J. Romeo

Moderate alcohol consumption and the immune system: A review

Increasing evidence suggests that light to moderate amounts of polyphenol-rich alcoholic beverages like wine or beer could have health benefits. Scientists have long debated the effects of alcohol on immune function, showing on the one hand, that high doses of alcohol consumption can directly suppress a wide range of immune responses, and that alcohol abuse is associated with an increased incidence of a number of infectious diseases. On the other hand, moderate alcohol consumption seems to have a beneficial impact on the immune system compared to alcohol abuse or abstinence. Therefore, the link between alcohol consumption, immune response, as well as infectious and inflammatory processes remains not completely understood. With this in mind, it is important to realise that other factors, unrelated or indirectly related to immune function, like drinking patterns, beverage type, amount of alcohol, or gender differences, will affect the influence that alcohol consumption may have on the immune system. This review summarises published data describing the effects that light to moderate amounts of polyphenol-rich beverages like wine or beer seem to have on immunity in healthy adults.

Nutrition, Inflammation, and Cognitive Function

Inflammation, particularly low‐grade chronic inflammation, appears to affect several brain functions, from early brain development to the development of neurodegenerative disorders and perhaps some psychiatric diseases. On the other hand, nutrition and dietary components and patterns have a plethora of anti‐ and pro‐inflammatory effects that could be linked to cognitive function. Even a modest effect of nutrition on cognitive decline could have significant implications for public health. This paper summarizes the available evidence regarding inflammation as a key mechanism in cognitive function and nutritional pro‐ or anti‐inflammatory effects with the purpose of linking the apparent disparate disciplines of nutrition, immunity, and neurology.

Immunomodulatory effects of probiotics in different stages of life

The immunomodulatory properties of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and foods containing them (e.g., fermented milks) is a topic currently under investigation. Individuals could potentially benefit from the inclusion of LAB in the diet at different times during the life cycle. One of the most accepted specific uses of probiotic bacteria is the prevention of atopic eczema in infants with family history of the disease who receive the probiotic bacteria early, through supplementation of the gestating mother and orally after birth. Immune enhancing effects have also been suggested to be beneficial in diarrhoea treatment, especially in children infected with rotavirus and in malnourished patients, infants and adolescents, whose capacity to produce IFN-gamma can be increased after LAB-containing yoghurt intake. Regarding young people and adults, investigations have been conducted exploring the immunomodulation by LAB in subjects under stressful situations, in the prevention of urinary tract infections in fertile women and in the treatment of allergy. However, the beneficial effects of probiotics in these conditions remain controversial and the scientific evidence provided so far is not considered to be conclusive. The elderly population has been the focus of investigations aimed at identifying the capacity of probiotics to counteract the immunosenescence process by increasing phagocytic and natural killer (NK) cell activities and to protect against infection. The mechanisms involved in the different effects attributed to LAB remain to be clarified. Moreover, considering that the immunomodulatory properties are strain-specific, defining the optimal dose of a certain bacteria or combination of bacteria strains and the duration of treatment for a desired effect in a target population group is essential in order to substantiate health claims.

Lifestyle-related determinants of inflammation in adolescence

Inflammatory processes are involved in the pathogenesis of the most common chronic non-communicable diseases and may also play an important initiating role in their development. Only recently have inflammatory markers been included in epidemiological studies focusing on nutritional status, body composition and physical activity. We are just starting to understand how different lifestyles can determine basal levels of inflammatory biomarkers in early ages. This review aims to summarise what is known about the relationships between lifestyle-related determinants (focusing on overweight, physical activity and dietary habits) and inflammatory markers in apparently healthy young populations. Obesity is the most widely studied determinant. Several large-scale studies have now demonstrated that healthy young subjects with more body fat or higher BMI have moderately higher concentrations of inflammatory markers than their leaner peers, supporting the idea that obesity should be considered as a state of chronic low-grade inflammation. Less data is available to allow us to elucidate how physical activity/fitness or dietary patterns may have a direct effect on inflammation in apparently healthy, disease-free young populations.

Physical activity, exercise and low-grade systemic inflammation.

Prospective studies have shown that chronic low-grade inflammation may contribute to the pathogenesis of the most common chronic diseases and in particular CVD. Obesity has repeatedly been associated with moderately raised levels of inflammation, and this observation has led to the view that obesity is characterised by a state of chronic low-grade inflammation. There is now great interest in elucidating how physical activity and exercise modulate inflammation. This review summarises the current research addressing the influence of physical activity and exercise in mitigating the risks of obesity and diseases such as type-II diabetes and CVD, through its action on the low-grade inflammatory state. Most research on this topic hypothesised that the association between physical activity and inflammatory markers is independent of fatness, but very few studies have proven this. Given that physical activity and obesity are often inversely related, it is not clear as to whether the anti-inflammatory health benefits of a physically active lifestyle are due to exercise per se or result from favourable changes in the body composition.

Changes in the Immune System after Moderate Beer Consumption

Background/Aim: Epidemiological studies have suggested that moderate alcohol consumption is associated with lower morbidity. However, intervention studies are needed to elucidate mechanisms involved. This study was aimed to determine the effects of moderate beer consumption on the immune function of healthy adults, taking into account gender differences. Methods: After a 30-day alcohol abstinence period, 57 healthy volunteers consumed a moderate intake of beer (330 ml for women and 660 ml for men) for 30 days. Total leukocyte and lymphocyte counts; absolute values of T-lymphocyte CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+ subsets; delayed-hypersensitivity skin response (DHSR); absolute values of B lymphocytes (CD19+) and serum immunoglobulin concentrations (IgG, IgA, and IgM); and cytokine production (IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IFN-γ, and TNF-α) were evaluated following the abstinence and alcohol consumption periods. Results: After moderate beer consumption CD3+ cells increased only in women (p < 0.05). IgG, IgM, and IgA concentrations, as well as IL-2, IL-4, IL-10, and IFN-γ cytokine production increased while IFN-γ/IL-10 ratio decreased in both men and women (p < 0.05). The rest of the immunological parameters analyzed remained unchanged. Conclusion: Moderate beer consumption produced an immunomodulatory effect in a healthy adult Spanish population; this effect appears to be more relevant in women than in men.

Physical activity, immunity and infection.

During the last few decades, scientific evidence has confirmed a wide range of health benefits related to regular physical activity. How physical activity affects the immune function and infection risk is, however, still under debate. Commonly, intensive exercise suppresses the activity and levels of several immune cells, while other immune functions may be stimulated by moderate physical activity. With this knowledge, the understanding of the relationship between different levels of physical activity on the immune function has been raised as a potential tool to protect health not only in athletes but also in the general population; the mechanisms that translate a physically active lifestyle into good health continue to be investigated. Reviewing the literature, although several outcomes (i.e. the mechanisms by which different levels and duration of physical activity programmes affect numerous cell types and responses) remain unclear, given that the additional benefits encompass healthy habits including exercise, the use of physical activity programmes may result in improved health of elderly populations. Moderate physical activity or moderate-regulated training may enhance the immune function mainly in less fit subjects or sedentary population and the pre-event fitness status also seems to be an important individual factor regarding this relationship. Although adequate nutrition and regular physical activity habits may synergistically improve health, clinical trials in athletes using nutritional supplements to counteract the immune suppression have been inconclusive so far.Further research is necessary to find out to what extent physical activity training can exert an effect on the immune function.

Drinking pattern and socio-cultural aspects on immune response: an overview

Social acceptance of drinking involves social and cultural roles and has important implications for public health. Since extensive evidence indicates that alcohol possesses immunomodulatory properties, scientists have recently debated the influence of alcohol consumption on the immune response, particularly in countries where drinking in a social setting is a part of cultural identity. Experimental and clinical data support the conclusion that alcohol is a potent immunomodulator. While high alcohol consumption suppresses a wide range of immune responses, leading to an increased incidence of a number of infectious diseases, moderate alcohol consumption may have a beneficial impact on the immune system, compared to alcohol abuse or abstinence, most likely due to the multiple components of polyphenol-rich alcoholic contributing to the protective effect seen for moderate alcohol consumption on CVD and the immune system. Despite this, the scientific literature appears to be concerned about the diseases associated with excessive drinking in some societies and cultures. Thus, the present review recognizes the importance to consider social and cultural aspects of drinking when examining the whole dimension of alcohol consumption (amount, beverage type, frequency and variability), in order to estimate global risk of consequences on host defence to better understand alcohol-related harm or benefit.

Combined Influence of Lifestyle Risk Factors on Body Fat in Spanish Adolescents - the AVENA Study

Objective: To examine the combined influence of four lifestyle risk factors related to physical activity, television viewing, sleep duration, and meal frequency on body fat (BF) in adolescents. Method: This cross-sectional study comprised 1,310 Spanish adolescents (age 13–18.5 years). Lifestyle variables were self-reported and BF indicators (weight, height, six skinfold thicknesses, waist circumference) measured during the years 2000–2002. Lifestyle risk factors were: physically inactive, ≧3 h/day watching television, <8 h/day sleep duration, and <5 meals a day. The number of lifestyle risk factors was calculated for each participant, ranging from 0 to 4. Results: The number of lifestyle risk factors was positively associated with sum of six skinfolds, %BF, waist circumference, and waist-height ratio (all p < 0.001). The odds ratios (95% confidence interval) of overweight (including obesity) for groups with 1, 2, and 3–4 lifestyle risk factors compared with those with 0 were 2.86 (1.77–4.62), 3.61 (2.16–6.04), and 5.81 (3.07–10.99), respectively (p for trend <0.001). All the observations were independent of age, gender, race, socioeconomic status, and fat free mass. Conclusion: The combined influence of four lifestyle risk factors is positively associated with BF and an approximately sixfold risk of overweight in adolescents.

Daily consumption of milk enriched with fish oil, oleic acid, minerals and vitamins reduces cell adhesion molecules in healthy children *

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Several studies have suggested that polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamins and minerals have beneficial effects on lipid profile and systemic inflammation in adults. METHODS AND RESULTS We examined the effects of a daily intake of milk enriched with longchain polyunsaturated fatty acids, oleic acid, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and low in saturated fatty acids (SFAs) for 5 months, on several cardiovascular (CVD) risk biomarkers in healthy children aged 8-14 years. In a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial, a total of 107 children of both genders were assigned to two study groups: 1) a supplemented group (SG, n=53) who consumed 0.6 L/day of an enriched dairy product, and 2) a control group (CG, n=54) who consumed 0.6 L/day of standard whole milk. Both groups consumed the dairy drinks for 5 months, in addition to their usual diet. Serum levels of adhesion molecules as indices of vascular endothelial cell activation were assessed in both groups at 0 and 5 months as well as white blood cell counts, lipid profile, serum proteins, total serum calcium, 25-OH vitamin D, glucose, insulin and adiponectin. In the enriched dairy drink supplemented group, adhesion molecules E-selectin and ICAM-1 as well as lymphocyte levels decreased while plasma docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and serum calcium concentrations increased. In the control group, serum total protein, transferrin, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and adiponectin concentrations decreased. CONCLUSION The consumption of a milk enriched with fish oil, oleic acid, minerals and vitamins reduced indices of endothelial cell activation in the studied group of healthy children.