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Objective: To examine interrelationships between (1) dietary habits, (2) socioeconomic and (3) environmental factors, and their impact on plasma retinol and plasma ascorbic acid. Design: Cross-sectional study on adults from Western India. Setting: Rural, semi urban, urban higher=middle=lower socioeconomic regions (HSE=MSE=LSE) having diverse dietary habits and environmental conditions. Subjects: A total of 214 men and 108 women (20 -50 y), apparently healthy and non-anemic. Main outcome measures: Food intake by food frequency questionnaire, weight, height, age, smoking, environmental score, education, income, plasma retinol and plasma ascorbic acid. Results: Mean plasma retinol in women (24.84 AE 5.1 mg=dl) and men (24.75 AE 4.53 mg=dl) were not significantly different and 21% had plasma retinol below 20 mg=dl. Mean plasma ascorbic acid in women (0.35 AE 0.12 mg=dl) and men (0.30 AE 0.12 mg=dl) was similar with 75% having plasma ascorbic acid below 0.4 mg=dl. Vitamin A intake (as retinol equivalent) and plasma retinol showed a significant dose response (P < 0.05) but not vitamin C intake and plasma ascorbic acid. Plasma retinol showed significant correlation with income (r ¼ 0.24), education (r ¼ 0.27), and environment (r ¼ 0.21; r ¼ 0.0001). Similar correlations with plasma ascorbic acid were 0.29, 031, 7 0.23 respectively (P ¼ 0.0001). Logistic regression showed education, environment, green leafy vegetables (GLV) and milk intake as predictors of plasma retinol deficiency, while nonsweet fruit intake, education and passive smoking for plasma ascorbic acid deficiency (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Subnormal status of retinol and vitamin C emphasizes the need to increase consumption of fruit, GLV and milk products, and also better education and environment. Avoiding passive smoking demands attention in order to improve levels of these vitamins.

Nonenzymatic glycation of long-lived proteins has been implicated in several complications related to age and diabetes. Dicarbonyl compounds such as methylglyoxal (MGO) have been identified as the predominant source for the formation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) in various tissues. We investigated the effect of 13 micronutrients on MGO-mediated in vitro glycation of bovine serum albumin (BSA), as formation of AGEs and protein carbonyls. BSA (10 mg/ml) was incubated at 37°C with 100 mM MGO for 24 hours, in presence of ascorbic acid, Trolox (water-soluble α-tocopherol analog), β-carotene, retinol, riboflavin, thiamin, folic acid, niacin, pyridoxine, zinc, iron, manganese, and selenium. Fluorescence was measured at the wavelength pair of 370 and 440 nm as an index of the formation of AGEs and spectra were recorded for promising interactions at λex=280 nm and λex=370 nm. Within four standard antiglycating agents, aminoguanidine showed highest inhibitory response for BSA glycation followed by quercetin, gallic acid, and tannic acid. Promising antiglycation potential was seen for Trolox, riboflavin, Zn, and Mn as evidenced by decrease in the formation of AGEs and protein carbonyls.

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