Hyperhomocysteinemia in winter elite athletes: a longitudinal study

Nutrition Assessment of B-Vitamins in Highly Active and Sedentary Women

Background: Female athletes and active women require adequate nutrition for optimal health and performance. Nutrition assessments are needed to identify potential nutrients of concern. Folate, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 function in important pathways used during physical activity and female athletes may be at risk for poor status of these micronutrients. This cross-sectional study described a comprehensive nutrition assessment of the B-vitamins (folate, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12) using both dietary (food and dietary supplements) and biochemical assessments among highly active and sedentary women. Methods: Highly active (n = 29; age 20 ± 2 years; body mass index (BMI) 23.8 ± 3.5 kg/m²) and sedentary (n = 29; age 24 ± 3 years; BMI 22.6 ± 3.0 kg/m²) women were recruited for this study. Participants completed 7-day weighed food records and a fasting blood draw. Results: Although the highly active women reported higher intakes of energy (p < 0.01), folate (p < 0.01), vitamin B6 (p < 0.01), and vitamin B12 (p < 0.01), no significant differences were found between the groups for biomarkers of folate, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12. All of the highly active women had biomarkers within the desired reference ranges, suggesting good status. In general, most participants were able to meet the 1998 Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) from food alone. For the women that reported using dietary supplements, micronutrient intakes met the 1998 RDA and in some cases, exceeded the Tolerable Upper Intake Level. Conclusion: This nutrition assessment documented good status for folate, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 in the highly active women. Similar assessment approaches (food, dietary supplements, and biomarkers) should to completed with other nutrients of concern for the female athlete.

Dietary methyl-consuming compounds and metabolic syndrome

The metabolic syndrome, a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, is a cluster of metabolic abnormalities including obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension and dyslipidemia. Although systemic oxidative stress and aberrant methylation status are known to have important roles in the development of metabolic syndrome, how they occur remains unclear. The metabolism of methyl-consuming compounds generates reactive oxygen species and consumes labile methyl groups; therefore, a chronic increase in the levels of methyl-consuming compounds in the body can induce not only oxidative stress and subsequent tissue injury, but also methyl-group pool depletion and subsequent aberrant methylation status. In the past few decades, the intake amount of methyl-consuming compounds has substantially increased primarily due to pollution, food additives, niacin fortification and high meat consumption. Thus, increased methyl consumers might have a causal role in the development and prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its related diseases. Moreover, factors that decrease the elimination/metabolism of methyl-consuming compounds and other xenobiotics (for example, sweat gland inactivity and decreased liver function) or increase the generation of endogenous methyl-consuming compounds (for example, mental stress-induced increase in catecholamine release) may accelerate the progression of metabolic syndrome. Based on current nutrition knowledge and the available evidence from epidemiological, ecological, clinical and laboratory studies on metabolic syndrome and its related diseases, this review outlines the relationship between methyl supply-consumption imbalance and metabolic syndrome, and proposes a novel mechanism for the pathogenesis and prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its related diseases.

Association of recreational physical activity with homocysteine, folate and lipid markers in young women

We assessed the influence of recreational physical activity in young healthy women on homocysteine, a potential risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Participants were 124 23-year-old normal-weight Italian recreational athletes (performing 8.7 +/- 2.46 h week(-1) exercise) and 116 controls. Median blood homocysteine, folate and lipid markers did not differ between athletes and controls. Elevated homocysteine levels at CVD risk > or =12.0 and > or =15.0 micromol l(-1) were not different between groups. Continuous homocysteine was inversely related to folate (P < 0.001), positively associated with age (P = 0.009) and creatinine (P = 0.033), but not associated with hours of exercise, body mass index, and lipid markers. Women with folate depletion (<3.0 microg l(-1)) were 4.5-fold more likely to have homocysteine > or =15.0 micromol l(-1). Recreational physical exercise does not adversely impact homocysteine levels among young women. Only low folate significantly increases the risk for hyperhomocysteinemia in young women.