Background: Dietary total antioxidant capacity (TAC) has been assumed as a useful tool to assess the relationship between the cumulative antioxidant food capacity and several chronic disorders. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the potential relationships of dietary TAC with adiposity, metabolic and oxidative stress markers in healthy young adults. Methods: This study enrolled 266 healthy subjects (105 men/ 161 women; 22 ± 3 years-old; 22.0 ± 2.7 kg/m²). Dietary intake, anthropometry, blood pressure, lifestyle features, and biochemical data were assessed with validated procedures. Results: In linear regression analyses, dietary TAC values were inversely associated with glycemia, total cholesterol:HDL-c ratio, triglycerides and oxidized-LDL concentrations, and positively associated with HDL-c concentrations, independently of gender, age, smoking status, physical activity, vitamin use supplement, waist circumference, energy intake, fatty acid intake. In addition, plasma TAC was negatively correlated with ox-LDL concentrations (r= -0.20, P = 0.003), independently of the assessed confounding variables. Finally, dietary TAC values were inversely related to waist circumference values (r= -0.17, P = 0.005) as well as to lower mild central obesity occurrence (waist circumference ≥ 80/ 94 cm for women/ men, respectively). Conclusion: Dietary TAC values are inversely associated with glucose and lipid biomarkers as well as with central adiposity measurements in healthy young adults, indicating dietary TAC as a useful tool to assess the health benefits of cumulative antioxidant capacity from food intake. In addition, the independent and inverse relationships of ox-LDL concentrations with dietary and plasma TAC respectively suggest a putative role of antioxidant rich-diet in the link between redox state and atherogenesis at early stage.

The determination of energy expenditure, considering the physical activity level and health status, is very important to adjust the individuals' nutritional supply. Energy expenditure can be determined by using indirect calorimetry, bioelectrical impedance, doubly labeled water, predictive equations, among others. All these methods have been used in clinical and research areas. However, considering the inconsistence in several research results, there is no consensus yet about the applicability of many of these methods. The aim of this review is to describe the components of energy expenditure and the methods for its determination and estimation, summarizing their main advantages and limitations. Indirect calorimetry and doubly labeled water are considered more accurate methods, but expensive. On the other hand, even though other methods present limitations, they are convenient and less expensive, and can be used with some caution.

O processo inflamatório é o elo entre a síndrome metabólica e as doenças cardiovasculares. Para medir o grau da inflamação subclínica, vários biomarcadores inflamatórios têm sido propostos. Este trabalho tem como objetivo revisar as recentes pesquisas das associações entre os biomarcadores inflamatórios e a síndrome metabólica, bem como a capacidade daqueles em predizer a síndrome metabólica. Estes biomarcadores incluem as citocinas pró-inflamatórias, citocinas antiinflamatórias, adipocinas, chemocinas, marcadores de inflamação derivados de hepatócitos, marcadores de conseqüência da inflamação e enzimas. Com esta revisão pode-se integrar o novo conhecimento referente às interações possíveis de mediadores inflamatórios com a síndrome metabólica, visto que estes biomarcadores desempenham vários papéis e seguem diversos caminhos metabólicos.

Background: Despite oxidized low density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) plays important roles in the pro-inflammatory and atherosclerotic processes, the relationships with metabolic and oxidative stress biomarkers have been only scarcely investigated in young adult people. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess plasma ox-LDL concentrations and the potential association with oxidative stress markers as well as with anthropometric and metabolic features in healthy young adults. Methods: This study enrolled 160 healthy subjects (92 women/68 men; 23 ± 4 y; 22.0 ± 2.9 kg/m²). Anthropometry, body composition, blood pressure, lifestyle features, biochemical data, and oxidative stress markers were assessed with validated tools. Selenium, copper, and zinc nail concentrations were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Results: Total cholesterol (TC), LDL-c and uric acid concentrations, TC-to-HDL-c ratio, and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity were positive predictors of ox-LDL concentrations, while nail selenium level (NSL) was a negative predictor, independently of gender, age, smoking status, physical activity. Those individuals included in the highest tertile of GPx activity (≥611 nmol/[mL/min]) and of NSL (≥430 ng/g of nail) had higher and lower ox-LDL concentrations, respectively, independently of the same covariates plus truncal fat or body mass index, and total cholesterol or LDL-c concentrations. Conclusions: Ox-LDL concentrations were significantly associated with lipid biomarkers, GPx activity, uric acid concentration, and NSL, independently of different assayed covariates, in young healthy adults. These findings jointly suggest the early and complex relationship between lipid profile and redox status balance.

A relação entre dieta e saúde pode ser avaliada pelo nível de alguns componentes do alimento (nutrientes), tipos de alimento, grupo ou grupos de alimentos e padrões alimentares. A associação entre estes parâmetros e várias doenças crônicas pode ser analisada por meio da adoção de instrumentos dietéticos de avaliação global de dietas e, para tanto, vários índices têm sido propostos. Este trabalho tem como objetivo descrever os diferentes índices para avaliação da qualidade de dietas, incluindo o Índice de Nutrientes, Escore da Variedade da Dieta, Escore da Diversidade da Dieta, Índice de Qualidade da Dieta, Índice de Alimentação Saudável, Índice de Qualidade da Dieta Revisado, Índice de Alimentação Saudável Alternativo, Contagem de Alimentos Recomendados e Escore da Dieta Mediterrânea Alternativo, bem como suas derivações. Esses índices apresentam uma evolução do conceito de qualidade, enfatizando as propriedades funcionais dos fatores dietéticos relacionados à redução do risco das doenças mais prevalentes na atualidade.