International Journal of Nutrition Sciences
Volume:4 Issue: 3, Sep 2019

Nordic Diet is a diet based on foods typically consumed in Nordic countries. This diet includes fruits (e.g. apple and pear); berries (e.g. blueberry, bilberries, lingoberries); vegetables; legumes; whole grains and dietary fiber from barley, oats and rye; low-fat dairy; fatty fishes (e.g. salmon, herring, mackerel); and rapeseed oil. On the other hand, Nordic diet provides small amounts of processed meats, sweets, salt and saturated fat .The Baltic Sea Diet Pyramid is a food pyramid based on Nordic foods. The pyramid illustrates the recommended amount of foods that should be consumed. Foods that are at the bottom of the pyramid should be consumed in higher amounts. Foods that are at the top of the pyramid should be consumed at least amounts. Studies have suggested that compliance with Nordic diet is associated with health benefits and might improve anthropometric measurements, lipid profile, blood pressure, low-grade inflammation an insulin resistance.

Phenylketonuria or PKU has an important place in medical history as the first congenital metabolic disorder. It is a genetic defect in the phenylalanine hydroxylase enzyme existing in the liver and kidneys which is responsible for the conversion of phenylalanine to tyrosine. Deficiency of the enzyme results in accumulation of phenylalanine and its metabolites in the blood and other tissues. If left untreated, mental retardation, speech delays, eczema, seizures, behavioral abnormalities, etc would be expected. In PKU, proper nutrition is the only treatment of choice to prevent complications. The treatment is based on a low-protein diet, and elimination of all protein-rich foods to prevent severe mental retardation. Dietary changes in PKU are permanent through the life. By controlling the diet, we reach disease control too. The metabolic control in childhood and adolescence is related to patients’ quality of life, and their mental status. Even in patients who resume treatment after a period of free diet, an enhancement in the quality of life is observed correlated with the phenylalanine level, in a way that when the phenylalanine level is between 2 and 6 mg/dL, the patients would have a higher quality of life. Moreover, the higher the patients’ phenylalanine level, the lower the quality of life scores. Similarly, phenylalanine levels are associated with patients’ social skills. The lower is the patients’ phenylalanine level, the higher would be the social skills.

Nutrition literacy is a key determinant of nutrition decision and behavior. This study investigated the psychometric properties of the Persian version of Nutrition Literacy Inventory (NLI-28) among university students.

In a cross-sectional study, 203 students (101 women and 102 men) were enrolled through a randomized cluster sampling method from the four dormitories of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. The instrument was prepared through a translation and back-translation process and it was used as a self-administered inventory. The NLI-28 included three subscales i.e. functional nutrition literacy, interactive nutrition literacy, and critical nutrition literacy. The reliability and validity of the instrument were assessed by using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient.

Mean of content validity ratio (CVR) for essential criterion, means of content validity index (CVI) for simply criterion, clarity criterion, and relevance criterion were obtained as 0.89, 0.9, 0.96, and 0.98, respectively. The coefficients of Cronbach’s alpha (α=0.87), convergent validity (0.74), divergent validity (-0.11), and criterion validity (0.73) were estimated (P<0.01). The exploratory factor analysis demonstrated that the NLI-28 was organized into four factors, clarifying 78% of the scale’s variance. Second-order confirmatory factor analysis pointed out that the factor was well matched up onto a principal factor. The four factors model was well appropriate for the data by the fit index technique to adjust the scale.

Well-adjusted reliability and psychometric properties of the NLI-28 were shown and also its usefulness for the relevant studies was demonstrated.

Despite the key role of nutrition literacy and behavior in health, evidence suggests a low adherence to healthy nutritional behaviors. We sought to determine the influence of a group-based interactive training program on nutrition-related literacy, knowledge and behavior of students.

Two-hundred and three undergraduate students were enrolled by multi-stage cluster sampling and were randomly divided into two groups of intervention (n=106) and control (n=97). Four questionnaires measured the demographic variables, nutrition-related literacy, knowledge, and behavior. The educational intervention was performed as workshop using a new educational style. 

There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding demographic variables. After educational intervention, a significant increase was found in the mean scores of nutrition literacy from 22.20±3.85 to 31.95±2.19, nutrition knowledge from 54.23±1.80 to 77.06±7.20, and nutritional behavior from 52.32±16.54 to 67.52±19.69 (P<0.001), but no significant difference was observed in the control group. The correlation coefficients significantly increased (from 0.167 to 0.552). 

Our educational pattern was effective in improving nutritional literacy, knowledge and behavior and is recommended for students in their curriculum.

Zinc is the second most abundant trace element in human body. The relationship between zinc and insulin is well known. Zinc is involved in the synthesis, storage and release of insulin and zinc deficiency may be associated with different metabolic disorders such as diabetes mellitus (DM). The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum zinc level and its correlation with glycemic control and microvascular complications in diabetic patients. In this cross-sectional study, 128 cases of type 2 DM, 30-60years of age were randomly selected on the basis of clinical history. Zinc level, HbA1c and urine micro albumin were measured. The Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI) was used for evaluation of distal neuropathy. The subjects had mean age of 52.2±7.5 years old. Mean duration of DM was 8.3±7.4 years, mean HbA1c was 7.7±1.8% and mean zinc level was 101.5±26.5 μg/dl. There was a significant correlation between zinc and score of neuropathy (P=0.03). A subtle reduction in plasma zinc level was observed among patients with urine microalbumin ≥ 30 mg (96.0±14.9) in comparison to patients with urine microalbumin <30 mg (103.1±29.2) (P=0.09). By multiple regression analysis, after adjustment for age, BMI, sex and duration of diabetes, no significant association was noted between zinc level and HbA1c. It was shown that plasma zinc concentration may have association with complications of type 2 DM such as neuropathy. This correlation was significant even in normal zinc level that should be considered by public health authorities.

Herbal medicine may have irreparable effects on fetal development. This study investigated the effect of Cariandrumsativum (coriander) aquous extract on mice fetal height and weight. In an experimental study, 120 pregnant mice were divided into four equal groups. The control group was without any intervention. The experimental group received 3500, 5000 and 6500 mg/kg of aquous extract of coriander. The height and weight of the embryos were recorded in first, second and third week of pregnancy. The height and weight of embryos in experimental groups in first, second and third week was significantly lower than the control group.  Coriander (C. Sativum) aquous extract was shown to reduce the fetal height and weight in a dose-dependent manner. These findings can be added to the literature when coriander is going to be used during pregnancy.

Calotropis procera Aiton (C. procera) is used in folk medicine to cure various diseases. However, the use of herbs in human medicine is sometimes associated with adverse effects. Chick embryo is a preclinical model relevant to assess adverse effects of drugs and herbs. Therefore, the current study aimed to assess the alteration of vascular branching patterns in the chick’s extra-embryonic membrane following C. procera treatment. Besides, the alteration in molecular cues involved in early embryonic vasculogenesis, such as vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) was also quantified.

 In an experimental study, 30 fertile chicken eggs were divided into three equal treatment groups; sham control, and C. procera-treated groups whose cases were treated with C. procera extract at doses of 50 or 100 mg per kg of egg weight.

Quantification of extra-embryonic membrane vasculature showed that anti-vasculogenic effect of the herbal extract was revealed by a reduction in vessels area, total vessels length, vascular branch and increased lacunarity. The alterations were made in a dose-dependent manner. The relative expression levels of VEGF-A mRNA was also decreased in the herbal-exposed extra-embryonic membrane.

Concerns about the side effect of C. procera during pregnancy were confirmed by data presented in this study. We concluded that altered early vascular development and gene expression might eventually lead to developmental defects in embryo following C. procera consumption.Therefore, the use of this herb must be limited at the time of fetal growth especially at the dosage higher than 50 mg per kg.

Inadequate diet and illness were immediate causes of malnutrition. Dietary diversity helps to ensure adequate intake of essential nutrients and promotes good health. Challenge is to maintain adequate nutrients intake during all periods. The primary study objective was to determine the toddlers’ dietary diversity and its determinants indifferent agricultural periods. In this repeated cross-sectional study, a 24 hours open recall was used to collect all foods eaten by toddlers. These data were collected three times in households at the Centre-West region of Burkina Faso. The dietary diversity score (DDS) equals the number of food groups consumed. The toddler’s dietary diversity was low when DDSrecommended by WHO. The associations between toddlers’ DDS with periodicity, sociodemographic, and economic variables were determined. The means of toddlers’ dietary diversity scores during agricultural mitigation, welding, and increase periods were 4.5 [4.3-4.6], 4.4 [4.2-4.5], and 4.8 [4.7-5.0], respectively. During agricultural mitigation, welding and increase periods, 77%, 73% and 87% of toddlers reached the minimum dietary diversity score, respectively. This study revealed that toddlers’ dietary diversity was associated with the province of residence, household market gardening practice, household head gender and age, toddlers’ gender and age, giving toddlers’ food from outside, and toddlers’ meal frequency. Toddlers’ dietary diversity was associated with gender, age, feeding, and agricultural practices.