Does potassium-enriched salt or sodium reduction reduce cardiovascular mortality and medical expenses?
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Ching Kuang Chow.
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Previous studies have shown that dietary vitamin E reduced generation and/or levels of superoxide. As superoxide has potential to release iron from its transport and storage proteins, and labile or available form of iron is capable of catalyzing the formation of reactive hydroxyl radicals, the effect of dietary vitamin E on labile iron pool was studied in rats. One-month-old Sprague-Dawley male and female rats were fed a basal vitamin E-deficient diet supplemented with 0, 20, 200, or 2,000 IU vitamin E/kg diet for 90 days. The levels of labile iron were measured in the liver, kidney, spleen, heart and skeletal muscle. Additionally, the levels of lipid peroxidation products were measured. The results showed that, except for labile iron in the heart of male rats, dietary vitamin E dose dependently reduced the levels of labile iron and lipid peroxidation products in all tissues of male and female rats. The findings suggest that dietary vitamin E may protect against oxidative tissue damage by reducing the generation and/or level of superoxide, which in turn attenuates the release of iron from its protein complexes.
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Copper (Cu) is an integral part of many important enzymes involved in a number of vital biological processes. Although normally bound to proteins, Cu may be released and become free to catalyze the formation of highly reactive hydroxyl radicals. Data obtained from in vitro and cell culture studies are largely supportive of Cu's capacity to initiate oxidative damage and interfere with important cellular events. Oxidative damage has been linked to chronic Cu-overload and/or exposure to excess Cu caused by accidents, occupational hazards, and environmental contamination. Additionally, Cu-induced oxidative damage has been implicated in disorders associated with abnormal Cu metabolism and neurodegenerative changes. Interestingly, a deficiency in dietary Cu also increases cellular susceptibility to oxidative damage. A number of nutrients have been shown to interact with Cu and alter its cellular effects. Vitamin E is generally protective against Cu-induced oxidative damage. While most in vitro or cell culture studies show that ascorbic acid aggravates Cu-induced oxidative damage, results obtained from available animal studies suggest that the compound is protective. High intakes of ascorbic acid and zinc may provide protection against Cu toxicity by preventing excess Cu uptake. Zinc also removes Cu from its binding site, where it may cause free radical formation. Beta-carotene, alpha-lipoic acid and polyphenols have also been shown to attenuate Cu-induced oxidative damage. Further studies are needed to better understand the cellular effects of this essential, but potentially toxic, trace mineral and its functional interaction with other nutrients.
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Information accumulated lately has confirmed the essentiality of vitamin E for humans and provided a better understanding of its biological function and metabolic fate. The discovery of alpha-tocopherol transfer protein, which preferentially binds to RRR-alpha-tocopherol, not only provides conclusive evidence of the essentiality of vitamin E for humans, but also sheds light on the superiority of RRR-alpha-tocopherol biologically over other isomers. The presence of tocopherol regeneration systems and multiple interdependent antioxidant systems is largely responsible for the lack of a widespread deficiency in humans and the difficulty to deplete vitamin E in the adult. The bulk of excess tocopherols consumed is excreted to feces unchanged or to urine with the side chain shortened but the chroman ring intact. The ability of dietary vitamin E to mediate mitochondrial superoxide generation affords a possible mode of action of vitamin E at the tissue levels. By decreasing the generation and/or the levels of reactive oxygen/nitrogen species, dietary vitamin E not only protects against oxidative damage, but also modulates the expression and/or activation of redox-sensitive biological response modifiers that regulate important cellular events.