Study of possible beneficial effect of crocin in an animal model of diabetes

Abstract

s / Clinical Nutrition ESPEN 13 (2016) e55ee74 e65 Materials and methods: 107 patients diagnosed with cancer and treated in an oncology centre of excellence who have been referred to the community nursing home-care service. A pilot cross-sectional quantitative study, based on convenience sampling. The screening tool used to determine malnutrition was the ESPEN Nutrition Day questionnaire for oncological patients in greek language, as translated and validated by GrESPEN. Results: On average, a weight loss of 8 kilograms over the last year was noted for male patients, contrary to women, for whom no change was noted. In 76% of cases the weight loss was unintentional and 13% of the sample population has already lost more than 20% body weight. Minimum BMI was 19.8 with a good correlation to cancer stage. Risk factors for malnutrition identified included taste distortion, anorexia and constipation. None of the individuals at risk had been referred for nutrition counseling/support before the study. Conclusions: The community nurses should promote cancer patients’ education on nutritional status screening within the context of multidisciplinary nutrition teams. STUDY OF POSSIBLE BENEFICIAL EFFECT OF CROCIN IN AN ANIMAL MODEL OF DIABETES Konstantinos Feidantsis , Nantia Apostolidou , Eleftheria Galatou , Antigone Lazou . 1 Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Department of Zoology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR 54124, Greece; Alexander Technological Educational Institution of Thessaloniki, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Thessaloniki, Greece Introduction: Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease whose worldwide incidence is high (4-5%). The connection between diabetes with poor metabolic control and the high mortality due to cardiovascular disease, hyperlipidemia, nephropathies and neuropathies are very well established. Several recent studies demonstrate the protective effect of a wide variety of antioxidants to tissue damage as in the case of myocardial infarction. The extract of the plant Crocus sativus L. (commonly known as saffron) contains compounds, such as crocin, picrocrocin and safranal. Among the pharmacologically active ingredients, crocin is the most important and abundant antioxidant, has antitumor, antioxidant, anti-hyperlipidemic properties and is known to strengthen memory. Aim: The purpose of this study is the possible improvement of heart, liver and kidney function of diabetic rats after oral administration of crocin (10 and 20 mg / kg body weight) for 2 weeks and identification of the underlying molecular mechanisms that contribute to the improvement of cardiac, hepatic and renal function of the animals. Materials and methods: Specifically levels of biochemical indicators such as glucose, triglycerides, urea, total cholesterol, HDL and LDL and levels of enzymes SGOT, SGPT and GGT were detected in animal blood plasma. Results: a The study was carried out as part of a nutritional educational program that is performed from Aegean University (Responsible Prof.: Lecturer PD 407 Koutelidakis A.) in collaboration with 301 ARMY DEPOT (Responsible from 301 Depot: C. Z. Titakis, PhD candidate, Dept of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens) Figure 1. Glucose, triglycerides, urea, total cholesterol, HDL and LDL levels in control, diabetic and diabetic rats after the oral administration of crocin (10 and 20 mg/kg body weight). Values are means ± SD; n1⁄45 preparations from different animals. *P 0,05). Conclusion: The implementation of a nutrition education program with aim to improve dietary habits, may lead to improved work efficiency and promoting the health of workers. DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF A MODEL THAT ESTIMATES BODY FAT PERCENTAGE BASED ON SIMPLE ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS Vladlena Khudokonenko , Spyridon Kanellakis , Efstathios Skoufas , Eftychia Apostolidou , Loukia Gerakiti , Maria Andrioti , Christianna Georgopoulou , Georgia Ziogou , Theodora Makridi , Yannis Manios . Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece; Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, T.E.I. of Thessaly, Karditsa, Greece; Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, T.E.I. of Crete, Sitia, Greece