Epidemiological studies have led scientists to postulate the developmental origins of health and disease hypothesis for noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, and obesity. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the development of these diseases are not well understood. In various animal models, it has been observed that oxidative stress during pregnancy is associated with the early development of endothelial dysfunction in offspring. This phenomenon suggests that endothelial dysfunction may initiate in the uterus and could lead to increased risk of cardiovascular disease later in life. Currently, it is known that many of the fetal adaptive responses to environmental factors are mediated by epigenetic changes in the genome, especially by the degree of methylation in cytosines in the promoter regions of genes. These findings suggest that the establishment of a particular epigenetic pattern in the genome may be generated by oxidative stress.

Background: The postprandial stage is related to cardiovascular risk and it depends on the type of meal consumed. We study the effects of Sacha inchi oil on the postprandial glycemic state caused by meals rich in saturated fat. Methods and Results: A double blind randomized trial in which 42 adult men ingested two breakfasts rich in saturated fat, one of them containing additionally 15 mL of Sacha inchi oil. Blood samples were obtained before or after 1 and 4 hours post-ingestion to quantify glucose, insulin and lipid profile in serum. The insulinogenic and sensitivity indices were calculated and the expression of sirtuin-1 in circulating mononuclear cells by qPCR was determined. Results: Oil addition attenuated the increase of glucose in 16 (38.1%) participants. This group showed a higher concentration of fasting triacylglycerides and sirtuin-1 expression at 4 hours post-Sacha inchi oil correlated with glucose at the same time (r = −0.724; p = 0.012), and with postprandial insulin sensitivity (r = 0.636; p = 0.035). Conclusions: The addition of Sacha inchi oil to a highly fatty meal improves insulin sensitivity in people with higher basal triglyceridemia and higher glycemic responses after a fat load. Under these conditions, sirtuin-1 expression correlates with postprandial insulin sensitivity.

Background: Many studies have suggested a relationship between metabolic abnormalities and impaired fetal growth with the development of non-transmissible chronic diseases in the adulthood. Moreover, it has been proposed that maternal factors such as endothelial function and oxidative stress are key mechanisms of both fetal metabolic alterations and subsequent development of non-transmissible chronic diseases. The objective of this project is to evaluate the effect of micronutrient supplementation and regular aerobic exercise on endothelium-dependent vasodilation maternal and stress oxidative of the newborn.Methods and design: 320 pregnant women attending to usual prenatal care in Cali, Colombia will be included in a factorial randomized controlled trial. Women will be assigned to the following intervention groups:1. Control group:usual prenatal care (PC) and placebo (maltodextrine).2. Exercise group:PC, placebo and aerobic physical exercise.3. Micronutrients group:PC and a micronutrients capsule consisting of zinc (30 mg), selenium (70 μg), vitamin A (400 μg), alphatocopherol (30 mg), vitamin C (200 mg), and niacin (100 mg). 4. Combined interventions Group:PC, supplementation of micronutrients, and aerobic physical exercise. Anthropometric measures will be taken at the start and at the end of the interventions.Discussion: Since in previous studies has been showed that the maternal endothelial function and oxidative stress are related to oxidative stress of the newborn, this study proposes that complementation with micronutrients during pregnancy and/or regular physical exercise can be an early and innovative alternative to strengthen the prevention of chronic diseases in the population.Trial registration: NCT00872365.

Objetivo: evaluar, en mujeres primigestantes saludables, el efecto del ejercicio aeróbico sobre el consumo de oxígeno. Materiales y métodos: estudio clínico aleatorizado en 64 mujeres saludables, primigestantes, entre 16 y 20 semanas de gestación. Grupo de intervención: ejercicio aeróbico entre el 50% y 65% de la frecuencia cardíaca máxima, durante 45 min, 3 veces por semana durante 16 semanas. Grupo control: actividad física habitual. Mediciones: consumo de oxígeno VO_2max por prueba de caminata de seis minutos y antropometría para peso, talla y ganancia relativa de peso. Resultados: en las mediciones iniciales, no se encontraron diferencias entre grupos en ninguna de las variables. Al finalizar la intervención, las participantes que realizaron ejercicio presentaban una mayor capacidad física, medida por la distancia recorrida en el test de caminata (p=0,043) y por el VO_2max (p=0,023). No se encontraron diferencias significativas entre los grupos en las variables antropométricas. Conclusión: la práctica regular de ejercicio aeróbico y controlado, mejora la capacidad física en mujeres gestantes. Por esta razón, intervenciones como esta podrían ser una alternativa temprana y efectiva para fortalecer la prevención de patologías durante el embarazo asociadas al sedentarismo.