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Gul R, Khan I, Alam I, Almajwal A, Hussain I, Sohail N, Hussain M, Cena H, Shafiq S, Aftab A. Ramadan-specific nutrition education improves cardio-metabolic health and inflammation-a prospective nutrition intervention study from Pakistan. Front Nutr 2023; 10:1204883. [PMID: 38249603 PMCID: PMC10798056 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1204883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
There are recent reports that Ramadan fasting (RF) results in weight gain instead of weight loss. In addition, the data on the efficacy of brief nutrition education on healthy eating practices in Ramadan for better health are scarce. Therefore, a study was conducted to investigate the effects of brief nutrition education before the start of RF on healthy eating practices during RF. For this purpose, a prospective observational study focused on "Dietary Education and Awareness for Ramadan (DEAR)" as an intervention was carried out. The participants (n = 74) were recruited and divided into two groups, i.e., intervention and control groups (n = 37 each). As an intervention, nutrition education lessons were given before and during RF month. The control group did not attend these nutrition education lessons. Data on anthropometrics, dietary intake, and other parameters were collected at three time points: before, in the end, and 4 weeks after RF. Weight was measured in kg; height, waist circumference (WC), and hip circumference (HC) were measured in cm; and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) was calculated by dividing the waist value by the hip value. Body composition analysis was performed by the body composition analyzer (BF-907). Blood pressure (BP) was measured using a validated automated blood pressure. A 3-5 ml of venous blood was collected, and plasma and serum were separated. Serum and plasma samples were processed for general blood chemistry (blood lipid profile, glucose, and CRP) within 2 h. CRP was determined by the immunoturbidimetry method using an auto-analyzer. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine cytokine/chemokines. Adherence to nutrition education (intervention) was assessed. The results show that nutrition education has positive effects on overall nutrition. Significant improvement in dietary adherence to dietary advice in the intervention group was noted. Significant BW loss (mean loss: 1.21 kg) in the intervention group was observed. The majority (63.3%) had lost BW ≥ 1.0 kg. Other changes observed as a result of the intervention included improvements in blood glucose, cholesterol, CRP levels, and systolic and diastolic BP. There was a notable shift in pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine concentrations: IL-7, IL-4, and TGF-α decreased, while IL-2, TNF-α and resistin, IL-1 RA, IL-17 A, and sCD40 increased. In conclusion, RF resulted in a loss in mean BW and an improvement in related blood chemistry and cytokine profiles. Furthermore, nutrition education before RF resulted in better nutrition practices during RF and a desirable healthy BW, blood lipid, and cytokine profiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rahmat Gul
- Department of Human Nutrition, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan
- Department of Dietetics and Nutritional Science, Faculty of Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences, University of Sialkot, Sialkot, Pakistan
| | - Imran Khan
- Department of Human Nutrition, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan
| | - Iftikhar Alam
- Department of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Bacha Khan University, Charsadda, Pakistan
| | - Ali Almajwal
- Department of Community Health Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Imtiaz Hussain
- Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Poonch Rawalakot Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Poonch, Pakistan
| | - Namrah Sohail
- Department of Dietetics and Nutritional Science, Faculty of Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences, University of Sialkot, Sialkot, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Hussain
- Department of Human Nutrition, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan
| | - Hellas Cena
- Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Laboratory, Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Sunara Shafiq
- Department of Dietetics and Nutritional Sciences, University of Sialkot, Sialkot, Pakistan
| | - Anam Aftab
- Department of Dietetics and Nutritional Sciences, University of Sialkot, Sialkot, Pakistan
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Thangaraj M, Ahmadein M, Alsaleh NA, Elsheikh AH. Optimization of Abrasive Water Jet Machining of SiC Reinforced Aluminum Alloy Based Metal Matrix Composites Using Taguchi- DEAR Technique. Materials (Basel) 2021; 14:6250. [PMID: 34771777 DOI: 10.3390/ma14216250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2021] [Revised: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Since the importance of introducing new engineering materials is increasing, the need for machining such higher strength materials has also considerably increased. In the present research, an endeavor was made to introduce a Taguchi–DEAR methodology for the abrasive water-jet machining process, while machining a SiC-reinforced aluminum composite. Material removal rate, taper angle, and surface roughness were considered as the quality measures. The optimal arrangement of input process factors in the AWJM process was found to be 2800 bar (WP), 400 mg/min (AF), 1000 mm/min (FR), and 4 mm (SOD), among the chosen factors, with an error accuracy of 0.8%. The gas pressure had the most significance for formulating the performance measures, owing to its ability to modify the impact energy and crater size of the machined specimen.
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