Effect of antioxidant-rich kindergarten meals on oxidative stress biomarkers in healthy 5–6-year-old children : a randomized controlled trial

Berlic, Maja (author), Korošec, Mojca (author), Remec, Žiga Iztok (author), Čuk, Vanja (author), Battelino, Tadej (author), Repič-Lampret, Barbka (author)

As children spend up to 9 h a day in kindergarten, the main purpose of our study was to evaluate the effect of antioxidant-rich kindergarten meals on oxidative stress biomarkers (OSBs) in healthy children. In the randomized control trial with a follow-up, healthy 5–6-year-old children from six kindergartens were randomly divided into a prototype group (PG, n = 40) and a control group (CG, n = 17). PG followed a 2-week antioxidant-rich kindergarten meal plan (breakfast, lunch, and two snacks), and CG followed their standard kindergarten meal plans. Outside the kindergartens, participants ate as usual. We used a consecutive 7-day dietary record inside and outside the kindergarten and the national dietary assessment tool OPEN to assess the total dietary antioxidant capacity (dTAC) of the consumed foods. Malondialdehyde (MDA), 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), and four F2-isoprostane were measured in fasting urine on days 1 and 15. We also measured total antioxidant power (PAT) and hydroperoxides (d-ROMs) in fasting serum on day 15 and obtained the value of the oxidative stress index (OSI). We used a Welch two-sample t-test and multiple regression analysis to compare the prototype and control groups and a nonparametric Wilcoxon signed rank exact test to compare pre- and post-intervention results in urine. Antioxidant-rich kindergarten meals contributed to a significantly (p < 0.05) higher intake of dTAC in PG participants compared to standard meals in CG participants (8.6 vs. 2.8 mmol/day). We detected a negative correlation between dTAC intake and d-ROMs and between dTAC intake and OSI (r =  − 0.29, p = 0.043 and r =  − 0.31, p = 0.032, respectively). A significant decrease in urinary 8-iso-15-prostaglandin-F-2 alpha was detected in PG participants between days 1 and 15; however, no other intra-individual significant differences in urinary OSBs were found.

• Language: English
• Keywords: antioxidant-rich diet, oxidative stress biomarkers, dietary antioxidant capacity, reactive oxygen metabolites, F2-isoprostanes, kindergarten diet
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: BF - Biotechnical Faculty; MF - Faculty of Medicine
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: Str. 3085-3094
• Numbering: Vol. 183, iss. 7
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-166683
• UDC: 613.2-053.2:641.1
• ISSN on article: 0340-6199
• DOI: 10.1007/s00431-024-05576-6
• COBISS.SI-ID: 197529347
• Publication date in RUL: 21.01.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: European journal of pediatrics
• Shortened title: Eur. j. pediatr.
• Publisher: Springer Nature
• ISSN: 0340-6199
• COBISS.SI-ID: 6044167

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: prehrana otrok, predšolski otroci, vrtec, dnevni obroki, antioksidanti