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This article focuses on the assessment of adolescents’ perceptions of the importance of food using the World Wide Web. Adolescents were found to be much aware of health‐related issues but in practice their eating habits were more likely to be influenced by the way they feel generally. Adolescent girls perceived their diets in the light of appearance and body shape, while boys were more concerned by fitness and general wellbeing. With age and maturity, adolescents give less importance to fitness and become more conscious about health issues.

This article focuses on the assessment of dietary intake and possible factors limiting the pattern of consumption of fresh fruits in Mauritius. Mauritius is a rapidly developing country with an increasing rise in mortality due to coronary heart diseases and cancer. Fruits like apples, pears, oranges, bananas, grapes, kiwi and papaya were found to be mostly consumed by the respondents. This article also discusses factors such as age and sex as well as education and income that were found to be important determinants for the consumption of fruits.

This article focuses on the assessment of the practical knowledge of cardiac patients and health care professionals of a heart‐healthy diet. Based on our findings, we proposed that cardiac patients in Mauritius should be referred to dieticians on a more routine basis if effective dietary change is to be successfully implemented. Our findings lend further support for the need of continuing education for health care professionals in the field of nutrition.

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are continuously formed in the body during normal metabolism and ageing through a non‐enzymatic glycosylation reaction between proteins and carbohydrates, known as the Maillard's reaction. Many AGEs are capable of forming cross‐links between proteins and most of them have fluorescent properties. Production of AGEs is markedly increased in diabetes mellitus where they play a pathological role. The aim of the present study is to investigate the possible inhibitory effects of urea, metformin and ascorbic acid on in vitro formation of fluorescent AGE products by comparing their inhibitory capacity with a well‐known AGEs inhibitor, aminoguanidine.

Experiments were carried out using bovine serum albumin and D (+) glucose to produce glycated bovine serum albumin, a fluorescent AGE. Fluorometer analysis was then performed to measure AGEs production and fluorescent intensity was compared between glycated samples with and without the inhibitors.

Aminoguanidine which is known to form guanidine‐carbonyl adduct, reversing the glycation process. was found to inhibit AGEs formation by 57 per cent. Although urea and metformin inhibits glycation by the same route, it was the most effective inhibitor among all four inhibiting agents used. Ascorbic acid, an antioxidant, also inhibits fluorescent AGEs by 52 per cent. It was also a good cross‐link inhibitor. Urea showed an inhibitory effect of 27 per cent. It is suggested that urea formed in the body might be a possible natural protector of AGEs formation. Finally, metformin, an antidiabetic drug inhibits AGEs production by only 12 per cent. It is known to rather increase peripheral sensitivity to insulin and lower blood‐glucose level.

The paper shows that aminoguanidine is the most efficient inhibitor and ascorbic acid supplementation could prove useful in diabetic patients to remove reactive species generated in the Maillard's reaction.

With the increasing rise in obesity and diabetes in Mauritius, the school food environment in Mauritius is becoming a major concern. No study in Mauritius has so far examined the perspective of school head teachers pertaining to food items sold in schools. The purpose of this paper is to determine the primary school food environment in Mauritius.

A national postal survey of all the 212 public primary schools in Mauritius was undertaken. A pilot study was initially carried out, followed by administration of a mail questionnaire to all head teachers. The methodology included a validity testing phase. Frequency and associated Pearson's and Fisher's χ² tests were used for data analysis.

An 82.1 per cent response rate was obtained. The findings showed that a variety of food items were proposed to schoolchildren. Confectioneries were sold in 97.7 per cent schools while deep‐fried foods were on sale in 76.6 per cent schools although canteen guidelines are provided to schools. No school sold a complete meal. No statistical difference has been noted between food items sold in urban primary schools and those sold in rural primary schools (p > 0.05).

This national study highlights that many less healthy food choices are offered to Mauritian school children, thus undermining their health and nutrition status of Mauritian school children. There is need for urgent action to change the school food environment in order to prevent obesity among school children for a healthier Mauritius.

The purpose of this paper is to focus on some of the reported natural advanced glycation end‐products (AGE) inhibitors providing an outline of AGE‐breakers and the potential anti‐glycation properties of some foodstuffs.

Literature searches were conducted to find a link between common household spices, medicinal herbs, AGE and diabetes which could lead to practical home‐based recommendations for changes in a person's diet.

Findings tend to indicate the potential of some dietary components to prevent and/or inhibit AGE formation. Thus, these dietary agents may be exploited for controlling AGE‐mediated diabetic pathological conditions and as possible natural protector of AGE formation in vivo. Consequently, the quest for new AGE inhibitors is considered of paramount importance which can be of therapeutic potential in patients with diabetes or age‐related diseases.

Studies on the inhibition of AGE formation have received increasing recognition from both a nutritional and medical research standpoint. Inhibition of the formation of AGE is believed to play a key role in the prevention of diabetic and cardiovascular complications. Investigation of nutritional bioactive compounds with anti‐glycation properties provides future perspectives for prevention or intervention related to AGEs complications.

This paper adds on to the evidence of the use of dietary agents as natural inhibitors of AGE and hence the prevention of diabetic complications and age‐related diseases.