Overview on child health, nutrition and food hazards during the first thousand days of life

Spatial distribution of animal source food consumption and associated factors among children aged 6-23 months in Ethiopia: A geographically weighted regression analysis

INTRODUCTION

Optimal nutrition during early childhood is essential for growth, cognitive development, and overall health. Animal source foods(ASF) provide essential nutrients like high-quality protein, iron, zinc, calcium, and vitamin B12, which are vital for the physical and cognitive development of young children and to reduce the burden of malnutrition. In Ethiopia malnutrition among children under five remains a significant public health issue. Many children are suffering from chronic and acute undernutrition. This study provides the first spatial analysis of animal source foods consumption among children aged 6-23 months.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study is to investigate the spatial distribution of ASF consumption and its associated factors among children aged 6-23 months in Ethiopia using data from the Ethiopia miniDHS 2019.

METHODOLOGY

A cross-sectional study design was used using mini-DHS 2019 data among children aged 6-23 months. Descriptive statistics were used to summarized the study population characteristics and ASF consumption prevalence. Spatial analysis techniques, including Geographical mapping and Moran's I statistic assessed the spatial distribution of ASF consumption. Geographically weighted regression analyses identified socio-economic, demographic, and geographic factors associated with ASF consumption.

RESULTS

The study found that 47.7% of Ethiopian children aged 6-23 months consume ASF. Children in regions like Amhara, Tigray, Benishangul-Gumuz, western SNNPR, and Gambela are less likely to consume these foods. Factors linked to higher ASF consumption include mothers with more education, smaller families, households following the Orthodox religion, and wealthier families..

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

According to this study finding animal source food consumption among Ethiopian children aged 6-23 months is relatively low. The finding revealed the significant regional disparities of ASF consumptions. Factors associated with ASF consumption include maternal education, household size, wealth, and religion. Efforts should focus on working to increase maternal education, providing and expansion of family planning services, and increasing affordability of ASF through economic improvement of households. In addition strengthening food supply chains and integrating ASF promotion into healthcare are also essential for improving child nutrition. Interventions in low-consumption areas should address specific local needs to effectively boost ASF consumption and improve child nutrition outcomes.

Role of macronutrients, dairy products, fruits and vegetables in occurrence and progression of endometriosis: A summary of current evidence in a systematic review

Background

Current evidence on the role of macro- and micronutrients in the aetiopathogenesis of endometriosis is controversial.

Objectives

In this systematic review, we aimed to investigate the effect of macronutrients, dairy products, fruits, and vegetables on the occurrence and progression of endometriosis.

Materials and Methods

A systematic literature review of eligible articles retrieved from medical databases, including PubMed, Cochrane, and Academic Search, was performed from inception to May 2023.

Main outcome measures

The role of nutritional diet effects in endometriosis.

Results

Our search yielded 12 studies, including five prospective cohort trials and seven case-control studies. The analysis of this literature supports the idea that processed and unprocessed red meat increases the risk of endometriosis, while no conclusive evidence exists about the effects of other protein sources on the disease. Studies on total fat consumption, including monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, saturated, and trans-unsaturated fats, do not suggest a definitive association with endometriosis. Green leafy vegetables and fresh fruit consumption may reduce the risk of endometriosis. Furthermore, the evidence regarding fibre consumption is not conclusive. Dairy products were found to have a risk-reducing effect on the disease. However, there was no consensus about the role of vitamin D in endometriosis.

Conclusions

The certainty of the relationship between endometriosis and outcomes of nutritional factors was "very low" to "low," which limits current literature from being applied for conclusive interpretations. Further large-scale randomised trials and consequent meta-analyses are recommended for high-level evidence.

What is new?

This article presents an overview of evidence-based studies on the relationship between endometriosis and macronutrients. In addition, the possible influence of other nutritional variables on the development of endometriosis and the limitations of nutritional studies.

AJ, Kurian C, Chakraborty P, Paari KA. Food additives and contaminants in infant foods: a critical review of their health risk, trends and recent developments

The infant food market has expanded rapidly over the past two decades. However, the industry faces significant challenges, including concerns over the health effects of infant food additives and issues with food safety. However, new evidences suggest that certain food additives, such as those used to preserve and transport infant formula to keep it fresh for longer, should be avoided. Science into the effects of additives on human behavior makes up a sizable sector of the additives market. Problems such as hypernatremic dehydration, malnutrition, and obesity in infants are directly linked to faulty formula production. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has established the toxicity types and chemical tests necessary for evaluating the safety of food additives and GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) compounds. These tests are crucial in understanding the food safety aspects of food additives. The health effects of different types of food additives on infants are discussed in this context. The article gives an outline of various national and global agencies that provides recommendations and standards to gauge the quality of baby food. The immunological responses, allergic reaction pathways and other related health hazards among the infants and young children caused by the food additive are discussed in this article.

Graphical Abstract

The effect of dietary habits on oocyte/sperm quality

The effects of diet and nutritional habits on reproductive cells can be categorized in a variety of ways. In this review, the literature is divided, based on the dietary consumption effects on oocytes and sperm. Topics on dietary patterns and the intrauterine effect of maternal nutrition are covered. In general fruits, vegetables, whole greens, fish, legumes, and also dietary sources containing unsaturated fats can improve reproductive germ cell quality. In epidemiological studies, the food intake frequency questionnaire is one of the most common methods to assess diet. Due to methodological heterogeneity in dietary assessment and inadequacy in the measurement of dietary intake in the questionnaires used, several unreliable results may be reported. Thus, the quality of evidence needs to be improved, since nutritional diets may not be so simply objective and they are inadequate to explain obvious underlining mechanisms. In addition, various compounds that may be ingested can affect molecular mechanisms, influenced by other external factors (drugs, pesticides, smoking, alcohol) and changes in human nutritional parameters. Artificial Intelligence has recently gained widespread interest and may have a role in accurate analysis of dietary patterns for optimal nutritional benefit. Therefore, future prospective randomized studies and objective measurements, consisting of molecular level analysis of the impact on cells and clear-cut methods are needed for accurate assessment of the effect of dietary habits on reproductive treatment.