Handbook of Vitamin C Research

In: Handbook of Vitamin C Research ISBN: 978-1-60741-874-0Editors: Hubert Kucharski and Julek Zajac©2009 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.Chapter IXVitamin C Intake: Types of FoodsConsumed and Meal PatternDifferences in Children with Highor Low Exposure to EnvironmentalTobacco SmokeAlan M. Preston, Luis Vázquez Quiñones, Cynthia M. Pérez,Ernesto Pérez Torres and Cindy RodríguezUniversity of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus,School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistryand Graduate School of Public Health –Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Puerto RicoABSTRACTBackground: Vitamin C is a physiological antioxidant of major importance forprotection against diseases and degenerative processes caused by oxidative stress. Ampleevidence exists for the detrimental effects of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) onvitamin C status in exposed populations. Reduced dietary intake has been documented inspouses and preschool children of active smokers, but few studies have been done inchildren of other age groups. Furthermore, there is no information on meal-patterndifferences in vitamin C intake between populations either exposed or not exposed toETS.Objectives: We assessed consumption of foods containing from zero to highamounts of vitamin C and determined contribution of regular meals and snacks to theA version of this chapter was also published in Passive Smoking and Health Research, edited by N.A. Jeorgensenpublished by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. It was submitted for appropriate modifications in an effort toencourage wider dissemination of research.