Nutrient intakes from solid/semisolid foods and body fat of children 12-36 months of age in Mumbai city, India

Background: Few reports are available on the association between feeding practices and body fat of young Asian Indian children. Indian children have “thin-fat” syndrome, i.e., they tend to have higher body fat at lower body mass index, placing them at risk of non-communicable diseases. Objectives: The objective of this study is to examine whether young children’s nutrient intakes are associated with body fat. Materials and Methods: Percent body fat measured by bioelectric impedance and nutrient intakes estimated from three 24-h diet recalls were studied in 1200 children, aged 12-36 months. Average intakes of macronutrients and micronutrients were calculated. Nutrient intakes were compared by quintiles of body fat. Results: Mean body fat was 20.13±2.37%,with older children having more body fat than younger children. Males had more body fat than females. Percent body fat was not only correlated with macronutrient intakes but also was positively correlated with iron, zinc intakes, and thiamine. Body fat was negatively associated with calcium, fiber, and Vitamin A intakes but was positively associated with intakes of animal protein and from milk and milk products. Children in the highest quintile of body fat had lower calcium intakes those in lower quintiles. Animal protein intakes increased from Quintile 1 to Quintile 4 of body fat. Male children aged 12-24 months in the second and third quintile had higher mean protein intakes than in the other quintiles. Female children in the highest quintile of body fat had lowermean animal protein intakes. Breastfed children aged 24-36 months old in Quintile 1 had lower protein intakes from milk and milk products than in the other four quintiles. Among non-breastfed male children, those in the fifth quintile had lowest intake of milk protein. Conclusion: Diets given to young children should be adequate in micronutrients and fiber, and there should not be too much emphasis on dairy protein only

Widespread 25-hydroxyvitamin D deficiency in affluent and nonaffluent pregnant Indian women

Objectives. This cross-sectional study primarily aimed to assess vitamin D adequacy in the third trimester of pregnancy using 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and explore lifestyle characteristics (sun exposure index, diet, and economic indicators) associated with serum 25(OH)D. The secondary aim was to examine the relationship of serum 25(OH)D with birth weight and gestational age. Methods. Serum 25(OH)D was measured by chemiluminescent immunoassay in 150 pregnant women from Mumbai. Sun exposure index was computed. Dietary calcium, phytate : calcium ratio, and dietary phosphorus was calculated using the 24-hour diet recall method. Results. All women had 25(OH)D levels < 30.00 ng/ml. Multivariable linear regression showed that nonaffluent women had poorer 25(OH)D status than their affluent counterparts (β=-0.20; P=0.03). Higher sun exposure index was associated with higher 25(OH)D concentrations (β=0.31; P<0.001), which remained significant after controlling for covariates. At the bivariate level, mothers of infants weighing <2500 g had lower serum 25(OH)D concentrations compared to mothers whose infants weighed ≥2500 g (P=0.02). This association became non-significant after controlling for covariates. Conclusions. Vitamin D deficiency was universally prevalent in the cohort studied. There is a need to develop culturally sensitive strategies for improving the 25(OH)D status

Dietary diversity and anthropometric status of 6–36 months old children of Mumbai city

Background: Dietary diversity (DD) is an indicator of food security, accessibility, availability, and also a significant predictor of growth. Poor feeding practices are responsible for low DD which affects the nutritional status of child. Objective: The objective of the study was to assess the association of DD with nutritional status of urban slum children. Methodology: Data were collected using structured interview schedule on 823 children from 16 slums of western suburbs of Mumbai city. DD score was calculated using food frequency questionnaire as per Food and Agriculture Organization. Weight and height measurements of all children were taken using standard techniques, and nutritional status was assessed using Z scores in terms of wasting, stunting, and underweight as per the World Health Organization norms. Results: About 5.4% children were severely wasted, 10.2% children were severely underweight, and 24.7% children were severely stunted. About 22.1% children had low DD scores, 41.3% had scores indicating medium diversity, and 36.6% children had high scores for DD. Children who were severely undernourished, i.e. those whose Z scores were ≤3 tended to have lower DD scores than their better-nourished counterparts for all three nutritional status indicators - weight for height, weight for age, and height for age. Conclusion: DD plays an important role in improving the nutritional status of child. Therefore, there is need to educate mothers in terms of DD to improve nutritional status of children

Widespread 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Deficiency in Affluent and Nonaffluent Pregnant Indian Women

Objectives. This cross-sectional study primarily aimed to assess vitamin D adequacy in the third trimester of pregnancy using 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and explore lifestyle characteristics (sun exposure index, diet, and economic indicators) associated with serum 25(OH)D. The secondary aim was to examine the relationship of serum 25(OH)D with birth weight and gestational age. Methods. Serum 25(OH)D was measured by chemiluminescent immunoassay in 150 pregnant women from Mumbai. Sun exposure index was computed. Dietary calcium, phytate : calcium ratio, and dietary phosphorus was calculated using the 24-hour diet recall method. Results. All women had 25(OH)D levels &lt; 30.00 ng/ml. Multivariable linear regression showed that nonaffluent women had poorer 25(OH)D status than their affluent counterparts ( = −0.20; = 0.03). Higher sun exposure index was associated with higher 25(OH)D concentrations ( = 0.31; &lt; 0.001), which remained significant after controlling for covariates. At the bivariate level, mothers of infants weighing &lt;2500 g had lower serum 25(OH)D concentrations compared to mothers whose infants weighed ≥2500 g ( = 0.02). This association became non-significant after controlling for covariates. Conclusions. Vitamin D deficiency was universally prevalent in the cohort studied. There is a need to develop culturally sensitive strategies for improving the 25(OH)D status

Widespread 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Deficiency in Affluent and Nonaffluent Pregnant Indian Women

Objectives. This cross-sectional study primarily aimed to assess vitamin D adequacy in the third trimester of pregnancy using 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and explore lifestyle characteristics (sun exposure index, diet, and economic indicators) associated with serum 25(OH)D. The secondary aim was to examine the relationship of serum 25(OH)D with birth weight and gestational age. Methods. Serum 25(OH)D was measured by chemiluminescent immunoassay in 150 pregnant women from Mumbai. Sun exposure index was computed. Dietary calcium, phytate : calcium ratio, and dietary phosphorus was calculated using the 24-hour diet recall method. Results. All women had 25(OH)D levels < 30.00 ng/ml. Multivariable linear regression showed that nonaffluent women had poorer 25(OH)D status than their affluent counterparts (β=-0.20; P=0.03). Higher sun exposure index was associated with higher 25(OH)D concentrations (β=0.31; P<0.001), which remained significant after controlling for covariates. At the bivariate level, mothers of infants weighing <2500 g had lower serum 25(OH)D concentrations compared to mothers whose infants weighed ≥2500 g (P=0.02). This association became non-significant after controlling for covariates. Conclusions. Vitamin D deficiency was universally prevalent in the cohort studied. There is a need to develop culturally sensitive strategies for improving the 25(OH)D status

Corrigendum: Acceptability of Iron- and Zinc-Biofortified Pearl Millet (ICTP-8203)-Based Complementary Foods among Children in an Urban Slum of Mumbai, India

Biofortification, a method for increasing micronutrient content of staple crops, is a promising strategy for combating major global health problems, such as iron and zinc deficiency. We examined the acceptability of recipes prepared using iron- and zinc-biofortified pearl millet (FeZnPM) (~80 ppm Fe, ~34 ppm Zn, varietal ICTP-8203), compared to conventional pearl millet (CPM) (~20 ppm Fe, ~19 ppm Zn) in preparation for an efficacy trial. Our objective was to examine the acceptability of FeZnPM compared to CPM among young children and mothers living in the urban slums of Mumbai. Standardized traditional feeding program recipes (n = 18) were prepared with either FeZnPM or CPM flour. The weight (g) of each food product was measured before and after consumption by children (n = 125) and the average grams consumed over a 3-day period were recorded. Mothers (n = 60) rated recipes using a 9-point hedonic scale. Mean intakes and hedonic scores of each food product were compared using t-tests across the two types of pearl millet. There were no statistically significant differences in consumption by children (FeZnPM: 25.27 ± 13.0 g; CPM: 21.72 ± 6.90 g) across the food products (P = 0.28). Overall mean hedonic scores for all recipes were between 7 to 9 points. CPM products were rated higher overall (8.22 ± 0.28) compared to FeZnPM products (7.95 ± 0.35) (P = 0.01). FeZnPM and CPM were similarly consumed and had high hedonic scores, demonstrating high acceptability in this population. These results support using these varieties of pearl millet in a proposed trial [http://Clinicaltrials.gov ID: NCT02233764; Clinical Trials Registry of India (CTRI), reference number REF/2014/10/007731, CTRI number CTRI/2015/11/006376] testing the efficacy of FeZnPM for improving iron status and growth

FACTORS INFLUENCING THE FOLACIN NUTRITURE OF LACTATING MOTHERS AND THEIR BREAST-FED INFANTS

Folic acid is the essential precursor of a large number of compounds that serve as coenzymes for one-carbon transfer reactions. Folacin deficiency due to inadequate intake is one of the most common vitamin deficiencies in man affecting especially populations of low socioeconomic status. Any condition, physiologic or pathologic which increases rates of cell multiplication results in higher folacin requirements. Thus pregnant and lactating women and infants, especially preterm, are particularly vulnerable to the development of folacin deficiency. In addition, numerous compounds can adversely affect folacin nutriture. Evidence regarding the effect of oral contraceptives (OC) on folacin status of women is controversial. Therefore the effect of long-term pregestational use of OC with the combined stress of pregnancy and lactation was examined. Long-term OC use did not significantly affect folacin levels in plasma, erythrocytes or milk or well-nourished American women studied during the first year of lactation. Also, folacin levels in blood of unsupplemented women were similar to those of supplemented women. Levels of folacin in milk rose appreciably from 1 to 3 months of lactation but did not vary significantly thereafter until 6 to 8 months of lactation. A considerable amount of folacin in milk was present in the polyglutamate form. Premature delivery had no adverse effect on folacin levels in milk during the first month of lactation. At all stages of lactation, milk folacin showed diurnal variation which could not be attributed conclusively to maternal folacin intake from diet/supplement or to suckling stimulus. Folacin intakes of most breast-fed, term infants were well above the RDA for infants from birth until 12 months of age and weights and lengths were normal for most infants. After 4-5 months of age, infants received a substantial amount of folacin from complementary foods. Folate supplementation of preterm infants may be necessary due to the small volume of milk intake by these infants