Author Details

Kitchen gardening is emerging as a sustainable and economic option to meet the food and health demands of a family. Conventionally these have been established in Indian homes since ages. Globally air pollution has become one of the major health and environment hazards and is accelerating at an alarming rate. Delhi being the capital of India experiences inferior air quality as compared to other Indian cities. Plants are known to alleviate air pollution by clarifying, interrupting and riveting pollutants. Classifying such types of plants as sensitive or tolerant groups assumes importance as the former can act as bio-indicators and later as sinks for atmospheric particulates and hence might help to mitigate air pollution. A significant contrivance to screen plant species based on sensitivity or tolerance to air pollutants is Air Pollution Tolerance Index (APTI). Four biochemical parameters, namely, ascorbic acid, total chlorophyll, relative water content and leaf extract pH were determined to calculate APTI of eleven plants whose leaves are habitually consumed in Delhi. These plants are Spinacia oleracae (Spinach), Chenopodium album (Bathua), Murraya koenigii (Curry leaves), Coriandrum sativum (Coriander), Mentha piperita (Mint), Brassica oleracea (Cabbage), Trigonella foenum-graecum (Methi), Anethum graveolens (Dill), Petroselinum crispum (Parsley), Allium fistulosum (Spring onion) and Moringa oleifera (Drumstick). The results of the study indicated that Moringa oleifera (Drumstick) has the highest APTI of 14.89 and Chenopodium album (Bathua) has the lowest of 5.25. It was recommend that Moringa oleifera followed by Murraya koenigii (APTI=12.89), Petroselinum crispum, Trigonella foenum-graecum (APTI=12.85) and Coriandrum sativum (APTI=11.09) as most appropriate plant species for household plantations as well as kitchen gardens.

Keywords

Kitchen Gardening, Environment, Air Pollution Tolerance Index (APTI), Biochemical Parameters, pH, Ascorbic Acid, Total Chlorophyll.

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Assessment of Type 2 Diabetes Risk in General Population using Bitter Taste Sensitivity Status to Phenylthiocarbamide - A Pilot Study

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Authors

Bhupender Kumar ¹, Savita Bansal ², Disha Kapila ², Rishu Thakur ², Surbhi Bhati ², Nikita Grover ², Geeta Trilok-Kumar ², Archana Burman ²

Affiliations
1 Department of Microbiology, Swami Shraddhanand College, University of Delhi, New Delhi - 110 036, IN
2 Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Home Economics, University of Delhi, New Delhi - 110 016, IN

Source

The Indian Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics, Vol 60, No 2 (2023), Pagination: 201-213

Abstract

Eating habits and genetic factors contribute to diseases such as obesity and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). Variation in bitter taste perception has been linked with intake of alcohol, coffee, vegetable, and smoking habit as well as with adiposity, a risk factor for diabetes development. Therefore, it was hypothesized that bitter taste perception could lead to differences in eating/drinking behavior among individuals, which may lead T2DM development later in the life. Bitter taste sensitivity was assessed using paper strips having supra-threshold concentration of Phenyl Thio Carbamide (PTC). Lifestyle variables were assessed using standard anthropometry measurements and a questionnaire. T2DM risk was assessed using a point based system developed by Finnish Diabetes Association (FINDRISC score). SPSS software was used for statistical analysis. A total of 498 volunteers from New Delhi region participated in the present study, where the mean age of PTC tasters was 24 ± 12 years and for non-tasters was 29 ± 16 years. PTC taster status was significantly correlated with age (p ≤ 0.01), weight (p ≤ 0.05), BMI (p ≤ 0.05) and waste circumference (p ≤ 0.05). A positive correlation was observed for type of chocolate liking (r = 0.113, p ≤ 0.001) and for T2DM risk (p ≤ 0.012) with PTC non-taster status. Logistic regression analysis showed that PTC non-taster individuals are at a higher risk (OR: 1.558, 95% CI: 1.037-2.342, p=0.033) for developing T2DM in the next ten years. Present results have shown that bitter taste sensitivity modulates liking towards certain food and non-tasters for PTC have a higher BMI, weight and are at a higher risk for T2DM development. PTC tasting could be employed as a method for assessing risk of diabetes in healthy individuals. We recommend large scale screening among young adults to promote awareness and early prevention measures.

Keywords

FINDRISC, Type 2 Diabetes Risk, Prevention, PTC, Food Preference.

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