Assessing intake and consumption level of spices among urban and rural households of Ludhiana district of Punjab, India

Abstract

Background: Spices are the esoteric food adjuncts that are used for enhancing the sensory quality of the food in Punjabi diets and add many health benefits. Estimating the intake of spices at the individual level is a challenging task as they are consumed in very small quantities as compared to other foods. The present study aimed to assess the intake and spices consumption level of spices among urban and rural households.Methods: A study was carried out among 100 households each from urban and rural areas from Ludhiana district of Punjab, India to collect the information regarding frequency of spice usage and portion sizes using a questionnaire. The information pertaining to sociodemographic characteristics of female respondents from urban and rural households was also collected. The commonly used 25 spices in Punjabi diets were selected to assess their dietary intake at the individual level among households. Results: Spice consumption frequency was more in urban households in comparison to rural households. The maximum mean consumption frequency score among urban and rural households was observed for red chilli powder (5.00) and turmeric powder (5.00). Maximum percentage (76 and 72%) of urban and rural households preferred to use the unroasted form of spices, respectively.The highest mean intake and range was observed for red chilli powder (3.19 g with range 0.35-5.23 g) among urban women and (2.41 g with range 0.25-3.75 g) for rural women. Spice intake from individual dishes showed the maximum number of portion sizes for red chilli powder that were from vegetable>dhal>curry preparations among urban and dhal>vegetable>curry preparation among rural households. Average amount of spices consumed by urban adult women was 10.04 g per day which was higher as compared to spices consumed by rural adult women per day (7.68 g).Conclusions: The study concluded that the urban households showed higher consumption of spices as compared to rural households thus assessing the quantifying intake of spices. Urban adult women consumed more spices per day as compared to rural women. Therefore, more encouragement for increased use of spices is required to reap various health benefits of spices in combating metabolic disorders.

Movement of prion‐like α‐synuclein along the gut–brain axis in Parkinson's disease: A potential target of curcumin treatment

“…The prevalence of neurological diseases in countries that consume more turmeric has been investigated (Ganguli et al., 2000; Ng et al., 2006). Turmeric and red chilies are the most commonly used spices in Indian households (Bhathal et al., 2020; Siruguri & Bhat, 2015), where the average intake can be as high as 2000–2500 mg/day (Basnet & Skalko‐Basnet, 2011). Comparisons of the elderly in Eastern and Western populations have shown that frequent consumption of dietary curcumin in India may be linked to a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease and a delay in age‐related cognitive impairments than North American populations (Ganguli et al., 2000; Ng et al., 2006).…”