Chem Cent J. 2011 Feb 7;5:5.

Crozier SJ, Preston AG, Hurst JW, Payne MJ, Mann J, Hainly L, Miller DL.

The Hershey Center for Health & Nutrition, 1025 Reese Avenue, Hershey, PA, 17033, USA. scrozier@hersheys.com.

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND: Numerous popular media sources have developed lists of “Super Foods” and, more recently, “Super Fruits”. Such distinctions often are based on the antioxidant capacity and content of naturally occurring compounds such as polyphenols within those whole fruits or juices of the fruit which may be linked to potential health benefits. Cocoa powder and chocolate are made from an extract of the seeds of the fruit of the Theobroma cacao tree. In this study, we compared cocoa powder and cocoa products to powders and juices derived from fruits commonly considered “Super Fruits”.

RESULTS: Various fruit powders and retail fruit products were obtained and analyzed for antioxidant capacity (ORAC (µM TE/g)), total polyphenol content (TP (mg/g)), and total flavanol content (TF (mg/g)). Among the various powders that were tested, cocoa powder was the most concentrated source of ORAC and TF. Similarly, dark chocolate was a significantly more concentrated source of ORAC and TF than the fruit juices.

CONCLUSIONS: Cocoa powder and dark chocolate had equivalent or significantly greater ORAC, TP, and TF values compared to the other fruit powders and juices tested, respectively. Cacao seeds thus provide nutritive value beyond that derived from their macronutrient composition and appear to meet the popular media’s definition of a “Super Fruit”.

PMID: 21299842 [PubMed - in process]PMCID: PMC3038885Free PMC Article

Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 Feb;93(2):338-47. Epub 2010 Nov 24.

Cassidy A , O’Reilly EJ , Kay C , Sampson L , Franz M , Forman J , Curhan G , Rimm EB .

School of Medicine, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom and Renal Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.

BACKGROUND: Dietary flavonoids have beneficial effects on blood pressure in intervention settings, but there is limited information on habitual intake and risk of hypertension in population-based studies.

OBJECTIVE: We examined the association between habitual flavonoid intake and incident hypertension in a prospective study in men and women.

DESIGN: A total of 87,242 women from the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) II, 46,672 women from the NHS I, and 23,043 men from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS) participated in the study. Total flavonoid and subclass intakes were calculated from semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaires collected every 4 y by using an updated and extended US Department of Agriculture database.

RESULTS: During 14 y of follow-up, 29,018 cases of hypertension in women and 5629 cases of hypertension in men were reported. In pooled multivariate-adjusted analyses, participants in the highest quintile of anthocyanin intake (predominantly from blueberries and strawberries) had an 8% reduction in risk of hypertension [relative risk (RR): 0.92; 95% CI: 0.86, 0.98; P < 0.03] compared with that for participants in the lowest quintile of anthocyanin intake; the risk reduction was 12% (RR: 0.88; 95% CI: 0.84, 0.93; P < 0.001) in participants =60 y of age and 0.96 (0.91, 1.02) in participants >60 y of age (P for age interaction = 0.02). Although intakes of other subclasses were not associated with hypertension, pooled analyses for individual compounds suggested a 5% (95% CI: 0.91, 0.99; P = 0.005) reduction in risk for the highest compared with the lowest quintiles of intake of the flavone apigenin. In participants =60 y of age, a 6% (95% CI: 0.88, 0.97; P = 0.002) reduction in risk was observed for the flavan-3-ol catechin when the highest and the lowest quintiles were compared.

CONCLUSIONS: Anthocyanins and some flavone and flavan-3-ol compounds may contribute to the prevention of hypertension. These vasodilatory properties may result from specific structural similarities (including the B-ring hydroxylation and methyoxylation pattern).

PMCID: PMC3021426 [Available on 2012/2/1]
PMID: 21106916 [PubMed - in process]

BACKGROUND: Studies of diet and depression have focused primarily on individual nutrients. AIMS: To examine the association between dietary patterns and depression using an overall diet approach. METHOD: Analyses were carried on data from 3486 participants (26.2% women, mean age 55.6 years) from the Whitehall II prospective cohort, in which two dietary patterns were identified: ‘whole food’ (heavily loaded by vegetables, fruits and fish) and ‘processed food’ (heavily loaded by sweetened desserts, fried food, processed meat, refined grains and high-fat dairy products). Self-reported depression was assessed 5 years later using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies – Depression (CES-D) scale. RESULTS: After adjusting for potential confounders, participants in the highest tertile of the whole food pattern had lower odds of CES-D depression (OR = 0.74, 95% CI 0.56-0.99) than those in the lowest tertile. In contrast, high consumption of processed food was associated with an increased odds of CES-D depression (OR = 1.58, 95% CI 1.11-2.23). CONCLUSIONS: In middle-aged participants, a processed food dietary pattern is a risk factor for CES-D depression 5 years later, whereas a whole food pattern is protective.

Br J Psychiatry. 2009 Nov;195(5):408-13.

Akbaraly TN, Brunner EJ, Ferrie JE, Marmot MG, Kivimaki M, Singh-Manoux A.

Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK. tasnime.akbaraly@inserm.fr

BACKGROUND: Dietary fatty acids and antioxidants may contribute to decrease dementia risk, but epidemiologic data remain controversial. The aim of our study was to analyze the relationship between dietary patterns and risk of dementia or Alzheimer disease (AD), adjusting for sociodemographic and vascular risk factors, and taking into account the ApoE genotype. METHODS: A total of 8,085 nondemented participants aged 65 and over were included in the Three-City cohort study in Bordeaux, Dijon, and Montpellier (France) in 1999-2000 and had at least one re-examination over 4 years (rate of follow-up 89.1%). An independent committee of neurologists validated 281 incident cases of dementia (including 183 AD). RESULTS: Daily consumption of fruits and vegetables was associated with a decreased risk of all cause dementia (hazard ratio [HR] 0.72, 95% CI 0.53 to 0.97) in fully adjusted models. Weekly consumption of fish was associated with a reduced risk of AD (HR 0.65, 95% CI 0.43 to 0.994) and all cause dementia but only among ApoE epsilon 4 noncarriers (HR 0.60, 95% CI 0.40 to 0.90). Regular use of omega-3 rich oils was associated with a decreased risk of borderline significance for all cause dementia (HR 0.46, 95% CI 0.19 to 1.11). Regular consumption of omega-6 rich oils not compensated by consumption of omega-3 rich oils or fish was associated with an increased risk of dementia (HR 2.12, 95% CI 1.30 to 3.46) among ApoE epsilon 4 noncarriers. CONCLUSION: Frequent consumption of fruits and vegetables, fish, and omega-3 rich oils may decrease the risk of dementia and Alzheimer disease, especially among ApoE epsilon 4 noncarriers.

 

1: Neurology. 2007 Nov 13;69(20):1921-30.

Barberger-Gateau P, Raffaitin C, Letenneur L, Berr C, Tzourio C, Dartigues JF, Alpérovitch A.

INSERM, U593, University Victor Segalen Bordeaux 2, case 11, 146 rue Léo-Saignat, F-33076 Bordeaux cedex, France. Pascale.Barberger-Gateau@isped.u-bordeaux2.fr

 

Women who developed invasive breast cancer, 350 post-menopausally and 257 pre-menopausally, during 240 959 person-years of follow-up in the UK Women’s Cohort Study (UKWCS) were studied. This cohort has 35 792 subjects with a wide range of exposure to dietary fibre with intakes of total fibre in the lowest quintile of <20 g/day up to >30 g/day in the top quintile. Fibre and breast cancer relationships were explored using Cox regression modelling adjusted for measurement error. Effects of fibre, adjusting for confounders were examined for pre- and post-menopausal women separately.

Results in pre-menopausal, but not post-menopausal women a statistically significant inverse relationship was found between total fibre intake and risk of breast cancer (P for trend = 0.01). The top quintile of fibre intake was associated with a hazard ratio of 0.48 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.24–0.96] compared with the lowest quintile. Pre-menopausally, fibre from cereals was inversely associated with risk of breast cancer (P for trend = 0.05) and fibre from fruit had a borderline inverse relationship (P for trend = 0.09). A further model including dietary folate strengthened the significance of the inverse relationship between total fibre and pre-menopausal breast cancer.

These findings suggest that in pre-menopausal women, total fibre is protective against breast cancer; in particular, fibre from cereals and possibly fruit.

Janet Elizabeth Cade, Victoria Jane Burley, Darren Charles Greenwood the UK Women’s Cohort Study Steering Group, Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Leeds, 30-32 Hyde Terrace, Leeds LS2 9PL, UK.

International Journal of Epidemiology

Full text 

What the Glasgow study on commercial juices doesn’t say is that purple grape juice contains more than 50 per cent more sugar than Coca Cola, which comes to 16.66 g of sugar (glucose and fructose) per 100 ml of drink. An excessive intake of fruit juices could be harmful altogether. Furthermore, juices are processed food, quality depending highly on the type of process. Why not simply eat fresh purple grape to take advantage of the polyphenols contained in the skin of these fruits?

Lutein (from Latin lutea meaning “yellow”) is one of over 600 known naturally occurring carotenoids. Found in green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale, lutein is employed by organisms as an antioxidant and for blue light absorption. Lutein is covalently bound to one or more fatty acids present in some fruits and flowers, notably marigolds.

Lutein was found to be present in a concentrated area of the macula, a small area of the retina responsible for central vision. The hypothesis for the natural concentration is that lutein helps protect from oxidative stress and high-energy light. Various research studies have shown that a direct relationship exists between lutein intake and pigmentation in the eye. Several studies also show that an increase in macula pigmentation decreases the risk for eye diseases such as Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD).

Lutein is a natural part of human diet when fruits and vegetables are consumed. For individuals lacking sufficient lutein intake, lutein-fortified foods are available, or in the case of elderly people with a poorly absorbing digestive system, fortification via a sublingual spray ensures maximum benefit to the eyes. As early as 1996, lutein has been incorporated into dietary supplements. While no recommended daily allowance currently exists for lutein as for other nutrients, positive effects have been seen at levels of 6 mg/day. The only definitive side effect of excess lutein consumption is the same observed for β-carotene overdose, namely bronzing of the skin (carotenodermia). The normal levels of Lutein found in a daily vitamin tablet can be as low as 0.25 mg.