Background and aims: Experimental studies showed that carotenoids had anti-carcinogenic properties, but epidemiological studies on the association between dietary carotenoids and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) risk were limited, and the findings were inconsistent. This study aimed to investigate the roles of intake of dietary carotenoids in the development of ESCC among a rural Chinese population. Methods: A population-based case-control study was conducted in Southwest China. A total of 915 incident ESCC cases and 925 community-based controls were included. A validated food frequency questionnaire with 76-item was adopted to collect information about dietary consumption. Intake of dietary calories and each carotenoid was calculated according to the China food composition tables. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated by a logistic regression model, with adjustments for age, gender, body mass index, family cancer history, cigarette smoking, alcohol drinking, education, marital status, prudent pattern score, and total calories. Results: In comparison to the highest with lowest intake quartiles, intake of total carotenes (OR: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.52-0.96, Ptrend: 0.024), α-carotene (OR: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.46-0.83, Ptrend: 0.014), β-carotene (OR: 0.63, 95% CI: 0.46-0.86, P-trend: 0.005), and the sum of lutein and zeaxanthin (OR: 0.41, 95% CI: 0.29-0.56, Ptrend<0.001) was significantly associated with a decreased risk of ESCC after adjustment for confounders. Conclusions: The results indicated that a higher intake of total carotene, α-carotene, β-carotene, and the sum of lutein and zeaxanthin was associated with a lower risk of ESCC.

Background: Consuming high doses of vitamin A during pregnancy may lead to malformations in the offspring. Some reports state that low doses that do not cause macroscopic abnormalities may result in mental and behavioral disorders. However, there are few studies on the microscopic effects of these doses on the organism. Objective: The aim was to investigate the effects of early prenatal exposure to different doses of oral vitamin A on the fetal liver. Materials and methods: Twenty-five pregnant rats, divided into five groups, received oral vitamin A at doses of 10,000, 50,000, 100,000, and 200,000 IU/kg between days 10 and 12 of gestation. The fetuses were collected on day 19 of gestation, their livers were dissected, and histology, apoptosis, and proliferation were examined by hematoxylin-eosin, TUNEL assay, and Ki67 immunolabeling using stereological methods. Results: Vitamin A decreased fetal liver volume, the number of Ki67-positive cells per unit volume, and the total number of hepatocytes at all doses except 10,000 IU/kg (p<0.001). Consequently, apoptosis was significantly higher in the groups receiving 100,000 and 200,000 IU/kg vitamin A (p<0.001). Conclusion: Our study shows that vitamin A administered during gestation days 10-12 has a suppressive effect on the developing rat liver when the dose exceeds 10,000 IU/kg, probably due to increased apoptosis and suppressed cell division.

Background: Despite advances in prevention and treatment, colorectal cancer remains the second most common cause of cancer death. To date, little is known about the role of prediagnostic selenium intake in colorectal cancer survival. Objective: The purpose of the study was to verify whether selenium intake in habitual diet before diagnosis is associated with survival in colorectal cancer patients. Study design: This was a prospective observation of patients primarily recruited for a case-control study between 2000 and 2012 in Cracow, Poland. A group of 671 incident cases of colorectal cancer was included. Habitual diet was assessed using a validated 148-item food questionnaire. 338 deaths were identified throughout 2017 by the Polish National Vital Registry. To evaluate the impact of dietary selenium on survival, the multivariable Cox regression model was used. Results: After standardization for several potential confounders (including key determinants, such as radical surgery, chemotherapy, tumor stage, and dietary factors), a decrease in the risk of death from colorectal cancer was observed in the group with higher dietary selenium intake (≥48.8μg/day, group mean: 63.9μg/day) compared to the group with lower dietary selenium intake (<48.8μg/day, mean: 38.5μg/day) (HR=0.73; 95% CI: 0.54-0.98) (the median was used for categorization). Conclusion: Our study suggests selenium as an additional dietary factor which may be associated with survival among colorectal cancer patients referred to surgery. Due to the observational nature of the study, the results should be taken with caution. These preliminary findings, however, provide the basis for well-structured clinical trials.

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) is one of the most performed bariatric surgical techniques. However, RYGB commonly results, as side effects, in nutritional deficiencies. This study aimed to examine changes in the expression of vitamin A pathway encoding genes in the gastrointestinal tract (GI) and to evaluate the potential mechanisms associated with hypovitaminosis A after RYGB. Intestinal biopsies were obtained through double-balloon endoscopy in 20 women with obesity (age 46.9±6.2 years; body mass index [BMI] 46.5±5.3 kg/m2 [mean±SD]) before and three months after RYGB (BMI, 38.2±4.2 kg/m2). Intestinal mucosal gene microarray analyses were performed in samples using a Human GeneChip 1.0 ST array (Affymetrix). Vitamin A intake was assessed from 7-day food records and serum retinol levels were evaluated by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Our results showed the following genes with significant downregulation (p≤0.05): LIPF (-0.60), NPC1L1 (-0.71), BCO1 (-0.45), and RBP4 (-0.13) in the duodenum; CD36 (-0.33), and ISX (-0.43) in the jejunum and BCO1 (-0.29) in the ileum. No significant changes in vitamin A intake were found (784±694 retinol equivalents [RE] pre-operative vs. 809±753 RE post-operative [mean±SD]). Although patients were routinely supplemented with 3500 international units IU/day (equivalent to 1050 μg RE/day) of oral retinol palmitate, serum concentrations were lower in the post-operative when compared to pre-operative period (0.35±0.14 μg/L vs. 0.52±0.33 μg/L, respectively - P=0.07), both within the normal range. After RYGB, the simultaneous change in expression of GI genes, may impair carotenoid metabolism in the enterocytes, formation of nascent chylomicrons and transport of retinol, resulting in lower availability of vitamin A.

Microalgae have drawn increasing attention as sustainable food sources, also because of their lipid-lowering phytosterols. As phytosterols are also discussed critically regarding their effect on the availability of fat-soluble vitamins, this study aimed to investigate microalgae-derived phytosterols and their effect on vitamin D status. GC-MS analysis showed large variations in the phytosterol profiles of microalgal species. The most frequent sterols were β-sitosterol and stigmasterol. To investigate their effects on vitamin D status, 40 mice were randomized to four groups and fed a vitamin D3-adequate (25 μg/kg) Western-style diet with 0% phytosterols (control) or 1% ergosterol (a fungal sterol not typical for microalgae), β-sitosterol or stigmasterol for four weeks. Contrary to the hypothesis that phytosterols adversely affect vitamin D uptake, mice fed β-sitosterol had significantly higher concentrations of vitamin D3 in plasma (3.15-fold, p<0.01), liver (3.15-fold, p<0.05), and skin (4.12-fold, p<0.005) than the control group. Small increases in vitamin D3 in plasma and skin were also observed in mice fed stigmasterol. In contrast, vitamin D3 levels in the ergosterol and control groups did not differ. The increased tissue levels of vitamin D3 in mice fed β-sitosterol and stigmasterol were not attributable to the observed reduction in liver triglycerides in these groups. The data rather suggest that changes in bile acid profiles were responsible for the beneficial effect of microalgae sterols on the bioavailability of vitamin D3. In conclusion, consumption of microalgae might not adversely affect vitamin D status.

The imbalanced microbial composition called dysbiosis constitutes a tendency related to different kind of human diseases. To overcome the disadvantages of dysbiosis, the consumption of probiotics is an emerging and promising topic of the last decade. Kefir is a probiotic fermented beverage produced from the fermentation of kefir grains with changing varieties of milk and displays a symbiotic association of bacteria and yeast. The discovery of the concept that fermented foods/beverages such as kefir could modify gut microbiota in humans has widened the borders of precision medicine and now microbiome therapeutics can be considered as a significant part of this field. Kefir seems to have potential to guide and manipulate future replacement/complementary therapies with a variety of beneficial biological/medical properties it has. The aim of this review was a comprehensive recapitulation of probiotic beverage kefir's significant properties mainly focusing of antioxidative, immunomodulatory, apoptotic, antitumor and neuroprotective properties. Apoptotic/antimetastatic effects are regulated at the molecular level by increases in TGF-β1, caspase-3, p53, Bax, Bax:Bcl-2 ratio, p21 and decreases in TGF-α, Bcl-2 and MMP polarization. Neuroprotective effects are revealed upon upregulation of SOD/catalase and anti-inflammatory Treg cells, decreases in repetitive behavior and modulation of apoptotic genes. Besides these significant features that may offer advantages in supplementary cancer therapies, the scope was also extended to recent emerging medical topics and also discussed and evaluated the concept of "psychobiotics". The therapeutic potential of psychobiotic effect is majorly attributed to the increased ratios of Clostridium butyricum, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium.

Vitamin K (VK) is a fat-soluble vitamin that is indispensable for the activation of vitamin K-dependent proteins (VKDPs). It has been shown to play an important role in the proper calcium deposit at the bone level, hindering that on the vascular walls. The deficiency of this vitamin in European populations is frequent and unknown. It is related to several factors, poor dietary intake, altered intestinal absorption or altered production by bacteria, indicating possible dysbiosis. For Vitamin K2 (VK2), there is currently no official reference daily intake (RDI). However, the effects of VK2 on the improvement of health in cardiovascular diseases, on bone metabolism, on chronic kidney diseases have been the subject of research in recent decades. The microbiota in the gastrointestinal tract plays an important role: Bacteroides are primarily capable of synthetizing very long chain forms of menaquinones and, in addition to the bacteria present in the intestinal flora, VK2 is also produced by bacteria used in food fermentation processes. This review provides an update on the current literature regarding the origin of VK2 and its implications in what is called the "calcium paradox", namely the lack of calcium in the bone and its storage in the wall of the vessel.

As vitamin D (VD) plays an essential role in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), this systematic review aimed to update the participation of this vitamin in the prevention or remission of these diseases. This review has included studies in MEDLINE-PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases. The authors have followed PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis) guidelines. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, twenty-two randomized clinical trials were selected. In total, 1,209 patients were included in this systematic review: 1034 received only VD and 175 received VD in combination with calcium. The average doses of VD supplementation were from oral 400IU daily to 10,000IU per kilogram of body weight. Single injection of 300,000IU of VD was also used. Several studies have shown the crucial role that VD plays in the therapeutic approach of IBD due to its effects on the immune system. It effectively decreased inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α and IFN-γ (p<0.05) and provided a reduction in disease activity assessed through different scores such as Crohn's Disease Activity Index (CDAI) (p<0.05) and Ulcerative Colitis Disease Activity Index (UCDAI) (p<0.05). Unfortunately, the available clinical trials are not standardized for of doses and routes of administration. Existing meta-analyses are biased because they compare studies using different doses or treatments in combination with different drugs or supplements such as calcium. Even though VD has crucial effects on inflammatory processes, there is still a need for standardized studies to establish how the supplementation should be performed and the doses to be administered.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of propolis or metformin versus placebo on glycemic control in pharmacological treatment-naïve patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled in parallel groups clinical trial was performed in 36 pharmacological treatment-naïve patients with T2DM. They received propolis (300 mg), metformin (850 mg), or placebo twice daily before breakfast and dinner for 12 weeks. At the beginning and end of the study, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2-h postload glucose (2-h PG) during a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test, glycated hemoglobin A1c (A1C) and a metabolic profile were measured. Areas under the curve (AUC) of glucose and insulin, total insulin secretion (insulinogenic index), the first phase of insulin secretion (Stumvoll index), and insulin sensitivity (Matsuda index) were calculated. Statistical analyses: Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney U and Wilcoxon tests. Results: The propolis and metformin groups exhibited significant reductions in FPG (p=0.009 and p=0.001, respectively), 2-h PG (p=0.034 and p=0.001, respectively) levels, AUC of insulin, Stumvoll index, and an increment in the Matsuda index. The comparison of the changes from baseline to the end showed significant differences between placebo and propolis in FPG (p=0.004) and A1C (p=0.049) levels, while between placebo and metformin were in FPG (p=0.002), 2-h PG (p=0.004) and A1C (p=0.007) levels. Conclusions: The administration of propolis and metformin compared to placebo reduced FPG and A1C levels; in addition, metformin decreased 2-h PG, AUC of glucose and insulin, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and increased the insulin sensitivity.

Poor folate status is implicated in a wide variety of health disorders including megaloblastic anaemia, neural tube defects, and cardiovascular diseases. Human diet remains the main provider par excellence. Despite several public-health options to overcome this micronutrient deficiency, dietary folate intakes of women of childbearing age and children are still below recommendations in many African countries. Therefore, this review aims at presenting the current knowledge on folate contents in various African foods, and on folate losses during food processing. Seventy one food sources were evaluated in this study. These various food sources included thirty six vegetables, six cereals, height cereal products, six processed leafy vegetables, six pulses, three fruits, three legumes and three roots. All of them were originated from six African countries including Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and South Africa. Folate content ranged between 11 and 73.4μg/100g in cereals, 1.8 and 39μg/100g in cereal-based processed foods, 8.48 and 48.6μg/100g in cooked leafy vegetables, 11.6 and 633μg/100g in vegetables, 10 and 22μg/100g in pulses, 52 and 148μg/100g in legumes, 8 and 106μg/100g in fruits. The structure of the food matrix has been shown to influence folate digestibility in foods. High bioaccessible folate, assessed by in vitro digestion, was observed among food products with dense porosity structures while low bioaccessible folate was recorded among food products with open porous structures such as porridges and some gelatinized doughs. Numerous food processing steps have also been shown to influence negatively folate contents in foods.