JOURNAL OF NUTRITION SCIENCES & FOOD TECHNOLOGY
Year:2008 | Volume:2 | Issue:4|Papers Count:11

Background and Objectives: Cardiovascular diseases are the most important cause of mortality in patients with chronic renal failure, including peritoneal dialysis patients. Oxidative stress and increased plasma concentrations of homocysteine and coagulation factors are the major risk factors for cardiovascular diseases in these patients. Some studies have shown beneficial effects of soy consumption on oxidative stress and hyperhomocysteinemia; however, no study has been done in this field in peritoneal dialysis patients so far. The present study was designed to investigate the effects of soy consumption on oxidative stress, blood coagulation activities, and blood homocysteine and phosphorus levels in peritoneal dialysis patients.Materials and Methods: This study was a randomized clinical trial in which 40 peritoneal dialysis patients (20 males and 20 females) were randomly assigned to either the soy or the control group. The patients in the soy group received 28 g/d textured soy flour (containing 14 g soy protein) for 12 weeks, while the patients in the control group received their usual diet without any soy. At the baseline and after 8 weeks 10 ml blood were collected from each patient after a 12 to 14-hour fast and then blood ox-LDL, homocysteine, phosphorus and fibrinogen concentrations and the activities of coagulation factors VII, IX and X were measured.Results: The initial plasma content of coagulation factor IX activity decreased significantly by 17% in the soy group at the end of the 8th week (P<0.01), and the magnitude of reduction was significantly different as compared to the control value (P<0.05). The content of coagulation factor IX activity did not change significantly in the control group. The data also showed that there were no significant differences between the mean changes in blood ox-LDL, homocysteine, phosphorus and fibrinogen concentrations and the activities of coagulation factors VII and X of the two groups.Conclusion: The results of the present study indicate that soy consumption reduces plasma coagulation factor IX activity significantly in peritoneal dialysis patients. Therefore, it may be effective in preventing thrombosis and cardiovascular diseases in these patients.

Background: Interesterification as an efficient tool in fat manipulation and producing tailor-made fats is an important process in oil technology. In this project random chemical interesterification was used as a substitute for hydrogenation to produce zero-trans fats, suitable for margarine and shortening production.Materials and Methods: A mixture of sunflower oil and fully hydrogenated soybean oil (soy flake) (70:30 w/w) was interesterified, with sodium methoxide (0.5%) as catalyst, at 110oC, 100 mm Hg. vacuum, and 30-min processing time. The physical and chemical characteristics of the mixture, including slip melting point, acid value, iodine value, peroxide value, remaining soap, and moisture content, were determined before and after interesterification. In addition, in order to study the trend of random equilibrium before and after interesterification, the following were determined: the cis- and trans- (elaidic acid) fatty acid composition by gas chromatography (GC), the solid fat content (SFC) by NMR, and the type of fatty acid in the 2- position of triglyceride by enzymatic (lipase) hydrolysis, followed by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and GC.Results: The results showed that the tailor-made fats produced by interesterification had a significantly lower slip melting point (34oC) compared to that of the mixture before interesterification (56oC), which is considered suitable for producing shortening and margarine. As expected, the difference between the iodine values of the oil mixture and the structured product was not statistically significant. As a result of rearrangement of the fatty acid residues, SFC decreased and the SFC curve indicated better plastic properties in the product. The fatty acid composition did not change, indicating that the process had not affected the chemical structure of fatty acids, and the amount of trans isomers derived from the flake was constant (0.36%). The product had a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, with P/S+T=1/13, implying better nutritional quality of the interesterified product, as compared to hydrogenated oil.Conclusion: According to the results obtained, chemical interesterification for manipulation and rearrangement of fatty acid residues in triglyceride molecules, with a view to producing margarine and shortening base stocks with suitable nutritional and functional properties, is possible at a pilot scale. Continuation of the work at the industrial scale is recommended.

Introduction: Nutritional stunting, which indicates chronic malnutrition, is an important health problem in developing countries. Bearing in mind the critical role of zinc in child growth, this research project was carried out in order to determine the effect of zinc supplementation on the growth of 12-24-month old stunted children in Delphan, Lorestan Province, Iran.Materials and Methods: This randomized, placebo-controlled, double–blind trial was carried out on 61 stunted children aged 12-24 months in Delphan, Lorestan Province, Iran during 2005-6. They were randomly assigned to receive, daily, either a 10-mg zinc supplement or a placebo for 4 months. Weights and heights were measured monthly and weight-for-age, height-for-age, and weight-for-height Z-scores calculated, using the SPSS software.Results: In severely stunted children, zinc supplementation improved height and height-for-age increments height-for-age Z-score: -1.48±0.42 vs -2057±0.44 vs p<0.001) and had a positive effect on the weight-for-age Z-score 1.30±0.69 vs -1.70±0.52 Weight-for-height was not significantly affected by the supplementation.Conclusion: Zinc deficiency is a cause of nutritional stunting in Delphan, Iran. Zinc Supplementation can improve height increment in the stunted children.

Background and Objectives: Presently there are several methods for determination of the extent of lactose hydrolysis in milk, some of which, despite high precision and reliability, are not used extensively due to their high cost. The objective of this study was to compare effectiveness 3 of such methods, namely, HPLC, freezing point measurement, and chloramines-T, with a view to finding a suitable and less expensive method.Materials and Methods: The lactose content of skimmed milk samples was measured, followed by treatment for 4 hours with b-galactosidase to hydrolyze lactose and then determining the extent of hydrolysis using the HPLC, freezing point, and chloramines-T methods.Results: The b-galactosidase exerted its maximum effect during the first 2 hours, resulting in reduction of the lactose content to less than 0.5% of its original value. In the HPLC method, the percentage of relative standard deviation (%RSD) for the milk samples after 2 hours treatment with the enzyme was more than 40% and the reproducibility was not desirable. With regard to the freezing-point method, after a 2-hour decreasing trend of the freezing point the rate of decrease slowed down. The freezing point decreased about -0.274oC after 4 hours, such that for every 1% hydrolysis of lactose the freezing point decreased by 0.0028oC. Furthermore, no linear relationship was observed between the freezing point and the rate of lactose hydrolysis at rates higher than 88%. Finally, in the chloramines-T method, it was shown that with increasing lactose hydrolysis, the consumption of sodium thiosulfate decreased the trend slowing down after 2 hours. On the whole, in the preliminary stages of hydrolysis (the first 60%) the amounts of lactose determined by the 3 methods was almost similar, but after that the chloramines-T method gave figures slightly different from those given by the other 2 methods.Conclusions: Since the correlation between the HPLC and the freezing point methods was very high (r2 =0.9976), it can be concluded that the freezing point can be recommended as an appropriate, simple, precise and rapid method for the assessment of lactose concentration, as well as determining its hydrolysis extent, in enzyme-treated milk. Furthermore, the chloramine-T method can be said to be suitable for determination of lactose in untreated milks.

Background and Objective: Poverty is one of the most important malnutrition risk factors. As one-third of the households headed by mothers are in the population’s lower deciles of income, their children are more vulnerable to malnutrition. This study was performed to assess the nutritional status of under-5-year old children in mother-headed households under coverage of the Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation of Tehran in 2005.Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study in which the sample households were randomly selected, proportionately, from 8 regions (in the northern, southern, eastern, western, and central parts of Tehran) of the Tehran Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation. In each region, all the under-5-year old children (n=137) in those mother-headed households who had active health files and whose mothers had signed the informed consent entered the study. Data were collected through interviews with mothers, using a questionnaire containing items on demographic characteristics of the household and the children’s diet history of the first and second years of life; the interviewers were experienced nutrition (BSc) graduates. In addition, anthropometric measurements were made using standard methods. To determine the nutritional status, weight and height figures were compared with the US National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) standards. Data were analyzed using the Epi-info and SPSS software.Results: The findings showed that (1). The mean age of the mothers was 31 ± 4.7 years, 67% of them had 2 or 3 children, less than 10% were working, 47% lived in rented accommodation, and their highest level of education (42%) was guidance-school education; (2). About 95% of the children had been fed colostrum and 67% had been breastfed exclusively for the first 6 months of life; (3). Complementary feeding and family food introduction had started for 55% and 30% of the children at a suitable age, respectively; (4). The prevalence rates of underweight, wasting, overweight, and stunting were 11%, 6%, 5% and 10%, respectively; (5). Based on the logistic regression analysis, the odds ratio (OR) of underweight in girls was 6.39 as compared to boys (CI 95%: 1.56-27.35), and the OR of underweight in children of illiterate or elementary-education level mothers was 6.29 as compared with the children of mothers with guidance-school education (CI 95%: 1.23-29.60(.Conclusion: This study showed that the under-5-year old children in the mother-headed households suffer from different degrees of malnutrition. Programs and activities, such as mothers’ education in living skills and increasing their literacy level, as well as targeted food aid/subsidies along with nutrition education, are highly recommended to improve the present situation.

Background and Objectives: Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is a unique fatty acid naturally found in milk fat. Beneficial properties of CLA include its antioxidant‚ anti-carcinogenic‚ immune-system regulation‚ anti-hypertensive‚ cholesterol-reducing and anti-diabetic effects. On the other hand, probiotic yoghurt also has many health-promoting properties and is highly accepted and consumed by the people. The aim of this study was to determine effect of different processing variables on the CLA content of probiotic yoghurt.Material and Methods: The effect of the following variables, at 2 levels, on the CLA content of probioltic yogurt prepared with L. acidophilus, B. lactis, and traditional yoghurt starters was determined: the amount of non-fat dry milk added to the whole milk, the amount and the time of adding safflower oil‚ and the time and temperature of incubation.Results: The highest CLA content was obtained as a result of adding non-fat dry milk (2%) and safflower oil addition when at pH value of 6.0‚ at an incubation temperature of 37oC and termination of incubation at pH value of 4.8.Conclusion: On the basis of the findings, it can be concluded that at the optimized conditions the CLA content in the probiotic yoghurt increased by 32.2% from an average of 7.07 mg/g in the non-treated (control) yoghurt to 9.23 mg/g fat in the probiotic yoghurt containing safflower oil.

Background and Objective: The aim of this study was to compare dietary intake of vitamin D and the serum levels of 25(OH) D3 in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with those of normal subjects.Material and Methods: Patients (31women and 6 men) were recruited from the MS Clinic of Jundi-Shapur University, Ahvaz, Iran. The control group consisted of 37 healthy age/gender- and physical activity-matched subjects living within a similar catchments area. Information on sunshine exposure and the consumption of vitamin D–rich foods was obtained through interviews and a food frequency questionnaire.Results: Severe vitamin D deficiency was seen in over one-third of both groups (33% of the patients and 37% of the controls). There was no significant difference in the serum level of 25(OH) D3 between the 2 groups. The serum concentration of 25(OH) D3 in those individuals of the healthy group who had a lower daily sunshine exposure (<30 min) was lower than that of those with a higher exposure (>30 min/d) (p<005). Duration of sunshine exposure did not significantly affect the serum 25 (OH) D3 concentration in the patients. The data also showed that the serum vitamin D levels had no statistically significant association with the consumption of fish, butter, cream, or eggs in either group.Conclusion: Severe vitamin D deficiency was seen in more than one-third of both the MS patients and healthy subjects. There was no association between the duration of sunshine exposure and dietary intake of vitamin D in the patients. However, in the healthy subjects higher sunshine exposure was associated with higher serum levels of vitamin D.

Background and Objective: Dietary determinants of weight gain remain controversial. The assessment of dietary patterns has been increasingly used as an alternative to nutrient- or food-based analysis. The aim of this study was to determine the association between changes in food patterns and changes in body weight and body mass index in a group of Tehrani adults.Materials and Methods: As part of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study, a total number of 82 men and 124 women (³18 years old) were followed up between 1999-2001 and 2004-2007; the mean follow-up period was 6 years. They were divided into two groups: normal weight (BMI<25) and overweight/obese (BMI³25). Dietary intake was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire and two 24-hour dietary recalls. The food items were divided into 21 groups according to their nutrients contents. Food patterns were derived by factor analysis at each time interval. Changes in food patterns, weight and BMI were calculated by subtracting the factor scores of each food pattern, weight and BMI in the first period from their respective values in the second period.Results: The mean ages of the men and women at the beginning of the study were 45±11 and 39±14 years, respectively. Three food patterns were identified in the two periods of the study, with a total variance of 29 and 33%, respectively: “healthy”, “western”, and “mixed”. In both periods, refined grains, salty snacks, sauces, fast foods, processed meat products and sweetened beverages were the major contributors to the western dietary pattern, while the healthy pattern included vegetables, fruits, poultry and fish, dairy products and whole grains. There were no significant differences in the mean delta factor scores of the healthy and the western dietary patterns between men and women. In a multivariate adjusted model, after adjusting for confounding factors (b=0.32, R2=0.25, P<0.001), the strongest predictor of a change in body weight was a change to the western food pattern as compared to healthy dietary pattern. In addition, based on multiple regression analysis, changing to the western pattern caused a higher increase in BMI in overweight/obese individuals than in those with a normal weight (b=0.41, R2=0.22, p<0.001).Conclusion: Adherence to the western food pattern was associated with changes in body weight and BMI. This effect was greater in overweight/obese individuals.