12 26.76 2.77 HDL (mg/dl) 40 – 60 58.29 13.58 57.29 12.28 61.00a,b 13.31 LDL (mg/dl) 70 – 150 74.00 22.89 71.35 20.84 83.07 a,b 22.58 Total cholesterol (mg/dl) 110 – 200 147.86 26.74 149.71 27.68 154.57a 26.80 Folic acid (ng/ml) 4.2 – 19.9 8.14 1.17 7.73 2.57 7.62 2.36 Homocysteine (μmol/l) 5 – 12 11.64 2.65 13.92a 2.39 13.14a 1.96 HDL, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. a Statistically significant differences (P < 0.05) Week 0 vs. Week 8 and Week 16. b Statistically significant differences (P < 0.05) Week 8 vs. Week 16. The other nutritional parameters

studied here (find more albumin and prealbumin) see more showed no statistically significant changes at any time point. Among the lipid parameters we measured, HDL, LDL and total cholesterol were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in Week 0 compared to Week 16, and HDL and LDL were significantly higher in Week 8 compared to Week 16. Discussion Selleckchem SP600125 The results of the present study suggest that after the dietary and educational intervention, there were no significant changes

in plasma concentrations of folic acid. However, we did note changes in plasma Hcy levels, despite the significant inverse correlation between the two values. Folic acid supplementation may have reduced cardiovascular risk during the NSTp in the handball players we studied. In the present study, increased food intake as a result of nutritional education may have contributed to weight maintenance throughout the experimental period, which would avoid possible alterations in body weight as a result of poor dietary habits [1]. Regular PA is known to alter the requirements for certain micronutrients [1]. Folic acid intake in the athletes studied here (Table 2) was below the RDA except during Week 8, and was similar to the values reported by Rousseau et al. [12]. In this connection, a meta-analysis by Woolf and Manore [1] concluded that most studies which had analyzed folic acid intake based on a 3-day (72-h) recall period obtained values similar to those found in the present study. Supplementation Cobimetinib nmr with folic acid was implemented after an initial evaluation which showed the intake

of this nutrient to be inadequate. The amount used in the dietary supplement was consistent with the theoretical basis described by McNully et al. [11], who suggested that doses of 0.2 to 0.4 mg folic acid per day may achieve maximal reductions in Hcy in healthy young people, whereas doses up to 0.8 mg folic acid per day would be needed to reduce Hcy in individuals with coronary artery disease. However, in the present study plasma Hcy concentration did not change despite the significant increase in folic acid intake. Regular PA is known to reduce the risk of CVD [6, 12]. Handball, like other team sports such as soccer and field hockey, is considered an intermittent intensity sport on the basis of the aerobic energy pathways involved [31].