José Boccio

Zinc as an essential micronutrient : A review

Zinc is one of the most important essential tracer metals of human nutrition, and its deficiency is a world nutritional problem. This work compiles past and present information about the role of zinc in human health.

The role of zinc in the growth and development of children

This review concerns the importance of zinc in growth, development, and cognitive function in children and the deleterious consequences of its deficiency on childrens health. Possible strategies to overcome zinc deficiency and the results of some supplementation trials are discussed.

Effect of probiotics and functional foods and their use in different diseases

The use of functional foods (probiotics and prebiotics) has been demonstrated to be effective for the treatment or control of several diseases. Further well designed trials to examine the effects of different probiotic components are required. It is important to establish separate functions and to gain further insight into the underlying mechanisms that include competitive exclusion and modification of colonic microflora. For a very long time Russians have used kefir for the treatment of a wide range of illnesses. This paper attempts to review the use of probiotic and functional foods in different diseases, with a special emphasis on kefir.

Zinc and diabetes mellitus: is there a need of zinc supplementation in diabetes mellitus patients?

Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic disorders, the incidence of which varies widely throughout the world. The treatment of diabetes mellitus includes insulin, oral antidiabetic agents, and dietary regimens. Although the emphasis is on macronutrients intakes, there is strong evidence that there is an abnormal metabolism of several micronutrients in diabetic individuals. Zinc is one of the essential micronutrients of which status and metabolism is altered in this condition. This work is a short review about the close relation among zinc, glucose metabolism, and insulin physiology, as well as about the few experimental data about zinc absorption and zinc supplementation in diabetes mellitus patients.

Fortification Strategies to Combat Zinc and Iron Deficiency

Food fortification is an important strategy to combat iron and zinc deficiency. This review covers the basic concepts of food fortification, as well as its advantages and disadvantages. The main characteristics of the most common zinc and iron compounds used in this procedure are also analyzed.

Zinc Status and Immune System Relationship A Review

The essentiality of zinc for humans was first documented by Prasad in the 1960s. The main clinical manifestations associated with zinc deficiency are growth retardation, hypogonadism, diarrhea, and increased susceptibility to infectious diseases. Thus, in the past 25 yr, there was an increased interest of researchers in studying the role of zinc in human immunity. Although mechanistic research has been carried out using animal models, there are several studies in humans with similar results. This work is an attempt to review the information available in this field to understand the important role that zinc plays in the normal development and function of the immune system.

Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection and associated factors among adults in Southern Brazil: a population-based cross-sectional study

BackgroundHelicobacter pylori (Hp) infection is associated with several upper gastrointestinal disorders. Local data on the epidemiology of the infection are scarce in Brazil. The purpose of this study is to measure the prevalence rate and to explore the associated factors among the adult population living in Pelotas, a southern Brazilin city.MethodsThis was a population-based cross-sectional study. Through a multi-stage sampling method all individuals 20 years and over living at the selected households at the urban area of the city were interviewed regarding past and current socio-economic indicators; demographic characteristics; nutritional and behavioural habits; and history of upper gastrointestinal symptoms.Hp infection was ascertained through the 13C-UBT. Due to the high prevalence, data were analysed through robust Poisson regression. All analyses took into account the family clustering of the data.ResultsAmong 563 eligible individuals, 363 agreed to perform the 13C-UBT (refusal rate of 35.5%). Refusals were associated with female sex, consumption of mate drinking, and presence of upper gastrointestinal symptoms. The prevalence rate of H. pylori infection was 63.4% (95%CI 59.3%–69.3%). In crude analyses, prevalence was associated with increasing age, non-white skin colour, lower current family income, lower education level, higher size of the family, low socio-economic conditions in childhood, higher number of siblings and attendance to day-care centres in childhood, and presence of dyspeptic symptoms. In adjusted analysis the level of education of the father was inversely associated with the infection, whereas number of siblings and attendance to day-care centre in childhood were directly associated with it. Non-white skin colour remained significantly associated with increased prevalence even after allowing for past and current socio-economic characteristics, age and sex. Compared to non-symptomatic individuals, those reporting dyspeptic symptoms presented a higher prevalence of the infection even after allowing for current and past socio-economic conditions, ethnicity, age, and sex.ConclusionHp infection is as common among adults in southern Brazil as it is in other developing countries. Socio-economic conditions in childhood besides ethnicity and presence of dyspeptic symptoms were the factors significantly associated with the infection.

Iron deficiency: Causes, consequences, and strategies to overcome this nutritional problem

Iron deficiency and anemia affect a substantial portion of the world’s population, provoking severe health problems to the people suffering these conditions, as well as important economic losses to the regions in which this nutritional deficiency is significant. In this work, the principal causes and consequences produced by this deficiency are discussed, as well as the different strategies that can be applied in order to prevent and solve this nutritional problem.

Helicobacter pylori is not associated with anaemia in Latin America: results from Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Cuba, Mexico and Venezuela

OBJECTIVE To investigate the association between Helicobacter pylori infection and anaemia. DESIGN Six cross-sectional studies. H. pylori infection was assessed by the [13C]urea breath test using MS or IR analysis. Hb was measured for all countries. Ferritin and transferrin receptors were measured for Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico, and Venezuela. SETTING Health services in Argentina, Brazil and Mexico or public schools in Bolivia, Cuba and Venezuela. SUBJECTS In Argentina, 307 children aged 4-17 years referred to a gastroenterology unit; in Bolivia, 424 randomly selected schoolchildren aged 5-8 years; in Brazil, 1007 adults (157 men, 850 women) aged 18-45 years attending thirty-one primary health-care units; in Cuba, 996 randomly selected schoolchildren aged 6-14 years; in Mexico, seventy-one pregnant women in their first trimester attending public health clinics; in Venezuela, 418 children aged 4-13 years attending public schools. RESULTS The lowest prevalence of H. pylori found was among children in Argentina (25.1%) and the highest in Bolivia (74.0%). In Bolivia, Cuba and Venezuela children showed similar prevalence of H. pylori infection as in Brazilian and Mexican adults (range 47.5% to 81.8%). Overall anaemia prevalence was 11.3% in Argentina, 15.4% in Bolivia, 20.6% in Brazil, 10.5% in Cuba and 8.9% in Venezuela. Adjusted analyses allowing for confounding variables showed no association between H. pylori colonization and anaemia in any study. Hb, ferritin and transferrin receptor levels were also not associated with H. pylori infection in any country. CONCLUSIONS The present study showed no evidence to support the hypothesis that H. pylori contributes to anaemia in children, adolescents, adults or pregnant women in six Latin American countries.

Review article: is there a link between micronutrient malnutrition and Helicobacter pylori infection?

Helicobacter pylori causes a chronic gastric infection, which is usually life‐long. Many epidemiological studies have shown that this is probably one of the most common bacterial infections throughout the world involving 30% of the population living in developed countries and up to 80–90% of the population in developing regions. Concomitantly, developing regions also have high prevalence of micronutrient malnutrition. In the last few years, some studies have suggested that H. pylori infection may affect the homeostasis of different micronutrients including iron, vitamin B12, folic acid, α‐tocopherol, vitamin C and β‐carotene. In this article, we discuss the current scientific information of the effect that H. pylori infection may produce on micronutrient malnutrition.