The Mediterranean diet is a healthy diet with positive scientific evidence of preventing chronic diseases. Bioactive components support the healthy properties of the Mediterranean diet. Antioxidants and fiber, two components of the Mediterranean diet, are key functional nutrients for healthy eating and nutrition. Wine grape pomace is a rich source of these dietary constituents and may be beneficial for human health. Our hypothesis was that the intake of red wine grape pomace flour (WGPF) prepared from red wine grapes (Cabernet Sauvignon variety) reduced the metabolic syndrome in humans. To evaluate the effect of WGPF on components of metabolic syndrome we design a 16-week longitudinal intervention study. Thirty-eight males, 30–65 years of age, with at least one component of metabolic syndrome, were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (n = 25) or the control group (n = 13). At lunch, the intervention group was given 20 g of WGPF per day, which contained 10 g of dietary fiber, 822 mg of polyphenols and an antioxidant capacity of 7258 ORAC units. Both groups were asked to maintain their regular eating habits and lifestyles. Clinical evaluation, anthropometric measurements and biochemical blood analyses were done at the beginning and the end of the study. WGPF intake significantly decreased systolic and diastolic blood pressure as well as fasting glucose levels. Plasma γ-tocopherol and δ-tocopherol increased and carbonyl group in plasma protein decreased in WGPT group, significantly. No significant effect was observed for waist circumference, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, total antioxidant capacity and vitamin C in and between groups. The group-dependent magnitude of the differences between the baseline and final postprandial insulin values and γ-tocopherol concentrations was statistically significant. The consumption of WGPF-rich in fiber and polyphenol antioxidants, as a food supplement in a regular diet improves blood pressure, glycaemia and postprandial insulin. In addition, increased antioxidant defenses and decreased oxidative protein damage indicating attenuation of oxidative stress. WGPF might be a useful food ingredient for health promotion and chronic disease prevention.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of diet mediterranisation, in a food-at-work context, and its consequence on metabolic syndrome in a mid-age unselected healthy male population group.Design: One-year longitudinal intervention study. Physical exercise was not modified.Setting: All workers of the Santiago division of ‘Maestranza Diesel’, a metal-mechanic company servicing the mining industry, were invited to participate.Subjects: Initially, 145 workers of a total of 171, of average age 39 years, accepted to participate (sixteen women and 129 men). A subgroup of ninety-six men fully completed the controls programmed for the intervention study. Losses from the original group correspond to missing one control (sixteen), leaving the company (eleven) or blood sampling discomfort (six). The women and sixteen male workers, hired post study initiation, did participate but were excluded from this 12-month analysis.Results: Diet mediterranisation was successful, reflected in the daily food consumption at the canteen and the evolution of the Mediterranean diet score (MDS) from 4·8 ± 1·4 to 7·4 ± 1·5 (limits 0–14). Some metabolic syndrome components showed statistically significant improvement and also statistically significant correlation with the MDS: waist circumference, HDL-cholesterol, systolic and diastolic blood pressure. After 12 months, the reversion rate for metabolic syndrome was 48 % (12/23) with an incidence rate of 4·1 % for new cases (3/73). In total, metabolic syndrome decreased from 24·0 % to 15·6 % (23/96 to 15/96) (P= 0·029).Conclusions: Diet mediterranisation is feasible in a food-at-work intervention, affecting lunch consumption at the workers canteen and overall consumption evaluated with MDS, together with a significant reduction in metabolic syndrome.

A healthy dietary pattern and high quality nutrient intake reduce atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk. Red wine grape pomace (RWGP)—a rich natural source of dietary fiber and antioxidants—appears to be a potential functional food ingredient. The impact of a dietary supplementation with RWGP flour was evaluated in atherogenic diet-fed SR-B1 KO/ApoER61^h/h mice, a model of lethal ischemic heart disease. SR-B1 KO/ApoER61^h/h mice were fed with atherogenic (high fat, cholesterol, and cholic acid, HFC) diet supplemented with: (a) 20% chow (HFC-Control), (b) 20% RWGP flour (HFC-RWGP), or (c) 10% chow/10% oat fiber (HFC-Fiber); and survival time was evaluated. In addition, SR-B1 KO/ApoER61^h/h mice were fed for 7 or 14 days with HFC-Control or HFC-RWGP diets and plasma lipid levels, inflammation, oxidative damage, and antioxidant activity were measured. Atherosclerosis and myocardial damage were assessed by histology and magnetic resonance imaging, respectively. Supplementation with RWGP reduced premature death, changed TNF-α and IL-10 levels, and increased plasma antioxidant activity. Moreover, decreased atheromatous aortic and brachiocephalic plaque sizes and attenuated myocardial infarction and dysfunction were also observed. These results suggest that RWGP flour intake may be used as a non-pharmacological therapeutic approach, contributing to decreased progression of atherosclerosis, reduced coronary heart disease, and improved cardiovascular outcomes.

Wine grape pomace flour (WGPF) is a fruit byproduct that is high in fiber and antioxidants. We tested whether WGPF consumption could affect blood biochemical parameters, including oxidative stress biomarkers. In a three-month intervention study, 27 male volunteers, each with some components of metabolic syndrome, consumed a beef burger supplemented with 7% WGPF containing 3.5% of fiber and 1.2 mg gallic equivalents (GE)/g of polyphenols (WGPF-burger), daily, during the first month. The volunteers consumed no burgers in the second month, and one control-burger daily in the third month. At baseline and after these periods, we evaluated the metabolic syndrome components, plasma antioxidant status (i.e., 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging capacity (DPPH), vitamin E, vitamin C), and oxidative damage markers (i.e., advanced oxidation protein products (AOPPs), oxidized low-density lipoproteins (oxLDLs), malondialdehyde (MDA)). The WGPF-burger intake significantly reduced glycemia and homeostatic model assessment-based measurement of insulin resistance. Vitamin C increased and decreased during the consumption of the WGPF-burger and control-burger, respectively. The WGPF-burger intake significantly decreased AOPP and oxLDL levels. Vitamin E and MDA levels showed no significant changes. In conclusion, the consumption of beef burgers prepared with WGPF improved fasting glucose and insulin resistance, plasma antioxidant levels, and oxidative damage markers. Therefore, this functional ingredient has potential as a dietary supplement to manage chronic disease risk in humans.

The Mediterranean diet is currently considered a functional diet with an increasing amount of scientific evidence that supports its beneficial effects in human health. Several observational cross-sectional and prospective cohort studies show an association between this diet and a lower prevalence and incidence of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases as well as a reduced overall mortality. Additionally, clinical interventional studies, particularly the PREDIMED (Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea) initiative, have shown, with high quality scientific evidence, that a Mediterranean diet -supplemented either with olive oil or nuts- can lower by 30% the incidence of cardiovascular disease, reverse the metabolic syndrome, and prevent the development of diabetes and aging-related cognitive decline. Chile has one of the five Mediterranean ecosystems in the world, and therefore the implementation of this food pattern and lifestyle in our country may determine large benefits to the health status and quality of life in the Chilean population.

After enforcement of a new food labeling law in 2016, Chile exhibits a greater offer to reduced sugar products with addition of non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS). Many of these products are consumed by children, who are at greater risk of reaching the acceptable daily intake (ADI) of these food additives. The objective of this study was to evaluate the intake levels of NNS in Chilean schoolchildren after the enactment of the aforementioned law. A total of 250 Chilean children 6–12 years old were surveyed. NNS intake was assessed through a food frequency questionnaire. All children evaluated consumed at least one NNS during the previous month. Sucralose had the highest consumption frequency reaching 99.2%, followed by acesulfame-K (92.8%), stevia (86.0%), and aspartame (85.2%). Aspartame showed the highest median intake, which came mainly from beverages (96%). No children exceeded the ADI of any NNS. Smaller children exhibited a higher body weight-adjusted intake of sucralose, acesulfame-K, stevia, and aspartame (p < 0.05). In Chile, a wide range of processed foods with NNSs is available and all schoolchildren evaluated consumed at least one product containing NNS. However, this consumption does not exceed defined ADIs for any of the six sweeteners authorized for food use in Chile.