Están el alcohol y el tabaco. También las grasas 'trans'. Pero la verdadera amenaza para la salud global, según un artículo de 'Nature', son los azúcares añadidos, que en algunas partes del mundo suponen más de 500 calorías al día en la dieta de una persona. Y más allá de las calorías, el exceso de azúcar induce la aparición de las enfermedades asociadas con el síndrome metabólico: diabetes, hipertensión, ácido graso, problemas lipídicos y patologías cardiovasculares. Por eso algunos expertos recomiendan emprender acciones para reducir su consumo, aunque la situación no es tan dramática en todos los países.
Parafraseando el mensaje de campaña de Bill Clinton en 1992, ¡es el azúcar, estúpido!, podría resumir el espíritu de un comentario publicado en el último número de la revista 'Nature'. En él, Robert H. Lustig, Laura A. Schmidt y Claire D. Brindis, de la Universidad de Califorma en San Francisco (EEUU), advierten sobre los riesgos que corre la población, especialmente aquellos con una dieta occidental, debido al elevado consumo de azúcares añadidos.
Los autores señalan que, si bien "mucha gente piensa que la obesidad es la causa que subyace" a las enfermedades no transmisibles (cáncer, diabetes, patologías cardiovasculares), se trata simplemente de "un marcador de la disfunción metabólica, que es mucho más frecuente".
Aunque el tabaco, el alcohol o el consumo de grasas influyen en la aparición de estas alteraciones metabólicas, el artículo apunta a los azúcares añadidos como pieza fundamental en la epidemia de alteraciones metabólicas que existe en el mundo: el 80% de las personas obesas las sufren y también el 40% de los que tienen un peso normal.
-Un consumo excesivo
Muchos alimentos procesados, cada vez más presentes en la dieta de los países occidentales, contienen azúcares añadidos. Las bebidas carbonatadas, zumos procesados, tés refrigerados, batidos, etc. también son fuente de fructosa, el principal edulcorante industrial. Su uso generalizado ha hecho que en algunos países del mundo la cantidad de calorías procedentes de estos azúcares supere las 600 calorías por persona y día, unos 200 gramos.
"Durante los últimos 50 años, el consumo de azúcar se ha triplicado en el mundo", subrayan los autores. Fenómeno especialmente notable en EEUU y, en menos medida, en Dinamarca, Nueva Zelanda, Suiza, Bélgica y algunos países de América Central. Algunos gobiernos, como el danés, se están planteando crear un impuesto especial para los alimentos que contengan estos azúcares, igual que ya lo hiciera con aquellos ricos en grasas 'trans'.
Esta es una de las estrategias defendidas por los autores para limitar el consumo de lo que ellos consideran una "amenaza para los individuos y la sociedad". Como medida última e ideal, señalan a las compañías para que éstas reduzcan la cantidad de fructosa en sus productos aunque señalan que tienen pocos incentivos para hacerlo porque "el azúcar es barato, sabe bien y se vende".
-Huir de los radicalismos
Sin embargo, los expertos consultados por ELMUNDO.es consideran que la situación no es tan grave en nuestro país, donde "el consumo medio de azúcar es moderado de modo que no constituye una prioridad alimentaria", indica Javier Aranceta, presidente de la Sociedad Española de Nutrición Comunitaria.
Según las estimaciones disponibles, alrededor del 7%-8% de las calorías que ingieren a diario los españoles proceden de los azúcares (añadidos o no), una cifra "razonable", según Aranceta, que insiste en que es muy importante distinguir entre los edulcurantes industriales y el azúcar de consumo doméstico.
Por otro lado, "muchos de los problemas de salud presentados [en el artículo] son casos de 'culpable por asociación' y sin evidencia firme de causalidad", explica José M. Ordovás, director del laboratorio de Nutrición y Genómica del USDA-Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging de la Universidad de Tufts (EEUU). "No podemos acusar de todos los problemas de la salud humana a un solo producto químico o nutriente".
Lejos del "extremismo y el dramatismo" de los autores, Ordovás reconoce que los azúcares añadidos son "cómplice del delito", cosa que las autoridades sanitarias saben desde hace tiempo. Por eso, "toda la comunidad científica y sanitaria está trabajando para que el consumo no se dispare", señala Aranceta, que sospecha que "en un futuro, es pobable que en un futuro haya que regularlo de algún modo".
**Publicado en "EL MUNDO"
02 February 2012
Study works out kinks in understanding of massage
Everyone knows that it can feel really good to get a massage.Now scientists may have figured out why, by identifying how massage switches genes on and off, thus reducing inflammation and coaxing muscle adaptation to exercise. The discovery provides strong evidence that massage merits further study as a treatment for injuries and chronic disorders, said Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky, a researcher at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, and lead author of a study about the research released Wednesday.
Tarnopolsky, who has studied the cellular effects of exercise for decades, performed muscle biopsies in both legs of healthy young men before and after they'd undergone strenuous exercise, and then a third time after massaging just one leg in each individual. Comparing tissues from each subject's massaged leg with tissues from his unmassaged leg, Tarnopolsky and his team found that massage therapy reduced exercise-related inflammation by dampening activity of a protein called NF-kB. Massage also seemed to help cells recover by boosting amounts of another protein called PGC-1alpha, which spurs production of new mitochondria — tiny organelles inside cells that are crucial for muscle energy generation and adaptation to endurance exercise.
Other proteins with similar roles were influenced by massage as well. And the finding tossed cold water on one widely held belief that massage eases pain by helping the body clear away lactic acid buildup after exercise. The team saw no effect of massage on lactic acid concentrations.If future studies show positive results, that could encourage more medical plans to pay for massage therapy, said UCLA alternative medicine expert Dr. Mary Hardy, who was not involved in Tarnopolsky's research."This kind of work should be useful in getting these therapies reimbursed," she said.
Thomas Birk, an associate professor of physical therapy at Wayne State University in Detroit, who has studied the physiological effects of massage in patients with HIV, said that the study, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, was the first he had seen that drilled down to cellular basics."We knew there was something going on, but we couldn't get to it a decade ago," he said, because the technology to probe the smallest structures of the body didn't yet exist. Birk said that more research would be needed for practitioners to figure out the right massage methods, pressures and depths to treat particular conditions.
Tarnopolsky, who says exercise is the best way to reverse damage caused by common conditions including diabetes, obesity and aging, is an athlete himself, and is competing this week in the Ski Orienteering World Cup in Lake Tahoe."I need a massage now," he joked Wednesday, after a tough morning of sprints.He said that seeing massage tables set up at marathon finish lines, and asking massage therapists whether they knew of a scientific basis for the treatment's results (most didn't), led him to think about doing this research. The team had to cobble together money to conduct the experiment. "There's so little data, we couldn't convince anyone to fund this," he said.Coauthor Simon Melov, who studies the biology of aging at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in Novato, Calif., and collaborates frequently with Tarnopolsky, said he initially thought the idea was crazy.
But now that the researchers have identified how massage reduces inflammation, he said, he is eager to see how it might be used to complement or replace anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen in treating injury, or to counteract the generalized inflammatory responses associated with normal aging.
**Published in "LOS ANGELES TIMES"
Sleep deprivation tied to increased nighttime urination in preadolescence
Nighttime visits to the bathroom are generally associated with being pregnant or having an enlarged prostate, but the problem can affect youngsters, too. A new study sheds light on why some children may need to urinate more often during the rest cycle. Danish researchers have found that sleep deprivation causes healthy children, between the ages of eight and twelve, to urinate significantly more frequently, excrete more sodium in their urine, have altered regulation of the hormones important for excretion, and have higher blood pressure and heart rates. The study appears in the American Journal of Physiology -- Renal Physiology, published by the American Physiological Society.
-Methodology
Twenty healthy children (ten boys and ten girls) were enrolled in the study. The children underwent two consecutive 24-hour stays at the hospital. The first 24-hour period was used to register baseline values including urine data, blood pressure and heart rate, and other physiological measures. The second 24-hour period was used to register these values during and following sleep deprivation. The information was subsequently compared with everyday life records submitted by the parents.
On both evenings the children were required to be in a supine position in bed in a dimly lit room at 8:00 p.m. Physical activity, food and fluid intake were not allowed between this time and 7:00 a.m. In addition, on the second night, the children were kept awake as long as possible throughout the night, if they were willing, by telling and listening to stories, doing small tasks such as word and memory games, or making crafts. Daytime "catch up" sleep was not allowed.
Results Sleep deprivation had a dramatic effect on nighttime urine excretion, with an average increase of 68 percent among the participants. The amount of sodium in the urine from the sleep-deprived night was almost a third greater than it was during the normal-sleep night. The levels of hormones associated with water and sodium excretion had numerous differences after the sleep-deprivation, and blood pressure and heart rate were significantly higher. The findings were similar between boys and girls.
-Importance of the Findings
The study finds that sleep deprivation leads to numerous physiologic differences in children that, ultimately, result in greatly increased urine output and significantly higher sodium excretion. The authors speculate that the reason for these differences could be the result of changes in the regulations of the hormones responsible for setting water and sodium output in the kidney, which also affect heart rate and blood pressure.
Finding ways to address these factors could stem nighttime urine production, which in turn could potentially help sleep disruption and bed-wetting in youngsters, according to the authors. They add, "The close relationship between the regulation of the sleep-wake cycle, blood pressure, and nocturnal urine output points toward sleep induction or blood pressure lowering treatment as possible new concepts in enuresis [bed-wetting] research and treatment."
**Source: American Physiological Society (APS)
-Methodology
Twenty healthy children (ten boys and ten girls) were enrolled in the study. The children underwent two consecutive 24-hour stays at the hospital. The first 24-hour period was used to register baseline values including urine data, blood pressure and heart rate, and other physiological measures. The second 24-hour period was used to register these values during and following sleep deprivation. The information was subsequently compared with everyday life records submitted by the parents.
On both evenings the children were required to be in a supine position in bed in a dimly lit room at 8:00 p.m. Physical activity, food and fluid intake were not allowed between this time and 7:00 a.m. In addition, on the second night, the children were kept awake as long as possible throughout the night, if they were willing, by telling and listening to stories, doing small tasks such as word and memory games, or making crafts. Daytime "catch up" sleep was not allowed.
Results Sleep deprivation had a dramatic effect on nighttime urine excretion, with an average increase of 68 percent among the participants. The amount of sodium in the urine from the sleep-deprived night was almost a third greater than it was during the normal-sleep night. The levels of hormones associated with water and sodium excretion had numerous differences after the sleep-deprivation, and blood pressure and heart rate were significantly higher. The findings were similar between boys and girls.
-Importance of the Findings
The study finds that sleep deprivation leads to numerous physiologic differences in children that, ultimately, result in greatly increased urine output and significantly higher sodium excretion. The authors speculate that the reason for these differences could be the result of changes in the regulations of the hormones responsible for setting water and sodium output in the kidney, which also affect heart rate and blood pressure.
Finding ways to address these factors could stem nighttime urine production, which in turn could potentially help sleep disruption and bed-wetting in youngsters, according to the authors. They add, "The close relationship between the regulation of the sleep-wake cycle, blood pressure, and nocturnal urine output points toward sleep induction or blood pressure lowering treatment as possible new concepts in enuresis [bed-wetting] research and treatment."
**Source: American Physiological Society (APS)
El ejercicio mejora la calidad de vida de los pacientes oncológicos
Desde hace tiempo se sospecha que el ejercicio físico es saludable para las persona que han recibido un tratamiento oncológico. Algunas investigaciones previas han visto que los pacientes con cáncer que han terminado su fase de tratamiento y quieren retomar sus actividades diarias descubren, a menudo, que sufren de fatiga, una disminución de su actividad física y una reducción en su calidad de vida. Sin embargo, los estudios han encontrado que hay muchos factores relacionados con la salud, incluyendo la calidad de vida, que se pueden mejorar a través de la actividad física.
Un equipo de investigadores de la Universidad de Hong Kong (China) ha analizado los resultados de 34 ensayos que habían evaluado los efectos de la actividad física en pacientes adultos con cáncer. En cada estudio se incluyó un promedio de 93 pacientes que habían padecido cualquiera de estos tumores: de mama, próstata, ginecológicos, cáncer colorrectal, gástrico o cáncer de pulmón.
Aspectos de salud
En conjunto, los resultados de la mayoría de estas investigaciones mostraron que, por ejemplo, las pacientes que habían recibido tratamiento para el cáncer de mama y habían realizado una actividad física tuvieron una mejoría en parámetros de salud como el control de la glucemia, el índice de masa corporal (IMC) y el peso, las funciones físicas como la fuerza de las extremidades inferiores, y en aspectos psicológicos como la fatiga, la depresión y la calidad de vida. En aquellos que completaron el tratamiento de otros tipos de cáncer, se observaron mejoras en el IMC, peso, función física, depresión y calidad de vida.
Los autores concluyen que, aunque se necesitan más ensayos, sobre todo en aquellos pacientes con otros tipos de cáncer distintos al de mama, y para determinar sobre la intensidad de la actividad, «la práctica de ejercicio genera un beneficio clínico claro».
Un equipo de investigadores de la Universidad de Hong Kong (China) ha analizado los resultados de 34 ensayos que habían evaluado los efectos de la actividad física en pacientes adultos con cáncer. En cada estudio se incluyó un promedio de 93 pacientes que habían padecido cualquiera de estos tumores: de mama, próstata, ginecológicos, cáncer colorrectal, gástrico o cáncer de pulmón.
Aspectos de salud
En conjunto, los resultados de la mayoría de estas investigaciones mostraron que, por ejemplo, las pacientes que habían recibido tratamiento para el cáncer de mama y habían realizado una actividad física tuvieron una mejoría en parámetros de salud como el control de la glucemia, el índice de masa corporal (IMC) y el peso, las funciones físicas como la fuerza de las extremidades inferiores, y en aspectos psicológicos como la fatiga, la depresión y la calidad de vida. En aquellos que completaron el tratamiento de otros tipos de cáncer, se observaron mejoras en el IMC, peso, función física, depresión y calidad de vida.
Los autores concluyen que, aunque se necesitan más ensayos, sobre todo en aquellos pacientes con otros tipos de cáncer distintos al de mama, y para determinar sobre la intensidad de la actividad, «la práctica de ejercicio genera un beneficio clínico claro».
**Publicado en "VOCENTO"
Societal control of sugar essential to ease public health burden
Sugar should be controlled like alcohol and tobacco to protect public health, according to a team of UCSF researchers, who maintain in a new report that sugar is fueling a global obesity pandemic, contributing to 35 million deaths annually worldwide from non-communicable diseases like diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Non-communicable diseases now pose a greater health burden worldwide than infectious diseases, according to the United Nations. In the United States, 75 percent of health care dollars are spent treating these diseases and their associated disabilities.
In the Feb. 2 issue of Nature, Robert Lustig MD, Laura Schmidt PhD, MSW, MPH, and Claire Brindis, DPH, colleagues at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), argue that sugar's potential for abuse, coupled with its toxicity and pervasiveness in the Western diet make it a primary culprit of this worldwide health crisis.
This partnership of scientists trained in endocrinology, sociology and public health took a new look at the accumulating scientific evidence on sugar. Such interdisciplinary liaisons underscore the power of academic health sciences institutions like UCSF.
Sugar, they argue, is far from just "empty calories" that make people fat. At the levels consumed by most Americans, sugar changes metabolism, raises blood pressure, critically alters the signaling of hormones and causes significant damage to the liver -- the least understood of sugar's damages. These health hazards largely mirror the effects of drinking too much alcohol, which they point out in their commentary is the distillation of sugar.
Worldwide consumption of sugar has tripled during the past 50 years and is viewed as a key cause of the obesity epidemic. But obesity, Lustig, Schmidt and Brindis argue, may just be a marker for the damage caused by the toxic effects of too much sugar. This would help explain why 40 percent of people with metabolic syndrome -- the key metabolic changes that lead to diabetes, heart disease and cancer -- are not clinically obese.
"As long as the public thinks that sugar is just 'empty calories,' we have no chance in solving this," said Lustig, a professor of pediatrics, in the division of endocrinology at the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital and director of the Weight Assessment for Teen and Child Health (WATCH) Program at UCSF.
"There are good calories and bad calories, just as there are good fats and bad fats, good amino acids and bad amino acids, good carbohydrates and bad carbohydrates," Lustig said. "But sugar is toxic beyond its calories."
Limiting the consumption of sugar has challenges beyond educating people about its potential toxicity. "We recognize that there are cultural and celebratory aspects of sugar," said Brindis, director of UCSF's Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies. "Changing these patterns is very complicated"
According to Brindis, effective interventions can't rely solely on individual change, but instead on environmental and community-wide solutions, similar to what has occurred with alcohol and tobacco, that increase the likelihood of success.
Many of the interventions that have reduced alcohol and tobacco consumption can be models for addressing the sugar problem, such as levying special sales taxes, controlling access, and tightening licensing requirements on vending machines and snack bars that sell high sugar products in schools and workplaces.
"We're not talking prohibition," Schmidt said. "We're not advocating a major imposition of the government into people's lives. We're talking about gentle ways to make sugar consumption slightly less convenient, thereby moving people away from the concentrated dose. What we want is to actually increase people's choices by making foods that aren't loaded with sugar comparatively easier and cheaper to get."
**Source: University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)
In the Feb. 2 issue of Nature, Robert Lustig MD, Laura Schmidt PhD, MSW, MPH, and Claire Brindis, DPH, colleagues at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), argue that sugar's potential for abuse, coupled with its toxicity and pervasiveness in the Western diet make it a primary culprit of this worldwide health crisis.
This partnership of scientists trained in endocrinology, sociology and public health took a new look at the accumulating scientific evidence on sugar. Such interdisciplinary liaisons underscore the power of academic health sciences institutions like UCSF.
Sugar, they argue, is far from just "empty calories" that make people fat. At the levels consumed by most Americans, sugar changes metabolism, raises blood pressure, critically alters the signaling of hormones and causes significant damage to the liver -- the least understood of sugar's damages. These health hazards largely mirror the effects of drinking too much alcohol, which they point out in their commentary is the distillation of sugar.
Worldwide consumption of sugar has tripled during the past 50 years and is viewed as a key cause of the obesity epidemic. But obesity, Lustig, Schmidt and Brindis argue, may just be a marker for the damage caused by the toxic effects of too much sugar. This would help explain why 40 percent of people with metabolic syndrome -- the key metabolic changes that lead to diabetes, heart disease and cancer -- are not clinically obese.
"As long as the public thinks that sugar is just 'empty calories,' we have no chance in solving this," said Lustig, a professor of pediatrics, in the division of endocrinology at the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital and director of the Weight Assessment for Teen and Child Health (WATCH) Program at UCSF.
"There are good calories and bad calories, just as there are good fats and bad fats, good amino acids and bad amino acids, good carbohydrates and bad carbohydrates," Lustig said. "But sugar is toxic beyond its calories."
Limiting the consumption of sugar has challenges beyond educating people about its potential toxicity. "We recognize that there are cultural and celebratory aspects of sugar," said Brindis, director of UCSF's Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies. "Changing these patterns is very complicated"
According to Brindis, effective interventions can't rely solely on individual change, but instead on environmental and community-wide solutions, similar to what has occurred with alcohol and tobacco, that increase the likelihood of success.
Many of the interventions that have reduced alcohol and tobacco consumption can be models for addressing the sugar problem, such as levying special sales taxes, controlling access, and tightening licensing requirements on vending machines and snack bars that sell high sugar products in schools and workplaces.
"We're not talking prohibition," Schmidt said. "We're not advocating a major imposition of the government into people's lives. We're talking about gentle ways to make sugar consumption slightly less convenient, thereby moving people away from the concentrated dose. What we want is to actually increase people's choices by making foods that aren't loaded with sugar comparatively easier and cheaper to get."
**Source: University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)
Comer pescado en el embarazo mejora la capacidad cognitiva de los niños
¿Pueden las mujeres embarazadas mejorar la capacidad intelectual de sus hijos comiendo pescado? Los resultados de un reciente estudio, presentado en la revista American Journal of Clinical Nutrition y coordinado por la profesora de la Universidad de Granada Cristina Campoy Folgoso, muestran cómo los niños nacidos de mujeres que consumieron más pescado durante el embarazo logran mejores resultados en las pruebas de inteligencia verbal, habilidades de motricidad fina y una mejor conducta prosocial.
Estos resultados han sido obtenidos en el marco del proyecto NUTRIMENTHE («Efecto de la dieta sobre el rendimiento mental de los niños»), que ha sido financiado con 5,9 millones de euros a través del 7º Programa Marco de la UE (7PM).
El aceite de pescado es la principal fuente de ácidos grasos omega-3 de cadena larga, como por ejemplo el ácido docosahexaenoico (DHA), un componente estructural clave de las membranas celulares del cerebro. La Comisión Europea apoya y declara las propiedades saludables del DHA, pues «contribuye al desarrollo normal del cerebro fetal y de los bebés alimentados con leche materna y también favorece el desarrollo normal de la visión en el feto y en el lactante».
-Efecto de la ingesta de pescado
En el estudio NUTRIMENTHE, los científicos han investigado el efecto de la ingesta de pescado durante la gestación junto a la variabilidad genética sobre la capacidad intelectual. Los investigadores del proyecto se centraron principalmente en los polimorfismos del grupo de genes de las desaturasas de ácidos grasos (FADS) que codifican las enzimas delta-5 y delta-6 desaturasas que intervienen en la síntesis de los ácidos grasos de cadena larga de las series omega-3 y omega-6.
Usando muestras de sangre de más de 2.000 mujeres, a las 20 semanas del embarazo, y del cordón umbilical de sus hijos al nacimiento, los investigadores han analizado los ácidos grasos de cadena larga de las series omega-3 y omega-6 y han determinado el genotipo de 18 polimorfismos de nucleótido único del FADS. El equipo ha analizado el efecto de la ingesta materna de pescado durante la gestación, como fuente de ácidos grasos omega-3 y omega-6, y su efecto tras la transferencia placentaria sobre el desarrollo fetal y cómo los diferentes genotipos van a influir sobre los niveles de estos importantes ácidos grasos de cadena larga en el feto.
-Genotipos maternos
Según los investigadores, la composición de ácidos grasos en la sangre del cordón umbilical depende de los genotipos maternos y de sus hijos, de tal manera que los genotipos maternos se asocian principalmente con los precursores de los ácidos grasos de la serie omega-6, y los genotipos del niño están asociados a los ácidos grasos más elongados de esta serie omega-6. También han demostrado que las cantidades de ácido docosahexaenoico (DHA) de la serie omega-3, y principal componente de las membranas de las células del cerebro, son dependientes de los genotipos maternos y de sus hijos.
Además, en un estudio previo, los investigadores han demostrado que el consumo de pescado durante el embarazo se asocia con un mayor Coeficiente de Inteligencia (CI) en los niños a los 8 años; sin embargo, los investigadores se preguntan ¿qué hay en el pescado que determine ese efecto? El estudio identificó cómo el consumo de pescado está asociado con los niveles maternos de DHA, pero aún no hay datos respecto a si los niveles de DHA maternos están directamente relacionados con los resultados en los niños. En el proyecto NUTRIMENTHE, que tiene previsto finalizar en 2013, se trabaja para resolver esta cuestión.
**Publicado en "ABC SALUD"
Estos resultados han sido obtenidos en el marco del proyecto NUTRIMENTHE («Efecto de la dieta sobre el rendimiento mental de los niños»), que ha sido financiado con 5,9 millones de euros a través del 7º Programa Marco de la UE (7PM).
El aceite de pescado es la principal fuente de ácidos grasos omega-3 de cadena larga, como por ejemplo el ácido docosahexaenoico (DHA), un componente estructural clave de las membranas celulares del cerebro. La Comisión Europea apoya y declara las propiedades saludables del DHA, pues «contribuye al desarrollo normal del cerebro fetal y de los bebés alimentados con leche materna y también favorece el desarrollo normal de la visión en el feto y en el lactante».
-Efecto de la ingesta de pescado
En el estudio NUTRIMENTHE, los científicos han investigado el efecto de la ingesta de pescado durante la gestación junto a la variabilidad genética sobre la capacidad intelectual. Los investigadores del proyecto se centraron principalmente en los polimorfismos del grupo de genes de las desaturasas de ácidos grasos (FADS) que codifican las enzimas delta-5 y delta-6 desaturasas que intervienen en la síntesis de los ácidos grasos de cadena larga de las series omega-3 y omega-6.
Usando muestras de sangre de más de 2.000 mujeres, a las 20 semanas del embarazo, y del cordón umbilical de sus hijos al nacimiento, los investigadores han analizado los ácidos grasos de cadena larga de las series omega-3 y omega-6 y han determinado el genotipo de 18 polimorfismos de nucleótido único del FADS. El equipo ha analizado el efecto de la ingesta materna de pescado durante la gestación, como fuente de ácidos grasos omega-3 y omega-6, y su efecto tras la transferencia placentaria sobre el desarrollo fetal y cómo los diferentes genotipos van a influir sobre los niveles de estos importantes ácidos grasos de cadena larga en el feto.
-Genotipos maternos
Según los investigadores, la composición de ácidos grasos en la sangre del cordón umbilical depende de los genotipos maternos y de sus hijos, de tal manera que los genotipos maternos se asocian principalmente con los precursores de los ácidos grasos de la serie omega-6, y los genotipos del niño están asociados a los ácidos grasos más elongados de esta serie omega-6. También han demostrado que las cantidades de ácido docosahexaenoico (DHA) de la serie omega-3, y principal componente de las membranas de las células del cerebro, son dependientes de los genotipos maternos y de sus hijos.
Además, en un estudio previo, los investigadores han demostrado que el consumo de pescado durante el embarazo se asocia con un mayor Coeficiente de Inteligencia (CI) en los niños a los 8 años; sin embargo, los investigadores se preguntan ¿qué hay en el pescado que determine ese efecto? El estudio identificó cómo el consumo de pescado está asociado con los niveles maternos de DHA, pero aún no hay datos respecto a si los niveles de DHA maternos están directamente relacionados con los resultados en los niños. En el proyecto NUTRIMENTHE, que tiene previsto finalizar en 2013, se trabaja para resolver esta cuestión.
**Publicado en "ABC SALUD"
Sleep apnea linked to silent strokes, small lesions in brain
People with severe sleep apnea may have an increased risk of silent strokes and small lesions in the brain, according to a small study presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2012. "We found a surprisingly high frequency of sleep apnea in patients with stroke that underlines its clinical relevance as a stroke risk factor," said Jessica Kepplinger, M.D., the study's lead researcher and stroke fellow in the Dresden University Stroke Center's Department of Neurology at the University of Technology in Dresden, Germany.
"Sleep apnea is widely unrecognized and still neglected. Patients who had severe sleep apnea were more likely to have silent strokes and the severity of sleep apnea increased the risk of being disabled at hospital discharge."
The researchers found:
Ninety-one percent (51 of 56) of the patients who had a stroke had sleep apnea and were more likely to have silent strokes and white matter lesions that increased risk of disability at hospital discharge.
Having more than five sleep apnea episodes per night was associated with silent strokes.
More than one-third of patients with white matter lesions had severe sleep apnea and more than 50 percent of silent stroke patients had sleep apnea.
Even though men were more likely to have silent infarcts, correlations between sleep apnea and silent infarcts remained the same after adjustment for such gender differences.
The patients -- average 67 years old, white and 54 percent women -- underwent overnight in-hospital testing for sleep apnea.
Magnetic resonance imaging and computerized tomography determined silent strokes and white matter lesions. Neuroradiologists were blinded to the sleep study findings and outcome.
Researchers suggested that sleep apnea should be treated the same as other vascular risk factors such as high blood pressure.
"Demographic characteristics in our study are comparable to western European populations, but our findings may not be entirely generalizable to other populations with diverse ethnicities such as in the U.S.," Kepplinger said.
The researchers plan more studies on sleep apnea, particularly in high-risk patients with silent strokes and white matter lesions, to determine the impact of non-invasive ventilation and on short-term clinical outcome, researchers said.
**Source: American Heart Association
"Sleep apnea is widely unrecognized and still neglected. Patients who had severe sleep apnea were more likely to have silent strokes and the severity of sleep apnea increased the risk of being disabled at hospital discharge."
The researchers found:
Ninety-one percent (51 of 56) of the patients who had a stroke had sleep apnea and were more likely to have silent strokes and white matter lesions that increased risk of disability at hospital discharge.
Having more than five sleep apnea episodes per night was associated with silent strokes.
More than one-third of patients with white matter lesions had severe sleep apnea and more than 50 percent of silent stroke patients had sleep apnea.
Even though men were more likely to have silent infarcts, correlations between sleep apnea and silent infarcts remained the same after adjustment for such gender differences.
The patients -- average 67 years old, white and 54 percent women -- underwent overnight in-hospital testing for sleep apnea.
Magnetic resonance imaging and computerized tomography determined silent strokes and white matter lesions. Neuroradiologists were blinded to the sleep study findings and outcome.
Researchers suggested that sleep apnea should be treated the same as other vascular risk factors such as high blood pressure.
"Demographic characteristics in our study are comparable to western European populations, but our findings may not be entirely generalizable to other populations with diverse ethnicities such as in the U.S.," Kepplinger said.
The researchers plan more studies on sleep apnea, particularly in high-risk patients with silent strokes and white matter lesions, to determine the impact of non-invasive ventilation and on short-term clinical outcome, researchers said.
**Source: American Heart Association
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