Coronary-heart-disease risk-factor status on the Cretan urban population in the 1980s

Article Abstract:

Crete has a population of 502,165 and is the largest island in Greece. In the 1960s, Cretans were reported to have lower death rates from coronary heart disease (CHD) than other European populations. It is well recognized that diets high in saturated fat increase the risk of developing CHD. In the 1960s, the Cretan diet was simple and included whole-wheat bread, olive oil, nuts, fruits and vegetables, and very little milk, cheese or meat. However, over the last 30 years Cretans have become more prosperous and many have given up farming for business careers. At the same time, the Cretan diet has become more Westernized. A study was performed to reevaluate the Cretan diet and risk factors associated with CHD. The study included 387 Cretans who were bank employees. Blood cholesterol levels, blood pressure, body mass index (a measure of obesity), and dietary habits of this study group were compared with those reported 26 years ago. The results indicate that blood cholesterol levels increased by an average of 36 percent, while the average level of physical activity decreased. Blood pressure, body mass index and prevalence of smoking have remained the same, but the diet has changed significantly. There has been a 366 percent increase in the consumption of cheese, a 160 percent increase in meat consumption, and an 88 percent increase in fish consumption. The average diet was 36 percent fat. At the same time, the amount of bread, potatoes, fruits and eggs consumed in the diet has decreased. Ninety-six percent of the men and 79 percent of the women had one or more risk factors associated with CHD, while 37 percent of the men and 10 percent of the women had three or more risk factors. It is concluded the prevalence of CHD is likely to increase in the Cretan population because of increased blood cholesterol levels, lower levels of physical activity, and a diet rich in saturated fat. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Greece, Measurement, Risk factors, Coronary heart disease, Food and nutrition, Blood cholesterol, Crete

---

Rapid uptake and clearance of pyridoxine by red blood cells in vivo

Article Abstract:

Pyridoxine (PN), the most common form of vitamin B-6, is supplied primarily by cereals, fruits and vegetables. PN must be transformed into a related substance, pyridoxal (PL), by a series of metabolic reactions in order to be useful to the body. Most of the conversion takes place in the liver, but the red blood cells also perform this function. The uptake of PN by red blood cells was investigated in one healthy female volunteer. The subject was injected with PN, and the different forms of vitamin B-6 appearing in the blood and red blood cells were measured. While the red cells took up large amounts of PN quickly, several minutes later much of that PN had disappeared and not all of it had been converted to PL as expected. This revealed that the red cells were probably carrying the PN to other body tissues for metabolism and conversion; blood plasma also appeared to transport PN to other tissues. Red blood cells may serve as efficient carriers of nutrients to remote locations by way of tiny blood vessels. In diseases that involve red cell membrane abnormalities, transport of nutrients may be diminished; these diseases include beta-thalassemia, Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease and Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Health aspects, Physiological aspects, Metabolism, Erythrocytes, Red blood cells, Vitamin B6, Pyridoxine

---

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: Ascorbic acid requirements for smokers: analysis of a population survey. Vitamin C and cardiovascular risk factors
• Abstracts: Gestational trophoblastic disease: what have we learned in the past decade? Levels of placenta growth factor in gestational trophoblastic diseases
• Abstracts: Cardiovascular effects of caffeine therapy in preterm infants. The use of primidone in neonates with theophylline-resistant apnea
• Abstracts: Mechanism of disease induction by HIV. Is the incubation period of AIDS lengthening?
• Abstracts: Humanity, the measure of an ethics for AIDS. Risk factors for HIV-2 infection in Guinea-Bissau

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.