Ferulic acid lowers body weight and visceral fat accumulation via modulation of enzymatic, hormonal and inflammatory changes in a mouse model of high-fat diet-induced obesity.

Previous studies have reported on the glucose and lipid-lowering effects of ferulic acid (FA) but its anti-obesity potential has not yet been firmly established. This study investigated the possible anti-obesitogenic effects of FA in mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 15 weeks. To assess the antiobesity potential of FA, 32 male Swiss mice, weighing 20-25 g (n=6-8 per group) were fed a normal diet (ND) or HFD, treated orally or not with either FA (10 mg/kg) or sibutramine (10 mg/kg) for 15 weeks and at the end of this period, the body weights of animals, visceral fat accumulation, plasma levels of glucose and insulin hormone, amylase and lipase activities, the satiety hormones ghrelin and leptin, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCH-1) were analyzed.

Home gardening is associated with Filipino preschool children's dietary diversity.

Dietary diversification through home gardening is a sustainable strategy that can address multiple micronutrient deficiencies. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the association between home gardening and the dietary diversity of preschool-aged children. Households with children aged 2 to 5 years (n=200) were surveyed from Baras and Angono in the province of Rizal, Philippines in January 2008.

Efficacy of pandesal baked from wheat flour fortified with iron and vitamin a in improving the iron and anthropometric status of anemic schoolchildren in the Philippines.

Objective: To determine the efficacy of pandesal baked from wheat flour fortified with iron, with or without vitamin A (VA), in improving anemic schoolchildren's iron and anthropometric status.

Methods: Anemic 6- to 12-year-old Filipino children (n = 250) received two 60 g pandesal daily for 8 months. They were randomized into 1 of 4 groups: (1) iron-fortified (with hydrogen-reduced iron at 80 mg/kg, electrolytic iron at 80 mg/kg, or ferrous fumarate at 40 mg/kg), (2) iron and VA-fortified, (3) VA-fortified (at 490 RE/100 g), and (4) nonfortified flour.

Influence of carotene-rich vegetable meals on the prevalence of anaemia and iron deficiency in Filipino schoolchildren.

Objective: To determine the effects of eating carotene-rich green and yellow vegetables on the prevalence of anaemia, iron deficiency and iron-deficiency anaemia in schoolchildren.

Subjects And Methods: Schoolchildren (n=104), aged 9-12 years, received standardized meals containing 4.2 mg of provitamin A carotenoids/day (mainly beta-carotene) from yellow and green leafy vegetables and at least 7 g dietary fat/day.

Physical activity, energy requirements, and adequacy of dietary intakes of older persons in a rural Filipino community.

Background: Aging is a process associated with physiological changes such as in body composition, energy expenditure and physical activity. Data on energy and nutrient intake adequacy among elderly is important for disease prevention, health maintenance and program development.

Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was designed to determine the energy requirements and adequacy of energy and nutrient intakes of older persons living in private households in a rural Filipino community.

Effectiveness of a redesigned iron supplementation delivery system for pregnant women in Negros Occidental, Philippines.

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of a redesigned Fe supplementation delivery system (ISDS) in improving Hb concentrations and compliance among pregnant women.

Design: A controlled before and after study design was used. Interviews and Hb measurements of randomly selected pregnant women in both treatment areas were conducted at baseline and after 6 months.

Determinants of anemia among preschool children in the Philippines.

Objective: Our objective was to identify the determinants of anemia among rural Filipino children aged 12-71 months.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 2090 preschool children from 8 rural villages in Cebu, an area non-endemic for malaria and schistosomiasis. Hemoglobin (Hb) concentration was determined using a HemoCue hemoglobinometer and zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP) concentration was measured with a hematofluorometer.

Relationships of body mass index with serum carotenoids, tocopherols and retinol at steady-state and in response to a carotenoid-rich vegetable diet intervention in Filipino schoolchildren.

In marginally nourished children, information is scarce regarding the circulating concentrations of carotenoids and tocopherols, and physiological factors influencing their circulating levels. We determined the serum concentrations of carotenoids, tocopherols and retinol at steady state and in response to a 9-week vegetable diet intervention in 9-12-year-old girls (n=54) and boys (n=65) in rural Philippines. We determined cross-sectional relationships of BMI (body mass index) with serum micronutrient levels, and whether BMI is a determinant of serum carotenoid responses to the ingestion of carotenoid-rich vegetables.

Stability of iodine in iodized fresh and aged salt exposed to simulated market conditions.

Background: The salt iodization law of the Philippines required that iodized salt sold at retail not be exposed to direct sunlight, high temperature and relative humidity, and contamination with moisture and dust from the environment. However, because the majority of local consumers buy salt displayed in open heaps, it was suggested that iodized salt should be sold in the same manner for greater accessibility and availability. Objective.

The effect of a school-based weekly iron supplementation delivery system among anemic schoolchildren in the Philippines.

Objective: To determine the effect of a school-based weekly iron supplementation delivery system (WISDS) on the prevalence of anemia among anemic schoolchildren.

Subjects And Methods: Two hundred and forty-two Filipino schoolchildren aged 6-12 years with hemoglobin (Hb) concentration <12 g/dl and enrolled for school year 2003-2004. UNICEF iron-folate tablets containing 60 mg elemental iron and 0.

Carotene-rich plant foods ingested with minimal dietary fat enhance the total-body vitamin A pool size in Filipino schoolchildren as assessed by stable-isotope-dilution methodology.

Background: Strategies for improving the vitamin A status of vulnerable populations are needed.

Objective: We studied the influence of the amounts of dietary fat on the effectiveness of carotene-rich plant foods in improving vitamin A status.

Design: Schoolchildren aged 9-12 y were fed standardized meals 3 times/d, 5 d/wk, for 9 wk.

Maternal plasma pyridoxal-5'-phosphate concentrations and risk of isolated oral clefts in the Philippines.

Background: We report that inadequate vitamin B-6 status of Filipino mothers, assessed by erythrocyte aspartate aminotransferase activity coefficient (EAST-AC), is associated with an increased risk for isolated cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL/P) in their children. Its association with the status assessed by plasma pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (PLP) concentrations is unknown.

Methods: In a case-control study in the Philippines including 46 cases (mothers of a child with CL/P) and 392 controls (mothers of an unaffected child), we evaluated the association between the risk for CL/P and maternal vitamin B-6 status assessed by PLP and EAST-AC.

Good governance for nutrition in the Philippines: elements, experiences, and lessons learned.

Malnutrition is a multifactorial problem that needs a multisectoral solution. This article reviews the role of good governance in nutrition programs, citing the Philippines as an example. In the Philippines, these efforts are reflected in the partnership between the public and private sectors in the establishment of the country's capability in research, policy-making, and program implementation.

Effect of a multiple-micronutrient-fortified fruit powder beverage on the nutrition status, physical fitness, and cognitive performance of schoolchildren in the Philippines.

This study aimed to determine the effect of a multiple-micronutrient-fortified beverage on the micronutrient status, physical fitness, and cognitive performance of schoolchildren. The study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of schoolchildren assigned to receive either the fortified or nonfortified beverage with or without anthelmintic therapy. Data on hemoglobin level, urinary iodine excretion (UIE) level, physical fitness, and cognitive performance were collected at baseline and at 16 weeks post-intervention.

Implementing preventive iron-folic acid supplementation among women of reproductive age in some Western Pacific countries: possibilities and challenges.

Lack of effective implementation mechanisms is identified as a major obstacle in the prevention and control of iron-deficiency anemia. This paper discusses experiences gained from implementing iron-folic acid supplementation in the Philippines, Vietnam, and Cambodia. The understanding of contextual elements is proposed as a foundation for planning interventions.

Plasma zinc concentrations of mothers and the risk of nonsyndromic oral clefts in their children: a case-control study in the Philippines.

Background: Findings from animal experiments suggest a link between poor maternal zinc status and increased risk of oral clefts in offspring; however, there are few human studies on this issue.

Methods: A case-control study was conducted using 74 case mothers of children with nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL/P, n=57) or cleft palate alone (CP, n=17), and 283 control mothers of unaffected children recruited in the Philippines in early 2003. Maternal zinc status was assessed by determining plasma zinc concentrations a mean of 5 years after delivery of the index child.

Maternal vitamin B-6 and folate status and risk of oral cleft birth defects in the Philippines.

Background: Vitamin deficiencies induce oral clefts in animal experiments, but the role of specific nutrients in human oral clefts is uncertain.

Methods: Associations between maternal vitamin B-6 and folate status and risk of nonsyndromic cleft lip, with or without cleft palate (CL/P), were examined in case-control studies at two sites in the Philippines--Negros Occidental and Davao. Cases were mothers of affected children and control mothers were those who had no children with oral clefts.

Dietary vitamin A intakes of Filipino elders with adequate or low liver vitamin A concentrations as assessed by the deuterated-retinol-dilution method: implications for dietary requirements.

Background: The vitamin A requirements of elderly humans have not been studied.

Objective: In a cross-sectional study of 60-88-y-old men (n = 31) and women (n = 31) in rural Philippines, we assessed the dietary intakes of elders with adequate (> or = 0.07 micromol/g) or low (< 0.

Quantitative assessment of total body stores of vitamin A in adults with the use of a 3-d deuterated-retinol-dilution procedure.

Background: The conventional deuterated-retinol-dilution (DRD) technique provides a quantitative estimate of total body stores of vitamin A in humans. The procedure requires equilibration of serum deuterated retinol with nondeuterated retinol after administration of an oral dose of deuterated vitamin A. Equilibration takes approximately 3 wk to complete.

Bacillary disease and health seeking behavior among Filipinos with symptoms of tuberculosis: implications for control.

Setting: Urban and rural communities and urban poor settlements in the Philippines.

Objective: To determine bacillary disease and action taking among individuals with symptoms of tuberculosis (TB), and to analyze their implications for TB control.

Study Design And Method: Subjects aged 20 years and older were interviewed in the 1997 nationwide stratified multi-cluster survey.

Efficacy of a vitamin A-fortified wheat-flour bun on the vitamin A status of Filipino schoolchildren.

Background: Wheat flour is a possible food vehicle for vitamin A fortification.

Objective: This study assessed the efficacy of consumption of a vitamin A-fortified wheat-flour bun (pandesal) on the vitamin A status of school-age children.

Design: This was a double-masked clinical trial conducted in 396 and 439 children aged 6-13 y attending 4 rural schools in the Philippines.

Bioconversion of plant carotenoids to vitamin A in Filipino school-aged children varies inversely with vitamin A status.

Background: It is important to understand the factors affecting strategies to improve the vitamin A status of populations. We reported previously that a 3-d deuterated-retinol-dilution (DRD) procedure might be used to indicate total body stores of vitamin A.

Objective: We studied the ability of 3-d DRD to detect changes in the body pool size of vitamin A and the effect of vitamin A status on the bioconversion of plant carotenoids to vitamin A.

BCG coverage and the annual risk of tuberculosis infection over a 14-year period in the Philippines assessed from the Nationwide Prevalence Surveys.

Setting: A prevalence survey of tuberculosis (TB) infection was undertaken in the Philippines, a developing country in the Western Pacific region.

Objective: To determine the bacille Calmette Guerin (BCG) vaccination rate, the prevalence of TB infection and the annual risk of TB infection (ARTI).

Methods: A nationwide stratified multi-stage cluster survey of 21,960 individuals.