J Am Diet Assoc
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The potential additive effect of obesity on selected nutritional, immunologic, hormonal, and clinical outcome parameters was evaluated. ⋯ The data demonstrate the many metabolic and biochemical aberrations associated with obesity, distinct from the burn injury itself, and suggest that the overweight burn patient is at increased risk of morbidity. Given the prevalence of obesity in the United States, greater attention clearly needs to be given to its prevention and management.
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A number of previous studies have found that prenatal participation in the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) improves birth outcomes, but only a few studies have provided cost-benefit analyses. The present study linked Medicaid and WIC data files to birth certificates for live births in North Carolina in 1988. Women who received Medicaid benefits and prenatal WIC services had substantially lower rates of low and very low birth weight than did women who received Medicaid but not prenatal WIC. ⋯ It was estimated that for each $1.00 spent on WIC services, Medicaid savings in costs for newborn medical care were $2.91. A higher level of WIC participation was associated with better birth outcomes and lower costs. These results indicate that prenatal WIC participation can effectively reduce low birth weight and newborn medical care costs among infants born to women in poverty.
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Twenty-three fruits, 33 vegetables, 41 grain products, 7 legumes, 4 nuts, and 9 miscellaneous foods were analyzed by an accurate chemical method to determine their dietary fiber content and composition. The mean (+/- standard deviation) dietary fiber content of fruits was 1.4 +/- 0.7 g/100 g (fresh weight); of vegetables, 2.0 +/- 0.8 g; of 32 refined grains (less than 5% fiber), 2.3 +/- 1.0 g; of legumes, 4.0 +/- 0.7 g; and of nuts, 6.4 +/- 2.1 g; the dietary fiber content of nine higher-fiber grains (greater than 5%) was variable. The soluble fiber fraction averaged 23% of the total fiber in refined grains, 3% in nuts, and 13% to 20% in the other food groups. ⋯ The soluble fiber fraction was lower than what has been reported because the distribution of total fiber between the soluble and insoluble fractions is determined by the method of analysis. The analyses used in this study demonstrated that the concentration of dietary fiber in many frequently consumed foods is 1% to 3%. The generally similar fiber concentrations of food within a group--fruits, vegetables, refined grains, and legumes--suggest that an average value for the fiber concentration in that group can be used to rank food intakes and histories into low, medium, or high dietary fiber contents.