Obesity among Iranian Adolescent Girls: Location of Residence and Parental Obesity

This cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the prevalence and predictors of overweight and obesity by location of residence among randomly-selected 2,577 urban school girls aged 12-17 years in Rasht, Iran. Data on age, frequency of skipping breakfast per week, physical activity, hours of television viewing, self-perception about body condition, and home address were collected. Birthweight of the girls, educational levels of parents, weights and heights of parents, and employment status of mothers were asked to the parents using a self-administrated questionnaire. The overall prevalence of overweight and obesity in this population was 18.6% and 5.9% respectively. Overweight or obesity was more common among girls from low-income areas compared to high-income areas (21.6% vs 17.1%, p<0.001). Maternal education was positively related to overweight/obesity of the girls. Results of logistic regression analysis showed that risk of overweight/obesity was higher in girls whose either parent was overweight or obese. Furthermore, living in low-income areas and skipping breakfast were independently related to overweight/ obesity. These data suggest that overweight and obesity are a public-health concern among school girls, especially in low-income areas in Rasht. Knowing risk factors in population subgroups is important for planners in the country because it helps target interventions

Obesity among Iranian Adolescent Girls: Location of Residence and Parental Obesity

This cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the prevalence and predictors of overweight and obesity by location of residence among randomly-selected 2,577 urban school girls aged 12-17 years in Rasht, Iran. Data on age, frequency of skipping breakfast per week, physical activity, hours of television viewing, self-perception about body condition, and home address were collected. Birthweight of the girls, educational levels of parents, weights and heights of parents, and employment status of mothers were asked to the parents using a self-administrated questionnaire. The overall prevalence of overweight and obesity in this population was 18.6% and 5.9% respectively. Overweight or obesity was more common among girls from low-income areas compared to high-income areas (21.6% vs 17.1%, p<0.001). Maternal education was positively related to overweight/obesity of the girls. Results of logistic regression analysis showed that risk of overweight/obesity was higher in girls whose either parent was overweight or obese. Furthermore, living in low-income areas and skipping breakfast were independently related to overweight/ obesity. These data suggest that overweight and obesity are a public-health concern among school girls, especially in low-income areas in Rasht. Knowing risk factors in population subgroups is important for planners in the country because it helps target interventions

Evaluation of Iron Bioavailability in Caco-2 cell Culture Model: Modification of the Original Method

Background and Objectives: In the original in vitro method for evaluation of iron bioavailability using caco-2 cell model, ferritin formation by cells is considered as a functional indicator of both absorption and utilization of iron. However, as iron is measured in the tested material and then ferritin concentration is measured in caco-2 cell lysate, it is almost impossible to have a concrete measure of iron bioavailability because the percent of absorbable iron cannot be calculated by the concentration of iron in caco-2 cell lysate. To overcome this problem, the original method was modified by using ferrous sulfate tablet as a standard and also including blank well in the cell culture plate to subtract the baseline ferritin concentration from the ferritin concentration of other wells. Materials and Methods: To evaluate iron bioavailability in this model, one kind of Iranian traditional breads (Sangak) was used. Standard curve was plotted using iron concentration and ferritin/protein ratio in the X and Y axes, respectively. Results: The standard curve showed a linear equation: Ferritin (ng)/protein (mg) = (5.96 &times; bread Fe)+ 11.55, R2=0.989. Using this equation, the bioavailability of iron from the tested bread was 79.76 &plusmn; 11.5% of ferrous sulfate. Considering that the reported iron bioavailability from ferrous sulfate is about 10%, bioavailability of iron from the bread could be regarded 8%. Conclusions: This data can be potentially usable to adjust the amount of absorbable iron in the target population for fortification programs. Keywords: Iron, Bioavailability, Caco-2 cel

The Epidemic of Poor Vitamin D Status among 9-12 Years Old Children in Tehran, 2008, Using HPLC: Need for an Urgent Action

Background and Objectives: Vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency is a global health problem. The importance of this problem is doubled in growing children because of their increased need for skeletal growth. This investigation was performed firstly to assess vitamin D status, and secondly to examine its possible relationship with sex, residing area and duration of sun exposure in 9-12 years old children of Tehran. Materials and Methods: We studied 257 randomly selected children out of 1111 children of a huge study, titled “Vitamin D and Calcium Deficiency Prevalence of Tehran’s Elementary School Children (VDPT)”, performed in fall and winter 2008 in Tehran. The children were without the history of diabetes, allergy or autoimmune disease, and any calcium, vitamin D and fish oil supplement use during the last three months. Venous blood samples were taken, and the sera were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for measuring 25-hydroxycalciferol (25(OH)D). Results: The participating children comprised of 53.7% girls and 46.3% boys from different economical areas of Tehran (40.5% poor, 26% middle and 33.5% rich). Their mean age was 10.1±0.7 years, mean duration of sun exposure was 41.2±34.6 min/day, and mean serum 25(OH)D concentration was 21.9±15.6 nmol/L. Duration of sun exposure was not significantly different either between boys and girls (p=0.220), among different residing areas (p= 0.057), or between the girls and boys of different areas. The occurrence of vitamin D deficiency was 72.4% (n=186). Vitamin D status was significantly different between boys and girls (p= 0.01) and among the areas (P= 0.004). There was no significant relation between poor vitamin D status and duration of sun exposure (p=0.411). Conclusions: The findings showed a noticeable occurrence of vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency among 9-12 years old children in Tehran. The data warrants urgent interventions. Keywords: Vitamin D, 25-hydroxycalciferol, School childre

Daily intake of yogurt drink fortified either with vitamin D alone or in combination with added calcium causes a thyroid-independent increase of resting metabolic rate in adults with type 2 diabetes: a randomized double blind clinical trial

We investigated the effect of daily intake of yogurt drink fortified with either vitamin D alone or with added calcium on resting metabolic rate (RMR), thyroid hormones and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in subjects with type 2 diabetes (T2D). A total of 75 adult subjects with T2D were randomly assigned to one of the three groups to receive either D-fortified yogurt drink (DY; 1000 IU vitamin D/d), Ca-D-fortified yogurt drink (CDY; 1000 IU vitamin D plus 500 mg calcium), or plain yogurt drink (PY) for 12 weeks. All assessments were done at the baseline and after the intervention. The concentrations of anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody (anti-TPO-Ab), intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) had significant decline compared with baseline values only in CDY group. The mean RMR increased in both DY and CDY groups (pThe accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

Vitamin D Status of Tehran Taxi Drivers: How Efficient Is the Occupational Exposure to Sun? A Case-control Study

Background and Objectives: Day-shift taxi drivers have a long duration of direct sun exposure. However, the efficiency of this occupational exposure in vitamin D synthesis has not been addressed yet. The aim of this study was to assess the vitamin D status of taxi drivers in Tehran, and examine vitamin D status association with some anthropometric and circulating biomarkers. Materials and Methods: In a case control study, 53 taxi drivers and 80 apparently healthy subjects from other occupations were enrolled. Questionnaires for demographic data, supplement use, and duration of sun exposure were completed. Weight, height and waist circumference were measured. Blood samples were taken from all participants for complete blood cell count, fasting blood glucose (FBG), lipid profile, and 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25 (OH)D) measurements. Results: Taxi drivers, as compared to the controls, had significantly higher body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), serum triglycerides (TG), and 25(OH)D concentrations. Moreover, 56.6% of the drivers had more than 2 hours of sun exposure during a day. Conclusions: Despite having higher circulating concentrations of 25(OH)D, the taxi drivers had higher cardiometabolic risk factors. These findings indicate a need for nutritional education for taxi drivers. Keywords: Vitamin D, Driving, Sun exposur

Additional file 1 of The effect of vitamin D supplementation on oxidative stress and inflammatory biomarkers in pregnant women: a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials

Additional file 1