Abstract
To explore the effects of increasing fruit and vegetable intake and the resulting effects on levels of circulating micronutrients in a community-dwelling population with an already high consumption of fruits and vegetables, 112 volunteers (86% women) underwent targeted dietary counseling for three months. At the beginning of the study and after 4, 8 and 12 weeks a food frequency questionnaire was filled in, and plasma levels of dietary antioxidants as well as biomarkers of oxidative lipid and protein damage were determined. Compared to baseline, especially the intake of fruits was significantly improved after 3 months of intervention, and mean plasma levels of lutein, zeaxanthin, β-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, α- and β-carotene, retinol, α-tocopherol, vitamin C and vitamin B6 were increased. Biomarkers of oxidative stress remained unchanged. Thus, a nutritional counseling program is capable of improving plasma levels of antioxidants even in a health-conscious population. A decrease in biomarkers of oxidative stress, however, does not occur.
Highlights
Dietary habits are an important instrument of active care for maintaining the population's health due to the association between antioxidant-rich food intake and the occurrence of age-related diseases [1]
Most of the participants were already following healthconscious lifestyle and baseline micronutrient plasma levels were quite high, but a further significant increase of lutein, lycopene, α- and β-carotene, vitamins C and B6 was achieved at T3 compared to baseline (Table 2) (p < 0.01)
A recent meta-analysis of 38 trials comparing dietary advice with no advice has shown that dietary advice increases fruit and vegetable intake by 1.25 servings/day as well as plasma levels of selected carotenoids [6]
Summary
Dietary habits are an important instrument of active care for maintaining the population's health due to the association between antioxidant-rich food intake and the occurrence of age-related diseases [1]. The percentage of class C participants decreased from 25% to 7% in as little as 2 weeks from the beginning of the study (data not shown), Table 1: Distribution of participants (%) into class A = optimal (≥ 5 fruit and/or vegetable portions daily), class B = normal (3–4 fruit and/or vegetable portions daily), and class C = poor (≤ 2 fruit and/or vegetable portions daily) nutritional behaviour at time points T0 and T3 (12 weeks).
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