Katerina Vafeiadou

University of Reading · Food and Nutritional Sciences

Background: Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and microparticles are emerging as novel markers of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, which could potentially be modified by dietary fat. We have previously shown that replacing dietary saturated fatty acids (SFAs) with monounsaturated or n-6 (ω-6) polyunsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs or PUFAs, respec...

Public health strategies to lower cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk involve reducing dietary saturated fatty acid (SFA) intake to ≤10% of total energy (%TE). However, the optimal type of replacement fat is unclear. We investigated the substitution of 9.5-9.6%TE dietary SFAs with either monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) or n-6 (ω-6) polyunsaturate...

The endogenous neurotoxin 5-S-cysteinyl-dopamine (CysDA) has been linked to the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the Substantia nigra. Sulforaphane (SFN) is an isothiocyanate derived from cruciferous vegetables that has been proposed as a potential chemopreventive agent, although its effects on other cells are less clear. This study was unde...

The recommendation to reduce saturated fatty acid (SFA) consumption to ≤10% of total energy (%TE) is a key public health target aimed at lowering cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Replacement of SFA with unsaturated fats may provide greater benefit than replacement with carbohydrates, yet the optimal type of fat is unclear. The aim was to develop...

The effects of substitution of dietary saturated fatty acids with either monounsaturated fatty acids or n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids on measures of endothelial function, arterial stiffness and blood pressure: results from the DIVAS study - Volume 73 Issue OCE1 - K. Vafeiadou, M. Weech, H. Altowaijri, R. Mihaylova, S. Todd, P. Yaqoob, K. G. Jacks...

Substitution of dietary saturated fatty acids with monounsaturated fatty acids improves circulating levels of E-Selectin: results from the DIVAS study - Volume 72 Issue OCE4 - K. Vafeiadou, M. Weech, H. Altowaijri, R. Mihaylova, P. Yaqoob, S. Todd, K. G. Jackson, J. A. Lovegrove

There is increasing evidence to suggest neuroinflammatory processes contribute to the cascade of events that lead to the progressive neuronal damage observed in neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. The molecular mechanisms underlying such neurodegenerative processes are rather complex and involve modulati...

Neuroinammation is a normal defence mechanism aimed at protecting the central nervous system (CNS) against insults such as infection, injury, or disease. In most cases, it constitutes a benecial process that resolves on its own once the threat has been eliminated and homeostasis has been restored (Glass et al. 2010). However, sustained neuroinammat...

Vascular dysfunction is recognised as an integrative marker of CVD. While dietary strategies aimed at reducing CVD risk include reductions in the intake of SFA, there are currently no clear guidelines on what should replace SFA. The purpose of this review was to assess the evidence for the effects of total dietary fat and individual fatty acids (SF...

Neuroinflammatory processes are known to contribute to the cascade of events culminating in the neuronal damage that underpins neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. Recently, there has been much interest in the potential neuroprotective effects of flavonoids, a group of plant secondary metabolites known to have di...

Number of endothelial progenitor cells and microparticles are associated with body composition, but not fat intake or blood lipids - Volume 70 Issue OCE4 - H. A. Altowaijri, M. Weech, K. Vafeiadou, E. Hobby, S.-Y. Wu, J. Madden, K. G. Jackson, S. Todd, P. Yaqoob, J. A. Lovegrove

The degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra has been linked to the formation of the endogenous neurotoxin 5-S-cysteinyl-dopamine. Sulforaphane (SFN), an isothiocyanate derived from the corresponding precursor glucosinolate found in cruciferous vegetables has been observed to exert a range of biological activities in various cel...

Evidence suggests that a combination of oxidative stress, neuroinflammation and the formation of endogenous neurotoxins contribute to the underlying neuronal death associated with neurodegenerative diseases. In this study we have investigated the ability of the berry-derived flavonoids to protect against neuronal damage induced by neuroinflammation...

Representing one of the most important lifestyle factors, diet can strongly influence the incidence and onset of cardiovascular disease and neurodegenerative disorders. Various phytochemical constituents of foods and beverages, in particular a class of compounds called flavonoids, have been avidly investigated in recent years. They have been propos...

The olive oil polyphenol, hydroxytyrosol (HT), is believed to be capable of exerting protection against oxidative kidney injury. In this study we have investigated the ability of HT and its O-methylated metabolite, homovanillic alcohol (HVA) to protect renal cells against oxidative damage induced by hydrogen peroxide. We show that both compounds we...

Neuroinflammation plays an integral role in the progression of neurodegeneration. In this study we investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of different classes of flavonoids (flavanones, flavanols and anthocyanidins) in primary mixed glial cells. We found that the flavanones naringenin and hesperetin and the flavanols (+)-catechin and (-)-epicat...

IntroductionPolyphenol structureBiosynthetic routes within the plantMajor sources within the dietMetabolic fate of dietary polyphenolsRole in human healthConclusion SummaryAcknowledgements

Flavonoids exert a multiplicity of neuroprotective actions within the brain, including a potential to protect neurons against injury induced by neurotoxins, an ability to suppress neuroinflammation, and the potential to promote memory, learning and cognitive function. These effects appear to be underpinned by two common processes. Firstly, they int...

This book is the result of a Workshop. The objective of this Workshop was to address three key issues: the quantifiable effects of organic in comparison with conventionally produced food on human health; the environment impact on these possible health benefits; and how the public perceives these benefits. To address these issues, the Workshop exami...

The neuroprotective effects of flavonoids will ultimately depend on their interaction with both neuronal and glial cells. In this study, we show that the potential neurotoxic effects of quercetin are modified by glial cell interactions. Specifically, quercetin is rapidly conjugated to glutathione within glial cells to yield 2'-glutathionyl-querceti...

Mechanisms of nigral cell injury in Parkinson's disease remain unclear, although a combination of increased oxidative stress, the formation of catecholamine-quinones and the subsequent formation of neurotoxic cysteinyl-catecholamine conjugates may contribute. In the present study, peroxynitrite was observed to generate both 2-S- and 5-S-cysteinyl-d...

The cellular actions of genistein, and its in vivo metabolites, are believed to mediate the decreased risk of breast cancer associated with high soy consumption. The genistein metabolite, 5,7,3',4'-tetrahydroxyisoflavone (THIF), induced G2-M cell cycle arrest in T47D tumorigenic breast epithelial cells via a mechanism involving the activation of at...

The incidence of cardiovascular diseases increases after menopause, and soy consumption is suggested to inhibit disease development. The objective was to identify biomarkers of response to a dietary supplementation with an isoflavone extract in postmenopausal women by proteome analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The study with healthy p...

There is growing interest in the potential beneficial effects of flavonoids in the aging and diseased brain. We have investigated the potential of the flavanone hesperetin and two of its metabolites, hesperetin-7-O-beta-d-glucuronide and 5-nitro-hesperetin, to inhibit oxidative stress-induced neuronal apoptosis. Exposure of cortical neurons to hydr...

The death of nigral neurons in Parkinson's disease is thought to involve the formation of the endogenous neurotoxin, 5-S-cysteinyl-dopamine. In the present study, we show that the polyphenols, (+)-catechin and caffeic acid, which contain a catechol moiety, inhibit tyrosinase-induced formation of 5-S-cysteinyl-dopamine via their capacity to undergo...

There is increasing evidence to suggest that neuroinflammatory processes contribute to the cascade of events that lead to the progressive neuronal damage observed in neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, treatment regimes aimed at modulating neuroinflammatory processes may act to slow the progre...

White wines are generally low in polyphenol content as compared to red wines. However, Champagne wines have been shown to contain relatively high amounts of phenolic acids that may exert protective cellular actions in vivo. In this study, we have investigated the potential neuroprotective effects of Champagne wine extracts, and individual phenolics...

There is much interest in the bioactivity of in vivo flavonoid metabolites. We report for the first time the hierarchy of reactivity of flavonoid metabolites with peroxynitrite and characterise novel reaction products. O-Methylation of the B-ring catechol containing flavonoids epicatechin and quercetin, and O-glucuronidation of all flavonoids reduc...

Homocysteine and asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) affect nitric oxide (NO) concentration, thereby contributing to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Both amino acids can be reduced in vivo by estrogen. Variation in the estrogen receptor (ER) may influence homocysteine and ADMA, yet no information is available on associations with single nucleotide pol...

The hypocholesterolemic effects of soy foods are well established, and it has been suggested that isoflavones are responsible for this effect. However, beneficial effects of isolated isoflavones on lipid biomarkers of cardiovascular disease risk have not yet been shown. The objective was to investigate the effects of isolated soy isoflavones on met...

The increase in CVD incidence following the menopause is associated with oestrogen loss. Dietary isoflavones are thought to be cardioprotective via their oestrogenic and oestrogen receptor-independent effects, but evidence to support this role is scarce. Individual variation in response to diet may be considerable and can obscure potential benefici...

Postmenopausal women are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease because many risk factors are aggravated by menopause. Phytoestrogens may modulate risk factors favorably, involving mechanisms similar to estrogen. The effect of phytoestrogens on the atherogenic amino acids homocysteine and asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) was investigated in...

Dietary isoflavones are thought to be cardioprotective because of their structural similarity to estrogen. The reduction of concentrations of circulating inflammatory markers by estrogen may be one of the mechanisms by which premenopausal women are protected against cardiovascular disease. Our aim was to investigate the effects of isolated soy isof...

1. Soy isoflavones have been extensively studied because of their possible health-promoting effects. Genistein and daidzein, the major isoflavone aglycones, have received most attention; however, they undergo extensive metabolism in the gut and liver, which might affect their biological properties. 2. The antioxidant activity, free radical-scavengi...