Nutrition Information on Packaged Foods Marketed in India: Disclosure Adequacy, Relevance, Use and Health Implications

Health problems that stem from poor diet increase the need of nutrition labelling on food packages as it conveys meaningful information to consumers at the point of purchase and enables them to fulfill their dietary requirements. Nutrition labelling is relatively new to Indian markets, thus, the aim of this paper is to analyze the nature and extent of disclosure of nutrition information on packaged foods in India, its adequacy, nutrition quality of marketed foods according to UK traffic light food labelling criteria and consumer use of nutrition information. Primary data collected from 230 food packages have been content analyzed which reveals that although nutrition labels are present on the majority of sampled foods, yet, disclosure of mandatory nutrients is not adequate. Also, the majority of packaged foods are found to be unhealthy. Further, from a sample of 600 consumers, information was collected about nutrition knowledge, use and the reasons for not using nutrition information on food labels. It was found that consumers possess knowledge about total fat, protein, vitamins and minerals. The present study adds to existing knowledge by providing an understanding level of disclosure of nutrition information, its effectiveness when used by consumers and health implications of these disclosures to gauge the extent to which the disclosures are adequate in promoting healthful choices amongst consumers. Policy implications have also been identified that will help regulatory authorities to draft measures required for promoting health of Indian consumers

Patchouli and Peonies

Patchouli and Peonie

Benefits of Folic Acid in Periconceptional Period

This article discusses the various health aspects and benefits of folic acid supplementation during the periconceptional period for both the mother and the fetus. It sheds light not only on the well-known neural tube defects caused by folic acid deficiency but also other added benefits of adequate supplementation during the periconceptional period like prevention of megaloblastic anaemia, peripheral neuropathy in mother and congenital abnormalities like orofacial defects and cardiovascular disorders in the fetus. This wide range of benefits provided by folic acid supplementation during the critical window of periconceptional period increases the need for its awareness among females of the reproductive age

Low-Frequency Oscillations Are a Biomarker of Injury and Recovery After Stroke

Background and Purpose- Low-frequency oscillations reflect brain injury but also contribute to normal behaviors. We examined hypotheses relating electroencephalography measures, including low-frequency oscillations, to injury and motor recovery poststroke. Methods- Patients with stroke completed structural neuroimaging, a resting-state electroencephalography recording and clinical testing. A subset admitted to an inpatient rehabilitation facility also underwent serial electroencephalography recordings. The relationship that electroencephalography measures (power and coherence with leads overlying ipsilesional primary motor cortex [iM1]) had with injury and motor status was assessed, focusing on delta (1-3 Hz) and high-beta (20-30 Hz) bands. Results- Across all patients (n=62), larger infarct volume was related to higher delta band power in bilateral hemispheres and to higher delta band coherence between iM1 and bilateral regions. In chronic stroke, higher delta power bilaterally correlated with better motor status. In subacute stroke, higher delta coherence between iM1 and bilateral areas correlated with poorer motor status. These coherence findings were confirmed in serial recordings from 18 patients in an inpatient rehabilitation facility. Here, interhemispheric coherence between leads overlying iM1 and contralesional M1 was elevated at inpatient rehabilitation facility admission compared with healthy controls (n=22), declining to control levels over time. Decreases in interhemispheric coherence between iM1 and contralesional M1 correlated with better motor recovery. Conclusions- Delta band coherence with iM1 related to greater injury and poorer motor status subacutely, while delta band power related to greater injury and better motor status chronically. Low-frequency oscillations reflect both injury and recovery after stroke and may be useful biomarkers in stroke recovery and rehabilitation

Role of Resilience in the Psychological Recovery of Women With Acute Myocardial Infarction

Background Psychological well‐being is important among individuals with myocardial infarction (MI) given the clear links between stress, depression, and adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Stress and depressive disorders are more prevalent in women than men after MI. Resilience may protect against stress and depressive disorders after a traumatic event. Longitudinal data are lacking in populations post MI. We examined the role of resilience in the psychological recovery of women post MI, over time. Methods and Results We analyzed a sample from a longitudinal observational multicenter study (United States, Canada) of women post MI, between 2016 and 2020. Perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale‐4 [PSS‐4]) and depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire‐2 [PHQ‐2]) were assessed at baseline (time of MI) and 2 months post MI. Demographics, clinical characteristics, and resilience (Brief Resilience Scale [BRS]) were collected at baseline. Low and normal/high resilience groups were established as per published cutoffs (BRS scores <3 or ≥3). Mixed‐effects modeling was used to examine associations between resilience and psychological recovery over 2 months. The sample included 449 women, mean (SD) age, 62.2 (13.2) years, of whom 61.1% identified as non‐Hispanic White, 18.5% as non‐Hispanic Black, and 15.4% as Hispanic/Latina. Twenty‐three percent had low resilience. The low resilience group had significantly higher PSS‐4 and PHQ‐2 scores than the normal/high resilience group at all time points. In adjusted models, both groups showed a decrease in PSS‐4 scores over time. Conclusions In a diverse cohort of women post MI, higher resilience is associated with better psychological recovery over time. Future work should focus on developing strategies to strengthen resilience and improve psychological well‐being for women with MI. Registration URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02905357; Unique identifier: NCT02905357