BMC Nutrition最新文献

Background: Amelioration of maternal nutrition is crucial in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), that experiences political instability and malnutrition. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of nutrition-specific interventions on nutritional knowledge, dietary practices, and hemoglobin (Hb) status among lactating mothers in the Bukavu region, DRC.

Methods: A randomized, controlled trial was conducted with 416 mother-infant pairs from 3-6 to 6-9 months postpartum. The mothers were classified according to their mid-upper-arm circumference (MUAC) and subsequently assigned to the following intervention and control groups by block randomization: low MUAC-nutrition education, low MUAC-lipid-based nutrient supplements, low MUAC-control; normal MUAC-control; high MUAC-nutrition education, high MUAC-control. The pre- and post-intervention assessments included questionnaires on nutritional knowledge and practice to calculate scores (range 0-1); 24 h dietary recalls to calculate the Dietary Diversity Score (DDS, range 0-10); and measurement of maternal Hb. Changes of these parameters from pre- to post-intervention were analyzed by linear mixed models.

Results: The change of total knowledge score from pre- to post-intervention was significantly positively affected by reception of nutrition education with a model-based mean difference of 0.161 between mothers with nutrition education compared to those without (p = 0.000). The change in DDS was not affected, but there was a positive impact of nutrition education on the modification of complementary feeding practices (OR 2.930, p = 0.030). Change in maternal Hb was not different between the intervention and control groups with higher increases among mothers with anemia compared to all mothers.

Conclusion: Nutrition education can positively influence knowledge and potentially complementary feeding, while further measures may be required for beneficial effects on anemia.

Trial registration: The study was registered prospectively at the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS; DRKS-ID DRKS00012842) on November 27, 2017.

Background: Micronutrients are nutrients needed in small amounts to support body growth, development, and daily functions. Folate is an important nutrient for maintaining good health. Low folate levels are linked to a higher risk of various diseases.

Objective: This research explored how diet and lifestyle factors relate to serum folate levels among female students at An-Najah National University in Nablus, Palestine. Najah National.

Method: This study used a cross-sectional approach to check folate levels in female students at An-Najah National University. A survey was given out from September 15th to October 20th, 2023. It asked questions about factors that influence blood folate and collected basic personal information. Fasting blood samples were also taken from participants to measure serum folate levels. The study involved 180 female students, all aged between 18 and 30 years old.

Results: The mean serum folate level was 4.82 ng/ml, with a standard deviation of 3.38. Significant differences in folate levels were observed based on where people lived, family size, and income. Levels were highest in rural villages, among families of medium size, and in those with higher income, all with P-values less than 0.05. Factors such as BMI, marital status, and education did not significantly influence folate levels. Age and employment status also showed no meaningful effect, with P-values equal to or greater than 0.05. Food choices, sources of folate, types of drinks, and exercise habits significantly impacted serum folate levels, each with P-values below 0.05. Additionally, smoking, whether passive or through water pipes, along with COVID-19 and various environmental factors, also affected these levels (P-value < 0.05).

Conclusion: Serum folate levels were linked to various demographic, lifestyle, and dietary factors among Palestinian female students. Folate plays a key role in maintaining good health. Therefore, it is important to raise awareness about lifestyle choices and diet changes that can boost folate levels. Promoting healthy habits could help improve overall folate status in the community.

Background: Vitamin D deficiency is increasingly recognised as a risk factor for non-communicable diseases, including hypertension. However, evidence on their relationship remains inconsistent, particularly in middle and low-income countries like Nepal. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among hypertensive and normotensive adults, and identify the demographic, anthropometric and clinical risk factors among hypertensive adults attending a tertiary care hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 108 adults (54 hypertensive and 54 normotensive) at Nepal Medical College and Teaching Hospital from September 2024 to March 2025. Data on sociodemographic factors, anthropometric variables and clinical parameters were collected. Serum 25(OH)D was measured using Chemiluminescence Immunoassay (CLIA), and was categorised as sufficient (≥ 30 ng/ml), insufficient (20-29 ng/ml) and deficient (< 20 ng/ml). Blood pressure was classified according to the 7th Joint National Committee on the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure. Group comparisons were performed using the Chi-Square test, and significant variables were subjected to multiple logistic regression.

Results: Overall, 42.6% were vitamin D deficient. Although deficiency was more prevalent in hypertensive than normotensive, the association was only borderline significant (p = 0.05) and did not remain significant after post-hoc correction. In multiple logistic regression, abdominal obesity (AOR: 2.8; 95% CI: 1.2-6.7; p = 0.019), dyslipidemia (AOR: 2.8; 95% CI: 1.2-7.2; p = 0.024) and having a family history of hypertension (AOR: 2.7; 95% CI: 1.1-6.8; p = 0.028) were independently associated with increased odds of hypertension. The overall model explained 24% of variance in hypertensive status (Nagelkerke R² = 0.24).

Conclusions: Dyslipidemia, abdominal obesity and family history were significant predictors of hypertension in this cohort, while vitamin D deficiency showed a non-significant association with hypertension. Nonetheless, the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency highlights the need for increased public health awareness and preventive healthcare strategies. Larger population-based studies are needed to understand the role of vitamin D in the prevention and control of hypertension in Nepal.

Background: Approximately 40% of fatalities in developing nations are associated with chronic energy deficiency. However, studies on chronic energy deficiency which is one form of nutritional deficiency and an important public health problem are quite limited (especially 50-65 years old population, because most studies have focused heavily on elders older than 65 and Ethiopian demographic data often focused less than 49 years), which makes it difficult to identify their nutritional need. In other word as life expectancy in Ethiopia rises and its older population grows, there is pressing need for quality information on their nutritional status.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess chronic energy deficiency and its predictors among the population of older adults (defined as 50 years and above) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among older adults 50 years and above from February 12-22, 2025 with 100% response rate. Data from 635 individuals were collected using the open-source mobile based Kobo toolbox. Data were downloaded, merged and cleaned on Excel 2019 and then imported to SPSS V27. A bi-variable and multivariable logistic regression model was used to determine associations between the outcome variable and its predictors.

Result: A total of 635 older adults were interviewed with mean age of the participants was 64.7 (50 to 91) years with higher percentage of males (58.4%) represented. The study revealed that prevalence of chronic energy deficiency (CED) in older adult population was 10.1% (CI:7.9%-12.6%).Respondents in the age between 50 and 65 [AOR = 3.9, 95% CI: 1.6-9.3], those having infrequent meal [AOR = 3.9, 95% CI: 1.7-8.8],irregular meal pattern [AOR = 2.4, 95% CI: 1.3-4.6],insomnia [AOR = 3.1, 95% CI: 1.5-6.6], Inadequate or poor dietary diversity [AOR = 2.8, 95% CI: 1.5-5.3] and household with food insecurity [AOR = 6.2, 95% CI 3.2-12.2] were significantly more likely to have CED compared to their counterparts.

Conclusion: The prevalence of chronic energy deficiency was substantial in the study area. It was significantly associated with age between 50 and 65, poor dietary diversity score, infrequent meal and irregular meal pattern, insomnia and household food insecurity. Therefore, efforts to combat CED should focus on supporting the most vulnerable groups identified in this study. Raising awareness within communities on meal frequency and meal pattern is also crucial.

Background: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is crucial for brain development, neuronal function, and metabolism. This systematic review aims to comprehensively examine the impact of various diets on BDNF levels, addressing gaps in understanding diet's influence on BDNF's role in neuroprotection and metabolism.

Method: This systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines. An extensive search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus up to April 2024, using terms related to diet and BDNF. Relevant clinical trials involving adults were included. Data extraction covered study design, participant details, and outcomes, with quality assessed using the Cochrane method. Clarifications from authors were sought as needed to ensure comprehensive analysis.

Results: This review examined 7633 articles to assess the impact of various diets on BDNF levels, narrowing down to 13 studies. The study found varying effects: intermittent fasting and ketogenic diets generally increased BDNF, while other diets showed minimal or no impact. The review highlights diverse outcomes and the need for further research on dietary effects on BDNF.

Conclusion: The review found that fasting and calorie restriction diets generally increase BDNF levels, while other dietary interventions showed inconsistent effects. Further research is needed to better understand these dietary impacts on BDNF and to develop optimized strategies for enhancing cognitive health and managing obesity.

Background: Unfavorable perinatal complications, such as low-birth-weight infant, premature infant, and small for gestational age (SGA), continue to be significant community health emergencies in low- and middle-income nations. These results are mainly influenced by insufficient maternal diet quality and social inequality, and income disparity. Though several studies have researched these relations, there is a limited synthesis of their joint effect on prenatal results, underlining the essential of inclusive assessment.

Objective: This scoping review is designed to map and make accessible statistics on maternal diet quality and social and economic factors in relation to intimidating delivery consequences among expectant mothers in developing countries.

Methods: Re-examine the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. An exhaustive examination was performed in PubMed, Science Direct, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Scopus, Google Scholar, and MedRxiv for investigations published between January 2000 and December 2024. Revision quality was assessed by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale to ensure methodological consistency and rigor.

Results: Eighty-two studies met the inclusion criteria. Suboptimal dietary variety (≤ 5 food classifications per day) was importantly connected with underweight and premature at birth (AOR: 2.45; 95% CI: 1.55-3.87). Skipping meals was expected premature delivery (AOR: 2.62; 95% CI: 1.41-4.89), whereas food insufficiencies amplified the threat of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) (AOR: 2.18; 95% CI: 1.02-4.63). Narcotics misuse, uneducated, low income, being a country dweller, and reduced judgment self-sufficiency were reliably associated with associated effect.

Conclusions: Nutrition during pregnancy and social exclusion, and poverty-stricken conjointly impact pregnancy outcomes in low- and middle-income countries. Integrated policies combining nutrition-specific interventions with socioeconomic empowerment are critical to improving maternal and neonatal health.