Selected indicators of nutritional status among rural elderly females in Malaysia

The purpose of this study was to investigate nutritional status indicators of elderly Malay females in selected rural areas in Malaysia by examining food consumption patterns, perceptions about food, health indices, anthropometric measurements, and selected demographic and descriptive variables. A sample of 317 healthy elderly female respondents aged 55 years and over was selected from two sub-districts in the state of Negri Sembilan. Personal interviews were conducted in the local language by the researcher and five trained interviewers in the homes of the respondents. Selected anthropometric measurements were also obtained, including weight; standing, sitting, and knee height; arm span; waist, hip, and mid-arm circumference; triceps skinfold thickness; and hand grip strength. The findings revealed that the rural elderly females were in relatively good health, living in relatively good physical environments, and participating actively in their families and communities. The food expenditure and food purchasing patterns were quite varied. The frequency of food intake revealed the consumption of a variety of food items common to the Malaysian diet. Although three of the major food groups were well represented in the high food-use category, the consumption of milk and milk products was negligible. Perceptions and beliefs about the health characteristics of certain foods were quite prevalent among the respondents. The nutritional status of the elderly women, as reflected by anthropometric assessment, revealed several trends. Most of the indicators of stature and adiposity correlated negatively and significantly with age. Whether the decline of these indicators with age is truly biological or secular in origin is not clear. Mean values for selected anthropometric measurements are comparable to other Malaysian and Asian women of the same age living in similar environments. However, both obesity and underweight were found in this sample. In general, the Malaysian elderly females weighed less, were shorter, and had lower values for triceps skinfold thickness, mid-arm girth, and body mass index than a national sample of U.S. white females of comparable age

Glycaemic control, lipid profile, blood pressure and body weight status among diabetics in rural Malaysia.

Diabetes is associated with a high risk of cardiovascular disease. The management of blood glucose, dyslipidaemia and other modifiable risk factor, is a key element in the multifactorial approach to prevent complications of type 2 diabetes. Materials and Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted to determine the level of glycaemic control, lipid profile, blood pressure and body weight status among type 2 diabetics in rural Malaysia. A total of 237 diabetic subjects participated in this study. Physical examination was carried out, including measurements of height, weight, waist and hip circumferences, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Fasting venous blood samples were collected to determine the glucose level and lipid profile. Results: About 70% of the subjects had a high body mass index (BMI), equal to or above 25 kg/ m2. More than 60% of the subjects had systolic blood pressure ≥ 140 mmHg and/or diastolic ≥ 90 mmHg. Mean fasting blood glucose was 9.84±4.54 mmol/L. Mean total cholesterol was 5.18±1.35 mmol/L. High density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC) and triglyceride (TG) and glucose levels were higher in male than in female, but not statistically significant (p>0.05). However, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC) was higher in females than males (p<0.05). Mean HDLC was below 1.0 mmol/L in all subjects. Conclusion: Glycaemic control, lipid profile, blood pressure and body weight status were not satisfactory and may increase the risk of microvascular and macrovascular complications among these subjects. Appropriate intervention programs should be implemented for better diabetes control among rural subjects

Relationship between selected socio-demographic and health-related factors with intake of fruits and vegetables among the elderly in Malaysia

Food intake plays an important role in providing adequate nutrients. Several studies have indicated that diets relatively high in fruits and vegetables are associated with a lower risk of chronic diseases. The objective of this study is to identify the relationship between sociodemographic and health-related variables with intake of fruits and vegetables among older persons aged 60 years and above in Malaysia. The subjects were a representative sample from 13 states and the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur. One older person within an available household in selected enumeration blocks was included in the study. Information on demographics, socioeconomic status, and lifestyle characteristics was obtained using a pre-tested questionnaire. The frequency per week of fruits and vegetables intake was obtained through a face-to-face interview. The sample consisted of 2,980 older persons (males = 47.9%; female = 52.1%). The mean age of respondents was 70.46 ± 7.2 years, the majority were Malays (58.3%), married (55.8%), with no formal education (44.5%), with an average monthly income of RM551.02. About 75.3% of the respondents were taking vegetables daily and 38.1% were taking fruits daily. By gender, 51.9% of women and 45.7% of men had daily intake of vegetables, while 50.4% of the women and 48.1% of men reported daily intake of fruits. In terms of health status and other lifestyle variables, 54.2% rated their health as “good”, 53.3% were inactive or sedentary and 17.2% were currently smoking. The results showed a significant association between intake of fruits with age (c2 = 7.077, df = 2, p = 0.029), ethnicity (c2 = 42.23, df = 4, p = 0.000), stratum (c2 = 15.126, df = 1, p = 0.000) and self-rated health (c2 = 16.31, df = 3, p = 0.001). On the other hand, only ethnicity (c2 = 11.352, df = 4, p = 0.023) and self-rated health (c2 = 16.16, df = 3, p = 0.001) were significantly associated with intake of vegetables. These findings indicate that there is a relationship between pattern of fruits and vegetables intake with selected demographic and health-related characteristics of the respondents. Therefore, appropriate nutrition intervention programs need to be formulated to encourage increased intake of fruits and vegetables among the elderly in Malaysia to promote optimal health and wellness

Momordica charantia for type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Momordica charantia (bitter gourd) is not only a nutritious vegetable but it is also used in traditional medical practices to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus. Experimental studies with animals and humans suggested that the vegetable has a possible role in glycaemic control. To assess the effects of mormodica charantia for type 2 diabetes mellitus. Several electronic databases were searched, among these were The Cochrane Library (Issue 1, 2012), MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, SIGLE and LILACS (all up to February 2012), combined with handsearches. No language restriction was used. We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that compared momordica charantia with placebo or a control intervention, with or without pharmacological or non-pharmacological interventions. Two authors independently extracted data. Risk of bias of the trials was evaluated using the parameters of randomisation, allocation concealment, blinding, completeness of outcome data, selective reporting and other potential sources of bias. A meta-analysis was not performed given the quality of data and the variability of preparations of momordica charantia used in the interventions (no similar preparation was tested twice). Four randomised controlled trials with up to three months duration and investigating 479 participants met the inclusion criteria. Risk of bias of these trials (only two studies were published as a full peer-reviewed publication) was generally high. Two RCTs compared the effects of preparations from different parts of the momordica charantia plant with placebo on glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus. There was no statistically significant difference in the glycaemic control with momordica charantia preparations compared to placebo. When momordica charantia was compared to metformin or glibenclamide, there was also no significant change in reliable parameters of glycaemic control. No serious adverse effects were reported in any trial. No trial investigated death from any cause, morbidity, health-related quality of life or costs. There is insufficient evidence on the effects of momordica charantia for type 2 diabetes mellitus. Further studies are therefore required to address the issues of standardization and the quality control of preparations. For medical nutritional therapy, further observational trials evaluating the effects of momordica charantia are needed before RCTs are established to guide any recommendations in clinical practice

Knowledge and attitudes of parents of children with nursing bottle syndrome in Serdang, Malaysia

A study was conducted to investigate the relationship between the parents' level of knowledge, and their attitudes to nursing bottle syndrome. Of 284 children aged 2-6 years clinically examined, 153 were diagnosed as having nursing bottle syndrome based on the criterion that at least one upper maxillary incisor was affected by caries. The parents of the 153 affected children were then interviewed by questionnaire. The findings suggested that parents had adequate knowledge and a positive attitude towards maintaining satisfactory dental care for their children. However, these attitudes were not reflected in the dental health of their children. The implications of these findings are discussed

Lifestyle change using the health belief model to improve cardiovascular risk factors among postmenopausal women.

Globally, CVD is the number one cause of death and are projected to remain so in the future. The main cause of death in Iran is CVD which accounts for almost half (42%) of total deaths. It was a randomized controlled trial to determine the impact of a 6-month lifestyle changes using the Health Belief Model (HBM) on cardiovascular risk factors in sedentary, postmenopausal Iranian women. This study started on June 2007 and completed on May 2008. A total of 67 healthy and sedentary postmenopausal women recruited and randomly assigned to two groups namely; exercise (38), and control (29). Over the six months follow-up, the intervention group received five educational sessions (one face to face education in the first session and one in the 3rd month and three lecture discussion classes with slide demonstration) at the first month about physical activity according to the Health Belief Model. Every participant received a telephone call at the end of each month starting with the second month to remain on the exercise. Pre-intervention and post-intervention HBM components, anthropometric measurements, blood pressure (BP), blood lipids and physical activity were assessed. Data analyzed using the SPSS version 15. Descriptive, univariate and multivariate statistics were used. Results: The women in the exercise group experienced significant decrease in their LDL (-15mg/dl), FBS (-7.4mg/dl), and increased their physical activity compared to the control group (272 minutes/week, p=0.02). All components of HBM except for knowledge improved significantly in the exercise group compared to the control group (p=0.001). Lifestyle change intervention using the HBM can be an effective means of reducing cardiovascular risk in obese and sedentary postmenopausal women

Carbohydrates for improving the cognitive performance of independent-living older adults with normal cognition or mild cognitive impairment.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is an intermediate state between normal cognition and dementia in which daily function is largely intact. This condition may present an opportunity for research into the prevention of dementia. Carbohydrate is an essential and easily accessible macronutrient which influences cognitive performance. A better understanding of carbohydrate-driven cognitive changes in normal cognition and mild cognitive impairment may suggest ways to prevent or reduce cognitive decline

Effect of roasted soy-nut supplementation on lipid profile of Iranian postmenopausal women.

The present study was carried out to study the effect of roasted soy-nut consumption on the lipid profile of postmenopausal women. Randomized Controlled trial was conducted using 100 postmenopausal women aged 45-60 years. Participants in the treatment group were provided with 75g roasted soy-nut for daily intake for 2-months. The participants in the control group were asked not to change their usual dietary habits and lifestyles and all were instructed to avoid taking soybean and soybean products. The changes in blood lipid profile were measured beside some other outcome measures comprised of anthropometry, dietary variables and lifestyle questionnaires, measured at baseline and at the end of the study. Results revealed significant (p<.005) differences in ApoAI were observed between two groups at baseline. The t-test only showed significant (p<.005) difference in the mean total cholesterol (TC) between the treatment and control groups after two months intervention. Using the General Linear Model (GLM) for repeated measures, significant mean differences were observed for TC (-5.58%), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (-9.54%), non-high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (-7.34%), apolipoprotein A (12.26%) and apolipoprotein B (-7.69%). I No significant differences in triglyceride (TG), HDL-C and the ratio of ApoB: ApoAI from GLM were reconfirmed using Analysis of Covariance. In conclusion: A short-term intake of roasted soy-nut improved the lipid profile of the postmenopausal subjects

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