Sirkencubin syrup is a health-friendly alternative drink consisting of a mixture of honey, vinegar and water. In this study, purple basil sirkencubin syrup and the changes in sirkencubin syrup during two months storage period (1, 10, 20, 30 & 60 days) were investigated. Physicochemical properties, bioactive properties, organoleptic properties, general microbiology, and possible effects on blood pressure in healthy individuals during storage were evaluated. At the end of storage, no significant changes were detected in the physicochemical value of the samples. At the end of the storage period, total phenolic content (mg GAE/L) value of purple basil sirkencubin syrup sample was determined as 17.64% more than the sirkencubin syrup samples. Total antioxidants in purple basil sirkencubin syrup samples were higher than sirkencubin syrup samples. Ascorbic acid contents of the samples decreased during storage. In terms of organoleptic properties, purple basil sirkencubin syrup was more favored by the panelists. In our study, sirkencubin syrup and purple basil sirkencubin syrup had no acute effect on blood pressure. At the end of the study, purple basil sirkencubin syrup was found to be more successful than sirkencubin syrup.

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of obesity, and the risk factors associated with it, in physically disabled adults living in the city centre of Malatya, Turkey.MethodThis research was designed as a cross-sectional study conducted on physically disabled people aged 20–65 years living in the city centre of Malatya. The prevalence of obesity in disabled people was within 95% CIs, the power was calculated as 80%, and the sample size of our population was calculated as 258 individuals.ResultsThe prevalence of obesity was found to be 13.2%. The relationship between disability type and obesity status was found to be significant. The prevalence of obesity was 21.3% in visually impaired people, 17.9% in speech-impaired people, 17.8% in hearing-impaired people and 6.5% in orthopaedically disabled people.ConclusionsEducational interventions on nutrition and lifestyle can be effective considering the high prevalence of obesity in visually impaired people, the prevalence of weakness in orthopaedically disabled people and the risk related to the area in which body fat is localised even when body mass index is within the normal range. Training disabled people in sports appropriate to their disability type and building appropriate facilities for those sports might have a positive effect.

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Background: Caffeine in the safe dose range has been associated with a reduction in the risk of chronic diseases. There is evidence that caffeine intake has both protective and negative effects on cardiovascular diseases. Aim: This study aimed to investigate caffeine intake in cardiovascular patients. Methods: The study sample was selected from individuals who applied to the Cardiology policlinic of Tekirdağ Namık Kemal University Hospital. A questionnaire was applied using face-to-face interview method to determine their demographic information, nutritional status and anthropometric measurements. Moreover, the nutritional status of the participants was determined by the Food Frequency Questionnaire and the type of cardiovascular disease was determined by a physician. The blood parameters of the sample for the last three months were questioned. The sample has been ninety people of whom fifty cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) were diagnosed and forty were non-diagnosed (ND). Results: The mean age of individuals (n = 90) was 43.2 ± 14.4. The BMI and waist circumference of the CVDs group were statistically significantly higher than the ND group (p < 0.001). While the total caffeine consumption of the ND group was 209.34 ± 143.85 mg/day, consumption of the CVDs group was 209.99 ± 196.76 mg/day. LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol did not show statistically significant difference between the two groups. However, HDL cholesterol was significantly higher in the ND group (p ≤ 0.001). Conclusion: Present results show that daily caffeine consumption may partially affect blood parameters associated with cardiovascular diseases, especially in the presence of coronary artery disease.

Iron is necessary for various metabolic processes, including oxygen transport and storage, redox reactions, cell signaling and microbial defense. Absorption, transport and storage of iron are carefully regulated, presumably to avert potential toxic effects of free iron [1,2]. Both iron overload and iron deficiency can be detrimental to health, so iron homeostasis is essential. Although many factors that take part in iron homeostasis are known, mechanisms by which the body regulates iron stores are still being elucidated [1-3]. Also, iron absorption and homeostasis are intimately linked to the inflammatory response [4]. Iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) are prevalent forms of nutritional deficiency. Globally, 50% of anemia is attributed to iron deficiency [5,6]. Since the body has no means of actively excreting excess iron, a sophisticated system for iron homeostasis maintains the optimal balance between adequate dietary iron absorption and iron loss in healthy individuals. Dietary iron is absorbed in a regulated manner from the gastrointestinal tract and transported between cells bound to the protein transferrin. Systemic iron homeostasis is primarily regulated by the liver-derived peptide hormone hepcidin and by the iron exporter protein ferroprotein, while intracellular iron homeostasis is regulated by the iron-regulatory protein/iron-responsive element system. The two regulatory systems are finely coordinated [7]. This finely balanced homeostasis, however, can be readily disturbed. Iron deficiency can ensue if dietary iron intake is insufficient or if iron absorption, loss, metabolism, or body distribution become abnormal due to disease or excess blood loss. A group of international experts recently proposed the following comprehensive definition of iron deficiency: "a health-related condition in which iron availability is insufficient to meet the body's needs and which can be present with or without anemia" [8].