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Weaning a Baby onto a Vegan Diet
Published in Mary Nolan, Shona Gore, Contemporary Issues in Perinatal Education, 2023
Selenium is an essential trace element that the diets of some adult vegans have been found to be low in, although evidence of frank deficiency is lacking (Kristensen et al., 2015; Lightowler & Davies, 2000). In areas where selenium levels are low in plant foods, the inclusion of Brazil nut paste will boost intake considerably.
Nutritional Diseases
Published in Ayşe Serap Karadağ, Lawrence Charles Parish, Jordan V. Wang, Roxburgh's Common Skin Diseases, 2022
Chelsea Kesty, Madeline Hooper, Erin McClure, Emily Chea, Cynthia Bartus
Management: Diet should include foods that contain selenium, such as Brazil nuts, sardines, tuna, kidney, and liver meats. Supplementation ranges from 20 mcg daily in young children to 50–75 mcg daily in adults.
An Overview of Molecular Nutrition
Published in Nicole M. Farmer, Andres Victor Ardisson Korat, Cooking for Health and Disease Prevention, 2022
Vincent W. Li, Catherine Ward, Delaney K. Schurr
Not only are proteins used as the body’s building blocks, but they do so also because they are made of building blocks. At their most basic level, proteins are combinations of chains of 22 naturally occurring amino acids. These combinations may be long chains, branched, sheets, or helixes. If not in any of the aforementioned forms, amino acids also serve multiple functions. Certain single amino acids (aspartic acid, glutamic acid, gamma-aminobutyric acid, glycine, taurine) can function as neurotransmitters. Two amino acid combinations, called dipeptides, may function as cell-to-cell communicators. Because of these different functions for amino acids, clinically there are several uses of amino acids: for example, L-tryptophan for sleep. This clinical use also provides a basis for the role of certain amino acids naturally found at higher combinations in certain foods. For example, arginine is an amino acid with vasodilation capabilities. The Mayo Clinic recommends an arginine-rich diet for patients suffering from poor blood perfusion, such as peripheral artery disease (Mayo Clinic, 2021). Arginine-rich foods include walnuts, brazil nuts, and almonds and may thus be beneficial to this patient population.
Mitochondrial biogenesis alteration in arsenic-induced carcinogenesis and its therapeutic interventions
Published in Toxin Reviews, 2023
Kshirod Bihari Sathua, Rakesh Kumar Singh
Oxidative stress has been identified as an important mechanism of arsenic toxicity. Therefore, antioxidants derived from dietary natural compounds are one of the major means to alleviate arsenic-induced toxicity (Bae et al.2021). These include alpha-lipoic acid (α-LA) and its reduced form dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA), naringenin, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, sulforaphane, allicin, lutein, ellagic acid, curcumin, resveratrol, β-Carotene, genistein, quercetin, rutin, and α-Tocopherol, which have shown ameliorative effects against various arsenic-induced toxicities in animal models and in vitro studies. Folic acid supplementation can also decrease blood arsenic concentrations in human. Brazil nuts contain high amounts of selenium and can be a good strategy for detoxifying arsenic poisoning (Bjorklund et al. 2022).
A cross-sectional study of blood selenium concentration and cognitive function in elderly Americans: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011–2014
Published in Annals of Human Biology, 2020
Xiumin Yan, Kailiang Liu, Xiuhong Sun, Shuang Qin, Min Wu, Li Qin, Yao Wang, Zhongyi Li, Xingming Zhong, Xiangcai Wei
There is evidence suggesting that selenium may play a vital role in preventing cognitive decline in the elderly. A previous follow-up study has shown that a decline in plasma selenium levels over time was associated with a risk of cognitive decline (Akbaraly et al. 2007). In one cohort study, the average concentration of plasma selenium was 74.5 ± 12.5 µg/L, and the results showed that lower selenium levels were significantly associated with lower neurological coordination scores in the elderly (Shahar et al. 2010). In rural elderly Chinese, selenium levels measured in nail samples had a consistent relationship with cognitive performance (Gao et al. 2007). The higher the selenium level, the better the cognitive function. According to an RCT (randomized controlled trial) from Brazil, supplementation with Brazil nuts (estimated 288.75 µg/day for 6 months) could restore selenium deficiency, increase blood selenium levels and improve cognitive function (Rita Cardoso et al. 2016). However, a few studies have shown that selenium level is not related to cognitive function. A community-based sample suggested there was no significant difference in cognitive performance between people who took antioxidants and those who did not (Mendelsohn et al. 1998). In addition, other studies have shown that plasma selenium was not associated with cognitive performance, especially in selenium-replete older adults (Perkins et al. 1999; Cardoso and Szymlek-Gay 2018).
Brazil nut prevents oxidative DNA damage in type 2 diabetes patients
Published in Drug and Chemical Toxicology, 2022
Tamires Pavei Macan, Thais Aquino de Amorim, Adriani Paganini Damiani, Ângela Caroline da Luz Beretta, Marina Lummertz Magenis, Thais Ceresér Vilela, João Paulo Teixeira, Vanessa Moraes de Andrade
In conclusion, Brazil nuts are a good source of several dietary vitamins, phenolic compounds, fatty acids, and minerals, specially Se. Brazil nuts consumption could decrease oxidative DNA damage in T2D patients, probably through the rise in Se levels and its antioxidative effects. Therefore, it is important further investigations in relation to the effects of this particular supplement.