Post-Prandia glucose levels and consumption of Omega 3 fatty acids and saturated fats among two rural populations in Kenya

Background: Amount and quality of dietary fat modifies glucose  tolerance. Omega 3 Fatty Acids (n-3F A) are polyunsaturated fats,  mainly eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)  found primarily in fish and they have a positive effect on glucose  tolerance.Objective: To compare risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), as demonstrated thourough impaired glucose tolerance (lGT), and n-3FA intake among two rural populations.Design: A descriptive, cross-sectional comparative study.Setting: Bondo District (Luo Community) and Kericho District (Kipsigis Community) of the Lake Victoria basin of Kenya.Subjects: Sample of 150 individuals, aged above 18 years was randomly selected from each of the two communities.Interventions: Impaired glucose tolerance (lGT) was measured according to World Health Organisation diagnostic criteria. The intake of n-3FA was determined using a 24 hour dietary recall and food frequency schedule. Data was analysed using SPSS and Pearson Correlation Coefficient was used to test correlation between n-3FA consumption and IGT. The inter-group comparisons were done using the t-test and analysis of variance.Results: The prevalence of IGT was 11.8% among the Kipsigis and 4.8% among the Luo (P< 0.001). The mean EPA and DHA intake was found to be 0.29g/day and 0.34g/day respectively among the Luo and 0.01 g/day and 0.01 g/day among the Kipsigis (

Anthropometric characteristics and nutritional status of older adults in the Lake Victoria Basin of East Africa: Region, sex, and age differences

Background: Malnutrition, either as undernutrition or overnutrition, leads to detrimental alterations in body composition. The objective of this study was to investigate selected anthropometric measurements, and the nutritional status of older men and women living in the Lake Victoria Basin. This was a cross-sectional study.Setting: The setting was selected rural and urban areas of Kisumu, Jinja, and Mwanza, in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, respectively.Subjects: The subjects were older adults (227 men and 310 women) aged &#8805; 60 years.Outcome measures: The outcome measures were weight, height, arm span, mid-upper-arm circumference (MUAC) and triceps skin-fold thickness (TSF). Body mass index (BMI) and arm muscle area (AMA) were computed using standard equations.Results: The results show that older adults in the three regions were significantly different (p-value &lt; 0.05) in all anthropometric measurements, except MUAC. The women had significantly higher (p-value &lt; 0.05) BMI, TSF, and MUAC, than the men. Negative slopes indicated a decline in all anthropometric measurements with age. Overall underweight (BMI &lt; 18.5 kg/m2) was 26.4%, 58.3% were normal (BMI 18.5-24.9 kg/m2), 10.8% were overweight (BMI 25-29.9 kg/m2), and 4.5% were obese (BMI &#8805; 30 kg/m2). Older men (29.5%) were significantly more underweight (p-value &lt; 0.05) than older women (24.2%), with overweight (12.5%) and obesity (6.8%) being significantly higher (p-value &lt; 0.05) in older women.Conclusion: The findings suggest energy depletion and loss of muscle mass, with significant differences in the three regions, and in the sex and age groups. A small proportion was overweight and obese. The decline in anthropometric measurements with age indicates poor nutritional status with aging. Thus, nutrition and health interventions should be specific to regions