Browsing by Subject "Overweight"

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    Anthropometrics, hemoglobin status and dietary micronutrient intake among Tanzanian and Mozambican pigeon pea farmers
    (2022) Eleraky, Laila; Issa, Ramula; Maciel, Sónia; Mbwana, Hadijah; Rybak, Constance; Frank, Jan; Stuetz, Wolfgang
    Inadequate consumption of micronutrient-dense and protein-rich foods such as vegetables, legumes and meat is an important contributing cause for anemia and deficiencies of vitamin A and iron in rural communities of Tanzania and Mozambique. A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the nutritional status (anthropometrics and hemoglobin) and diets in particular micronutrient intake of female and male pigeon pea farmers from Lindi, Tanzania, and Gurué, the Zambézia province of Mozambique. A total of 1526 farmers (669 from Tanzania, 857 from Mozambique) were studied, of whom 16% were overweight and 35% were anemic. The highest prevalence of overweight and anemia, at 35% and 48%, was observed in Tanzanian and Mozambican women, respectively. Overall, only a small proportion of women and men reached the recommended daily dietary intake of vitamin A (10%), iron (51%) and zinc (44%). Multiple regression models revealed that dark green leafy vegetables (DGLVs) highly predicted vitamin A intake, whereas legumes in Tanzania and starchy plants in Mozambique were actually the dominant sources of vitamin A. Cereals covered over half of the iron and the zinc intake in both countries. An increased consumption of micronutrient-rich DGLVs and legumes, while reducing the high amounts of refined maize or polished rice, is suggested to counteract the high prevalence of anemia and overweight among smallholder farmers in East and South Eastern Africa.
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    Unterstützung eines Gewichtsreduktionsprogramms durch Coenzym Q10 und Alpha-Liponsäure in micellierter wasserlöslicher Formulierung
    (2013) Franz, Karen; Biesalski, Hans-Konrad
    Overweight and obesity affects about half of the adult population in Germany and increase the risk for a series of subsequent diseases. A promising approach to treat obesity is to regulate the food intake ? and thus body weight ? in the hypothalamus. Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) plays a central role in this mechanism. Consequently, suppression of the hypothalamic AMPK is an imaginable mechanism to improve repletion and limit the food intake. Alpha lipoic acid (ALA) inhibits the hypothalamic AMPK and therefore delays the onset of hunger. By increasing the muscular AMPK, ALA promotes the energy expenditure. In the respiratory chain Coenzyme Q10 is directly involved in the electron transport and the transformation of energy. Therefore, the combination of ALA and Coenzyme Q10 is an interesting approach. In the context of the randomized double blind intervention study the effect of daily intake of 90 mg of Coenzyme Q10 und 100 mg alpha lipoic acid in comparison to a placebo was investigated. In total 22 overweight adults per group (BMI 27 to 33 kg/m2) with no severe pre-existing diseases participated in the study. Over the course of 12 weeks the participants received regular nutritional counseling with the goal to reduce weight. Body weight, body composition using Bioelectric Impedance Analysis (BIA), and circumference of waist and hip were measured regularly. Prospective assessment of the food intake using 3-day protocols accompanied the measurements. Concurrently, the level of repletion was documented using a visual analog scale. Participants of both groups reduced their calorie intake during the time of the study. In the first part of the study this resulted an average weight reduction of 2.7±3.7 kg in the verum group and of 1.2±3.3 kg in the placebo group. The weight reduction in the verum group reached statistical significance compared to the placebo group (p<0.05). For the participants of verum group, the ratio of fasting insulin level and fasting blood glucose level (HOMA-index) improved as well. In the verum group, the HOMA-index in the first part improved from 2.4±1.2 (µU*dl)/(mg/ml) to 1.5±1.0 (µU*dl)/(mg/ml) with statistical significance (p=0,012). No significant improvement of the HOMA-index was found in the placebo group (from 3.0±1.3 (µU*dl)/(mg/ml) to 2.5±1.2 (µU*dl)/(mg/ml)). In the second part of the study the participants of the verum group reduced their body weight for 2.1±3.5 kg and for 3.9±3.2 kg in the placebo group. The difference between the two groups didn?t reach statistical significance. The HOMA-Index of the verum group was reduced from 3.0±1.6 (µU*dl)/(mg/ml) to 2.2±1.5 (µU*dl)/(mg/ml) without statistical significance. No changes were found in the placebo group (from 2.1±1.2 (µU*dl)/(mg/ml) to 2.3±1.0 (µU*dl)/(mg/ml). Further studies must deal with the improvement of the hepatic insulin resistance (HOMA Index) and the weight reduction (first part of this study) with the combination of Q10 and ALA.