ABSTRACT
Women with diabetes mellitus (DM), a metabolic endocrine illness, may experience a variety of reproductive problems. The age at menopause onset has been extensively studied as a major predictor of women's health in the future; however, its relationship to diabetes in Indian women has received less attention. This literature review looked at the consequences of diabetes in women as well as the association between diabetes and the age at which menopause begins. The average age at menopause onset among women with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has decreased globally. According to one Indian study, the average menopause age dropped to 45 years for 26% of women with T2DM. In the current review, 10 studies indicated that women with T2DM displayed an imbalanced hormonal profile resulting in an extended anovulatory period. Two investigations highlighted the significance of altered body composition of women with T2DM, thereby suggesting obesity as the primary risk factor of ovarian aging and early climacteric symptoms. T2DM may lower the average age at menopause onset; however, further research on Indian women is necessary. There is a need of studies on T2DM in premenopausal women are needed to demonstrate how the changes in body composition impact the age at which menopause begins. Delaying the onset of menopause in women with T2DM necessitates diet and lifestyle interventions to minimize ovarian aging and hormonal imbalance.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Genetic engineering has stimulated interest in a range of fields, including agribusiness, food technology, food product development, and nutrition. Even though the public opinion on genetically modified (GM) goods is polarizing, the majority of experts believe that the advantages outweigh any potential risks, if at all there are any. As a result, the role of science education is to prepare students to be citizens who have a fundamental understanding of genetic engineering. As the students of life sciences are the future scientific experts and scholars who progress in the subject of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), they need to have correct knowledge of GMOs, GM foods, and appropriate attitudes regarding the same. METHODOLOGY: To investigate the knowledge and attitudes of life-sciences university students (n= 203) concerning GM foods, a cross-sectional observational survey-based study was carried out by administering a structured questionnaire across three disciplines of life sciences - Biotechnology, Food Technology, and Nutrition for undergraduates, postgraduates, and post-graduate diploma students. The scores for knowledge and attitudes were divided into tertiles as high, moderate, and low scores. RESULTS: 88.2% of the participants agreed to have read about GMOs in their curriculum and 76.8% had defined GM foods correctly. When the participants were categorized into tertiles, it was observed that out of all the high scorers, 45.5% were food technology majors and 43% were biotechnology majors and only 11.3% were nutrition majors. 63.1% of students were found to be in favor of GMOs and GM foods and had a positive attitude toward them. There was a moderately positive association of knowledge levels with attitudes toward GMOs and GM foods (p< 0.05). CONCLUSION: Although in general, the life-sciences students had the basic knowledge of GMOs and GM foods, the food technology, and biotechnology majors had better knowledge about GMOs and GM foods as compared to nutrition majors. The attitude scores were directly proportional to knowledge scores which emphasizes the need for robust science education on comprehending the topic better. Incorporating a GM-related curriculum for nutrition discipline can help students learn better about the issues surrounding transgenic technology, food safety, and nutrition.
