Trends in overweight or obesity and other anthropometric indices in adults aged 18-60 years in western Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased considerably in Saudi Arabia in the past two decades. We conducted this study because to examine trends in weight gain with age and related anthropometric measurements in Saudi Arabia such data are limited. OBJECTIVE: To determine trends in overweight and obesity and examine anthropometric indices by age group. DESIGN: Analytical cross-sectional study. SETTING: Universities, malls, and hospitals in the cities of Mecca, Jeddah, and Al-Taif. METHODS: Participants were selected by convenience sampling. Body weight, body fat percentage, visceral fat percentage, and skeletal muscle percentage were measured with the Omron body composition monitor device. Waist circumference, height, and body mass index (BMI) were also measured. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Changes in BMI, body fat percentage, visceral fat percentage, and skel-etal muscle with age for both genders. RESULTS: We selected 2548 Saudis, 1423 males and 1125 females, aged 18 to 60 years. A significant trend (ptrend < .001) for BMI and all anthropometric indices was observed with age for both genders. About 55.1% of the participants were overweight and obese (BMI > 25 kg/m2). Obesity and overweight were more prevalent in men than in women and was observed early in both genders, at the ages of 18-19 in men and 30-39 years for women. In the age range of 40-60 years, muscle mass dropped significantly (P < .05) for both genders. Mean waist circumference and visceral fat were significantly (P < .001) higher in men than in women, but the mean total body fat percentage was higher in females than in males (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Significant trends were observed for BMI, WC, body fat, visceral fat, and muscle mass for both genders with age. National programs should be maintained to encourage physical activity and weight reduction as well as focusing on obesity-related lifestyle and behaviors at early ages to prevent weight gain and possibly muscle wasting with age. LIMITATIONS: There was an unequal distribution in numbers of subjects between study groups. Convenience sampling was used to recruit the participants.

Nutritional status of low birth weight infants in Makkah region: Evaluation of anthropometric and biochemical parameters.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the nutritional status of low birth weight infants from Makkah area immediately after birth. METHODS: The prospective study was conducted between October and December 2012 at Al-Noor Speciality Hospital, Makkah, Saudi Arabia, and comprised low birth weight infants who were divided into three equal groups according to their birth weight: group A (low birthweight1501-2500gm), group B (very low birthweight1001-1500gm), and group C (extremely low birth weight < 1000gm). Mothers who had delivered low birth weight infants were enrolled. Weight, length, head circumference, complete blood count, and blood tests were performed for all the infants under investigation. RESULTS: There were 300 infants in the study; 100(33.3%) in each of the 3 groups. Group C showed the lowest gestational age, length, and head circumferences (p< 0.05 each). No significant discrepancies were found in complete blood count results among the three groups (p>0.05). Normal serum phosphorus, potassium and magnesium levels and mild hypocalcaemia were observed in all infants. However, hypernatraemia was significantly evident (p< 0.05) for group C. All infants had hyperglycaemia and hyperbilirubinaemia. Albumin content decreased significantly (p< 0.05) as birth weight decreased. Groups B and C infants showed higher serum urea than group A infants (p< 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Low newborn birth weight was related to the deteriorated nutritional status in terms of low anthropometric and abnormal biochemical measures. It was not possible to correlate the birth weight of the neonates to the parameters of the complete blood tests.

Vitamin D Is a Good Marker for Disease Activity of Rheumatoid Arthritis Disease.

AIM: This study was conducted to find out the optimal vitamin D cutoff point in predicting activity of RA disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and two rheumatoid arthritis Saudi patients of both genders were recruited in this study. Vitamin D as 25-hydroxy-vitamin D [25(OH)D] was measured and serum level less than 20 ng/mL defined as deficient patient. Disease activity was measured based on the disease activity score index of a 28-joint count (DAS28) using serum erythrocyte sedimentation rate levels. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine the optimal vitamin D cutoff points for identifying disease activity. RESULTS: It has been observed that vitamin D levels were lower (P < 0.05) in patients with high disease activity. A significant inverse correlation between serum 25(OH)D levels and DAS28 (r = -0.277, P = 0.014) was shown. ROC curves results showed that vitamin D less than 12.3 ng/mL predicted high disease activity, and vitamin D more than 17.9 ng/mL predicted low disease activity, with good sensitivity and accuracy results regarding vitamin D. CONCLUSION: Study results concluded that vitamin D is a good predictor of RA disease activity in Saudi patients.

Synergistic effect of green tea, cinnamon and ginger combination on enhancing postprandial blood glucose.

This study was maintained to determine the immediate effect of green tea, cinnamon, ginger and combination of them on postprandial glucose levels. The Glycemic Index (GI) for previous treatments was measured as an indicator for postprandial glucose pattern. Twenty-two healthy volunteers from both genders were enrolled in this study. Mean age was 21.3 years and mean BMI was 24.6 kg m(-2). For each herb and combination treatment, a concentration of 2.5% aqueous tea extract was prepared. The GI of green tea, cinnamon and ginger were 79, 63 and 72 respectively. Herbs combination exerted GI of 60, which was the lowest. Combination of these herbs showed the best lowering effect on postprandial glucose levels as compared with each herb alone. A potential synergism from the active ingredients of blended herbs was determined.