Zinc status or supplementation and its relation to soil-transmitted helminthiasis in children: A systematic review

Soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) parasitic infection is known as one of the most common infections around the world affecting more than a quarter of the world's population. The relationship between STH infections and micronutrient deficiencies are closely related and often coexist among the affected population. The study, therefore, aimed to summarise the available literature focusing on the effect of zinc status/deficiency or supplementation on STH infection or reinfection in children. For this purpose, we adopted a systematic approach and searched the existing literature on PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases. A search term was entered to retrieve the available data. A total of 12 articles were included in this review after applying the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Most of the included studies reported a lower zinc status in children affected with any parasitic infection. Regarding the effect of zinc status and supplementation on parasitic infection in children, we found only a few studies (n = 4) with inconsistent result findings. This review reported that children infected with STH have lower zinc levels; however, a limited number of studies showed the effect of zinc supplements on the risk of STH warrants the need for further studies in this regard.

Effect of Iron-fortified Wheat Flour on Hemoglobin Levels among Women of Reproductive Age Group in Mansehra, KPK, Pakistan

Micronutrient deficiencies continue to affect approximately 25% of the World's population. Fortification of staple foods is recognized as one of the most effective interventions to combat micronutrient deficiencies such as iron deficiency. The objective of the current research was to elucidate the effect of iron-fortified wheat flour on the mean hemoglobin levels of women of the reproductive age group (15-49 years) in the Mansehra district, KPK, Pakistan. The study sample consisted of 280 women whose baseline hemoglobin levels were determined at the start of the study. They were fed with iron-fortified wheat flour for a period of 120 days after which their hemoglobin levels were measured again. A 24-hour dietary recall was also taken from the study participants to determine the amounts and frequencies of major foods consumed during the last 24 hours. The study results showed that the consumption of iron-fortified wheat flour had significantly increased the mean hemoglobin levels of women. The study concluded that the consumption of iron-fortified wheat flour could be an effective strategy to combat the problem of iron deficiency in Pakistan.

Spirulina, an FDA-Approved Functional Food: Worth the Hype?

Spirulina, a blue-green microalga is an eminent functional food due to its unique nutritional and disease-mitigating properties. The main objective of this article is to present an overview of the nutritional composition of Spirulina. Along with its therapeutic potential and applications in the food industry. Studies included in this review have suggested spirulina to be a rich source of complete proteins, essential fatty acids (EFAs), vitamins, minerals and various bioactive compounds like carotenoids, chlorophyll, and xanthophylls. This makes Spirulina a promising functional food for the treatment of ailments like diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disorders (CVDs), COVID-19, neuroinflammatory conditions and gut dysbiosis. Additionally, data from numerous studies suggest its use in food formulations, primarily in sports supplements, bakery products, beverages, dairy products, snack sources and confectionaries. It has also been used by the National Aeronautics and Space Association (NASA) for astronauts on space missions to the Moon and Mars. Furthermore, spirulina's use as a natural food additive possesses enormous potential for further research. Owing to its high nutritional profile and disease-fighting potential, it lends itself to numerous food formulations. Therefore, based on the findings of previous studies, further progress can be made considering spirulina's application in the food additive industry.

A Systematic Review of Human Trials on Mycoprotein - Way towards a Sustainable Ecosystem

Rapidly increasing global warming and world population calls for exploring untapped elements of biodiversity in a much broader sense. Though there exists much evidence on the importance of livestock and animal-derived protein, escalating challenges related to sustainability have led to finding alternatives to animal-derived proteins. Mycoprotein is an eco-friendly sustainable product.  This fungal-derived protein is high in fiber and protein content. For this particular review paper, literature was searched for human trials using PubMed, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Library. Fifteen trials, totaling 952 participants were included- 5 solely reported on cholesterol response, 3 for glycemic response and 2 for serum uric acid concentrations, while 4 studies reported the combined effect of health markers such as cholesterol, glycemic response, and uric acid concentrations and 1 study on gut health. The Jadad scale was used to assess the quality of studies. Five trails were identified to be of good quality scoring 3 or more. The results showed cholesterol lowering percentage to be ranging between 4.3 to 13%. Similarly, a significant increase of (+0.02) (P< 0.05) was observed in Lactobacillus spp from the baseline value following mycoprotein consumption. Results however were inconclusive for glucose and insulin response. Overall given the growing increase in sustainable proteins, this area should be explored further from a public health perspective.

Effect of inulin, galacto oligosaccharides and iron fortification on iron deficiency anemia among women of reproductive age; a randomized controlled trial

Iron supplementation and fortification are the well-known approaches to treat iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in women of reproductive age. The objective of the current randomized controlled trial (RCT) was to evaluate the cumulative effects of prebiotics and iron fortification among women of reproductive age. For this purpose, a total of 75 iron deficient women of childbearing age were recruited and randomly divided into 5 groups (4 treatment groups and 1 control group). Four different types of fortified wheat flour were prepared using two iron fortificants (NaFeEDTA and FeSO4) and two prebiotics [inulin and galacto oligosaccharides (GOS)], while control group was treated with iron fortified flour without any prebiotics. Blood samples were collected from overnight fasted women on monthly basis up to 90 days. Hematological indices such as Hemoglobin (Hb), Hematocrit, Red Blood Cell (RBC) Count and Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV), as well as iron biomarkers including serum iron, ferritin, transferrin, and Total Iron Binding Capacity (TIBC) were evaluated for analyses. The results showed a considerable positive improvement in all iron biomarkers as well as hematological indices among the treatment groups (P-value &lt; 0.05), as compared to the control group. A maximum Hb (11.86 ± 0.24 mg/dL) and hematocrit value (35.06 ± 1.32%), was reported in group G3 which was treated with fortified wheat flour at a dose of 963 mg/kg GOS + 15 ppm FeSO4. On the other hand, highest mean values for RBC Count (4.73 ± 0.41 mil/mm3), MCV (81.41 ± 3.21 fL), serum iron (75.62 ± 2.79 μg/dL), serum transferrin (16.82 ± 0.30 mg/dL), and TIBC (403.68 ± 7.27 μg/dL) were observed in G4 group receiving the fortified wheat flour at a dose of 963 mg/kg GOS + 30 ppm FeSO4 level. The study concluded that prebiotic fortification along with iron salts helps to enhance iron absorption among iron deficiency anemic women of reproductive age.

Co‐administration of Inulin and Iron Fortificants improves Iron Deficiency Biomarkers in Female Sprague Dawley Rats

Micronutrient deficiencies affect approximately 2 billion people worldwide and iron deficiency anemia is one of them. The instant research was an attempt to determine the efficacy of co‐administration of two iron fortificants (NaFeEDTA and FeSO₄) and inulin (a prebiotic) on serum iron, ferritin, transferrin, and total iron‐binding capacity in iron‐deficient female Sprague Dawley rats. For this research, rats were divided into ten groups, (two control and eight treatment groups). Treatment groups were made iron deficient by feeding them with triapine, an iron binder for two weeks. All treatment groups were fed with inulin at two different dosage levels along with iron fortificants. The study results showed that serum ferritin and serum iron levels significantly improved from initiation to termination of study. Also, mean values of total iron‐binding capacity and serum transferrin showed a steady decline over a period of three months indicating that iron stores were being improved. It was concluded that co‐administration of inulin and iron fortificants helped improve iron deficiency biomarkers in female Sprague Dawley rats.

Iron and prebiotic fortified flour improves the immune function of iron deficient women of childbearing age

Micronutrient deficiencies (MNDs) are common worldwide, in both developing as well as developed countries. MNDs such as Iron Deficiency not only compromise the nutritional status of individuals but can also put them at an increased risk of developing various other diseases by negatively affecting their immunity. The objective of the current research was to determine the effects of prebiotics and iron fortificants on various immunoglobulins among iron deficient women belonging to childbearing age. To serve the purpose, a total of seventy five iron deficient women were selected and randomly divided into one control and four treatment groups. Accordingly, different types of fortified wheat flour were prepared, based on varying dosage of prebiotics and iron fortificants, to be fed to anemic women on daily basis for three months. Two iron salts (FeSO₄ and NaFeEDTA) and two prebiotics (Galacto oligosaccharides and Inulin) were used to fortify wheat flour during the trials. Overnight fasted women were asked to give blood samples on monthly basis, up to three months. Four types of Immunoglobulins including IgA, IgE, IgG and IgM were determined at baseline, 30th, 60th and 90th day of trials using their respective protocols. The results of the study indicated that a statistically significant declining trend for IgA, IgE, IgG and IgM was present among the treatment groups (P-value < 0.05), compared to the control group. The study concluded that provision of iron and prebiotic fortified flour improved the immune function of iron deficient women.

Synergistic effect of galacto oligosaccharides and iron fortificants on serum iron, ferritin, transferrin and total iron binding capacity levels in anemic rats

Iron deficiency anemia is one of the leading public health issues being faced by the global population currently. The present research was an attempt to determine the synergistic effect of Galacto Oligosaccharides and iron fortificants on serum iron, serum ferritin, serum transferrin and total iron binding capacity in anemic rats. To serve the purpose, eight different types of fortified feed were prepared with varying concentrations of Iron Fortificants (NaFeEDTA and FeSO₄) while the varying dosage of galacto oligosaccharides was dissolved separately in water to be fed to anemic rats. Afterwards, animal trials were conducted for twelve weeks to determine the efficacy of Galacto Oligosaccharides & iron fortificants based feed against the aforementioned parameters. The results of the study suggested that both serum iron and serum ferritin levels were significantly improved when anemic rats were fed with iron and Galacto Oligosaccharides fortified feed. It was also observed that the levels of serum transferrin and total iron binding capacity steadily decreased over the study duration. It can be concluded that Galacto Oligosaccharides helped enhance the absorption of iron in anemic rats, reflected by increase in serum iron and serum ferritin levels and decrease in serum transferrin and total iron binding capacity.