Papers by Sari Voutilainen
Background: Several, but not all, prospective studies have shown that low folate intakes, low cir... more Background: Several, but not all, prospective studies have shown that low folate intakes, low circulating folate concentrations, or high plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) concentrations are associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). Objective: We examined the relations of both serum folate and serum tHcy concentrations with acute coronary events in middle- aged men from eastern Finland who
The lignan enterolactone, produced by the intestinal microflora from dietary precursors, has been... more The lignan enterolactone, produced by the intestinal microflora from dietary precursors, has been implicated in protection against cancer. We investigated the association of serum enterolactone concentration with the risk of acute coronary events in a prospective nested case-control study in middle-aged men from eastern Finland. Enterolactone was measured by time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay in serum from 167 men who had an average 7.7 years of follow-up to an acute coronary event and from 167 control men. Both cases and controls were from a cohort of 2005 men who had no clinical coronary heart disease (CHD) at baseline. The controls were matched for age, examination year, and residence. Acute coronary events were registered prospectively. The mean baseline serum enterolactone concentration was lower among the cases than the controls (18.2 [SD 21.1] vs 23.5 [18.2] nmol/L, p=0.001). The men in the highest quarter of the enterolactone distribution (>30.1 nmol/L) had a 58.8% (95% CI 24.1-77.6, p=0.005) lower risk of acute coronary events than men in the lowest quarter. After adjustment for the nine most strongly predictive risk factors, men in the highest enterolactone quarter had a 65.3% (11.9-86.3, p=0.03) lower risk than men in the lowest quarter. Healthy men with high serum concentrations of enterolactone had a lower risk of acute coronary events than men with lower concentrations. These findings support the hypothesis that plant-dominated fibre-rich food lowers the risk of CHD.
Background: Interest in lycopene is growing rapidly following the recent publication of epidemiol... more Background: Interest in lycopene is growing rapidly following the recent publication of epidemiologic studies in which high cir- culating lycopene concentrations were associated with reductions in cardiovascular disease. Lycopene is one of the major carotenoids in the Western diet and is probably one of the protec- tive factors in a vegetable-rich diet. Objective: We studied the hypothesis that the intima-media
World Journal of Diabetes, 2015
Hepcidin is a peptide hormone with both paracrine and endocrine functions that help in maintainin... more Hepcidin is a peptide hormone with both paracrine and endocrine functions that help in maintaining body iron stores. Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is one of the sequelae of excess body iron stores; thus, iron regulatory hormone hepcidin may have a direct or at least an indirect role in the aetiopathogenesis of T2D. Both human and animal studies at molecular and genetic levels have attempted to establish a role for hepcidin in the development of T2D, and a few epidemiologic studies have also showed a link between hepcidin and T2D at population level, but the findings are still inconclusive. Recent data have suggested different pathways in which hepcidin could be associated with T2D with much emphasis on its primary or secondary role in insulin resistance. Some of the suggested pathways are via transcription modulator of hepcidin (STAT3); ferroportin 1 expression on the cells involved in iron transport; transmembrane protease 6 enzyme; and pro-inflammatory cytokines, interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α and IL-10. This review briefly reports the existing evidence on the possible links between hepcidin and T2D and concludes that more data are needed to confirm or refute hepcidin's role in the development of T2D. Examining this role could provide a further evidence base for iron in the aetiopathogenesis of T2D.
Despite extensive research, the cardiovascular effects of coffee consumption in humans remain con... more Despite extensive research, the cardiovascular effects of coffee consumption in humans remain controversial. Our aim was to investigate the excretion of coffee phenols and the effects of filtered coffee consumption on oxidative stress and plasma homocysteine (tHcy) concentration in humans. The study consisted of a multiple-dose clinical supplementation trial and a single-dose study. In the long-term trial, 43 healthy nonsmoking
Cardiovasculardisease(CVD)isthemaincauseofdeathinWestern countries. Nutrition has a significant r... more Cardiovasculardisease(CVD)isthemaincauseofdeathinWestern countries. Nutrition has a significant role in the prevention of many chronic diseases such as CVD, cancers, and degenerative brain dis- eases. The major risk and protective factors in the diet are well recognized, but interesting new candidates continue to appear. It is well known that a greater intake of fruit and vegetables can help prevent heart diseases and
Journal of Diabetes Research, 2015
Epidemiological evidence suggests a role for vitamin D in type 2 diabetes prevention. We investig... more Epidemiological evidence suggests a role for vitamin D in type 2 diabetes prevention. We investigated the effects of vitamin D 3 supplementation on glucose metabolism and inflammation in subjects with prediabetes. A 5-month randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled intervention with three arms (placebo, 40 g/d, or 80 g/d vitamin D 3 ) was carried out among sixty-eight overweight (BMI 25-35) and aging (≥60 years) subjects from Finland, with serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D 3 [25(OH)D 3 ] < 75 nmol/L and either impaired fasting glucose or impaired glucose tolerance. Analyses included 66 subjects who completed the trial. Glucose metabolism was evaluated by fasting and 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test-derived indices and glycated hemoglobin. Inflammation was evaluated by high-sensitive C-reactive protein and five cytokines. Although a dose-dependent increase in serum 25(OH)D 3 over the supplementation period was observed (P trend < 0.001), there were no other statistically significant differences in changes in the 13 glucose homeostasis indicators between the study groups other than increase in the 120 min glucose concentration (P trend = 0.021) and a decreasing trend both in 30 min plasma insulin (P trend = 0.030) and glycated hemoglobin (P trend = 0.024) concentrations. A borderline statistically significant decreasing trend in interleukin-1 receptor antagonist concentration was observed (P = 0.070). Vitamin D 3 supplementation does not improve glucose metabolism in ageing subjects with prediabetes but may have modest anti-inflammatory effects.
The American journal of clinical nutrition, 2015
The prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) is increasing around the world. Eggs are a major source o... more The prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) is increasing around the world. Eggs are a major source of cholesterol, which has been associated with elevated blood glucose and an increased risk of T2D. However, there are limited and conflicting data from prospective population studies on the association between egg consumption and risk of T2D. We investigated the association between egg consumption and risk of incident T2D in middle-aged and older men from eastern Finland. The study included 2332 men aged 42-60 y in 1984-1989 at the baseline examinations of the prospective, population-based Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study. Dietary intakes were assessed with 4-d food records at baseline. Incident T2D was assessed by self-administered questionnaires; by fasting and 2-h oral-glucose-tolerance-test blood glucose measurement at re-examination rounds 4, 11, and 20 y after baseline; and by record linkage to a hospital discharge registry and reimbursement register of diabetes medi...
Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology, 2014
The epidemiological evidence of the role of dietary saturated fatty acids (SFA) in the developmen... more The epidemiological evidence of the role of dietary saturated fatty acids (SFA) in the development of coronary heart disease (CHD) is inconsistent. We investigated the associations of dietary fatty acids with the risk of CHD and carotid atherosclerosis in men with high SFA intake and high rates of CHD. In total, 1981 men from the population-based Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study (KIHD), aged 42 to 60 years and free of CHD at baseline in 1984 to 1989, were investigated. Food consumption was assessed with 4-day food recording. Multivariate nutrient-density models were used to analyze isocaloric replacement of nutrients. CHD events were ascertained from national registries. Carotid atherosclerosis was assessed by ultrasonography of the common carotid artery intima-media thickness in 1015 men. During the average follow-up of 21.4 years, 183 fatal and 382 nonfatal CHD events occurred. SFA or trans fat intakes were not associated with CHD risk. In contrast, monounsaturated ...
The British journal of nutrition, 2010
Intake of lignans has been assessed in different study populations, but so far none of the studie... more Intake of lignans has been assessed in different study populations, but so far none of the studies has compared the daily intake of lignans and the urinary excretion of plant and enterolignans. We assessed the intake of lariciresinol, pinoresinol, secoisolariciresinol and matairesinol in 100 Finnish men consuming their habitual omnivorous diet, and measured the 24 h urinary excretion of plant and enterolignans to compare the intake and metabolism. Dietary determinants of lignan intake and their urinary excretion were also determined. The mean intake of lignans was 1224 (sd 539) mug/d, of which lariciresinol and pinoresinol covered 78 %. Almost half (47 %) of the intake of lignans was explained by the intake of rye products, berries, coffee, tea and roots. The urinary excretion of plant lignans corresponded to 17 % and enterolignans to 92 % of the intake of lignans. The urinary excretion of plant lignans was explained 14 % by the intake of rye products and intake of coffee, and conse...
Biological Psychiatry, 2015
The Journal of nutrition, 2003
Several cross-sectional studies have focused on the low blood folate levels of depressed patients... more Several cross-sectional studies have focused on the low blood folate levels of depressed patients. However, no published studies have examined the association between dietary folate and current symptoms of depression in a general population. We investigated the association between dietary folate, cobalamin, pyridoxine and riboflavin and current symptoms of depression in a cross-sectional general population study. We recruited 2682 men aged between 42 and 60 y from eastern Finland. Those who had a previous history of psychiatric disorder were excluded (n = 146, 5.6% of the cohort). Depressive symptoms were assessed with the 18-item Human Population Laboratory Depression Scale. Those who scored 5 or more at baseline were considered to have elevated depressive symptoms (n = 228, 9.3% of the cohort). The participants were grouped into thirds according to their dietary folate intake. Those in the lowest third of energy-adjusted folate intake had a higher risk of being depressed [odds rat...
Experimental biology and medicine (Maywood, N.J.), 2002
Diets rich in fruits and vegetables containing carotenoids have been of interest because of their... more Diets rich in fruits and vegetables containing carotenoids have been of interest because of their potential health benefit against chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and cancer. Interest particularly in lycopene is growing rapidly following the recent publication of epidemiological studies that have associated high lycopene levels with reductions in CVD incidence. Two studies were conducted. In the first one, we examined the role of lycopene as a risk-lowering factor with regard to acute coronary events and stroke in the prospective Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor (KIHD) Study. The subjects were 725 middle-aged men free of coronary heart disease and stroke at the study baseline. In a Cox's proportional hazards' model adjusting for covariates, men in the lowest quartile of serum levels of lycopene had a 3.3-fold (P < 0.001) risk of the acute coronary event or stroke as compared with others. In the second study, we assessed the association betw...
The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 2015
Vitamin D 3 is a pleiotropic signaling molecule that has via activation of the transcription fact... more Vitamin D 3 is a pleiotropic signaling molecule that has via activation of the transcription factor vitamin D receptor (VDR) a direct e ect on the expression of more than 100 genes. The aim of this study was to find transcriptomic and clinical biomarkers that are most suited to identify vitamin D 3 responders within 71 prediabetic subjects during a 5-month intervention study (VitDmet). In hematopoietic cells, the genes ASAP2, CAMP, CD14 , CD97, DUSP10 , G0S2, IL8 , LRRC8A , NINJ1, NRIP1 , SLC37A2 and THBD are known as primary vitamin D targets. We demonstrate that each of these 12 genes carries a conserved VDR binding site within its genomic region and is expressed in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The changes in the expression of these genes in human PBMCs at the start and the end of the vitamin D-intervention were systematically correlated with the alteration in the circulating form of vitamin D 3 , 25-hydroxyvitamin D 3 (25(OH)D 3 ). Only 39 -44 (55 -62%) of the study subjects showed a highly signi fi cant response to vitamin D 3 , i.e., we considered them as "responders ". In comparison, we found for 37 -53 (52 -75%) of the participants that only 12 biochemical and clinical parameters, such as concentrations of parathyroid hormone (PTH) and insulin, or computed values, such as homeostatic model assessment and insulin sensitivity index, show a correlation with serum 25(OH)D 3 levels that is as high as that of the selected VDR target genes. All 24 parameters together described the pleiotropic vitamin D response of the VitDmet study subjects. Interestingly, they demonstrated a number of additional correlations that defi ne a network, in which PTH plays the central role. In conclusion, vitamin D 3 -induced changes in human PBMCs can be described by transcriptomic and serum biomarkers and allow a segregation into high and low responders.
Lancet
The lignan enterolactone, produced by the intestinal microflora from dietary precursors, has been... more The lignan enterolactone, produced by the intestinal microflora from dietary precursors, has been implicated in protection against cancer. We investigated the association of serum enterolactone concentration with the risk of acute coronary events in a prospective nested case-control study in middle-aged men from eastern Finland. Enterolactone was measured by time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay in serum from 167 men who had an average 7.7 years of follow-up to an acute coronary event and from 167 control men. Both cases and controls were from a cohort of 2005 men who had no clinical coronary heart disease (CHD) at baseline. The controls were matched for age, examination year, and residence. Acute coronary events were registered prospectively. The mean baseline serum enterolactone concentration was lower among the cases than the controls (18.2 [SD 21.1] vs 23.5 [18.2] nmol/L, p=0.001). The men in the highest quarter of the enterolactone distribution (>30.1 nmol/L) had a 58.8% (95% CI 2...
The American journal of clinical nutrition, 2002
Evidence suggests that dietary supplementation of L-arginine, the precursor of nitric oxide, may ... more Evidence suggests that dietary supplementation of L-arginine, the precursor of nitric oxide, may protect arteries against atherosclerosis. We tested the hypothesis that dietary arginine intake is associated with a decreased risk of acute coronary events in Finnish men aged 42-60 y. We investigated this association in a prospective cohort study of men who were free of prior coronary artery disease and who were examined in 1984-1989 in the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study (KIHD). The dietary arginine intake of 1981 men was assessed by a 4-d food intake record during the baseline phase of the KIHD. Men in the highest quintile of dietary arginine intake (>or= 5691 mg/d) did not have a significantly lower risk of acute coronary events than did men in the 4 lower quintiles (relative risk after adjustment for potential coronary risk factors: 1.28; 95% CI: 0.85, 1.94). The covariates were age; examination years; body mass index; systolic blood pressure; serum total, HDL, ...
Background: Several cross-sectional studies have fo- cused on the low blood folate levels of depr... more Background: Several cross-sectional studies have fo- cused on the low blood folate levels of depressive patients. Nevertheless, no prospective studies have been published on the association between dietary folate and depression. Methods: We studied the association be- tween dietary folate and cobalamin and receiving a dis- charge diagnosis of depression in a prospective follow- up setting. Our cohort was recruited
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Papers by Sari Voutilainen