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The juçara palm tree produces a small spherical and black–purple fruit similar to açaí. It is rich in phenolic compounds, especially anthocyanins. A clinical trial evaluated the absorption and excretion of the main bioactive compounds in urine and the antioxidant capacity in serum and erythrocytes of 10 healthy subjects after juçara juice intake. Blood samples were collected before (0.0 h) and 0.5 h, 1 h, 2 h, and 4 h after a single dose (400 mL) of juçara juice, while urine was collected at baseline and 0–3 and 3–6 h after juice intake. Seven phenolic acids and conjugated phenolic acids were identified in urine deriving from the degradation of anthocyanins: protocatechuic acid, vanillic acid, vanillic acid glucuronide, hippuric acid, hydroxybenzoic acid, hydroxyphenylacetic acid, and ferulic acid derivative. In addition, kaempferol glucuronide was also found in urine as a metabolite of the parent compound in juçara juice. Juçara juice caused a decrease in the total oxidant status of serum after 0.5 h in comparison to baseline values (p < 0.05) and increased the phenolic acid metabolites excretion. This study shows the relationship between the production of metabolites of juçara juice and the total antioxidant status in human serum, indicating evidence of its antioxidant capacity.

Inflammation and dyslipidemia are traditional risk factors and well-known causes of morbidity and mortality in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an essential fatty acid mainly found in vegetable sources, has been associated with anti-inflammatory effects and improving lipid profile. This systematic review and meta-analysis investigate the effects of supplementation with vegetable sources of ALA on inflammatory marker and lipid profile in individuals with CKD.This review included studies with adult or elderly patients with CKD, including those receiving dialysis, using oral supplementation or food or combined interventions containing vegetable sources of ALA. All studies were randomized trials and The Cochrane Collaboration's tool was use for assessing risk of bias.19 studies provided data for meta-analyses. ALA had significant effect on reducing C-reactive protein (CRP) after supplementation (WMD: -1.32; 84.5% CI, -2.35 to -0.29, P = 0.012), on the other hand, had no significant effect on total cholesterol (WMD: -2.85; 90.1% CI, -14.43 to 8.73, P = 0.629), high density lipoprotein (WMD: 1.09; 92.4% CI, -1.82 to 3.99, P = 0.463), low density lipoprotein (WMD: -3.87; 86.7% CI, -12.62 to 4.89, P = 0.387) and triglycerides (WMD: -16.42; 87.7% CI, -47.83 to 14.98, P = 0.305).Vegetables sources of ALA showed beneficial effects on reducing inflammatory marker CRP in CKD patients but had no effect on lipid profile. Future well-designed studies are needed to investigate the effectiveness of vegetables sources of ALA, particularly in CKD.

The arbitration exercise in a soccer game requires high physical fitness and all federations apply physical tests to referees, including anthropometric tests, classifying them as fit or not for the role. The aim of this study was to assess the validity of the total body fat percentage (%BF) through different evaluation methods of body composition referenced in a four-compartment (4C) model. Cross-sectional study performed in 2018 with 21 elite male referees. %BF was estimated by 4 methods: anthropometry; bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA); Dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and air displacement plethysmography (ADP). Moreover, three and four-compartment (3 and 4C) models were calculated. Bland–Altman and intraclass correlations (ICC) analysis were performed to determine validity of all methods compared to a 4C reference. The results of one-way ANOVA revealed that there was no significant difference (F=1.541; p=0.182) between %BF analyzed by 4C model (15.98 ± 6.20), anthropometry (mean ± SD, 18.46 ± 7.03), ADP (16.19 ± 6.24), BIA (16.67 ± 5.30), DXA (20.33 ± 6.56) and 3C (16.92 ± 5.53). The Bland–Altman analysis showed that all methods analyzed overestimate %BF compared to the 4C model. The best agreement was obtained from the ADP evaluation (bias=-0.2), followed by BIA (bias=-0.6), 3C (bias=-0.9), anthropometry (bias=-2.4) and DXA (bias=-4.3). Validation assessed by ICC was excellent (ICC≥0.90) in most methods, except for anthropometry (ICC=0.80) and DXA (ICC=0.71). Overall, the results suggest that ADP, BIA and 3C were the best method to %BF evaluation. Nevertheless, anthropometry remains as a feasible method to monitor %BF of elite soccer referees. resumo A arbitragem no futebol exige alto preparo físico. As federações aplicam testes antropométricos para classificar os árbitros como aptos ou não para a função. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a validade do percentual de gordura corporal (%GC) aferido por meio de diferentes métodos de avaliação referenciado em um modelo de quatro compartimentos (4C). O %GC foi estimado por seis métodos: antropometria; bioimpedância elétrica (BIA); absortometria dupla de raios-X (DXA); pletismografia por deslocamento de ar (ADP); modelo de três e quatro compartimentos (3 e 4C). Bland-Altman e correlações intraclasse (ICC) foram realizadas para determinar a validade de todos os métodos em comparação com o modelo de referência 4C. Os resultados da ANOVA revelaram que não houve diferença significativa (F = 1,541; p = 0,182) entre o %GC analisado pelo modelo 4C (15,98 ± 6,20), antropometria (média ± DP, 18,46 ± 7,03), ADP (16,19 ± 6,24), BIA (16,67 ± 5,30), DXA (20,33 ± 6,56) e 3C (16,92 ± 5,53). Segundo Bland-Altman todos os métodos superestimam o %GC em comparação com o 4C. A melhor concordância foi obtida na ADP (viés= -0,2), seguida da BIA (bias = -0,6), 3C (viés = -0,9), antropometria (viés = -2,4) e DXA (viés = -4,3). O ICC foi excelente (ICC≥0,90) na maioria dos métodos, exceto para antropometria (ICC = 0,80) e DXA (ICC = 0,71). Os resultados sugerem que ADP, BIA e 3C foram os melhores métodos para avaliação do %GC. No entanto, a antropometria continua sendo um método válido para monitorar o %GC.

Açaí (E. oleracea) and juçara (E. edulis) are berries considered a source of bioactive compounds, especially anthocyanins and unsaturated fatty acids, with recognized health-promoting activities. An integrative review was conducted to identify available clinical trials that evaluated the effects of açaí and juçara intake on the human organism. Science Direct and Medline databases were searched. Human studies that evaluated any biological activities after açaí and juçara intake were included in this review. Twenty-three clinical trials were identified up to April 12, 2020. Studies evaluated the biological effects of açaí (n = 17), juçara (n = 5), or both berries simultaneously (n = 1). The results of these trials suggest both types of berries may contribute to improved antioxidant defense and to attenuating metabolic stress and inflammation. However, considerable heterogeneity was observed among trials, and few studies explored the bioactive compounds of the food matrix provided in the interventions. More clinical trials are encouraged to strengthen the current evidence on human biological outcomes, including comparative analysis between these berries.

Objective High-intensity intermittent exercise (HIIE) may enhance the antiinflammatory status. The jucara fruit juice (JFJ) has well-established antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties. This study investigated the effect of JFJ consumption on the inflammatory response to HIIE in physically active subjects. Methods In a randomized crossover design, 15 men were assigned to drink 250 mL of either JFJ or water (control) 1 h before a cycling HIIE session (seven sets of 60 s at 100% peak power output; 75 s recovery between sets). Blood samples were obtained before and at 0, 30, and 60 min post-HIIE, and the serum was analyzed for interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, IL-8, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor–α, and cortisol. Results After HIIE, the IL-6 levels were higher than baseline (percent change) at 30 min (P = 0.041) and 60 min (P = 0.038) for the control, but were unaffected by JFJ. IL-10 was higher in the JFJ group than in the control at 30 min (d = ‒0.63). Tumor necrosis factor–α was lower than baseline at 30 min for the control (d = ‒0.71) and at 60 min for the JFJ group (d = ‒0.60). For control, cortisol increased to higher than the baseline at 30 and 60 min (d = 0.54 and d = 0.76, respectively). For the JFJ group, the cortisol levels were significantly higher than the baseline at 30 min (P = 0.022). Performance during sprints was higher in the JFJ group than in the control (P = 0.002). In the control group, performance was with both IL-6 (semipartial correlation; sr = −0.59, large effect size) and cortisol at 0 h (sr = −0.52, large effect size). Conclusions JFJ intake attenuated the antiinflammatory response to HIIE, possibly resulting from a lower degree of muscle stress.

To evaluate the effects of moderate-term açaí and juçara juice intake on fasting glucose, lipid profile, and oxidative stress biomarkers in healthy subjects.A randomized cross-over study was performed with 30 healthy adults. The subjects were assigned to drink 200 mL/day of açaí or juçara juice for four weeks with a 4-week washout period. Before and after each nutritional intervention, blood samples were obtained to evaluate the outcomes: fasting glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-c), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-c), small, dense LDL-c (sd-LDL-c), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), total oxidant status (TOS), oxidative stress index (OSI), uric acid, and activity of the enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx).After four weeks, açaí and juçara juices increased the concentrations of HDL-c by 7.7% and 11.4%, respectively (P 0.05). In addition, açaí juice intake promoted significant increases in TAC (66.7%), CAT (275.1%), GPx (15.3%), and a decrease in OSI (55.7%) compared to baseline (P 0.05 for all). Juçara juice intake significantly increased CAT activity (~15.0%) in relation to baseline. No significant intergroup differences were observed for any outcomes (P 0.05).The results indicated a positive impact of regular consumption of açaí and juçara juices on the HDL-c levels, as well as on the antioxidant enzyme activities, which may contribute to cardiovascular health.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of juçara juice on oxidative stress biomarkers and fatigue in a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) session. Fifteen physically active men were assigned to drink 250 mL of juçara juice or water (control) 1 h before exercise. Blood samples were collected 1 h prior to exercise, immediately post exercise, and 1 h post exercise. From the relative average changes, a decrease in oxidative stress index was observed immediately post exercise (P = 0.020) and an increase in reduced glutathione 1 h post exercise (P = 0.044) in the juçara juice intake group in relation to the control. Juçara juice intake also promoted increases in plasma total phenols (P = 0.020), and uric acid (P = 0.001) over time. Moreover, individuals who consumed juçara juice presented lower fatigue compared to the control (P