Exposure of the inhabitants of Najran area in Saudi Arabia to the toxic elements As, Cd, Cr, and Pb through foods has not been previously investigated. Exposure to such elements is an important public health issue, so the study described here was performed with the aim of determining estimated dietary intakes (EDIs) for these metals in Najran area. The As, Cd, Cr, and Pb concentrations in four staple foods (rice, wheat, red meat, and chicken) were determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. A food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was completed by 80 study participants. These data were used to estimate dietary intakes of the metals in the four staple foods. The mean As, Cd, Cr, and Pb EDIs in the four food types were 1.1 × 10−6–2.6 × 10−5, 1.42 × 10−5–2.2 × 10−4, 3.4 × 10−4–8.0 × 10−4, and 2.3 × 10−5–2.1 × 10−3 mg/kg bw day, respectively. Hazard Quotients (HQ) for all elements did not exceed one. The highest Pb concentration was found for chicken and the source of this toxic element in this food needs to be investigated in the future. The lowest As concentration was found for wheat highest in rice. The EDIs for all elements in the four food types were below the provisional tolerable weekly intakes set by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The estimated dietary intake ( EDI) of essential elements selenium (Se), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn) and copper (Cu) has not been previously investigated for Najran city, Saudi Arabia. This type of information can be valuable for protecting public health. The aim of this study was to estimate the EDI of these elements. A food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was completed by the study participants (n = 80) to obtain dietary intake of selected staple foods (rice, wheat, meat and chicken). The concentrations of Se, Zn, Mn and Cu in these staple foods were determined using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The ranges of concentrations (mg/kg, wet weight) were as follows: Se (0.07–0.24), Zn (3.91–20.89), Mn (0.63–14.69) and Cu (0.69–2.41). The calculated ranges of EDIs (mg/kg bw/day) for the essential elements were as follows: Se 9.55 × 10 −5 –5.75 × 10 −4 , Zn 1.33 × 10 −2 –5.83 × 10 −2 , Mn 1.49 × 10 −3 –3.31 × 10 −2 , Cu 1.65 × 10 −3 –5.42 × 10 −3 . The highest EDI for Cu and Mn came from wheat. In the case of Se and Zn, the foods that contributed the highest EDI were chicken and meat, respectively. The lowest EDIs were found for Se in wheat, Zn in rice and both Mn and Cu in chicken. The percentages (%) of provisional maximum tolerable daily intake (PMTDI) for Se, Zn, Mn and Cu were 13%, 11%, 14% and 3.4%, respectively when contributions from all the four classes of foods were combined. The percentage of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) derived from these foods were 80%, 20%, 17% and 5.6% for Se, Zn, Mn and Cu were, respectively. This raises the possibility of Cu deficiency in the Najran population. However, a total diet study and human biomonitoring study is needed in the future to fully assess if people in Najran city are at risk of deficiency or excessive exposure to trace elements.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the distribution of essential and toxic elements between the orange juice and orange flesh of various orange cultivars. Different orange cultivars, such as Abousorah [Citrus sinensis (L.)], Aseear (Citrus aurantium), Afandi (Citrus reticulata Blanco), Helo (Citrus sinensis), and grapefruit (Citrus paradisi), were collected from local markets. Elemental analysis was carried out after microwave-assisted digestion using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in 18 samples. Eleven elements (V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Cd, and Pb) were analysed. Their average concentrations ranged from 0.006 µg g^–1 to 7.13 µg g^–1 in both orange juice and flesh (wet weight). There was a high increase in the average concentrations of all elements in the juice compared to the flesh of up to 40-fold.

Background: This cross-sectional hospital based study aimed at determining the level of knowledge, attitude and practice of diabetes among local people of Najran, Saudi Arabia.Methods: We aimed to investigate the levels of knowledge, attitude and practice among diabetic people in Najran area.Results: 10% of the participants scored >7, 28% scored >5 and 62% scored 5 and less in Knowledge questionnaire. None [0.00%] of the participants scored 7 or more out of the attitude questionnaire. 100% of the participants scored 5 and less out of 12. 100% of the participants scored >6 and 0% scored 12 or more in the practice questionnaire.Conclusions: Our study revealed that the level of knowledge, attitude and practice of diabetes in the area of Najran is very poor. We suggest that a structured educational program to be adopted by the health authorities in Saudi Arabia.