioxidant/anti-inflammatory capacity, and (3) paraoxonase-1 activity.

Results

Of the 42 participants, 35% were women, 35% were white, and the mean age was 27.6 years. The high-frequency component was significantly decreased in the e-cigarette users compared with nonuser control participants (mean [SEM], 46.5 [3.7] nu vs 57.8 [3.6] nu; P = .04). The low-frequency component (mean [SEM], 52.7 [4.0] nu vs 39.9 [3.8] nu; P = .03) and the low frequency to high frequency ratio (mean [SEM], 1.37 [0.19] vs 0.85 [0.18]; P = .05) were significantly increased in the e-cigarette users compared with nonuser control participants, consistent with sympathetic predominance. Low-density lipoprotein oxidizability, indicative of the susceptibility of apolipoprotein B-containing lipoproteins to oxidation, was significantly increased in e-cigarette users compared with nonuser control individuals (mean [SEM], 3801.0 [415.7] U vs 2413.3 [325.0] U; P = .01) consistent with increased oxidative stress, but differences in high-density antioxidant/anti-inflammatory capacity and paraoxonase-1 activity were not significant.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this study, habitual e-cigarette use was associated with a shift in cardiac autonomic balance toward sympathetic predominance and increased oxidative stress, both associated with increased cardiovascular risk.

Correlation between glycosylated hemoglobin level of patients with diabetes and cardiovascular disease

OBJECTIVE

To explore the clinical influence of the changes of glycosylated hemoglobin level of patients with diabetes on hypertension and coronary heart disease.

METHODS

One hundred and ninety-six patients between February 2015 and December 2016 were divided into a control group (96 non-diabetic patients) and an observation group (100 patients with diabetes) with or without diabetes. The biochemical indexes of patients in the two groups were compared. Moreover patients in the observation groups were divided into subgroups according to the presence of hypertension and coronary heart disease, and the level of HbA1c was compared between different subgroups.

RESULTS

The levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) of patients in the two groups had no significant differences (P>0.05). However, the level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) of patients in the observation group was significantly lower than that of the control group (P<0.05). The Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), fasting insulin (FINS) and levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and HbA1c of patients in the observation group were apparently higher than those of the control group (P<0.05). The level of HbA1c of patients with hypertension was significantly higher than that without hypertension (P<0.05). The level of HbA1c of patients with coronary heart disease was apparently higher than that without coronary heart disease (P<0.05). The Pearson correlation analysis results demonstrated that the level of HbA1c of patients in the diabetes group was in a positive correlation with SBP, DBP and level of hs-CRP (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

The level of HbA1c of patients with diabetes was in a positive correlation with blood pressure and level of hs-CRP. The level of HbA1c can effectively predict the occurrence of hypertension and coronary heart disease. Detecting level of glycosylated hemoglobin is of important significance in screening patients with hypertension and coronary heart disease.

Association of Serum Alpha-Tocopherol and Retinol with the Extent of Coronary Lesions in Coronary Artery Disease

Background and aims: Fat-soluble vitamins play an important role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease and progression of atherosclerosis. This study aimed at investigating the relationship of the serum levels of alpha-tocopherol and retinol with the extent of coronary lesions in patients with coronary artery disease. Methods. Patients with coronary artery disease (n=177) aged 30-74 years, who underwent their first coronary angiography, were enrolled. The extent of coronary lesions was assessed using the Friesinger index (FI). Accordingly, patients were grouped as follows: FI = 0-4 (n=90), FI = 5-9 (n=50), and FI = 10-15 (n=37). Serum levels of vitamins were ‬determined via high-performance liquid chromatography and serum biochemical analysis. Results. Assessment of FI-based groups revealed that 50.8% patients had a coronary artery lesion to a low extent (FI 0-4). Individuals in this group were younger and had lower glucose and serum alpha-tocopherol levels than the other groups (p < 0.05). Low levels of alpha-tocopherol were more frequent in the FI 0-4 group than that in the other groups (p=0.03). No difference was observed between the mean serum retinol levels among the FI-based groups (n=0.492), and the low frequency of retinol was consistent among the FI groups (n=0.348). Conclusions. The low level of alpha-tocopherol together with the presence of dyslipidemia is probably associated with the initial events in atherosclerosis. Increased alpha-tocopherol levels in patients with more extensive coronary artery lesions may have resulted from altered vitamin E metabolism with increased oxidative stress.

The effect of atorvastatin treatment duration on oxidative stress markers and lipid profile in patients with coronary artery diseases: A case series study

BACKGROUND

The major aim of this study was evaluating the effect of atorvastatin treatment on thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), ferric reducing the ability of plasma (FRAP), small dense low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (sdLDL) and lipid profile in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients.

METHODS

This study was carried out on 83 patients with angiographically proven coronary artery stenosis (52 men and 31 women) at Shahid Madani Hospital, Khorramabad, Iran, in 2015. The patients were divided into the 3 groups. 27 patients were classified statins consumption less than 6 days, 28 patients for 6 to 90 days, and 28 patients for more than 90 days. The level of sdLDL, lipid profile, TBARS and FRAP were assayed.

RESULTS

FRAP levels of patients that received atorvastatin for more than 90 days (832 ± 101) were significantly elevated (P = 0.01) compared to the patients received atorvastatin less than 6 days (688 ± 75), whereas the levels of TBARS diminished significantly (P = 0.04). Also, the levels of total cholesterol (TC) and LDL-C were significantly decreased after 3 months of atorvastatin receiving (158 as compared to patients that consumed atorvastatin less than 6 days), (P = 0.02 and 0.03, respectively). The level of sdLDL was slightly increased with long-time consumption of atorvastatin (37 ± 14) in patients in comparison with patients that received atorvastatin less than 6 days (32 ± 15) (P = 0.06), but was not significant.

CONCLUSION

The serum level of TBARS decreased and the serum level of FRAP increased in patients with long-time receiving atorvastatin. Therefore, atorvastatin contributes to the lowering oxidative stress in these patients.