Content analysis of food advertising in Iranian children\u27s television programs

Background: Advertisements can influence children\u27s health related behaviors. Television advertisements are the main avenues directing commercials at children in Iran. This study aimed to explore the content of food advertisement during children\u27s television programs in 2007-8 and to compare it with those reported in 2000. Methods: All advertisements broadcasted before, during, and after children\u27s programs aired on two major Iran national television networks were videotaped for a period of 4 weeks during 2007- 8. For each advertisement, type of product(s) and mode of presentation (s) were coded. Results: A total of 229 television advertisements were broadcasted. Food commercials were the most frequent group (31%) across the two channels. Among the food products advertised, calorie dense foods, including chocolate, soft drinks, extruded cereals, ice cream, cookies and candies were the most frequent. The appeal mainly used in television food advertisements was stimulation of hunger/thirst (38.5%). The advertisements were mostly presented as animations (54%) and the messages used were mainly directed to good taste. Conclusion: Although the total number of food advertisements during children\u27s television programs has decreased but the consumption of high fat, high sugar, low nutrient dense foods continues to be promoted. Policies to address the issue should be scrutinized

Regular consumption of vitamin D-fortified yogurt drink (Doogh) improved endothelial biomarkers in subjects with type 2 diabetes: a randomized double-blind clinical trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Endothelial dysfunction has been proposed as the underlying cause of diabetic angiopathy that eventually leads to cardiovascular disease, the major cause of death in diabetes. We recently demonstrated the ameliorating effect of regular vitamin D intake on the glycemic status of patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). In this study, the effects of improvement of vitamin D status on glycemic status, lipid profile and endothelial biomarkers in T2D subjects were investigated.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Subjects with T2D were randomly allocated to one of the two groups to receive either plain yogurt drink (PYD; containing 170 mg calcium and no vitamin D/250 mL, n₁= 50) or vitamin D3-fortified yogurt drink (FYD; containing 170 mg calcium and 500 IU/250 mL, n₂= 50) twice a day for 12 weeks. Anthropometric measures, glycemic status, lipid profile, body fat mass (FM) and endothelial biomarkers including serum endothelin-1, E-selectin and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 were evaluated at the beginning and after the 12-week intervention period.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The intervention resulted in a significant improvement in fasting glucose, the Quantitative Insulin Check Index (QUICKI), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), triacylglycerols, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), endothelin-1, E-selectin and MMP-9 in FYD compared to PYD (<it>P </it>< 0.05, for all). Interestingly, difference in changes of endothelin-1, E-selectin and MMP-9 concentrations in FYD compared to PYD (-0.35 ± 0.63 versus -0.03 ± 0.55, <it>P </it>= 0.028; -3.8 ± 7.3 versus 0.95 ± 8.3, <it>P </it>= 0.003 and -2.3 ± 3.7 versus 0.44 ± 7.1 ng/mL, respectively, <it>P </it>< 0.05 for all), even after controlling for changes of QUICKI, FM and waist circumference, remained significant for endothelin-1 and MMP-9 (<it>P </it>= 0.009 and <it>P </it>= 0.005, respectively) but disappeared for E-selectin (<it>P </it>= 0.092). On the contrary, after controlling for serum 25(OH)D, the differences disappeared for endothelin-1(<it>P </it>= 0.066) and MMP-9 (<it>P </it>= 0.277) but still remained significant for E-selectin (<it>P </it>= 0.011).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Ameliorated vitamin D status was accompanied by improved glycemic status, lipid profile and endothelial biomarkers in T2D subjects. Our findings suggest both direct and indirect ameliorating effects of vitamin D on the endothelial biomarkers.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>ClinicalTrials.gov: <a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01236846">NCT01236846</a></p

Vitamin D Deficiency is Associated with the Metabolic Syndrome in Subjects with Type 2 Diabetes

Background and Objectives: There is convincing evidence that subjects concomitantly affected by type 2 diabetes (T2D) and metabolic syndrome (MeS) are at greater risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Many metabolic derangements in T2D might be attributed to poor vitamin D status. The purpose of this study was to investigate the associations among vitamin D status, MeS and glycemic status in subjects with T2D. Materials and Methods: A total of 101 known cases of T2D (39 males, 62 females) were enrolled in a cross-sectional study by convenient sampling. Serum 25(OH)D3, glycemic markers and lipid profile were assessed. Results: Mean concentration of serum 25(OH)D3 was 42.2±33.8 nmol/L. Prevalence of undesirable vitamin D status (25(OH)D < 50nmol/L) was significantly higher among the subjects with MeS as compared to those without MeS (p=0.020). The subjects with sufficient vitamin D status had 50% lower risk for MeS compared to those who had vitamin D deficiency, and this association remained significant even after additional adjustment for body mass index (BMI), percent of fat mass or waist circumference. Conclusions: Our data showed that firstly higher vitamin D status is inversely associated with fasting glycemia, and secondly serum 25(OH)D3 predicts MeS risk in the subjects with T2D. Demonstrating the association of hypovitaminosis D with disorders of glucose metabolism and higher risk for development of further complications, notably CVD, may lead to a new target for preventive efforts at the population level. Keywords: Vitamin D, Type 2 diabetes, Metabolic syndrome, Cardiovascular diseas