Nutrition
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Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) continues to be major public health problem in India. It is estimated that about 20% of maternal deaths are directly related to anemia and another 50% of maternal deaths are associated with it. The question, therefore, is why, despite being the first country to launch the National Nutritional Anemia Prophylaxis Programme in 1970, the problem of IDA remains so widespread. ⋯ Inadequate dietary intake of iron, defective iron absorption, increased iron requirements due to repeated pregnancies and lactation, poor iron reserves at birth, timing of umbilical cord clamping, timing and type of complementary food introduction, frequency of infections in children, and excessive physiological blood loss during adolescence and pregnancy are some of the causes responsible for the high prevalence of anemia in India. In addition, there are other multiple programmatic and organizational issues. This review, therefore, is an attempt to examine the current burden of anemia in India, its epidemiology, and the various issues regarding its prevention and control, as well as to offer some innovative approaches to deal with this major health problem.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Reducing iron deficiency anemia in Bolivian school children: calcium and iron combined versus iron supplementation alone.
The aim of this study was to determine the effect of combined calcium and iron versus single iron supplementation on iron status in Bolivian schoolchildren. ⋯ Combined calcium and iron supplementation is equally as effective as single iron supplementation in reducing the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia in Bolivian school children.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Bifidobacteria supplementation: effects on plasma lipid profiles in dyslipidemic children.
Preclinical investigations support the use of probiotics in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia, but clinical evidence is often contrasting. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a probiotic formulation containing three Bifidobacterium strains on lipid profiles in children affected by primary dyslipidemia. ⋯ Treatment with a Bifidobacterium probiotic formulation was well tolerated and useful in combination with to diet therapy. Children with dyslipidemia benefited from this approach, although the results need to be confirmed by larger controlled studies.
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This review provides the epidemiologic and research evidences documenting the effects of coffee consumption on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We summarize the literature concerning the effects of coffee consumption on different mechanistic factors involving in pathogenesis of T2DM, such as glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity, insulin resistance, glucose-6-phosphatase, intestinal glucose absorption, antioxidant activity, inflammatory biomarkers, nuclear factor-κB inhibition, glucose uptake, glucose homeostasis, glucose metabolism, and insulin secretion. ⋯ Overall, the experimental and epidemiologic evidences presented here elucidate the protective effects of coffee consumption on T2DM, involving multiple preventive mechanisms. Despite the firm evidences available through a growing literature base, it is still uncertain whether the use of coffee should be recommended to patients with diabetes and/or any patient who might be at the risk of T2DM as a supplementary therapy to prevent further progression of T2DM.
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There is a significant amount of controversy related to the optimal amount of dietary carbohydrate. This review summarizes the health-related positives and negatives associated with carbohydrate restriction. On the positive side, there is substantive evidence that for many individuals, low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets can effectively promote weight loss. ⋯ LCDs that are high in saturated fat appear to raise low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and may exacerbate endothelial dysfunction. However, for the significant percentage of the population with insulin resistance or those classified as having metabolic syndrome or prediabetes, there is much experimental support for consumption of a moderately restricted carbohydrate diet (i.e., one providing approximately 26%-44 % of calories from carbohydrate) that emphasizes high-quality carbohydrate sources. This type of dietary pattern would likely lead to favorable changes in the aforementioned cardiovascular disease risk factors, while minimizing the potential negatives associated with consumption of the more restrictive LCDs.