The influence of the nature of nutrition on the antioxidant status of undergraduate students

Abstract

Introduction. This work is aimed at solving the problem of maintaining population health, in particular, of students, who are considered as future labor force of society. The purpose of the article is to identify the influence of the nature of nutrition on the antioxidant status of undergraduate students. Materials and Methods. The study involved 95 second-year undergraduate students in Ulan-Ude, 30 of whom were male and 65 female. Evaluation of nutritional status was conducted using "Analysis of human nutrition state" software designed by the Research Institute of Nutrition RAMS. Summary antioxidatic activity of blood serum, urine and saliva was identified by means of the amperometric method using "Yauza-01-AA Colour" liquid chromatography. Superoxide dismutase and catalase activities were measured by spectrofotometric methods, and the amount of hemoglobin in blood was identified using the Hemoglobincyanide (HiCN) Method. Results. Within the framework of the investigation, body mass index and physical activity coefficient of students were calculated, their daily energy expenditure was characterized. The study revealed the following diet imbalances: high intake of such nutrients as cholesterol, total fat, saturated fats, sodium and added sugar and lack of dietary fibers, calcium, magnesium, iron, vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C, and polyunsaturated fatty acids. A comparative analysis of some characteristics of students' diet was carried out. It has been revealed that the actual nutrition of second-year undergraduate students during the process of socio-psychological adaptation to the educational process does not meet the requirements of healthy nutrition, does not satisfy the physiological needs of the body for food and biologically active substances. The authors identified summary activity of antioxidants in such human body fluids as blood plasma, urine and saliva, the activity of superoxide dismutase and catalase, and blood hemoglobin levels. Mainly, the study revealed normal antioxidant status, which could be explained by compensatory adaptation of the organism. Conclusions. The revealed imbalance of students' actual nutrition during the period of adaptation did not affect directly the studied indicators of the antioxidant reactivity, however, there are risks of possible negative consequences of altering the redox status, which requires correction of the diet in accordance with healthy eating standards.