No abstract

Fe-PM significantly improved iron status in children by 4 mo compared with Control-PM. This study demonstrated that feeding Fe-PM is an efficacious approach to improve iron status in school-age children and it should be further evaluated for effectiveness in a broader population context. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02152150.

BackgroundInfant and child feeding index (ICFI) an age-specific index, can be used to assess child feeding practices. We used the ICFI to assess feeding practices for urban slum children and the association between ICFI and child nutritional status.Methods446 children aged 6 to 24 months from urban slums of Mumbai, India were studied. We used the 24-hour diet recall to study dietary diversity and a food frequency questionnaire for consumption of food groups during the preceding week. ICFI was computed using five components, namely, breastfeeding, use of bottle, dietary diversity score (DDS), food group frequency score (FGFS) and feeding frequency scores (FFS). Weight, height and Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) were measured, and z scores were calculated. Association between ICFI scores and nutritional status was examined.ResultsThe mean total ICFI score for all was 5.9 ± 1.9. Among the five components, FGFS and FFS differed between children <12 months of age and >12 months and by breast feeding status. In contrast, there were no differences vis-à-vis dietary diversity scores (DDS), breast feeding, and use of bottle. Non-breastfed children had significantly higher DDS scores than did breastfed children. The mean feeding frequency score (FFS) for children <12 months of age was slightly but not significantly lower than scores for children >12 months of age. Mother’s age and child’s age were significant determinants of ICFI. Multivariate analysis indicated that ICFI was significantly associated with Length-for-Age z scores (LAZ) and BMI-for-Age z scores (BAZ). Sensitivity of ICFI was lower than its specificity.ConclusionsThe results of the present study confirmed that the ICFI can be used to collect information on key components of young child feeding practices and be incorporated into public-health programmes. Further, it could be used to determine the influence of complementary feeding practices on nutritional status of children.

Consuming iron-biofortified pearl millet improves iron status and some measures of cognitive performance in Indian adolescents. This trial was registered at http://www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02152150.

A large percentage of the Indian population has diabetes or is at risk of pre-diabetes. Almond consumption has shown benefits on cardiometabolic risk factors in adults. This study explored the effect of almond consumption on determinants of metabolic dysfunction—blood glucose, lipids, insulin and selected inflammatory markers in adolescents and young adults aged 16–25 years from Mumbai city. This randomized controlled trial was conducted for a period of 90 days on individuals with impaired levels of fasting glucose levels between 100–125 mg/dL (5.6–6.9 mmol/L) and 2-h post-glucose value 140–199 mg/dL (7.8–11.0 mmol/L) and/or fasting insulin (≥15 mIU/ml)/stimulated insulin (≥80 mIU/ml). Of 1,313 individuals screened, 421 met the inclusion criteria, of which 275 consented to participate and 219 completed the trial. The trial was registered with Clinical Trials Registry India (CTRI) CTRI/2018/02/011927. The almonds group (n = 107) consumed 56 g almonds daily, the control group (n = 112) was provided an iso-caloric cereal-pulse based snack. At baseline and endline, blood glucose, insulin, HbA1c, LDL-c, HDL-c, total and ox-cholesterol, triglycerides, hs-CRP, IL-6, TNF-α, adiponectin, leptin were measured and HOMA-IR and FG:FI ratios were calculated. Dietary intakes were assessed. The anthropometric measurements, biochemical markers as well as macronutrient intakes did not differ significantly between the two groups at baseline. Almond consumption significantly decreased HbA1c, total cholesterol and LDL-c. Stimulated insulin decreased post-intervention in both groups, but the decrease was greater in the almonds group. Fasting glucose was reduced post intervention in the controls with no change in the almonds group. FG:FI ratio decreased in the almonds group. TNF-α and IL-6 decreased in the almonds group, while it increased in the control group. Our results showed that almonds reduced HbA1c, LDL-c and total cholesterol levels in just 12 weeks of consumption in these adolescents and young adults who were at risk for developing diabetes. Almonds can be considered as part of food-based strategies for preventing pre-diabetes.Clinical Trial Registration:ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: CTRI/2018/02/011927.