A New Potential Dietary Approach to Supply Micronutrients to Physically Active People through Consumption of Biofortified Vegetables

Abstract

Micronutrients are required in many reactions involved in physical activity and exercise. Most physically active people do not meet the body’s needs in terms of micronutrients through diet. The novelty of the present manuscript is the use of an innovative dietary approach to supply micronutrients to physically active people through biofortified food. Therefore, the key point of this study was to verify whether supplementation with biofortified vegetables—and specifically molybdenum (Mo)-enriched lettuce—in healthy volunteers affects essential regulators of body homeostasis and, specifically, hematological parameters, iron and lipid metabolism, and hepatic function. Twenty-four healthy volunteers were allocated in a double-blinded manner to either a control group that consumed lettuce, or the intervention group, which consumed Mo-enriched lettuce, for 12 days. Blood samples were collected at baseline (T0) and after 12 days (T1). We found that supplementation with Mo-enriched lettuce did not affect hematological parameters, liver function, or lipid metabolism, but significantly improved iron homeostasis by increasing non-binding hemoglobin iron by about 37% and transferrin saturation by about 42%, while proteins of iron metabolism (e.g., transferrin, ferritin, ceruloplasmin) were not affected. The serum molybdenum concentration increased by about 42%. In conclusion, this study shows that consumption of Mo-biofortified lettuce ameliorates iron homeostasis in healthy subjects, and suggests that it could be used as a new nutritional supplementation strategy to avoid iron deficiency in physically active people.

The Role of Consumption of Molybdenum Biofortified Crops in Bone Homeostasis and Healthy Aging

“…We used a vegetable matrix (lettuce) as a carrier to supplement the diet with molybdenum. Our previous studies suggested a vegetable matrix was a good carrier for the mineral because the concentration of Mo was within the physiological range in serum and urine [ 28 ]. Thus, in the present study, we investigated the effect on bone metabolism and tested the effect with respect to a Molybdenum tablet supplementation group.…”

“…Therefore, we provided a quantity of molybdenum that was safe (in line with the biomonitoring equivalent values fixed to protect against deficits and nutritional toxicity, and very distant from 31 μg/L, which is the biomonitoring equivalent toxicity value reported for plasma and serum) [ 27 ]. The serum level of molybdenum was 5 μg/L at baseline [ 38 ] and reached 6 μg/L with the intake of 150 µg of sodium molybdate in tablet form [ 39 ] and 7 μg/L with the intake of biofortified lettuce for 12 days [ 28 ].…”

“…These values were calculated by considering the tolerable daily intake exposure guidance values and the reference dose [ 27 ]. In one study, a nutritional intervention with Mo-biofortified lettuce ameliorated iron metabolism in healthy adult individuals [ 28 ]. Furthermore, in another, the ingestion of Mo-enriched lettuce improved glucose homeostasis by increasing, within the physiological range, endogenous gut peptide levels of peptide YY (PYY) and gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) [ 29 ].…”

Iodine Biofortification and Seaweed Extract-Based Biostimulant Supply Interactively Drive the Yield, Quality, and Functional Traits in Strawberry Fruits

“…Modern consumers increasingly require food containing high amounts of macro- and micronutrients [ 1 , 42 , 43 ]. This need is linked to the lack of essential elements in human diets [ 23 , 44 , 45 ]. As a consequence, biofortification is recognized as a useful tool to enhance the concentration of trace elements, such as I [ 19 , 28 , 30 ], zinc [ 23 , 46 , 47 ], selenium [ 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 ], manganese [ 52 , 53 , 54 ], molybdenum [ 14 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 ], iron [ 59 , 60 , 61 ], and bioactive compounds in fruits and vegetables.…”

Effects of a Resistance Training Protocol on Physical Performance, Body Composition, Bone Metabolism, and Systemic Homeostasis in Patients Diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease: A Pilot Study

“…Physical activity is a key stimulus for symptoms management, it also produces lactate and myokines that contribute to brain health [ 11 , 12 , 13 ]. Several factors influence bone metabolism during physical activity, such as nutrition, as meals influence bone resorption through mechanisms still under study, such as the secretion of gut hormones [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. However, this mechanical stimulus must have a specific range within which the bone tissue response is activated, specifically from 50 to 100 microstrain (με), defined as minimum effective strain (MES) [ 23 ].…”