Seasonal variations of antioxidant imbalance in Cuban healthy men

Objective: To determine the antioxidant imbalance in healthy Cuban men 2y after the end of the epidemic neuropathy (50 862 cases from 1991 to 1993) and to evaluate its change over 1 y. Design: Prospective study. Setting: La Lisa health centres (Havana, Cuba). Subjects: One-hundred and ninety-nine healthy middle-aged men were selected and 106 completed the study. Subjects were studied at 3 month intervals over 1 year. Interventions: No invervention. Main outcome measures: An assessment of dietary intake and the determination of blood lipid peroxides (TBARS), glutathione, diglutathione, glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, vitamin E, carotenoids, copper, zinc and selenium were performed at each period. Results: While dietary zinc, vitamins C and E, carotenoids and fat dietary intakes and blood concentrations were low for adult men compared to international reference ranges, serum TBARS concentrations were high at every period. Some significant seasonal variations were observed. The lowest carotenoids (P < 0.002) and vitamin C (P = 0.0001) intakes, serum <beta>-carotene (P = 0.0001) and lutein/zeaxanthin (P < 0.05) concentrations, and the highest blood TBARS (P = 0.0001) and diglutathione (P < 0.001) concentrations were observed at the end of the rainy season (October). This period seemed to pose the greatest risk of antioxidant imbalance. Conclusions: Cuban men still represent a vulnerable population in terms of antioxidant imbalance. A national program of vegetable growing and increase in fruit and vegetable consumption is now evaluated in Cuba. Sponsorship: Nestec-Nestle, Merck-Biotrol diagnostics. Trace Element Institute for Unesco, Grenoble University. INRA.