Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT), also known as chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis is one of the most frequent types of inflammation of the thyroid gland. The prevalence of the overt HT is about 2% but it is believed that Hashimoto thyroiditis is more frequent than expected. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is characterized by dysfunction of the immune system, which leads to impaired tolerance of own tissues and increased production of autoantibodies against the thyroid cells. Thyroid peroxidase antibodies (anti-TPO), thyroglobulin antibodies (anti-Tg) and/or TSH receptors antibodies are the principal markers of the disease. The essential element of the treatment of HT is the supplementation of L-thyroxine. In Hashimoto’s disease, like in many other autoimmune diseases, researchers attempted to support pharmacological treatment by adequate nutrition. The aim of this paper was to review the existing literature on the levels of antioxidants (vitamin A, C, E, selenium, zinc) and vitamin D in patients with HT, as well as the influence of the nutritional supplementation of the above mentioned elements on the metabolism of the thyroid gland hormones and the level of anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO) antibodies.

Context: Amaranth and canola oils have been used traditionally. Amaranth has been identified as being of interest because of its outstanding nutritive value. Amaranth oil is a rich source of highly unsaturated fats and so could be a valuable dietary alternative for individuals affected with obesity. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are postulated to be involved in systemic inflammation and oxidative stress. Activated polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) generate high amounts of reactive oxygen species. Objective: Our study investigates the impact of amaranth and canola oils supplementation on oxidative metabolism in patients with obesity. We hypothesized that, due to its lipid-lowering and antioxidant properties, amaranth and canola oil would protect against oxidative stress. Materials and methods: We tested 19 obese patients [body mass index (BMI) = 41.1 ± 7.8 kg/m 2 , (mean ± SD)]. The protocol consisted of two stages: a run-in phase of 2 weeks and an experimental stage – canola or amaranth oil supplementation (20 mL/d) with calorie restriction diet for 3 weeks. The neutrophil oxidative burst was expressed by fluorescence intensity (IF). Results: The oxidative burst had increased significantly at the end of treatment in both groups IF: (21.4 ± 11.15 vs. 35.9 ± 20.3; mean ± SD) p < 0.05. The levels of IF were significantly higher in neutrophils of patients who received canola oil (41.05 ± 25.3) compared to those who received amaranth oil (28.4 ± 11.8) p < 0.05. Conclusions: Canola oil exerts possible effects on oxidative burst activity in neutrophils in vivo conditions.

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IntroductionProper nourishment is one of the basic elements in the treatment of patients with both acute and chronic pancreatitis. Following acute pancreatitis, the essential element of nutritional treatment is dietary education. The dietary approach is used not only for treatment, but also for prevention of reoccurrence of the condition.AimTo evaluate nutritional knowledge of patients with acute and chronic pancreatitis.Material and methodsThe selected group consisted of 36 patients, 19 females and 17 males, suffering from acute or chronic pancreatitis. Participation in our survey was anonymous and voluntary. The study population was divided into two groups: 12 patients with acute pancreatitis (5 males and 7 females) and 24 patients with chronic pancreatitis (12 males and 12 females). The median age of patients was 42.4 ±14 years (range: 20–76 years). The duration of illness among the study population was varied. The biggest group of 16 (44.4%) patients suffered from pancreatitis for more than 5 years, 8 (22.2%) patients had pancreatitis diagnosed 1–2 years previously, only 3 (8.3%) subjects suffered from pancreatitis for shorter than half a year. To analyse patients’ nutritional knowledge an authorial questionnaire was used that contained 17 closed questions and open-type questions were used three times.ResultsMost (97%) subjects with acute and chronic pancreatitis adhered to the diet to various degrees, but almost 50% of people up to 35 years of age declared that they didn't respect the diet, or that they followed only a few recommendations. Despite each interviewer admitted to follow dietary recommendations for pancreatitis, 11.1% of patients could not indicate any of them. Most patients knew that their diet should contain a low amount of fat (61% of patients). Awareness of alcohol abstinence was confirmed in 44.4% of subjects. One third (33.3%) of patients knew that fried food should be avoided. Only a few patients were aware that smoking, spicy food, and strong coffee should be excluded from their diet. About 80% of the surveyed patients evaluated their level of nutritional knowledge as good or very good. Only 20% of the study population admitted their dietary knowledge was unsatisfactory, and most of these were woman (86%).ConclusionsThe results of the present study demonstrate that dietary knowledge among patients suffering from acute and chronic pancreatitis is insufficient. Although patients have theoretical knowledge about nutritional management, they have problems implementing the diet on a daily basis. It is necessary to pay more attention to nutritional education for patients suffering from pancreatitis.

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