No abstract

As doenças cardiovasculares representam a principal causa de morte da população adulta no Brasil. Este trabalho avaliou a prevalência de fatores de risco cardiovascular entre 87 mulheres atendidas em ambulatório de unidade de saúde. A análise dos dados foi realizada considerando grupos etários (adultas e idosas), utilizando o programa STATA 7.0. O fator de risco mais prevalente foi hipercolesterolemia (63,16% para adultas e 75% para idosas); seguido por obesidade abdominal (61,4%), tabagismo (61,4%) e hipertensão (43,1%), para adultas, e hipertensão (70,37%), obesidade abdominal (64,28%) e tabagismo (53,57%), para idosas. Houve associação entre número de fatores de risco acumulados e grupo etário, das que acumulavam de 5 a 6 desses fatores, 42,8% eram idosas versus 11,9% adultas. O grande acúmulo de fatores de risco modificáveis evidencia a necessidade de estratégias visando prevenção de doenças cardiovasculares, contribuindo para minimizar o impacto do envelhecimento na morbimortalidade.

Cowpea crops have high socioeconomic importance in the Northeast region of Brazil. These crops generate employment and income; in addition, it is an excellent source of protein, minerals, vitamins, and dietary fiber, and contributes to the food security of thousands of people. Biofortification of cowpea with iron, zinc, and proteins can contribute to prevent the higher hunger. The objective of this work was to assess iron, zinc, and protein contents in cowpea grains of different cultivars and the effect of grain size and color on the contents of these nutrients. Twenty-four cultivars with variation in size and color of the seed coat were evaluated. Iron contents ranged from 7.12 to 8.60 mg 100 g-1, with an overall mean of 7.75 mg 100 g-1. Zinc contents ranged from 4.46 to 4.93 mg 100 g-1, with an overall mean of 4.71 mg 100 g-1. Protein contents ranged from 31.50 to 36.24 g 100 g-1, with an overall mean of 33.57 g 100 g-1. Grain size ranged from 13.55 to 37.88 g, with an overall mean of 21.50 g. The cultivars Caldeirão, BRS-Guariba, and Pingo-de-Ouro-1-2 have higher iron contents; BRS-Aracê and BRS-Imponente have higher zinc contents; BR-14-Mulato, BRS-Guariba, BRS-Aracê, and BRS-Inhuma, have higher protein contents; and BR-3-Tracuateua and BRS-Imponente have larger grain sizes. The size and color of the seed coat do not influence the iron, zinc and protein contents of the evaluated cowpea cultivars.

The elderly is a risk group for changes in health conditions and as well as in functional performance related to the decline in grip strength and reduced walking speed, which can compromise the performance of activities of daily living. Based on this, the objective was to analyze the factors associated with functional performance in the elderly. For that, a cross-sectional study was developed involving a group of 179 elderly people who received medical care at an outpatient clinic of the public health network. Muscle strength and gait speed were measured. Nutritional status was determined by Body Mass Index (BMI), calf circumference (CC), waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). Level of physical activity was measured by the adapted version of the Minnesota Leisure Activities Questionnaire. Low muscle strength was found in 20.7% of the elderly and slow gait in 20.1%. Increased risk of cardiovascular disease was found in 40.8% considering WC, and 35.2% by WHR. Most of the elderly had low weight and no loss of muscle mass. Loss of muscle strength was associated with sex and CC and gait speed were associated with sex, age, and presence of a partner (p < 0.05). The chance of loss of muscle strength and lower gait speed was higher in elderly women. Loss of muscle mass due to CC was associated with the chance of loss of strength, and the chance of reduced walking speed was greater among the elderly individuals aged 75 years and over.