1. Dietary acid load but not Mediterranean diet adherence score is associated with metabolic and cardiovascular health state : ǂa ǂpopulation observational study from Northern ItalyJuana Maria Sanz, Domenico Sergi, Simona Colombari, Eleonora Capatti, Roberta Situlin, Gianni Biolo, Filippo Giorgio Di Girolamo, Stefano Lazzer, Boštjan Šimunič, Rado Pišot, Angelina Passaro, 2022, original scientific article Abstract: Diet plays a pivotal role in shaping the trajectory of chronic diseases. In this regard, the Mediterranean diet has been widely shown to exert beneficial effects on cardiometabolic health. On the contrary, the Western diet, which has also been reported to be an acidogenic dietary pattern, elicits detrimental effects on both metabolic and cardiovascular (CV) health. However, the role of dietary acid load (DAL) as a predictor of cardiometabolic prognosis remains to be elucidated. Thus, this study aims to compare Mediterranean diet adherence (MDA) and DAL focusing on their relationship with metabolic and CV prognosis. A total of 448 individuals aged 55–80 years were grouped depending on their MDA, assessed using food frequency questionnaires, or DAL, evaluated using potential renal load acid (PRAL) and net-endogenous acid production (NEAP). Study participants underwent anthropometric and biochemical measurements. The metabolic syndrome (MetS) prevalence was evaluated according to the National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III. Finally, the CV risk was evaluated using three independent algorithms: atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), European Systematic COronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE), and Cuore risk scores. Mediterranean diet adherence was negatively associated with PRAL and NEAP. Individuals in the higher MDA tertile group had higher HDL cholesterol as well as lower homeostasis model assessment index (HOMA-IR) and fat mass relative to the lowest MDA tertile. However, in the high-MDA tertile group, there was neither a significantly lower MetS prevalence nor CV risk. Instead, both the MetS prevalence and CV risk were higher in individuals in the higher acid PRAL quartile relative to the lower alkaline PRAL quartile. Dietary acid load, especially assessed using PRAL but not MDA, was associated with indices of metabolic and CV prognosis. Thus, DAL assessed by 24-h dietary recalls may represent a better predictor of cardiometabolic health if compared to MDA evaluated using food frequency questionnaires.
Keywords: Mediterranean diet, dietary acid load, alkaline diet, acidic diet, metabolic syndrome, cradiovascular risk score
Published in DiRROS: 19.05.2022; Views: 675; Downloads: 423
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2. Cabbage and fermented vegetables : from death rate heterogeneity in countries to candidates for mitigation strategies of severe COVID-19Jean Bousquet, Josep M. Antò i Boquè, Wienczyslawa Czarlewski, Tari Haahtela, Susana C. Fonseca, Guido Laccarino, Hubert Blain, Alain Vidal, Aziz Sheikh, Cezmi A. Akdis, Torsten Zuberbier, Samo Kreft, Klemen Jenko, Maja Jošt, Peter Kopač, Mitja Košnik, Karmen Kramer Vrščaj, Bojan Madjar, Davor Plavec, Tanja Soklič, Jure Urbančič, Mihaela Zidarn, 2020, original scientific article Abstract: Large differences in COVID-19 death rates exist between countries and between regions of the same country. Some very low death rate countries such as Eastern Asia, Central Europe or the Balkans have a common feature of eating large quantities of fermented foods. Although biases exist when examining ecological studies, fermented vegetables or cabbage were associated with low death rates in European countries. SARS-CoV-2 binds to its receptor, the angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). As a result of SARS-Cov-2 binding, ACE2 downregulation enhances the angiotensin II receptor type 1 (AT1R) axis associated with oxidative stress. This leads to insulin resistanceas well as lung and endothelial damage, two severe outcomes of COVID-19. The nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) is the most potent antioxidant in humans and can block the AT1R axis. Cabbage contains precursors of sulforaphane, the most active natural activator of Nrf2. Fermented vegetables contain many lactobacilli, which are also potent Nrf2 activators. Three examples are given: Kimchi in Korea, westernized foods and the slum paradox. It is proposed that fermented cabbage is a proof-of-concept of dietary manipulations that may enhance Nrf2-associated antioxidant effects helpful in mitigating COVID-19 severity.
Keywords: COVID-19, diet, sulforaphane, Lactobacillus, Angiotensin converting enzyme 2, kimchi, cabbage, fermented vegetable
Published in DiRROS: 07.10.2020; Views: 1364; Downloads: 323
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3. Is diet partly responsible for differences in COVID-19 death rates between and within countries? : protocol for a systematic reviewJean Bousquet, Josep M. Antò i Boquè, Guido Laccarino, Wienczyslawa Czarlewski, Tari Haahtela, Aram Anto, Cezmi A. Akdis, Hubert Blain, Giorgio Walter Canonica, Karmen Kramer Vrščaj, Tari Haahtela, Mitja Košnik, Anja Koren, Peter Kopač, Maja Jošt, Samo Kreft, Klemen Jenko, Bojan Madjar, Davor Plavec, Tanja Soklič, Jure Urbančič, Mihaela Zidarn, 2020, review article Abstract: Reported COVID-19 deaths in Germany are relatively low as compared to many European countries. Among the several explanations proposed, an early and large testing of the population was put forward. Most current debates on COVID-19 focus on the differences among countries, but little attention has been given to regional differences and diet. The low-death rate European countries (e.g. Austria, Baltic States, Czech Republic, Finland, Norway, Poland, Slovakia) have used different quarantine and/or confinement times and methods and none have performed as many early tests as Germany. Among other factors that may be significant are the dietary habits. It seems that some foods largely used in these countries may reduce angiotensin-converting enzyme activity or are anti-oxidants. Among the many possible areas of research, it might be important to understand diet and angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) levels in populations with different COVID-19 death rates since dietary interventions may be of great benefit.
Keywords: coronavirus, diet, angiotensin-converting enzyme, antioxidant, food
Published in DiRROS: 09.09.2020; Views: 1494; Downloads: 1172
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