No abstract

Background & Aims: Undernutrition has a detrimental effect on health, especially in elderly individuals.Early detection of malnutrition and malnutrition risk allows for timely prevention and initiation of the necessary nutritional support. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of malnutrition among elderly residents at the old folk home in Selangor, Malaysia. Materials and methods: A total of 46 Klang valley nursing facility residents were enrolled for this cross-sectional study. The Mini Nutritional AssessmentShort Form (MNA-SF), 24-hour food recall, Food frequency questionnaire, Habitual physical activity, 24- hours physical activity recall, and anthropometric measurements were used to assess malnutrition by a trained healthcare professional. Results: Of the 46 participants, 41% had adequate nutrition, 11% had malnutrition, and 48% had malnutrition risk. According to BMI, 6.7% of the population was underweight, 35.6% were overweight, 11.1% were obese, and 46.7% were normal weight. The energy consumption was 2453.9(±421.6) kcal for female residents and 2248.2(±536.5) kcal for male residents, which was higher than the Recommended Nutrient consumption (RNI). Contrary to the cereals and grains category, it was determined that enough fruits and vegetables were consumed, as advised by the Food Pyramid. Consumption of milk and dairy products was higher than suggested by the Food Pyramid. Among older adults who are sedentary and inactive, results showed a higher incidence of malnutrition than those who were at risk for it. The amount of daily energy consumed surpassed the RNI, and the elderly did not consume enough of the food groups as advised by the Food Pyramid.

No abstract

The discovery of pharmacologically active plant-derived natural products as an alternative approach is highly needed for the purpose of disease treatment, specifically in gout remedy. This study was conducted to investigate the antigout potential of five selected Malaysian traditional vegetables/ulam, namely Gynura bicolor, Barringtonia racemosa, Centella asiatica, Manihot esculenta and Lasia spinosa. n-Hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of the selected traditional vegetables/ulam were analyzed for their xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity and phytochemical contents. The highest total phenolic and total flavonoid contents were observed in methanol extracts of L. spinosa and M. esculenta with the values of 1.68 ± 0.05 mg GAE/g and 1.26 ± 0.05 mg RE/g, respectively whereas methanol extract of G. bicolor showed the highest total anthocyanin content. G. bicolor extracted in three sequential solvents were found to possess the strongest xanthine oxidase inhibition with the lowest IC50 values. Therefore, the presence of phytochemical compounds in G. bicolor extracts might contribute to its antigout activity, suggesting this plant as antigout agent.