The iodine content of Norwegian foods and diets

OBJECTIVES: To examine dietary iodine sources and to estimate the dietary iodine intake of the Norwegian population. DESIGN: Food iodine analyses carried out in Norway during the last 10 years were compiled, and iodine intake calculated on the basis of food intake data from nation-wide dietary surveys among children and adults. The food intake of adults was measured by a self-administrated food-frequency questionnaire, which covered habitual diet during the past year. The food intake of children was measured by dietary record during four consecutive days. SETTING: Neither household nor industrial iodisation of salt is mandatory in Norway, but some brands of table salt have 5 microg of iodine added per gram of NaCl. In spite of this, the population has been considered iodine-replete for decades, i.e. having an iodine intake well above the Recommended Dietary Allowance of 150 microg day(-1). This assumption has not been substantiated by dietary surveys. SUBJECTS: The adults included 1374 females and 1298 males aged 16-79 years. The children included 185 girls and 206 boys aged 4 years, 411 girls and 404 boys aged 9 years, and 517 girls and 492 boys aged 13 years. RESULTS: The calculated iodine intake was in the range of 100-250 microg day(-1) in the majority of the adult population. The mean iodine intake was 136 microg day(-1) (170 microg I/10 MJ) among women and 176 microg day(-1) (161 microg I/10 MJ) among men. For children the iodine intake was in the range of 100-120 microg day(-1). Milk and dairy products contributed approximately 55% and 70% of the dietary iodine intake in adults and children, respectively. Fish contributed more than 20% of the iodine intake in adults and about 10% in children. The iodine contribution of drinking water was negligible. CONCLUSIONS: While fish has the highest natural concentration of iodine and as such is an excellent iodine source, milk and diary products are the main determinants of iodine intake in the Norwegian population. Iodisation of cow fodder has been mandatory in Norway since 1950 and provides an efficient alternative to universal salt iodisation. Our results show that the dietary iodine intake of adults is in the range considered to be sufficient. The dietary intake of iodine was at recommended levels among the youngest children; however, it decreased among adolescents, especially among girls.     

Remaining challenges in Tanzania's efforts to eliminate iodine deficiency

OBJECTIVE: To determine iodine levels in salt and iodine deficiency prevalence in school-aged children in 16 districts in Tanzania with previous severe iodine deficiency. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study in schoolchildren. Systematic probability sampling was used to select schools and subjects for goitre assessment and urinary iodine determination. SETTING: Sixteen districts randomly selected from the 27 categorised as severely iodine-deficient in Tanzania. SUBJECTS: The study population was primary-school children aged 6-18 years who were examined for goitre prevalence and urinary iodine concentration (UIC). Salt samples from schoolchildren's homes and from shops were tested for iodine content. RESULTS: The study revealed that 83.3% of households (n=21,160) in the surveyed districts used iodised salt. Also, 94% of sampled shops (n=397) sold iodised salt, with a median iodine level of 37.0 ppm (range 4.2-240 ppm). Median UIC in 2089 schoolchildren was 235.0 microg l(-1) and 9.3% had UIC values below 50 microg l(-1). The overall unweighted mean visible and total goitre prevalence was 6.7% and 24.3%, respectively (n=16,222). The age group 6-12 years had the lowest goitre prevalence (3.6% visible and 18.0% total goitre, n=7147). The total goitre prevalence had decreased significantly in all districts from an unweighted mean of 65.4% in the 1980s to 24.3% in 1999 (P<0.05). We believe this difference was also biologically significant.ConclusionThese findings indicate that iodine deficiency is largely eliminated in the 16 districts categorised as severely iodine-deficient in Tanzania, and that the iodine content of salt purchased from shops is highly variable.     

Excess dietary iodine intake in long-term African refugees

OBJECTIVE: To assess the iodine status of long-term refugees dependent on international food aid and humanitarian assistance. DESIGN: A series of cross-sectional two-stage cluster or systematic random sample surveys which assessed urinary iodine excretion and the prevalence of visible goitre. Salt samples were also collected and tested for iodine content by titration. SETTING: Six refugee camps in East, North and Southern Africa. SUBJECTS: Male and female adolescents aged 10-19 years. MAIN RESULTS: The median urinary iodine concentration (UIC) ranged from 254 to 1200 microg l(-1) and in five of the camps exceeded the recommended maximum limit of 300 microg l(-1), indicating excessive iodine intake. Visible goitre was assessed in four surveys where it ranged from 0.0 to 7.1%. The camp with the highest UIC also had the highest prevalence of visible goitre. The iodine concentrations in 11 salt samples from three camps were measured by titration and six of these exceeded the production-level concentration of 20 to 40 ppm recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), but were all less than 100 ppm. CONCLUSIONS: Excessive consumption of iodine is occurring in most of the surveyed populations. Urgent revision of the level of salt iodisation is required to meet current WHO recommendations. However, the full cause of excessive iodine excretion remains unknown and further investigation is required urgently to identify the cause, assess any health impact and identify remedial action.     

Knowledge of iodine nutrition in the South African adult population

OBJECTIVES: To determine the level of knowledge regarding iodine nutrition and its relationship with socio-economic status in the South African population. DESIGN: A cross-sectional population survey collecting questionnaire information on knowledge of iodine nutrition and sociodemographic variables in a multistage, stratified, cluster study sample, representative of the adult South African population. SETTING: Home visits and personal interviews in the language of the respondent.Subjects: Data were collected from one adult in each of the selected 2164 households, and the participation rate was 98%. RESULTS: Only 15.4% of respondents correctly identified iodised salt as the primary dietary source of iodine, 16.2% knew the thyroid gland needs iodine for its functioning, and a mere 3.9% considered brain damage, and 0.8% considered cretinism, as the most important health consequence of iodine deficiency. Compared with respondents from high socio-economic households, respondents from low socio-economic households were considerably less informed about aspects of iodine nutrition covered in this study. CONCLUSIONS: The knowledge level of iodine nutrition is low among South Africans, particularly among the low socio-economic groups. These data suggest that the international emphasis on brain damage resulting from iodine deficiency has not been conveyed successfully to the consumer level in this country.     

Iodine deficiency and its association with intelligence quotient in schoolchildren from Colima, Mexico

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of iodine deficiency, its causes and its association with intelligence quotient (IQ) in Mexican schoolchildren. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analytical study, in which determinations of thyroid gland size, urinary iodine excretion, IQ, iron nutritional status, physical anthropometry, family consumption of goitrogenic foods, type/origin and iodine saturation of salt consumed at home and coliform organisms in drinking water were performed, and the association of each variable with IQ scores was evaluated by multiple regression analyses. SETTING: Municipality of Cuauhtémoc, in Colima, Mexico (altitude: 600-2700 m above sea level). Sea salt is extracted manually nearby and often used for human consumption. Goitre remains present in the region despite over half a century of mandatory salt iodination in the country. SUBJECTS: Three hundred and three children, similar proportions of boys and girls, mean age 9.3 years, randomly selected from 19 public elementary schools. RESULTS: Overall goitre rate was 21.4%; low urinary iodine excretion was found in 19.5% of the children, high urinary iodine excretion in 32.0%. IQ scores were transformed into percentile values, with the following categorisation: < or = P5 (low IQ), 48.5%; > P5 to < or = P25 (below average), 24.2%; > P25 to < P75 (average), 18.8%; > or = P75 to < P95 (above average), 3.6%; > or = P95 (high IQ), 4.9%. Ninety-two per cent of the population used iodinated salt, but deficient iodine saturation (<50 ppm) was found in 86.8% of salt samples. The main goitrogenic foods consumed were peanuts (by 31.5% of the sample), cabbage (30.1%), broccoli (27.7%) and cauliflower (25.7%). Median counts of coliform organisms (colony-forming units/100 ml of drinking water) were: 207.5 (well water), 151 (cisterns), 52 (private homes), 25 (elementary schools) and 12 (kindergartens). Moderate iodine deficiency was associated (P < 0.05) with a 4.26 times higher risk of low IQ. CONCLUSIONS: There is a perturbing negative impact of these findings on human capital acquisition for the region and the country. More attention is needed to ensure effective salt iodination processes, particularly in regions where goitrogens may contribute to the negative effects of iodine deficiency on the intellectual development of children.     

Epidemiological survey of vitamin deficiencies in older Thai adults: implications for national policy planning

OBJECTIVE: To examine the prevalence and risk factors of vitamin deficiencies among older Thai adults. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted in four rural communities, one from each of the four main regions of Thailand. In total, 2336 subjects aged 60 years and over were recruited. Anthropometric variables, demographic data, blood glucose and lipid profile, albumin, globulin and blood levels of vitamin A, beta-carotene, folic acid, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin E and vitamin B1 were all measured. RESULTS: The prevalence of vitamin deficiencies was 0.6% for vitamin B12, 6.1% for vitamin A, 9.9% for vitamin C, 30.1% for vitamin B1, 38.8% for erythrocyte folate, 55.5% for vitamin E and 83.0% for beta-carotene. Male gender was a common risk factor for at least three vitamin deficiencies, i.e. beta-carotene, folate and vitamin E. Being a manual worker was a common risk factor of beta-carotene and vitamin B1 deficiency. Poor income was found as a risk factor only in erythrocyte folate deficiency while increasing age was a significant factor only in vitamin C deficiency. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of vitamin deficiencies among older Thai people was quite different from that found in Western countries, reflecting different socio-economic backgrounds. Vitamin deficiency was not only from poor food intake but also from the dietary habit of monotonous food consumption in older people. Some common associated factors of atherosclerosis were also significantly related to folate and vitamin E deficiencies.     

Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) Growth Suppression and Adverse Effects on Human Health Due to Air Pollution in the Upper Silesian Industrial District (USID), Southern Poland

Air pollution emissions were not continually monitored in the Upper Silesian Industrial District (USID), southern Poland, and data is only available for the last 20?years. Long-lasting and severe tree ring reductions in pines growing 5-20 km north of the USID area recorded particularly high levels of air pollution emissions in the period 1950-1990. Especially high amounts of reductions and many missing rings were found in the period 1964-1981. At the same time, pines growing 60?km west of the USID do not record deep ring reductions; this proves that the phenomenon is of a regional nature. Increases in infant mortality and lung, bronchial, and tracheal cancer morbidity rates among males were also recorded in the USID during periods of high air pollution. Infant mortality rates increased several years after the tree ring reductions. Therefore, it may be possible to use tree ring reductions as an early indicator of the occurrence of adverse effects on human health.     

Women's iodine status and its determinants in an iodine-deficient area in the Kayes region, Mali

OBJECTIVE: To assess iodine status and its determinants in women of childbearing age in a rural area in the Kayes region, Mali, West Africa. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study where women's iodine status was indicated by urinary iodine concentration (UIC) and level of goitre based on palpation. Salt iodine was assessed semi-quantitatively at household level. Individual characteristics were collected using questionnaires. SETTING: Fifteen villages in a rural area in the Kayes region of Mali. SUBJECTS: Women aged 15-45 years (n=423). RESULTS: Median UIC was 2.7 microg dl(-1), and only 6% of the women had adequate iodine status of UIC >10 microg dl(-1). Most women (60%) had visible goitre, and only 9% were classified as without goitre. Only 39% of the households were using salt with any iodine, and level of knowledge about salt iodisation was low. Main determinants of UIC were breast-feeding and level of salt iodisation; currently breast-feeding women had lower UIC, and UIC increased with increasing level of iodine in household salt. Prevalence of goitre was lower in older women with higher body mass index. CONCLUSION: The study indicates severe iodine deficiency in the study area. Urgent action is needed to improve the situation through enforcing salt iodisation legislation and increasing the level of knowledge about the importance of iodised salt in the population.     

Large heterogeneity of the obesity epidemic in Danish adults

OBJECTIVE: To examine to what extent the obesity epidemic is a general phenomenon in adults by assessing the secular change, by birth cohort and age, in the prevalence of obesity and median body mass index (BMI) in Danish men and women measured between 1964 and 1994. DESIGN: Multiple cross-sectional population surveys. SETTING: The greater Copenhagen area of Denmark. SUBJECTS: The study included 17,065 men (30 336 observations) and 13,417 women (24,065 observations), aged 20-84 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Trends in median BMI and prevalence of obesity estimated from measured height and weight in 10-year age groups. RESULTS: In general the prevalence of obesity was increasing, although in an irregular way: among men in two phases, during the 1970s and 1990s and among women only during the 1990s. Great heterogeneity was observed between birth cohorts and age groups. There was only little indication of an increasing trend in obesity prevalence for women, except for the 55-64-year-olds. In men, the prevalence of obesity was increasing in all age groups except in the youngest ones, and it was statistically significant only for men aged 35-74 years. There was no significant linear change in median BMI in any group, except for an increasing trend among men aged 50 years and above. CONCLUSION: Although the overall Danish trend for obesity prevalence, similar to trends world-wide, showed a marked increase, the trend was very heterogeneous and generally neither uniform nor significantly positive; the changes were irregular, different among men and women, and different in the different age and birth cohorts. The obesity problem in middle-aged and older men of certain birth cohorts poses a specific public health challenge. Future studies of determinants behind the heterogeneity in the development of the obesity epidemic may provide clues to its causes.     

Intake and sources of phylloquinone (vitamin K(1)) in 4-year-old British children: comparison between 1950 and the 1990s

OBJECTIVES: To compare dietary intake and sources of phylloquinone (vitamin K1) in 4-year-old British children between 1950 and the 1990s, and report their variation by sociodemographic factors.Design: Nationally representative samples of 4-year-olds from the longitudinal Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development (NSHD) (1950) and the cross-sectional National Diet and Nutrition Surveys (NDNS, 1992/93 and 1997). SETTING: Great Britain. SUBJECTS: Subjects were 4599 children born on 3-9 March 1946 (NSHD) and 307 children in the 1990s (NDNS). RESULTS: Geometric mean dietary phylloquinone intake was significantly higher in 1950 (39 mug day(-1), 95% confidence interval (CI) 37, 40) compared with the 1990s (24 mug day(-1), 95% CI 22, 25) (P<0.001). This difference remained when intake was expressed per MJ energy intake and per kilogram body weight, and after accounting for sex, region and occupational social class of the family. In 1950, phylloquinone intake in Scotland was significantly lower than in the rest of Britain. By the 1990s these regional differences had disappeared. Food sources of phylloquinone intake changed significantly between 1950 and the 1990s, with fats and oils contributing more and vegetables less, although vegetables contributed most (60% and 48%, respectively) to phylloquinone intake in both surveys. CONCLUSIONS: Phylloquinone intakes of children have decreased significantly since 1950. With the suggested need for adequate phylloquinone intake for optimal development and maintenance of bone and the cardiovascular system, the substantially lower phylloquinone intakes reported in children of the 1990s, compared with 1950, may have implications for the health of these two systems in later adulthood.     

Geomorphological and Hydrological Effects of Subsidence and Land use Change in Industrial and Urban Areas

Land subsidence caused by mining activities is an example of human transformation of the natural environment and leads to changes in land use. The study covers an area of 958 ha in the Silesian Upland, southern Poland. Records from the period 1890–1990 document the presence of subsidence effects in 82.9% of the study area and the maximum displacement figure is more than 30 m which translates to an average rate of 0.3 m per year. It was found that subsidence basins serve as the new local erosion base and new sedimentation basins. They are filled with sediments whose level of pollution ranges from moderate to heavy and extremely heavy. Subsidence has caused a dramatic change in the local hydrology, including the quality and quantity of the water. The specifics involve: the emergence of new closed drainage catchments with a total area of 651.1 ha; an increase in the total watercourse length (from 0.9 to 5.7 km); an increase in the river network density (from 0.09 to 0.56 km km⁻²); a decrease in the number (from 81 to 48) and an increase in the area (from 23.8 to 58.4 ha) of lakes and ponds; an increase in the lake coverage ratio (from 2.5% to 6.1%) and in water pollution. Subsidence has limited the potential land uses, which led to a decrease in arable land from 619.0 to 122.5 ha that gave way to other land uses, including those equivalent to wasteland. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Geographic origin of Pinus sylvestris populations influences the effects of air pollution on flowering and growth

Flowering and height growth of 20 Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) populations from 10 countries were analyzed at two replicated provenance sites established in 1984 in western Poland. One site was 2 km from a phosphate fertilizer factory that emits SO₂ and fluorides, and the other 12 km to the southeast in an area free of acute air pollution levels was treated as a control. Slow-growing populations from the southern (40 to 45°N) and northern (58 to 61°N) part of the species range exhibited relatively smaller air pollutioninduced growth reductions than those from the central part of the range (45 to 58°N). Trees growing in the control area started flowering 4 yrs earlier than those at the polluted site. The percent of trees flowering at the control site differed significantly among provenances in both 1988 and 1990. The mean percent of trees with flowers was three times lower at the polluted site. The least sensitive southern and northern provenances in terms of pollutioninduced reductions in growth exhibited the largest pollution-induced decreases in flowering. These findings indicate that the sensitivity of vegetative organs to air pollution stress is not always paralleled by the sensitivity of reproductive organs.     

气候变暖背景下中国北方地区谷子生长季气候适宜性分析

基于气候适宜度模型,利用Anusplin软件对中国北方谷子一作区314个气象站点谷子生长季气候资源和气候适宜度进行1km×1km的精细化插值,分1960-1989年、1990-2019年两个气候年代对其空间分布和年代变化特征进行分析。结果表明：（1）北方谷子生长季气候资源呈现出日照时数由东到西、由南到北递增,累积降水量由北向南、由西向东递增,平均气温南高北低的空间分布;随着气候变暖,研究区谷子生长季平均气温呈上升趋势,日照时数和累积降水量均呈下降趋势。（2）北方谷子生长季气候适宜度呈现出温度适宜度由东向西、由南向北递减,降水适宜度由西北向东南递增,日照适宜度由西北向东南递减的态势;由于气候变暖,温度适宜度和降水适宜度高值区增多,日照适宜度高值区减少。（3）根据综合气候适宜度的计算结果,利用自然断点法将其划分为最适宜、适宜、次适宜和不适宜4个等级。1960-1989年（前30a）北方约21.5%的地区为谷子种植气候最适宜区,随着气候变暖,1990-2019年（后30a）约有10.5%的地区从适宜区转变为最适宜区,主要分布在山东、山西一带,未来可以考虑在该区域根据实际情况扩大种植规模。     

The use of external within-person variance estimates to adjust nutrient intake distributions over time and across populations

OBJECTIVE: To examine the utility of using external estimates of within-person variation to adjust usual nutrient intake distributions. DESIGN: Analyses of the prevalence of inadequate intake of an example nutrient by the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) cut-point method using three different methods of statistical adjustment of the usual intake distribution of a single 24-hour recall in Russian children in 1996, using the Iowa State University method for adjustment of the distribution. First, adjusting the usual intake distribution with day 2 recalls from the same 1996 sample (the correct method); second, adjusting the distribution using external variance estimates derived from US children in 1996; and third, adjusting the distribution using external estimates derived from Russian children of the same age in 2000. We also present prevalence estimates based on naive statistical analysis of the unadjusted distribution of intakes. SETTING/SUBJECTS: Children drawn from the Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey in 1996 and 2000 and from the 1996 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals. RESULTS: When the EAR cut-point method is applied to a single recall, the resulting prevalence estimate in this study is inflated by 100-1300%. When the intake distribution is adjusted using an external variance estimate, the prevalence estimate is much less biased, suggesting that any adjustment may give less biased estimates than no adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: In moderately large samples, adjusting distributions with external estimates of variances results in more reliable prevalence estimates than using 1-day data.     

Comparison of blood folate levels among pregnant Chinese women in areas with high and low prevalence of neural tube defects

OBJECTIVE: To characterise plasma and red-blood-cell (RBC) folate status among pregnant women in an area with an extremely high prevalence of neural tube defects, and to compare them with those of women from a low prevalence area. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey conducted in 2003. SETTING: One county and one city from each of the high prevalence area and the low prevalence area in China. SUBJECTS: Five hundred and sixty-two women in their first trimester of pregnancy in the high prevalence area and 695 pregnant women in the low prevalence area. RESULTS: Women in the high prevalence area had less than half the plasma and RBC folate concentrations (12.2 and 440.0 nmol l- 1, respectively) of women in the low prevalence area (33.5 and 910.4 nmol l- 1, respectively). In the high prevalence area, 40% of rural women were deficient in RBC folate and 50% were deficient in plasma folate; 20% of urban women were deficient in RBC folate and 30% deficient in plasma folate. In contrast, only 4% (RBC folate) and 6% (plasma folate) of rural women, and 2% (RBC folate) and 1% (plasma folate) of urban women, were folate-deficient in the low prevalence area. Less than 10% of rural and about 26% of urban women in the high prevalence area took folic acid periconceptionally, compared with 70% and 60% of women in the low prevalence area. CONCLUSIONS: Blood folate deficiency is highly prevalent among pregnant women in an area of China with a very high prevalence of neural tube defects.     

Folate deficiency is associated with nutritional anaemia in Lebanese women of childbearing age

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to identify the determinants of anaemia in Lebanese women of childbearing age attending health centres in Lebanon. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study carried out between May and December 2003. Anthropometric measurements as well as sociodemographic, health and dietary intake data were collected using a questionnaire. Haemoglobin (Hb), plasma ferritin, plasma folate and vitamin B12 were assessed using standard laboratory methods. SETTING: Governmental health centres in Lebanon. SUBJECTS: Four hundred and seventy non-pregnant Lebanese women aged 15-45 years. RESULTS: Anaemia (Hb <12 g dl(-1)) and iron deficiency (ferritin <15 microg l(-1)) were prevalent in 16.0 and 27.2% of the study sample, respectively. Of the total sample, 7.7% had iron-deficiency anaemia. The percentage of women with either Hb or ferritin deficiency or both was 35.6%. Plasma folate and vitamin B12 deficiency was reported in 25.1 and 39.4%, respectively, and 12.6% of the women had both folate and vitamin B12 deficiencies. Of the anaemic group, 48.0% of the women had iron deficiency. The intake of iron was lower in iron-deficient than in non-deficient women and a positive relationship was shown between folate intake and its corresponding serum levels. Regression analysis showed that ferritin, plasma folate and family history of anaemia were significant determinants of the anaemia in the sample of women. CONCLUSIONS: Anaemia not related to iron deficiency was partly explained by plasma folate deficiency. Measures to control folate and iron deficiency should be considered.     

Soil sensitivity due to acid and heavy metal deposition in East Central Europe

Simultaneous soil acidification and deposition of heavy metals is a major concern for forest and agricultural soils of the Black Triangle region of East Central Europe including southern former East Germany, northern Bohemia of the Czech Republic, and southern Poland. The objective of this project was to develop historical and future projections of acid and heavy metal deposition to soils (As, Cd, Pb, Zn) and to produce a preliminary map of soil sensitivity to cadmium pollution and uptake by crops. Ultimately, we wish to assess the relative hazard and recovery times of soils to metals deposition in the region. Emission and deposition data bases obtained from several models developed at IIASA were linked using the Geographical Information System ARC/INFO to produce soil maps of sensitivity to cadmium mobility based on metals deposition, soil type, soil texture, organic matter content, and acid deposition. RAINS 6.1 (Alcamo et al., 1990) was utilized to produce maps of acid deposition for EMEP grids (150 km x 150 km). The largest amount of acid load is deposited in southern East Germany. Sulfur deposition in that area was 10–12 gS/m²/yr in 1990, and S+N deposition exceeded 8000 eq/ha/yr. But the hot spot for metals deposition is further to the east, in the Silesia area of southern Poland. The TRACE2 trajectory model of Alcamo, Bartnicki, and Olendrzynski (1992) was used to estimate cumulative metals deposition since 1955 with scenarios to 2010. Pb has improved over Europe since 1970 when depositions in the Ruhr River Valley of West Germany exceeded 60 mg/m²/yr. But cadmium deposition in southern Poland (Katowice and Krakow) has now accumulated to 60–70 mg/m² by atmospheric deposition alone. During base case simulations from 1955–87, approximately 1.8 mg/kg Pb and 0.12 mg/kg Cd have been added to the mixed plow-layer of 30 cm. If these emissions continue indefinitely, the accumulation of metals will become problematic for agriculture and the food chain.     

Impact of promotion of mango and liver as sources of vitamin A for young children: a pilot study in Burkina Faso

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of a behaviour change approach, with or without financial support, in improving vitamin A (VA) intake and serum retinol concentration through mango and liver consumption by children. DESIGN: A parallel design (no control area) was used to assess changes in VA intake and serum retinol over a 15-week period. SETTING AND SUBJECTS: A pilot study was implemented in the Department of Kokologho, a rural area in central west Burkina Faso. One hundred and fifty children aged 2-3 years were randomly selected and assigned to two treatment groups: PA$$ (promotional activities and financial support) and PA (promotional activities). RESULTS: The intervention significantly increased (P < 0.001) total VA intake by 56% in PA$$ and by 50% in PA. VA intake from liver increased significantly (P < 0.001) from 12.7 +/- 23.5 to 155.3 +/- 56.3 microg retinol activity equivalents (RAE) in PA$$ and from 21.6 +/- 29.7 to 135.3 +/- 44.9 microg RAE in PA. Changes in VA intake from liver were significantly higher (P = 0.004) in PA$$ compared with PA. Mean serum retinol concentration increased significantly by 26% (P < 0.001) in PA$$ and 30% (P < 0.001) in PA. Changes in serum retinol concentration (0.13 micromol l(-1) in PA$$ vs. 0.17 micromol l(-1) and in PA) did not differ significantly (P = 0.455) between groups over the intervention. CONCLUSION: Promotional activities on mango and liver intake effectively increased VA intake and serum retinol concentrations. Although an additional beneficial effect of financial support on liver intake was observed, this did not translate into a further increase in serum retinol concentration.     

1990-2011年南天山地区冰川面积变化对气候的响应

利用Landsat TM/ETM⁺影像资料,通过遥感图像计算机自动解译和目视解译方法得到南天山地区1990年、2000年、2011年三期冰川边界,并应用GIS技术系统研究了南天山地区冰川近21 a来的面积变化及其对气候的响应关系。结果表明:1990—2011年期间,南天山地区冰川面积变化了-13.2%。大规模冰川分解使得小规模冰川的总面积和条数均有所增加,朝西向的冰川退缩速率最大,为-15.9%。与1990—2000年时段对比发现,近10 a来,海拔大于3 800 m的冰川退缩速率加快。通过地面气象资料的分析发现,南天山地区的气温和降水均表现出增加趋势,海拔最高的巴音布鲁克站线性升温率为0.25℃/10 a,降水增幅为1.2 mm/a。与西风区其它现有研究对比,发现南天山地区冰川的强烈退缩可能主要受到气温升高的影响,降水的增加对其影响不大。此外,地形条件和冰川规模等都是影响冰川波动的重要因素。     

Changes in carotenoid intake from fruit and vegetables in the Spanish population over the period 1964-2004

OBJECTIVE: To assess changes in carotenoid intake based on the variations in the consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables in the Spanish population over the period 1964-2004. DESIGN: Consumption data of fresh fruit and vegetables from Family Budget Surveys carried out in 1964, 1980, 1990 and 2004. Consumption data (g per person per day) accounted for >90% of fruit and vegetable consumption at each time point. Quality controlled high-performance liquid chromatography analysis of the carotenoid composition of Spanish fruit and vegetable was used. SUBJECTS: Randomly selected, private households throughout Spain (20,800 households in 1964, 30,311 households in 1980, 21,155 households in 1990 and 6000 households in 2004). Twelve vegetables and 16 fruits representing 89-96% of the total consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables were used. RESULTS: Individual consumption of fruit and vegetables has changed over this period, altering the total and individual intake of carotenoids. Total carotenoid intake increased from 2.5 mg per person per day in 1964 to 4.1 mg per person per day in 1990, with a decrease to 3.3 mg per person per day in 2004. These increments are due to an increase in lycopene, alpha- and beta-carotene, while a decrease in lutein and zeaxanthin is observed during the last decade. A continuous and consistent decrease in the relative contribution of lutein in the diet is observed over the period studied. CONCLUSION: Although the consumption of fruit and vegetables is still consistent with a Mediterranean-type pattern, modifications in the consumption of individual fruits and vegetables have provoked changes in total and specific carotenoid intake with potential relevance in human health.