Kanika Varma

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...

Effect of germination and dehulling on the nutritive value of soybean

Purpose Soybean has great nutritional potential. Its high protein content makes it an alternative protein source to milk in situations where milk cannot be used due to allergic reactions or intolerance. However, the potential benefits of soybean might be limited by the presence of antinutritional factors, including trypsin inhibitor activity (TIA). The purpose of the study is to evaluate the effect of dehulling and germination on the nutritive value of the soy flour and on the factors that could negatively affect the nutritional potential of the bean. Design/methodology/approach Soybean seeds were soaked for 24 h and allowed to germinate for one to three days. Soaked soybeans were manually dehulled and the flours obtained were evaluated for nutritional and antinutritional factors. Findings Dehulling and germination produce significant increase in crude protein and crude fiber and ash content (p = 0.05). Crude fat and starch content decreased, but the reduction was insignificant. Trypsin inhibitor levels were significantly lower after germination and dehulling of the seeds (p = 0.05). Originality/value Dehulling and germination are cost-effective processing techniques to improve the nutritional quality of the legume.

Diet and nutrient intakes in urban women of Rajasthan State, Northern India

ABSTRACT Dietary and nutrient intakes of adult women have not been studied extensively which may contribute in increasing burden of morbidity and mortality in women. Present study assessed the diet and nutrient intake of women in the age group of 35 –70 years. Door to door personal contact was done with women in identified locations and background was elicited using a questionnaire. Average intake of different foods and nutrients were recorded using semi quantitative FFQ and compared with Indian standards. Results revealed that average cereal, pulse, fruits, and vegetable intakes were below recommendations. Both energy and protein intakes were inadequate among subjects. Total fat, SAFA, and TFA intakes were higher and PUFA, MUFA, fibre, dietary iron, and folic acid intakes were lower than the recommendations. It was concluded that high fat intake and low fibre, PUFA, MUFA, iron, and folic acid intake may prone this community to diet-related chronic diseases.

Estimation of salt intake of normotensive subjects of Jaipur City

Purpose There has been a dramatic increase in hypertension in developing countries along with changes in food consumption patterns contributing to higher levels of sodium. Evidence shows that a high level of sodium intake is a major cause of high blood pressure and other heart diseases along with other associated diseases. Therefore, it is important to determine current consumption levels of sodium in a population to facilitate the development and implementation of any specific salt reduction program. Design/methodology/approach The study was conducted among 60 subjects (25-45 years) residing in Jaipur City. Subjects’ sodium consumption levels were assessed via assessment of 24-h urinary sodium excretion levels, the “gold standard” method advocated by WHO/PAHO (2010) and 24-h dietary recall for three days including one holiday. Findings The findings of the study indicated that the subjects were found to be consuming higher levels of sodium (males, 5,792 mg/d; females, 5,911 mg/d) than recommended by WHO, i.e. less than 2,300 mg/d. Completeness of urine was confirmed by fat-free mass determined by electrical bio-impedance (47.6 ± 7.6 kg) and determined by using 24-h urinary excretion of creatinine (33.7 ± 10.1 kg). Two variables were found to be significantly correlated (r = 0.52, p = 0.00). Assuming that the sodium eliminated in the urine comes from the salt only, this excretion would correspond with a dietary salt intake of 14.71 and 15.01 g/d in males and females, respectively. Dietary sodium intake was reported to be 4,133 ± 1,111 mg/day and 3,953 ± 945 mg/d in males and females, respectively. A non-significant difference was found between the two variables. Urinary sodium excretion correlated non-significantly with systolic and diastolic blood pressure figures (r = 0.09 and r = −0.02, respectively). Research limitations/implications The limitations of this study included the small sample size. Purposive sampling was adopted due to difficulty in obtaining urine sample and required willingness of the respondent. This may give fair robust estimate. Originality/value The present results will help provide new data about the baseline salt intake in young and middle-aged population of Jaipur City and will further help the concerned agencies to plan meaningful strategies to reduce salt intake, and it must involve public education and awareness to change the consumption pattern.

Lipid profile and prevalence of dyslipidemia in urban women of Jaipur district, Rajasthan, India

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate the lipid profile and prevalence of dyslipidemia, as serum lipid levels have a major contribution in the development of cardiovascular diseases, in adult urban women of Jaipur district, Rajasthan, India. Design/methodology/approach – A house-to-house survey was done in four urban locations, and 501 women in the age group of 35-70 years were enrolled in the study. A general questionnaire was used to gather background information and general health status. Fasting blood samples were collected to determine the level of serum triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol. Dyslipidemia was assessed based on the criteria given in the Third Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (NCEP ATP-III). Findings – Mean age of the women wa...

Extra-hepatic portal vein obstruction in children is not associated with growth impairment

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess nutritional status among children with extra-hepatic portal vein obstruction (EHPVO). Design/methodology/approach – Forty six children with documented EHPVO with age and sex matched siblings and controls were selected from the Department of Gastroenterology, Sawai Man Singh Hospital, Jaipur. Nutritional assessment was done by anthropometry and dietary recall method (24-h dietary recall method). Height for age and BMI for age were compared with WHO standards. Findings – An equal percentage of EHPVO patients, siblings and controls (4.34 percent) were stunted. Nearly 23.9 percent EHPVO patients and their siblings and 30.4 percent of controls were severely wasted. Similar proportion of subjects had MAMA<5th percentile. Dietary intake was similar between the study groups. Growth velocity was similar among the groups after one-year follow-up. Originality/value – Data from India regarding EHPVO are very scarce from India. One study from Sarin et al. in 1992 report...

Nutritional status and quality of life at varying degrees of clinical severity of chronic liver disease

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the nutritional status and quality of life in patients according to the clinical severity of liver cirrhosis.Design/methodology/approach – A total of 151 cirrhotics were selected for study. Nutritional assessment was done by anthropometry, subjective global assessment, malnutrition universal screening tool, biochemical estimations and 72‐hour dietary recall. Quality of life was assessed by chronic liver disease questionnaire.Findings – Childs status was A/B/C in 29/68/59, respectively. Muscle and fat depletion was significantly higher in grade C patients as compared to grade A and B patients. Incidence of malnutrition was lowest in grade A patients (72.4 percent) and highest in grade C patients (90.74 percent) (p = 0.00). Calorie and protein intake was significantly lower in grade C patients compared to grade A and B patients (p = 0.00). Child Pugh score was found to be an independent risk factor for various nutritional and clinical parameters.Research lim...