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Health-oriented agriculture should be the foundation for good human nutrition and health
ZHAO Yimin1, YANG Zheng’ai2, LI Duo1*
Journal of Zhejiang University (Agriculture and Life Sciences)    2013, 39 (4): 355-359.   DOI: 10.3785/j.issn.1008-9209.2013.05.101
Abstract   PDF (802KB) ( 810 )  
Good health requires food of good quality. Access to optimal nutrition and health is a fundamental human right. It is for everyone, rich and poor, young and old etc. Malnutrition is still common, and one in seven humans are malnourished because of poverty in the world. Malnutrition is a gigantic societal issue. Malnutrition is related with what we choose produce, how we produce it, and whether and how we make it available to us all. Farmers, industrial agriculture and food processing and distribution profoundly affect ecosystem, climate, moreover they are major factors in our economical and financial system. These players also directly determine the quality of the dietary options available. The path set down for world agriculture into the 21st century was defined barely a decade ago, but we already need further change before the millennium to avert global food system failures. This has much to do with the impact of the green revolution and its perceived inadequacies. We have to address the environmental concerns about modern, technological agriculture, but it is a growing evidence that our global food systems are failing to deliver adequate quantities of healthy, nutritionally balanced food especially to underprivileged people globally. The consequences are affecting human health, well being, productivity, livelihood and stagnating national development efforts in many developing nations. We acknowledge the importance of agriculture and food production, but we also need to acknowledge the importance of agriculture for social fundamental structure and the impact of agriculture on the ecosystem on which we depend. Globally increased agriculture production is attributed to the further industrialization agriculture since the mid 20st century (“green revolution”), but industrial agriculture is also an important reason for that mankind has now passed several planetary boundaries for sustainability. Forging research linkages between agriculture, nutrition and health overcome the adverse effects of past polices for global agriculture, nutrition and national development that have fostered only shortterm, unsustainable, solutions to starvation, malnutrition, underdevelopment, and high human fertility rates. Food system approaches (directing at empowering people and insuring balanced and adequate nutrition and improved health for all in sustainable ways) hold much promise in providing the methods needed for agriculture research to insure sustainable agriculture systems. Heads of state and government must elevate, as a matter of urgency, the nutrition as a national priority. Good nutrition is a human right, but it is impossible to achieve for whole populations with good polices for food, health, nutrition, agriculture, ecology, economy and commerce. It is therefore the responsibility of heads of state and government to provide the leadership that will lead to an allsociety approach for nutrition. We should place the lead responsibility for nutrition in ministries of health rather than agriculture so that the health requirement drives agriculture priorities not vice versa. Nutritional security should be given the same priority as food security.
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Concept of omega-3 index and its application
JIN Yongxin1, LI Duo2*
Journal of Zhejiang University (Agriculture and Life Sciences)    2013, 39 (2): 119-121.   DOI: 10.3785/j.issn.1008-9209.2012.11.061
Abstract   PDF (833KB) ( 1785 )  
The concept of the “omega3 (n-3) index” is proposed by Harris and von Schacky[1] in 2004, which is by measuring red cell membrane eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; C20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; C22:6n-3) content (% of total fatty acids), as a biomarker to reflect the customary dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) intake. Omega3 index is a risk factor of sudden cardiac death[2], which is similar with low density lipoprotein cholesterol, a risk factor for coronary artery disease. Omega3 index is significantly negatively correlated with coronary heart disease mortality, and it has a strong cardioprotective effect. Coronary heart disease mortality will be reduced by more than half when the n-3 index is greater than or equal to 8%, however, cardioprotective effect will be least when the n-3 index is less than or equal to 4%[1]. It is generally considered that arterial thrombosis was converted from stable acute ischemic heart and brain lesions. Among the clinical manifestations of unstable angina, the acute thrombotic infarction, sudden death and diseases of the cardiovascular system, the arterial thrombosis plays the protagonist role. The platelet aggregation is the initial stage of the thrombus formation[3]. EPA and DHA protective effect on the cardiovascular system is by the following mechanisms: The platelet aggregation is initiated by thromboxane A2 (TXA2), which is a powerful platelet aggregation factor and vasoconstrictor, and is generated by the platelet membrane from the arachidonic acid (AA)[3]. Increased dietary intake of n-3 PUFA, especially EPA and DHA, will increase the tissue membrane concentration of EPA and DHA. Released EPA from the platelet membrane phospholipids competitive binding of the cyclooxygenase (COX) with AA, thereby generating an alternative form of thromboxane A3 (TXA3), it is relatively nonplatelet aggregation and vasoconstriction activity, so it leads to a reduced formation of TXA2. Thereby results in the formation of thrombotic tendency. Meanwhile, it produces 3series prostaglandins and prostacyclin and 5series leukotriene (LT) and lipoxins (lipoxin)[4], which have antiinflammatory, antiplatelet aggregation and smooth muscle relaxation activity. Marine oil is rich in EPA and DHA with a beneficial effect on the secondary prevention of myocardial infarction. In addition, EPA and DHA may prevent fatal arrhythmias, increase heart rate changes, reduce the level of serum triacylglycerol (TAG), lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure, regulate the flow of ions in myocardial cells, inhibit inflammatory cytokine production and activity[5], and reduce plasma homocysteine concentration[6]. EPA and DHA may regulate the expression of many genes, for example, EPA and DHA can downregulate protein glycans decomposing enzyme (aggrecanases) proinflammatory cytokines (interleukin1α and TNFα), COX2 fatty acid synthase, acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase, methionine adenosyltransferase, S14 protein and stearyl coenzyme A desaturase, and they can upregulate the lipoprotein lipase fatty acidbinding protein, acetyl coenzyme A synthetase, carnitine palmitoyl transferase enzyme 1, acetyl coenzyme A dehydrogenase, acetyl coenzyme A oxidase, cytochrome P450 4A2, peroxisome proliferatoractivated receptor α[5] and cystathionineglyase[7]. In most biological membranes, the major component of the phospholipid is fatty acid, in which the long chain n-3 and n-6 PUFAs have an important role in maintaining the structure of the cell membrane and function. In the retina and the brain of humans and other mammals, there is a high content of DHA, which plays an important role in order (fluidity) of the membrane, the activity of the membrane enzymes, ion channels, and the conduction of information. DHA is an indispensable substance of maintaining visual and brain functions because of its cell membrane fluidity. It has an important role in membrane fluidity, thereby affecting the function of the membra
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