Che Wan Jasimah Wan Mohamed Radzi

Antiobesity effect of caraway extract on overweight and obese women: a randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

Caraway (Carum carvi L.), a potent medicinal plant, is traditionally used for treating obesity. This study investigates the weight-lowering effects of caraway extract (CE) on physically active, overweight and obese women through a randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Seventy overweight and obese, healthy, aerobic-trained, adult females were randomly assigned to two groups (n = 35 per group). Participants received either 30 mL/day of CE or placebo without changing their diet or physical activity. Subjects were examined at baseline and after 90 days for changes in body composition, anthropometric indices, and clinical and paraclinical variables. The treatment group, compared with placebo, showed a significant reduction of weight, body mass index, body fat percentage, and waist-to-hip ratio. No changes were observed in lipid profile, urine-specific gravity, and blood pressure of subjects. The results suggest that a dietary CE with no restriction in food intake, when combined with exercise, is of value in the management of obesity in women wishing to lower their weight, BMI, body fat percentage, and body size, with no clinical side effects. In conclusion, results of this study suggest a possible phytotherapeutic approach for caraway extract in the management of obesity. This trial is registered with NCT01833377.

Appraisal of adaptive neuro-fuzzy computing technique for estimating anti-obesity properties of a medicinal plant

This research examines the precision of an adaptive neuro-fuzzy computing technique in estimating the anti-obesity property of a potent medicinal plant in a clinical dietary intervention. Even though a number of mathematical functions such as SPSS analysis have been proposed for modeling the anti-obesity properties estimation in terms of reduction in body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage, and body weight loss, there are still disadvantages of the models like very demanding in terms of calculation time. Since it is a very crucial problem, in this paper a process was constructed which simulates the anti-obesity activities of caraway (Carum carvi) a traditional medicine on obese women with adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference (ANFIS) method. The ANFIS results are compared with the support vector regression (SVR) results using root-mean-square error (RMSE) and coefficient of determination (R(2)). The experimental results show that an improvement in predictive accuracy and capability of generalization can be achieved by the ANFIS approach. The following statistical characteristics are obtained for BMI loss estimation: RMSE=0.032118 and R(2)=0.9964 in ANFIS testing and RMSE=0.47287 and R(2)=0.361 in SVR testing. For fat loss estimation: RMSE=0.23787 and R(2)=0.8599 in ANFIS testing and RMSE=0.32822 and R(2)=0.7814 in SVR testing. For weight loss estimation: RMSE=0.00000035601 and R(2)=1 in ANFIS testing and RMSE=0.17192 and R(2)=0.6607 in SVR testing. Because of that, it can be applied for practical purposes.

Preliminary Safety Evaluation and Biochemical Efficacy of a Carum carvi Extract: Results from a Randomized, Triple-Blind, and Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial

Carum carvi L. (Apiaceae) is known as caraway, and its derivatives find wide medicinal use for health purposes, including for gastrointestinal problems and obesity. Since there is inconsistency among the reports on the safety of this plant in humans, this research was aimed at assessing the safety of a characterized caraway aqueous extract (CAE) in a randomized, triple‐blind, placebo‐controlled study. Seventy, overweight and obese, healthy women were randomly assigned into placebo (n = 35) and plant extract (n = 35) groups. Participants received either 30 ml/day of CAE or placebo. Subjects were examined at baseline and after 12 weeks for changes in heart rate, blood pressure, urine test, 25‐item blood chemistries, and general health status. No significant changes of blood pressure, heart rate, urine specific gravity, and serum blood tests were observed between the two groups before and after treatment. However, in the complete blood count test, red blood cell levels were significantly (p < 0.01) increased, and platelet distribution width was significantly decreased after the dietary CAE treatment, as compared with placebo. No negative changes were observed in the general health status of the two groups. This preliminary study suggests that the oral intake of CAE appears to be without any adverse effects at a dosage of 30 ml daily for a period of 12 weeks. Copyright

Alternative Treatments for Weight Loss: Safety/Risks and Effectiveness of Anti-Obesity Medicinal Plants

Obesity is emerging globally as a leading, underlying contributor to a variety of different diseases, some of which are fatal. This study aims to provide a brief review of the botanical sources which are available to serve as an alternative to modern, synthetic anti-obesity drugs, and to provide a brief discussion of their mechanism of action, and their safe and effective usage. Information was gathered from books, journals, and a variety of electronic sources published in the period of 1991 to 2014. Medicinal plants can reduce weight through five basic mechanisms: controlling appetite, stimulating thermogenesis and lipid metabolism, inhibiting pancreatic lipase activity, preventing adipogenesis, and promoting lipolysis. Based on a review of the available literature, the consumption of recommended medicinal plants in a single form, and at an optimum dosage, could be a safe and effective complementary treatment for obesity.

Family Environment and Childhood Obesity: A New Framework with Structural Equation Modeling

The main purpose of the current article is to introduce a framework of the complexity of childhood obesity based on the family environment. A conceptual model that quantifies the relationships and interactions among parental socioeconomic status, family food security level, child’s food intake and certain aspects of parental feeding behaviour is presented using the structural equation modeling (SEM) concept. Structural models are analysed in terms of the direct and indirect connections among latent and measurement variables that lead to the child weight indicator. To illustrate the accuracy, fit, reliability and validity of the introduced framework, real data collected from 630 families from Urumqi (Xinjiang, China) were considered. The framework includes two categories of data comprising the normal body mass index (BMI) range and obesity data. The comparison analysis between two models provides some evidence that in obesity modeling, obesity data must be extracted from the dataset and analysis must be done separately from the normal BMI range. This study may be helpful for researchers interested in childhood obesity modeling based on family environment.

Prevalence, virulence genes and antimicrobial resistance profiles of Salmonella serovars from retail beef in Selangor, Malaysia

The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of Salmonella spp., Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Typhimurium in retail beef from different retail markets of Selangor area, as well as, to assess their pathogenic potential and antimicrobial resistance. A total of 240 retail beef meat samples (chuck = 60; rib = 60; round = 60; sirloin = 60) were randomly collected. The multiplex polymerase chain reaction (mPCR) in combination with the most probable number (MPN) method was employed to detect Salmonella spp., S. Enteritidis and S. Typhimurium in the meat samples. The prevalence of Salmonella spp., S. Enteritidis and S. Typhimurium in 240 beef meat samples were 7.50, 1.25, and 0.83%, respectively. The microbial loads of total Salmonella was found in the range of <3 to 15 MPN/g. Eight different serovars of Salmonella were identified among the 23 isolates, and S. Agona was the predominant serovar (26.09%). Interestingly, all the Salmonella isolates were resistant to penicillin, erythromycin and vancomycin, but the sensitivity was observed for tetracycline, gentamicin and amoxicillin/clavulanic acid. All 23 isolates were resistant to at least three antibiotics. Two S. Typhimurium isolates (8.70%) exhibited the highest multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) index value of 0.56 which shown resistance to nine antibiotics. PCR analysis of virulence genes showed that all Salmonella isolates (100%) were positive for the invA gene. Meanwhile, pefA was only identified in S. Enteritidis and S. Typhimurium. The findings in this study indicate that retail beef products tested were widely contaminated with multi-drug resistant (MDR) Salmonella and various virulence genes are present among the isolated Salmonella serovars.

Comparison of the Microbiological Quality and Safety between Conventional and Organic Vegetables Sold in Malaysia

Given the remarkable increase of public interest in organic food products, it is indeed critical to evaluate the microbiological risk associated with consumption of fresh organic produce. Organic farming practices including the use of animal manures may increase the risk of microbiological contamination as manure can act as a vehicle for transmission of foodborne pathogens. This study aimed to determine and compare the microbiological status between organic and conventional fresh produce at the retail level in Malaysia. A total of 152 organic and conventional vegetables were purchased at retail markets in Malaysia. Samples were analyzed for mesophilic aerobic bacteria, yeasts and molds, and total coliforms using conventional microbiological methods. Combination methods of most probable number-multiplex polymerase chain reaction (MPN-mPCR) were used to detect and quantify foodborne pathogens, including Escherichia coli O157:H7, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Salmonella Enteritidis. Results indicated that most types of organic and conventional vegetables possessed similar microbial count (P > 0.05) of mesophilic aerobic bacteria, yeasts and molds, and total coliforms. E. coli O157:H7 and S. Typhimurium were not detected in any sample analyzed in this study. Among the 152 samples tested, only the conventional lettuce and organic carrot were tested positive for STEC and S. Enteritidis, respectively. L. monocytogenes were more frequently detected in both organic (9.1%) and conventional vegetables (2.7%) as compared to E. coli O157:H7, S. Typhimurium, and S. Enteritidis. Overall, no trend was shown that either organically or conventionally grown vegetables have posed greater microbiological risks. These findings indicated that one particular type of farming practices would not affect the microbiological profiles of fresh produce. Therefore, regardless of farming methods, all vegetables should be subjected to appropriate post-harvest handling practices from farm to fork to ensure the quality and safety of the fresh produce.

Comparing Bayesian and Maximum Likelihood Predictors in Structural Equation Modeling of Children’s Lifestyle Index

Several factors may influence children’s lifestyle. The main purpose of this study is to introduce a children’s lifestyle index framework and model it based on structural equation modeling (SEM) with Maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian predictors. This framework includes parental socioeconomic status, household food security, parental lifestyle, and children’s lifestyle. The sample for this study involves 452 volunteer Chinese families with children 7–12 years old. The experimental results are compared in terms of root mean square error, coefficient of determination, mean absolute error, and mean absolute percentage error metrics. An analysis of the proposed causal model suggests there are multiple significant interconnections among the variables of interest. According to both Bayesian and ML techniques, the proposed framework illustrates that parental socioeconomic status and parental lifestyle strongly impact children’s lifestyle. The impact of household food security on children’s lifestyle is rejected. However, there is a strong relationship between household food security and both parental socioeconomic status and parental lifestyle. Moreover, the outputs illustrate that the Bayesian prediction model has a good fit with the data, unlike the ML approach. The reasons for this discrepancy between ML and Bayesian prediction are debated and potential advantages and caveats with the application of the Bayesian approach in future studies are discussed.

A Simultaneous Derivatization of 3-Monochloropropanediol and 1,3-Dichloropropane with Hexamethyldisilazane–Trimethylsilyl Trifluoromethanesulfonate at Room Temperature for Efficient Analysis of Food Sample Analysis

This paper reports the application of hexamethyldisilazane-trimethylsilyl trifluoromethanesulfonate (HMDS-TMSOTf) for the simultaneous silylation of 3-monochloro-1,2-propanediol (3-MCPD) and 1,3-dicholoropropanol (1,3-DCP) in solid and liquid food samples. 3-MCPD and 1,3-DCP are chloropropanols that have been established as Group 2B carcinogens in clinical testing. They can be found in heat-processed food, especially when an extended high-temperature treatment is required. However, the current AOAC detection method is time-consuming and expensive. Thus, HMDS-TMSOTf was used in this study to provide a safer, and cost-effective alternative to the HFBI method. Three important steps are involved in the quantification of 3-MCPD and 1,3-DCP: extraction, derivatization and quantification. The optimization of the derivatization process, which involved focusing on the catalyst volume, derivatization temperature, and derivatization time was performed based on the findings obtained from both the Box-Behnken modeling and a real experimental set up. With the optimized conditions, the newly developed method was used for actual food sample quantification and the results were compared with those obtained via the standard AOAC method. The developed method required less samples and reagents but it could be used to achieve lower limits of quantification (0.0043mgL(-1) for 1,3-DCP and 0.0011mgL(-1) for 3-MCPD) and detection (0.0028mgL(-1) for 1,3-DCP and 0.0008mgL(-1) for 3-MCPD). All the detected concentrations are below the maximum tolerable limit of 0.02mgL(-1). The percentage of recovery obtained from food sample analysis was between 83% and 96%. The new procedure was validated with the AOAC method and showed a comparable performance. The HMDS-TMSOTf derivatization strategy is capable of simultaneously derivatizing 1,3-DCP and 3-MCPD at room temperature, and it also serves as a rapid, sensitive, and accurate analytical method for food samples analysis.

Slimming and Appetite-Suppressing Effects of Caraway Aqueous Extract as a Natural Therapy in Physically Active Women

Following the current ‘Globesity’ trend, there is an increasing demand for alternative natural therapies for weight management. Numerous phytoconstituents reduce body weight through suppressing appetite and reducing food intake. Caraway (Carum carvi L.) is one of the medicinal plants that is traditionally used for weight loss. In this study, the appetite‐suppressing effects of caraway aqueous extract (CAE) on 70 aerobically trained, overweight, and obese women were examined in a triple‐blind, placebo‐controlled, clinical study. Subjects were randomly allocated into placebo and experimental groups and consumed either 30 mL/day of CAE or placebo without changing their diet or physical activity over a period of 90 days. Calorie and macronutrient intake and anthropometric indices were measured before and after the intervention. In addition, appetite changes were assessed through a visual analog scale and an ad libitum pizza test. After the intervention, the results showed a significant reduction in appetite levels and carbohydrate intake of the experimental group compared with the placebo group. All of the anthropometric indices were reduced significantly in CAE compared with placebo group (p < 0.01). These preliminary outcomes suggest that a dietary CAE might be effective in weight management of physically active, adult females, reducing their body size and hunger level. Copyright