Nutritional status of school children receiving Supplementary Feeding Program in Peninsular Malaysia

A total of 2541 school children comprising of 1265 students who were given the School Supplementary Feeding Program (SFP) and 1276 who were not given SFP (non-SFP) aged between 7-12 years, from Central and Southern regions of Peninsular Malaysia were involved in the study. Anthropometric measurements (weight, height and triceps skinfold) and their 24-hour dietary record were assessed. Results showed that SFP subjects had a lower mean body weight (26.9 ± 7.7 kg), height (130.7 ± 10.0 em) and triceps skinfold (TSF) thickness (9.8 ± 3.8 mm) than non-SFP subjects with mean body weight29.3 ± 9.2 kg, height 132.9 ± 10.4 cm and TSF thickness 10.8 ± 4.6 mm. Chinese subjects had the highest mean body weight (28.7 ± 7.9 kg), height (132.9 ± 10.3 em) and TSF thickness (l0.3 ± 3.7 mm) amongst the SFP subjects, as well as amongst non-SFP subjects with mean body weight 31.1 ± 9.3 kg, height 135.4 ± 10.3 em and TSF thickness 11.5 ±4.9 mm. This study also showed the persistence of underweight, stunting and wasting amongst these primary school children. The prevalence of underweight amongst SFP and non-SFP subjects were 14.6% and 10.0% respectively. The prevalence of stunting was 12.6% for SFP and 7.4% for non-SFP, while wasting was found in 11.1% for SFP and 9.5% for non-SFP. The prevalence of overweight amongst SFP and non-SFP subjects were 1.3% and 4.5% respectively. Overall, only intake of protein, vitamin A and vitamin C met the RDI in all subjects for both SFP and non-SFP. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that there is a need for the Food Supplementation Program to be continuously implemented in primary schools to ensure that they will get enough food to sustain their energy

Calcium supplementation amongst postmenopausal women: effect on serum calcium, phosphorus and magnesium level

This study assessed the effect of calcium supplementation towards the change in serum calcium, phosphorus and magnesium level. We carried out a randomized controlled trial of calcium supplementation in 113 postmenopausal women for 24 months period study. Subjects were randomly assigned into two groups. Subjects in Calcium Supplemented Group (CSG) were to take calcium supplement (1200 mg/day) while the Control Group were not given any placebo and advised to continue with their regular diet. The study showed that calcium supplementation helps to increased daily intake of calcium amongst the subject which in results helping to maintain the serum calcium level within normal range. The serum magnesium and phosphorus level in this study were kept at a normal range although there is a slight decrease in serum phosphorus levels may be due to a reduction in the daily intake of the mineral

Absorption of calcium from milk and tempeh consumed by postmenopausal Malay women using the dual stable isotope technique

Assessment of calcium bioavailability from non-dairy foods containing moderate amounts of calcium is especially important in populations that have habitually low dairy consumption. Absorption of calcium from milk and tempeh (a traditional fermented soy product) was compared in a sample of Malay subjects. A randomized, crossover design was utilized to assess calcium absorption in 20 postmenopausal women from either a glass of milk (114 g) or from a meal of tempeh (206 g); each containing 130 mg calcium. At each study of Phase 1 (mid-July) and Phase 2 (mid-August), intravenous (42)Ca and oral (44)Ca were administered and calcium absorption was measured in 24-h urine collections post-dosing; with a 1-month washout period between phases. Absorption of calcium from tempeh did not differ significantly from milk (36.9 +/- 10.6% vs. 34.3 +/- 8.6%, respectively). Due to differences in the calcium content of tempeh, four servings of this product would be needed to get the same amount of absorbed calcium as that obtained from a 4-ounce glass of milk. Tempeh may provide readily available calcium for this population of women at risk for low bone mass

Nutritional status of school children receiving supplementary feeding program in peninsular Malaysia

A total of 2541 school children comprising of 1265 students who were given the School Supplementary Feeding Program (SFP) and 1276 who were not given SFP (non-SFP) aged between 7-12 years, from Central and Southern regions of Peninsular Malaysia were involved in the study. Anthropometric measurements (weight, height and triceps skinfold) and their 24-hour dietary record were assessed. Results showed that SFP subjects had a lower mean body weight (26.9 ± 7.7 kg), height (130.7 ± 10.0 em) and triceps skinfold (TSF) thickness (9.8 ± 3.8 mm) than non-SFP subjects with mean body weight29.3 ± 9.2 kg, height 132.9 ± 10.4 cm and TSF thickness 10.8 ± 4.6 mm. Chinese subjects had the highest mean body weight (28.7 ± 7.9 kg), height (132.9 ± 10.3 em) and TSF thickness (l0.3 ± 3.7 mm) amongst the SFP subjects, as well as amongst non-SFP subjects with mean body weight 31.1 ± 9.3 kg, height 135.4 ± 10.3 em and TSF thickness 11.5 ±4.9 mm. This study also showed the persistence of underweight, stunting and wasting amongst these primary school children. The prevalence of underweight amongst SFP and non-SFP subjects were 14.6% and 10.0% respectively. The prevalence of stunting was 12.6% for SFP and 7.4% for non-SFP, while wasting was found in 11.1% for SFP and 9.5% for non-SFP. The prevalence of overweight amongst SFP and non-SFP subjects were 1.3% and 4.5% respectively. Overall, only intake of protein, vitamin A and vitamin C met the RDI in all subjects for both SFP and non-SFP. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that there is a need for the Food Supplementation Program to be continuously implemented in primary schools to ensure that they will get enough food to sustain their energ

Relationship between Body Composition and Bone Mineral Density in Healthy Postmenopausal Chinese Wowen in Malaysia

Bone loss is known to be accelerated during menopause. The postmenopausal period with advancing age has also been associated with a decrease in learn body mass, an increase in body fat mass and increase in body weight. This study investigated the relative contribution of lean body mass and body fat mass to bone mineral density (BMD) in 139 healthy postmenopausal Chinese women in Kuala Lumpur. Total body, lumbar spine (L2-L4), femoral neck and total hip BMD were measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Findings revealed that 80% of the Chinese postmenopausal women had low bone mass (osteopenia) and 8% were osteoporotic at the lumbar spine and/or femoral neck. Overall, body fat mass showed a positive correlation with BMD at all sites (total body, r = 0.265, p<0.001; total hip r =0.332, p<0.001). Similarly, lean body mass was positively correlated with BMD at most sites (Total body r = 0.239, p < 0.001; femoral neck r = 0.365, p<0.001; total hip r = 0.352, p<0.001) except the lumbar spine. In a multiple stepwise regression analysis body fat mass was a significant predictor for BMD for total body (p<0.0001) and lumbar spine (p<0.005) BMD, while lean body mass was the major determinant of BMD at the femoral neck and total hip (p<0.0001). These data suggested that both fat and lean mass were significant determinants of BMD, the former playing a greater role than lean mass in postmenopausal women. Therefore, postmenopausal women need to avoid being too underweight (and thus having too low body fat) and to maintain lean body mass to protect against osteoporosi

Komposisi proksimat dan mineral dalam sosej ayam

Tiga belas jenis sosej ayam telah dianalisis untuk komposisi proksimat dan kandungan mineral (natrium, kalsium, kalium, fosforus, ferum). Sosej ini ialah sosej formulasi UKM, sosej tempatan dan sosej import. Dari keputusan analisis proksimat, didapati kandungan air berjulat di antara 58.18-71.30g/ 100g, protein 11.4 -16.52 g/100g, lemak 8.19-22.87g/100g, karbohidrat 2.00­-10.2g/100g, abu 1.52-2.99g/100g dan gentian 0.67-2.19g/100g. Apabila dibandingkan di antara tiga kumpulan sosej didapati tiada perbezaan bererti (p<0.05) bagi air, lemak dan karbohidrat sementara kandungan abu dan protein sosej tempatan adalah terendah berbanding sosej formulasi UKM dan import. Manakala bagi kandungan gentian pula, sosej formulasi UKM adalah paling rendah. Secara keseluruhan, purata kandungan mineral natrium dan fosforus didapati paling rendah bagi sosej tempatan manakala kandungan kalsium, kalium dan ferum pula adalah terendah bagi sosej formulasi UKM

The effect of milk supplementation on bone mineral density in postmenopausal Chinese women in Malaysia

Dietary studies often report low calcium intake amongst post-menopausal Malaysian women and calcium deficiency has been implicated as part of the etiology of age-related bone loss leading to osteoporosis. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness of high calcium skimmed milk (Anlene Gold™, New Zealand Milk, Wellington, New Zealand) to reduce bone loss in Chinese postmenopausal women. Two hundred subjects aged 55–65 years and who were more than 5 years postmenopausal were randomized to a milk group and control group. The milk group consumed 50 g of high calcium skimmed milk powder daily, which contained 1200 mg calcium (taken as two glasses of milk a day). The control group continued with their usual diet. Using repeated measures ANCOVA, the milk supplement was found to significantly reduce the percentage of bone loss at the total body compared to the control group at 24 months (control −1.04%, milk −0.13%; P<0.001). At the lumbar spine, the percentage of bone loss in the control group was significantly higher (−0.90%) when compared to the milk (−0.13%) supplemented group at 24 months (P<0.05). Similarly, milk supplementation reduced the percentage of bone loss at the femoral neck (control −1.21%, milk 0.51%) (P<0.01) and total hip (control −2.17%, milk −0.50%) (P<0.01). The supplemented group did not experience any significant weight gain over the 24 months. The serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D level improved significantly (P<0.01) from 69.1±16.1 nmol/l at baseline to 86.4±22.0 nmol/l at 24 months in the milk group. In conclusion, ingestion of high calcium skimmed milk was effective in reducing the rate of bone loss at clinically important lumbar spine and hip sites in postmenopausal Chinese women in Malaysia. Supplementing with milk had additional benefits of improving the serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D status of the subjects

A multidimensional assessment of nutritional and health status of rural elderly Malays

A multidimensional assessment of nutritional and health status comprised of subjective global assessment (SGA), anthropometry function, biochemistry, dietary intake, social and health aspects was carried out on 820 older people (52.8% men and 47.2% women) from four rural areas of Peninsular Malaysia. A proportion of the subjects had been classified as either overweight (25.7%) or chronic energy deficient (20.3%). Although 49% of subjects had normal body weight, 68.4% have been classified as having mild to moderate malnutrition according to the SGA. Only 1.1% and 2.3% had low serum albumin and ferritin, respectively. Almost 80% of subjects, especially men, were at high risk of cardiovascular diseases on the basis of the assessment of total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol. The majority of the subjects (87.2%) were fully independent in performing daily tasks, with men having a significantly higher score compared to women (p<0.001). However, men were less likely to be able to perform a flexibility test (50.7%) than were women (27.0%) (p<0.05). The mean energy intake for men (1412 +/- 461 kcal/d) and women (1201 +/- 392 kcal/d) were below the Recommended Nutrient Intake (RNI) for Malaysia, although this is a difficult assertion to make in an age-group which generally experiences declining energy expenditure. Moreover, 52.5% of men and 47.5% of women might have underreported their food intake. Dietary micronutrients most likely to be deficient were thiamin, riboflavin and calcium. It is concluded that a substantial proportion of rural elderly Malays had problems related to both undernutrition and overnutrition. An appropriate nutrition intervention program is needed to improve the nutritional status of rural elderly Malays