Backgrounds The incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been significantly growing in recent years. Although the pathophysiology of fibrosis progression in NAFLD is not yet known, oxidative stress and inflammation have been known to have a major role in the development of NASH. Understanding the impact of micronutrients in NAFLD could potentially help us better understand NAFLD pathogenesis. Aims Assessing the serum levels of Zn, Se, and Vitamin E and their relation to the development of hepatic fibrosis in NAFLD patients. Methods This study included 80 NAFLD patients and 40 healthy controls. All of the patients were subjected to abdominal ultrasound and FibroScan examination (to estimate hepatic fibrosis and steatosis degree), and the serum levels of Zn, Se, and vitamin E were evaluated. Results A statistically significant difference in the serum levels of Zn and Se was observed between the NAFLD group and the control group (P-value = 0.04 and 0.05, respectively). The serum levels of Zn and Se were independently related to the presence of hepatic fibrosis in NAFLD. However, serum vitamin E was not related to the severity of NAFLD. Furthermore, no significant difference in the levels of Zn, Se, and vitamin E was observed between the different groups of NAFLD patients categorized according to the degree of steatosis and the control group. Conclusions Reduced serum levels of Zn and Se can be considered a possible risk factor for hepatic fibrosis in NAFLD. Deficiency in these micronutrients could play a role in the pathogenesis of NAFLD.
The current study aims to determine the effect of school meal supplementation with (Anethum graveolens) leaves powders as a good source of magnesium, zinc and calcium on decreasing ADHD symptoms for mentally disabled children. Children from Model Center for Intellectual Education who were mentally impaired participated in the study. The analyzed sample consists of 25 kids (8-12 years old). The socioeconomic, personal and dietary factors, as well as the clinical indicators, 24-hour recall, and eating patterns besides, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder had been analyzed. The nutritional intervention was by adding 25g of Anethum graveolens leaves powder into one cup of yogurt besides taking ADHD children to their normal school meal. The findings showed a significant improvement in calcium and magnesium consumption between the pre-and post-intervention periods, with a difference ratio between (48-54%). However, there were statistically significant differences in the mean overall degree of ADHD (375,297) of behavioral test before and after dietary intervention, favoring the post intervention. These might be connected to an increase in calcium, magnesium, and zinc intake as a result of the addition of dill to school meals. The results indicated that consumes Anethum graveolens leaves (25g of powder per day) as a good source of magnesium, zinc, and calcium can decrease the symptoms of ADHD in mentally challenged children.
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