The Journal of nutrition
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The Journal of nutrition · Dec 2013
Household food insecurity is associated with higher child undernutrition in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Vietnam, but the effect is not mediated by child dietary diversity.
Household food insecurity (HFI) is a recognized underlying determinant of child undernutrition, but evidence of associations between HFI and child undernutrition is mixed. The purpose of this study was to investigate if HFI is associated with undernutrition in children aged 6-59.9 mo in Bangladesh (n = 2356), Ethiopia (n = 3422), and Vietnam (n = 3075) and if child dietary diversity (DD) mediated this effect. We used baseline survey data from the Alive & Thrive project. ⋯ HFI was significantly associated with wasting in Bangladesh where close to 1 in 5 children demonstrated wasting. Child DD did not mediate the relation between HFI and undernutrition in any of the countries. Further research is recommended to investigate potential mediators in this pathway.
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The Journal of nutrition · Dec 2013
Maternal knowledge after nutrition behavior change communication is conditional on both health workers' knowledge and knowledge-sharing efficacy in rural Haiti.
In the context of a food assistance program in rural Haiti, we developed measures of the effectiveness of community health worker (CHW)-delivered behavior change communication (BCC). We administered knowledge tests to 954 mothers and 38 CHWs to define 4 measures: CHW knowledge, maternal knowledge, knowledge-sharing efficacy (proportion of CHW knowledge shared), and shared correct knowledge between the CHWs and the mothers with whom they interacted. On the basis of the tests, CHWs had high knowledge (93% correct), mothers scored 72% on maternal knowledge, the proportion of CHW knowledge shared was 75%, and shared correct knowledge between CHWs and mothers was 70%. ⋯ These measures provide a means of examining features of program delivery and interpreting impact evaluation results. They show that BCC outcomes are conditional on both frontline workers' knowledge and knowledge-sharing efficacy. Whereas most programs focus on content training to improve CHWs' knowledge, it is also important to strengthen process training and support to foster knowledge-sharing efficacy.
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The Journal of nutrition · Nov 2013
Fish oil alleviates activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis associated with inhibition of TLR4 and NOD signaling pathways in weaned piglets after a lipopolysaccharide challenge.
Long-chain n-3 (ω-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids exert beneficial effects in neuroendocrine dysfunctions in animal models and clinical trials. However, the mechanism(s) underlying the beneficial effects remains to be elucidated. We hypothesized that dietary treatment with fish oil (FO) could mitigate LPS-induced activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis through inhibition of Toll-like receptor 4 and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain protein signaling pathways. ⋯ Moreover, FO downregulated the mRNA expressions of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and its downstream molecules, including cluster differentiation factor 14, myeloid differentiation factor 2, myeloid differentiation factor 88, interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 1, tumor necrosis factor-α receptor-associated factor 6, and nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells p65, and also decreased the mRNA expressions of nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain 1, nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain 2, and their adaptor molecule receptor-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase 2. These results suggested that FO attenuates the activation of the HPA axis induced by LPS challenge. The beneficial effects of FO on the HPA axis may be associated with decreasing the production of brain or peripheral proinflammatory cytokines through inhibition of TLR4 and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain protein signaling pathways.
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The Journal of nutrition · Oct 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialExtracted oat and barley β-glucans do not affect cholesterol metabolism in young healthy adults.
β-Glucans are known to exhibit hypocholesterolemic effects. Increased intestinal viscosity is thought to be crucial for cholesterol lowering. It is suggested that concentration, molecular mass, and structure, including the ratio of (1→3) to (1→4) glucan bonds in the molecule, are of importance for β-glucan functionality. ⋯ The results do not fully support the hypocholesterolemic effects by differently structured oat and barley β-glucans. However, substantial differences compared with baseline suggest a potential for oat β-glucan, presumably due to its higher solubility and viscosity. This underlines the importance of elusive structural β-glucan features for beneficial physiologic effects.
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The Journal of nutrition · Sep 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialVitamin D supplementation affects serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, insulin resistance, and biomarkers of oxidative stress in pregnant women.
Unfavorable metabolic profiles and oxidative stress in pregnancy are associated with several complications. This study was conducted to determine the effects of vitamin D supplementation on serum concentrations of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), metabolic profiles, and biomarkers of oxidative stress in healthy pregnant women. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted in 48 pregnant women aged 18-40 y old at 25 wk of gestation. ⋯ Vitamin D supplementation resulted in a significant decrease in serum hs-CRP (vitamin D vs. placebo groups: -1.41 vs. +1.50 μg/mL; P-interaction = 0.01) and insulin concentrations (vitamin D vs. placebo groups: -1.0 vs. +2.6 μIU/mL; P-interaction = 0.04) and a significant increase in the Quantitative Insulin Sensitivity Check Index score (vitamin D vs. placebo groups: +0.02 vs. -0.02; P-interaction = 0.006), plasma total antioxidant capacity (vitamin D vs. placebo groups: +152 vs. -20 mmol/L; P-interaction = 0.002), and total glutathione concentrations (vitamin D vs. placebo groups: +205 vs. -32 μmol/L; P-interaction = 0.02) compared with placebo. Intake of vitamin D supplements led to a significant decrease in fasting plasma glucose (vitamin D vs. placebo groups: -0.65 vs. -0.12 mmol/L; P-interaction = 0.01), systolic blood pressure (vitamin D vs. placebo groups: -0.2 vs. +5.5 mm Hg; P-interaction = 0.01), and diastolic blood pressure (vitamin D vs. placebo groups: -0.4 vs. +3.1 mm Hg; P-interaction = 0.01) compared with placebo. In conclusion, vitamin D supplementation for 9 wk among pregnant women has beneficial effects on metabolic status.