Beena Mathur

High trans fatty acid content in common Indian fast foods

Purpose – Trans fatty acids (TFA) are deleterious to health and can lead to multiple diseases. The purpose of this paper is to study their content in Indian sweets and snacks (fast foods).Design/methodology/approach – The paper used the food composition and analysis tables of the Indian National Institute of Nutrition to determine fatty acid composition of common nutrients. Separate tables provide nutrient composition of various Indian sweets and snacks including methods of preparation and amount of ingredients used. The paper calculated detailed nutritive value of these fast foods with focus on fatty acid composition using these tables. The nutritive values of more than 200 Indian sweets and snacks were determined and are presented.Findings – The study shows that Indian sweets and snacks are very energy‐dense with calorie content varying from 136 to 494 kcal/100 g in sweets and 148‐603 kcal/100 g in snacks. TFA content of sweets varies from 0.3 to 17.7 g/100 g and snacks from 0.1 to 19.8 g/100 g. This tr...

Leaf concentrate as an alternative to iron and folic acid supplements for anaemic adolescent girls: a randomised controlled trial in India

OBJECTIVE Despite public health campaigns based on Fe and folic acid supplements, Fe-deficiency anaemia remains highly prevalent among women in India. We investigated leaf concentrate as an alternative to Fe and folic acid supplements for treating anaemia in adolescent girls. DESIGN Randomised controlled two-arm trial over 3 months: one group received daily Fe and folic acid (IFA; 60 mg Fe, 500 microg folic acid); the other daily leaf concentrate (LC; 5 mg Fe, 13 microg folic acid). Hb concentration, mean cell volume, serum Fe, serum ferritin and total Fe-binding capacity were measured pre- and post-intervention. SETTING Jaipur, India. SUBJECTS One hundred and two adolescent girls aged 14-18 years. RESULTS Of the 102 girls randomized to the two arms of the trial, four (3.9 %) were severely anaemic (Hb < 7 g/dl), twenty-eight (27.5 %) were moderately anaemic (Hb > or = 7 g/dl, <10 g/dl) and seventy (68.6 %) were mildly anaemic (Hb > or = 10 g/dl, <12 g/dl). In the IFA group, eleven girls (20.4 %) withdrew due to side-effects, compared with one girl (2.1 %) in the LC group (P = 0.005). Total losses to follow-up were 14/54 in the IFA group and 2/48 in the LC group. At the end of the trial, none of the eighty-six remaining girls were severely anaemic, nine (10.5 %) were moderately anaemic and twenty-six (30.2 %) were mildly anaemic; fifty-one (59.3 %) had normal Hb levels (> or = 12 g/dl). After adjustment for baseline values, LC was as effective as IFA in improving serum Fe parameters and treating anaemia. CONCLUSIONS Leaf concentrate is an effective, and more palatable, alternative to Fe and folic acid supplements for treating anaemia in adolescent girls.

Migrating husbands and changing cardiovascular risk factors in the wife: a cross sectional study in Asian Indian women

Objective The authors studied the influence of migration of husband on cardiovascular risk factors in Asian Indian women. Methods Population-based studies in women aged 35–70 years were performed in four urban and five rural locations. 4608 (rural 2604 and urban 2004) of the targeted 8000 (57%) were enrolled. Demographic details, lifestyle factors, anthropometry, fasting glucose and cholesterol were measured. Multivariate logistic and quadratic regression was performed to compare influence of migration and its duration on prevalence of risk factors. Results Details of migration were available in 4573 women (rural 2267, rural–urban migrants 455, urban 1552 and urban–rural migrants 299). Majority were married, and illiteracy was high. Median (interquartile) duration of residence in urban locations among rural–urban migrants was 9 (4–18) years and in rural areas for urban–rural migrants 23 (18–30) years. In rural, rural–urban migrants, urban and urban–rural migrants, age-adjusted prevalence (%) of risk factors was tobacco use 41.9, 22.7, 18.8 and 38.1; sedentary lifestyle 69.7, 82.0, 79.9 and 74.6; high-fat diet 33.3, 54.2, 66.1 and 61.1; overweight 21.3, 42.7, 46.3 and 29.7; large waist 8.5, 38.5, 29.2 and 29.2; hypertension 30.4, 49.4, 47.7 and 38.4; hypercholesterolaemia 14.4, 31.3, 26.6 and 9.1 and diabetes 3.9, 15.8, 14.9 and 8.4, respectively (p<0.001). In rural–urban migrants, there was a significant correlation of duration of migration with waist size, waist-to-hip ratio and systolic blood pressure (quadratic regression, p<0.001). Association of risk factors with migration remained significant, though attenuated, after adjustment for socioeconomic, lifestyle and obesity variables (logistic regression, p<0.01). Conclusions Compared with rural women, rural–urban migrants and urban have significantly greater cardiometabolic risk factors. Prevalence is lower in urban–rural migrants. There is significant correlation of duration of migration with obesity and blood pressure. Differences are attenuated after adjusting for social and lifestyle variables.

Fatty acid oxidation and other biochemical changes induced by cooking in commonly used Indian fats and oils

Purpose – Cooking can adversely affect chemical characteristics of edible oils. The purpose of this paper is to determine biochemical changes due to cooking in commonly used Indian fats and oils through an experimental study.Design/methodology/approach – Changes in chemical properties of various edible oils [Indian ghee (clarified butter), hydrogenated oil, coconut oil, mustard‐rapeseed oil, groundnut oil, soyabean oil, cottonseed oil and sunflower oil] were studied. Oils were subjected to various cooking methods (shallow frying, sauteing, single deep frying and multiple deep fryings) using an inert substance. Peroxide content was estimated as index of fatty‐acid oxidation, free fatty acids, iodine value for determination of fatty‐acid unsaturation and trans‐fatty acids at baseline and after cooking using colorimetric and gas‐liquid chromatography methods. Three samples were analyzed for each process (n = 144). Significance of change was determined using t‐test.Findings – There was a significant increase ...

Development of value added products from the leaf powders of dehydrated less utilized green leafy vegetables

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the nutritional composition and the acceptability of value-added products prepared from the dehydrated leaf mixture of underutilized green leafy vegetables (GLVs). GLVs are dense in micronutrients and are of great importance to the nutrition of population in developing countries. Nutritive value of commonly consumed GLVs has been studied extensively, but there is limited information available on nutritive value and acceptability of unconventional leafy vegetables. Design/methodology/approach – The nutritional potential and acceptability of leaf mixtures (LMs) prepared from the less-utilized leaves of beet root (Beta vulgaris), carrot (Daucus carota), cauliflower (Brassica oleracea) and turnip (Brassica rapa) which are usually discarded or are used as animal fodder were analyzed in the present study. The LM was prepared by mixing the powders of above-mentioned greens in a definite ratio (1:2:1:1). The LM was analyzed for the proximate, mineral composition (...

Effects of Lucerne leaf concentrate supplementation on the nutritional status of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients

Purpose – This paper aims to assess the effect of Lucerne leaf concentrate supplementation on the nutritional status of chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) patients.Design/methodology/approach – The study was undertaken on 21 patients in the age group of 18‐60 years suffering from myeloid leukemia. At the baseline, data on weight, height, haemoglobin, RBC count, WBC, TLC, platelet count and nutrient intake were collected for all patients. Then they were given 10 gm LC (dark green extract from Lucerne) per day for three months and after that all parameters were assessed again.Findings – Statistical analysis revealed a significant increase in Hb (p<0.05) in women, while RBC increased significantly (p<0.01) in both males and females. Pre‐ and post‐assessment of diet of the patients revealed that there was a significant increase in the energy, protein, calcium, iron, riboflavin, niacin and vitamin C in female patients, while in male patients the difference was significant for niacin only.Originality/value – Lucer...