Melatonin (MLT) is crucial in controlling human sleep-wake patterns. While it has long been recognized for regulating circadian rhythms, its demonstrated efficacy in managing various diseases has recently gained considerable attention. This review discusses MLT's potential preventative and therapeutic effects on various diseases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The global population of older adults is on the rise. As people age, their physical functions gradually decline, leading to a decrease in the overall functioning of different organ systems. Due to these changes, older individuals are at a higher risk of encountering various adverse health outcomes and complications, such as malnutrition.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Melatonin is an indoleamine hormone secreted by the pineal gland at night and has an essential role in regulating human circadian rhythms (the internal 24-h clock) and sleep-wake patterns. However, it has recently gained considerable attention for its demonstrated ability in disease management. This review discusses the major biological activities of melatonin, its metabolites as nutritional supplements, and its bioavailability in food sources.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWeight loss is a significant health problem among patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) that is attributable primarily to the tumor or tumor therapy. Critical weight loss (CWL) is defined as the unintentional loss of ≥5% of weight. Therefore, this study's goal was to investigate and determine the possible factors influencing CWL among patients with HNC who have received radiotherapy or concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMedicine (Baltimore)
November 2023
This study was designed to measure the prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency among young adult females in Makkah City and study its correlation with some anthropometric and biochemical indicators. A cross-sectional study and a detailed questionnaire were used to collect information from 402 young women aged 19 to 22 years, who were university students. Moreover, dietary assessments using a validated food frequency questionnaire and anthropometric measurements were performed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBariatric surgery (BS) is associated with vitamin and mineral deficiencies, which might be augmented by low adherence to dietary guidelines and inappropriate dietary behaviours. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of BS on eating behaviour, prevalence of nutrient deficiency, level of commitment to diet, and lifestyle recommendations one-year post-BS. A cross-sectional study was conducted among adult patients who underwent BS in 2019 and had follow-up for a year.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: In recent years, there has been great interest in the dietary practices of vegetarians in addition to an increasing awareness of the potential benefits of vegetarian diets. However, there are insufficient data on the spread of vegetarianism in Arab countries. The aim of this study was to investigate knowledge and attitudes about vegetarianism and associated factors in the Saudi population and to understand the reasons for its growing prevalence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe prevalence of obesity has recently increased, accompanied by a steep increase in the consumption of sugar-sweetened carbonated beverages (SSCBs). This cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate the impact of SSCB consumption on adiposity parameters and to identify factors associated with increased SSCB intake among young adult females in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. A validated closed questionnaire including 2 sections, general socioeconomic and behavioral characteristics and anthropometric measurements, was used for data collection of female students (n = 1616) from Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChronic kidney disease, one of the most common diseases in the world, is characterized by irreversible impairment of the kidney's metabolic, excretory, and endocrine functions. During end-stage renal disease, patients require renal replacement therapy, such as hemodialysis (HD). Protein-energy wasting is a common health problem among HD patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Chronic iron overload could induce nephropathy via oxidative stress and inflammation, and chelating therapy has limited efficacy in removing excess intracellular iron. Although vitamin D (VD) has shown potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, as well contribute to iron homeostasis, none of the previous studies measured its potential remedial effects against chronic iron toxicity.
Aims: To measure the alleviating effects of deferasirox (DFX) and/or vitamin D (VD) single and combined therapies against nephrotoxicity induced by chronic iron overload.
Background: Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, it affects both men and women. In Saudi Arabia, breast cancer has been the most prevalent type of cancer in women, for the past few years. Dietary habits and cultural beliefs vary according to region, and further studies are required to demonstrate the relationship between these dietary habits and cultural beliefs and the risk of developing breast cancer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Objective: Vitamin D has been shown to improve muscle strength and bone health; consequently, be important for maintaining good balance. Possible risk factors related to postural stability in young adults still underdetermined. However, this study was designed to determine the effect of vitamin D status on postural stability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: There are various factors that play a major role in influencing the overall health conditions of women diagnosed with breast cancer. The population of women in Makkah region are diverse, therefore it is significant to highlight the possible determinants of breast cancer in this population. This is a case-control study that assessed determinants of breast cancer including socioeconomic factors, health-related characteristics, menstrual histories and breastfeeding among postmenopausal women in Makkah region in Saudi Arabia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Systemic lupus erythematosus is a chronic autoimmune disease that increases the risk of suboptimal vitamin D levels.
Aim: To determine the effects of vitamin D and calcium supplementation on disease activity, related immune markers and bone mineral density in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.
Subjects And Methods: Eighty-one patients with systemic lupus erythematosus aged 20-70 years were recruited for this interventional study.
Unlabelled: A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the effect of some socioeconomic factors and lifestyle habits on the prevalence of obesity among adolescent male students in the Hail region, Saudi Arabia. A questionnaire was filled by 1495 male adolescents distributed among 12 schools in the Hail region. Body weight and height were taken, and the -score of students was measured using Anthroplus software with a cutoff 1-2 and +2 standard deviations to determine overweight and obesity, respectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe objective of the study was to find the determinants related to not breastfeeding (BF) and others related to the delay in the early initiation of BF in the Mecca region, Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study in the Maternity and Children Hospital and primary healthcare centers was performed. A questionnaire was filled by dietitians to 814 asymptomatic Saudi mothers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the first most common cancer in males and the third most common cancer in females in Saudi Arabia. Dietary habits are strongly associated with the inhibition or proliferation of malignancy. Therefore, this study is aiming to investigate the risks and protective benefits of dietary factors affecting CRC in the Mecca region of Saudi Arabia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased considerably in Saudi Arabia in the past two decades. We conducted this study because to examine trends in weight gain with age and related anthropometric measurements in Saudi Arabia such data are limited.
Objective: To determine trends in overweight and obesity and examine anthropometric indices by age group.
We carried out a case-control study to investigate the effects of some lifestyle patterns on the occurrence of colorectal cancer (CRC) in the city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Parameters included BMI, employment, family income, educational level, family size, exercise, cancer awareness, diabetes, and hypertension. Individuals of both groups (n=164 for control group, n=137 for CRC group) completed a questionnaire with the help of trained dietitians.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Studies have focused on obesity-induced balance instability in the older population, which has been understudied in young adults. This study aimed to determine the impact of obesity on dynamic balance in young adult Saudi males.
Methods: A cross-sectional study of 704 young adult males aged between 18 and 35 years from Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, KSA, was performed.
Background/objectives: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a set of interrelated metabolic risk factors that increase the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Studies regarding the specificity and sensitivity of serum levels of leptin and uric acid as predictors of MetS are limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum levels of leptin and uric acid in terms of their specificity and sensitivity as predictors of MetS in the studied Jordanian group.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To assess the nutritional status of low birth weight infants from Makkah area immediately after birth.
Methods: The prospective study was conducted between October and December 2012 at Al-Noor Speciality Hospital, Makkah, Saudi Arabia, and comprised low birth weight infants who were divided into three equal groups according to their birth weight: group A (low birthweight1501-2500gm), group B (very low birthweight1001-1500gm), and group C (extremely low birth weight < 1000gm). Mothers who had delivered low birth weight infants were enrolled.
Objective: To evaluate the prevalence and the individual components of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Jordanian adults.
Methods: In this cross sectional study, 630 adult subjects (308 men and 322 women) aged between 20-70 years were recruited from the clinics at the King Hussein Medical Center. The diagnosis of MetS was made according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria-2005.
Int J Vitam Nutr Res
February 2016
Background: Vitamin D deficiency is common in Saudi Arabia. No sufficient data are available on the vitamin D status of preschool children.
Aims: To investigate the vitamin D status among toddlers and preschool children and to evaluate the factors associated with hypovitaminosis D in Western Saudi Arabia.