ABSTRACT
Subclinical vitamin C deficiency frequently occurs in Black mineworkers, in spite of an apparently adequate daily intake. A study was undertaken to establish the minimum rate of supplementation that would effectively reduce the incidence of subclinical vitamin C deficiency. Two levels of supplementation were tested in relation to a control group. It was found that a supplementation rate of at least 235 mg/head/day is required to maintain reasonably adequate serum levels. It was also found that effective control measures are required to ensure that the supplement is added to the magou, the staple beverage of the miners. It is strongly recommended that the intake of every Black mineworker be supplemented at a rate of 200 - 250 mg/day.
Subject(s)
Ascorbic Acid Deficiency/prevention & control , Ascorbic Acid/administration & dosage , Black or African American , Mining , Occupational Medicine , Ascorbic Acid/blood , Black People , Botswana/ethnology , Humans , Lesotho/ethnology , Malawi/ethnology , Male , Mozambique/ethnology , South AfricaABSTRACT
The effect of a 7 100 kilojoule diet (50% of the energy derived from carbohydrate, mainly unrefined, 30% from fat, mainly unsaturated, and 20% from protein) on 100 overweight subjects was investigated. It was found that 45% of subjects did not complete the study, 9% continued with the study but did not lose weight, 25% lost weight moderately well and 21% responded very well and lost a mean of 15,9 kg over a 6-9 month period. Very little indication of water retention was found. The following biochemical changes occurred during the study period: 1. There was a marked improvement in the glucose tolerance of the groups that lost weight effectively. 2. This improvement in glucose tolerance was associated with a very marked decrease in the secretion of immuno-reactive insulin. 3. The tendency for serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels to decrease during the study was also evidenced in the changes which occurred in the lipoprotein electrophoresis patterns. Stepwise discriminant analysis performed on biochemical, clinical and psychological data failed to provide a practical means of discriminating in advance between the likely response of subjects to this dietary therapy with acceptable accuracy.
Subject(s)
Diet, Reducing , Obesity/diet therapy , Blood Glucose/analysis , Body Weight , Dietary Carbohydrates , Female , Glucose Tolerance Test , Humans , Insulin/blood , Lipids/blood , Male , Obesity/blood , Psychological Tests , Thematic Apperception Test , Triglycerides/blood , Uric Acid/bloodABSTRACT
Serum albumin and transferrin levels were measured and compared in healthy White and Black toddlers and a significant difference was found. Black girls had significantly higher transferrin levels than White girls. No significant correlation was found between serum transferrin and either body weight, haemoglobin or serum albumin. These findings seem to question the validity of transferrin as a sensitive parameter for the detection of subtle protein energy malnutrition.
