Biological activity and food potential of plants Rumex crispus L. and Rumex obtusifolius L. – a review

Rumex crispus L. and Rumex obtusifolius L. (Poligonaceae) are perennial wild plants. For centuries these plants have been considered weeds in conventional agriculture. They have also been recognized as a serious problem in organic agriculture, as they are difficult to control without the use of chemical agents. However, Rumex crispus L. and Rumex obtusifolius L. are used worldwide in human nutrition and traditional medicine. They are available both in periods of abundance and in difficult times, and can be an important source of nutrients. As wild growing plants, with use in diet and traditional medicine, R. crispus and R. obtusifolius present potential sources of new therapeutic agents. This paper provides an overview of previous research for the plants Rumex crispus L. and Rumex obtusifolius L. in terms of their nutritional value, use in traditional medicine, as well as antioxidant and antimicrobial activity

Isoflavone content and antioxidant properties of soybean seeds

The isoflavone content and antioxidant properties of five Croatian soybean seed cultivars from two locations were analysed. The content of total and individual isofavones was determined by high performance liquid chromatography. For determination of antioxidant properties scavenging capacity on DPPHֹ radicals has been applied. The total phenolic content, oil and protein content in soybean cultivars were also determined. Significant differences in the content of individual isoflavones were observed within the soybean cultivars. The total phenol content in soybean cultivars ranged from 87.2 to 216.3 mg GAE/100g of soybean. The total isoflavone content in soybean seeds ranged from 80.7 to 213.6 mg/100g of soybean. The most abundant isoflavone in soybean seeds was genistein. There was statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) among two locations in total and individual isoflavone contents. The highest contents of total isoflavones were found in cultivar “os55-95”. Conversely, cultivars poor in isoflavones also showed low levels of DPPH-radical scavenging activity

NUTRITIONAL STATUS OF THE PRESCHOOL AGE CHILDREN FROM BOSNIAN NORTHWESTERN CANTON

Nepravilna prehrana u najranijoj dobi faktor je utjecaja na moguću pojavu pretilosti, dijabetesa, ateroskleroze ili bolesti kardiovaskularnog sistema u kasnijoj dobi života. Kako su ova oboljenja postala najveći zdravstveni problem svijeta, a sve su zastupljenija kod mlađih uzrasta, vrlo je važno pratiti stanje uhranjenosti kroz razdoblja intenzivnog rasta i razvoja djece. U tu svrhu koriste se antropometrijske metode koje su pored sagledavanja stanja i prikladnosti procesa rasta i razvoja, važne za procjenu rizika za zdravlje u kasnijoj dobi života. Cilj ovoga rada bio je mjerenjem tjelesne mase (TM) i tjelesne visine (TV) te izračunavanjem indeksa mase tijela (ITM) te percentila indeksa tjelesne mase (%ITM) procijeniti stanje uhranjenosti djece predškolskog uzrasta koja pohađaju vrtiće u općinama Unsko sanskog kantona (USK-a) (Bosna i Hercegovina), kroz 2 godine istraživanja (2014. i 2015.). Istraživanje je obuhvatilo 356 djece u dobi od 2 do 6 godina, od toga 55,4 % dječaka 44,6 % djevojčica. Djevojčice su prosječno rasle nešto više (5,25 cm/god.) u odnosu na dječake (4,0 cm/god.), ali rast nije bio praćen odgovarajućim povećanjem tjelesne mase koji je godišnje prosječno iznosio 2,1 kg za djevojčice i 1,9 kg za dječake i u oba slučaja niži je u odnosu na normalni rast i razvoj. To je rezultiralo visokim udjelom djece u kategorijama pothranjenih ili rizika od pothranjenosti (21,5 %) i zabrinjavajuće niskim udjelom normalno uhranjene djece (45,7 %). Prekomjerno uhranjene i pretile djece bilo je 32,6 % što je niži udio u usporedbi sa zemljama u okruženju, međutim visok je i obavezuje na potrebu stalnog praćenja stanja uhranjenosti i uvođenje preventivnih programa edukacije u predškolski sistem.Improper nutrition at an early age is an impact factor for the possible occurrence of obesity, diabetes, atherosclerosis or cardiovascular diseases in later years. As these diseases have become world’s biggest health problem, and are becoming more prevalent in children, it is very important to monitor the nutritional status during the period of intense growth and development of children. For this purpose, anthropometric methods - which in addition to examining the current situation and the appropriateness of the process of growth and development, are important to assess the risk for health in later years – are used. The aim of this study was to assess the nutritional status of preschool children attending kindergartens in the municipalities of Una Sana Canton (Bosnia and Herzegovina) during two years of research (2014 and 2015) by measuring their body weight (BW) and height (H), and calculating body mass index (BMI) and body mass index percentage (BMI%). The study included 356 children, aged 2-6 years, of which 55.4% were boys, and 44.6% girls. The girls grew slightly more on average (5.25 cm/yr) than the boys (4.0 cm/yr), but the growth was not accompanied by a corresponding increase in body mass, which averaged 2.1 kg per year for the girls and 1.9 kg for the boys and in both cases was lower than the normal growth and development. This resulted in a high percentage of children in the categories of underweight or risk of malnutrition (21.5%) and in disturbingly low percentage of normal weight children (45.7%). The percentage of overweight and obese children was 32.6%, which is a lower share compared to the neighboring countries. However, it is still high and requires the need for both the constant monitoring of nutritional status and the introduction of preventive education programs in pre-school system

CASE STUDY: MOTIVATION, KNOWLEDGE, AND SUPPORT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AS FACTORS OF A SUCCESSFUL WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM

Obesity is one of the biggest public health problems in the world today. The reasons for weight gain in humans are found in the interaction of numerous biological, genetic and psychosocial factors. How to deal with this problem is the subject of numerous studies, and based on the still limited knowledge of weight loss methods, it is concluded that there is no method optimally effective for all individuals. It is considered that the individual approach is one of the best, which is why in this case study the individual approach was first used to monitor the diet and lifestyle of the respondent and then based on the identified irregularities, a weight loss program was developed. The respondent kept a diet diary and a record of life habits for 30 days. 12 critical eating habits and several life habits were identified, which were analyzed in great detail in the first phase of the research. The weight loss program was based on gradual changes in established critical habits, three selected days per week, while on other days the respondent could consume what she wanted. The program lasted six months, had freer access, and was without strict restrictions, which contributed to the high motivation of the respondent for weight loss from the beginning to the end. With the continuous supervision of the program mentor and the support of the environment, the respondent is from the category of obesity III degrees (BMI 40.89 kg/m2) reduced body weight by 30 kg, and entered the category of overweight persons (BMI 28.49 kg/m2). A year after the program, she managed to maintain the weight she had achieved. This work confirmed that an individual approach and a gradual change in eating and living habits are effective in the weight loss process

CASE STUDY: MOTIVATION, KNOWLEDGE, AND SUPPORT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AS FACTORS OF A SUCCESSFUL WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM

Obesity is one of the biggest public health problems in the world today. The reasons for weight gain in humans are found in the interaction of numerous biological, genetic and psychosocial factors. How to deal with this problem is the subject of numerous studies, and based on the still limited knowledge of weight loss methods, it is concluded that there is no method optimally effective for all individuals. It is considered that the individual approach is one of the best, which is why in this case study the individual approach was first used to monitor the diet and lifestyle of the respondent and then based on the identified irregularities, a weight loss program was developed. The respondent kept a diet diary and a record of life habits for 30 days. 12 critical eating habits and several life habits were identified, which were analyzed in great detail in the first phase of the research. The weight loss program was based on gradual changes in established critical habits, three selected days per week, while on other days the respondent could consume what she wanted. The program lasted six months, had freer access, and was without strict restrictions, which contributed to the high motivation of the respondent for weight loss from the beginning to the end. With the continuous supervision of the program mentor and the support of the environment, the respondent is from the category of obesity III degrees (BMI 40.89 kg/m2) reduced body weight by 30 kg, and entered the category of overweight persons (BMI 28.49 kg/m2). A year after the program, she managed to maintain the weight she had achieved. This work confirmed that an individual approach and a gradual change in eating and living habits are effective in the weight loss process

With food to health : proceedings of the 10th International scientific and professional conference

Proceedings contains 13 original scientific papers, 10 professional papers and 2 review papers which were presented at "10th International Scientific and Professional Conference WITH FOOD TO HEALTH", organised in following sections: Nutrition, Dietetics and diet therapy, Functional food and food supplemnents, Food safety, Food analysis, Production of safe food and food with added nutritional value

Proceedings of the 12 International Scientific and Professional Conference WITH FOOD TO HEALTH

Proceedings contains 1 review paper, 6 original scientific papers, and 4 professional papers presented at 12th International Scientific and Professional Conference WITH FOOD TO HEALTH, organised in following sections: Nutrition, Dietetics and Diet Therapy, Functional Food and Dietary Supplements, and Food Analysi