Modeling trend changes in percent of under five-year-old children with malnutrition amongst 39 Asian countries from 1987 to 2016 via growth mixture model

Purpose Malnutrition is an important public health issue and the main cause of child morbidity and mortality, especially in developing countries. The present study aimed to model trend changes in percentage of the malnourished children under 5 among 39 Asian countries during 1987 to 2016. Methods Information about percentage of the malnourished under 5 years children based on under-weight (weight for age) malnutrition for 39 Asian countries were extracted from Gapminder web site during 1987 to 2016. To cluster Asian countries based on trend changes, Growth Mixture Model (GMM) was implemented. All the statistical analyses were performed in Mplus 7.4 software and P < 0.10 in likelihood ratio test (LRT) was considered as statistically significant. Results Based on P-value of LRT, the model with 3 clusters was selected. Although, cluster 3 with 9 countries had higher intercept in 1987 and the worst situation in malnutrition, they gained a sharp decrease (- 0.93) in percentage of malnourished children under five annually. The slope of - 0.64 for cluster 1 countries indicate a moderate decrease annually in percent of children with malnutrition. The other 20 countries with slope of - 0.29 in their linear trend belonged to cluster 2 which shows slow decrease in the percentage of children with malnutrition. Conclusion The investments in public health and education programs, as well as political commitment and government proper response in line with needs and demands are crucial to promote food security, nourishing diets and improving child nutrition. Certainly, most of them are still a long way from eradicating malnutrition

Regression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease detected by sonography: Results of a four years prospective adult population-based study

Background: Today, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become a major health problem owing to its high prevalence. Literature evidence about regression of NAFLD are not as high as its development or progression. Objectives: This cohort study was conducted to reveal the factors influencing the regression of the NAFLD. Methods: A population-based study conducted in Shiraz, Iran. Adults older than 18 years were recruited by multistage randomized sampling in 2012, and then in 2017. Demographic, anthropometric, nutritional, and medical characteristics of each interviewee were entered into a valid and reliable questionnaire. Interviewees were categorized into three groups according to the changing of their NAFLD status between two stages of this study; no change, regressed and progressed. Results: Of the 537 participants, 163 (30.3%) showed regression of their NAFLD compared to 93 (17.3%) that their NAFLD was progressed. Multinomial regression showed that each unit of decrease in BMI (∆ BMI=-1 kg/m2 ) augmented the relative risk (RR) of improvement of NAFLD by 13.3% (RR: 0.867; 95% CI: 0.776-0.969; P = 0.012) and reduced the relative risk of NAFLD deterioration by 14.3% (RR: 1.143; 95% CI: 1.009-1.294; P = 0.035). Conclusions: A significant portion of patients showed regression of their NAFLD by decreasing their BMI. Therefore, BMI as a modifiable variable should be regarded in the management of NAFLD patients Keywords: Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver, Regression, Progression, Cohort Stud

Determinant components of newly onset versus improved metabolic syndrome in a population of Iran

This study aimed to determine the risk factors related to regression and progression of metabolic syndrome, in a 4-year cohort study. A total of 540 individuals (≥ 18 years old) participated in both phase of the study. Participants were categorized into 3 categories of regressed, progressed and unchanged metabolic syndrome (MetS). Demographic, anthropometric and biochemical parameters were assessed for each individual in both phase. Variables differences (delta: Δ) between the two phase of study were calculated. Unchanged group was considered as baseline category. Based on IDF, MetS had been regressed and progressed in 42 participants (7.7%) and 112 (20.7%) participants respectively, in the second phase. More than 47% of people, whose MetS regressed, experienced also NAFLD regression. Results of multiple variable analysis revealed that increased age, positive Δ-TG, and Δ-FBS, significantly increased the odds of MetS progression based on IDF and ATP III definitions, while negative Δ-HDL and Δ-neutrophil to lymph ration increased the odds of progression. On the other hand, negative Δ-TG and positive Δ-HDL significantly increased the odds of Mets regression based of both IDF and ATP III. Management of hypertriglyceridemia, hyperglycemia, and HDL is a critical, non-invasive and accessible approach to change the trend of Met

The Association between Dietary Antioxidant Indices and Cardiac Disease: Baseline Data of Kharameh Cohort Study

Abstract Background: Oxidative stress contributes to the development of cardiovascular disease. Tools for evaluating the anti-inflammatory and antioxidative characteristics of an individual’s diet as a whole may be valuable for assessing the combined effects of dietary antioxidants on health. This population-based study aimed to investigate the association between dietary antioxidants and cardiac disease. Methods: In this population-based cross-sectional study, 10439 individuals aged 40-70 years were recruited during 2014-2017 in Kherameh cohort study which is a part of the Prospective Epidemiological Research Studies in Iran (PERSIAN). The food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) with 130 food items was used to assess the dietary intakes. Vitamin A, E, C, selenium, zinc and Manganese intakes were used to compute dietary antioxidant index (DAI) and dietary antioxidant quality score (DAQs). Results: The participants’ mean age was 52.1± 8.3 years. Among all, 4356 (41.7%) were overweight and 1892 (18.1%) were obese. According to the results, odds of cardiac diseases decreased by increasing DAI score (OR=0.80, Pvalue <0.001). , Odds of cardiac diseases increased by lower DAQS after  adjusting for demographic variables including age, sex, BMI, Marital status and hypertension (OR=0.799, P value=0.002) Conclusion: The role of anti-oxidants in reducing the odds of cardiovascular disease is very important. Our results highlighted that DAQS and DAI had protective effect on the odds of cardiovascular disease. Therefore, it is suggested that anti-oxidants as zinc, manganese, selenium, and vitamins A, E and C should be taken through food to reduce the risk of the disease

Association of Self-efficacy and Decisional Balance with Stages of Change for Fiber Intake and Glycemic Control in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

Background and Objectives: Constructs of behavioral models such as trans-theoretical model can be associated with healthy eating behaviors like increasing fiber intake. They can also be effective in improving these behaviors in patients with diabetes. This study aimed to assess the association of self-efficacy and decisional balance with stages of change for fiber intake and glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 145 literate male and female patients with type 2 diabetes (aged 30 to 65 years) they were randomly selected from the patients’ list of “Charity Foundation for Special Diseases” and ”Iranian Diabetes Society” in Tehran-Iran. Stages of change, self-efficacy, and decisional balance questionnaires were filled out, and three food records were used to assess their nutritional status. Blood samples were taken to assess fasting blood glucose, HbA1c, serum insulin, and insulin resistance. One-way ANOVA and logistic regression were used to analyze the data. The tests were done using the SPSS software (ver. 16). P<0.05 was considered significant. Results: 126 patients with type 2 diabetes completed the study. Participants’ mean age was 53.5±6.02 and 65% were men. Patients in post-action stages revealed higher self-efficacy than did those in pre-action stages (P=0.035). A relationship was observed between insulin resistance and self-efficacy (P=0.040). One unit increase in self-efficacy decreased the risk of insulin resistance by 12%, and each unit increase in decisional balance increased the chance of eating sufficient fiber by 2.2 times. There was also a significant relationship between the perceived cons (P<0.0001) and self-efficacy (P=0.037) with fiber intake after adjustment with confounders. Conclusions: This study suggests that there is a relationship between transtheoretical model constructs such as self-efficacy and decisional balance, especially cons, with fiber intake in patients with type 2 diabetes. So it seems that considering these constructs in educational interventions could be effective in increasing the fiber intake in such population

Relationship of Glycemic Control and Stages of Change for Fiber Intake in Type 2 Diabetic Patients: A Cross-sectional Study

Background and Objectives: Increased consumption of fiber in the diet of diabetic patients is usually recommended for better diabetes control. Trans-theoretical model of health behavior has had positive results in diabetes consultations on healthcare and adherence to healthy eating. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between the stages of change based on fiber consumption and glycemic control in the patients with type 2 diabetes. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on126 individuals (aged 30-65 years) with type 2 diabetes selected from two diabetes care centers in Tehran, Iran. “Stages of change questionnaire” was completed, and dietary intake was determined by a three-day food record. Logistic regression was used to explore the relationship between the stages of change and glycemic control indices in these patients. P-value<0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: The mean fiber intake in the patients with type 2 diabetes (10.62±3.19 g/kcal) was less than the minimum amount recommended by Dietary Reference Intake (DRI). Besides, most patients were in the maintenance (52%) and preparation (22.4%) stages. After adjustment for confounding factors, a positive significant relationship was observed between the blood glucose level and the action and maintenance stages. However, this relationship was contrary to the expected results. The largest part of fiber intake was related to fruits (~40%). Conclusions: Trans-theoretical model seems to be efficient for distinguishing the readiness of the patients with type 2 diabetes for change in their fiber intake behavior. Nevertheless, no association was found between the stages and glycemic control indices. Keywords: Stages of change, Dietary fiber, Type 2 diabetes

Diet Quality Indices and Their Correlation with Glycemic Status and Lipid Profile in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

Background. The study aimed to determine the correlation between different diet quality indices and glycemic status and lipid profile in patients with diabetes. Methods. This study was carried out on 235 patients with type 2 diabetes referred to Martyr Motahari Diabetes Clinic of Shiraz city so as to investigate the relationship between glycemic status and lipid profile and the diet quality using Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2010), phytochemical index (PI), and Diet Quality Index-International (DQI_I). Results. A positive correlation was indicated between the serum levels of LDL-C and HEI-2010 scores p=0.026. Furthermore, there was a positive correlation between the patients’ age and scores of PI p=0.006 and between PI and DQI_I p<0.001. There was no significant relationship between the scores for all three indicators and biochemical parameters. Conclusion. The results of this study indicated that there was a significant correlation between the serum LDL-C levels and the HEI-2010 scores. Moreover, the age of the patients had a direct correlation with the PI scores

The Effect of Genetically Modified Food on Infertility Indices: A Systematic Review Study

Background and Objectives. With the increase in the growth of genetically modified (GM) crops, concerns as to the adverse effects of GM crops have risen in the community. The present systematic review seeks to assess the GM plants’ potential impacts on the sperm parameters, including sperm head, sperm motility, sperm abnormality, and fertility index. Materials and Methods. A structured literature search was independently performed by three authors on Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and Embase in January 2019. A total of 1467 publications were obtained by the search strategy after eliminating the duplicates. Moreover, the review only included articles written in English language. Other pertinent peer-reviewed publications were chosen (“snowballing”) from the reference lists in the selected publications. To assess the GM crop effects on infertility, experimental studies designed with the control group were selected. On the basis of abstract screening and full-text reviewing, 39 relevant publications were selected, seven of which were used in our review. To access the quality of articles, we used the Cochrane checklist. The collected articles were scored independently by three authors, and the publications with the eligibility criteria were included in our review. No article was excluded due to quality assessment. Results and Conclusion. Our findings indicated that GM products had no adverse effects on infertility indices such as the sperm head, sperm motility, sperm abnormality, and fertility indices. Long-term research still seems to be strongly necessary to ensure that the use of GM plants does not cause any harm to consumers, especially in infertility area