Breakfast Intake and its Association with Body Mass Index among Pre-schoolers in Taska Permata Keluarga Kuala Nerus, Terengganu

In Malaysia, breakfast is the most frequently skipped meal. Skipping breakfast has been associated with an increased risk of childhood obesity. However, this relationship has not been investigated widely among preschoolers in Malaysia. Hence, this cross-sectional study aimed to determine the association between breakfast intake and Body Mass Index (BMI) among preschoolers in Taska Permata Keluarga (TPK), Kuala Nerus. A total of 131 Malays preschoolers aged four to six years old were recruited from nine TPK using convenience sampling method. Information on sociodemographic, breakfast intake pattern and anthropometric measurements (weight and height) were obtained. Respondents consisted of 74 (56.5%) boys and 57 (43.5%) girls. Anthropometric results showed that 8.4% preschoolers were overweight and obese. Among the preschoolers, 22.1% of them were breakfast skippers. In terms of gender breakdown, 20.3% boys and 24.6% girls skipped breakfast. There was a significant association between breakfast intake and BMI status among preschoolers (p = 0.003). This indicated that preschoolers that skipped breakfast were associated with overweight or obese compared to those who consumed breakfast daily. Breakfast consumption is a marker of a healthy lifestyle which can reduce the risk of childhood obesity. This habit should be inculcated during this critical period of life in which parents play a vital role in promoting breakfast consumption among preschoolers

Association between Sociodemographic Factors with Nutritional Status among Primary School Children in Setiu, Terengganu, Malaysia

This study aims to determine the association between sociodemographic aspects and nutritional status among rural Setiu, Terengganu schoolchildren. A cross-sectional study using convenience sampling was conducted among 269 primary school children. Sociodemographic information was obtained from parents or guardians through face-to-face interviews, and standardized techniques and calibration were adopted for anthropometric measurements. The World Health Organization Anthro Plus was used to generate the z-scores for Weight-for-Age (WAZ), Height-for-Age (HAZ), and Body Mass Index-for- Age (BAZ) to indicate underweight, stunting, and obesity among the children. Chi-squared test was used to determine the association between sociodemographic factors and nutritional status. The children exhibited mean WAZ, HAZ, and BAZ scores of -0.66, -0.82, and -0.00, respectively. Approximately 13.8% of schoolchildren in this study were stunted, 16.7% were underweight, 8.9% were overweight, and 11.5% were obese. Age and the father's education level were significantly associated with WAZ (p=0.02 and p=0.001), household size was associated with HAZ (p=0.029), and BAZ was found to be associated with the father's income factor (p=0.03). This study discovered that the majority of results from the measurement of WAZ, HAZ and BAZ were in normal growth with 81 (79.4%), 230 (85.5%) and 196 (72.9%), respectively. In conclusion, this study indicates that most of the sociodemographic factors were not associated with nutritional status and the prevalence of malnutrition among primary school children in the rural areas of Setiu, Terengganu was lower than in the other rural areas

Physicochemical Properties, Glycaemic Index and Glycaemic Load of Chocolate Energy Bars Prepared with High Polyphenols Cocoa Powder and Guar Gum

This study aimed to determine the physicochemical properties, Glycaemic Index (GI) and Glycaemic Load (GL) of chocolate energy bars prepared with different percentages of guar gum (0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%) and high polyphenols cocoa powder. Proximate analysis was determined following the official methods Association of Official Analytical (AOAC). Ten eligible respondents who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria participated in the GI and GL determination. Test and reference food were given to the participants after overnight fasting. Blood capillary finger pricks were drawn for 7 interval time at 0 until 120 min. The blood glucose responses were calculated based on Incremental Area Under Curve (IAUC). The result revealed that the fat and calorie content were significantly lower in formulations with highest guar gum percentage (p˂0.05). On the other hands the moisture, ash, carbohydrate contents, crude fibre, energy value, hardness, fracturability, pH value, and colour were all comparable to the control sample. The control and chocolate energy bars with 0.5% guar gum were in the category of high GI and GL. Whereas, the chocolate energy bars with 1.0% and 1.5% guar gum were in the medium category for both GI and GL. This study demonstrated that incorporating different percentages of guar gum in the high polyphenols chocolate energy bar changed some of the proximate compositions but not the physical properties. Furthermore, addition of guar gum affected the GI and GL as the values were reduced with the increased amount of guar gum

Effects of cocoa polyphenols and dark chocolate on obese adults: a scoping review

Obesity remains a major public health problem due to its increasing prevalence. Natural products have become common as adjunct therapeutic agents for treating obesity and preventing metabolic diseases. Cocoa and its products are commonly consumed worldwide. Dark chocolate, a rich source of polyphenols, has received attention lately for its beneficial role in the management of obesity; however, conflicting results are still being reported. This scoping review aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the existing literature on the relationship and effects of cocoa and dark chocolate intake among obese adults. We searched multiple databases for research investigating the consumption of cocoa and/or dark chocolate in managing obesity among adults. This review includes epidemiological and human studies that were published in English over the last 10 years. Our review of the current literature indicates that epidemiological and human trials with obese adults have shown inconsistent results, which may be due to the different populations of subjects, and different types of cocoa products and doses used for intervention. Studies among obese adults are mainly focusing on obese individuals with comorbidities, as such more studies are needed to elucidate the role of cocoa polyphenols in weight control and preventing the risk of chronic diseases among obese individuals without comorbidities as well as healthy individuals. Careful adjustment of confounding factors would be required. The effects of cocoa and dark chocolate intake on obese adults were discussed, and further research is warranted to identify the gaps