Post-Prandia glucose levels and consumption of Omega 3 fatty acids and saturated fats among two rural populations in Kenya

Background: Amount and quality of dietary fat modifies glucose  tolerance. Omega 3 Fatty Acids (n-3F A) are polyunsaturated fats,  mainly eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)  found primarily in fish and they have a positive effect on glucose  tolerance.Objective: To compare risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), as demonstrated thourough impaired glucose tolerance (lGT), and n-3FA intake among two rural populations.Design: A descriptive, cross-sectional comparative study.Setting: Bondo District (Luo Community) and Kericho District (Kipsigis Community) of the Lake Victoria basin of Kenya.Subjects: Sample of 150 individuals, aged above 18 years was randomly selected from each of the two communities.Interventions: Impaired glucose tolerance (lGT) was measured according to World Health Organisation diagnostic criteria. The intake of n-3FA was determined using a 24 hour dietary recall and food frequency schedule. Data was analysed using SPSS and Pearson Correlation Coefficient was used to test correlation between n-3FA consumption and IGT. The inter-group comparisons were done using the t-test and analysis of variance.Results: The prevalence of IGT was 11.8% among the Kipsigis and 4.8% among the Luo (P< 0.001). The mean EPA and DHA intake was found to be 0.29g/day and 0.34g/day respectively among the Luo and 0.01 g/day and 0.01 g/day among the Kipsigis (

Evidence of negative energy balance using doubly labelled water in elite Kenyan endurance runners prior to competition

Previous studies have found Kenyan endurance runners to be in negative energy balance during training and prior to competition. The aim of the present study was to assess energy balance in nine elite Kenyan endurance runners during heavy training. Energy intake and expenditure were determined over 7d using weighed dietary intake and doubly labelled water, respectively. Athletes were on average in negative energy balance (mean energy intake 13 241 (SD 1330) kJ/d v. mean energy expenditure 14 611 (SD 1043) kJ/d; P=0·046), although there was no loss in body mass (mean 56·0 (SD 3·4) kg v. 55·7 (SD 3·6) kg; P=0·285). The calculation of underreporting was 13; (range −24 to +9%) and almost entirely accounted for by undereating (9% (range −55 to +39%)) as opposed to a lack of significant underrecording (i.e. total water intake was no different from water loss (mean 4·2 (SD 0·6) l/d v. 4·5 (SD 0·8) l/d; P=0·496)). Fluid intake was modest and consisted mainly of water (0·9 (SD 0·5) l/d) and milky tea (0·9 (SD 0·3) l/d). The diet was high in carbohydrate (67·3 (SD 7·8) %) and sufficient in protein (15·3 (SD 4·0) %) and fat (17·4 (SD 3·9) %). These results confirm previous observations that Kenyan runners are in negative energy balance during periods of intense training. A negative energy balance would result in a reduction in body mass, which, when combined with a high carbohydrate diet, would have the potential in the short term to enhance endurance running performance by reducing the energy cost of runnin

Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity among Primary School Children Aged 8-13 Years in Dar es Salaam City, Tanzania

Background. The understanding of obesity as a growing health problem in Africa and Tanzania in particular is hampered by lack of data as well as sociocultural beliefs in which overweight and obesity are revered. This study sought to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity among primary school children aged 8-13 years in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Method. A cross-sectional analytical research design was used to study overweight and obesity in primary schools in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The target population was 150,000 children aged 8-13 years. Stratified random sampling was used to select 1781 children. Weight and height were taken and WHO standards for children were used to determine weight status. Results. Findings showed that the prevalence of overweight and obesity was 15.9% and 6.7%, respectively ( = 1781). However, 6.2% of the children were underweight. There were significant differences in mean BMI between children in private and public schools ( = 0.021), between male and female ( &lt; 0.001), and across age groups of 8-10 and 11-13 years ( &lt; 0.001). Conclusion. The prevalence of overweight and obesity among primary school children is significant and requires management and prevention strategies

Effects of Fermentation on the Total Carotenoids, Fat, Free Fatty Acids and Minera ls in Soybean and Sweetp otato Flour Blends

Soybeans and sweetpotatoes are high in micronutrients and convertible carotenoids, respectively. Utilization of micronutrients is hampered by anti-nutritional factors intrinsic to nutrient sources. Carotenoids must first be converted to retinol before utilization by the body. This study determined the effects of fermentation on bioavailability of micronutrients and utilization of high carotenoid substrates. Soybean and sweetpotato flours were mixed in the ratio of 1:1 (Composite A) and 1:3 (Composite B) on dry weight basis. Fermentation was done using Lactobacillus plantarum at 37oC for 168 hours with sampling every 24 hours. Aspergillus oryzae fermentation was done at 25oC for six weeks with weekly sampling. Total carotenoids were determined using a spectrophotometer, while retinol, lipid and free fatty acids (FFA) were determined using standard methods. Mineral analysis was done using wet acid digestion and atomic absorption spectroscopy. There was a significant (P<0.001) decrease in total carotenoids in both the L. plantarum and A. oryzae fermentation with a concurrent increase in retinol of 3 μg/g and 4 μg/g, respectively. There was an overall 30% increase in FFA in A. oryzae-fermented samples as compared to 12% in the L. plantarum-fermented samples. There were significant (P<0.001) differences in zinc and calcium contents fermented by the different organisms, but none in iron and magnesium contents. Calcium and zinc extraction was highest after 24 hours of L. plantarum fermentation. The findings suggest that fermentation could be effective in increasing mineral bioavailability, free fatty acid and retinol formation from substrates rich in carotenoids. Therefore, optimal time and microbe fermentation can be used to develop supplementary and complementary foods for people deficient in Vitamin A and minerals

Effect of fermentation on protein digestibility of soybean and sweet potato blends: aspergillus oryzae vs. Lactobacillus plantarum

The improvement of nutritional quality of foods through fermentation has been practiced for long.Fermentation imparts desirable characteristics to products and makes them more utilizable nutrient sources than the unfermented products. Sweet potatoes have been under utilized industrially and are mainly used at household level. Soybeans are rich in proteins but their full utilization has been hampered by their anti-nutritional properties which are destroyed by heating and fermentation. The purpose of this study was to produce suitable blends of soybean and sweet potato flours targeted at alleviating protein related malnutrition. The quality characteristics of the fermented and unfermented soybean and sweet potato composite flours were compared. The fermentation with Lactobacillus plantarum was at 370C for 168 hours with sampling every 24 hours. The Aspergillus oryzae fermentation was performed at 250C for six weeks with samples taken weekly for laboratory analysis. In-vitro protein digestibility was determined enzymatically. The data obtained was subjected to General Linear Model (GLM) of the Statistical Analysis System (SAS). Protein digestibility was improved by an average 4% (p< O.05) in the bacterial fermented composites and by an average of 5.5% (p< O.05) in the composite flours fermented with the mould. The composite containing 50% soybean and 50% sweet potato reflected higher protein digestibility than the composite with 25% soybean and 75% sweet potato. Fermentation significantly increased protein digestibility but an initial drop was observed in the higher (50% soybean and 50% sweet potato) protein composite for both bacterial and mould fermentations. Optimum protein digestibility improvement was achieved thus a baseline for development of suitable blends targeting protein malnutrition

Food and macronutrient intake of elite Kenyan distance runners

https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.14.6.709The food and macronutrient intake of elite Kenyan runners was compared to recommendations for endurance athletes. Estimated energy intake (EI: 2987 ± 293 kcal; mean ± standard deviation) was lower than energy expenditure (EE: 3605 ± 119 kcal; P < 0.001) and body mass (BM: 58.9 ± 2.7 kg vs. 58.3 ± 2.6 kg; P < 0.001) was reduced over the 7-d intense training period. Diet was high in carbohydrate (76.5%, 10.4 g/kg BM per day) and low in fat (13.4%). Protein intake (10.1%; 1.3 g/kg BM per day) matched recommendations for protein intake. Fluid intake was modest and mainly in the form of water (1113 ± 269 mL; 0.34 ± 0.16 mL/kcal) and tea (1243 ± 348 mL). Although the diet met most recommendations for endurance athletes for macronutrient intake, it remains to be determined if modifying energy balance and fluid intake will enhance the performance of elite Kenyan runners

Evidence of negative energy balance using doubly labelled water in elite Kenyan endurance runners prior to competition

Previous studies have found Kenyan endurance runners to be in negative energy balance during training and prior to competition. The aim of the present study was to assess energy balance in nine elite Kenyan endurance runners during heavy training. Energy intake and expenditure were determined over 7 d using weighed dietary intake and doubly labelled water, respectively. Athletes were on average in negative energy balance (mean energy intake 13 241 (SD 1330) kJ/d v. mean energy expenditure 14 611 (SD 1043) kJ/d; P=0.046), although there was no loss in body mass (mean 56.0 (SD 3.4) kg v. 55.7 (SD 3.6) kg; P=0.285). The calculation of underreporting was 13 % (range -24 to +9 %) and almost entirely accounted for by undereating (9 % (range -55 to +39 %)) as opposed to a lack of significant underrecording (i.e. total water intake was no different from water loss (mean 4.2 (SD 0.6) l/d v. 4.5 (SD 0.8) l/d; P=0.496)). Fluid intake was modest and consisted mainly of water (0.9 (SD 0.5) l/d) and milky tea (0.9 (SD 0.3) l/d). The diet was high in carbohydrate (67.3 (SD 7.8) %) and sufficient in protein (15.3 (SD 4.0) %) and fat (17.4 (SD 3.9) %). These results confirm previous observations that Kenyan runners are in negative energy balance during periods of intense training. A negative energy balance would result in a reduction in body mass, which, when combined with a high carbohydrate diet, would have the potential in the short term to enhance endurance running performance by reducing the energy cost of running