Food and Health
Volume:1 Issue: 1, Winter 2018

Measuring the satiety index of food components has not been done in Iran yet. The aim of this study was to determine the satiety index (SI) of low-fat yogurt among healthy normal-weight adults in Isfahan. This semi-experimental study was conducted on 30 healthy normal-weight adults for two consecutive days. In the first day, each participant consumed 90 grams white bread and in the second day 526 grams low-fat yogurt (1.5% fat) within 15 minutes. We evaluated the satiety of low-fat yogurt and white bread based on VAS and LIKERT scales. Anthropometric indices were measured. Food intakes, physical activity in the night before each test, hunger and palatability of each food were evaluated by food record, physical activity record, Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ), respectively. The satiety index of low-fat yogurt was 136.66±1.46 compared to white bread (with SI of 100). The changes of satiety 120 minutes after consumption of white bread and low-fat yogurt were not significant based on the VAS scale, but according to the LIKERT scale low-fat yogurt changes showed a significant increase (mean changes=1.60±0.43 (SD)) (P=0.03). The hunger of people was equal to 1.66 units. The satiety index of low-fat yogurt in normal-weight Isfahanian adults was higher compared to white bread; suggesting higher satiety for low-fat yogurt than white bread. According to the LIKERT scale, 120 minutes after consumption of low-fat yogurt, satiety showed a significant increase. The applied method in this study is suggested to be used for determination of SI of other foods in the Iranian population.

Stevioside, a high intensity non-nutritive sweetener, is extracted from the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni. This sweet plant native to north eastern Paraguay and is a white, crystalline and odorless powder and approximately 300 times sweeter than sucrose. Procedures for isolation of stevioside from S. rebaudiana leaves on a pilot scale mostly involve liquid extraction with such solvents as chloroform-methane, glycerol, and propylene glycol, followed by refinement involving extraction into a polar organic solvent, decolorization, coagulation, ion-exchange chromatography and crystallization. In this study, the effect of ethanol concentration (25, 50 and 75 percent) and heating techniques (Hot plate, Ohmic and Microwave) on the extraction rate of Stevia leaves Were studied. Stevioside were determined by HPLC analysis. Results indicated that heating methods do not effective on the extraction efficiency and the highest concentration of extraction obtained in 50 % of ethanol. There is no significant difference between the extractions rates of different heating methods can be stated that this species efficiency of extraction does not related with microwave radiation and it depending on the microwave heat.

Edible oils can be misdescribed by substituting one ingredient for a similar, but less expensive or over-declaring a quantitative ingredient. Thus, the identification of raw materials in edible oils is important for authentication. In This study, three methods (saponification value, sterol and fatty acids analysis) were used to compare for fraud detection in edible oils. Tests used to assess the quality of sesame oil and oils obtained from mixing sesame oil with sunflower and corn oils. The results showed that campesterol, Δ7-avenasterol, Δ5-avenasterol and Δ7-stigmastenol values can be used as detectors for corn oil mixed with sesame oil, even at a concentration of 5%. Also, in the detection of sesame oil fraud, measuring the fatty acids include oleic, linolenic, linoleic and behenic is more suitable even at a concentration of 5% of sunflower oil adding. In general, the best method for detecting of fraud at all concentrations of added sunflower oil was the saponification value method, while fatty acid composition and desmethylsterols composition was suitable for both corn and sunflower oils mixing.

Child health is very important in all societies which is influenced by the interaction of multiple factors. Good nutrition for children is one of the most important and influential factors in the health of children in this study to evaluate the effectiveness of one meal warm food for the rural kindergarten of the East Azerbaijan Province of Iran on anthropometrics indices of children have been carried out. In this cross-sectional study, anthropometric z scores of 7116 children were measured by using WHO Anthro and Anthro plus software based on WHO 2007 standards and analyzed using SPSS. Based on the present findings, 8% of children showed moderate to severe lower weight for height. Also, girls showed more severe underweight than boys. BMI-for-age children from approximately 5% of moderate to severe underweight has decreased to about 3%. The frequency of normal children increased from 85% to about 86%. The prevalence of overweight and obesity were observed after the intervention reduced slightly. Also the percentage of overweight of children in the study was lightly changed to obese. Between the two genders, male and female, overweight and obesity in boys found higher than girls, and relatively similar trends have continued after the intervention. This project was successful to lower moderately severe wasting in children based on body mass index from 7% to about 5%. The slight increase in the scale of overweight and obesity and a half percent of overweight children after the program was shown. Even though boys showed a higher increase of obesity and overweight than girls, reduction of moderate and severe underweight found similarly in both genders. Due to the relative success of the present intervention plan, nutritional education along these kinds of projects may improve the nutritional status of children in society and prevent pediatric malnutrition.

In recent decades, there has been a great deal of attention toward the beneficial effects of herbs in prevention and treatment of different diseases. Phytochemicals, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, and antioxidants are most common words in this era. Some of herbs due to their long history of usage are more interesting to be examined and found out their possible medicinal capabilities which in this study antioxidant activity, total phenolic and flavonoids contents of Orthosiphon stamineus, Teucrium polium, and Berberis vulgaris were analyzed. Decoction of the herbs were prepared and analyzed. Total Phenolic Content (TPC) were evaluated with Folin-Ciocalteu's phenol reagent. Colorimetric Aluminum Chloride method was used for flavonoid determination and The antioxidant activities of the extracts were determined on their ability to scavenge 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals, based on a modified method of Brand Williams. Based on the obtained results B. vulgaris showed the highest level of TPC, TFC and antioxidant activity followed by O. stamineus, T. polium. No degradation of analyzed activities were found after mixing all these decoctions. According to the present study, results of TPC, TFC, and DPPH scavenging activities showed possible beneficial effects of studies herbs and their mixed ones due to their components which might be used in prevention, suppression or treatment of NCDs.

The role of diet is crucial in the prevention of diseases. Physicians and health staff can play a vital role in decreasing disease. The purpose of this study was to determine the knowledge, attitude, and practice of Iranian health staff toward nutrition.
In a cross-sectional study on 473 health staffs of the Iranian health staff from 30 provinces of Iran were involved in this study during 2011-2012. The sampling method in this study in each province was stratified random sampling. KAP was assessed by a self-administered questionnaire.
Approximately 40%-90% of participants knew the main groups of food; 44%-74% of them had information about importance of micronutrients, and the knowledge of health and nutritional needs of pregnant and lactating mother was84%-88%. Health staffs’ favorite attitude toward the major food groups and micro-nutrition were 49%-90% and 26%-86%, respectively. And for the major food groups was 28%-98% and practice about health and nutritional needs of pregnant women and mothers was 80%-92%.
This study shows health staffs need more training on some topics of nutrition in Iran. Consequently, intervention programs and nutrition education to improve employee performance in the health center is necessary.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common condition characterized by abdominal pain, constipation or diarrhea, flatulence, nausea and varying degrees of anxiety or depression. IBS have high prevalence and it mainly occurs between the ages of 15-65 years. Medical cost for IBS is a heavy burden for individuals; also, the side effects of the drugs encouraged the scientists to evaluate other IBS treatment methods such as herbal remedy. Evidence suggests that herbal remedies containing antispasmodic and antioxidant agents may improve gastrointestinal symptoms. 51 patients with irritable bowel syndrome were recruited after standardized diagnostic work-up into a double-blind, placebo-controlled and were randomly assigned to each group (Bunium persicum powder or placebo). Duration of intervention was 5 weeks. The main outcome variables were the changes in total abdominal pain, tenesmus, and feeling of inadequate defecation and C-reactive protein levels. Gender was not significantly different between intervention and control groups. Abdominal pain, tenesmus, and feel inadequate defecation were not changed either in the intervention group and control groups. Moreover, consumption of Bunium persicum powder had no effect on serum level of CRP in intervention group compared with the control group. The results of this randomized, double blind, study indicate that Bunium persicum as an herbal remedy had no significant effect on symptoms and inflammatory marker of patients with irritable bowel syndrome.

Inadequate sleep has been recognized as a risk factor for health status and quality of life. Fatigue due to improper sleep is a major cause for the poor quality of life. Evidence show the quality of sleep affects all the parameters of quality of life assessment such as physical health, social health, functional health and psychological health. In general, assessing the global impact of sleep on health-related quality of life (HRQL) is necessary because this factor is always left behind in medical assessment and medical history of an individual. In general, this article is a review on sleep quality and its effect on health status, medical condition of people, psychiatric disorders and occupational status of individuals. The data is collected based on the internet search and papers submitted in PubMed and google scholar. Sleep status is vital to physical and mental health.  Measuring the quality of sleep and its effect on individual’s life is very much important in assessing the health status of people. According to our study in this article, we suggest the importance of sleep to be measured and evaluated by the health care system for the individuals whether in hospitals or institutes or any organization.