Basil H. Aboul-Enein

Health-Promoting Verses as mentioned in the Holy Quran

The Quran is regarded as both the spiritual and behavioral guidance for all Muslims. This narrative study was designed at examining relevant health-promoting verses in the Quran and to identify the chapters and verses where keywords and phrases are mentioned relevant to health promotion and behavior. Twenty-eight verses were identified, with a focus on diet and nutrition, personal hygiene, alcohol abstention, and the importance of a healthy lifestyle. These results suggest that the Quran could serve as an influential medium for culturally competent public health practitioners in diverse populations, particularly in Muslim communities, for improving and maintaining healthy behaviors.

Public awareness of the abuse of herbs and drugs to decrease body weight: a novel national survey in Jordan

ObjectivesThe aim of this investigation was to measure the degree of public preferences regarding the various weight-loss practices and to assess the level of awareness regarding the risks and health hazards associated with the application of unhealthful measures to lose weight.MethodsApproximately 30,000 individuals selected from various regions in Jordan filled in a self−reported questionnaire. Participants were interviewed by well–trained senior pharmacy students and were asked to report their response to various aspects regarding body weight-loss practices.ResultsOf the respondents, 74.55% agreed that dietary restriction is the major intervention to lose weight. A modest majority of respondents (39.09%) believed that nervousness and irritability are serious drawbacks for uncontrolled administration of the hormone thyroxine. The highest percentage of responding females (67.12%) reported diarrhea as a major adverse effect to laxative abuse.DiscussionThe availability and the number of adverse events associated with herbal and dietary supplements to lose weight are on the rise. Obese patients should consider realistic expectations and be encouraged to follow healthy lifestyle interventions. Health care professionals are best suited to educate obese patients about unhealthy practices like laxative and diuretic abuse.

Dietary transition and obesity in selected Arabic-speaking countries: a review of the current evidence

Escalating obesity rates have become a significant public health problem in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and have been associated with shifts towards a westernized diet. This integrative review aimed to examine the current dietary trends and transitions and their association with obesity in Arabic-speaking countries of the MENA region. Relevant databases were searched for studies in MENA countries between 1998 and 2014 that investigated obesity trends and changes in dietary patterns at the regional level in all age groups. A total of 39 articles fulfilled the inclusion criteria. All the articles noted that obesity was increasingly prevalent and that there was a significant dietary shift away from traditional dietary patterns; 51% reported a shift towards a westernized diet and half found that the western diet was correlated with increased obesity. Culturally relevant dietary health education and health promotion strategies are warranted to address both the dietary shifts towards the westernized diet and the increasing obesity.

Reflections of the Holy Quran and the Mediterranean diet: A culturally congruent approach to obesity?

© 2015 - IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved. BACKGROUND: The Holy Quran is considered to be the authoritative spiritual and behavioral guide for practicing Muslims all around the world. With obesity becoming a growing public health problem in the predominantly Muslim Arab countries, culturally competent dietary and health-promoting strategies and interventions are warranted. The traditional Mediterranean-style diet (MD), which is considered among the healthiest diets, holds both a cultural and historical context within the dietary traditions of North Africa and the Middle East. OBJECTIVE: To conduct a narrative study of relevant passages mentioned in the Holy Quran which supports the characteristic features associated with the MD. METHODS: A narrative review of the Holy Quran in both electronic and hard cover format was carried out to identify key foods and features that are characteristic of the MD. RESULTS: A total of 24 relevant passages were identified with a significant focus on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains commonly associated with the MD. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that the Holy Quran could serve as a significant influential source for culturally competent health educators, dietitians, and health professionals serving in Muslim populations in North Africa and the Middle East for improving and maintaining dietary patterns and features that resemble the MD.

Dietary alkylresorcinols and cancer prevention: a systematic review

The potential role of alkylresorcinol compound from whole grains for prevention and inhibition of human cancer cell lines has been reported in observational and in vitro studies. The objective of this study was to present an updated review on the association between alkylresorcinols and cancer risk and aspects of their bioactivity with implications for carcinogenesis. Relevant studies were identified by searching PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest, EBSCOhost, SpringerLink, ArticleFirst, Taylor & Francis, Wiley Online, and ScienceDirect electronic databases using these search terms and key words: alkylresorcinols, cancer, carcinoma, risk. Furthermore, references from retrieved articles were also reviewed. Four observational and 10 in vitro studies were included in the analysis of natural or synthetic alkylresorcinols for anticancer activities. Two prospective studies reported a 52–66% risk reduction of distal colon cancer at nanomolar alkylresorcinols concentration in plasma; the remaining studies found no reduction of endometrial cancer risk and an approximate 40% increase in prostate cancer risk. In vitro studies presented inhibition of human colon, breast, lung, central nervous system, adenocarcinoma, hepatocarcinoma, cervix squamous carcinoma, and ovarian cancer cell lines, at micromolar alkylresorcinols concentration. Evidence from prospective studies confirmed significant inverse associations between whole grains intake and distal colon cancer risk. Model studies suggest a high cytotoxicity of alkylresorcinols toward cancer cells. These findings maintain that alkylresorcinols as components of whole grains are likely to find application in cancer prevention; however, the need for intervention studies to confirm their preventive action is warranted.

Feasibility of Internet-based Post-secondary Nutrition Education: Incorporating Features of the Mediterranean Diet.

BACKGROUND The Internet continues to serve as an ideal venue for health education interventions promoting behavior change. Due to the progressive expansion in online education programs, new methodologies that contribute across health education and program planning continuums are needed. METHODS This ecologic study investigated the change in student dietary behav-ior and food choices following an original online education intervention that introduced the Mediterranean diet (MD) in a community college in Houston, Texas. A non-probability convenience sample (n=65) provided pretest-posttest data measuring knowledge of and attitudes toward the MD. The intervention was incorporated into an undergraduate nutrition course, delivered entirely online and evaluated using the Mediterranean Diet Quality Index (KIDMED) survey. RESULTS The intervention improved total participant population from a mean KIDMED score of poor (4.12) to a mean score of high (8.45) indicating an increase in knowledge of MD dietary guidelines and a positive shift in favorable attitude, particularly among men. CONCLUSION This study provides a unique pedagogical illustration of online learn-ing that introduce a specific evidence-based dietary guideline to a college student population. A detailed discussion of findings and lessons learned is provided.

Selected weight management interventions for military populations in the United States: a narrative report.

Overweight and obesity continues to be a significant public health burden in the US and particularly among military personnel. Although the US Department of Defense mandates standardized physical activity requirements for military members, incidence and prevalence of overweight and obesity among military personnel continue to increase. Each military department controls their own interventional strategies for physical fitness and weight control. However, unique challenges such as geographic transients, lack of central standardization and empirical efficacy data across military departments, and chronic stress associated with military service adversely affect program outcomes. This brief narrative report explores overweight and obesity interventions among military populations from 2006 to 2016 and includes programmatic reviews of eight overweight and obesity interventions: The Prevention of Obesity in Military Community; Health Eating, Activity, and Lifestyle Training Headquarters (H.E.A.L.T.H); ArmyMOVE!; L.I.F.E.; Look AHEAD; Nutrition-focused Wellness Coaching; Go for Green; and LE3AN. A majority of these interventions did not report significant weight loss 6 months post intervention, and did not mention a theoretical foundation within the interventions. Further research to examine the importance of theory-based programming is warranted to improve process and outcome objectives.

Ancel Benjamin Keys (1904–2004): His early works and the legacy of the modern Mediterranean diet:

Culturally congruent dietary patterns have evolved with geographic and societal traditions and can be traced as far back as pre-Hellenistic Greece. Today, the modern Mediterranean diet (MDiet) is recognized internationally as an anti-obesogenic cardioprotective dietary model consisting of plant-based foods native to the Mediterranean basin, fish, olive oil, and an active lifestyle. With the assumption that obesity and heart disease rates adversely affected life expectancy, the MDiet was identified by Dr Ancel Keys as a primary characteristic among people-groups largely immune to these trends. Following extensive research on how food quality affected human performance, Keys engineered the largest ecologic investigation of dietary habits and their effects on heart disease and longevity known as the Seven Countries Study. A new understanding of how regionally and culturally specific diets affected entire populations led to the introduction of the MDiet to the global public health community. This historiographic portrait of Dr Keys describes his humble beginnings, highlights critical points in his career, discusses his seminal research into diet and culture as protective agents, and details his legacy as the pioneer of the modern MDiet.

Contemporary public health perspectives of the Holy Quran for the 21st century

Since the early islamic renaissance, our understanding of medicine, science, and theoretical frameworks has shaped and continues to shape evidence-based public health epistemology and practice. the motivations of early Muslim scholars to advance human health stemmed from the teachings and interpretations of the holy Quran. to such an extent were these motivations, that islamic teaching acknowledged the pursuit of knowledge as an act of worship. regarded as the word of the divine, the holy Quran is the quintessential text and guidance of the islamic way of life for Muslims worldwide. With this in mind, there has been a growing interest in the holy Quran in its use and applicability to aspects of public health. Several recent studies have proposed the holy Quran as a faith-based culturally congruent resource to address obesity and nutrition-related priorities1–5 with plantbased foods such as dates, figs, olives, grapes, pomegranates, and whole grains clearly cited. disciplinespecific applications of the holy Quran have also been studied recently from the perspectives of mental health,6 maternal and child health,7 and cardiovascular health.8,9 An examination of islamic principles has placed a considerable emphasis on the importance of water resource management and water conservation,10,11 environmental justice and stewardship,12–14 conservation and biodiversity,15–17 and sustainability.18,19 Although several published works13,19–24 have recently begun exploring various aspects of islamic ethos and Quranic-based principles as it relates to the environment, nature, and environmental health, its application to practice remains largely unexplored. Future research directions should focus on incorporating and evaluating the holy Quran’s applicability and efficacy in the form of culturally congruent interventions for public health promotion and education in Muslim communities around the world, as well as cultural competence training for global public health professionals. A close evaluation of the holy Quran and islamic-based principles as they relate to global public health priorities and complexities may help broaden our perspectives to new ways of thinking that bind the past to the present.

Marks of Ambivalence of Homosexuality Between Arab Literary Works and Islamic Jurisprudence: A Brief Historiographical Commentary

Islamic attitudes about homosexuality have been discussed in Western literature for more than a century. Writers such as English Orientalist and traveler, Sir Richard Francis Burton, appeared resentful to Western prudery with writings unusually open and frank about his interest in sexuality. He postulated that male homosexuality was prevalent in an area of the southern latitudesknownas theSotadiczone.Aspecificgeographicalarea with specific longitudinal co-ordinates in which he theorized a blending of masculine and feminine temperaments responsible for a greater propensity toward homosexuality (Burton, 2002). The prolific T. E. Lawrence (of Arabia) wrote in Seven Pillars, when discussing relationships between young male fighters during theArabRevolt, referred tooneoccasion to“theopenness andhonestyofperfect love”andonanother to “friendsquivering together in the yielding sand with intimate hot limbs in supreme embrace” (Lawrence, 1991, p. 508). Contemporary Muslim scholars contend that all humans are “naturally” heterosexual and that homosexualitywas adeviation from that true nature. All Islamic schools of thought and jurisprudence consider homosexual acts unlawful. However, punishmenthasvariedaccording to the traditional schools of Islamic legal thought. Each differs in terms of penalty, ranging from severepunishment,suchasimprisonment,flagellationordeathto little or no punishment (Jamal, 2001). Certain minor doctrines, such as Zahiri (a Sunnite school of thought) and Rafida (a Shiite doctrine), affirm that homosexuals should not be punished (Dialmy, 2010). All these punishments addressed homosexuality as being the act of only anal penetration by aman.Kissing, caressing, and forms of intercrural sex were technically not homosexual behaviors and thusnot subject to suchpunishments (Amer,2009).TheHanafischoolof thought,whichwas theofficial school of the Ottoman Empire, considered anal intercourse between men the same as illicit vaginal intercourse between a man and a woman (El-Rouayheb, 2005). Previous positions on Islamic jurisprudence regarding homosexuality have argued that Islamic criminal law serves the interests of health and well-being of the individual and society by forbidding unlawful sexual intercourse, i.e., homosexual relationships (al-liwāṭ), adultery, and fornication (al-zina), labeling such activities as “destructive to the health ofman.” These positionsdeclared that Islamencouragesyouth tomarryandtosatisfy sexualurgeswithin theconfinesofmaritalboundariesasameans to prevent the spread of sexually transmissible diseases (STDs) (Deuraseh, 2008). Thedepthofanger towardsame-sexrelationshas led inmany Muslim-majority societies to the promulgation of legislation that not only criminalizes homosexual relations, but also imposing harsh penalties such as flogging and long prison sentences. Muslimethical literaturehas citedhomosexual andextramarital relations as primary reasons for the spread of STDs, specifically AIDS, since about 1985 as an illness pertaining to theWestern homosexual world. Its spread in Muslim countries has forced religiousfigures to confront theproblem, though thismeant recognition of a reality about sexuality that they would have preferred to ignore (Francesca, 2002). In effect, this may result in potential barriers to sex education and in the inability of selfidentifiedhomosexualpeople toeffectivelycommunicateopenly abouthealth issues related tosexualbehaviors, thereby reducing their ability to employ successful preventive strategies within the dimensions of safe sex education (Loue, 2011; Smerecnik, Schaalma, Gerjo, Meijer, & Poelman, 2010). Inmost parts of the Arabworld, homosexual activity or leanings, as with other expressiveways of sexuality, are rarely given much publicity. These are private affairs, especially considering that homosexual relations are forbidden according to the Holy B. H. Aboul-Enein (&) School of Health Sciences, University of South Dakota, 414 E. Clark St., Vermillion, SD 57069, USA e-mail: basil.aboulenein@usd.edu