Physical fitness characteristics of Omani primary school children according to body mass index.

BACKGROUND: There is evidence that children with high cardiorespiratory fitness and normal body mass index (BMI) have less risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), however limited research was undertaken in Omani children. Therefore the aims of the present study were to describe body composition and physical fitness of a large cohort of Omani school children of both genders, and to investigate the effects of weight status on physical fitness. METHODS: Three hundred and fourteen Omani school children aged 9 to 10 years old took part in anthropometric assessments, body composition and fitness tests, including handgrip strength, the basketball chest pass, broad jump, 20-m sprint, four 10-m shuttle agility, 30-s sit-up, and multistage fitness test (MSFT). RESULTS: Obese boys and girls performed worse than normal-weight children in sprint, agility and endurance. In addition, fitness measures in the overweight group and underweight groups were not significantly different from other groups, except a better handgrip strength and poorer MSFT in overweight compared to normal weight girls, and poorer agility performance in underweight girls compared to the three other groups. CONCLUSIONS: Most fitness measures are lower in obese Omani children, which suggests that they will be more at risk of developing NCDs later in life.

Randomized open-label trial of docosahexaenoic acid-enriched fish oil and fish meal on cognitive and behavioral functioning in Omani children.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the effect of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-enriched fish oil supplement and meal of grilled fish on cognitive and behavioral functioning manifested as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in primary school students 9 to 10 y of age in Muscat, Oman. METHODS: This randomized open-label trial involved two types of interventions: fish oil supplement or one serving (100 g) of grilled fish per day (Sunday through Friday) for 12 weeks. Red cell total lipid DHA levels were assessed. The Verbal Fluency Test, Buschke Selective Reminding Test, and Trail Making Test were used to measure cognitive functioning. Behavioral functioning was assessed using a standardized Arabic version of the National Initiative for Children's Health Quality Vanderbilt Assessment Scales. All measurements were carried out before and after intervention. RESULTS: DHA levels increased by 72% and 64% in the fish oil (mean, 3.6%-6.2%) and fish-meal (mean, 3.4%-5.6%) groups, respectively (P = 0.000). The Trail Making Test was the only cognitive test that demonstrated marked differences between groups: Median interquartile range difference between pre- and postintervention in the Trail Making Part B score was 61.5 (SE, 19.3, 103.2) in the fish oil versus fish-meal group, 24.5 (SE, -15.2, 74.7, P = 0.005). The Vanderbilt Assessment Scales also showed significant differences between groups (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: This study contributed to available evidence on the cognitive and behavioral benefits of DHA in healthy school children. Expanding the food fortification program with DHA-enriched fish oil should be considered as part of broader policy to improve child health.

Lipid-soluble nutrient status of healthy Omani school children before and after intervention with oily fish meal or re-esterified triacylglycerol fish oil.

OBJECTIVES: Over the past two decades, the Omani diet has changed considerably to resemble a high calorie and a low nutrient density Western diet. We investigated the fat soluble nutrient status of children before and after intervention with fish diet or fish oil. METHODS: Children ages 9 and 10 y (n = 314) were recruited from three randomly selected schools. The schools were assigned to a fish, fish oil, or control group and the children were given a lightly grilled oily fish, a re-esterified triacylglycerol fish oil capsule, or no fish for 12 wk. RESULTS: Plasma vitamin A, beta carotene, vitamin E concentrations, and vitamin E/total lipid ratio at baseline were 2.7 ± 0.85 µmol/L, 0.68 ± 0.48 µmol/L, 21.1 ± 4.8 µmol/L, and 5.0 ± 0.81 µmol/mmol, respectively, and none of the children were deficient. They were severely deficient (<27.5 nmol/L; 10.5% boys and 28.5% girls), deficient (27.5-44.9 nmol/L; 47.6% boys and 49.4% girls) or insufficient (50-74.9 nmol/L; 34.6% boys and 21.5% girls) in vitamin D; only 7.3% boys and 0.6% girls had optimal status (≥75 nmol/L). Parathyroid hormone (5.0 ± 1.7 versus 5.8 ± 2.1 pmol/L; P < 0.0001) and alkaline phosphatase (225.2 ± 66.6 versus 247.8 ± 73.7 U/L; P < 0.01) levels were lower in boys. Postintervention, the fish oil (54.1 ± 17.5 nmol/L; P < 0.001) and fish (49.2 ± 17.4 nmol/L; P < 0.05) groups had elevated levels of vitamin D compared with the controls (42.3 ± 17.5 nmol/L). CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in Omani school children, but it can be mitigated with omega-3 fatty acid supplementation. Vitamin D plays a crucial role in skeletal and extraskeletal systems. Hence, there is a need for a child-focused program of food fortification and outdoor activities to alleviate the problem.

The first GCC Marine Biotechnology Symposium: Emerging Opportunities and Future Perspectives.

With its diverse, living marine resources and rapidly growing educational and research infrastructure, the Sultanate of Oman is well-positioned to take advantage of the commercial opportunities presented by marine biotechnology. In recognition of potential development, an international symposium, Marine Biotechnology-Emerging Opportunities and Future Perspectives, was held in Muscat, November 12-13, 2013. Three keynote addresses were given, 23 oral presentations made, and a poster exhibition held. The final session reviewed national and regional issues, and the delegates agreed informally on a number of future actions. The potential for future development of marine biotechnology was recognized by all delegates, and following the symposium, they were surveyed for their views on how best to sustain and develop new activities. One hundred percent of respondents found the meeting useful and would support future symposia in the region. Fifty-one percent of Omani respondents recognized major organizational challenges and obstacles to the development of marine biotechnology compared with 23 % of overseas respondents. The need for greater collaboration between research institutions within the GCC region was recognized by 98 % of all respondents. The presentations and survey outcomes are reviewed in this paper.

Effect of frozen storage on the characteristics of a developed and commercial fish sausages.

The effect of frozen storage on the physiochemical, chemical and microbial characteristics of two types of fish sausages was studied. Fish sausages developed (DFS) with a spice-sugar formulation and commercial fish sausages (CFS) were stored at -20 °C for 3 months. Fresh DFS contained 12.22% lipids and had a 3.53 cfu/g total bacteria count (TBC) whereas, CFS contained 5.5% lipids and had a 4.81 cfu/g TBC. During storage, TBC decreased significantly (p < 0.05) in DFS whereas it did not change (p > 0.05) in CFS. A peroxide value (PV) was not detectable until week four and eight of storage in CFS and DFS, respectively. The salt-soluble proteins (SSP) level was stable in DFS but in CFS it declined significantly (p < 0.05). Colour values did not change significantly (p > 0.05) in both sausage types. This study showed that the effect of storage at -20 °C on fish sausages characteristics varied between formulations and depended on the ingredients of fish sausages.

The Supercourse of fisheries: importance of sharing educational materials and implications for cancer and chronic disease research.

Epidemiologic research has demonstrated that fish is an important component of human nutrition. Existing information for the public about the benefits vs dangers of fish consumption is often contradictory and unclear. Education in the field of human nutrition, especially in the area of fish consumption could be markedly enhanced if there were better mechanisms for the development of customized high quality, low cost educational lectures Researchers from the Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh, in collaboration with the members of the Global Health Network Supercourse project are developing a library of lectures on nutrition, environmental health, and fisheries, for the use and share among the scientists of the world. With the growing demand for environmental health/nutrition awareness, there is an escalating demand for easily accessible and inexpensive teaching materials on nutritional information, including fish and fisheries. The Supercourse has a network of 45,000 faculty members from 171 countries who have contributed more than 3400 public health lectures, providing forum for sharing the latest research developments in the areas of nutrition. This article outlines the importance of creating easily accessible educational modules on the issues of nutrition, environmental health challenges, and fisheries.