Do smoking and fruit and vegetable intake mediate the association between socio-economic status and plasma carotenoids?

Xanthophylls in Human Milk and Maternal Diet: A Cross-sectional Analysis of Data from the Japanese Human Milk Study Cohort

Background

Maternal diet and sociodemographic factors influence xanthophyll concentration and composition in human milk. However, the importance of dietary patterns regarding the intake of fruits, vegetables, and xanthophylls remains unclear.

Objective

The aim was to determine the composition of xanthophylls in the human milk of Japanese mothers and explore associations of xanthophylls with dietary and sociodemographic factors.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted in the early phase of the Japanese Human Milk Study. Xanthophyll content was measured using liquid chromatography at 30-36 d postpartum. Maternal intake of foods, nutrients, and dietary supplements was estimated using a food-frequency questionnaire. Linear regression models were established using xanthophylls, maternal diet, and sociodemographic factors.

Results

Xanthophyll concentrations were measured in human milk from 118 mothers. The xanthophyll concentration varied among individuals. The median (IQR) concentrations of lutein, zeaxanthin, and β-cryptoxanthin were 65.6 ng/mL (51.6-103.4 ng/mL), 18.6 ng/mL (12.9-25.8 ng/mL), and 15.6 ng/mL (9.0-26.0 ng/mL), respectively. In multivariate models, the lutein concentration was associated independently with dietary green vegetables, exclusive breastfeeding, and education (r 2 = 0.153 for the model; β ± SE: 0.468 ± 0.198, 25.048 ± 10.222, and 13.460 ± 6.774; standardized β = 0.210, 0.217, and 0.175; P = 0.019, 0.016, and 0.049 for dietary green vegetables, exclusive breastfeeding, and education, respectively). For zeaxanthin, exclusive breastfeeding was the most appropriate predictor (r 2 = 0.085; β ± SE: 7.811 ± 3.300; standardized β = 0.218; P = 0.020). The highest predictive power for human milk β-cryptoxanthin was obtained with dietary β-cryptoxanthin (r 2 = 0.258; β ± SE: 0.089 ± 0.015; standardized β = 0.468; P < 0.001), attributed to maternal citrus intake.

Conclusions

β-Cryptoxanthin in human milk was the xanthophyll most influenced by the maternal diet in Japanese women. The β-cryptoxanthin concentration in human milk was reflected by the maternal β-cryptoxanthin intake, mainly attributed to Japanese citrus consumption. This trial was registered in the Japanese Clinical Trials Registry (https://center6.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr_e/ctr_view.cgi?recptno=R000017649) as UMIN000015494.

Molecular Mechanisms of Astaxanthin as a Potential Neurotherapeutic Agent

Neurological disorders are diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system that affect millions of people, and the numbers are rising gradually. In the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, the roles of many signaling pathways were elucidated; however, the exact pathophysiology of neurological disorders and possible effective therapeutics have not yet been precisely identified. This necessitates developing multi-target treatments, which would simultaneously modulate neuroinflammation, apoptosis, and oxidative stress. The present review aims to explore the potential therapeutic use of astaxanthin (ASX) in neurological and neuroinflammatory diseases. ASX, a member of the xanthophyll group, was found to be a promising therapeutic anti-inflammatory agent for many neurological disorders, including cerebral ischemia, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, autism, and neuropathic pain. An effective drug delivery system of ASX should be developed and further tested by appropriate clinical trials.

Belgian and Spanish consumption data and consumer handling practices for fresh fruits and vegetables useful for further microbiological and chemical exposure assessment

A consumer survey was organized in Spain and Belgium to obtain consumption data and to gain insight into consumer handling practices for fresh vegetables consumed raw or minimally processed (i.e., heads of leafy greens, bell peppers, tomatoes, fresh herbs, and precut and packed leafy greens) and fruits to be consumed without peeling (i.e., apples, grapes, strawberries, raspberries, other berries, fresh juices, and precut mixed fruit). This information can be used for microbiological and/or chemical food safety research. After extensive cleanup of rough databases for missing and extreme values and age correction, information from 583 respondents from Spain and 1,605 respondents from Belgium (18 to 65 years of age) was retained. Daily intake (grams per day) was calculated taking into account frequency and seasonality of consumption, and distributions were obtained that can be used in quantitative risk assessment for chemical hazards with chronic effects on human health. Data also were recalculated to obtain discrete distributions of consumption per portion and the corresponding frequency of consumption, which can be used in acute microbiological risk assessment or outbreak investigations. The ranked median daily consumption of fruits and vegetables was similar in Spain and Belgium: apple > strawberry > grapes > strawberries and raspberries; and tomatoes > leafy greens > bell peppers > fresh herbs. However, vegetable consumption was higher (in terms of both portion and frequency of consumption) in Spain than in Belgium, whereas the opposite was found for fruit consumption. Regarding consumer handling practices related to storage time and method, Belgian consumers less frequently stored their fresh produce in a refrigerator and did so for shorter times compared with Spanish consumers. Washing practices for lettuce heads and packed leafy greens also were different. The survey revealed differences between these two countries in consumption and consumer handling practices, which can have an impact on outcomes of future microbiological or chemical risk assessment studies.