Junk Food Consumption and its Association with Anthropometric Indices among undergraduates in Nigeria

Junk foods consumption in institutions of higher learning has increasingly become an important part of students’ diet in Nigeria. This study was carried out to determine the pattern of junk food consumption among students in higher institutions of learning and the association between the junk food consumption and anthropometric indices measuring body weight status. A total of 900 students comprising 450 male and 450 female volunteers, aged 17 to 33 years were recruited from Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic Unwana, Nigeria for the study. Seventy-nine percent of the students affirmed that the actually enjoy junk food. A total of 33.89% reported eating junk food everyday while 36.44% usually eat it at school during lunch with convenience been stated as the main reason for this consumption pattern by majority (48.44%). Low prevalence of obesity was observed i.e. 1.67% and 2.44% using body mass index (BMI) and waist-hip ratio (WHR), respectively, while majority of the volunteers i.e. 81.33% and 82.78% had normal BMI and WHR, respectively. There was no significant (P > 0.05) association between consumption of junk foods, frequency of consumption and body mass index or waist-hip ratio. This study revealed that there is no body weight status danger in junk food consumption pattern among the students. Thus, students may continue in their consumption pattern of this specified junk food if it is convenient and if it may enable them to meet up with their lined-up activities in the campus

Use of beverages in the administration of artemether lumefantrin in drug resistant Plasmodium berghei malaria infection

Oral administration of antimalarials with beverages instead of water to evade drug odour and taste may undermine the current gains recorded in the fight against malaria if the associated drug-nutrient interaction compromises its efficacy. This study determined changes in blood chemistry and parasitaemia of Plasmodium passaged mice treated with artemether lumefantrin administered with selected locally consumed beverages. Using Rane’s test, 40 albino mice inoculated with quinine resistant Q (N1923) Plasmodium berghei were randomized into eight groups of five mice and treated with water and 1.14/6.85 mg/kg artemether lumefantrin co-administered with water, coconut water, Nescafe® solution, coca cola, aqueous extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa calyces (zobo) and Lipton® teabag from day 3 to day 5. Antimalarial activity was determined from tail blood smears on day 3 just before treatment and on day 6 and 9. Treatment commenced from day 3 today 5. Liver and kidney function and lipid parameters were determined using standard methods. Data were analyzed for significance of disparity using one-way analysis of variance at 95 % confidence level. Results revealed that coconut water, Lipton and Zobo aqueous extract co-administration with artemeter lumefantrin treatment significantly (p<0.05) reduced and cleared parasitaemia by day 9 like the water administration treatment. The ACT co-administration with aqueous Lipton teabag extracts and coconut water increased triglycerides and HDL levels while there was no significant change (p>0.05) in the other lipids parameters. Liver and kidney function parameters were not significantly different (p>0.05) in the beverage administered treatment when compared to the water administered treatment. Drug-nutrient interaction of artemether lumefantrin with plant derived beverages did not compromise its efficacy and safety.Keywords: drug resistance, arthemeter lumefantrin, beverages, nutrient

Haematological and anti-oxidant changes associated with chloroquine resistance reversal by leaf extract of Moringa oleifera Lam

Anti-oxidant and heamatological indices in mice passaged with quinine resistant Plasmodium berghei treated with chloroquine co-administered with flavonoid rich anti-plasmodial fraction of Moringa oleifera leaves were determined in this study. Using Rane’s test, 60 male albino mice were randomized into 10 groups of six mice each. Nine groups were inoculated with quinine resistant strains of Plasmodium berghei and treated with tween 80, 10 mg/kg chloroquine (CQ) co-administered with graded concentrations of fractions of Moringa oleifera leaves, and standard artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) drug, Artemether lumefantrin at a dose of 1.14/6.85 mg/kg, while the uninfected Tenth Group was treated with tween 80. In addition to the parasitaemia suppression, malondialdehyde (MDA), enzymic anti-oxidant activities, non enzymic anti-oxidants concentrations and heamatological indices were determined from blood collected by ocular puncture using standard methods. Phytochemical profiling of fraction was done using standard methods. The extract co-administration with 10 mg/kg CQ significantly (p<0.05) dose and time dependently suppressed parasitaemia in the treated groups with total parasite clearance observed in the ACT and CQ-fraction treated-groups by day 9. Meanplasma MDA concentration were significantly (p<0.05) decreased in the CQ-fraction treatments when compared with the ACT treatment. Mean packed cell volume and white blood cell counts were decreased but not significantly (p>0.05) in the CQ-fraction treated groups when compared to the ACT treated-group. The finding of this study has demonstrated the CQ resistance reversal of extract of M. oleifera leaves with amelioration of malarial-induced haematological and oxidative stress.Keywords: resistance reversal, Moringa oleifera, co-administration, anti-oxidant