Factors influencing obesogenic behaviours of adolescent girls and women in low- and middle-income countries: A qualitative evidence synthesis

This systematic review synthesized the qualitative evidence on factors influencing obesogenic behaviours in adolescent girls and women of reproductive age in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This qualitative evidence synthesis followed the framework synthesis approach to extract, analyse and synthesize data. Electronic searches were conducted in the Web of Science, SCOPUS, CABI Abstracts, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and Google Scholar. Studies were eligible if they were conducted in LMICs, of qualitative nature, and reported obesogenic behaviours of female adolescents (10-19 years of age) or women of reproductive age (15-49 years of age). The review resulted in 71 included studies from 27 different countries. Thirty-two studies focused on dietary behaviours, 17 on physical activity and 22 on both behaviours. Gender norms and failures to recognize the importance of healthy behaviours across the life cycle were important factors. The abundance and promotion of affordable but unhealthy food, food safety concerns, taste preferences and social desirability of foods drive consumption of unhealthy foods. Busy lives and limited exercise spaces keep girls and women from being physically active. Obesogenic behaviours of adolescent girls and women of reproductive age are influenced by factors at individual, social, physical and environmental levels and require diverse solutions to address these factors in LMICs

Medicinal plants and bioactive natural compounds in the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A clinical review

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a major cause of liver diseases, and is closely related to metabolic syndrome and its related conditions, diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia. On the other hand, NAFLD as a multisystem disease increases the risk of several chronic diseases include type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and chronic kidney disease. The main objective was to review the efficacy of bioactive natural compounds assessed by clinical trials. Search literature using four databases (PubMed, EBSCO, Web of Science, and Ovid Medline) to review publications that focused on the impact of bioactive natural compounds in NAFLD treatment. Due to the lack of effective pharmacological treatments available for NAFLD, lifestyle modifications such as following a healthy diet, vigorous physical activity, and weight reduction remain the first line of treatment for NAFLD. However, due to the poor adherence to this type of treatment, especially for long-term weight loss diets some of which may have harmful effects on the liver, finding novel therapeutic agents for NAFLD treatment and/or preventing NAFLD progression has garnered significant interest. Although the therapeutic agents of NAFLD treatment have been reviewed previously, to date, no summary has been conducted of clinical trials examining the effects of herbal compounds on NAFLD-related biomarkers. This review highlights the beneficial role of herbal bioactives and medicinal plants in NAFLD treatment, particularly as complementary to a healthy lifestyle. All natural products described in this review seem to have some benefits to improve oxidative stress, cellular inflammation and insulin-resistance, which always remain as the “primum movens” of NAFLD pathogenesis