Search results

The association between nutrition and cognitive test performance among school children is limited in developing countries, including Ghana. This paper aims to investigate the relationship between nutrient intake and cognitive competence in the context of abstract reasoning among school-aged children in the Tamale Metropolis.

The present cross-sectional study recruited 596 children aged 9–13 years from government-owned and private primary schools in Tamale Metropolis. Dietary intake was assessed by using three-day repeated 24-hour recall. Cognition was assessed by the Raven’s Coloured Progressive Matrices (RCPM) test, made up of 36 questions and used as a continuous variable, whereby higher scores indicated better cognition.

The majority of the children did not meet the recommended dietary allowances for protein (55.5%) and fibre (94.0%) and estimated adequate requirement for energy (86.6%), folate (72.8%), vitamin E (90.6%) and zinc (74.8%). More girls (55.1%) performed poorly in the cognition test than the boys (45.7%) (p = 0.029). Between-subject effects determined using univariate and multivariate analyses indicated age (p = 0.002), dietary folate (p = 0.016), vitamin C intake (p = 0.011), combined age and dietary folate (p = 0.049) and combined age and dietary vitamin C (p = 0.022) significantly affected cognition scores. Girls had lower odds (AOR = 0.7, p = 0.021, 95%CI = 0.5–0.9) of scoring above the 50th percentile in cognition test than boys.

The current nutrient intakes of the children were inadequate. The children performed poorly in Raven’s cognition test of abstract reasoning, and this was associated with being a girl.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to investigate nutrient intakes and RCPM test performance among children in Northern Ghana. Thus, the findings of the study provide relevant information needed by stakeholders to implement nutrition programs in basic schools, aimed at ensuring optimal nutrition achievement among school children for improved cognition.

Edible insects have emerged as a promising inexpensive option to address malnutrition among vulnerable groups in the world. However, it is not clear whether including insects in diets can improve health outcomes. This paper aimed to investigate the impact of edible insect consumption on human health.

A search was conducted in PubMed Central, BioMed Central, Plosone, Cochrane, Google Scholar, Google Search and bibliographies for all human studies on the impact of edible insect consumption on human health published from January 1990 to April 2018.

Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria. Consumption of cereals fortified with edible insects improved iron status and growth in infants and led to the development of life threatening anaphylactic reactions in sensitive people.

Edible insects are nutritious. More rigorous studies are needed to confirm nutrient bioavailability, acceptability and nutritional benefits in humans.

This review shows that the utilization of edible insects as food promotes desirable health outcomes, but caution must be taken to prevent allergic reactions in some cases.

Cardiovascular diseases threaten the global health system and their prevalence among the incarcerated population poses a huge economic burden to governments. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors among prisoners.

A systematic review was done on published studies that looked at prevalence and risk factors of cardiovascular disease among either male or female prisoners or both. PubMed, PubMed Central, Google scholar, Cochrane and Medline databases were searched from a period of 6 June 2016 to 23 June 2016. Quality assessment was done for all papers based on their methodology.

Online search yielded a total of 58,587 papers of which 43 were appropriately titled, but 21 were rejected based on their abstracts. Five of the studies could not be included because full texts were not available; 17 studies that met inclusion criteria in terms of abstracts and methodology were included in the study. Majority of the studies assessed weight (64.7 per cent), height (64.7 per cent), body mass index (64.7 per cent) and blood pressure (17.6 per cent) of inmates. Two of the studies used secondary data and one collected qualitative information via focus group discussions. Overall, prevalence of obesity (23.3 per cent), smoking (53.4 per cent) and physical inactivity (57.5 per cent) reported were high among prisoners.

Most of the studies were conducted in developed countries and this implies that there is a paucity of data in developing countries where prevalence of cardiovascular diseases is high. There is the need for more studies to be conducted in this area among developing countries.

This paper informs stakeholders on factors that put inmates at risk of cardiovascular diseases and can initiate timely interventions to be implemented within prisons.

The nutritional status of a woman before and during pregnancy is important for a healthy pregnancy outcome. The increasing prevalence of maternal overweight and obesity worldwide has become a problem of concern among public health professionals. The purpose of this paper is to review the evidence regarding the impact of maternal weight on pregnancy outcomes to facilitate the provision of evidence-based information to pregnant women during antenatal clinics in Ghana.

A search was conducted in PubMed, PLOS ONE, Cochrane, Embase and bibliographies for all studies on maternal weight and pregnancy outcomes published from January 2000 to May 2013. The key words used for the search were: “pre-pregnancy BMI”, “gestational weight gain”, “maternal weight”, “pregnancy outcomes” and “birth outcomes”.

The search yielded 113 papers; out of these, 35 studies were included in the review after exclusion of duplicates and irrelevant papers. Excluded papers included animal studies and human studies that did not meet inclusion criteria.

The review only considered papers published from 2000 to 2013 and might have left out other important papers published before 2000 and after 2013.

The origins of the studies included in the review suggest paucity of studies on maternal weight and pregnancy outcomes in developing countries where there is a double burden of malnutrition. There is the need for more studies to be initiated in this area.

Results of this review have revealed that the extremes of maternal weight prior to and during pregnancy increase the risk of maternal and fetal complications.

This paper provides evidential information on the impact of maternal weight on pregnancy outcomes for counseling during antenatal clinics.

The purpose of this paper was to synthesis all primary evidence relevant to the anti-diabetic effect of dandelion. Dandelion leaf and root have been used extensively for its medicinal and health benefits since hundreds of years ago. This systematic review was conducted to gather scientific evidence that are available with regards to the anti-diabetic effect of dandelion leaf and root.

A systematic search was conducted using PubMed, BioMed, PLUSONE and Cochrane databases between June 6, 2013 and June 30, 2013. Manual search was also done on books and journals in the KNUST library and its electronic database for possible documented effects of dandelion leaf or root on diabetic patients. Key words “dandelion”, “Taraxacum”, “dandelion and diabetes”, “Taraxacum officinale”, “Taraxacum and diabetes”, “dandelion and hypoglycemia” and “dandelion and hyperglycemia” were used in the search.

The search yielded 713 papers, and after the removal of duplicates and papers not relevant to this review, 20 papers were accepted for the review. These included studies conducted in humans and animals (rats and mice). Among the 20 studies reviewed, only 1 study examined and reported a positive hypoglycemic effect of dandelion on diabetic rats.

The review only considered published papers and might have left out some unpublished research works.

The results of this review suggest paucity of data available on the use of dandelion in the treatment/management of diabetes. There is the need for well-designed clinical trials to ascertain the anti-diabetic effect of dandelion.

The consumption of dandelion by type 2 diabetic patients to treat or manage their blood glucose has not been clinically proven to be effective, as shown by the review.

The paper provides a clear picture of the evidence available in the use of dandelion as an anti-diabetic herb, and this provides some preliminary data for the conduct of a clinical research on it.

The purpose of this paper was to review evidence spanning the relation of dietary habits and other lifestyles to the lipid profile of type 2 diabetes patients.

Search was done in PubMed, Biomed, Cochrane and Nutrition and Metabolism databases from 20 to 29 June 2013 for studies published on dietary intakes and lifestyle effect on lipid profile of type 2 diabetes patients.

A total of 54 studies met the inclusion criteria for this review. These included observational, randomized control trials, prospective, cross-sectional and retrospective studies. Studies obtained covered macronutrients, micronutrients, dietary pattern, specific foods and lifestyle (alcohol intake, smoking, physical activity level and fasting).

The review did not consider unpublished articles/findings, and only studies in the English language and on humans were considered.

The results of the review evidenced limited data on the lifestyle pattern of type 2 diabetes patients.

Dietary habits and other lifestyle patterns for a good lipid profile among type 2 diabetes patients have not been established.

The review demonstrates the need for studies in dietary pattern and other lifestyle patterns in relation to lipid profile of type 2 diabetes patients.