This study evaluated the effects of ingestion of microencapsulated ascorbic acid (AA) using pea protein isolate (PPI) on in vivo postprandial plasma AA levels, oxidative stress (OS), and cell damage in young male soccer athletes following the Loughborough intermittent shuttle test. A single-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel design was employed, with fifteen male professional soccer players randomly assigned to three groups: PPI-AA (n = 5), free-AA (n = 5), and placebo (P) group (n = 5). Blood samples were collected for AA measurements. Blood AA was significantly higher in the free-AA group compared with the P or PPI-AA groups, 150 min after baseline (p < 0.05). Creatine kinase was higher in the P group than in the PPI-AA group after 60 min (p < 0.05), and the total antioxidant capacity (p < 0.05) was higher in the PPI-AA group. Hydroperoxide levels increased only in the P group after 60 min. These findings suggest PPI-AA microcapsules facilitate sustained AA release, reducing OS and cell damage, and supporting post-exercise recovery.
To investigate the association between adherence to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality and all-cause mortality. The study included 14,621 participants from the ELSA-Brasil cohort. DASH adherence was assessed at baseline using a continuous score. Fine-Gray competing risk models were for MACE and CVD mortality, and Cox models for all-cause mortality. Models were adjusted for sociodemographic factors, behaviours, comorbidities, weight change, and total energy intake. Mean age was 52 years (SD 9), and mean DASH score was 23.9 (SD 4.4). Each one-point increase in the DASH score was associated with lowerrisk of MACE (sHR 0.96; 95% CI 0.92-0.99), CVD mortality (sHR 0.95; 95% CI 0.92-1.00), and all-cause mortality (HR 0.97; 95% CI 0.95-0.98). Greater DASH adherence was associated with lower incidence of MACE and reduced CVD and all-cause mortality in Brazilian adults.
Evidence linking dietary protein intake with testosterone and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) is limited. We examined these associations in 2,546 Finnish men aged 42-60 years using 4-day food records and multivariable-adjusted models. Higher total and animal protein intakes and a higher animal-to-plant protein ratio were associated with lower total testosterone and SHBG, whereas plant protein intake was positively associated with both. In the highest versus lowest animal protein quartile, total testosterone was 1.2 nmol/L lower (95% CI: 0.37-2.03) and SHBG 3.0 nmol/L lower (95% CI: 1.34-4.66). In the highest versus lowest plant protein quartile, total testosterone was 1.1 nmol/L higher (95% CI: 0.34, 1.93) and SHBG 3.0 nmol/L higher (95% CI: 1.06, 4.94). Free testosterone was inversely associated with the animal-to-plant protein ratio and positively with non-grain plant protein. These cross-sectional findings suggest opposite associations of animal and plant protein intakes with total testosterone and SHBG.
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are increasingly consumed worldwide, but their relationship with household food waste remains unclear. This cross-sectional study examined this association in 200 Italian adults using the NOVA Food Frequency Questionnaire and a 3-day weighted household food waste diary. UPFs accounted for 21.2% of total food consumption by weight, and 44.5% of participants reported food waste during the observation period. UPF intake did not differ according to food waste occurrence, and neither food waste prevalence nor quantity varied across UPF intake quartiles. Multivariable analyses showed no association between UPF consumption and either the odds of reporting food waste or the mean amount discarded among participants reporting waste. Higher household food expenditure was associated with higher odds of food waste, while older age and higher educational level were associated with greater waste quantities. Household food waste appears more strongly related to socio-demographic and household characteristics than to habitual UPF consumption.
