Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism

Background. Iodine deficiency is the world’s major cause of preventable intellectual impairment, and nearly 2 billion people are at risk of iodine deficiency worldwide. Prevention and control of iodine deficiency disorders primarily aim at ensuring the intake of adequate iodine to maintain normal thyroid function. In our study area, studies regarding the coverage of adequately iodized salt at household level are meager. Hence, this study aimed to assess the magnitude of adequately iodized dietary salt at a household level in Kore Town, Southeast Ethiopia. Methods. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in the Kore town from August 1 to 30, 2019. A total of 394 households were selected for this study using a simple random sampling technique. The level of salt iodine content was determined using the rapid field test kit. Then, iodine contents of dietary salt were reported as <15 parts per million and ≥15 parts per million. Data regarding sociodemographic factors, knowledge of respondents about iodized salt, and iodized salt handling practices were collected through a face-to-face interview. The binary logistic regression model was used to assess the association between independent factors and the outcome variable. Statistical significance was declared at . Result. Out of all the households, 223 (56.6%) had adequately iodized salt. Not exposing iodized salt to sunlight (AOR = 2.35, 95% CI: 1.1, 5.2), storing the salt at a dry or cold place [(AOR = 4.77, 95% CI: 1.39, 16.45) and (AOR = 8.23, 95% CI: 1.44, 47.19), respectively], and having good knowledge about iodized salt (AOR = 1.88, 95% CI: 1.18, 3.01) were significantly associated with the presence of adequately iodized salt at the household level. Conclusion. Availability of adequately iodized salt in the study area was far below the World Health Organization recommendation. Information regarding the importance and proper handling of iodized dietary salt should be communicated to the householders.

Background. Low dietary diversity superimposed with poor-quality monotonous diets is a major problem that often results in undernutrition, mainly micronutrient deficiencies. However, there is limited evidence on minimum dietary diversity and associated factors among lactating mothers in resource-poor settings, including the study area. Therefore, the objective of the study is to assess the prevalence of minimum dietary diversity and associated factors among lactating mothers in Ataye District, Ethiopia. Methods. A community-based cross-sectional study design was used among 652 lactating mothers aged 15–49 years from January 25 to April 30, 2018. Dietary diversity was measured by the minimum dietary diversity indicator for women (MDD-W) using the 24-hour dietary recall method. Data were entered into EpiData version 4.2.0.0 and exported to the statistical package for social science (SPSS) version 24 for analysis using the logistic regression model. Results. The prevalence of minimum dietary diversity among lactating mothers was 48.8% (95% CI: (44.7%, 52.9%). Having formal education ((AOR = 2.16, 95% CL: (1.14, 4.09)), a final say on household purchases ((AOR = 5.39, 95% CI: (2.34, 12.42)), home gardening practices ((AOR = 2.67, 95% CI: (1.49, 4.81)), a history of illness ((AOR = 0.47, 95% CI: (0.26, 0.85)), good knowledge of nutrition ((AOR = 5.11, 95% CI: (2.68, 9.78)), being from food-secure households ((AOR = 2.96, 95% CI: (1.45, 6.07)), and medium ((AOR = 5.94, 95% CI: (2.82, 12.87)) and rich wealth indices ((AOR = 3.55, 95% CI: (1.76, 7.13)) were significantly associated with minimum dietary diversity. Conclusion. The prevalence of minimum dietary diversity among lactating mothers was low in the study area. It was significantly associated with mothers having a formal education, final say on the household purchase, home garden, good knowledge of nutrition, history of illness, food-secure households, and belonging to medium and rich household wealth indices. Therefore, efforts should be made to improve the mother’s decision-making autonomy, nutrition knowledge, household food security, and wealth status.

Background. Cystic fibrosis (CF) is one of the most frequent genetic diseases. The discovery and implementation of new therapies prolonged the survival of CF patients in the last years. Evaluation of long-term complications could be useful to improve the outcome of these patients. Aim of the Study. To evaluate renal function, metabolic, nutritional, and inflammatory status in CF patients on cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR) modulators therapy as well as lung transplant recipients (LRs) and patients on conservative therapy (control group). Materials and Methods. We performed a prospective, longitudinal study on 69 CF patients. Clinical and laboratory parameters (metabolic and nutritional indices and inflammatory markers) were evaluated in all patients before starting CFTR therapy or transplant (T0) and after 3 years (T1). Results. We enrolled 69 CF patients (42 males). Patients were distributed into three groups. The average age was 35.01 ± 10.57 years for the control group (group 0), 32.47 ± 9.40 years for patients on CFTR modulators therapy (group 1), and 38.93 ± 7.14 years for LRs (group 2). At T1, we showed a significant difference among the three groups in terms of renal function indices: creatinine, eGFR, serum nitrogen as well as serum uric acid, sodium, and potassium (, , , , , and , respectively), particularly in LRs patients. Significant differences were found in nutritional status parameters among the three groups: total protein, serum albumin, serum fibrinogen, serum transferrin, and white blood cell counts (, , , , and , respectively), particularly in LRs compared with other groups. Moreover, we found significant differences in metabolic profile (HbA1c, ) and inflammatory status, with a significant difference in C-reactive protein values, neutrophil counts, and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) among the three groups (, , and , respectively). Conclusions. Our study showed a reduced renal function and poor nutritional status in LRs, along with worse metabolic control. Moreover, we showed a lower inflammatory status in patients on CFTR modulators therapy. Therefore, we suggest early and careful monitoring of renal function, metabolic, and nutritional parameters in CF patients, whether they are on conservative therapy, CFTR modulators therapy, and LRs patients.

Purpose. Dietary habit and body composition can develop risk of menstrual disorders. The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between macronutrient intake, anthropometric indices, and menstrual disorders. Methods. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 217 women with an average age of 28.8 ± 7.9 years. Anthropometric indices including body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and skinfold thickness from all participants were measured. Menstrual cycle characteristics were self-reported. The dietary habits were assessed by using a modified, semiquantitative 147 items Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) by two trained dietitians. Chi-square and independent T-test were used to assess bivariate associations and logistic regression was implemented in SPSS 21. Results. Most of the participants (52.5%) suffered from at least one of the menstrual disorders including painful menstruation (41%), premenstrual syndrome (PMS) (24.9%), and irregular menstruation (22.1%). The mean of waist circumference in women with no complication was 76.0 ± 11.8 and in women with at least one disorder was 86.7 ± 14.0 (). Our results suggest that women with no disorder consumed less calorie, carbohydrate, protein, and fat in comparison to women with at least one disorder (). Furthermore, the proportion of all kinds of disorders among women, who had overweight or obesity, was significantly higher than women with normal BMI (). Conclusion. Irregular menstruation, painful menstruation, and PMS were significantly associated with high intake of calories, proteins, carbohydrates, and total fat. Furthermore, menstruation-related complications were worsened by obesity.

Background. Exclusive breastfeeding is an important strategy for improving child health. However, the practice of exclusive breastfeeding among employees is very low in developing countries including Ethiopia. Objective. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge and practice of employed mothers towards exclusive breastfeeding and its associated factors in Mecha district, Amhara Region, Northwest Ethiopia, 2019. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted from April 05 to June 30, 2019. A stratified random sampling technique was applied. Data were analyzed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 23 software. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine predictors of knowledge and practice. Result. A total of 449 participants were enrolled with a response rate of 95.54%. The study revealed that 92.1% (95% CI: (89.5–94.6)) of participants had good knowledge. However, only 38.5% (95% CI: (33.8–42.9)) employed mothers breastfeed their babies exclusively. Certain predictors such as maternity leave (AOR = 0.31, 95% CI:(0.10–0.91), value = 0.03), mothers’ level of education (AOR = 2.97, 95% CI: (1.66–5.34), value <0.001), support from husbands(AOR = 0.26, 95% CI (0.14–0.47), value <0.001), and actual time to return back to their work(AOR = 0.21; 95% CI: (0.08–0.51), value = 0.01) were statistically associated with exclusive breastfeeding. Conclusions and Recommendations. The knowledge and practice of employed mothers towards exclusive breastfeeding were affected by the number of predictors. Exclusive breastfeeding practice among employed mothers was low. It is advisable to give some flexible working hours for breastfeeding mothers.

Introduction. Malnutrition and weight loss in cancer patients is a common problem that affects the prognosis of the disease. In the case of CRC, malnutrition rates range between 30 and 60%. Objectives. Description of the preoperative nutritional status of patients diagnosed with colorectal neoplasia who will undergo surgery. Materials and Methods. A prospective observational study is performed. Results. Of 234 patients studied, we observed that 139 (59%) had some degree of nutritional risk. Of all of them, 44.9% (N = 47) had 1-2 points according to MUST and 25% (N = 27) had more than 2 points. No differences were found when studying nutritional risk according to the location of the neoplasm. It was observed that 2.15% of the patients were underweight, 51% overweight, and 23% obese. 19.4% of patients lost less than 5 kg in the 3–6 months prior to diagnosis, 20.7% lost between 5 and 10 kg, and 2.1% lost more than 10 kg. In asymptomatic patients, the weight loss was lower than in symptomatic patients, loss <5 kg, 8.2% vs. 22.8%, and loss 5–10 kg, 16.2% vs. 29.3%, with a value of . 5% (N = 7) of the patients had hypoalbuminemia record. 16.5% (N = 23) had some degree of prealbumin deficiency and 20.9% (N = 29) of hypoproteinemia. Symptomatic patients had more frequent analytical alterations, 1-2 altered parameters in 48.8% (N = 20) of asymptomatic vs. 61.2% (N = 22) in the symptomatic, .