Dietary Habits

Based on community surveys of the elderly of their nutritional habits in big cities throughout Indonesia and in urban and rural areas, the following observations are reported: (i) the elderly tend to reduce their food intake by themselves, in calories, carbohydrate, fat, protein content (15−30% less); (ii) they even reduce their traditional fatty food by themselves in spite of their already low fat intake daily (30−40% less); (iii) they very seldom eat snacks between meals (6.7−25.5%) of the respondents only; (iv) they tend to eat (very seldom − never) new ‘trendy foods’ (78−95%) such as hamburger, pizza, fried chicken etc., which are available in big cities; (v) the elderly usually eat just enough before satiety (84.3%); (vi) the majority of the elderly usually eat rice or other local staple foods, with mostly vegetables every day (50−80%), especially the traditional témpé (soybean cake) and tahu (soybean curd) and green vegetables (80%); fruits are consumed less than vegetables (40%); (vii) milk consumption still needs to be improved; (viii) fish consumption, the best healthy animal protein source, still needs to be promoted to the whole country, especially to the elderly on Java island; and (ix) an urban−rural difference was noted, the urban elderly having a higher intake of calories, fat and protein. Gender differences were practically not observed, except the higher calorie intake in men. The following findings support the aforementioned observations. The elderly have a lower mean body mass index (BMI); only 15.9% are overweight and only 4.5% are obese, although it is admitted that there are many elderly people who are underweight and malnourished. They also have lower mean cholesterol, triglyceride and haemoglobin values, but a higher prevalence of glucose intolerance, hypertension, coronary heart disease etc. is reported in many studies. In conclusion, the elderly in general have good eating habits, and they adjust their food intake to the reduced daily physical activities they perform. However, the consumption of eggs and fish (as low-cost protein sources) needs to be improved. Hence overeating and obesity are not a problem for the Indonesian elderly people, although it is admitted that undernutrition will be a problem unless properly anticipated. They usually prefer to eat the already healthy traditional food, especially the still popular vegetable source of protein and anti-oxidants. They eat the traditional food, témpé and tahu, making them a stronghold against diet ‘westernization’, and they should be used as a good example for the younger generation. Reduced calorie intake among the elderly is also observed in Japan, but not yet in most European elderly populations.

Background. Reducing dietary fat has been identified as a potential means of preventing chronic disease. Several studies have identified methods of changing dietary fat consumption in small, intensive intervention settings. Fewer studies have examined how to improve dietary habits of individuals in the general public.Methods. The Eating for a Healthy Life (EHL) project was a randomized trial [n = 40 religious organizations (ROs) and 2175 individuals, 1099 in intervention]. The study tested an intervention package of self-help books, motivational messages, and social interactions designed to change dietary behaviors (lowering fat, increasing fruit and vegetable consumption) among members of religious organizations aged 18 and over. The primary outcomes are fat- and fruit- or vegetable-related behaviors measured using the Fat and Fiber Behavior (FFB) Questionnaire.Results. Religious organizations and their members participated fully in the initial study activities.Conclusions. This study will support a rigorous test of the intervention package.

The dietary patterns and extent of overweight in 307 urban school going children aged 7 to 15 years representing various socio-economic strata was evaluated at baseline of a 3 year longitudinal study. Dietary habits were recorded through interviewer-administered questionnaires. Height and weight were measured and 8.2% of the children were over-weight or obese. Children from higher socio-economic strata had higher total and saturated fat intakes and lower carbohydrate intakes (P < 0.01). Daily energy intakes increased with increased frequency of eating out (P < 0.001). Therefore, promoting healthy eating in schools is important.

The Muslim athlete, whether living in a Muslim majority country or in a non-Muslim country, face unique challenges to faithfully follow one of the pillars of their faith – Ramadan – while attempting to maintain their participation in sports training and competition. There are conflicting reports on the effects of Ramadan on fitness and physical performance in general and in football in particular. In general, the impact of a brief daytime fast has minor effects on health or factors of physical fitness. Add physical training and now a new set of barriers to both performance and the observance of Ramadan begin to interact. Practising athletes have worked out strategies to cope with the rigors of Ramadan; strategies that have both physical (training modifications, dietary habits, rest and recovery) and emotional (patience, emotional preparations) domains. Carefully blending strategies like these can help the football player be true to their faith and follow the tenants of Ramadan hopefully, with a minimum of impact on their physical performance. In this context, science can help coaches improve their training plans and educate players with respect to the challenges presented by Ramadan to all levels of sports participation.

This paper features the composition of wild fruits, their exploitation and their potential contribution to improved food and nutritional security in three districts of the Amhara region of Ethiopia. Data were gathered through structured, semi-structured and key-informant interviews which were administered to the heads of 92 randomly chosen households. Focus group discussions and direct field explorations by the researchers were also undertaken. The results revealed that altogether 44 wild fruit species are available for use in the study areas. The fruits are rich in valuable nutrients and are accessible year-round with significant overlap at times of acute food and nutrient scarcity. Nevertheless, owing to the peoples’ cereal-based dietary habits, cultural perceptions and attitudes, the current state of fruit utilization is very low. Consequently, the potential nutritional contribution of wild fruits to the people’s diets remains largely unexploited. In order to remedy this situation, a wider and sustained acceptance of wild fruits as important dietary components must be fostered.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the socio-demographic and lifestyle determinants of physical activity practice, as well as the motivations for being or not being physically active in Spanish university students. A representative sample of students from a Spanish university (n = 2,051; 42.1% males; mean age 21.9, s = 4.8 years) participated in the present cross-sectional study. A questionnaire including questions regarding lifestyle, dietary habits, parents' characteristics, and physical activity habits was administered to the students. The socio-demographic and lifestyle determinants of physical activity practice were assessed using multivariable logistic regression. 68.4% of men and 48.4% of women reported to practise physical activity in the present sample. Those who practised physical activity consumed more fruits and were less likely to be smokers compared to non-physically active students. Also, physically inactive men spent more time in front of the computer and physically inactive women spent more time in front of the TV and were more likely to be frequent alcohol consumers. Maternal educational level and maternal physical activity habits were also important determinants of physical activity practice among men and women respectively. In conclusion, physically active students tended to engage in other healthy habits in the present population, suggesting the clustering of healthy or unhealthy lifestyle factors among specific subgroups.

Latin American countries have an accelerated growth in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) associated with increased rates of obesity and overweight. This increase is due to the rapid urbanization experienced in recent years, which has led to changes in physical activity and dietary habits. In addition, the fetal programming of malnourished mothers during pregnancy increases the tendency

Fish is an important item in the diet of Amazonians, and per se is their best single source of essential nutrients. Rapid urbanization and migration are bringing changes in dietary habits of Amazonians. Exposure to fish-Hg during pregnancy and lactation were studied in 100 women and newborns from Porto Velho. Tissue-Hg concentrations and neurodevelopment (Gesell Developmental Schedules) were assessed at

Background:Little is known about the relation of dietary glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) to metabolic risk factors, partic- ularly in non-Western populations. Objective: We examined the cross-sectional associations between dietary GI and GL and several metabolic risk factors in healthy Japanese women with traditional dietary habits. Design: The subjects were 1354 Japanese female farmers aged 20-78 y from

Under present environmental conditions, an increase in pollution owing to metals such as cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and methylmercury (MeHg) must be expected. The resulting effects would be seen particularly in the food chain. The daily intake of toxic metals in various parts of the world is different and depends on both the dietary habits and the concentration in foodstuffs. Oral ingestion of these toxic metals perturbs the metabolism of essential elements, especially zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), and selenium (Se). The elemental composition of body tissues and fluids is an indicator of the nutritional and pathological status of humans. This review will describe the dietary intake and gut absorption of essential and toxic elements. Furthermore, it will discuss threshold values, toxic effects in relation to body burden of toxic metals, the biological indices of exposure, and the interaction between toxic and essential elements. The overall ratio of Cu, Zn, Fe, and Se concentratio...

In order to analyze risk factors for dysmenorrhoea, we conducted a case-control study. Cases were 106 women (median age 27 years) with moderate or severe dysmenorrhoea lasting 12 months or more. Controls were 145 women (median age 26 years) without ...