Women's behaviors and views on home food safety in Tehran: a qualitative study

Background and Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore the food safety knowledge and behavior of housewives in the city of Tehran, Iran in 2015

Materials and Methods: In this qualitative study 12 Focus Group Discussions by directed content analysis method [n= 96], were conducted among the women who were responsible for food handling in their households in 10 health centers. Each session was held with 7-10 participants, and their voices were recorded. The final transcripts were read to obtain categories until developing themes by using constant comparison method

Results: Three categories in nine themes were emerged as follows: 1] Personal hygiene and poisoning [Washing hands as priority in personal hygiene]; 2] Food safety, preparation and storage [Inadequate knowledge about proper time for boiling raw milk, Lack of awareness about temperature of refrigerator, Incorrect storage of food in the refrigerator, Storage of unwashed and unpacked eggs, fresh fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator, Thawing frozen raw meat and chicken at room temperature, Incorrect separation and sanitization of cutting boards for fresh vegetables, raw meat, chicken, and Inappropriate washing of fresh leafy vegetables]; and 3] Safety of cooked foods [Improper reheating of leftover foods]

Conclusions: The findings of this study illustrated that there was lack of knowledge about food safety. It was evident that the majority of the participants were not familiar with appropriate practices to prevent cross contamination and food handling. Therefore, home food safety education should be conducted for housewives

Manganese intake and risk of esophageal cancer in golestan cohort study

Background: Infections attributed to Helicobacter pylori [H. pylori] involve almost half of the world's population. One of the effects is auto-antibody induction and cross-reaction with numerous proteins in the body. As a result of its widespread prevalence and importance, this study evaluates the associations between H. pylori and thyroid auto-antibodies

Materials and Methods: This study enrolled 100 patients who were candidates for gastroesophageal endoscopy that referred to the Yazd Gastrointestinal Clinic. Patients underwent the following laboratory analyses: urease test, anti-H. pylori [IgG], TSH, T4, T3 and thyroid auto-antibodies [anti-thyroglobulin, anti-thyroid peroxides] Patients were divided into two groups of H. pylori positive and negative according to the results of the anti-H. pylori IgG and urease tests. The level of thyroid auto-antibodies and thyroid function tests were compared between groups. Data were analyzed with chi-square and t-tests. SPSS software version 17 was used for data analysis

Results: Overall, 61 % of patients were H. pylori positive. The mean anti-Thyroid peroxidase level in the H. pylori positive group was significantly more than the negative group [p<0.01]. In addition, 19.7% of H, pylori positive patients and 5.1% of H. pylori negative patients had positive anti-TPO levels, which the difference between both groups was significant [p<0.04]. There was no significant difference in thyroid fimction between the two groups

Conclusion: Although no significant difference in thyroid function was seen in the two groups more patients tested positive for anti-TPO levels in the H. pylori positive group, which was suggestive of thyroid auto-antibody induction by H. pylori

Household milk consumption and its socio-economic associates in West Azarbayejan province, North-west Iran

Background and Objectives: according to the available evidence, consumption of milk and other dairy products among Iranians is far less than recommendations. The share of different milks [i.e., traditionally vs. industrially processed] and its associated variables are, however, neither consistent nor fully known in different Provinces

Materials and Methods: this cross-sectional study was conducted to determine household milk consumption and its association with selected socio-demographic factors in West Azerbaijan Province, North-west Iran. A total of 650 households were selected from urban and rural areas in three major Azeri and Kurdish districts [i.e. Urmia, Khoy and Mahabad] using a multi-stage cluster sampling method. Data were collected using socioeconomic and milk frequency questionnaires

Results: the findings indicated that traditionally-processed milk [bulk] was the most common milk consumed at household level [62.5%]. Mean of bulk milk consumption in urban and rural areas was 479+/-23 and 730+/-64 ml/wk per capita, respectively. It was also shown that establishment of the new food subsidization policy has decreased the mean of household milk consumption by approximately 3 l/wk in urban areas. Factor analysis detected a significant decrease in the higher tertiles of family size/ethnicity score consumption of both bulk and pasteurized milk, which resulted in decreased consumption of total milk

Conclusions: designing and implementation of alternative approaches, such as targeted milk subsidies for poor households or vulnerable age-groups should be considered

Systematic review of zinc biomarkers and esophageal cancer risk

It is hypothesized that poor zinc nutritional status is associated with an increased risk of esophageal cancer [EC], but current evidence is contradictory. Since some factors may influence zinc absorption, its status may be better evaluated thorough biomarkers. The objectives of this study were to perform a systematic review on the association of zinc biomarkers with EC in observational studies and to evaluate the efficacy of zinc supplements in preventing EC in randomized trials. The MEDLINE database was searched in December 2013 for studies written in English with relevant keywords. Articles which met inclusion criteria were included in this study. Eleven observational studies that measured zinc biomarkers and eight randomized trials which evaluated supplements containing zinc, met our inclusion criteria. The majority of studies suggested that higher zinc status was inversely associated with EC risk. Most of the evidence for this hypothesis comes from case-control studies, which may introduce bias. Cohort studies are needed to establish whether poor zinc status is associated with increased risk for EC. Findings from trials are inconclusive as there is no data from single agent trials. However, the evidence is not still strong enough to conclude a protective role of zinc in EC

[Diet therapy in irritable bowel syndrome; a review]

Irritable Bowel Syndrome [IBS] has the most common functional gastrointestinal disease and has among the most common reasons for outpatients doctor visit both in primary and specialty clinics. Patients suffer from lifelong chronic abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, bloating and flatus often associated with anxiety depression which significant opposing effect on the quality of life and have to use the patients to use the healthcare system and induce a huge cost for health care system. It has also result in abstinence from work and its economic consequences. Treatment of irritable bowel syndrome has symptom base which were most challenging aspect of clinical practice. Recently there was accumulating evidence in favor of dietary therapy as one of the cheapest and most effective therapy for IBS. However, there was need for a review which concludes these results. Purpose of this study was to look at the recent literatures about the role of diet in controlling IBS symptoms. Studies published in recent 5 years in Pub Med and SID databases were searched with relevant keywords. Human studies, English or Persian and original articles were included. Studies which were not relevant to medical nutrition therapy were excluded. From 81 studies, 31 studies were included. Foods containing gluten, lactose, fructose, galactane, sorbitol, fructane and allergen foods should be limited or omitted. Patients should be advised to use fibers, prebiotics and probiotics more often. Medical nutrition therapy is a useful method for controlling symptoms of these patients and should be advised

Socio-economic Differences in Dietary Intakes: the Comprehensive Study on Household Food Consumption Patterns and Nutritional Status of I.R. Iran

An association between socioeconomic status [SES] and poor health has been recognized. Inequalities in nutrition have been associated with inequalities in health. This study aimed to identify the social variability in the food and nutrient intake of Iranian households. This study was conducted in the framework of the Comprehensive Study on Household Food Consumption Patterns and Nutritional Status of I.R. Iran during 2001-2003. Households were selected by cluster systematic sampling method in urban and rural areas. SES was assessed through in-depth interviews. Assessment of food and nutrient intake was done using three consecutive 24-hour diet recalls completed by trained nutritionists. Some of the socio-economic variables were extracted by factor analysis as indicators of SES. Among the 7158 studied households, 2496 [34.9%] were rural and 4662 [65.1%] were urban dwellers. Consumption of the food groups, including bread and cereals, vegetables, fruits, meats, eggs, milk and dairy products, sugar and sweets, was significantly different by the level of education, occupation [P<0.001] and living conditions [P<0.05]. These factors explained 70% of variance in SES. In higher quintile of SES, consumption of bread and cereals, as well as sugar and sweets significantly decreased and meats, vegetables and fruits was increased. Intake of protein, calcium, vitamin C, riboflavin and retinol was higher in the third quintile of SES as compared to the first quintile [P<0.05]. Based on our findings, an unhealthier dietary intake may exist among the households belonging to lower socio-economic level in Iran. This calls for appropriate policy making and intervention[s]