Introduction: Adequacy of fruit intake contributes to an individual’s health
including reducing the risk of non-communicable disease. This study aimed to
assess consumption of fruits in various forms and to determine associated factors
and barriers. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 300 adults aged
20-39 years were purposely recruited from several urban locations in the Klang
Valley. Consumption of fruits in the past 12 months was assessed using a selfadministered food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), assisted with pictures of serving
size of fruits. Anthropometric measurements were taken and body mass index
and waist circumference computed. Results: Fruit intake among young adults
was lower (1.6±1.0 servings/day) than the Malaysian Dietary Guideline 2010 of
≥ 2 servings/day. Only 32.3% consumed fruits as recommended, with women
consuming significantly more fruits than men. Preferred fresh fruits were red apple,
banana and papaya. Consumption of fruit juice was associated with increase in
waist circumference (R2=0.261, p=0.027) after adjustment for age, sex, ethnicity,
education level and marital status. Fruit intake showed no significant association
with other anthropometric measurements. Sensory appeal, perceived health benefit,
easy to prepare and influence of family were the main determinants of fruit intake,
whilst affordability and availability were the major barriers. Conclusion: Fruit
consumption among young adults in this study was lower than the recommendation
for daily fruit intake. Studies with larger sample size are suggested to verify the
finding of significant association between fruit juice consumption and risk of
abdominal obesity.
Fruit and vegetable are the natural foods that contained various nutrients vital for good health and help in weight loss
by suppressing an individual’s appetite. Therefore, this review aimed to investigate the acute effect of fruit and vegetable
intake on satiety and energy intake. We included randomized controlled trial or experimental designs measuring fruit
and/or vegetable intake on satiety using subjective appetite rating and appetite related hormone and energy intake among
healthy adults, published in English-language. The use of extract, powder form or concentrated fruit and/or vegetable
and animal study were excluded. Twelve studies were identified from Pubmed, Science Direct and Cochrane from the
year 1995 to August 2017, consists of six studies on fruit and six studies on vegetable. This review discussed the preload
of fruit and vegetable in promoting satiety and reducing the energy intake. Manipulating energy density rather than
portion size was effective in reducing total energy intake and promotes satiety. Fruit and vegetable in solid form had a
greater satiety effect and significantly reduce energy intake compared to liquid or pureed form. The variation in time
interval between fruit and/or vegetable intake and the test meal may also account a significant effect on satiety up to 2
h and diminished 3 h onward. The satiety effect of fruit and vegetable would be beneficial in body weight management.
Polygonum minus is a plant rich in flavonoids and antioxidants beneficial for reducing oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation in neuronal membranes. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluated the potential benefits of P. minus extract (LineMinusTM) towards improving cognitive function, mood status and quality of life. Thirty five middle-aged women (35-55 years old) were randomized into intervention (n=17) and control group (n=18). Two capsules of P. minus (250 mg) or placebo (100 mg maltodextrin) each were taken once daily for six weeks. Cognitive tests, mood and anthropometric measurements were measured at baseline, week 3 and week 6, whilst biomarkers were measured at baseline and week 6. Parameters related to mood and quality of life including energy/fatigue, social functioning and general health significantly improved from baseline to week 6 in the intervention group (p<0.05). Mean score for cognitive tests (i.e. digit span, comprehensive trail making test (CTMT) and three domains of CNS vital sign (CNSVS)] improved significantly in both intervention and control groups (p<0.05). There was a significant decrease of mean uric acid, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), total cholesterol and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) in the intervention group from baseline to week 6. P. minus supplementation has the potential to improve mood and quality of life and no adverse effects were reported by the participants after 6 weeks supplementation.
Introduction: This study aimed to identify dietary patterns (DPs) and their
association with successful aging (SA). Methods: A comparative cross-sectional
study was conducted among 579 elderly subjects recruited from four states in
Malaysia through a multistage random sampling method. SA was defined as having
no chronic illnesses, no functional limitation, normal global function, no depression,
a good quality of life and good self-perceived health. Information on dietary intake was
obtained using a diet history questionnaire. Cognitive functions were assessed using
the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), depressive symptoms using Geriatric
Depression Score-15 items (GDS-15) and a question regarding their perceived health
and quality of life. Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Instrumental Activities of Daily
Living (IADL) questionnaires were used to determine functional status. DPs were
obtained using the principal component analysis (PCA) approach. An ordinal logistic
regression model was used to examine associations between DP scores and SA.
Results: Five DPs were identified namely ‘sweet foods-beverages’, ‘meat-vegetablesrice and noodles’, ‘local snacks-fish and seafood-high salt foods’, ‘fruits-legumes’, and
‘tropical fruits-oats’. A higher score for ‘tropical fruits-oats’ DP was associated with
SA [Adjusted OR=1.59 (95% CI: 1.08-2.32)]. However, the association diminished
when the model was adjusted for education level. Further analysis indicated that
this DP increased the chance of SA among those with secondary education and above
[Adjusted OR=2.43 (95% CI: 1.09–5.42)]. Conclusion: ‘Tropical fruits-oats’ DP is
associated with SA among elderly with secondary education and above. There is a
need to investigate DPs among those with lower education.