Effect of iron-fortified infant cereal on nutritional status of infants in Ghana.

Iron deficiency anemia is prevalent among infants in Ghana. This study evaluated the effect of micronutrient-fortified infant cereal on the nutritional status of infants in the La Nkwantanang Municipality of the Greater Accra Region of Ghana, located in western Africa. In this double-blind, controlled trial, infants aged 6-18 months were cluster-randomized to receive either micronutrient-fortified infant cereal containing 3.75 mg iron as ferrous fumarate/50 g cereal (INT; n = 107) or the same cereal without iron (CTL; n = 101) to complement other foods and breast milk. The intervention phase lasted six months followed by a two-month post-intervention phase (with no further study product feeding). Hemoglobin and anthropometry were assessed every 2 months for the 8-month study period. After the 6-month intervention phase, adjusted mean ± standard error change in hemoglobin from baseline in INT and CTL was 1.97 ± 0.19 and 1.16 ± 0.21 g/dl, respectively (p < .01 for each); the increase in hemoglobin was significantly larger in INT versus CTL (increase 0.68 ± 0.30 g/dl; p = .02). Prevalence of anemia declined to a significantly greater extent in INT (84.1% to 42.8%) compared to CTL (89.1% to 62.8%; p = .006). There was no significant difference between groups in weight gain (p = .41) or height gain (p = .21) over the study period. In infants aged 6-18 months, micronutrient-fortified infant cereal consumed for 6 months promoted greater reductions in iron-deficiency anemia, which is a significant public health concern not only in Ghana but also in many developing countries globally.

Impact of Successful Weight Loss Maintenance on Serum Lipids and Glucose Concentrations of Previous Participants of a Weight Loss Programme in Accra, Ghana.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: There is a need to investigate the long-term impact of successful weight loss maintenance on blood lipids and glucose concentrations in populations within Africa, where obesity and cardiovascular disease (CVD) rates are increasingly becoming a public health threat. The aim of this study was to compare the serum lipid and glucose concentrations of successful and unsuccessful weight loss maintainers who previously participated in the Nutriline Weight Loss Programme (NWLP) in Accra, Ghana. METHODS: 112 participants were randomly selected to participate in this cross-sectional study. Baseline and end of weight loss programme anthropometric and programmatic data were accessed via the NWLP archival database. On follow-up, anthropometric data, physical activity, dietary behaviour, serum lipid, and glucose indices were taken. Successful weight loss maintainers (SWLM) were defined as those achieving at least 5% weight loss below the baseline weight at follow-up, otherwise unsuccessful (UWLM). RESULTS: The adjusted serum total cholesterol (TC) concentration was significantly lower for SWLM (5.17 ± 0.99 mmol/L) compared to UWLM (5.59 ± 1.06 mmol/L). Serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), fasting blood glucose (FBG), and glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) concentrations for SWLM versus UWLM did not differ significantly and were as follows: 3.58 ± 0.92 mmol/L versus 3.87 ± 0.99 mmol/L, 1.22 ± 0.38 mmol/L versus 1.17 ± 0.32 mmol/L, 4.48 ± 0.72 mmol/L versus 4.73 ± 1.00 mmol/L, and 5.52 ± 0.39% versus 5.59 ± 0.59%, respectively. Triglyceride (TG) concentration was significantly (P < 0.001) lower for SWLM (0.79 ± 0.28 mmol/L) compared to UWLM (1.17 ± 0.51 mmol/L). After adjusting for covariates, it was no longer significant. Additionally, there was no significant association between weight loss maintenance success and having a normal status for selected lipids and glucose parameters. CONCLUSION: SWLM had a significantly lower serum TC compared to UWLM. In addition, a greater proportion of SWLM had normal values for TC, TG, HbA1c, and LDL out of the six parameters measured although not statistically significant.

Correlation of diabetes mellitus and body weight of adults above the age of 30 years in a medical facility in Ghana.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder characterized by insufficient insulin production or ineffective pancreatic secretions. In Ghana, the prevalence of DM was estimated to be 6.3% amongst men and women older than 30 years living in the Greater Accra region. The disease can be determined by various means including the use of the multistix that assesses the presence of glucose in urine. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, 100 subjects were sampled made up of 65% males and 35% females whose urine samples were verified using multistix. RESULTS: Most (63%) of the subjects diagnosed with the disease fell within the age ranges of 60-69 years and 70-79 years, thus establishing the fact that the incidence of the disease increases with increasing age and increasing body mass index (BMI) over above 25kg/m2. Some (44%) had a family history of diabetes. Other factors such as the socioeconomic status (SES) categories, physical activity levels and eating habits of the respondents played different roles in the occurrence of the disease. CONCLUSION: The sex of the individual, however, did not have a major impact on the occurrence of the disease. This study confirmed that overweight body (BMI≥25kg/m2) especially of older ages above 50 years of have very strong link with the prevalence of diabetes mellitus.

Effect of lysine supplementation on hypertensive men and women in selected peri-urban community in Ghana.

BACKGROUND: Lysine is one of the essential amino acids and in cereal based diets it is known to be the most limiting and therefore determines the quality of dietary protein in such diets. This study investigated the effect of lysine supplementation on blood pressure of hypertensive adults in selected peri-urban community in Accra, Ghana. METHODS: The study was a randomized double-blind controlled study made up of adults men and women assigned to a lysine supplemented group and a placebo-supplemented (control) group. The subjects aged between 18 - 45 years and totaling 180. RESULTS: Total of 50 (28%) of the participating were hypertensive defined as Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP) ≥140 mmHg. The mean SBP of lysine-supplemented group significantly dropped from 146.11 ± 11.92 to 128.95 ± 10.44 mmHg (p = 0.02). That of women also dropped from 144.12 ± 10.41 to 132.28 ± 10.69 mmHg, (p = 0.06 while the control group had there SBP remained fairly constant after 112 days of intervention with changes in men from 145.79 ± 12.56 to 142.79 ± 11.07 mmHg (p = 0.32) and women in the control had very little drop from 145.15 ± 14.79 to 145.00 ± 17.93 mmHg (p = 0.96). CONCLUSION: Lysine supplementation resulted in normalization/reduction of blood pressure of hypertensive subjects who have suboptimal lysine intake.

Quality evaluation of processed clay soil samples.

INTRODUCTION: This study assessed the microbial quality of clay samples sold on two of the major Ghanaian markets. METHODS: The study was a cross-sectional assessing the evaluation of processed clay and effects it has on the nutrition of the consumers in the political capital town of Ghana. The items for the examination was processed clay soil samples. RESULTS: Staphylococcus spp and fecal coliforms including Klebsiella, Escherichia, and Shigella and Enterobacterspp were isolated from the clay samples. Samples from the Kaneshie market in Accra recorded the highest total viable counts 6.5 Log cfu/g and Staphylococcal count 5.8 Log cfu/g. For fecal coliforms, Madina market samples had the highest count 6.5 Log cfu/g and also recorded the highest levels of yeast and mould. For Koforidua, total viable count was highest in the samples from the Zongo market 6.3 Log cfu/g. Central market samples had the highest count of fecal coliforms 4.6 Log cfu/g and yeasts and moulds 6.5 Log cfu/g. "Small" market recorded the highest staphylococcal count 6.2 Log cfu/g. The water activity of the clay samples were low, and ranged between 0.65±0.01 and 0.66±0.00 for samples collected from Koforidua and Accra respectively. CONCLUSION: The clay samples were found to contain Klebsiella spp. Escherichia, Enterobacter, Shigella spp. staphylococcus spp., yeast and mould. These have health implications when consumed.

Effect of lysine supplementation on health and morbidity in subjects belonging to poor peri-urban households in Accra, Ghana.

BACKGROUND: Lysine affects diarrhea and anxiety via effects on serotonin receptors, enhanced intestinal repair, and sodium chloride-dependent opioid peptide transport. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to investigate the effects of lysine supplementation on morbidity, growth, and anxiety in children and adults of peri-urban areas of Accra, Ghana. DESIGN: In a double-blind randomized trial, the effect of lysine supplementation (1 g lysine/d) compared with that of placebo was examined in 2 groups of men, women, and children (n = 271). Primary outcomes included diarrheal and respiratory morbidity, growth, and anxiety and complement C3, C-reactive protein, serum cortisol, transferrin, and ferritin values. Independent-sample t tests, odds ratios, generalized estimating equations, 4-parameter sinusoid regression, and generalized linear models were used. RESULTS: Thirty percent of men, 50% of women, and 15% of children were at risk of lysine inadequacy. Supplementation in children reduced diarrheal episodes [19 lysine, 35 placebo; odds ratio (OR): 0.52; 95% CI: 0.29, 0.92; P = 0.046] and the total number of days ill (21 lysine, 47 placebo; OR: 0.44; 95% CI: 0.26, 0.74; P = 0.034). Mean days ill per child per week (0.058 ± 0.039 lysine, 0.132 ± 0.063 placebo; P = 0.017) were negatively associated with weight gain with control for baseline weight and study group (P = 0.04). Men had fewer coryza episodes (23 lysine, 39 placebo; OR: 0.60; 95% CI: 0.36, 1.01; P = 0.05), total number of days ill (lysine: 130; placebo: 266; OR: 0.51; 95% CI: 0.28, 0.93; P = 0.03), and mean days ill per person per week (lysine: 0.21 ± 0.23; placebo: 0.41 ± 0.35; P = 0.04). Serum ferritin (P = 0.045) and C-reactive protein (P = 0.018) decreased in lysine-supplemented women but increased in placebo-supplemented women. CONCLUSION: Lysine supplementation reduced diarrheal morbidity in children and respiratory morbidity in men in Ghana.