Vitamin Supplements as a Nutritional Strategy against Chronic Alcohol Consumption? An Updated Review

Pathways in formulating foods for the elderly

The growth of the elderly population worldwide is posing significant challenges to human society. The progressive physical and physiological changes occur with aging, including decreased appetite, incomplete digestion, and reduced absorption of nutrients. A common feature of many elderly people's diets is a deficiency in proteins (especially easily digestible ones) and micronutrients (e.g., vitamins, zinc, iron, and calcium). One of the solutions to this problem is the incorporation of these components into suitably texture-modified foods. There is a dearth of products that meet the needs of the elderly with special medical/health conditions such as dysphagia, osteoporosis, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, as well as those who are in hospital and palliative care. Future research and development of foods for the elderly must address specific dietary needs of different subgroups of elderly people with underlying health conditions. The existence of different physical and physiological stages of the elderly means that their specific dietary requirements must be considered. This review summarizes current knowledge on nutritional requirements including those with underlying health problems and outlines the research and innovation pathways for developing new foods considering nutrition, texture, flavor, and other sensory aspects.

Effect of vitamin B2, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E and folic acid in adults with essential hypertension: a systematic review and network meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES

The objective of the current study is to compare the treatment effects of different vitamins on essential hypertension to provide an initial basis for developing evidence-based practices.

DESIGN

Systematic review and network meta-analysis.

DATA SOURCES

Five electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and ClinicalTrials.gov) were searched from their inception to 25 September 2023.

OUTCOMES

The primary outcomes were the difference between the intervention group and the control group in changes in office systolic blood pressure (SBP) and office diastolic blood pressure (DBP) from baseline. The secondary outcomes were the difference between the intervention group and the control group in changes in 24-hour mean ambulatory systolic blood pressure (24 hours SBP), 24-hour mean ambulatory diastolic blood pressure (24 hours DBP) and heart rate (HR) from baseline.

RESULTS

A total of 23 studies comparing five vitamins (vitamin B2, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, folic acid) and involving 2218 participants were included. The included trials were all vitamin versus placebo, so the network was star-shaped. Among the five vitamins, only vitamin E was significantly more effective at reducing SBP (mean difference: -14.14 mm Hg, 95% credible intervals: -27.62 to -0.88) than placebo. In addition, no evidence was found that any of the five vitamins influenced DBP, 24 hours SBP, 24 hours DBP, or HR. The dose of vitamins, geographical region and percentage of males (only SBP) might be sources of heterogeneity. Sensitivity and subgroup analysis revealed that the effect of vitamin intervention on blood pressure varies according to different doses of vitamins.

CONCLUSIONS

According to the results, vitamin E might be an effective measure to reduce SBP, but more research is needed to validate this finding.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42022352332.

Identification of hyperoxidized PRDX3 as a ferroptosis marker reveals ferroptotic damage in chronic liver diseases

Ferroptosis, a regulated cell death pathway driven by accumulation of phospholipid peroxides, has been challenging to identify in physiological conditions owing to the lack of a specific marker. Here, we identify hyperoxidized peroxiredoxin 3 (PRDX3) as a marker for ferroptosis both in vitro and in vivo. During ferroptosis, mitochondrial lipid peroxides trigger PRDX3 hyperoxidation, a posttranslational modification that converts a Cys thiol to sulfinic or sulfonic acid. Once hyperoxidized, PRDX3 translocates from mitochondria to plasma membranes, where it inhibits cystine uptake, thereby causing ferroptosis. Applying hyperoxidized PRDX3 as a marker, we determined that ferroptosis is responsible for death of hepatocytes in mouse models of both alcoholic and nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases, the most prevalent chronic liver disorders. Our study highlights the importance of ferroptosis in pathophysiological conditions and opens the possibility to treat these liver diseases with drugs that inhibit ferroptosis.

Systemic effects of excessive alcohol consumption

ABSTRACT

This article presents priority nursing assessments and interventions that address the multicellular assault of excessive alcohol consumption on bodily organs and the impact on the patient's quality of life.

Association between Alcohol Consumption and Body Composition in Russian Adults and Patients Treated for Alcohol-Related Disorders: The Know Your Heart Cross-Sectional Study

There is conflicting evidence about the association between alcohol consumption and body composition (BC). We aimed to investigate this association in Russian adults. The study population included 2357 residents of Arkhangelsk aged 35-69 years, and 272 in-patients treated for alcohol problems (narcological patients) who participated in the Know Your Heart (KYH) cross-sectional study in 2015-2017. The participants were divided into five subgroups based on their alcohol use characteristics: non-drinkers, non-problem drinkers, hazardous drinkers, harmful drinkers, and narcological patients. Considering men, hazardous drinkers had a larger waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and percentage of body fat mass (%FM) compared to non-problem drinkers. In harmful drinking men, these differences were the opposite: a lower body mass index (BMI), hip circumference (HC), and %FM. Men among narcological patients had the lowest mean BMI, WC, HC, WHR, and %FM compared to other subgroups of men. As for women, non-drinkers had a lower BMI, WC, HC, and %FM compared to non-problem drinkers. Women among narcological patients had the lowest mean BMI and HC but an increased WHR compared to other subgroups of women. In conclusion, alcohol consumption levels had an inverted J-shaped association with adiposity-related BC parameters: they were elevated in hazardous drinkers but were reduced in harmful drinkers, and were even lower in patients with alcohol-related diagnoses.

Role of Vitamin D in Liver Disease and Complications of Advanced Chronic Liver Disease

Vitamin D is a crucial nutrient with many pleiotropic effects on health and various chronic diseases. The purpose of this review is to provide a detailed report on the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying vitamin D deficiency in patients with chronic liver disease, addressing the different liver etiologies and the condition of advanced chronic liver disease (cirrhosis) with related complications. To date, patients with liver disease, regardless of underlying etiology, have been shown to have reduced levels of vitamin D. There is also evidence of the predictive role of vitamin D values in complications and progression of advanced disease. However, specific indications of vitamin D supplementation are not conclusive concerning what is already recommended in the general population. Future studies should make an effort to unify and validate the role of vitamin D supplementation in chronic liver disease.

β-Carotene Increases Activity of Cytochrome P450 2E1 during Ethanol Consumption

One of the key routes through which ethanol induces oxidative stress appears to be the activation of cytochrome P450 2E1 at different levels of ethanol intake. Our aim was to determine if oral β-carotene intake had an antioxidant effect on CYP2E1 gene expression in mice that had previously consumed ethanol. C57BL/6 mice were used and distributed into: control (C), low-dose alcohol (LA), moderate-dose alcohol (MA), β-carotene (B), low-dose alcohol+β-carotene (LA + B), and moderate-dose alcohol+β-carotene (MA + B). Animals were euthanized at the end of the experiment, and liver tissue was taken from each one. CYP2E1 was measured using qPCR to detect liver damage. The relative expression level of each RNA was estimated using the comparative threshold cycle (Ct) technique (2^−ΔΔCT method) by averaging the Ct values from three replicates. The LA+B (2267 ± 0.707) and MA+B (2.307 ± 0.384) groups had the highest CYP2E1 fold change values. On the other hand, the C (1.053 ± 0.292) and LA (1.240 ± 0.163) groups had the lowest levels. These results suggest that ethanol feeding produced a fold increase in CYP2E1 protein in mice as compared to the control group. Increased CYP2E1 activity was found to support the hypothesis that β-carotene might be dangerous during ethanol exposure in animal models. Our findings imply that β-carotene can increase the hepatic damage caused by low and high doses of alcohol. Therefore, the quantity of alcohol ingested, the exposure period, the regulatory mechanisms of alcoholic liver damage, and the signaling pathways involved in the consumption of both alcohol and antioxidant must all be considered.