The effects of dietary supplementation with coconut oil on the biochemical and anthropometric profiles of women presenting waist circumferences (WC) >88 cm (abdominal obesity) were investigated. The randomised, double-blind, clinical trial involved 40 women aged 20-40 years. Groups received daily dietary supplements comprising 30 mL of either soy bean oil (group S; n = 20) or coconut oil (group C; n = 20) over a 12-week period, during which all subjects were instructed to follow a balanced hypocaloric diet and to walk for 50 min per day. Data were collected 1 week before (T1) and 1 week after (T2) dietary intervention. Energy intake and amount of carbohydrate ingested by both groups diminished over the trial, whereas the consumption of protein and fibre increased and lipid ingestion remained unchanged. At T1 there were no differences in biochemical or anthropometric characteristics between the groups, whereas at T2 group C presented a higher level of HDL (48.7 +/- 2.4 vs. 45.00 +/- 5.6; P = 0.01) and a lower LDL:HDL ratio (2.41 +/- 0.8 vs. 3.1 +/- 0.8; P = 0.04). Reductions in BMI were observed in both groups at T2 (P < 0.05), but only group C exhibited a reduction in WC (P = 0.005). Group S presented an increase (P < 0.05) in total cholesterol, LDL and LDL:HDL ratio, whilst HDL diminished (P = 0.03). Such alterations were not observed in group C. It appears that dietetic supplementation with coconut oil does not cause dyslipidemia and seems to promote a reduction in abdominal obesity.

The objectives of the study were to investigate whether the health conditions of mothers with short stature differed from those with normal stature, and to establish if these aspects were associated with the health of the offspring. Data relating to health and socio-economic, demographic and anthropometric conditions were collected from a probabilistic sample population consisting of 1180 mothers and 1511 children (, 10 years) living in the semi-arid region of the State of Alagoas, Brazil. Mothers were categorised according to stature, with those in the 1st quartile being defined as of short stature and those in the 4th quartile being defined as of normal stature and serving as a reference for the comparison of variables of interest. Following verification that maternal stature fulfilled parametric assumptions, its associations with the other variables were determined by calculating Pearson correlation coefficients. After excluding strongly self-correlated variables (r $0·70), the remaining variables were analysed by multiple linear regression. The results showed that low maternal stature was independently associated with obesity (percentage body fat $30; P¼ 0·045), abdominal adiposity (waist:hip ratio $0·85; P¼ 0·007) and high systolic blood pressure ($140 mmHg; P¼ 0·006). Short maternal stature was associated with low birth weight (,3000 g; P¼ 0·01) and stunting (height-for-age Z score , 22; P¼ 0·019) in the offspring. Thus, in the semi-arid region of Alagoas, women of short stature presented a higher prevalence of chronic degenerative diseases and produced less healthy children than women of normal stature. Anthropometry: Nutritional status: Stunting: ProgrammingIn line with the majority of developing countries, Brazil is experiencing a process of epidemiological transition characterised by a reduction in the prevalence of infectious-parasitic diseases together with an increase in morbidity and mortality caused by chronic non-transmissible diseases (1) . At the same time, the population is undergoing a nutritional transition in which undernutrition is replaced by obesity, a condition which is rapidly becoming a serious public health problem (2) . National surveys conducted by the Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) (3) have revealed that the prevalence of weight deficit in Brazilian women decreased from 10·2 % in 1974-5 to 5·4 % in 2002-3. In contrast, the frequency of excess body weight increased from 28·6 % to 39·2 %, respectively, over the same time period.One explanation for this phenomenon relates to the modernisation and urbanisation of society, which is associated with alterations in food consumption habits and particularly with a tendency towards high-energy foods (simple carbohydrates and fats) (4) . However, following a study of the dietary profile of a poor population living in a shanty town in Maceió (capital of the State of Alagoas, Brazil), Florêncio et al. (5) discovered that, although the women ingested an average of 7238 kJ (1730 k...

Background: The Brazilian economy has been officially in recession since 2014. Since then, there has been an increase in the unemployment rate, cost of food, and cuts in the budgets of social programs, among other situations that may interfere with the food security of the population. Objectives: The aims of this study were to identify the prevalence of and factors associated with food insecurity (FI) in Alagoas, one of the poorest states in Brazil, and to discuss the results in the context of the national economic crisis. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study in a probabilistic sample of 3366 families. FI was identified on the basis of the Brazilian Food Insecurity Measurement. The associations with independent variables that achieved P < 0.2 (by chi-square test) in the crude analysis were submitted to multivariable analysis. Results: The observed prevalence of FI was 58.3% (33.1%, 17.9%, and 7.3% for mild, moderate, and severe FI, respectively), which is considerably higher than the 34.6% found in 2013 by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics before the worsening of the economic crisis. The factors independently associated with FI in this study included the following: female head of household, head of the family having no income, female head of household being overweight, ≥4 family members, ≤4 rooms in the house, household income less than the minimum wage, family belonging to the lower economic classes (D or E), using the Bolsa Família program, residing in a nonmasonry house, or not residing in their own house. Conclusions: The prevalence of FI in Alagoas is very high, and considering previous studies, there was a marked increase in FI during the Brazilian economic crisis. All associated factors are related to the greater social vulnerability of the family. The present data point to the need to strengthen public policies for health promotion, education, employment, and income and to ensure the human right to adequate food, with the aim of reducing social vulnerability within the family in a sustainable way. In addition, this study contributes to the understanding of how national conditions can influence household-level FI.

Objective: To investigate the association of malnutrition in children living in substandard settlements (favelas) of Maceió, Brazil, with maternal nutritional status and environmental conditions. Methods:Cross-sectional study involving a probability sample of 2,075 mothers (18 to 45 years) and their children (4 months to 6 years), living in the favelas of the city of Maceió. First, we conducted a cluster analysis with the purpose of choosing the settlements and the administrative region of the city of Maceió with the lowest human development index. After this analysis, the 7th Administrative Region was designated for the study, including its 23 substandard settlements. Socioeconomic, demographic, anthropometric, and maternal and child health data were collected by means of household survey. The statistical analysis included the odds ratio of a child to be malnourished, and the univariate regression was used to check which maternal variables were associated with this malnutrition.Results: Chronic malnutrition (-2 standard deviations/height for age) was found in 8.6% of children and was associated with mother's age and educational level, type of residence, number of rooms, flooring, water supply, and low birth weight (< 2,500 g) in children aged ≤ 24 months. We also found an association between child malnutrition and maternal height. Such association was not observed regarding body mass index. Conclusions:The high prevalence of malnutrition observed in these settlements was related to social and environmental conditions and short maternal height, who had weight deficit or weight excess.J Pediatr (Rio J). 2010;86(3):215-220: Stunting, obesity, poverty. ResumoObjetivo: Investigar a associação da desnutrição em crianças residentes em assentamentos subnormais (favelas) de Maceió (AL) com o estado nutricional materno e as condições socioambientais.Métodos: Estudo transversal, envolvendo amostra probabilística de 2.075 mães (18 a 45 anos) e respectivos filhos (4 meses a 6 anos), moradoras nas favelas da cidade de Maceió. Para escolha dos assentamentos, procedeu-se primeiramente a uma análise de clusters para eleger a região administrativa da cidade de Maceió com menor índice de desenvolvimento humano. Após essa análise, a 7ª Região Administrativa foi a designada para o estudo, com seus 23 assentamentos subnormais. Os dados socioeconômicos, demográficos, antropométricos e de saúde materno-infantil foram coletados através de inquérito domiciliar. A estatística analisou a razão de chances de uma criança ser desnutrida, e a regressão univariada foi usada para verificar quais variáveis maternas estariam associadas a essa desnutrição. Resultados:A desnutrição crônica (-2 desvios padrão/altura por idade) esteve presente em 8,6% das crianças e associou-se com idade e escolaridade materna, tipo de residência, número de cômodos, revestimento de piso, origem da água e baixo peso ao nascer (< 2.500 g) em crianças com idade ≤ 24 meses. Encontrou-se também associação entre desnutrição infantil e baixa estatura materna, que nã...

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