This study determines the fear of COVID-19, healthy lifestyle behaviors, and nutrition knowledge levels of individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was conducted involving 509 people between the ages of 18 and 64 from December 2020 to April 2021. Data were collected online using a descriptive characteristics form, the COVID-19 Fear Scale, the Adult Nutrition Knowledge Level Scale, and the Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Scale II. It was found from the study that women feared COVID-19 more than men (p<0.05). Individuals aged 35–44 scored higher in basic nutrition knowledge, while those aged 18‒24 scored lower in food preference knowledge (p<0.05). It was also found that individuals who were between 55 and 64 years of age, married, highly educated, employed in the public sector, of good economic status, and ill scored higher on the Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Scale II (p<0.05). A weak positive correlation was found between the score of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale and scores of both food preference knowledge and health responsibility sub-dimensions (r=0.088, r=0.181; p<0.05). A weak positive correlation was also found between the nutrition knowledge score as well as the different sub-dimensions and the total score of the Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Scale II (r=0.164, r=0.196; p<0.05). It was observed that fear of COVID-19, nutrition knowledge level, and healthy lifestyle behaviors were influenced by various socio-demographic characteristics, and that there was a relationship between these three elements.

This study aimed to determine the physicochemical properties, Glycaemic Index (GI) and Glycaemic Load (GL) of chocolate energy bars prepared with different percentages of guar gum (0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%) and high polyphenols cocoa powder. Proximate analysis was determined following the official methods Association of Official Analytical (AOAC). Ten eligible respondents who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria participated in the GI and GL determination. Test and reference food were given to the participants after overnight fasting. Blood capillary finger pricks were drawn for 7 interval time at 0 until 120 min. The blood glucose responses were calculated based on Incremental Area Under Curve (IAUC). The result revealed that the fat and calorie content were significantly lower in formulations with highest guar gum percentage (p˂0.05). On the other hands the moisture, ash, carbohydrate contents, crude fibre, energy value, hardness, fracturability, pH value, and colour were all comparable to the control sample. The control and chocolate energy bars with 0.5% guar gum were in the category of high GI and GL. Whereas, the chocolate energy bars with 1.0% and 1.5% guar gum were in the medium category for both GI and GL. This study demonstrated that incorporating different percentages of guar gum in the high polyphenols chocolate energy bar changed some of the proximate compositions but not the physical properties. Furthermore, addition of guar gum affected the GI and GL as the values were reduced with the increased amount of guar gum.

This research aimed to analyze the potency of purple okra-based products in improving the antioxidant status of healthy adults. Thirty adults with high body fat percentages were allocated into three groups: the first group was treated with 100 g of purple okra pudding/day, the second group was provided with a purple okra extract supplement that contained 3.80 g of extract/day, and the third group was a control group. The intervention was carried out for 28 days. All subjects were exposed to nutrition education, and data on their characteristics, food intake, and physical activity level were collected. The results showed that purple okra pudding and supplement had antioxidant activity of 0.39 and 455.39 mg AEAC/g extract, IC50 of 543.79 and 71.78 ppm, and total phenol of 6.21 and 24.49 mg GAE/g extract, respectively. There were significant differences among subject groups in energy, protein, and fat intake as well as physical activity level. The group treated with purple okra pudding showed a significantly higher ΔSOD after the intervention, most probably due to the role of antioxidants contained in purple okra in upregulating antioxidant defense. In contrary, there was a declining trend of ΔSOD in the group treated with purple okra extract supplement. The different effects observed between the two groups might be due to the different phenol contents between the two intervention products. This study showed that purple okra has the potential as a functional food and health supplement in improving the antioxidant status of healthy adults with high body fat percentages as indicated by a higher change of SOD level (0.08 u/mL) in comparison to the control (-0.07 u/mL).

This study explored the relationship among socio-demographic factors, patients’ dietary adherence, and the Quality of Life (QoL) experienced by their caregivers. A cross-sectional study was carried out, involving 66 caregivers of pediatric patients in Malaysia diagnosed Amino Acid Metabolism Disorders (AAMDs). Dietary adherence was assessed using a modified version of the Malaysia Medication Adherence Assessment Tool (MyMAAT-12), and the caregiver’s QoL was evaluated using the 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF 36) questionnaire. Majority of the patients were Malay (75.76%), and female (59.1%). Statistical analysis found that caregivers with a higher education level were associated with a higher dietary adherence (rs (64)=0.382, p=0.002) and better mental health (rs (64)=0.281, p=0.022). The age of patients had negative significant correlation with the physical function and general health (rs (64)=0.287, p=0.019) of their caregivers. Besides that, dietary adherence was negatively correlated with social functioning (p=0.010), role limited due to physical health (p=0.018), role limited due to emotional problems (p=0.022), vitality (p=0.021), mental health (p=0.014) and pain (p=0.011). Conclusion: Dietary adherence had a significant impact on the QoL for caregivers of patients with amino acid metabolism disorders. Therefore, it is crucial to explore appropriate treatment strategies and provide support to enhance patients' adherence to their dietary requirements, simultaneously improving the caregivers' QoL.

This uncontrolled pre-post study aimed to assess changes in blood lipid profiles and blood pressure resulting from a 2-month consumption of Sacha Inchi Oil (SIO) (Plukenetia volubilis). Investigating the effects of SIO on Malaysians is essential for tailoring interventions to the local context, considering genetic, cultural, and dietary differences. A total of 13 adult participants, comprising 8 males and 5 females aged 35 to 74 years old, took part in this intervention study. Each participant was instructed to consume 2 softgels daily, with each softgel containing 530 mg of SIO. Blood lipid profiles and blood pressure were measured at baseline and at the end of the 2-month period, utilizing venipuncture for blood tests and a sphygmomanometer for blood pressure assessment. The results indicated a significant reduction in Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP) levels following SIO supplementation (2 softgels daily) (p<0.05). However, there were no notable improvements in Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP), Total Cholesterol (TC), Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (LDL-C), High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDL-C), and Triglycerides (TG) after the 2-month supplementation. In conclusion, the daily supplementation of 2 softgels of SIO (1,060 mg) for 2 months demonstrated a beneficial effect on blood pressure, particularly in reducing SBP. These findings serve as preliminary data for future research into the potential health benefits of SIO in the Malaysian population.

This study reviewed the evidence on influencing factors for malnutrition in Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) patients. A systematic search of PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform for English and Chinese language observational studies published from 1966 to 2022 was conducted. RevMan 5.4.1 software was used for statistical analysis. A total of 13 observational studies with 7,790 study participants were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. Seven risk factors and two protective factors related to malnutrition were identified. Age (OR=1.29; 95% CI:1.03–1.61), required feeding assistance (OR=3.33: 95% CI:2.55–4.35), living status (with family) (OR=0.49; 95% CI:0.34–0.71), protein intake (OR=0.89; 95% CI:0.85–0.94), comorbidities (OR=1.78; 95% CI:1.03–3.07), long dialysis duration (OR=1.61; 95% CI:1.16–2.24), inadequate dialysis (OR=1.25; 95% CI:1.12–1.40), hemoglobin level (OR=1.84; 95% CI:0.92–3.66), and depression (OR=3.44; 95% CI:2.21–5.34) were associated with an increased influence of malnutrition among CKD patients. This review provides comprehensive evidence of potential influencing factors of malnutrition among CKD patients

This study aims to determine the prebiotic potential of the banana peel on the growth of probiotic Lactobacillus spp. in vitro and to utilize the peel as a functional ingredient in preparing biscuits. Peels of dessert banana (pisang berangan) and plantain (pisang nangka) were oven-dried and homogenized, and the total sugar content was determined. Subsequently, different cultivation media were made by substituting the carbon source with Banana Peel Powder (BPP), Plantain Peel Powder (PPP), glucose, and inulin. These media were later fermented with probiotic Lactobacillus spp., extracted from a probiotic drink. The growth performance was accessed following 24 hours of incubation. BPP and PPP were incorporated into the preparation of biscuits as functional ingredients. A portion of wheat flour was substituted with 10%, 20%, and 30% of BPP and PPP, respectively, during the preparation of the biscuits. These biscuits were then analyzed for proximate composition, physical properties, and estimated Glycaemic Index (eGI). The supplementation of BPP and PPP in the media improved the probiotic bacteria's growth rate and generation time as the media had a significantly higher amount of Lactobacillus spp. compared to others. Both BPP- and PPP-supplemented media had significantly low pH, indicating intense metabolic activity of the bacteria utilizing the peels. Results also showed significant differences in the total dietary fiber and protein content of BBP- and PPP-incorporated biscuits. The addition of BPP and PPP did not significantly affect the physical properties of the biscuit, and such incorporation resulted in lower eGI when compared to the control. BPP and PPP possess potential prebiotic properties and can be utilized as functional ingredients. Further study is warranted to explore other prebiotic properties of banana peels and to investigate consumers' acceptance of banana peel-incorporated foods.

This study aims to look at improving the quality of nutritional status data through WHO Anthro training in stunting focus areas. This study used a quasi-experimental quantitative method with a pretest-posttest equivalent repeated measures framework approach, using two groups. A total of 40 kindergarten teachers were sampled, divided equally into two groups. The control group was taught how to plot nutritional status using WHO charts and the intervention group was trained how to use the WHO Anthro application. Data was analyzed by non-parametrical means with a Friedman test to compare the pre-mid-post data in each group of different samples. The group trained by WHO Anthro showed that the data quality on nutritional status was significantly different, with a p=0.000. The evaluation conducted after two months of training proved to be significantly different in terms of information and data accuracy with p=0.030 and p=0.040, respectively. WHO Anthro is proven to be able to facilitate kindergarten teachers in determining the nutritional status of students, and the resulting nutritional status reports are of higher quality because they are more accurate and useful for early detection of stunting in each school.

The study aims to measure the current nutritional status and factors contributing to food consumption during hospitalization at Hospital Ampang. This is a cross-sectional study of 206 patients consisting of 104 males and 102 females respectively between 18 to 70 years of age. Data obtained from Factors Influencing Dietary Intake of Hospitalized Patients Questionnaire and Nutritional Risk Screening (NRS 2002). We used standardized methods to measure weight, height. Body weight categories were defined based on Body Mass Index (BMI). The BMI of participants was 26.08±4.56 kgm-2 and 52.0% (107) of participants had low risk of malnutrition and at risk of malnutrition. 85.4% admitted that the food tasted different. To conclude, patients’ low consumption of food during hospitalization should be enhanced. Thus, it is essential to implement effective strategies and interventions to increase dietary intake among hospitalized patients to fulfill their nutritional requirements and encourage quick recovery.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between folic acid intake and the incidence of depression among students of Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta, department of Nutrition. This cross-sectional study recruited 40 participants following the inclusion criteria. Sample collection was done by random sampling. Data collection on the adequacy of folic acid intake was carried out using the non-consecutive three days 24 four Food recall. The prevalence of depression was obtained by measuring the level of depression in the last two weeks using the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) questionnaire. The results showed that 2.5% of the subjects had sufficient folic acid intake and 97.5% had insufficient folic acid intake with mean 78,5 mcg. About 47.5% of subjects experienced minimal depression, 20% experienced mild depression, 25% experienced moderate depression, and 7.5% experienced major depression with mean score 13.4. Futher analysis, the p-value (p=0.145) indicated that there was no significant relationship between folic acid and depression status. Recommended for using the Semi-Quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire (SQ-FFQ) to see acid intake folate and pay attention to other factors that cause depression.