TY - JOUR

T1 - Effects of Moringa oleifera leaves on hemoglobin and serum retinol levels and underweight status among adolescent girls in rural Bangladesh

AU - Khanam, Mansura

AU - Sanin, Kazi Istiaque

AU - Ara, Gulshan

AU - Sultana Rita, Razia

AU - Boitchi, Anika Bushra

AU - Farzana, Fahmida Dil

AU - Haque, Md Ahshanul

AU - Ahmed, Tahmeed

N1 - Publisher Copyright: Copyright © 2022 Khanam, Sanin, Ara, Sultana Rita, Boitchi, Farzana, Haque and Ahmed.

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - Objectives: Moringa oleifera has been used for centuries due to its medicinal properties and health benefits. The plant has antifungal, anti-viral, and anti-inflammatory properties. We aimed to evaluate the effect of consumption of Moringa leaves, along with a regular diet on serum hemoglobin and retinol and underweight status among rural Bangladeshi adolescent girls. Methods: This school-based quasi-experimental study involved 226 adolescent girls (12–14 years-old). Intervention group (n = 113) received a meal comprising rice, concentrated dal, and fried potato with Moringa pakora (oil-fried snack); the control group (at a different school in an adjacent area with similar population demographics) received calorie-matched meal without Moringa pakora for 6 months. We used generalized liner regression (GLM) analysis, to explore the effect of the intervention among the groups between baseline and endline. Results: Mean age of the intervention and control groups were 12.7 ± 0.7 and 13.3 ± 0.8 years, respectively. After adjusting for maternal education, absenteeism, asset index, BMI-for-age Z-score, GLM regression showed significant positive changes in hemoglobin (intervention vs. control: coef = 0.41, P = 0.010) and serum retinol (coef = 0.27, P = 0.00). No significant changes in weight was observed between groups. Conclusion: Consumption of Moringa leaves has the potential to improving hemoglobin and serum retinol level and should be encouraged as regular diet.

AB - Objectives: Moringa oleifera has been used for centuries due to its medicinal properties and health benefits. The plant has antifungal, anti-viral, and anti-inflammatory properties. We aimed to evaluate the effect of consumption of Moringa leaves, along with a regular diet on serum hemoglobin and retinol and underweight status among rural Bangladeshi adolescent girls. Methods: This school-based quasi-experimental study involved 226 adolescent girls (12–14 years-old). Intervention group (n = 113) received a meal comprising rice, concentrated dal, and fried potato with Moringa pakora (oil-fried snack); the control group (at a different school in an adjacent area with similar population demographics) received calorie-matched meal without Moringa pakora for 6 months. We used generalized liner regression (GLM) analysis, to explore the effect of the intervention among the groups between baseline and endline. Results: Mean age of the intervention and control groups were 12.7 ± 0.7 and 13.3 ± 0.8 years, respectively. After adjusting for maternal education, absenteeism, asset index, BMI-for-age Z-score, GLM regression showed significant positive changes in hemoglobin (intervention vs. control: coef = 0.41, P = 0.010) and serum retinol (coef = 0.27, P = 0.00). No significant changes in weight was observed between groups. Conclusion: Consumption of Moringa leaves has the potential to improving hemoglobin and serum retinol level and should be encouraged as regular diet.

KW - Adolescent girls

KW - Hemoglobin

KW - Moringa

KW - Underweight

KW - Vitamin A

U2 - 10.3389/fnut.2022.959890

DO - 10.3389/fnut.2022.959890

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 35938103

AN - SCOPUS:85135440450

VL - 9

JO - Frontiers in Nutrition

JF - Frontiers in Nutrition

SN - 2296-861X

M1 - 959890

ER -