Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, Ancona, Italy.
Department of Clinical Experimental Science and Odontostomatology, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy.
Nutrition. 2019 May;61:164-172. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2018.10.034. Epub 2018 Nov 24.
Oxidative stress contributes to the development of chronic diseases. Fruits and vegetables contain several phytonutrients (carotenoids, polyphenols) that exert antioxidant effects. The aim of this study was to investigate sex differences in fruit and vegetable intake, and the relationship to plasma levels of carotenoids as well as to total antioxidant capacity (pTAC). We studied also sex differences in the relationship between fruit and vegetables intake and plasma levels of lipid hydroperoxides, as well as of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL).
This study included 83 healthy adults (35 men and 48 women, mean age 40 ± 10 y). Dietary intake of carotenoids and total antioxidant capacity (dTAC) were evaluated on the basis of a 15-d food frequency questionnaire. Plasma levels of β-carotene, lutein, and pTAC were studied. Moreover, levels of plasma lipid hydroperoxides and ox-LDL were evaluated using the ferrous oxidation-xylenol orange 2 (FOX2) assay and a monoclonal antibody-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay procedure, respectively.
Dietary habits were sex-related with a higher intake of fruits and vegetables (P < 0.05) and β-carotene (P < 0.001) in women than in men. Mean values of plasma lutein and β-carotene were higher in women than in men. Mean values of ox-LDL and lipid hydroperoxides were higher in men than in women (P < 0.05). Significant negative correlations were established between the individual values of ox-LDL and the levels of lutein versus β-carotene and versus pTAC values in plasma in both groups. Individuals belonging to the tertile with the highest daily intake of fruits and vegetables or the highest daily dTAC showed the lowest levels of plasma ox-LDL. In each category, sex-related differences were observed with men showing higher levels of ox-LDL than women. Moreover, lower levels of plasma β-carotene were observed in men in each tertile of daily intake of fruits and vegetables compared with females.
Based on the data obtained, we confirm that high fruit and vegetable consumption exerts a positive effect on antioxidant defenses and decreases oxidative damage of plasma lipoproteins for both sexes. The results suggest that the protective effect can be found to a higher extent in women than in men. Sex-based differences are apparent in many chronic diseases. Thus, a higher consumption of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables should be recommended in efforts to prevent diseases in which sex-related differences in oxidative stress play a considerable role.
氧化应激是慢性疾病发展的一个因素。水果和蔬菜含有几种植物营养素（类胡萝卜素、多酚），具有抗氧化作用。本研究旨在探讨水果和蔬菜摄入量的性别差异，以及与类胡萝卜素和总抗氧化能力（pTAC）的关系。我们还研究了水果和蔬菜摄入量与血浆脂质过氧化物水平以及氧化型低密度脂蛋白（ox-LDL）之间关系的性别差异。
本研究纳入 83 名健康成年人（男性 35 名，女性 48 名，平均年龄 40±10 岁）。根据 15 天的食物频率问卷评估类胡萝卜素和总抗氧化能力（dTAC）的饮食摄入量。研究了血浆β-胡萝卜素、叶黄素和 pTAC 的水平。此外，使用亚铁氧化-二甲氧基联苯胺 2（FOX2）测定法和基于单克隆抗体的酶联免疫吸附测定法分别评估了血浆脂质过氧化物和 ox-LDL 的水平。
饮食习惯存在性别差异，女性摄入的水果和蔬菜（P<0.05）以及β-胡萝卜素（P<0.001）高于男性。女性血浆叶黄素和β-胡萝卜素的平均值高于男性。男性 ox-LDL 和脂质过氧化物的平均值高于女性（P<0.05）。两组中，ox-LDL 的个体值与血浆中叶黄素和β-胡萝卜素以及 pTAC 值呈显著负相关。属于水果和蔬菜日摄入量最高或日 dTAC 最高的 tertile 的个体，其 ox-LDL 水平最低。在每个类别中，男性的 ox-LDL 水平均高于女性，存在性别差异。此外，与女性相比，男性在水果和蔬菜每日摄入量的每个 tertile 中，血浆β-胡萝卜素水平均较低。
根据获得的数据，我们证实高水果和蔬菜摄入量对男女的抗氧化防御有积极影响，并降低了血浆脂蛋白的氧化损伤。结果表明，女性的保护作用比男性更为明显。在许多慢性疾病中，都存在基于性别的差异。因此，应该推荐摄入富含抗氧化剂的水果和蔬菜，以预防氧化应激在其中发挥重要作用的疾病。
