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Our study showed that plasma OxLDL levels and low-grade systemic inflammation are increased in men with a high visceral adipose tissue accumulation. Furthermore, our results support the notion that insulin resistance is associated with endothelial activation. Overall, our observations give us further insights on the increased cardiovascular disease risk frequently noted among viscerally obese, insulin-resistant individuals.

A low HDL-cholesterol concentration is an independent risk factor for CVD. Studies have suggested that flavonoid consumption may be cardioprotective, and a favourable impact on circulating HDL-cholesterol concentrations has been suggested to partially explain this association. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of consuming increasing daily doses of low-calorie cranberry juice cocktail (CJC) on the plasma lipid profile of abdominally obese men. For that purpose, thirty men (mean age 51 (SD 10) years) consumed increasing doses of CJC during three successive periods of 4 weeks (125 ml/d, 250 ml/d, 500 ml/d). Before the study and after each phase, we measured changes in physical and metabolic variables. We noted a significant increase in plasma HDL-cholesterol concentration after the consumption of 250 ml CJC/d (þ 8·6^14·0 % v. 0 ml CJC/d; P, 0·01), an effect that plateaued during the last phase of the study (500 ml CJC/d: þ 8·1^10·0 % v. 0 ml CJC/d; P, 0·0001). Multivariate analyses revealed that changes in plasma apo A-I (R 2 ¼ 48 %, P,0·0001) and triacylglycerol (R 2 ¼ 16 %, P, 0·005) concentrations were the only variables significantly contributing to the variation in plasma HDL-cholesterol concentration noted in response to the intervention. No variation was observed in total as well as in LDL and VLDL cholesterol. The present results show that daily CJC consumption is associated with an increase in plasma HDL-cholesterol concentrations in abdominally obese men. We hypothesise that polyphenolic compounds from cranberries may be responsible for this effect, supporting the notion that the consumption of flavonoid-rich foods can be cardioprotective.

Elevated circulating concentrations of oxidized LDL (OxLDL) and cell adhesion molecules are considered to be relevant markers of oxidative stress and endothelial activation which are implicated in the development of CVD. On the other hand, it has been suggested that dietary flavonoid consumption may be cardioprotective through possible favourable impacts on LDL particle oxidation and endothelial activation. The present study was undertaken to determine the effect of the daily consumption of low-calorie cranberry juice cocktail on plasma OxLDL, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and E-selectin concentrations in men. Thirty men (mean age 51 (SD 10) years) were recruited and asked to consume increasing daily doses of cranberry juice cocktail (125, 250 and 500 ml/d) over three successive periods of 4 weeks. Plasma OxLDL and adhesion molecule concentrations were measured by ELISA before and after each phase. We noted a significant decrease in plasma OxLDL concentrations following the intervention (P,0·0001). We also found that plasma ICAM-1 (P, 0·0001) and VCAM-1 (P,0·05) concentrations decreased significantly during the course of the study. In summary, the present results show that daily cranberry juice cocktail consumption is associated with decreases in plasma OxLDL, ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 concentrations in men.Cranberry: Flavonoids: Oxidized LDL: Cardiovascular disease: ICAM-1: VCAM-1 CVD is the leading cause of death in North America 1 and it is well recognized that LDL-cholesterol is a major risk factor associated to CVD 2 . However, not all CVD patients show high LDL-cholesterol concentrations and it has been shown that variations in the physical properties and composition of LDL particles such as LDL oxidation could explain, at least in part, the atherogenicity of LDL 3,4 even in the absence of high LDL-cholesterol concentrations. As oxidized LDL (OxLDL) are not recognized by the LDL receptor but rather by scavenger receptors at the surface of sub-endothelial resident macrophages, LDL oxidation favours the unrestricted uptake of cholesterol, thereby leading to the formation of foam cells, which is the first step in the formation of the earliest atherosclerotic lesions known as fatty streaks 2 .Migration of monocytes from the bloodstream into the subendothelial space requires that cell adhesion molecules such as the intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and E-selectin be expressed by endothelial cells. This process is referred to as endothelial activation 2 . Interestingly, soluble forms of these different cell adhesion molecules can be measured in plasma probably as a result of the vascular endothelium breakdown, and these concentrations have been shown to correlate with cardiovascular mortality 5 .Numerous studies 6 -8 have shown that antioxidants and more specifically polyphenolic compounds can inhibit LDL oxidation, which in turn has been suggested to reduce OxLDL-induced expression of cell adhesion molecul...

Polyphenols are promising nutritional bioactives exhibiting beneficial effect on age-related cognitive decline. The present study evaluated the effect of a polyphenol-rich extract from grape and blueberry (PEGB) on memory of healthy elderly subjects (60-70 years-old). A bicentric, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted with 215 volunteers receiving 600 mg/day of PEGB (containing 258 mg flavonoids) or a placebo for 6 months. The primary outcome was the CANTAB Paired Associate Learning (PAL), a visuospatial learning and episodic memory test. Secondary outcomes included verbal episodic and recognition memory (VRM) and working memory (SSP). There was no significant effect of PEGB on the PAL on the whole cohort. Yet, PEGB supplementation improved VRM free recall. Stratifying the cohort in quartiles based on PAL at baseline revealed a subgroup with advanced cognitive decline (decliners) who responded positively to the PEGB. In this group, PEGB consumption was also associated with a better VRM delayed recognition. In addition to a lower polyphenol consumption, the urine metabolomic profile of decliners revealed that they excreted more metabolites. Urinary concentrations of specific flavan-3-ols metabolites were associated, at the end of the intervention, with the memory improvements. Our study demonstrates that PEGB improves age-related episodic memory decline in individuals with the highest cognitive impairments.

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of nutrition claims on food perceptions and intake among adult men and women, during ad libitum snacks. In a three (healthy vs. diet vs. hedonic) by two (normal-weight vs. overweight/obese) by two (unrestrained vs. restrained eaters) factorial design, 164 men and 188 women were invited to taste and rate oatmeal-raisin cookies. Despite the fact that the cookies were the same in all conditions, they were perceived as being healthier in the "healthy" condition than in the "diet" and "hedonic" conditions. The caloric content was estimated as higher by participants in the "hedonic" than in the "healthy" condition, by women than by men, and by restrained than by unrestrained eaters. Although measured ad libitum cookie intake did not differ as a function of experimental condition, overweight restrained men ate more than did women from each BMI and restraint category. Conversely, overweight restrained women ate less than did men from each BMI and restraint category. In conclusion, our manipulations of healthiness and "fatteningness" of food were effective in changing perceptions, but were not in changing behavior.

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of nutritional labelling on energy intake, appetite perceptions and attitudes towards food. During a 10-d period, seventy normal-weight (BMI < 25 kg/m 2 ) and seventy-one obese women (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m 2 ) were given three meals per d under ad libitum conditions. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three experimental labelling groups in which the only difference was the label posted on lunch meal entrée: (1) low-fat label, (2) energy label (energy content of the entrée and average daily needs) and (3) no label (control). Average energy intake was calculated by weighing all foods before v. after daily consumption. Hunger and fullness perceptions were rated on visual analogue scales immediately before and after each meal. Satiety efficiency was assessed through the calculation of the satiety quotient (SQ). The appreciation and perceived healthiness of the lunch entrées were rated on eight-point Likert scales. There was no difference in energy intake, SQ and attitudes towards food between the three labelling groups. Fasting hunger perception was higher in the low-fat label group compared with the two others groups (P = 0·0037). No interactions between labelling groups and BMI categories were observed. In conclusion, although labelling does not seem to influence energy intake, a low-fat label may increase women's fasting hunger perceptions compared with an energy label or no label.