Anemia among school-going children in the perspective of socio-economic disparity in Punjab, India

A survey was conducted to assess socio-economic disparity in the prevalence of anemia among schoolchildren (11-17 years) in few regions of Punjab. Two hundred and ten children from government schools of Punjab were selected and their blood hemoglobin levels were estimated; clinical examination was done for various signs/ symptoms of anemia; and dietary iron intake was analysed and compared with the recommended dietary allowances of ICMR (2010). Analysis of variance followed by Tukey's post-hoc test was applied to assess socio-economic disparity in the prevalence of anemia. Overall, 97% of the children were anemic, out of which 80 vs. 17% were moderately and mildly anemic, respectively. Statistically, no significant difference was found in the mean hemoglobin level of the subjects with respect to family income, parent’s education and religion, whereas, substantial disparity was noted with respect to caste. Scheduled caste subjects had the highest prevalence rate than general category and Backward Class and Other Backward Class subjects. Dietary iron intake of the children was grossly inadequate, ranging from 35 to 41% of the ICMR (2010) recommendations. Therefore, it can be established that anemia prevalence depends more on food habits and dietary behaviour of the children than on socio-economic factors. Dietary diversification should be canvassed at the root level, as anemia is likely the result of predominantly starch-based monotonous poor quality diets with minimal amounts of meat, vegetables and fruits

Synergetic effect of onion (Allium cepa), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and garlic (Allium sativum) on in vitro iron bioaccessibility from cooked dehusked mungbean

The usage of combination of onion (Allium cepa), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and garlic (Allium sativum) in legume preparations is vogue in North India but the amounts of these three additives need to be optimized to enhance iron bioavailability from the legumes. Four levels of the three additives were set where onion and tomato were added to 100 g of base legume i.e. dehusked mungbean (Vigna radiata) @ 25, 50, 75 and 100g each while garlic was added @ 5, 10, 15 and 20g. The inclusion of the combination of onion tomato and garlic at levels Level 1 (4.55), Level 2 (5.37), Level 3 (5.80) and Level 4 (7.11) had a significantly (p?0.05) higher ascorbicacid level when compared to the legume with no additive (0.26mg). ?-carotene content increased significantly (p?0.05) at all the levels (15.42 to 36.2?g) when compared to the legume with no additive (13.64?g/100 g fresh weight) Similarly, the in vitro iron bioaccessibility increased significantly (p?0.05) when the level of fortificationincreased, the percent increase being 11.9, 14.1, 25.6 and 54.6 % at Level 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively when compared to the legume with no additive . The study concluded that the combination of onion (100g), tomato (100g) and garlic (20g) can enhance the bioaccessibility of iron from legumes maximally, hence, the observation can be useful in evolving dietary strategies to maximize the bioavailability of minerals from legumes

Development and Nutritional Evaluation of Cereal and Pulse Based Biscuits for Diabetic Patients

Addition or supplementation of legumes and oilseeds into cereal-based foods has many health benefits. Objective: This study was aimed to analyze the sensory, nutritional and glycemic properties of biscuits from cereal (oats and barley) and legume based (soybean and chickpea) combinations for diabetic patients. Design: Intervention study. Different blends of salty biscuits were prepared using the cereal and pulses above mentioned. Subjects: Ten healthy subjects in the age group of 20-40 years were selected from department of Food and Nutrition, Punjab Agricultural University for examining the glycemic index. Results: Biscuits made from these cereal pulse combinations were highly acceptable and were chosen for nutritional analysis. The results of nutritional analysis showed increased protein (11.72 g/100 g), crude fiber (1.5 g/100 g) and ash content (4.68 g/100 g) and decreased content of carbohydrates (47 g/100 g) in blend containing refined wheat flour, barley and soy flour (25:50:25). Glycemic index of the acceptable and highly nutritious blend (Refined wheat flour, barley and soy flour 25:50:25) was 38.7, whereas for control salty biscuits, it was 84. Conclusion: The incorporation of barley and soy flour in biscuits in the above ratio lowers the glycemic index of biscuits and it can be recommended to diabetic patients for maintaining blood glucose level

Progression of anorexia nervosa: An insight into neurological and biological mechanisms influencing the personality patterns of anorexics

Anorexia nervosa has emerged as a prominent eating disorder affecting young women. This disorder's fundamental characteristic is an abnormally low weight achieved by severe calorie restriction and refusal to maintain body weight at or above the minimally normal weight for age and height. It is a complex disorder with its origins still not explicitly defined. In anorexic individuals, an imbalance in the molecular signalling and hypothalamic neuropeptides is believed to be significantly responsible for alterations in the biological mechanisms associated with body weight, appetite and energy homeostasis. The imbalance between the genetic systems such as serotonin, dopamine, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, estrogen and their interactions are significantly observed in anorexic as well as recovered anorexic individuals. The dopaminergic pathway is involved in reward mechanisms but its dysfunction might cause weight loss, food aversion, hyperactivity, obsessive compulsive behaviours, distorted body image. An abnormal serotonin function reveals personality traits such as rigidity, inhibition, anxiety, inflexibility, perfectionism and harm avoidance. The Met66 variant of brain derived neurotrophic factor is strongly associated with the development of restricting-type anorexia nervosa. The development of anorexia has been linked to estrogen receptor beta gene variants, which also regulate food intake and states of anxiety and depression.This review discusses the neurobiological dysregulations because of which anorexics tend to have a distinct personality profile characterized by behaviour patterns comprising perfectionism, obsessive-compulsive disorder, harm avoidance, alexithymia, anger suppression, anxiety, rigidity, novelty seeking, anhedonia, depression, impulsivity, substance abuse, self harm etc. Heterogeneities in the characteristic profile are observed based on the subdivisions of anorexia nervosa. The impact of malnutrition has also been scrutinized

A study of infection stages among anemic, non-anemic children and women living in rural areas of Ludhiana district of Punjab, India

The effect of iron deficiency on infection stages in 312 women (15-45 years) and 312 children (6-59 months) belonging to the families of agricultural labourers and of small and marginal farmers residing in rural areas of Ludhiana district of Punjab was assessed. The blood hemoglobin levels were below normal in 50.64% of women and 55.77% of children. No significant difference in the mean values of C-Reactive protein (CRP) and Alpha-1acid glycoprotein (AGP) was observed among non-anemic and anemic women and children, however the average total leukocyte count was significantly (p?0.01) higher in anemic as compared to non-anemic women and children. CRP indicating acute stage of infection was raised in 10.58% of women while AGP representing chronic infection was higher in 8.65% of the women. The CRP values were high in 7.7% in children, however AGP values were higher in 23.4% of the children. On the basis of combined levels of CRP and AGP, 11.7% of non-anemic and 15.3% of anemic women were detected with infections while 18.8% of non anemic and 26.0% of anemic children were in infection state. The results suggest that iron deficiency is quite frequent in children and women. The blood picture showed that more number of anemic women and children were in acute or chronic infection stages as compared to non-anemics, hence, a comprehensive research on the role of iron deficiency anemia in immunity is needed as lower immunity is one of the significant factor of malnutrition which is the most important nutritional challenge for the global community

Relationship of body perception and stress with obesity, food consumption and eating disorders among working women

The influence of body perception and stress on the rising trend of obesity among working women was studied. Body perception, food frequency, stress and anthropometric parameters and body fat were assessed in female teachers aged 30-59 years from five colleges of Jalandhar, Punjab. Body satisfaction perceived as lesser concern with body shape was positively and significantly (p?0.01) correlated with BMI, body weight, waist circumference and body fat. Body dissatisfaction in terms of higher concern with body shape was significantly correlated with lesser consumption frequency of traditional sweets (p?0.05). Body satisfaction was found to be significantly (p?0.01) correlated with uncontrolled eating and emotional eating. Stress level showed a positive and significant (p?0.01) correlation with the consumption of traditional savoury snacks, western fast food and higher frequency of eating out. The stress level was also significantly (p?0.05) correlated with emotional eating. The study concluded that adiposity, eating behaviours and food choices were influenced by stress and a lesser concern about body shape among working women

Conducting theory‐based qualitative interviews with adults with intellectual disabilities and their carers: adaptations to facilitate participation

Background Adults with mild–moderate intellectual disabilities have difficulties in accessing traditional evidence-based health promotion initiatives despite experiencing health disparities; yet there are few studies with this group and their carers exploring how their needs can be met. Method This study adapted a behaviour change theory-based approach to interview this group and their carers and ascertain if this method was feasible and appropriate to explore how healthier behaviour uptake could be improved amongst adults with intellectual disabilities. Results A community-based, staged recruitment process and iterative approach to data collection and analysis supported successful participation amongst adults with intellectual disabilities in behaviour-change theory-based interview research. Methodological adaptations enabled richer data collection amongst adults with mild–moderate intellectual disabilities and carers. Conclusions It is feasible and important to include adults with intellectual disabilities in qualitative health research that uses theory-based complex constructs to inform development of person-centred health promotion interventions with this underserved cohort

A comparison of macro and micronutrient intake of adult men with different degrees of abdominal obesity

One hundred and two volunteer male subjects (40-60 years) were divided on the basis of abdominal obesity into three groups - No abdominal obesity i.e. Grade 0 with waist circumference <94 cm; Abdominal obesity i.e. Grade I with waist circumference: 94.1 to 101.9 cm and Grade II with waist circumference: >102 cm. The daily consumption of protein per kg body weight of the subjects was 1.28, 1.21 and 1.06g, the protein intake of the subjects with Grade II AO was significantly (p?0.001) lower than the subjects with either no AO or Grade I AO. The carbohydrate: protein ratio varied between a narrow range of 3.48 to 3.69 among the three groups indicating high carbohydrate diets of all the subjects. Energy and fat intake of the subjects in all the groups was much higher than the recommended dietary allowances. The ratio of animal: plant protein intake was almost similar in the subjects with no AO or with Grade I and II AO, the ratio being 0.74, 0.81 and 0.89, respectively.  The micronutrient intake of the studied group was fairly adequate. Out of eight major vitamins, six were more than adequate (>100%) or marginally adequate (>75%), while the intake of minerals namely calcium, iron and zinc was adequate or nearly adequate among the subjects in the all the three groups, thereby indicating a good mineral and vitamin status of subjects in the present study

Nutritional composition, bioactive compounds and free radical scavenging activity of wheatgrass (Triticum aestivum L.) as influenced by harvesting stages and cultivation method

Wheatgrass is a rich source of protein (24.08 to 30.40 g/100 g DM) when cultivated under indoor and outdoor conditions and harvested at different stages. The ash ranged being 7.68 to 8.46 g/100 g DM. The crude fibre content was high especially under indoor cultivation, the values were in the range of 19.06 to 27.68 g/100 g. Indoor cultivation was far better than outdoor cultivation in terms of higher protein and ash. Late harvesting stage was better for crude fibre but for proteins, the early stage i.e 7th day was superior. The early harvesting (7th day and indoor cultivation) was superior for obtaining maximum ascorbic acid from the wheatgrass. For maximum β-carotene in wheatgrass, the optimum stage of harvesting was the 10th day from the day of sowing during indoor conditions while 7th day was the right stage for harvesting wheatgrass during the outdoor cultivation. It has an abundant amount of chlorophyll and flavonoids, the content was varying between 4.14 to 17.72 g/100 g and 115.67 to 460.18 QE/g, respectively under different harvesting stages and cultivation conditions. The free radical scavenging activity of indoor-grown wheatgrass was significantly (P ≤0.05) higher in comparison to outdoor cultivated wheatgrass on 7th and 10th day of harvesting

Nutritional composition, bioactive compounds and free radical scavenging activity of wheatgrass (Triticum aestivum L.) as influenced by harvesting stages and cultivation method

118-123Wheatgrass is a rich source of protein (24.08 to 30.40 g/100 g DM) when cultivated under indoor and outdoor conditions and harvested at different stages. The ash ranged being 7.68 to 8.46 g/100 g DM. The crude fibre content was high especially under indoor cultivation, the values were in the range of 19.06 to 27.68 g/100 g. Indoor cultivation was far better than outdoor cultivation in terms of higher protein and ash. Late harvesting stage was better for crude fibre but for proteins, the early stage i.e 7th day was superior. The early harvesting (7th day and indoor cultivation) was superior for obtaining maximum ascorbic acid from the wheatgrass. For maximum β-carotene in wheatgrass, the optimum stage of harvesting was the 10th day from the day of sowing during indoor conditions while 7th day was the right stage for harvesting wheatgrass during the outdoor cultivation. It has an abundant amount of chlorophyll and flavonoids, the content was varying between 4.14 to 17.72 g/100 g and 115.67 to 460.18 QE/g, respectively under different harvesting stages and cultivation conditions. The free radical scavenging activity of indoor-grown wheatgrass was significantly (P ≤0.05) higher in comparison to outdoor cultivated wheatgrass on 7th and 10th day of harvesting