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These results show the antioxidant benefit of dietary açai for the healthy women included in the present study, and may increase understanding of the beneficial health properties of this fruit.

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Background: Studies in admixed populations show that the prevalence of obesity and related diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension, may vary by ethnic group. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship of genetic ancestry with phenotypes associated with obesity in a sample of school children and adolescents from Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais.

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Purpose Maternal high-fat diet affects offspring and can induce metabolic disorders such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). New therapeutic strategies are being investigated as way to prevent or attenuate this condition. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of açaí supplementation in the maternal high-fat diet on dams and offspring lipid metabolism. Methods Female Fisher rats were divided in four groups and fed a control diet (C), a high-fat diet (HF), an açaí supplemented diet (CA) and a high-fat diet supplemented with açaí (HFA) 2 weeks before mating, during gestation and lactation. The effects of açaí were evaluated in the male offspring after birth (P1) and weaning (P21). Results HFA reduced relative liver weight, fat and cholesterol liver content in dams and improved liver steatosis as confirmed by histological analyses. HFA increased serum cholesterol and expression of Srebpf1 and Fasn genes. In offspring, HFA decreased relative liver weight, and serum cholesterol only in P21. An increase in the Sirt1, Srebpf1 and Fasn genes expression was observed in P21. Conclusions These results suggest that açaí supplementation may attenuate NAFLD in dams and protect offspring from the detrimental effects of lipid excess from a maternal high-fat diet.

Background: Clusters of cardiovascular risk (CVR) factors are associated with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). This cross-sectional study assessed the associations between classic CVR factor clusters and inflammatory markers in Brazilian adolescents. Methods: Measurements included anthropometric, clinical and biochemical parameters and selected inflammatory markers in 487 adolescents (236 boys/251 girls; 12.06 ± 1.41 years). Results: After stratifying the population by gender and adjusting for potential confounding variables, principal component analysis was performed and it produced 5 independent components in both genders: adiposity, glucose metabolism, blood pressure, high-density lipoprotein (HDL)/triacylglycerols (TG), and cholesterol/low-density lipoprotein. Glucose metabolism was inversely associated with interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in both genders (r = -0.026; r = -0.021); blood pressure was inversely associated with tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in girls (r = -0.046); HDL/TG was positively associated with interleukin-6 in girls (r = 0.012), with IL-1β (r = 0.010) TNF-α (r = 0.045) in boys, and inversely associated with adiponectin in both genders (r = -0.015; r = -0.013). Conclusion: The results suggest that lipid metabolism alterations, as potential early events in the development of CVDs, have a strong link to the inflammatory process, in contrast to other clusters of risk factors.

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