Altered GNAS imprinting due to folic acid deficiency contributes to poor embryo development and may lead to neural tube defects Altered GNAS imprinting due to folic acid deficiency contributes to poor embryo development and may lead to neural tube defects

This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of malnutrition and to investigate the associated factors of stunting among 6–23-month-old infants in poor rural areas of central China. The China Nutrition Improvement Project on Children in Poor Areas was conducted in 56 national-level poor counties of seven provinces in 2019. We performed a multivariate binary logistic regression analysis to determine the associated factors of stunting. This cross-sectional study included 17,193 infants. The overall prevalence of stunting was the highest (3.9%), followed by overweight (3.0%), underweight (2.1%), wasting (2.0%), and obesity (0.5%). Girls [OR = 0.55, 95% CI (0.46, 0.65)], infants meeting requirements of minimum diversity diet [OR = 0.81, 95% CI (0.67, 0.98)], and mothers with middle-school or high-school education and above decreased the prevalence of stunting. Infants with diarrhea in two weeks [OR = 1.26,95% CI (0.98, 1.62)] were at higher odds of stunting. The malnutrition status in the study areas was improved, and vulnerable infants were found to need additional and earlier monitoring to detect and fundamentally prevent undernutrition.

This study investigated the nutrition and complementary feeding (CF) of infants and young children (IYC) aged 6–23 months in rural areas of China in 2018 and explored the relationship between CF and nutritional status. We measured the length and weight, calculated the z-scores, and detected micronutrients in the hair. The status of CF was obtained from the respondents by a 24-h dietary recall. IYC were classified into clusters using a two-step cluster analysis. The CF and nutritional status of each cluster were analyzed and compared. The prevalence of stunting, wasting, and overweight in the IYC in rural Chinese areas was 7.1%, 3.0%, and 3.7%, respectively. The median levels of Ca, Fe, and Zn in hair were 550.10 µg/g, 62.94 µg/g, and 132.86 µg/g, respectively. The prevalence of meeting the requirements of minimum dietary diversity (MDD), minimum meal frequency (MMF), and minimum acceptable diet (MAD) was 68.9%, 77.9%, and 46.4%, respectively. IYC with a higher prevalence of MDD, MMF, and MAD were more inclined to maintain a healthy status. The prevalence of undernutrition and overweight of 6- to 23-month-old IYC in rural areas of China was low. However, lack of trace elements was evident, and MAD prevalence remained low.

This study aimed to estimate the status of complementary feeding (CF) and its associated factors among 6–23-month breastfed infants and young children (IYC). We used secondary data from the China Nutrition Improvement Project on Children in Poor Areas in 2018. The status of CF was provided by parents of IYC through 24-h dietary recall. The study included 13,972 6–23-month-old breastfed IYC comprising 24.7% 6–8-month, 28.5% 9–11-month, 31.4% 12–17-month, and 18–23-month IYC. The highest percentage of IYC introduced to cereal foods was 84.8%. Nearly, 83.6% of 6–8-month infants were introduced to solid or semi-solid food. The prevalence of meeting requirements of non-dairy animal source food and minimum acceptable diet (MAD) was 75.3 and 35.1% of 6–23-month IYC, respectively, and was significantly higher in older than younger IYC (p < 0.001). Age of IYC, education level of parents, paternal employment, and nutrition knowledge of parents were positively associated factors for the prevalence of meeting requirements of MAD, and diarrhea at 2 weeks and maternal employment were negatively associated with MAD. Totally, the prevalence of meeting the requirements of MAD was relatively lower in breastfed IYC. The government should scale up appropriate CF with consideration of food availability.

Ying Yang Bao (YYB), a soybean powder-based complementary food supplement, has been widely used in infants and young children (IYC) for nutrition improvement in poor rural regions in China. This study aims to assess the nutritional effect of YYB on anemia and growth status of IYC between the ages of 6 and 24 months using systematic review and meta-analysis. In this meta-analysis, structured electronic searches were conducted using Medline, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Internet datasets. Inclusion criterion, quality assessment, and data extraction were performed by 2 independent reviewers. Data-including hemoglobin concentration; anemia rate; and z scores of height for age, weight for age, and weight for height-were extracted and then analyzed using RevMan 5 software. Seventeen studies on YYB intervention, which showed significantly higher hemoglobin concentration (P < .01) and lower anemia rate (P < .01) in the intervention group compared to the control group, were included. In before-after studies, the prevalence of stunting (P < .01), underweight (P < .01), and wasting (P < .01) significantly decreased, whereas the z scores of weight for height increased (P < .01). However, no significant effect was observed on the z scores of height for age and weight for age. The hemoglobin concentration was higher after using YYB, and the prevalence of anemia, stunting, underweight, and wasting of infants and young children decreased in poor rural regions in China. Based on this meta-analysis, it appears that more randomized controlled trials for YYB intervention should be conducted and the mechanisms explored in future research.

Background: Data from the 2010–2012 Chinese National Nutrition and Health Survey showed that the vast majority of postmenopausal women in China had dual deficiencies in calcium and estrogen. Objective: This study aimed to clarify whether calcium supplementation alleviated bone loss caused by calcium restriction combined with estrogen deficiency in rats. Methods: Forty-eight female rats aged 9 weeks were assigned to 4 groups and fed a low-calcium diet: sham-operated (SHAM-LC), ovariectomized (OVX-LC), and ovariectomized rats treated with 750 mg/kg (OVX-LC-M) or 2800 mg/kg CaCO₃ (OVX-LC-H). CaCO₃ or distilled water was administered orally for 13 weeks. Bone mineral density (BMD) and histomorphometry of the femur, serum biochemical parameters, and serum metabolites were analyzed. Results: The OVX-LC rats showed a significant increase in body weight and serum levels of lipid markers, a significant decrease in serum estradiol, calcium, phosphorus, and 25(OH)D levels, and deterioration of the femur. At 750 mg/kg and 2800 mg/kg, CaCO₃ reduced the deterioration of trabecular bone and increased the trabecular area percentage (Tb.Ar %) and BMD of the femur. Serum estradiol levels increased in a dose-dependent manner after CaCO₃ supplementation (p < 0.01). The administration of 2800 mg/kg CaCO₃ decreased serum triglyceride and high-density lipoprotein levels (p < 0.05) and decreased the levels of the bone turnover markers osteocalcin, N-telopeptide of type I collagen and β-crosslaps. The results of the metabolomics analysis showed that the glycerophospholipid metabolism pathway was closely related to calcium supplementation, and more DG (44:6 n3), LysoPC (22:2) and PE (P-34:3) and less Cer (d43:0) and PE-NMe2 (46:3) were produced. Conclusions: The results clearly indicated that calcium supplementation was beneficial for decreasing bone loss in OVX-LC rats. The present study is the first to show that calcium supplementation increased the estradiol content in OVX-LC rats, and the effect of calcium on bone loss may be partially attributed to the increase in the estrogen level that subsequently induced the changes in metabolite levels, eventually increasing the bone mineral density to a relatively higher level to reduce bone deterioration.