International Journal of Food, Nutrition & Dietetics

There are many cases of hypothyroidism, kidney diseases, and poor bone health among older adults in southeast Asia. This study aims to assess the role of two major diet practices that are vegan and non-vegan in response to the increase of TSH (hypothyroidism), creatinine (CKD), and decrease of bone mass due to improper calcium metabolism in the older adult population in SEA countries. A total of 95 patients were included in the study for six months in 2021, suffering from the mentioned health issues. In this descriptive cross-sectional study with a quota sampling method, the participants interested in paid virtual diet consultations were requested for filling out pre-tested open-ended questionnaires related to their dietary habits, medicines, and diagnostic tests before online platform consultations. Jamovi version 2.2.5 as the software was applied for all types of data analysis. An independent sample T was used to analyze the mean difference between dependent variables: levels of TSH, creatinine, bone mass, calcium, and two independent groups of food habits (vegan vs. non-vegan) and gender (male and female). The study found 24 vegans and 71 non-vegans out of 62 females and 33 males above 50 years of patients. Results showed no significance with any test values irrespective of gender or food habits. At the same time, while we compare effect size, the food habits group was associated with a decrease in the value of the outcome: TSH -0.2008, bone mass -0.3299, and -0.3448 (Cohen’s d test). Therefore, the study can conclude that improper vegan or non-vegan diets can influence TSH, creatinine, and bone mass among older adults of both sexes in SEA regions.

Musa paradisiaca (Banana blossom) is a nature’s gift to mankind and is widely known for its huge nutritional and health benefits. It has potential to be regarded as a functional food or superfood due to its high nutrient content like fibre, protein, vitamin A, C, E, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium. Banana flower has a high therapeutic value and it promotes lactation, reduces menustral bleeding, helps to control diabetes, anemia, reduce anxiety, ulcer, helpful in weight loss and good for gastrointestinal health. Inspite of being such a super food it is still undervalued in most part of the world, except in south-east Asian countries. Further research studies are required to record the health benefits of banana blossom.

Enzymes are dissolution large complex molecules like proteins, carbohydrates, and fats into smaller ones. They are secreted by the salivary glands and gastric mucosa of the stomach, pancreas, and small intestine, also present in many fruits and vegetables in significant amounts. The objective of this study was to review the available literature on the naturally available enzyme on food like fruits and vegetables and the impact of heat on their activity. Foods that contain natural digestive enzymes include pineapples, papayas, mangoes, bananas, avocados, kiwifruit, and ginger indicating that enzyme disintegration is influenced by temperature. The optimum temperature for protease activity of kiwifruit, papaya, zinger, and pineapple was at 40 degrees Celsius (ºC) and active between 8 to 70°C. Amylase of banana, mango has been testified to activity between 8°C and 38°C and the optimum temperature was 30, starting to be denatured at 38°C and being fully denaturized after 5 minutes at 100°C. The Avocados lipase was active in the temperature ranging from 5 to 65°C and the optimum temperature for lipase action was observed to be 37°C.