Dietary components

Deficiency Diseases. Not only did cereals make an important contribution to improving the general status of humankind, but they also were important dietary components of some groups of people who showed certain nutritional deficiencies. This observation led to the discovery of some of the vitamins. These deficiency diseases have been most prominently associated with use of rice, com, and wheat. 

More recently, studies of wine and beer have initiated techniques of statistically vaUd sensory analysis. Scientific studies involving wine continue in these areas, building on past discoveries. Natural phenols as desirable dietary components and monitors of storage and aging reactions are currently active fields. Viticultural research, as well as enological, continues to improve grapes and the wines made from them (11). 

Sodium chloride [7647-14-5] is an essential dietary component. It is necessary for proper acid—base balance and for electrolyte transfer between the iatra-and extracellular spaces. The adult human requirement for NaCl probably ranges between 5—8 g/d. The normal diet provides something ia excess of 10 g/d NaCl, and adding salt duting cooking or at the table iacreases this iatake. 

A toxic component of braken fern, perhaps either quercetin (105) or ptaquiloside, a glucoside (106), has a mixed history of carcinogenicity. It is sometimes impHcated in an increased incidence of bladder cancer in animals and esophageal cancer in humans. Multiple other dietary components seem to either promote or interfere with its action, and the significance of braken fern in human carcinogenesis remains unproven. 

Thus, it is apparent that soya, some soya products and linseed oil influence blood lipid levels, particularly cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. While the extent of the reduction appears to largely depend on an individual s initial serum cholesterol level, the maximum reductions observed are of the order of 10-15%. For hyperlipidemic individuals this may not be a marked reduction, but such an effect on the general population may well have a beneficial effect on the overall incidence of cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis. The possibility that non-phytoestrogenic dietary components may contribute to the hypocholes-terolemic properties cannot, however, be discounted. Indeed, certain types of dietary fibre have been shown to have a hypolipidemic effect via their ability to increase faecal excretion rates. 

A DIFF relates a specified body component isotopic composition to the various compositions of a specified and complete set of dietary components. The complete diet must be accounted for in the DIFF, but it can be partitioned in any way that seems sensible for example, into individual amino acids or into protein, carbohydrate and lipid, etc. 

The data sets presented by Ambrose and Norr (1993) and Tiezsen and Fagre (1993) record analyses of rodents fed on diets in whose dietary components have been analyzed. Thus D and F are given for the diets, (generally for the protein, carbohydrate and lipid components sometimes in more detail), and have been varied so as to relate to the corresponding change in B. Measurements were made on animals thought to have reached an overall steady state. 

AWAD A B, FINK 0 s (2000) Phytosterols as anticancer dietary components Evidence and mechanism of action. J Nutr, 130 (9) 2127-30. 

As already mentioned, macular zeaxanthin comprises two stereoisomers, the normal dietary (3/(,37()-/caxanthin and (3f ,3 S)-zeaxanthin(=(meyo)-zeaxanthin), of which the latter is not normally a dietary component (Bone et al. 1993) and is not found in any other compartment of the body except in the retina. The concentration of (tneso)-zeaxanthin in the retina decreases from a maximum within the central fovea to a minimum in the peripheral retina, similar to the situation with (3/ ,37 )-zeaxanthin. This distribution inversely reflects the relative concentration of lutein in the retina and gave rise to a hypothesis (Bone et al. 1997) that (meso)-zeaxanthin is formed in the retina from lutein. This was confirmed by an experiment in which xanthophyll-depleted monkeys had been supplemented with chemically pure lutein or (3/ ,37 )-zeaxanthin (Johnson et al. 2005). (Meyo)-Zeaxanthin was exclusively detected in the retina of lutein-fed monkeys but not in retinas of zeaxanthin-fed animals, demonstrating that it is a retina-specific metabolite of lutein only. The mechanism of its formation has not been established but may involve oxidation-reduction reactions that are mediated photochemically, enzymatically, or both. Thus, (meso)-zeaxanthin is a metabolite unique to the primate macula. 

Furthermore, several studies have shown that in some individuals an increased intake of xanthophylls does not lead to increased levels of xanthophylls in their plasmas and/or retinas, and macular pigment densities do not exhibit a positive correlation with plasma levels of lutein and zeaxanthin (Aleman et al., 2001 Bernstein et al., 2002b Bone et al., 2000, 2001, 2003 Hammond et al., 1995,1997). These apparently conflicting epidemiological results need to be interpreted with caution as a diet rich in fruit and vegetables includes a great variety of phytochemicals that may independently, or in cooperation with lutein or zeaxanthin, and other dietary components affect carotenoid uptake and function in the retina. 

Evans, A. M., Influence of dietary components on the gastrointestinal metabolism and transport of drugs, Therap. Drug Monitor. 2000, 22, 131— 136. 

Over the last decade, there has been a steady increase in the popularity and usage of natural products to enhance overall health. These nutraceuticals and functional foods modulate the function of various physiological systems including the immune system. By altering immunity, it is possible to augment an individual s ability to ward off infection, or suppress autoimmunity and chronic inflammatory diseases. Thus, the renaissance of herbal extracts as well as the increased consumption of other dietary components has afforded the public a relatively inexpensive way to self-medicate. 

Many environmental factors have been implicated in the induction of autoimmunity. One dietary component, iodine, has been well studied as a factor that increases autoimmune thyroid disease.67 68 Based on studies in the OS chicken, the increasing prevalence of autoimmune thyroid disease observed in U.S. and Western European populations has been ascribed to increased use of iodized salt.69 Experimentally, it can be shown that iodinated thyroglobulin is a more potent autoantigen than the equivalent noniodinated molecule. Food additives or pesticides may also be important in contributing to the development of autoimmune disease in susceptible individuals.70... 

Single-compound carbon isotope analysis has proved extremely valuable in documenting a hitherto invisible dietary component in European prehistory. Although some chemical analyses had been conducted by the time Andrew Sherratt wrote of the secondary products revolution , it is only in the past... 

Bioavailability of Ca2+ is affected by numerous physiological conditions, including age, sex, genetic make-up, stress, hormonal status, health status, and nutritional habits. In addition to these intrinsic factors, certain dietary components, such as fiber and oxalate, form insoluble complexes with Ca2+ and interfere with its absorption. Another putative culprit in this category is phytic acid. 

The mechanisms by which various forms of dietary fiber influence calcium bioavailability apparently also differ. In some cases, apparent dietary fiber effects on calcium bioavailability may be secondary to effects on bile acid and salt secretion and reabsorption or to other dietary components. 

The standard diet used in our experiments is a semipurified, cholesterol-free preparation that is composed of 25% protein, 40% sucrose, 13% coconut oil, 1% corn oil, 15% cellulose, 5% mineral mix, and 1% vitamin mix. This diet has been shown to induce an endogenous hypercholesterolemia and lead to atherosclerosis in rabbits and monkeys (4, 5). The specific question addressed by our series of investigations is whether the type of dietary protein, when all other dietary components are constant, can influence the development of hyperlipoproteinemia and atherosclerosis. More specifically, we have examined the effects of the individual amino acids, lysine and arginine, and their ratios in the diet on plasma and hepatic lipids as well as the development of arterial plaques. 

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