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INCREASED FRUIT AND VEGETABLE CONSUMPTION WITHIN THE EC : POTENTIAL HEALTH BENEFITS

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Vegetables and fruits contain a range of potentially protective compounds (carotenoids, flavonoids, phenols, sulphur compounds and so on) that may have synergistic or complementary effects on human health. Carotenoids are thought to be inversely related to the development of chronic and degenerative diseases and are considered as preventive agents. A Carotenoid Food Database which includes fruits and vegetables frequently consumed within the European Union is being developed. Qualitative and quantitative data is provided on the carotenoid composition in fruits and vegetables under different thermal processing conditions. The effect of boiling (at ready-to-eat point) and freezing/thawing (-20 C, 1 month/4 C, 16 h) is being evaluated for several fruits and vegetables in order to obtain information about the impact on carotenoid content. The data can then be applied to industrial processes (eg bleaching, freezing) used for commercial products. Freezing/thawing does not affect the carotenoid content nor its isomeric distribution in most vegetables and fruits analysed to date, whereas boiling provokes an increase in the carotenoids quantified. In addition to the impact on the food industry, a more accurate evaluation of the classical nutritional value (provitamin A) and other actions (natural antioxidants) of carotenoids is being provided. Nutritionists, epidemiologists and public health policymakers can use the data to improve nutritional recommendations for different consumers and assess the impact of newly developed products and processing methods on the nutritional value of foods and public health. Studies are being carried out on carotenoid absorption, serum clearance and factors influencing serum levels in control subjects.
Studying the potential health benefits of increased vegetable and fruit consumption within the European Union (EU) is the topic of the project. One part of the project is studying the relationship between increased vegetable and fruit intake (as providers of the carotenoids lypopene, lutein, beta-carotene) and the effects of these compounds on reducing the oxidation of one of the fractions the so-called low density lipoprotein (LDL) fraction of cholesterol in human blood. LDL oxidation is linked to arterial disease and the finding that the susceptibility of LDL to oxidation is reduced in subjects who consume more vegetables and fruits is an important finding. To-date, a positive relationship has been established in humans between plasma (blood) lutein concentration and LDL resistance to oxidation. This finding is being confirmed in additional studies. It has also been shown that non-smokers have higher carotenoid plasma levels (mmol/L) than smokers (ie beta-carotene 0.58 vs 0.18, lutein 0.39 vs 0.25 and lycopene 0.53 vs 0.45) indicating that if these exert a protective effect on LDL oxidation, then the effect is greater in non-smokers. The differential was maintained after two weeks of vegetable and fruit supplementation of the diet (ie beta-carotene 0.97 vs 0.38, lutein 0.43 vs 0.26 and lycopene 1.05 vs 0.73). To-date, in these human studies, the increase in carotenoid intake from fruit and vegetables has been determined by individual appetite and tastes of the volunteers. In the next stage the practicality of imposing a fixed menu for all volunteers is being considered so that the oxidation resistance of LDL can be determined in relation to food sources of specific carotenoids.

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