Objective: To evaluate the correspondence of diet and lifestyle to the Mediterranean model in two groups of Italian and Spanish university students. Design: A cross-sectional nutritional survey to determine BMI, dietary habits (FFQ), energy daily expenditure and lifestyle (SenseWear R Armband; BodyMedia Inc.), and to define the Mediterranean diet quality index (MDQI) in the different student groups. Setting: Bologna (Italy) and León (Spain). Subjects: The survey was carried out on 210 (105 Italian; 105 Spanish) university students (mean age 27?0 (SD 3?8) years) of two different Mediterranean areas, Bologna (Italy) and León (Spain). Results: The frequency of consumption of some food groups showed differences related to nationality and gender. Some classic Mediterranean foods such as cereals and vegetables were generally consumed more frequently by Italian students; others such as fish and pulses by Spanish students. Percentage of overweight was higher among Spanish students in spite of their higher physical activity level. Conclusion: Young generations seem to give up the traditional Mediterranean dietary pattern, adopting new dietary trends. Overweight appears to be related not only to physical activity level, but also to the poor MDQI.

A correlation between dietary lipids and cellular enzyme activities is a problem that has only been partially addressed by nutritionists. Therefore, changes in the fatty acid composition and the activities of some key metabolic enzymes (ubiquinol-2-cytochrome c reductase (EC 1.10.2.2), cytochrome oxidase (EC 1.9.3.1) and ATPase (EC 3.6.1.3)) in the mitochondria of liver, heart and brain of rats fed on diets differing extensively in their polyunsaturated fatty acid compositions have been investigated. The results showed that fatty acid compositional changes brought about by the dietary differences were associated with extensive changes in the activities of these key enzymes in the mitochondria. The extent of the influence differed considerably with the period over which the diets were fed. The role of dietary lipids to effect changes through the preservation of membrane structural integrity is discussed.Fat intake: Mitochondria1 fatty acids: Metabolic enzymes

No abstract

Notwithstanding the wide range of biological and pharmacological activities reported for sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), many discrepancies are still present in the evaluation of its health-promoting properties. These discordances could be at least in part due to insufficient details of qualitative and quantitative composition, connected to the ample variability of this species. Furthermore, many investigations have been carried out in vitro, with few data available on the effectiveness in biological systems. In this study, the protective effect of essential oils and water-soluble extracts derived from three different cultivars of sweet basil has been evaluated in cultured cardiomyocytes. To verify the effectiveness of supplemented oils/extracts in counteracting oxidative damage, cardiomyocytes were stressed by the addition of hydrogen peroxide. The results indicate that (a) in vitro antioxidant activity is not predictive of biological activity and (b) basil can yield extracts with substantially different protective effects, in relation to composition and extraction techniques. Variation among different cultivars has also been detected.

No abstract