The human body cannot store zinc reserves, so a deficiency can arise relatively quickly, e.g., through an improper diet. Severe zinc deficiency is rare, but mild deficiencies are common around the world. Many epidemiological studies have shown a relationship between the zinc content in the diet and the risk of cancer. The anti-cancer effect of zinc is most often associated with its antioxidant properties. However, this is just one of many possibilities, including the influence of zinc on the immune system, transcription factors, cell differentiation and proliferation, DNA and RNA synthesis and repair, enzyme activation or inhibition, the regulation of cellular signaling, and the stabilization of the cell structure and membranes. This study presents selected issues regarding the current knowledge of anti-cancer mechanisms involving this element.

Inflammation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of many diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, atherosclerosis, diabetes, asthma, and cancer. An appropriate diet and the active compounds contained in it can affect various stages of the inflammatory process and significantly affect the course of inflammatory diseases. Recent reports indicate that polyphenolic acids, vitamins, minerals, and other components of fruits may exhibit activity stimulating an anti-inflammatory response, which may be of importance in maintaining health and reducing the risk of disease. The article presents the latest data on the chemical composition of fruits and the health benefits arising from their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. The chemical composition of fruits determines their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, but the mechanisms of action are not fully understood.

In this paper, a hypothesis was assessed whether or not the intoxication with copper and supplementation with copper plus resveratrol would result in changes in the activities of catalase and glutathione peroxidase and moreover if the characteristic changes would appear in concentrations of copper, iron, calcium, magnesium, and zinc in the serum of rats with chemically induced carcinogenesis. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into study groups which, apart from the standard diet, were treated with copper (42.6 mg Cu/kg food as CuSO₄·5H₂O) or copper plus resveratrol (0.2 mg/kg body) via gavage for a period from 40 days until 20 weeks of age. In cancer groups, the rats were treated with a dose of 80 mg/body weight of 7,12-dimethyl-1,2-benz[a]anthracene (DMBA) given in rapeseed oil at 50 and 80 days of age to induce mammary carcinogenesis. The control groups included the rats kept in the same conditions and fed with the same diet as the animals from the study groups, but not DMBA-treated. The activity of catalase significantly decreased in groups of rats with mammary carcinogenesis that were supplemented with copper (p < 0.05) or copper plus resveratrol (p < 0.001) in comparison with the control groups that received the same diets. In cancer groups of nonsupplemented rats, the increase of glutathione peroxidase activity was observed. The process of carcinogenesis and the applied supplementation significantly altered the concentrations of trace elements in serum, in particular as concerns iron and copper. The mean serum iron levels in rats with breast cancer were significantly lower than those in the control groups (p < 0.001). The mean serum copper levels significantly decreased in the groups of rats with mammary carcinogenesis that were supplemented with copper or copper plus resveratrol in comparison with the control groups that received the same diets (p < 0.001). The characteristic changes in iron content and the zinc/copper and zinc/iron ratios in blood may be used as one of the prognostic factors in breast cancer research.

Vitamin D, or more precisely its active metabolite calcitriol (1,25-(OH)₂D₃), plays a fundamental role in bone metabolism and differentiation as well as in intestinal absorption of calcium and regulation of calcium-phosphate metabolism. Recent decades have brought about the discovery of the role of calcitriol in processes regulating cell differentiation, proliferation, angiogenesis and apoptosis. This creates the potential for numerous therapeutic applications of vitamin D in diseases associated with autoaggressive immune responses or in cancer. This study presents selected issues regarding current knowledge of the anti-cancer mechanisms of vitamin D.

Plasma from patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a valuable source of information indicating altered metabolites associated with the risk or progression of the disease. Neurotoxicity of dopaminergic neurons, which is triggered by aggregation of α-synuclein, is the main pathogenic feature of PD. However, a growing body of scientific reports indicates that metabolic changes may precede and directly contribute to neurodegeneration. Identification and characterization of the abnormal metabolic pattern in patients’ plasma are therefore crucial for the search for potential PD biomarkers. The aims of the present study were (1) to identify metabolic alterations in plasma metabolome in subjects with PD as compared with the controls; (2) to find new potential markers, some correlations among them; (3) to identify metabolic pathways relevant to the pathophysiology of PD. Plasma samples from patients with PD (n = 25) and control group (n = 12) were collected and the gas chromatography-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry GC-TOFMS-based metabolomics approach was used to evaluate the metabolic changes based on the identified 14 metabolites with significantly altered levels using univariate and multivariate statistical analysis. The panel, including 6 metabolites (L-3-methoxytyrosine, aconitic acid, L-methionine, 13-docosenamide, hippuric acid, 9,12-octadecadienoic acid), was identified to discriminate PD from controls with the area under the curve (AUC) of 0.975, with an accuracy of 92%. We also used statistical criteria to identify the significantly altered level of metabolites. The metabolic pathways involved were associated with linoleic acid metabolism, mitochondrial electron transport chain, glycerolipid metabolism, and bile acid biosynthesis. These abnormal metabolic changes in the plasma of patients with PD were mainly related to the amino acid metabolism, TCA cycle metabolism, and mitochondrial function.

The virus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes the disease coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The cumulative number of cases reported globally is now nearly 197 million and the number of cumulative deaths is 4.2 million (26 July to 1 August 2021). Currently we are focusing primarily on keeping a safe distance from others, washing our hands, and wearing masks, and the question of the effects of diet and diet-dependent risk factors remains outside the center of attention. Nevertheless, numerous studies indicate that diet can play an important role in the course of COVID-19. In this paper, based on select scientific reports, we discuss the structure and replication cycle of SARS-CoV-2, risk factors, dietary standards for sick patients, and the roles of the microbiome and dietary components supporting the immune system in preventing COVID-19.