food Nutrition

The term probiotics stands for bacterial strain acting for the upliftment of beneficial gut microflora as well as restricting the growth of decay or disease causing bacteria and other agents. They protect us from disease causing microorganisms and are vital for the digestion of nutrients and food. Researchers are now trying to explore the possibilities of therapeutic applications of probiotics in inflammatory bowel disease, treating diarrhea, eczema prevention in children, and reducing bladder cancer recurrence and urinary tract infections. The best known probiotic strains are Bifidobacteria, Lactobacilli, and Streptococcus thermophilus and can be found in food products such as yoghurts, fermented and unfermented milk, miso, tempeh, and some juices and soy beverages. Thus, as a substitute to the use of antibiotics, the dietary supplementation with probiotic bacteria is being widely employed in the aquaculture industry. This chapter is an attempt to shift the paradigm of research in probiotic area to the marine environment and to find ways of expanding the research in marine probiotics development.

Zinc fortification is recommended as an appropriate strategy to enhance population zinc status, but guidelines are needed on the appropriate types and levels of zinc fortification of cereal flours for mass fortification programs. To review available information on the scientific rationale, efficacy, and effectiveness of zinc fortification programs, and to develop guidelines on appropriate levels of fortification of cereal flours, based on simulations of the amount of zinc absorbed under different dietary conditions and information on possible adverse effects. Systematic review of scientific literature and application of an existing prediction equation to estimate zinc absorption. Previously completed research demonstrates that zinc intake and absorption are increased when zinc-fortified foods are consumed, but little information is, as yet, available on the biologic impact of large-scale fortification programs. Studies suggest that there are no disadvantages of the recommended range...

In Bangladesh, poor infant and young child feeding practices are contributing to the burden of infectious diseases and malnutrition. Objective. To estimate the determinants of selected feeding practices and key indicators of breastfeeding and complementary feeding in Bangladesh. The sample included 2482 children aged 0 to 23 months from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey of 2004. The World Health Organization (WHO)-recommended infant and young child feeding indicators were estimated, and selected feeding indicators were examined against a set of individual-, household-, and community-level variables using univariate and multivariate analyses. Only 27.5% of mothers initiated breastfeeding within the first hour after birth, 99.9% had ever breastfed their infants, 97.3% were currently breastfeeding, and 22.4% were currently bottle-feeding. Among infants under 6 months of age, 42.5% were exclusively breastfed, and among those aged 6 to 9 months, 62.3% received complementary fo...

Food powders are used in everyday life in many ways and offer technological solutions to the problem of food production. The natural origin of food powders, diversity in their chemical composition, variability of the raw materials, heterogeneity of the native structures, and physicochemical reactivity under hydrothermal stresses contribute to the complexity in their behavior. Food powder agglomeration has recently been considered according to a multiscale approach, which is followed in the chapter layout: (i) at the particle scale, by a presentation of particle properties and surface reactivity in connection with the agglomeration mechanisms, (ii) at the mechanisms scale, by describing the structuration dynamics of agglomerates, (iii) at the process scale, by a presentation of agglomeration technologies and sensors and by studying the stress transmission mode in the powder bed, and finally (iv) by an integration of the acquired knowledge, thanks to a dimensional analysis carried out...

Efforts to determine the impact of prenatal multivitamin supplementation on birth outcome have been carried out in several developing countries. A review of factors that would impact the effectiveness of prenatal supplementation under normal field conditions is currently lacking and will be required for expanded supplementation programs. An efficacy trial of a multiple micronutrient supplement for pregnant women was conducted in rural western China, and additional information on side effects, rates of adherence, program inputs, and cost was also gathered. To examine reports of side effects and rates of adherence to prenatal multiple micronutrient supplementation in comparison with supplementation with folic acid and with iron-folic acid, and to describe inputs and costs associated with prenatal supplementation in China. A cluster-randomized, double-blind, controlled trial was conducted in two rural counties in northwest China. All pregnant women in villages were randomly assigned to...

The morama bean is an underutilized leguminous oilseed native to the Kalahari Desert and neighboring sandy regions of Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa (Limpopo, North-West, Gauteng, and Northern Cape provinces), and forms part of the diet of the indigenous population in these countries. It is also known as gemsbok bean, moramaboontjie, elandboontjie, braaiboonjie, marama, marumana, tsi, tsin, gami, and ombanui. It is reported as an excellent source of good quality protein (29–39%); its oil (24–48%) is rich in mono- and di-unsaturated fatty acids and contains no cholesterol. Morama is a good source of micronutrients such as calcium, iron, zinc, phosphate, magnesium, and B vitamins including folate. It is also reported to be a potential source of phytonutrients including phenolic compounds (e.g., tannins), trypsin inhibitors, phytates, and oligosaccharides, components which have been shown in other foods to contribute to health in particular, prevention of noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and some cancers. From a nutritional and health perspective, the morama bean has potential commercial value as a cash crop and value-added products, particularly in the communities where it is found.

The Government of Bangladesh implemented a comprehensive nutrition intervention in 1997 to reduce the rates of malnutrition among women and children. The pilot program, the Bangladesh Integrated Nutrition Program (BINP), adopted a multisectoral approach targeting women and children through food supplementation, home gardening, and health and nutrition education. This paper estimates the effectiveness of BINP's food supplementation and nutrition education on the nutritional status of pregnant women. Methods. Three effectiveness measures were considered: target efficiency, improvements in the nutritional status of beneficiaries, and the persistence of nutritional effects. To isolate the effects of the intervention, the nutritional status of participants and nonparticipants was compared after controlling for various demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Data were collected in 2000 from a random sample of 3262 households in a BINP intervention area. Thirty-nine percent of p...

The importance of folate in reproduction can be appreciated by considering that the existence of the vitamin was first suspected from efforts to explain a potentially fatal megaloblastic anemia in young pregnant women in India. Today, low maternal folate status during pregnancy and lactation remains a significant cause of maternal morbidity in some communities. The folate status of the neonate tends to be protected at the expense of maternal stores; nevertheless, there is mounting evidence that inadequate maternal folate status during pregnancy may lead to low infant birthweight, thereby conferring risk of developmental and long-term adverse health outcomes. Moreover, folate-related anemia during childhood and adolescence might predispose children to further infections and disease. The role of folic acid in prevention of neural tube defects (NTD) is now established, and several studies suggest that this protection may extend to some other birth defects. In terms of maternal health, clinical vitamin B12 deficiency may be a cause of infertility or recurrent spontaneous abortion. Starting pregnancy with an inadequate vitamin B12 status may increase risk of birth defects such as NTD, and may contribute to preterm delivery, although this needs further evaluation. Furthermore, inadequate vitamin B12 status in the mother may lead to frank deficiency in the infant if sufficient fetal stores of vitamin B12 are not laid down during pregnancy or are not available in breastmilk. However, the implications of starting pregnancy and lactation with low vitamin B12 status have not been sufficiently researched.

Honey is a natural product with recognized physical and chemical properties, which contribute to its biological activity. However, honey is currently being sold at low prices, making it imperative to find alternatives to make apiculture a viable national enterprise. One of these alternatives could be mead production. Despite the excellent properties of honey, mead production faces several problems, namely, delays and "pouts" fermentations, lack of product uniformity, and production of yeast off-flavors. Many factors might be related with these problems, such as honey variety, temperature, medium composition (vitamin and nitrogen content), fermentative yeast, and pH. Due to all these factors, mead production has decreased over the years. To overcome this situation, more research is needed to optimize the production of this beverage. This chapter presents a comprehensive review of previous research on mead production. It will focus on honey characterization and mead producti...

Dairy products are important in a healthy diet due to their high nutritional value; they are, however, associated with relatively large greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) per kg product. When discussing the need to reduce the GHGE caused by the food system, it is crucial to consider the nutritional value of alternative food choices. The objective of this study was to elucidate the role of dairy products in overall nutrition and to clarify the effects of dietary choices on GHGE, and to combine nutritional value and GHGE data. We created eight dietary scenarios with different quantity of dairy products using data from the Danish National Dietary Survey (1995-2006). Nutrient composition and GHGE data for 71 highly consumed foods were used to estimate GHGE and nutritional status for each dietary scenario. An index was used to estimate nutrient density in relation to nutritional recommendation and climate impact for solid food items; high index values were those with the highest nutrient density scores in relation to the GHGE. The high-dairy scenario resulted in 27% higher protein, 13% higher vitamin D; 55% higher calcium; 48% higher riboflavin; and 18% higher selenium than the non-dairy scenario. There was a significant correlation between changes in calcium and changes in vitamin D, selenium, and riboflavin content (P=0.0001) throughout all of the diets. The estimated GHGE for the dietary scenario with average-dairy consumption was 4,631 g CO2e/day. When optimizing a diet with regard to sustainability, it is crucial to account for the nutritional value and not solely focus on impact per kg product. Excluding dairy products from the diet does not necessarily mitigate climate change but in contrast may have nutritional consequences.

Overweight and obesity are among the most prevalent nutritional problems in developed and developing countries. In this descriptive study, we attempted to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Iranian adolescent girls attending high school in Tabriz. A sample of 1,650 (final study group, 1,518) high-school girls aged 14 to 20 years was selected by stepwise random sampling from five districts of Tabriz. Overweight and obesity were defined according to body mass index (BMI) percentiles from the First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES I) and the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) BMI cutoffs. According to the NHANES I criteria, 14.6% of the study subjects were overweight or obese. Overweight and obesity was seen in 11. 1% and 3.6% of the students, respectively. By the IOTF cutoffs, 14% of the subjects were overweight or obese. Overweight and obesity were seen in 10.1% and 3.9% of the students, respectively. Of the study subjects, 8% had a BMI...

Laminaria is a kelp that finds its place in the brown algae family. It has been an area of study for past many years, and its wonderful biological properties have always attracted medical professionals and researchers to explore more and more from this wonder kelp. The constituents of Laminaria include iodine, potassium, magnesium, calcium and iron. Iodine compounds, TEA-hydroiodide in particular, are great lipolytic agents as they stimulate lipase activity. Laminarins on the other hand are used as a tumor angiogenic blocker. This genus of the kelps is also rich in algin, a high molecular weight polysaccharide that forms viscous colloidal solutions or gels in water leading to the use of kelp derivatives as bulk laxatives. It has great applications in cosmeceutical science, as well as some antibacterial properties have also been assigned to Laminaria. A deeper insight into the physical, biological, and chemical properties of this wonder kelp would lead to further exploitation of Laminaria for medicinal and cosmeceutical purpose.