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Background and purpose: The issue of ascorbic acid megadoses and the useful effects of it and also its easy availability as well as low price resulted undue use of this vitamin by the public but there are worries about some of the harmful effects of this vitamin. This study was carried out to examine the effects of two vitamin C doses on copper of serum and ceruloplasmin enzyme activity in healthy men. Material and methods: The study was carried out in 1999 in Institute of Nutrition and Food Science Research of Iran with a double- blind clinical trial method in 36 healthy male volunteers with mean age 22 3 years residing in a dormitory. Volunteers were devided at random to 3 groups of 500 mg/day(1st group) and 1000mg/day (2nd group) ascorbic acid dosage intake and control group (3rd group). Fasting blood samples were gathered at the beginning and at the end of the study period(6th week).Concentration of copper was determined by atomic absorption,and concentration of ceruloplasmin enzyme and ascorbic acid by cholormetric method.Dietary consumption pattern in the beginning and the end of the study period were recorded by means of using 24hr dietary recall questionnaire for one day. The data were analysed by wilcoxon sign and kruskal walis exams. Results: Mean ascorbic acid blood concentration in groups 1,2,3 were 0.73+0.17, 0.74+0.22, 0.75+0.24mg/dl respectively.This observed increases at the end of the study were 67% (p=0.001) , 76% (P=0.001) , 23%(P=0.04) respectively that were statistically significant.Mean ceruloplasmin enzyme activity in the beginning of the study were20.69+2.13, 21.04+1.98, 21.10+4.83mg/dl in groups 1,2,3 respectively and the observed reduction at the 6th week 17(P=0.004) percent in group 1000 mg/day was statistically significant.The beginning of the study mean copper concentrations were 86.04+16.83,78.04+8.14,88.25+15.26µg/dl at in the groups 1,2,3 respectively.Serum reduction of copper werenot statistically significant in every of three groups at the 6th week. Conclusion: Ascorbic acid intake caused a reduction depended on dose in ceruloplasmin enzyme activity, therefore with the present data vitamin supplementation at 500 and 1000 mg/day dose cannot be recommended and further studies are needed in this regard.

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Background and Objectives: Urinary stones are common throughout the world, usually caused by supersaturated urine. The quantity of water intake and its mineral and trace elements have been reported to influence the urolithiasis. This study was carried out to compare the effects of Tehran tap water (TTW, with a low degree of hardness) and Damavand Ala-Spring Mineral Water (DMW, with a high degree of hardnes) on urinary mineral elements in men with and without kidney calcium stones at Hasheminejad Hospital, Tehran. Materials and Methods:This single-blind clinical trial included 29 15-62-year old male subjects, 14 with, and 15 without urinary stones, hospitalized in Hasheminejad Hospital, Tehran. The patients without urinary stones did not suffer from renal disorders or urinary stones, but had been hospitalized for rupture. None of the subjects was taking citrate, vitamin D, vitamin C, or Ca supplements, and showed no symptoms of pyuria or hematuria. Based on ideal weights of the subjects, their diets were prepared,weighed, packed and offered to them. Morning and 24-hour urine samples were collected before and after the intervention for oxalate, citrate, phosphate, uric acid, creatinine, Mg, Ca, specific gravity, and pH determinations. All the subjects were offered distilled water, 30-36 ml/kg/day, for 2 days (days 1 and 2), followed by the. same volume of TTW for 2 days (days 3 and 4) and, finally the same volume of DMW for the last 2 days (days 5 and 6). Data were analyzed using SPSS11.5, the statistical tests being ANOVA (repeated measures) and t-test. Results: The age, weight, height, and BMI of the 2 groups of men showed no statistically significant differences. The urine volume increased significantly after taking distilled water and TTW (P<0.01) and mineral water (P<0.05). Distilled water and TTW reduced the urine specific gravity significantly (P<0.05). The specific gravity after consumption of TTW and DMW was lower after distilled water (P<0.01). Calcium levels after intake of distilled water and TTW were significantly different between the two groups (P<0.05). The data also showed that, as compared to distilled water, TTW increases urinary citrate, magnesium, phosphate, and the urine volume in men with nephrolithiasis and DMW increases urinary magnesium, phosphate and pH in men without nephrolithiasis however, the differences were not significantly different. Conculsions: Results of this study showed that increasing water intake increases urinary volume and decreases specific gravity, irrespective of the degree of water hardness. Consumption of TTW is more beneficial (and may potentially prevent recurrence of stone formation) than that of the harder mineral water for patients with urinary stones, while consumption of the latter may be more beneficial for people without urinary stones. People should drink more water in order to reduce stone formation.

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Background and Objectives: The objective was to study the effect of red-seed grapes on the serum levels of total cholesterol (TC) and low-density-lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) in hypercholester- olemic subjects. Materials and Methods: In a clinical trial 43 hypercholesterolemic subjects (cholesterol>200mg/dl) were randomly divided into two groups of red-seed grapes (RG) and control (CG). The RG group included 22 subjects (18 female, 4 male) with a mean age of 50 years, taking 500gr red-seed grapes per day for 4 weeks, while the 21 control subjects (17 female, 4 male) with a mean age of 52 years received no treatment. At the beginning of the study, physical activity and BMI were determined. Serum lipid levels (TC, LDL-C, HDL-C and TG) were measured at the beginning and at the end of the period. Dietary intake was also determined before and after the period, in both cases for 3 conseutive days, using the 24-hr recall questionnaire. The fiber and flavonoid contents of the grapes were also determined.The data were analyzed (paired t-test), using SPSS 11.5. Results: The experimental and control groups were matched with regard to age, sex, BMI, and physical activity. As compared to the CG the mean level of TC in the RG significantly decreased after the 4 week-period (-24.2±6.3 mg/dl in the RG vs 2.8±6.1 mg/dl in the CG, p<0.05). The grapes also, caused a significant decrease in LDL-C in the RG, compared to the control group (-24.3±6.0 mg/dl in the RG vs 4.1±7.5 mg/dl in the CG, p<0.01). There were also reductions in the ratios and in RG compared with those in CG (p<0.05) however, the differences between the 2 groups with regard to HDL-C and TG were not statistically significant. Conclusion: Red-seed grapes might have beneficial effects on the serum total and low-density-lipoprotein-cholesterol in hypercholesterolemic subjects. Further studies are needed to determine tth effects of these grapes on HDL-C and TG.

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Background and Objectives: Knowledge, attitude, and practice of bakers, as direct producers of bread, are considered as one of the factors that can be reflected ultimately in the quality of bread and the magnitude of bread wastage in the country. In an attempt to determine the causes of high bread wastage in the country, this study was conducted to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of bakers in the city of Tehran regarding preparation, storage, and consumption of bread. Methods and Materials: The study included 472 bakers, from 236 bakeries in the city of Tehran chosen by systematic random sampling proportional to the populations of the 19 districts of the city. Data were collected through interviews using a KAP questionnaire. Results: Most of the bakers were aware of appropriate storage condition for flour (78.2%), importance of flour quality assessment (78%), importance of not adding baking powder to the dough (99%), most appropriate container for dough (72%), and appropriate methods of bread-baking (74%). More than half of the sample did not give correct answers to questions regarding yeast and sourdough. The bakers’ attitude towards using both types of yeast was negative in two-thirds of the cases. More than 50% were not satisfied with the appearance and price of bread they were producing they believed that the price is high. About 24% were familiar with the two-stage baking process, and 41.5% did not perceive it as the preferred method. The bakers’ attitude regarding the different aspects of bread production and processing was significantly associated with their education level and service record, but not with their age. As regards the bakers’ practice, the findings showed that 25% actually used baking powder, while 34% did not give a clear answer to the questions on this subject. On the other hand, despite their indifferent (39%) or positive (27%) towards the use and storage of sour dough, 45-55% did not use industrial yeast or sour dough. The use of baking powder was related significantly with the type of bread, it is being highest in the case of, in ascending order, lavash, barbari, and taftoon, and lowest in the case of sangak and white bread. Conclusion: The bakers’ knowledge regarding preparation and leavening seems to be low, so they need to be educated about appropriate methods of dough-making and baking. Training programs for bakers in proper bread-baking methods and standards is required. Also, to ensure better practice, improving baking conditions and provision of better ingredients and equipment is a priority.