Hygienic assessment of indoles in the diet of medical students

Abstract

A number of studies have shown the relationship between the regular consumption of cruciferous vegetables and the risk of malignant tumors in certain localizations, the activation of mechanisms of alimentary adaptation of the organism under conditions of alien loads, by inducing enzymes of the biotransformation system of xenobiotics. The cruciferous vegetables are distinguished by the presence of minor components, such as indole-3-carbinol, formed during the hydrolysis of glucosinolates. The aim of the investigation was a retrospective study of the content of indoles in students' diet with subsequent quantitative analysis in different comparison groups. The study involved 250 students from a medical university aged 21 to 27 years. To assess the actual nutrition, the developed questionnaires were used, which included the most common products in the Moscow region, sources of indole glucosinolates. It was found that 44% of the respondents didn't include cruciferous vegetables in the diet, and of those who consumed sources of indoles (56% of respondents), only about half received them in the recommended amount. It should also be noted that as in men, in women the most commonly used in the diet product as a source of indoles was cabbage, it was included in the diet of 68% of the respondents who used cruciferous vegetables, rarely pekin cabbage was used (16.3%) and broccoli (16.3%). Cauliflower, radishes, Kale and horseradish was included in the diet of 7.8-14.9% of the students. Less often turnip was consumed - only by 2.1% of the students. No significant differences in the consumption of indoles in the student with deficient, normal or overweight was revealed. Also, there was no correlation between excess weight and the consumption of various indoles sources. The obtained results testify to the extremely low level of alimentary intake of indole-3-carbinol.