University of Maine Conducts Manganese Research

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University of Maine Conducts Manganese Research

Bangor Daily News Bangor, ME

November 21, 2001

 

ORONO - An apple a day may be a simple recommendation for healthy eating, but

when it comes to trace elements in the

diet, the guidelines get a little more complicated. So it is with manganese,

an element that is critical, as a team of

University of Maine researchers is finding, for cardiovascular health.

 

The federal government has not developed daily recommended intake levels for

manganese as it has for other nutrients

such as vitamin C and calcium. However, the importance of manganese in the diet

is becoming clearer. In 1998, a research

team led by Dorothy Klimis- Zacas of the University of Maine Department of Food

Science and Human Nutrition reported

evidence that the trace element may be important to biochemical processes in

artery walls.

 

Now, she and her students have turned to mechanical tests of arteries to

determine if indeed a lack of manganese paves

the way for heart disease.

 

" Manganese is critical for synthesis of GAGs, the cement of the artery, that

make the arterial walls strong, " said

Klimis-Zacas. " We know that manganese deficiency leads to lower production of

GAGs in arteries. Now we want to see if it

also leads to functional changes in how well arteries work.

 

Members of the research team include Anastasia Kalea, a student from Greece;

Cindy Norton, a student from Whiting; and

Matt L'Italien, an undergraduate student from Jay. Their work is supported by a

$70,206 grant from the U.S. Department

of Agriculture. The project got under way in June when the team began feeding

60 laboratory rats with diets that had

three levels of manganese but were otherwise identical.

 

In another aspect of the study, blueberries are being studied to see if they

have any effect on the mechanical

properties of arteries. Since blueberries are high in antioxidants and

manganese, the research team wants to see if

adding the fruit would confer protection to the arteries from damages related to

the low manganese diet.

 

After 15 weeks, the researchers surgically removed the threadlike arteries from

the rats. Using a unique and sensitive

system, they fastened one end of the arteries to a device that records maximal

force developed by the artery and stores

data in the computer. The rest of the artery is suspended in a solution. The

researchers then tested the ability of each

artery to contact and relax when exposed to two stimulants, epinephrine and

acetylcholine.

 

The results, which will be reported next spring at the Annual Meeting of

Experimental Biology in New Orleans, could

underscore the importance of dietary manganese in maintaining the health of

artery walls. The American Heart Association

estimates more than 60 million Americans have one or more forms of

cardiovascular disease including high blood pressure

and coronary heart disease.

 

" For cardiovascular disease, manganese deficiency could just be the beginning.

It appears to prepare the artery for

another insult. That could be caused by oxidized cholesterol or tobacco smoke, "

said Klimis-Zacas.

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Dr. Walford's DWIDP software (link below) will analyse your food intake and rate

your manganese intake, as well as most

other nutrients. Download it and have a look at what you are REALLY

eating............

 

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Good Health & Long Life,

Greg Watson, gowatson

USDA database (food breakdown) http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/

PubMed (research papers) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi

DWIDP (nutrient analysis) http://www.walford.com/dwdemo/dw2b63demo.exe

KIM (omega analysis) http://ods.od.nih.gov/eicosanoids/KIM_Install.exe