ABSTRACT
Objectives: To investigate the effect of fish consumption on iodine and vitamin of Omani School Children. Methods: Omani school children aged 9 and 10 years were recruited from two schools in Muscat Governorate in Oman. The children were randomly divided in to fish and control groups. The fish group received fish menu lunch 4 times a week. The control group did not receive fish or any other dietary supplement. Ethical approval from the Ministry of Health of Oman and parental consent were obtained. The intervention period was sixteen weeks (four months). Results: The children who received fish meal for sixteen weeks had higher levels of urinary iodine and plasma vitamin D compared with the control group (p<0.0001). Conclusions: Regular consumption fish is effective in enhancing iodine and vitamin D status of children.
ABSTRACT
A shortened version of the Dubowitz newborn neurological examination, recently reassessed in rural Thailand, was applied to a group of 58 Vietnamese newborns. The aim was to establish the neurological status of newborns in this population for use in further studies and to compare with groups previously studied. Compared to the original British cohort, the Vietnamese newborns showed significantly lower scores in 10 of 25 items, including several related to truncal tone. Evidence was sought of thiamine and long-chain fatty acid deficiency as a possible cause for these findings, but no correlation was found between the neurological status and the maternal or infant blood levels of these nutritional indicators. The findings suggest that the neurological status of low-risk Vietnamese newborns appears to lie between that of British newborns and those ethnic minority Karen newborns in refugee camps on the Thai-Burmese border tested previously. Although no specific nutritional cause has been identified in the study, the findings may still reflect sub-optimal intake of some important nutrients.