Monika Bronkowska

Estimation of dietary exposure to acrylamide of Polish teenagers from an urban environment.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the dietary exposure to acrylamide (AA) in a group of teenagers (nu2009=u2009261) from an urban environment. The intake of AA from food was estimated based on a 7-day food record diary (consecutive days). The food rations obtained (nu2009=u20091827) were used to calculate the amounts of the consumed food products, which were the main sources of AA. In the case of girls, the estimated dietary intake of AA per kg body weight (BW) amounted to 0.09u2009µg/kg BW/day (50th percentile), 0.32u2009µg/kg BW/day (75th percentile) and 1.04u2009µg/kg BW/day (95th percentile), and among boys it was 0.13, 0.41, and 1.18u2009µg/kg BW/day, respectively. The main sources of AA exposure were French fries, potato crisps, corn flakes, bread and salty sticks. The lowest values for margin of exposure (MOE) were calculated for the P95th percentiles of exposure, and ranged from 152 to 173.

Lactoferrin level in maternal serum is related to birth anthropometry – an evidence for an indirect biomarker of intrauterine homeostasis?

Abstract Objective: To investigate the relation between level of antibodies against lactoferrin (LfAb) in maternal serum (MS) and birth anthropometry of healthy full-term newborns. Methods: The study included 105 pairs of mother-newborn. MS LfAb level was determined using ELISA kit. Spearman’s correlation and Kruskal–Wallis one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were applied to establish the relationship between MS LfAb level and birth weight (BW), birth weight-to-birth length ratio (BW/BL), and head circumference (HC) of newborns. Results: The U-shaped relation of MS LfAb and BW was demonstrated (pu2009=u2009.019). Negative correlation between MS LfAb and BW/BL was observed (pu2009=u2009.016). The most optimal birth weight and body proportion were observed in newborns of mothers with MS LfAb level of 49u2009±u20094u2009U/ml. Conclusions: Significant relationship between MS LfAb and birth anthropometry suggests serum Lf of pregnant women can be considered as a promising indirect biomarker of intrauterine homeostasis, verifiable noninvasively already during pregnancy and thus allowing predict, or even prevent, potential short- and long-term postnatal health consequences.

Longer Breastfeeding in Infancy Decreases Systolic Hypertension Risk in Young Adults

Abstract Many studies show that breastfeeding is associated with numerous direct and indirect health benefits for children in later life, although the relationship between breastfeeding and cardiovascular risk is still equivocal. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between duration of breastfeeding and cardiovascular risk in young adults. The cross-sectional study was conducted on a group of 128 volunteers (71 women and 57 men) at the age of 19 years. It consisted of a questionnaire, together with anthropometric and blood pressure measurements. It was demonstrated that 90.3% of the participants had been breastfed and the mean duration of breastfeeding was 8.8±7.6 months. Participants who were breastfed for longer than six months had a significantly lower systolic blood pressure than those breastfed for less than six months. Results of analyses were consistent for the female group, the male group and the combined group. The results suggest that breastfeeding for longer than six months decreases systolic hypertension risk in young adults. The promotion of breastfeeding may decrease the rate of cardiovascular disease and thus improve health status of the population.