Research Articles (Human Nutrition)

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Browsing Research Articles (Human Nutrition) by browse.metadata.type "Editorial"

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
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    Conventional indicators of the burden of young child malnutrition : time for a rethink?
    (MedPharm Publications, 2018) Dhansay, Muhammad A.
    The world has moved on from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) era to the next phase in global development, namely, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs have multiple targets and indicators, among which Target 2.2 relates to measurement of stunting, wasting and overweight in children under five. The MDGs had stunting and underweight as indicators to be measured to assess progress in addressing child malnutrition. In 2012, the World Health Assembly Resolution 65.6 endorsed a Comprehensive implementation plan on maternal, infant and young child nutrition, which specified a set of six global nutrition targets that by 2025 aim to, among others, achieve a 40% reduction in the number of children who are stunted, reduce and maintain childhood wasting to < 5%, and ensure there is no increase in childhood overweight.
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    Hospital malnutrition in children : what are the challenges?
    (MedPharm Publications, 2018) Blaauw, Renee
    No abstract available
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    Indigenous foods and their contribution to nutrient requirements
    (Medpharm Publications, 2017) Mbhenyane, Xikombiso G.
    Indigenous plants grow spontaneously in natural ecosystems and have been serving human kind as food and medicine in almost all societies for generations.¹´² It is recognised³ that indigenous foods and dietary diversity within an ecosystem can be powerful sources of nutrients and thus are better for health. It has been proposed that indigenous foods can play a major role in enhancing quality of diets and improving food and nutrition security.⁴ Despite this assertation, the use of indigenous foods has declined due to the nonavailability of these foods in modern commercialised and industrialised markets and lack of investment in research and development. The indigenous crops have been largely ignored by commercial farming, research and development, thus becoming less competitive than well-established major crops, and losing gradually their diversity and the associated traditional knowledge.⁵ The new South African Food Based Dietary Guidelines emphasise the food value of indigenous crops by the message they impart “must be realistic, do-able, promoting indigenous and traditional foods”.⁶
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    Let’s work together to make breastfeeding work
    (MedPharm Publications, 2015) Du Plessis, Lisanne M.
    ENGLISH SUMMARY : The global recommendation on the early initiation of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for six months, and continued breastfeeding for up to two years of age and beyond,1 remains uncontested.2-4 However, the translation of this recommendation into successful practice continues to fall short.
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    Malnutrition in older persons : underestimated, underdiagnosed and undertreated
    (Medpharm Publications, 2017) Marais, M. L.
    The right of older persons to enjoy optimal health and live in a dignified manner is protected in various international documents and national legislation.¹⁻⁴ The South African government embraced this obligation by embedding these socio-economic human rights in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1996).⁵ Cognisant of the poor socio-economic status of individuals from various vulnerable demographic groups, the South African government implemented a social protection system to improve access to food and provide for living expenses.⁶ It is possible that this grant system contributed to the reported decrease in food insecurity in the last decade,⁷ since social grants have been reported to contribute to 42% of the household income for poor families.⁸ Yet, single interventions such as cash transfers, on their own, are not adequate to ameliorate malnutrition amongst older persons and children.⁹
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    Should early enteral nutrition be used in the trauma intensive care unit?
    (MedPharm Publications, 2015) Blaauw, Renee
    ENGLISH SUMMARY : Critical illness, sepsis, surgery, multi-organ failure and haemodynamic instability are conditions that are associated with feeding inadequacies and nutritional challenges. Conversely, meeting nutritional requirements and providing optimal nutrition are associated with an improved outcome. Since these facts have been reported repeatedly, why then are we still faced with study results on suboptimal feeding?
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    Wellness as a virtue in health sciences students : are they practising what they preach?
    (MedPharm Publications, 2015) Potgieter, Sunita
    Collective and individual greatness are keystones of Health Science education. Enabling prospective healthcare providers to better the quality of life of the population they serve is vital to ensure collective greatness. However, collective greatness can only be achieved once a student is able to attain and retain individual greatness. Self-care, a necessary human regulatory function under individual control, is part and parcel of individual greatness. Healthcare providers can only care for others once they have established, and are able to, care for themselves.