Asia
Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Volume 12, issue 3
(September 2003)
Includes:
IUNS
Symposium "North & West African Foods and Health" February,
2003, Marrakech, Morocco
Contents |
Abstract |
Full
text |
Dietary
intake and anthropometry of Korean elderly people: a literature
review. YOUNG-HEE PARK, LISETTE CPGM DE GROOT
AND
WIJA A VAN STAVEREN
Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2003;12(3):234-242.
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pdf |
Development
of a food frequency questionnaire in Koreans.
JEONGSEON
KIM, YOUNGJU KIM, YOON-OK AHN, HEE- YOUNG PAIK, YOUNJHIN AHN,
YUKO TOKUDOME, NOBUYUKI HAMAJIMA, MANAMI INOUE AND KAZUO TAJIMA
Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2003;12(3):243-250.
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html |
pdf |
Calibration
of a food frequency questionnaire in Koreans.
JEONGSEON KIM , YOON-OK AHN, HEE-YOUNG PAIK, NOBUYUKI HAMAJIMA,
MANAMI INOUE AND KAZUO TAJIMA
Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2003;12(3):251-256. |
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pdf |
Comparison
of a malnutrition screening tool with subjective global assessment
in hospitalised patients with cancer - sensitivity and specificity.
JUDITH BAUER AND SANDRA CAPRA
Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2003;12(3):257-260. |
html |
pdf |
Singaporean
Chinese adolescents have more subcutaneous adipose tissue than
Dutch Caucasians of the same age and body mass index. PAUL
DEURENBERG , KALPANA BHASKARAN AND PETRINA LIM KIM LIAN
Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2003;12(3):261-265. |
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pdf |
Secular
trend in size at birth of Vietnamese newborns during the last
2 decades (1980-2000). LE T HOP
Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2003;12(3):266-270. |
html |
pdf |
Prevalence
of metabolic syndrome among Filipino adults aged 20 years and
over. CELESTE C TANCHOCO, ARSENIA J CRUZ, CHARMAINE
A DUANTE AND AUGUSTO D LITONJUA
Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2003;12(3):271-276. |
html |
pdf |
Changes
in glycosylated proteins in diabetic and non-diabetic patients
with and without cardiovascular complications.
ANJUMAN GUL AND M ATAUR RAHMAN
Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2003;12(3):277-281. |
html |
pdf |
Effects
of phytosterol ester-enriched vegetable oil on plasma lipoproteins
in healthy men. SHINJI SEKI, ICHIRO HIDAKA, KEIICHI
KOJIMA, HISAKO YOSHINO, TOSHIAKI AOYAMA, MITSUKO OKAZAKI AND KAZUO
KONDO
Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2003;12(3):282-291. |
html |
pdf |
Determination
of total antioxidant activity in three types of local vegetables
shoots and the cytotoxic effect of their ethanolic extracts against
different cancer cell lines. ASMAH RAHMAT, VIJAY
KUMAR, LOO MEI FONG, SUSI ENDRINI AND HUZAIMAH ABDULLAH SANI
Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2003;12(3):292-295. |
html |
pdf |
The factors associated with the belief that vegetarian diets provide
health benefits. EMMA LEA AND ANTHONY WORSLEY
Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2003;12(3):296-303. |
html |
pdf |
IUNS
Symposium "North & West African Foods and Health"
February, 2003, Marrakech, Morocco |
|
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Regional
food diversity and human health.
MARK L WAHLQVIST
Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2003;12(3):304-308. |
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pdf |
The
food of Near East, North West and Western African regions. BARBARA
BURLINGAME
Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2003;12(3):309-312. |
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pdf |
Diet
and long-term health: an African Diaspora perspective.
NOEL W SOLOMONS
Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2003;12(3):313-330. |
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pdf |
Contemporary
African food habits and their nutritional and health implications.
RUTH ONIANG'O, JOSEPH MUTUKU, S J MALABA
Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2003;12(3):331-336. |
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Nutrition-related
health patterns in the Middle East. OSMAN GALAL
Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2003;12(3):337-343. |
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pdf |
Northwest
African and Middle Eastern food and dietary change of indigenous
peoples. HARRIET V KUHNLEIN, TIMOTHY JOHNS AND
THE IUNS TASK FORCE ON INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' FOOD SYSTEMS AND NUTRITION
Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2003;12(3):344-349. |
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pdf |
Palm
fruit in traditional African food culture. TOLA
ATINMO AND
AISHAT TAIWO BAKRE
Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2003;12(3):350-354. |
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pdf |
Palm
fruit chemistry and nutrition. KALYANA SUNDRAM,
RAVIGADEVI SAMBANTHAMURTHI, AND YEW-AI TAN
Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2003;12(3):355-362. |
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Phytonutrient
deficiency: the place of palm fruit.
NAIYANA WATTANAPENPAIBOON
Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2003;12(3):363-368. |
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A
place for palm fruit oil to eliminate vitamin A deficiency.
A J SPINNLER BENADÉ
Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2003;12(3):369-372. |
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Alleviation
of vitamin A deficiency with palm fruit and its products. NOEL
W SOLOMONS AND MÓNICA OROZCO
Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2003;12(3):373-384. |
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pdf |
Report
of the IX Asian Congress of Nutrition
Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2003;12(3):385. |
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Dietary
intake and anthropometry of Korean elderly people: a literature review.
YOUNG-HEE PARK, LISETTE CPGM DE GROOT AND WIJA A VAN
STAVEREN
The health status
of elderly people is an important issue in Korea due to the expansion
of the elderly population. However, data on their nutritional status
are limited. This review aims to give an overview of the dietary intake
and anthropometry of Korean elderly people based on studies published,
mainly in local journals in Korea. In total 18 studies were reviewed.
Mean calcium and vitamin A intakes were inadequate, namely less than
67% of the Korean recommended daily allowances, in all groups of Korean
elderly people. The intake of both nutrients was lower in urban elderly
with a low income and in rural elderly (200-496 g/day of calcium and
117-281 retinol equivalents/day). In particular, "low income"
urban elderly people had a low energy intake (less than 5300 kJ/day)
with an inadequate intake of iron, thiamin, riboflavin and niacin
in addition to calcium and vitamin A. In urban areas underweight (body
mass index < 20 kg/m2) occurred in 7-31% of "all income"
groups, whereas it occurred in 15-42% of "low income" groups.
Rural elderly people showed a higher proportion of underweight (37%
for men and 38% for women) as well as the lowest body mass index (21.0
kg/m2 for men and 21.3 kg/m2 for women). In conclusion, an inadequate
intake of several micronutrients in old age, mostly calcium and vitamin
A, is a matter of concern in Korea. This was observed most frequently
in elderly people with a low income. In this group an inadequate intake
of micronutrients is likely to be caused by a low energy intake.
Key
words: elderly, Korean, review, nutritional status, dietary intake,
anthropometry
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Development
of a food frequency questionnaire in Koreans. JEONGSEON
KIM, YOUNGJU KIM, YOON-OK AHN, HEE- YOUNG PAIK, YOUNJHIN AHN, YUKO
TOKUDOME, NOBUYUKI HAMAJIMA, MANAMI INOUE AND KAZUO TAJIMA
We
describe the development of a data-based food frequency questionnaire
(FFQ) to determine the relationship between dietary intakes and diseases
among Koreans. A total of 224 individuals were recruited to participate
in a three-day dietary record survey. In all, 596 food items were
consumed. The intakes of 20 nutrients including energy, protein, fat,
carbohydrate, vitamins, minerals, and crude fibre were calculated
for each food item by multiplying the weight of food consumed by its
nutrient content. Some foods, consumed less than five times in a total
of three days, were deleted from the preliminary food item list. The
number of foods accounting for up to 90 cumulative percentage contribution
to nutrient intake was 314. One hundred and seventy seven foods that
accounted for up to 0.90 cumulative multiple regression coefficients
and 90 cumulative percentage contribution were then selected. By grouping
foods, 94 food items were finally included in the questionnaire: Grains
and their products (15 food items), potatoes and starch (4), seeds
(1), soybean, soybean products and other beans (4), vegetables (22),
mushrooms (2), fruits (13), meats (7), eggs (1), fish (7), shellfish
(4), other fish (2), seaweed (2), milk and dairy products (4), and
beverages (6). Intake frequencies were classified into eight categories.
Portion size was determined from food consumption reports in the three-day
records. The mean percentage coverage of the 20 nutrient intakes by
the developed FFQ was 82.4%. This questionnaire may be useful for
ranking diet-related risk factors in Koreans.
Key Words: food frequency questionnaire, FFQ, dietary intake
methodology, dietary assessment, dietary records, Koreans
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.
Calibration
of a food frequency questionnaire in Koreans.
JEONGSEON KIM , YOON-OK AHN, HEE-YOUNG PAIK, NOBUYUKI HAMAJIMA, MANAMI
INOUE AND KAZUO TAJIMA
The
current trend of changes in nutrient intakes may have some relationship
with the increase in the occurrence of degenerative diseases in the
Korean population. To date, a calibrated food frequency questionnaire
(FFQ) has not been developed that can be further used for large-scale
epidemiological research in Koreans aged 40 and older. This study
was undertaken to develop and calibrate an FFQ in Koreans. A total
of 144 Koreans aged 40 years and above participated in the first phase,
which was conducted using the three-day dietary record method. One
hundred and thirty-eight of those who completed the first phase were
then interviewed to test FFQ against dietary records as a reference.
The mean absolute nutrient intakes estimated by the dietary records
were statistically compared with those estimated by the FFQ using
paired t-tests. The mean values from the FFQ differed at most by 14%
from those of the dietary records for all nutrients with the exception
of vitamin A. Spearman rank-order correlation coefficients and cross-classification
were also calculated. The energy-adjusted and corrected correlations
for attenuation varied from 0.36 to 0.82. The degree of good agreement
by cross-classification between the dietary records and the FFQ ranged
from 67% to 90%. The newly developed FFQ can be used as a dietary
assessment tool to measure usual nutritional status of Koreans aged
40 years and older. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that the
FFQ also provides a more labour-efficient tool that is easier to use
than any of the commonly used methods for large-scale epidemiological
studies of the relationships between nutrition and diseases in Koreans.
Key
Words:: food frequency questionnaire, FFQ, calibration, dietary intake
methodology, dietary assessment, dietary records, Koreans
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Comparison
of a malnutrition screening tool with subjective global assessment
in hospitalised patients with cancer - sensitivity and specificity.
JUDITH BAUER AND SANDRA CAPRA
Malnutrition is
common in hospitals and it is important to implement an appropriate
nutrition screening tool to identify patients at risk. The aim of
the study was to assess the sensitivity and specificity of the malnutrition
screening tool developed by the Malnutrition Advisory Group of the
British Association of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition against subjective
global assessment in hospitalised patients with cancer. A cross-sectional
study assessing the risk of malnutrition and nutritional status of
sixty-five hospitalised patients with cancer, aged 56 ± 15
years. According to subjective global assessment, 25 % of patients
were well nourished and 75% were malnourished (63% were moderately
or suspected of being malnourished and 12% severely malnourished).
The malnutrition screening tool had a low sensitivity of 59% and a
specificity of 75%. The positive predictive value was 88% and the
negative predictive value 38%. There were significant linear trends
between subjective global assessment classification and percentage
weight loss in the previous six months (P < 0.001) and body mass
index (P = 0.007). The malnutrition screening tool developed by the
Malnutrition Advisory Group of the British Association of Parenteral
and Enteral Nutrition is not a suitable screening tool for detecting
risk of malnutrition in hospitalised patients with cancer.
Key
Words: nutrition screening, subjective global assessment, nutrition
assessment
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Singaporean
Chinese adolescents have more subcutaneous adipose tissue than Dutch
Caucasians of the same age and body mass index.
PAUL DEURENBERG , KALPANA BHASKARAN AND PETRINA LIM KIM LIAN
Data on weight, height and skinfold thickness (biceps, triceps, subscapular
and suprailiac) of 101 Singaporean Chinese adolescents (49 girls and
52 boys), aged 16-18 years, were compared with data of Dutch Caucasians
(52 girls, 37 boys) of the same age. Age did not differ between the
sexes in each ethnic group or between the ethnic groups within each
sex group. The Chinese females were shorter, lighter and had a lower
BMI, but the sum (mean ± SD) of four skinfolds was much higher
(69.1 ± 15.4 mm) than in Caucasian girls (52.4 ± 17.8
mm). Also, the Chinese boys were shorter and lighter, but their body
mass index was not lower compared to Caucasian boys. Their skinfold
thickness was, as in girls, much higher compared to Caucasians (48.8
± 17.0 mm versus 31.1 ± 10.2 mm). After correcting for
(non significant) differences in age and skinfold thickness the Chinese
adolescent girls had a 3.3 ± 0.4 kg/m2 (mean ± SE) lower
body mass index than their Caucasian counterparts. Singapore Chinese
boys had a 2.7 ± 0.4 kg/m2 lower body mass index (mean ±
SE) than their Caucasian counterparts. Similarly, predicted body fat
percent was 5.8 ± 0.6 percent points higher (mean ±
SE) in Singapore Chinese girls compared to their Caucasian counterparts
of the same age and body mass index. Singapore Chinese boys had 6.0
± 0.6 percent more body fat percent (mean ± SE) than
Caucasians of the same age and body mass index. The data confirm the
high body fat percent/low body mass index relationship in Singaporean
Chinese as is reported earlier in the literature for adults and children.
Key Words: body composition, subcutaneous body fat, skinfolds,
Caucasian, Asian, body mass index, obesity, adolescents, Singaporeans,
Dutch
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Secular
trend in size at birth of Vietnamese newborns during the last 2 decades
(1980-2000). LE T HOP
The
aim of the study was to investigate the secular changes in size at
birth of Vietnamese newborns, and to determine the relationship between
size at birth of the infants and nutritional status of their parents.
Length, weight, mid upper arm circumference and head circumference
of 586 newborns from the two maternity houses Hoan Kiem and Hai Ba
Trung in Hanoi, Vietnam were measured. Information on socioeconomic
conditions, health status, weight, and height of the parents were
also obtained. There was a significant increase of birth weight (190
g, P=0.008; T-test) and length (1.3 cm, P=0.001; T-test) of Vietnamese
newborns compared to those of newborns of the 1980's (1980-1984).
There was a positive secular trend in parent's height and weight after
a period of one and a half decades (height and weight increase of
mothers: 2.6 kg and 1.9 cm, respectively; height and weight increase
of fathers: 4.5 kg and 1.6 cm, respectively). The data showed that
the birth weight of infants in the Capital of Vietnam have caught
up with those of infants from richer societies in the Northern hemisphere.
Key
Words: secular
trends, newborns, birth weight, birth length, head circumference,
Hanoi, Vietnam
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Prevalence
of metabolic syndrome among Filipino adults aged 20 years and over.
CELESTE C TANCHOCO, ARSENIA J CRUZ, CHARMAINE A
DUANTE AND AUGUSTO D LITONJUA
This
study sought to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome, using
data collected from 4,541 adults aged 20 years and over covered in
the Fifth National Nutrition Survey conducted in 1998. The metabolic
variables ana-lyzed were: total cholesterol, LDL-c, HDL-c, triglycerides
and fasting blood glucose. In addition, measurements of obesity such
as body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and waist circumference
(WC) as well as blood pressure were taken. Comparing the mean metabolic
characteristics of the non-obese, total obese and the android obese,
results showed significant differences in almost all the variables
except for the HDL-c. By gender, non-significant differences were
observed between males and females in the non-obese group in terms
of the BMI and glucose levels and in the android group, in terms of
total cholesterol. In all three groups, the biggest difference was
observed in the mean triglycerides, where males had significantly
higher mean than the females. Comparing adults with >125 mg/dl
fasting blood sugar (FBS) there were higher rates of hypertension,
high waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), high cholesterol, high triglycerides,
high LDL-c, low HDL-c, among the overweight and obese than among those
with normal BMI. In general, the proportion of subjects with co-morbid
factors increased with higher levels of FBS, except for high cholesterol
wherein no pattern was established. The highest prevalence of high
FBS was found in both males (35.8%) and females (14.5%) with the following
combined characteristics: high BMI, high WHR and high WC. Males with
co-existing high BMI, high WHR, and high WC were observed to have
the highest prevalence rate of hypertension (66.5%). Among females,
the highest prevalence rate of hypertension (37.9%) was seen among
those with high fasting blood sugar. The proportion of subjects with
hypertension generally increased with age irrespective of the BMI
status. One of the significant correlates of high FBS is waist-hip
ratio. Males with WHR of equal or greater than 1 have almost six times
the risk of having high FBS, while females with WHR of equal or greater
than 0.85 have five times the risk of having high FBS compared to
those with normal WHR. Among females with triglyceride levels of equal
or greater than 200 mg/dL, the risk of having high FBS is five times
compared to those with triglyceride levels below 200 mg/dL. Univariate
analysis to see the effect of the type of obesity to dyslipidaemia
and hypertension revealed that females with high waist circumference
generally provided greater risk compared to those who were overweight
and obese as well as those with android obesity. For males, high waist
circumference had greater risk of developing high triglyceride and
high LDL-c. Android obese males had greater risk to high FBS. The
results showed that the prevalence rate of metabolic syndrome is 0.28%,
based on the number of individuals with the following characteristics:
high FBS, hypertensive, android obese, with body mass index (BMI)
of > 25.0 and high WC. Females had a higher rate than males - almost
twice. Considering that metabolic syndrome, with its co-morbidity
factors is prevalent among some Filipino adults aged 20 years and
over, it is recommended that health programs geared towards minimizing
the morbid risk factors be properly developed, promoted and fully
implemented.
Key Words: obesity, abdominal fat, blood pressure, blood glucose,
blood lipids, hyperlipidaemia, physical activity, Philippines, National
Nutrition Survey, metabolic syndrome.
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Changes
in glycosylated proteins in diabetic and non-diabetic patients with
and without cardiovascular complications. ANJUMAN
GUL AND M ATAUR RAHMAN
The objective
of this study was to find the changes in glycoprotein composition
in both diabetic and non-diabetic patients with and without cardiovascular
complications. The study was carried out in Ziauddin Medical University
Karachi, Pakistan. Eighty-three patients and control subjects were
selected. Among them twenty-one were diabetic patients without any
clinical evidence of chronic diabetic complications, twenty-one were
diabetic patients with cardiovascular complications, twenty were non-diabetic
patients with cardiovascular complications and twenty-one apparently
normal, age, sex and weight matched control subjects were investigated.
All these patients were selected on clinical grounds from National
Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, Karachi. Fasting plasma glucose
was increased in all diabetic patients and correlated significantly
with and without cardiovascular complications. Fasting plasma glucose,
glycosylated haemoglobin, glycosylated plasma proteins, serum fructo-samine,
sialic acid, hexosamine and total serum protein and its fractions
were increased in diabetic patients with and without cardiovascular
complications. Fasting plasma glucose, glycosylated haemoglobin, glycosylated
plasma proteins, serum fructosamine, sialic acid and hexosamine were
not different in diabetic patients with cardiovascular complications
and diabetic patients without chronic complications as compared with
control subjects. In conclusion, fasting plasma glucose, glycosylated
haemoglobin, glycosylated plasma proteins, serum fructosamine, sialic
acid, hexosamine and total serum proteins and its fractions were increased
in diabetic patients with and without complications, but these parameters
remained within normal limits in non-diabetic patients with cardiovascular
complications.
Key
Words: fasting
plasma glucose, glycosylated haemoglobin, glycosylated plasma proteins,
serum fructosamine, sialic acid, hexosamine, total serum protein,
non-diabetic patients with cardiovascular complications, diabetic
patients with cardiovascular complications, Karachi, Pakistan.
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Effects
of phytosterol ester-enriched vegetable oil on plasma lipoproteins
in healthy men. SHINJI SEKI, ICHIRO HIDAKA, KEIICHI
KOJIMA, HISAKO YOSHINO, TOSHIAKI AOYAMA, MITSUKO OKAZAKI AND KAZUO
KONDO
It
has been reported that phytosterol esters reduce cholesterol absorption
and lower serum cholesterol concentration. There have been very few
studies published on the effect of dose of phytosterol esters less
than 1.0 g/day on plasma cholesterol levels in healthy subjects using
commonly consumed foods. In this study, we evaluated the effect of
0.45 g/day (as free sterol) phytosterol ester-enriched dissolved in
vegetable oil on plasma lipoproteins in sixty healthy males with slightly
elevated total cholesterol concentration. This study was conducted
in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, and arm parallel
study. A total of 14 g /day of phytosterol ester-enriched vegetable
oil containing 0.45g phytosterol (as the major free sterol) was compared
with a control vegetable oil containing 0.04 g phytosterol (as the
major free sterol). All subjects did not change their usual dietary
habit and consumed foods that included about 360 mg/day cholesterol
for 12 weeks. In subjects with higher total cholesterol concentrations
(>200mg/dL), the phytosterol enriched-vegetable oil significantly
reduced total cholesterol (10.3%, P<0.05), very low density (VLDL)
lipoprotein cholesterol (22.5%, P<0.05), and remnant-like lipoprotein
(RLP) cholesterol (24.7%, P<0.01) compared with the control vegetable
oil. A reduction in low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentration
was also observed. In particular, the improvement in serum lipoprotein
was more pronounced in subjects with higher total cholesterol concentrations.
Triglycerides and high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol did not
change significantly. Plasma concentration of fat-soluble vitamins
(tocopherol and retinol) and ß-carotene were not statistically
significantly affected by phytosterol ester-enriched vegetable oil.
These findings indicate that a daily consumption of phytosterol ester
as low as 0.45 g/day (as free sterol) is effective in lowering blood
total cholesterol concentration and RLP cholesterol concentration.
Lower total cholesterol, VLDL cholesterol and RLP cholesterol due
to consumption of the phytosterol ester-enriched vegetable oil may
be helpful in reducing the risk of CHD in the population.
Key Words:phytosterols,
phytosterol ester, plant sterols, sterols, vegetable oil, cholesterol,
lipoprotein, apolipoprotein.
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Determination
of total antioxidant activity in three types of local vegetables shoots
and the cytotoxic effect of their ethanolic extracts against different
cancer cell lines. ASMAH RAHMAT, VIJAY KUMAR, LOO
MEI FONG, SUSI ENDRINI AND HUZAIMAH ABDULLAH SANI
Antioxidants play
an important role in inhibiting and scavenging radicals, thus providing
protection to humans against infections and degenerative diseases.
Literature shows that the antioxidant activity is high on herbal and
vegetable plants. Realizing the fact, this research was carried out
to determine total antioxidant activity and the potential anticancer
properties in three types of selected local vegetable shoots such
as Diplazium esculentum (paku shoot), Manihot utillissima (tapioca
shoot) and Sauropous androgynus (cekur manis). The research was also
done to determine the effect of boiling, on total antioxidant activity
whereby samples of fresh shoots are compared with samples of boiled
shoots. In every case, antioxidant activity is compared to alpha-tocopherol
and two methods of extraction used are the organic and the aqueous
methods. Besides that, two research methods used were the ferric thiocyanate
(FTC) and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) with absorbance of 500nm and 532nm
respectively. Oneway ANOVA test at P < 0.05 determines significant
differences between various samples. In the cytotoxic study, the ethanolic
extract and several cell lines i.e. breast cancer (MDA-MB-231 and
MCF-7), colon cancer (Caco-2), liver cancer (HepG2) and normal liver
(Chang liver) were used. The IC50-value was determined by using the
MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide)
assay. The antioxidant study found that all the samples in both aqueous
and organic extraction were significantly different. The total antioxidant
activity values of aqueous extract in descending order are as follows
: M. utilissima (fresh) > D. esculentum (fresh) > S.androgynus
(fresh) > M.utilissima (boiled) > D. esculentum (boiled) >
S.androgynus (boiled). It also was found that S.androgynus shoots
ethanolic extract was able to inhibit the viability of the breast
cancer cell lines, MDA-MB-231 with the IC50 value of 53.33 mg/ml.
However, S.androgynus shoots and D. esculentum shoots ethanolic extracts
did not inhibit the viability of MDA-MB-231 cell line. While, the
tapioca shoot ethanolic extract was able to inhibit the viability
of MCF-7 cell line with the IC50 value of 52.49 mg/ml. S.androgynus
shoots and D.esculentum shoots ethanolic extracts did not give an
IC50 value against the MCF-7 cell line. S.androgynus, tapioca and
D.esculentum shoots ethanolic extracts did not show cytotoxic effect
against the Caco-2 and HepG2. There was no IC50-value from any sample
against Chang Liver cell line. In conclusion, the antioxidant activity
of both fresh and boiled samples were higher than alpha-tocopherol,
although fresh vegetable shoots were found to be higher in antioxidant
activity compared to boiled shoots. This study also suggested that
S.androgynus shoots and tapioca shoots have potential as an anticancer
agent against certain breast tumours.
Key
words: antioxidant vegetables, shoots, paku shoot Diplazium
esculentum, tapioca Manihot utillissima, cekur manis Sauropous androgynus,
cytotoxic, cancer, breast, colon, liver, Malaysia, tropics
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The factors associated with the belief that vegetarian diets provide
health benefits. EMMA LEA AND ANTHONY WORSLEY
The aim of this
paper is to examine the factors associated with the belief that vegetarian
diets provide health benefits. A random population mail survey about
food choice was conducted among a sample of 1000 South Australians.
An additional (non-random) survey of 106 vegetarians and semi-vegetarians
was also conducted, giving a total of 707 participants from both samples.
The main predictors of the belief that vegetarian diets provide health
benefits for all respondents were found to be the belief that meat
is neither healthy nor necessary and frequent searching for information
on healthy eating. However, there were differences between vegetarians,
non-vegetarians and semi-vegetarians. In particular, health issues
were relatively more important for semi-vegetarians and vegetarians,
while knowledge and convenience issues were most important for non-vegetarians.
The results have important implications for public health. Many South
Australians perceive that health benefits are associated with eating
a vegetarian diet, which may also apply to plant-based diets in general.
However, if non-vegetarians are to obtain some of the health benefits
associated with the consumption of a plant-based diet, they require
information on the preparation of quick and easy plant- based meals.
Key
Words: beliefs,
vegetarian, plant-based diets, meat, health, survey, Australia
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Regional
food diversity and human health. MARK L WAHLQVIST
Regions
are significant for the way we understand and strategize food for
health and economic development. They generally represent various
food cultures and opportunities for food exchange based on proximity,
historical linkages and complementarities. The example of North and
West Africa represents an intersection of some of the most original
of human eating experiences out of Africa and the enrichment of these
by Arab traders, through the exchange of products, ideas, observations,
beliefs and technologies. All of these will have encouraged diversity
in food intake. However food diversity and, with it, biodiversity
may not always have been recognized as important, and, therefore,
secured and protected. Ultimately, food diversity cannot be sustained
unless the food chain and the technologies to support it are environmentally
appropriate. Cooking, without renewable energy sources, is a critical
example. Additionally, human settlement has always required an adequate,
a dependable and a safe water supply, although this same settlement
tends to compromise these water characteristics. Water is a major
factor in food diversity, whether as a source of aquatic food, or
the basis of food production and preparation. The extent to which
food diversity for human health is required will depend on the food
component (essential nutrient and phytochemical) density of the foods
represented. For example, fish, fresh lean meat, eggs and seed foods
(grains, pulses, nuts) will reduce the requirement. Regional food
diversity can support food diversity at the community level - where
otherwise it might be fragile - by shared learning experiences, and
by trade. Diversity can also be captured and enshrined in recipes
with composite ingredients and by traditional emblematic foods - like
soups and pies; and it provides the basis for food culture and cuisine.
The evidence for food diversity (or variety) as a major factor in
health has grown substantially over the last few years - as integrative
indices of health like "maternal nutrition" and "successful
pregnancy" (for example, through the inclusion of a variety of
food sources of folate, increasing the bioavailability of iron, and
the sustainable intakes of quality food protein and essential fatty
acids); "adult mortality rates"; other "specific disease
incidences" (like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and
bone health) for "risk factors for disease" (like hypertension
and abdominal fatness); and for "wellbeing" (palatable,
enjoying and neurologically relevant food stuffs). Thus, there is
an ongoing need to promote and maintain food diversity at the regional
level and between communities.
Key Words: food
diversity, biodiversity, regions, nutrition, health, water, community,
Africa, literacy, women
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The
food of Near East, North West and Western African regions.
BARBARA BURLINGAME
Among the countries that can be classified as Near East Africa, North
West Africa, and Western Africa, there is a great diversity of foods
and dietary patterns. Prevalence of undernourishment as defined by
FAO using dietary energy supply data, varies dramatically among these
countries, with Tunisia in the lowest prevalence category (<2.5%),
and Sierra Leone in the highest prevalence category (>35%). Throughout
the 1960's, the dietary energy supply of North West African and Western
African countries was similar. However, since the 1970s a great and
consistent improvement has been seen in North and North West African
countries. Both the proportion and number of undernourished in North
Africa is now very similar to that of North America. Oil use, energy
from fat, and protein from plant versus animal sources account for
a large part of the food pattern differences between countries in
these regions. Using Tunisia and Sierra Leone as examples again, dietary
diversity as measured by the percentage of energy from foods other
than starchy staples, is about 50% in the former, while in the latter,
it is only 36%. Fatty fruits such as olives, cocoa and palm fruit
have a special role in both the diet and the economies of the region.
Key
Words: food,
fatty fruit, palm fruit, food supply, energy intake, diet, Africa
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Diet
and long-term health: an African Diaspora perspective.
NOEL W SOLOMONS
The life-stage
approach, which views the behaviours and exposures of an individual
from the preconceptual situation of the parent through pregnancy,
infancy, childhood and adolescence, and into the advancing years through
adulthood, is the basis of analysis of strategies to improve long-term
health. Among the behaviours of note is the dietary selection pattern,
conditioning our exposure to nutrients and dietary constituents that
influences growth, nutriture, cognitive and physical performance,
and disease resistance and susceptibility. The African Diaspora created
a population displaced from Africa to the Western Hemisphere as part
of the African slave trade from the 16th to 18th centuries. It continues
to manifest distinct dietary and lifestyle practices in the context
of a health experience that is different both from the population
in their African countries of origin and from the other ethnicities
in their countries of displacement and current residence. Afro-Americans
are more susceptible to a series of diseases and conditions including
low birth weight, violence, and HIV/AIDS, as well as the non-communicable
diseases: obesity, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, hypertension,
stroke, renal failure, breast cancer, prostate cancer and lead poisoning.
The differential nature of dietary practices are conditioned at times
by the poverty and marginalisation of the populace, resulting in either
disadvantageous or beneficial outcomes relative to others' eating
habits. Serious consideration must be given to the possibility that
ethnic difference give rise to different requirements and tolerances
for essential nutrients and distinct protective or adverse responses
to foods and dietary substances. The major challenges to health improvement
for the African Diaspora is coming to grips with the policy and programmatic
nuances of differential treatment and the effecting the behavioural
changes that would be needed in a population skeptical of the motives
of media and of the power elites of their societies.
Key
Words: Africa,
Caribbean, Africa-American, diet, long-term health, chronic diseases,
discrimination, energy metabolism
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Contemporary
African food habits and their nutritional and health implications.
RUTH ONIANG'O, JOSEPH MUTUKU, S J MALABA
Food is fundamental to human survival, in more than just one way.
First, food is basic for averting hunger and maintaining health for
every human being. Secondly, food satisfies our palate and makes us
happy and emotion-ally and socially content. Third, food constitutes
a form of cultural expression. The food we eat should be safe, palatable,
affordable, and of the quality that can maintain mental, emotional,
physiologic and physical health. Even with globalization that has
seen food movements to and from different parts of the world, for
most populations in Africa, food is still very locale-specific, especially
in the rural farming areas where it is produced. Many locally produced
foods have both nutritional and intrinsic value. The types of foods
produced in Western Africa are very different from those produced
in Eastern Africa. The staple foods, vegetables and the drinks that
go with these foods are different. The way food is prepared is also
very different in the two parts of Africa. Cultural specificity appears
to be more pronounced in Western Africa, involving more secondary
processing in the home and more spicing. Data linking food to health,
as something that is understood by traditional communities is not
easily available. This paper will collate information that discusses
people's perceptions in both Western and Eastern Africa, and try to
draw comparisons between the two. The paper presents a community picture
of food, nutrition and health.
Key
Words: food
habits, familiar food, dietary energy supply, meal frequency, traditional
diets, dietary practices, culture, staples, Africa.
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Nutrition-related
health patterns in the Middle East. OSMAN GALAL
Nutritionally-related health patterns in the Middle East have changed
significantly during the last two decades. The main forces that have
contributed to these changes are the rapid changes in the demographic
characteristics of the region, speedy urbanization, and social development
in the absence of steady and significant economic growth. Within these
changes, the Middle East has the highest dietary energy surplus of
the developing countries. The population in the region has a low poverty
prevalence, at 4%. The region's child malnutrition rate is 19%, suggesting
that nutrition insecurity remains a problem due mainly to poor health
care and not due to inadequate dietary energy supply or poverty. The
one extreme country, Afghanistan, has an extremely high dietary energy
deficit of 490 kilocalories and a 40% malnutrition rate. Iran and
Egypt have relatively high child malnutrition rates of 39 and 16%
respectively, but belong to the dietary energy surplus group. Morocco
and the United Emirates have the lowest child malnutrition rates of
6 and 8% respectively. In the Middle East, as in other parts of the
world, large shifts have occurred in dietary and physical activity
patterns. These changes are reflected in nutritional and health outcomes.
Rising obesity rates and high levels of chronic and degenerative diseases
are observed. These pressing factors that include the nature and changes
in the food consumption pattern, globalization of food supply, and
the inequity in health care will be discussed.
Key
Words: Middle
East, food security, nutrition transition, health, Middle East, Egypt
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Northwest
African and Middle Eastern food and dietary change of indigenous peoples.
HARRIET V KUHNLEIN, TIMOTHY JOHNS AND THE IUNS
TASK FORCE ON INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' FOOD SYSTEMS AND NUTRITION
This paper describes cultural and ecological characteristics of Northwest
African and Middle Eastern food patterns and discusses the forces
contributing to rapid dietary change. Focus is given to indigenous/
tribal/ ethnic/ minorities in these areas with contributions to definitions
of these groups, the extent of their diversity, and the importance
of their traditional knowledge of local food resources. Urbanization,
particularly for those facing extreme poverty in the urban environment,
is recognized as a significant force to dietary change and consequent
poor nutrition, especially for children. Examples of food systems
are given for the coastal zone of West Africa and the semi-arid and
desert zones of North Africa and the Middle East, also including the
food system of Pharaonic times. Trends in dietary change are presented
as data derived from FAO Food Balance Sheets.Key Words: food
habits, familiar food, dietary energy supply, meal frequency, traditional
diets, dietary practices, culture, staples, Africa.
Key
Words: indigenous peoples, tribal peoples, ethnic minorities, indigenous
food, Northwest Africa, Middle East, dietary change, traditional food
systems
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Palm
fruit in traditional African food culture. TOLA
ATINMO AND AISHAT TAIWO BAKRE
The centre of origin of the oil palm is the tropical rain forest region
of West Africa. It is considered to be the 200-300 kilometre wide
coastal belt between Liberia and Mayumbe. The oil palm tree has remained
the 'tree of life' of Yoruba land as well as of other parts of southern
West Africa to which it is indigenous. The Yoruba are adept at spinning
philosophical and poetical proverbs around such ordinary things as
hills, rivers, birds, animals and domestic tools. Hundreds of the
traditional proverbs are still with us, and through them one can see
the picture of the environment that contributed to the moulding of
the thoughts of the people. Yoruba riddles or puzzles were also couched
in terms of the environment and the solutions to them were also environmental
items. They have a popular saying: A je eran je eran a kan egungun,
a je egungun je egungun a tun kan eran: 'A piece of meat has an outer
layer of flesh, an intermediate layer of bone and an inner layer of
flesh. What is it? A palm fruit: it has an outer edible layer, the
mesocarp; then a layer of shell, inedible, and the kernel inside,
edible. The solution to this puzzle summarises the botanical and cultural
characteristics of the palm fruit.
Key
Words: palm fruit, oil palm, palm kernel, vitamin A, traditional food
culture
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Palm
fruit chemistry and nutrition. KALYANA SUNDRAM,
RAVIGADEVI SAMBANTHAMURTHI
AND YEW-AI TAN
The palm fruit (Elaies guineensis) yields palm oil, a palmitic-oleic
rich semi solid fat and the fat-soluble minor components, vitamin
E (tocopherols, tocotrienols), carotenoids and phytosterols. A recent
innovation has led to the recovery and concentration of water-soluble
antioxidants from palm oil milling waste, characterized by its high
content of phenolic acids and flavonoids. These natural ingredients
pose both challenges and oppor-tunities for the food and nutraceutical
industries. Palm oil's rich content of saturated and monounsaturated
fatty acids has actually been turned into an asset in view of current
dietary recommendations aimed at zero trans content in solid fats
such as margarine, shortenings and frying fats. Using palm oil in
combination with other oils and fats facilitates the development of
a new generation of fat products that can be tailored to meet most
current dietary recommendations. The wide range of natural palm oil
fractions, differing in their physico-chemical characteristics, the
most notable of which is the carotenoid-rich red palm oil further
assists this. Palm vitamin E (30% tocopherols, 70% tocotrienols) has
been extensively researched for its nutritional and health properties,
including antioxidant activities, cholesterol lowering, anti-cancer
effects and protection against atherosclerosis. These are attributed
largely to its tocotrienol content. A relatively new output from the
oil palm fruit is the water-soluble phenolic-flavonoid-rich antioxidant
complex. This has potent antioxidant properties coupled with beneficial
effects against skin, breast and other cancers. Enabled by its water
solubility, this is currently being tested for use as nutraceuticals
and in cosmetics with potential benefits against skin aging. A further
challenge would be to package all these palm ingredients into a single
functional food for better nutrition and health.
Key
Words: palm oil, fatty acids, cardiovascular disease, cancer, vitamin
E, carotenoids, flavonoids
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Phytonutrient
deficiency: the place of palm fruit. NAIYANA WATTANAPENPAIBOON
The oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) is native to many West African countries,
where local populations have used its oil for culinary and other purposes.
Large-scale plantations, established principally in tropical regions
(Asia, Africa and Latin America), are mostly aimed at the production
of oil, which is extracted from the fleshy mesocarp of the palm fruit,
and endosperm or kernel oil. Palm oil is different from other plant
and animal oils in that it contains 50% saturated fatty acids, 40%
unsaturated fatty acids, and 10% polyunsaturated fatty acids. The
fruit also contains components that can endow the oil with nutritional
and health beneficial properties. These phytonutrients include carotenoids
(a-, b- and g-carotenes), vitamin E (tocopherols and tocotrienols),
sterols (sitosterol, stigmasterol and campesterol), phospholipids,
glycolipids and squalene. In addition, it is recently reported that
certain water-soluble powerful antioxidants, phenolic acids and flavonoids,
can be recovered from palm oil mill effluent. Owing to its high content
of phytonutrients with antioxidant properties, the possibility exists
that palm fruit offers some health advantages by reducing lipid oxidation,
oxidative stress and free radical damage. Accordingly, use of palm
fruit or its phytonutrient-rich fractions, particularly water-soluble
antioxidants, may confer some protection against a number of disorders
or diseases including cardiovascular disease, cancers, cataracts and
macular degeneration, cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease.
However, whilst prevention of disease through use of these phytonutrients
as in either food ingredients or nutraceuticals may be a worthwhile
objective, dose response data are required to evaluate their pharmacologic
and toxicologic effects. In addition, one area of concern about use
of antioxidant phytonutrients is how much suppression of oxidation
may be compatible with good health, as toxic free radicals are required
for defence mechanisms. These food-health concepts would probably
spur the large-scale oil palm (and monoculture) plantations, which
are already seen to be a major cause of deforestation and replacement
of diverse ecosystems in many countries. However, the environ-mental
advantages of palm phytonutrients are that they are prepared from
the readily available raw material from palm oil milling processes.
Palm fruit, one of only a few fatty fruits, is likely to have an increasingly
substantiated place in human health, not only through the provision
of acceptable dietary fats, but also its characteristic protective
phytonutrients.
Key Words: palm fruit, phytonutrient, antioxidant, polyphenol,
flavonoid, cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, cataracts, age-related
macular degeneration, phytochemicals
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A
place for palm fruit oil to eliminate vitamin A deficiency. A
J SPINNLER BENADÉ
There
is general consensus that food-based approaches are viable and sustainable
options for addressing vitamin A deficiency in populations. One such
example is the fortification of food which, if properly monitored,
could make a significant contribution towards improving the vitamin
A status of populations throughout the world. Red palm fruit oil (RPO)
with its high content of natural carotenoids, lends itself exceptionally
well to this purpose at both household and commercial level. Results
are now available from several feeding trials incorporating RPO into
diets at household level or into commercially manufactured products.
RPO in the maternal diet was shown to improve the vitamin A status
of lactating mothers and their infants. Consumption of RPO incorporated
in a sweet snack or biscuits significantly improved plasma retinol
concentrations in children with subclinical vitamin A deficiency.
There is evidence that if only 35-50% of the recommended daily intake
for vitamin A were to be provided by RPO, it may be sufficient to
prevent vitamin A deficiency (hypovitaminosis A). Red palm oil has
a highly bioconvertible form of alpha- and beta-carotene, a long shelf
life, and a higher cost/benefit ratio when compared to other approaches
such as high-dose-vitamin A supplements and fortification of foods
with retinyl ester fortificants. Consumption of RPO is safe and cannot
produce hypervitaminosis A. Considering all the current information
about RPO, the initiation of food-based interventions involving its
use in developing countries with an endemic vitamin A deficiency problem,
appears to be a logical choice.
Key
Words:
red palm oil, vitamin A deficiency, fortification, developing countries,
food-based approaches
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Alleviation
of vitamin A deficiency with palm fruit and its products.
NOEL W SOLOMONS AND MÓNICA OROZCO
The
decreased dietary diversity wrought from the adoption of the settled,
agrarian system to replace the hunter-gather and pastoralist lifestyles
assured a stable supply of protein and calories from grains and tubers
while creating a vulnerability for humans to suffer micronutrient
deficiencies. The vitamin A from animal tissue is more bioavailable
to humans than the provitamin A in the matrix of green plants. Provitamin
A carotenes achieve a dietary vitamin A efficacy nearly equivalent
to that of the preformed vitamin only in the context of an oily matrix.
The homeostatic regulation of carotene bioconversion by the intestine,
moreover, prevents any excess toxic accumulation of vitamin A from
provitamin A sources. The efficacy and safety of the palm fruit (genus
Elaeis) as a source of vitamin A, in addition to its cultural recognition
as a food, are more consistent with the gentler concept of "alleviation"
of the public health problem of hypovitaminosis A, then the more aggressive,
medical model of "eradication" with its greater potential
for risk and collateral damage. The palm fruit and its derivatives
achieve new opportunities for creative contribution and sustained
use in formats of supplementation (prophylactic in children and women,
for lactation), food-to-food fortification (in bakery goods and snacks,
as condiments), and even in food diversification strategies. Experience
in India, South Africa, and Guatemala begins to define and delineate
the opportunities and limitations for the palm fruit to contribute
to the alleviation of endemic vitamin A deficiency.
Key
Words: vitamin A, provitamin A, fatty fruits, palm fruit, red palm
oil, hypovitaminosis A, hypervitaminosis A, food-to-food fortification,
food safety, evolution, North Africa, Guatemala
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Last
Updated: September 2004