The Indian Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics

Seasonal Changes in Vitamin D Levels in Women in Reproductive Age

2024-01-11T15:33:56+0530

Global and Indian studies have shown that there are substantial seasonal variations in vitamin (vit) D levels. A study to assess seasonal changes in vit D levels in women in reproductive age was undertaken in urban low middle income families in Delhi. Paired blood samples were collected in spring and autumn in Group 1; and in summer and winter in Group 2. Vit D3 estimation was done using electro-chemo-luminescence immunoassay. Mean vit D levels were highest in autumn and lowest in summer. The differences in mean vit D levels between spring and autumn, summer and winter, spring and summer, summer and autumn, autumn and winter were statistically significant. Prevalence of vit D deficiency (vit D levels below 20 ng/ml) were higher in spring and summer as compared to autumn and winter; these differences were statistically significant. Nearly half of the women had vit D level ≥ 20 ng/ml in both the paired samples (spring and autumn as well as summer and winter). About 14% had vit D levels <20 ng/ml in both paired samples (spring and autumn as well as summer and winter). About one third of women with paired samples were deficient in one season but not in the other season. Pregnant women received calcium and vit D supplementation from early second trimester till delivery. It is essential to take into account the seasonal variation in vit D levels, while undertaking impact assessment of calcium and vit D supplementation in pregnancy on vit D levels prior to and after the supplementation.

Higher Consumption of Dietary Sodium than RDA among the Patients of Diabetes Mellitus and Hypertension in the City of Aligarh: A Hospital-Based Study

2024-03-05T17:50:14+0530

In India, about 72.9 million and 317 million people are experiencing diabetes and hypertension, respectively. High consumption of dietary sodium significantly contributes to the rise of these two epidemics. The main objective of the study is to assess the mean intake dietary sodium on the basis of their RDA among the patients of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), diabetes with hypertension (T2DM*HTN) and only hypertension (HTN).The ethically approved hospital-based cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out among 320 patients of type 2 diabetes and hypertension aged 20 years and older. Dietary sodium intake of patients was assessed using three days of 24-h dietary recall. Out of 320 samples, approximately 31.3, 50.0 and 19% of patients had only type 2 diabetes (T2DM), only hypertension (HTN) and diabetes with hypertension (T2DM*HTN) respectively. Mean age was found to be 47.6 ± 1.07; 55.8 ± 1.1 and 54.5 ± 1.1 years. Mean HbA1c% level of T2DM and T2DM*HTN were 8.6 ± 0.2% and 8.2 ± 0.1% respectively. Mean systolic and diastolic BP of T2DM*HTN and HTN was 136.5 ± 3.4 and 92.0 ± 2.6 mmHg; 145.8 ± 2.1 and 91.5 ± 1.1 mmHg respectively. Overall total calories intake among T2DM, HTN and T2DM*HTN were 1547 ± 600, 1612 ± 491 and 1471 ± 517 kcal/d respectively. Moreover, sodium intake was 2059 ± 916 mg/d, 2151 ± 986 mg/d and 1976 ± 667 mg/d respectively indicating 103, 165 and 107% of RDA with the significantly higher intake reported by male T2DM than female (p < .05).Thus, high sodium diet was consumed by all the patients with T2DM, HTN and T2DM*HTN. Dietary sodium intake is more elevated in diabetic hypertensive compared to others. Thus, additional studies are required to elucidate the association of dietary sodium intake with glycemic control and hypertension.

Effect of Nutrition Education on Sports Nutrition Knowledge among Women Athletes

2024-04-22T13:30:52+0530

Lack of nutritional knowledge and dietary behavior may hinder health status and athletic performance. Research indicates that general nutritional knowledge is vital to lead a healthy life and to improve the achievements in sports field. The study compared the effects of six months nutrition education intervention on the sports nutrition knowledge of women athletes. Ninety physical education students, 18-22 years of age were randomly selected. Nutrition education was imparted for 30 minutes each week for six months through power point presentation, poster and formal classes. The initial nutrition knowledge was assessed using a pretested questionnaire which included 40 questions to assess nutrition knowledge, sports nutrition, macro and micro nutrients and hydration. The average nutrition knowledge before giving nutrition education was 55% which increased to 75% after intervention. These students lacked basic nutrition awareness. After imparting nutrition education, their knowledge increased significantly (t<37.858). This study suggests that nutrition education intervention positively influences the nutrition knowledge of the athletes’ improvement in nutrition knowledge of the women athletes could improve their interest in nutrition and provide insights into good eating practices and information to the right food choices and thus improve the sports performance. The nutrition education thus contributes most effectively to better understanding of nutritional concepts and could improve health and nutritional status.

Story Book and Role Plays: Promising Garden-Based Nutrition Education Tools for Preschoolers

2023-12-21T13:36:30+0530

Preschool age is the most critical period where nutrition education can be imparted for developing healthy food habits. Garden-Based Nutrition Education (GBNE) is an emerging method to impart nutrition education. Incorporating nutrition education tools like storybook and methods such as role plays can be promising to deliver GBNE. The objective of the study is to develop story book and role plays for preschool children and assess the feasibility and acceptability. Storybook for preschool children was developed considering the easiness of gardening and developing interest in gardening as well as to understand importance of nutrition. A module for role play was developed with fruits and vegetables being characters. Both the tools were developed using standardized procedures and was subjected to pre study. In order to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the developed GBNE tools it was subjected to preschool teachers / anganwadi workers and parents of preschool children. The sample consisted of 75 parents and 75 preschool teachers which were randomly selected from Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram districts of Kerala. The study reveals that, both parents and teacher’s finds role plays as most acceptable and feasible tool to impart Garden-Based Nutrition Education. Since preschool children have abundant energy they enjoy role play, since it is more participatory than listening to stories. Therefore, it can be advocated that story book and role plays can be used as one of the GBNE tool effectively for teaching the significance of fruits and vegetables.

Formulation and Development of Spirulina Enriched High Protein Bars for Athletes

2023-05-30T07:08:06+0530

An athlete requires physical strength, agility, and stamina, and protein is a crucial factor for assessing sports performance. Athletes, marathon runners, and body builders need a higher protein intake of up to 1.5 to 2 gm/kg/day, depending on age and activity level. 20 to 30% of calorie intake should be proteins. The aim of the study is to formulate and develop protein bars infused with functional foods like spirulina, which will be high in protein, targeted at the sportsperson or athletes to meet their requirements. 5 spirulina-based protein bar combinations were created using high-protein and high-fibre ingredients such as whey protein isolate, inulin, and erythritol. Each serving of the protein bars ranged from 50-80 g, providing 15%-30% of energy from protein, at least 3-5 g of fibre, and 1-2 g of spirulina. The recipes varied with sesame seeds, flax seeds, chia seeds, puffed rice, and almonds. The protein bars underwent standardisation in three phases. A semi-trained panel of nutrition experts evaluated the bars using a 9-point hedonic rating scale in each phase, and recipe modifications were made accordingly. In phase 3, the chocolate-coated almond protein bar was deemed the most acceptable and underwent shelf life evaluation, chemical, physical, and microbiological analysis, with data analysed using SPSS version 20. In Phase 1, five energy bars were evaluated for taste, texture, and color, with S-E receiving the highest mean taste rating, followed by S-A, S-D, S-B, and S-C. Overall, S-A, S-D, and S-E were found to be the most acceptable. In Phase 2, S-C (Spirulina + Almonds) was rated highest in taste and texture, making it the best option in terms of overall acceptability. However, S-A had the best color. From all three phases of sensory evaluation, S-A (Spirulina + Almonds - chocolate coated) had the highest mean score for all four sensory attributes, with a ranking scale score also the highest. The protein bar showed no major changes during the 30-day shelf-life analysis, and the taste was acceptable. In Phase 1, five energy bars were evaluated for taste, texture, and color, with S-E receiving the highest mean taste rating, followed by S-A, S-D, S-B, and S-C. Overall, S-A, S-D, and S-E were found to be the most acceptable. In Phase 2, S-C (Spirulina + Almonds) was rated highest in taste and texture, making it the best option in terms of overall acceptability. However, S-A had the best color. From all three phases of sensory evaluation, S-A (Spirulina + Almonds - chocolate coated) had the highest mean score for all four sensory attributes, with a ranking scale score also the highest. The protein bar showed no major changes during the 30-day shelf-life analysis, and the taste was acceptable.

Quality Evaluation of Millet Based Nutribars

2023-12-22T15:02:06+0530

Multi millet nutribars are planned to serve as a healthy snack that is packed with energy as well as essential nutrients. The study was carried out to evaluate the quality of millet based nutribars during the storage period of 6 months. The study was carried out in College of Community Science, ANGRAU, Lam, Guntur in the year 2022-2023. In this study, four millet based nutribars were prepared in the combinations of dates, nuts, seeds and oats. Rheological properties (Texture analysis), Physico-chemical properties (water activity, peroxide value, free fatty acid value and total soluble solids), Microbial analysis (Total plate count, Yeast, Mold and E.coli count), Sensory evaluation (colour, appearance, texture, taste, flavour and overall acceptability) at regular intervals during storage and Nutrient analysis (proximates, minerals and chemical composition) were evaluated in four millet based nutribars. The products were organoleptically evaluated using 9 points hedonic rating scale by a panel of trained judge. Among four nutribars, Millets-Seeds nutribar has high overall acceptability followed by oats, nuts and dates nutribar. Prepared multi millet nutribars can be stored for two months. These millet nutribars are ideal for vulnerable groups as a snack.

Nutritional Evaluation of Gluten Free Oat Burfi

2023-12-18T13:19:03+0530

Oats provide gluten-intolerant people with additional meal alternatives and can be seen as a beneficial part of a gluten-free diet. In this study, besan and oat flour were combined to create a gluten-free burfi, which was then evaluated for sensory, nutritional, and physical aspects. Burfi was prepared by blending roasted besan with oat flour in different ratios, which were 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, and 0:100 (Type I, II, III, IV, and V, respectively). With an overall acceptability score of 8.69, the burfi with 75% oats was arbitrarily determined to be the best. Sensory quality and nutritional properties of burfi improved after addition of oat. Moisture, crude fat, crude fibre and energy content were high in burfi with oat as compared to control (Type I) sample. Antioxidant activity improved after addition of oat. Addition of oat made burfi softer therefore reducing its hardness. Oat can be successfully incorporated with besan to produce a nutritious and highly acceptable product.

Nutrigarden - A Diversified Activity for Sustainable Food and Nutrition Security

2023-11-13T14:41:58+0530

Study was conducted with an objective to introduce nutrigarden at rural families. Five villages of Shidlaghatta taluk, Chikballapur district were selected. To address the identified gap nutrigarden were introduced. It was recorded that the consumption of vegetables which was limited to once a week, increased to daily after the nutrigarden establishment. Thus, it can be concluded that encouraging and establishing nutrigarden a diversified activity which will enhance the consumption of micronutrient rich fruits and vegetables. It also helps in diverting the money spent on purchase of fruits and vegetables towards other food items, thus leading to overall wellbeing.

The 5W1H Framework of Consumption of Plant-Based Meat: A Systematic Literature Review

2023-10-15T13:07:39+0530

Plant-based meat, a new eco-friendly and animal-friendly replacement of meat is an emerging substitute in the market necessitating the need to understand its dynamic and ambiguous consumer behaviour. For this purpose, this study aims to consolidate the extant research in the field to understand the shift towards plant-based meat consumption and to provide future research directions. In total, 100 articles were identified as relevant for this review after an elaborate, rigorous and systematic screening procedure using the PRISMA review protocol. The analysis used a hybrid framework employing the TCCM (Theory, Context, Characteristics and Method) framework and was further outlined using the 5W-1H approach. The study discusses important marketing insights for practitioners and also provides directions for future research avenues.

Nutritional Metabolomics and Nutrigenomics their Role in Breast Cancer: An Overview

2024-04-22T13:33:52+0530

Breast cancer physiology is still being studied, and a patient's diet may have an impact on both their risk of developing the disease and how they respond to treatment once they are diagnosed. Nutritional treatments are essential public health initiatives since good nutrition plays a noteworthy role in illness prevention. In this postgenomic medicineera, the combination of nutritional, genomic, and proteomic disciplines has given rise to nutrigenomics and nutriproteomics. In particular, nutrigenomics and nutriproteomics concentrate on the interactions between nutrients and the human genome and proteome, respectively, and offer intuitions into the role that nutrition plays in the progression of cancer. A deeper understanding of nutrition and its underlying causes is anticipated to come from additional omics disciplines such as metabonomics, interactomics, and microbiomics. For the creation of individualised diets for women at risk of breast cancer, these domains offer a hitherto unheard-of potential. It will assist in determining a person's unique nutritional needs based on their genetic makeup, a personalised diet, and the relationship between diet and chronic diseases like cancer, opening up new perspectives on the complexity of breast cancer and paving the way for better management of the disease.

Therapeutic Role of Millets: An Overview

2024-04-22T13:35:54+0530

Urbanization has significantly changed the food consumption pattern of India declining the consumption of some cereals like millets in comparison to wheat-based processed food, dairy products, and refined oils and sugars. This change in traditional eating patterns has led to several non-communicable diseases among the population, as well as it is a great reason for prevalent malnutrition among people. Millets can provide nutritional security to us as they are highly nutritious; hence there is a strong need to optimize the use of millets, especially in the daily diet. Usually, millets are a good source of fiber, phenolic compounds, lignans, phytosterols, phytocyanins and acts as an antioxidant. Sorghum and millets are gluten-free cereals, thus good for celiac patients. Because of these eminent components that are present in millet, protect us from cardiovascular disease by lowering LDL, reducing constipation, minimizing the risk of colon and breast cancer, and lowering the glycemic index. In comparison to wheat and rice; millets are having a high nutritional profile and also possess good therapeutic benefits.

Significance of Traditional Diets on Environmental Foot Prints

2023-12-24T14:25:21+0530

Environmental issue is extremely prevalent in the present urbanization phase that is accountable for causing the destruction and damage to the lives of flora, fauna, microorganisms and especially human beings which in turn is liable for higher morbidity and mortality rates. Keeping this environmental issue in view, we aimed to assess the significance of various food products illustrated in the Holy Book, Bhagavad Gita ages back on the environmental foot prints. Facts and features about different types of dietary products and their impact on environmental health were searched using data bases like Google scholar, Google, PubMed, Medline, etc. These databases were used so as to ascertain the environmental importance of these dietary products in current modernity phase. Scientific studies reported that food products under Sattvic diet has the functional ability of using scarce amount of natural resources and emitting less greenhouse gases whereas Rajasic and Tamasic dietary products are degradable for environment as it produces harmful and toxic gases. It has been deduced that these traditional diets mentioned in Bhagavad Gita ages back have been scientifically applicable and functional in current westernization phase which has helped in regulating the environmental problem by decreasing the environmental foot prints.