Inoue T, Komoda H, Uchida T, Node K.
 

BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress as well as inflammation plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Although, various anti-oxidative dietary supplements have been evaluated for their ability to prevent atherosclerosis, no effective ones have been determined at present. "Camu-camu" (Myrciaria dubia) is an Amazonian fruit that offers high vitamin C content. However, its anti-oxidative property has not been evaluated in vivo in humans. METHODS: To assess the anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties of camu-camu in humans, 20 male smoking volunteers, considered to have an accelerated oxidative stress state, were recruited and randomly assigned to take daily 70ml of 100% camu-camu juice, corresponding to 1050mg of vitamin C (camu-camu group; n=10) or 1050mg of vitamin C tablets (vitamin C group; n=10) for 7 days. RESULTS: After 7 days, oxidative stress markers such as the levels of urinary 8-hydroxy-deoxyguanosine (P<0.05) and total reactive oxygen species (P<0.01) and inflammatory markers such as serum levels of high sensitivity C reactive protein (P<0.05), interleukin (IL)-6 (P<0.05), and IL-8 (P<0.01) decreased significantly in the camu-camu group, while there was no change in the vitamin C group. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that camu-camu juice may have powerful anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties, compared to vitamin C tablets containing equivalent vitamin C content. These effects may be due to the existence of unknown anti-oxidant substances besides vitamin C or unknown substances modulating in vivo vitamin C kinetics in camu-camu.
 

Abstract: The chemical composition of the Peruvian camu-camu fruit Myrciaria dubia(HBK) McVaugh was analysed at three stages of maturity (immature, midripe and ripe). As fruit matured, levels of ascorbic and dehydroascorbic acids, reducing sugars (fructose and glucose were the major sugars), amino acids (serine, valine and leucine) and soluble solids increased. Citric acid was the major acid (from 19.8 up to 29.8 g kg-1) and was responsible for the fruit's sour taste. Unlike citric acid, malic acid increased with maturation. Among the macronutrients, potassium was the most abundant mineral (711 mg kg-1) and could be considered, like vitamin C, nutritionally significant. During maturation, the fruit pulp colour turned from yellow-green to pink, presumably due to the migration of anthocyanin pigments from the peel.
 

Association of vitamin E and C supplement use with cognitive function and dementia in elderly men
K. H. Masaki, MD, K. G. Losonczy, MA, G. Izmirlian, PhD, D. J. Foley, MS, G. W. Ross, MD, H. Petrovitch, MD, R. Havlik, MD and L. R. White, MD From the Honolulu–Asia Aging Study (Drs. Masaki, Petrovitch, and White), Kuakini Medical Center, Honolulu, HI; the Division of Geriatric Medicine (Drs. Masaki, Petrovitch, and Ross), University of Hawaii, John A. Burns School of Medicine, Honolulu, HI; the Epidemiology, Demography, and Biometry Program (Drs. Izmirlian, Havlik, and White, and K. Losonczy and D. Foley), National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD; and the Department of Veteran’s Affairs (Dr. Ross), Honolulu, HI.
Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Kamal H. Masaki, The Honolulu Heart Program, 347 North Kuakini Street, HPM 9, Honolulu, HI 96817; e-mail: kamal@hhp2.hawaii-health.com
http://www.neurology.org/cgi/content/abstract/54/6/1265
 

High-dose antioxidant supplements and cognitive function in community-dwelling elderly women.
Grodstein F, Chen J, Willett WC. Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
fran.grodstein@channing.harvard.edu
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12663300?dopt=Abstract
 

Antioxidant intake and cognitive function of elderly men and women: the Cache County Study
Alternative Medicine Review, Sept, 2007 by H.J. Wengreen, R.G. Munger, C.D. Corcoran
Nutr Health Aging 2007;11:230-237.
COPYRIGHT 2007 Thorne Research Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FDN/is_3_12/ai_n21066505
 

M De la Fuente
Departmento de Fisiología Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Correspondence to: M de la Fuente, Departmento de Fisiología Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Complutense, E-28040 Madrid, Spain
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2002) 56, Suppl 3, S5-S8.
doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601476
http://www.nature.com/ejcn/journal/v56/n3s/abs/1601476a.html
 

Physiological Role of Antioxidants in the Immune System
Adrianne Bendich ^1
1 Human Nutrition Research, Hoffmann-LaRoche Inc., Nutley, NJ 07110
http://jds.fass.org/cgi/content/abstract/76/9/2789