Geophagia in pregnancy and its association with nutritional status - A prospective cohort study in rural north-eastern Tanzania.

Background: Geophagia or soil-eating behavior is common among pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa, however its relationship with nutritional status demands further investigation. Using a prospective pregnancy cohort from north-eastern Tanzania, we examined the characteristics of geophagia and its association with nutritional status parameters (mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), vitamin B12, folate, ferritin, and hemoglobin) before conception and throughout the gestational period.

Methods: Pregnant women (n = 530) were interviewed in each trimester regarding their soil-eating habits.

Glucose mediates insulin sensitivity via a hepatoportal mechanism in high-fat-fed rats.

Poor nutrition plays a fundamental role in the development of insulin resistance, an underlying characteristic of type 2 diabetes. We have previously shown that high-fat diet-induced insulin resistance in rats can be ameliorated by a single glucose meal, but the mechanisms for this observation remain unresolved. To determine if this phenomenon is mediated by gut or hepatoportal factors, male Wistar rats were fed a high-fat diet for 3 weeks before receiving one of five interventions: high-fat meal, glucose gavage, high-glucose meal, systemic glucose infusion or portal glucose infusion.