scholarly journals Macro- and Micronutrients from Traditional Food Plants Could Improve Nutrition and Reduce Non-Communicable Diseases of Islanders on Atolls in the South Pacific

Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 942 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham Lyons ◽  
Geoff Dean ◽  
Routan Tongaiaba ◽  
Siosiua Halavatau ◽  
Kabuati Nakabuta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food System ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Communicable Diseases ◽  
Food Plants ◽  
School Food ◽  
Non Communicable Diseases ◽  
Planting Material ◽  
Cnidoscolus Aconitifolius ◽  
Food Gardens ◽  
Imported Foods

Pacific Islanders have paid dearly for abandoning traditional diets, with diabetes and other non-communicable diseases (NCD) widespread. Starchy root crops like sweet potato, taro, and cassava are difficult to grow on the potassium-deficient soils of atolls, and high energy, low nutrient imported foods and drinks are popular. Nutritious, leafy food plants adapted to alkaline, salty, coral soils could form part of a food system strategy to reduce NCD rates. This project targeted four atolls south of Tarawa, Kiribati, and was later extended to Tuvalu. Mineral levels in diverse, local leafy food plants were compared to reveal genotype–environment interactions. Food plants varied in ability to accumulate minerals in leaves and in tolerance of mineral-deficient soils. Awareness activities which included agriculture, health, and education officers targeted atoll communities. Agriculture staff grew planting material in nurseries and provided it to farmers. Rejuvenation of abandoned giant swamp taro pits to form diversified nutritious food gardens was encouraged. Factsheets promoted the most suitable species from 24 analyzed, with multiple samples of each. These included Cnidoscolus aconitifolius (chaya), Pseuderanthemum whartonianum (ofenga), Polyscias scutellaria (hedge panax), and Portulaca oleracea (purslane). The promoted plants have been shown in other studies to have anti-NCD effects. Inclusion of the findings in school curricula and practical application in the form of demonstration school food gardens, as well as increased uptake by farmers, are needed. Further research is needed on bioavailability of minerals in plants containing phytates and tannins.

scholarly journals Transforming the food system to fight non-communicable diseases

BMJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. l296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Branca ◽  
Anna Lartey ◽  
Stineke Oenema ◽  
Victor Aguayo ◽  
Gunhild A Stordalen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food System ◽  
Communicable Diseases ◽  
Non Communicable Diseases

scholarly journals Nutrition Transition and Traditional Food Cultural Changes in Sri Lanka during Colonization and Post-Colonization

Foods ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. 111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Permani Weerasekara ◽  
Chandana Withanachchi ◽  
G. Ginigaddara ◽  
Angelika Ploeger
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Multinational Corporations ◽  
Food System ◽  
Communicable Diseases ◽  
Food Culture ◽  
Sri Lankan ◽  
Traditional Food ◽  
Micronutrient Deficiencies ◽  
Sociological Study ◽  
Non Communicable Diseases

Sri Lanka was a colony of the Portuguese, Dutch, and British. The simplification of Sri Lankan food culture can be seen most clearly today, including how the diet has been changed in the last 400 years since the colonial occupation began. Therefore, greater efforts must be made to uncover the colonial forces that have undermined food security and health in Sri Lanka. Also traditional eating habits, which are associated with countless health benefits, have been gradually replaced by the globalized food system of multinational corporations and hidden hunger, a system inherent in the emergence of non-communicable diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, cholesterol, and kidney disease epidemics, in Sri Lanka. This article discusses factors that have underpinned the dietary change in Sri Lanka from its early colonization to the post-colonization period. The research followed the integrated concept in ethnological and sociological study approaches. The study examined literature and conducted several interviews with field experts and senior people in marginal areas in Sri Lanka. This study examines the Sri Lankan traditional food system and how it changed after the colonial period, including the main changes and their impact on current micronutrient deficiencies and non-communicable diseases.

scholarly journals Evaluation of salt content and effectiveness of excessive salt reduction methods in selected commercially available dried fish types in Sri Lanka

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (02) ◽  
Author(s):  
D. P. Lakmini ◽  
Helani Munasinghe ◽  
A. Buddhika G. Silva ◽  
P.G.S.M. De Silva ◽  
Renuka Jayatissa
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Salt Intake ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Communicable Diseases ◽  
Mean Value ◽  
Protein Loss ◽  
Salt Reduction ◽  
Non Communicable Diseases ◽  
Reduction Methods ◽  
Dried Fish

High salt intake elevates the risk of non-communicable diseases such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases and stroke worldwide. Sri Lanka has recorded in 2010 as the country with highest average fish & fish products consumption in South Asia. In the current study, salt in ten types of commonly available dried fish namely; sprats, prawns, smoothbelly sardinella, queen fish, cat fish, sail fish, shark, skipjack tuna, Bombay duck and trenched sardinella was analyzed and determined salt reduction methods with minimal protein loss. Four salt reduction methods were tested; Method 1: washed with water at Room Temperature (RT) for five times; Method 2: washed with water for five times at RT and kept in hot water for 5min; Method 3: washed with water for five times at RT and boiled for 5min; Method 4: washed with water for five times at RT and kept in coconut water for 5min. Using Volhard method, sodium chloride was analyzed while protein was determined using Kjeldahl method. All four methods showed significant reduction of salt level in tested dried fish (p < 0.05). Among the tested salt reduction methods, Method 3 showed the highest salt reduction for all types of dried fish except smoothbelly sardinella and cat fish.The highest salt mean value of 28.8% was recorded in queen fish and the lowest mean value of 12.8% was recorded in smoothbelly sardinella. The highest protein loss was recorded in Method 3. To reduce considerable amount of salt, the easiest and fairly effective method is method 1 except for prawns and Shark. Although higher salt reduction showed in method 2 and 3, they are not recommended due to high protein loss, high energy expenditure and reduction of freshness of dried fish. Method 4 can be applied for all dried fish types because it is economical and reduces considerable amount of salt, removes less amount of protein comparatively. The results revealed that all tested dried fish except smoothbelly sardinella contain significantly high amount of salt (p < 0.05) than the standard value specified (12%) by the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI).Keywords: Dried fish, protein loss, salt-intake, salt reduction, non-communicable diseases

Adipositasprävention und non-communicable diseases

2012 ◽  
Vol 06 (04) ◽  
pp. 249-251
Author(s):  
M. Braun ◽  
J. Ried
Keyword(s):  
Communicable Diseases ◽  
World Health ◽  
Sich Eine ◽  
Non Communicable Diseases ◽  
World Health Assembly

ZusammenfassungDie 65. World Health Assembly hat die Bekämpfung nicht-übertragbarer Krankheiten in den Mittelpunkt globaler Aufmerksamkeit und Aktivität gerückt. Da Übergewicht bzw. Adipositas wesentliche Risikofaktoren für einen erheblichen Teil dieser Erkrankungen darstellen, kommt damit der Prävention (aber auch der Therapie) erhöhten Körpergewichtes in der Programmatik der WHO besondere Bedeutung zu. Gleichzeitig führen die hochgesteckten Ziele der WHO in das fundamentale Dilemma, dass es keine Instrumente gibt, die angestrebten Prävalenz- und Reduktionsraten im vorgegebenen Zeitrahmen zu erreichen. Daraus ergeben sich eine Reihe ethischer und sozialer Fragen, unter anderem nach dem zu Grunde gelegten Modell der Adipositas und den impliziten und expliziten Verantwortlichkeiten für ihre Bekämpfung.

Health and Physical Activity in Urban Neighbourhoods. Case Study: Shah Alam City, Selangor, Malaysia

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 11
Author(s):  
Oliver Hoon Leh Ling ◽  
Siti Nur Afiqah Mohamed Musthafa ◽  
Muhammad Solahuddin Hamzah ◽  
Marlyana Azyyati Marzukhi ◽  
Nurul Ashikin Mabahwi
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Questionnaire Survey ◽  
Communicable Diseases ◽  
Health Condition ◽  
Environmental Aspects ◽  
Neighbourhood Environment ◽  
Healthy Life ◽  
Non Communicable Diseases ◽  
Urban Neighbourhoods

Environmental health is referring to the health of people in relation to environmental quality. Due to rapid urbanisation, more people are living in urban neighbourhoods. Urban planning and design aspects including the neighbourhood environment are potentially affecting the human healthy lifestyle and health condition. Thus, the relationship between Malaysian neighbourhood environmental aspects and human health has become the concern of this research. One of the neighbourhood units in Shah Alam city had been chosen as the study area for this purpose. Questionnaire survey had been carried out to examine the health condition and physical activeness of residents. Besides, the perception of residents on the quality of neighbourhood environmental aspects also had been collected in the questionnaire survey. The health condition of residents was measured by non-communicable diseases (NCD) and the physical activeness was measured in duration as well as the frequency of physical exercise activities. The study found that the quality of neighbourhood environmental aspects significantly increased the physical activeness of respondents. The physical activeness was positively associated with human health as measured in NCD (heart diseases and high blood pressure, HBP). It shows that neighbourhood environmental (physical and social) aspects are potentially affecting the healthy life of people living in the neighbourhood.Keywords: Healthy life, Neighbourhood environment, Non-communicable diseases (NCD), Physical activeness, Quality.

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