Consumption of sweetened beverages among schoolgoing children in a densely populated township in Lilongwe, Malawi

Background The growing global childhood obesity pandemic has not spared lowincome countries like Malawi, where 8% of children below the age of five years are overweight. Globally, regular consumption of sweetened beverages is implicated among the factors that fuel childhood obesity. Despite the growing problem, there are no local studies on any aspect of sweetened beverage consumption among children in Malawi that could help in guiding interventions and public health nutrition policies. Aim We aimed to assess sweetened beverage consumption among school-going children in Chilinde, a densely populated township in Lilongwe, the capital city of Malawi. Methods A total of 60 school-going children whose caregivers gave verbal consent were included, and a structured questionnaire was administered to the caregiver (or other knowledgeable and responsible member of the household) of each eligible child. Results Our results showed that 50 of the 60 children sampled were consuming a wide-range of sweetened beverages on a regular basis on any day of the week, mostly during meal times (n = 23), before going to school (n = 22), and after school (n = 19). One-third of the children were reportedly consuming up to 300 mL of several sweetened beverages per day. Conclusion Like in many countries around the world, consumption of sweetened beverages appears to be common among young school-going children in this urban setting in Malawi. As the country builds public health responses to the growing problem of non-communicable diseases, early preventive interventions among children should be given priority.

STANDARDIZATION OF CASSAVA MAHEWU FERMENTATION AND ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFECTS OF IRON SOURCES USED FOR FORTIFICATION

Cassava root is the main staple for 70% of the population in Mozambique, particularly in inaccessible rural areas, but is known to be low in iron. Anaemia is a public health problem in mothers and preschool children in Mozambique and up to 40% of these cases are probably due to dietary iron deficiency. The World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recognize the fortification of foodstuff as an effective method to remedy dietary deficiencies of micronutrients, including iron. Cassava mahewu, a non-alcoholic fermented beverage is prepared at subsistence level from cassava roots using indigenous procedures. The aim of the study was to standardize mahewu fermentation and investigate if the type of cassava fermented, or the iron compound used for fortification affected the final product. Roots of sweet and bitter varieties of cassava from four districts (Rapale, Meconta, Alto Molocue and Zavala) in Mozambique, were peeled, dried and pounded to prepare flour. Cassava flour was cooked and fermented under controlled conditions (45°C for 24 h). The fermentation period and temperature were set, based on the findings of a pilot study which showed that an end-point pH of about 4.5 was regularly reached after 24 h at 45°C. Cassava mahewu was fortified with ferrous sulfate (FeSO4.7H2O) or ferrous fumarate (C4H2FeO4) at the beginning (time zero) and at the end of fermentation (24 h). The amount of iron added to the mahewu was based on the average of the approved range of iron used for the fortification of maize meal. The mean pH at the endpoint was 4.5, with 0.29% titratable acidity. The pH and acidity were different to those reported in previous studies on maize mahewu, whereas the solid extract of 9.65% was found to be similar. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeast growth were not significantly different in mahewu fortified with either of the iron compounds. There was no significant difference between cassava mahewu made from bitter or sweet varieties. A standard method for preparation and iron fortification of cassava mahewu was developed. It is recommended that fortification occurs at the end of fermentation when done at household level.

Characterization of polymorphisms of genes ADH2, ADH3, ALDH2 and CYP2E1 and relationship to the alcoholism in a Colombian population

Objective: Identify and characterize polymorphisms of genes ADH2, ADH3, ALDH2 and CYP2E1 in a Colombian population residing in the city of Bogotá and determine its possible relationship to the alcoholism. Methods: ADH2, ADH3, ALDH2, and CYP2E1 genotypes a population of 148 individuals with non-problematic alcohol and 65 individuals with alcoholism were determined with TaqMan probes and PCR-RFLP. DNA was obtained from peripheral blood white cells. Results: Significant difference was found in family history of alcoholism and use of other psychoactive substances to compare alcoholics with controls. When allelic frequencies for each category (gender) were considered, frequency of A2 allele carriers in ADH2 was found higher in male patients than controls. In women, the relative frequency for c1 allele in CYP2E1 was lower in controls than alcoholics. The ALDH2 locus is monomorphic. No significant differences in allele distributions of the loci examined to compare two populations were observed, however when stratifying the same trend was found that these differences tended to be significant. Conclusions: This study allows us to conclude the positive association between family history of alcoholism and alcoholism suggesting that there is a favorable hereditary predisposition. Since substance dependence requires interaction of multiple genes, the combination of genotypes ADH2*2, CYP2E1*1 combined with genotype homozygous ALDH2*1 found in this study could be leading to the population to a potential risk to alcoholism.

Characterization of polymorphisms of genes ADH2, ADH3, ALDH2 and CYP2E1 and relationship to the alcoholism in a Colombian population

Objective: Identify and characterize polymorphisms of genes ADH2, ADH3, ALDH2 and CYP2E1 in a Colombian population residing in the city of Bogotá and determine its possible relationship to the alcoholism. Methods: ADH2, ADH3, ALDH2, and CYP2E1 genotypes a population of 148 individuals with non-problematic alcohol and 65 individuals with alcoholism were determined with TaqMan probes and PCR-RFLP. DNA was obtained from peripheral blood white cells. Results: Significant difference was found in family history of alcoholism and use of other psychoactive substances to compare alcoholics with controls. When allelic frequencies for each category (gender) were considered, frequency of A2 allele carriers in ADH2 was found higher in male patients than controls. In women, the relative frequency for c1 allele in CYP2E1 was lower in controls than alcoholics. The ALDH2 locus is monomorphic. No significant differences in allele distributions of the loci examined to compare two populations were observed, however when stratifying the same trend was found that these differences tended to be significant. Conclusions: This study allows us to conclude the positive association between family history of alcoholism and alcoholism suggesting that there is a favourable hereditary predisposition. Since substance dependence requires interaction of multiple genes, the combination of genotypes ADH2*2, CYP2E1*1 combined with genotype homozygous ALDH2*1 found in this study could be leading to the population to a potential risk to alcoholism.