ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Overweight and obesity among children and adolescents is a public health concern. OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of overweight and obesity and its association with social and environmental determinants among the adolescent school children of Tirupati town of Andhra Pradesh, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data was collected by interviewer-administered method from school children aged between 12 to 16 years. The sample consisted of 2258 subjects (1097 boys and 1161 girls). Overweight and obesity were defined by body mass index (BMI) based on the current method recommended by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention 2000. Data on social and environmental determinants were collected by using a pre-tested and validated questionnaire. RESULTS: In the present sample, 11.2 percent and 4.8 percent of boys and 10.3 percent and 4.8 percent of girls were overweight and obese. The literacy level of parents, family income and child sleep duration significantly associated with overweight. Parental level of education was a risk factor for overweight (Mother: 1.570; 95% CI: 1.048-2.354). Similarly increase in family income (OR = 1.529; 95% CI: 1.089-2.148) and child sleep duration <7 hrs per day (OR = 2.006; 95% CI: 1.194-3.371) raised children's association in gaining weight. CONCLUSION: Our study reinforces the burgeoning prevalence of overweight and obesity among the adolescents. Interventional measures taken should consider family, school and physical environment to check the problem of overweight/obesity.
ABSTRACT
AIM AND OBJECTIVE: The glycemic response to Naturo fruit bar that is commercially available in India was determined against a glucose sta dard in a non-blind, repeated measure, crossover design trial. METHODS: Eleven healthy subjects (mean age 37.3 (SD 5.5) years and mean BMI 213 (SD 36) kg/m2) were recruited to the study. Subjects were given Naturo fruit bar and a standard food (glucose), on separate occasions, each containing 50 grams carbohydrate. Blood glucose was determined after overnight fasting (0 hours) and at 30, 60, 90 and 120 min after the consumption of each test food. For Naturo fruit bar, the glycemic index (GI) value was calculated geometrically by expressing the incremental area under the blood glucose curve (iAUC) as a percentage of each subject's average iAUC for the standard food. RESULTS: The GI value of Naturo fruit bar was found to be 38.50. As per the Food and Agriculture Organization, GI cut-off values are as follows: low <55; medium 56-69 inclusive, high >70. Therefore Naturo fruit bar could be classified under low glycemic food/nutrient. CONCLUSION: Considering the widespread consumption of fruits/bars in India, this information is valuable for people who prefer to use low glycemic food which offer many beneficial effects because their consumption significantly reduces the GI of the diets of the Indian population.
Subject(s)
Blood Glucose/metabolism , Dietary Carbohydrates/metabolism , Fruit/metabolism , Glycemic Index , Adult , Area Under Curve , Cross-Over Studies , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/diet therapy , Glucose Tolerance Test , Humans , India , Male , Nutritive ValueABSTRACT
The effect of a bark extract of Terminalia arjuna (TAE) was studied on the alteration of adriamycin (ADR)-induced micronuclei formation in cultured human peripheral blood lymphocytes. Exposure of lymphocytes to ADR resulted in a dose-dependent increase in the micronuclei formation indicating DNA damage. Pretreatment of lymphocytes with TAE before ADR treatment resulted in a significant decline in micronuclei formation. Increasing doses of ADR caused a dose-dependent increase in the frequency of lymphocytes bearing one, two and multiple micronuclei. Prior exposure of lymphocytes to 15 microg/mL of TAE significantly reduced the frequency of lymphocytes bearing one, two and multiple micronuclei when compared with ADR-treated control. TAE-inhibited the induction of (*)OH (hydroxyl), O2(*-) (superoxide), DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl), ABTS(*+) (2,2-azino-bis-3-ethyl benzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) radicals in a dose-dependent manner. These results demonstrate that TAE protects DNA against ADR-induced damage.
