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Biomedical subjects

K Suboticanec

Publications and source records attributed to K Suboticanec.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Diet patterns and health problems: diet in southern Europe.

The diet of the populations in southern Europe, particularly those living in the Mediterranean areas, was characterized by a relatively higher consumption of fish, olive oil, vegetables and fruit and by a lower consumption of meat and animal fat. In terms of nutrients the most significant difference between the Mediterranean type of diet and the diet of continental and northern European populations was in the consumption of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids and to a lesser degree in the intake of protein, sugar and alcohol, as well as in regard to the dietary fiber content. Since the Mediterranean populations have shown a lower total mortality rate as well as a specific mortality from coronary heart disease (CHD) which in part could be explained by their dietary habits, the Mediterranean diet has often been proposed as a prototype on which dietary measures for the prevention of CHD in populations should be developed. However, more recent data indicate that in the last 20 years the food pattern of the Mediterranean populations was subjected to substantial changes, particularly in regard to the increase in meat and dairy product consumption which in turn has resulted in an increase in the percentage of energy of saturated fats and which has also affected the ratio of monounsaturated to saturated fatty acids. These changes have also affected some of the risk factors of CHD in those populations.

Diet↗
PubMed1990

Vitamin C status in chronic schizophrenia.

Schizophrenic patients on the same hospital diet as control group subjects had significantly lower levels of fasting plasma vitamin C (p less than 0.05) and 6-hr urinary vitamin C excretion after an ascorbic acid load test (p less than 0.01). After administration of 70 mg of ascorbic acid for 4 weeks there was no longer any difference in plasma vitamin C levels between schizophrenics and control group subjects, but the urinary vitamin C excretion after the vitamin C loading test remained significantly lower in schizophrenics (p less than 0.05). The administration of 1 g ascorbic acid for 4 weeks, in addition to eliminating differences in the plasma vitamin C level, also increased the urinary vitamin C excretion of schizophrenic patients to the level of the control group subjects. The results of this study are in agreement with the hypothesis that schizophrenic patients require higher levels of vitamin C than the suggested optimal ascorbic acid requirement for healthy humans.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Effects of pyridoxine and riboflavin supplementation on physical fitness in young adolescents.

The effects of pyridoxine and riboflavin supplementation on physical fitness was studied in a group of children with higher prevalence of subclinical, biochemically defined pyridoxine and riboflavin deficiencies. One hundred and thirteen children aged 12-14 years were allocated to three groups to receive daily (except Sundays) for two months either a placebo or a supplement of pyridoxine or riboflavin. The supplementation resulted in marked improvement of pyridoxine and riboflavin nutrition status and was followed by disappearance of respective biochemical deficiencies. The improvement in pyridoxine biochemical status was also accompanied by a slight and statistically significant increase in physical fitness (p less than 0.05) assessed by bicycle ergometer technique. The increase in physical fitness in the riboflavin supplemented group was statistically non-significant (p greater than 0.05). In both supplemented groups there was a significant increase in physical fitness in subjects with initially deficient biochemical vitamin status whereas supplementation had no effect on physical fitness in subjects with initially high biochemical values.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Effect of industrial pollution on seafood content and dietary intake of total and methylmercury.

The total mercury and methylmercury content of seafood was studied in an area of the Adriatic Sea polluted with inorganic mercury from a local industrial plant. The industrial pollution has affected both the total and the methylmercury content of seafood, but only the difference in the total mercury level was statistically significant when compared with a control area with no local industry. Studies of seafood consumption patterns indicate that, when the subjects examined from both areas were matched by their seafood consumption, both total mercury and methylmercury intake was higher in the industrially polluted area. The percentage of subjects ingesting total mercury above the WHO Provisional Weekly Tolerance Intake (PWTI) of 300 micrograms was also higher in the industrially polluted area. However, the percentage of subjects whose methylmercury intake was above the PWTI of 200 micrograms was higher in the control area, primarily due to the increased number of subjects consuming fish more than 5 times a week.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Nutritional status, grip strength, and immune function in institutionalized elderly.

The effects of vitamin supplementation on grip strength and immune function was studied in a group of institutionalized elderly with a relatively higher prevalence of low and below acceptable biochemical parameters of vitamin C, pyridoxine, folic acid, riboflavin, iron and zinc nutriture. The vitamin supplementation has resulted in a statistically significant increase in the level of biochemical parameters related to added vitamins, and the number of subjects with inadequate vitamin values was reduced to zero. The improved vitamin status had a positive and statistically significant effect on the delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity one of the parameters of cellular immunity. The calculation of multiple correlation after inclusion of all biochemical parameters into the stepwise regression analysis has shown that the coefficient of multiple regression between examined biochemical parameters of nutrition status and delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity was R = .599 (p less than 0.001) which indicates that about 36% of the variability in the cellular immunity would be affected by the vitamin and mineral nutrition status.

Aged↗
PubMed1986

Plasma levels and urinary vitamin C excretion in schizophrenic patients.

Vitamin C status was determined in schizophrenic subjects using fasting plasma levels and the urinary dose response after an oral load of 1.0 g ascorbic acid. The study was carried out in 20 schizophrenic patients and 15 controls with the diagnosis of neurosis who were on the same hospital diet for at least 2 months. The schizophrenic subjects had significantly lower fasting plasma vitamin C levels (P less than 0.05) and 6-h urinary vitamin C excretion after an ascorbic acid load test (P less than 0.01). Since urinary vitamin C excretion in both groups was significantly associated with differences in fasting vitamin C plasma levels (P less than 0.001), a new group of 15 schizophrenics and 15 controls was supplemented with 70 mg of ascorbic acid daily for 4 weeks in order to optimize and standardize their vitamin C plasma levels before the ascorbic acid loading test. The results showed that after 4 weeks of supplementation the average fasting plasma vitamin C levels were almost identical in both examined groups, but the urinary vitamin C excretion was again significantly lower in schizophrenic patients (P less than 0.05). These results are in agreement with the hypothesis that schizophrenia may be associated with impaired ascorbic acid metabolism.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Blood pressure and blood lipids in adolescent obesity.

The relationship of relative body weight (RBW) and adiposity to blood pressure and blood lipids was studied in a selected group of adolescents aged 15-17 years with RBW between 95 and 140 per cent and body fat tissue between 10 and 45 per cent. The increase in RBW and percentage of body fat was positively associated with systolic blood pressure in boys and girls and with diastolic blood pressure in girls. In boys, the RBW and percentage of body fat were also positively associated with total lipids, VLDL and negatively associated with HDL. In girls, there was a positive association of RBW and body fat with blood cholesterol, total lipids and LDL-cholesterol. These associations, though statistically significant, were of a rather low order when the entire range of body mass and percentage of body fat distribution were considered, but became more significant in more extreme distribution categories. The results indicate that the increase of RBW over 25 per cent of standard in both boys and girls as well as the increase in percentage of body fat over 25 per cent in boys and over 35 per cent in girls may be associated with elevated blood pressure and changes in blood lipid values in adolescents.

Adolescent↗