CONSUMPTION PATTERN OF ANTIOXIDANT RICH FOODS BY MIDDLE AGED ADULTS IN ENUGU NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA ENUGU STATE, NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

This epidemiological study was to elicit information on the consumption pattern of antioxidant rich foods among middle-aged adults in Enugu North local government area, Enugu State, Nigeria.  Four  hundred  adult  men  and  women  aged  40-60  years  were  used  for  the  study. Multiple- staged stratified random sampling technique was used for selection of the subjects used for the study. The respondents were randomly selected from 10 streets in the 5 urban zones making up the Enugu North local government area. Structured questionnaire with personal interview was the instrument used for data collection. Information were collected on the demographic characteristics, chronic diseases that affected the respondents,  general knowledge of food nutrients, concepts of antioxidant, free radicals, sources and their health implications and on consumption pattern of antioxidant rich foods. Also, data on the length of consumption pattern of antioxidant rich foods and those factors that could hinder adequate consumption of antioxidant rich foods were elicited. The statistical package for socials sciences SPSS version 12 was  used  for the data  analysis.  Percentages,  frequency,  mean  and  standard  deviation  were employed for the data analysis. Analysis of data revealed that 74% of the respondents were females and 26% were males, 78.8% were married, 85% had higher education and 80% were civil servants. Revealed also was that 75% of the respondents were affected by varied chronic diseases. Altogether, 790 chronic illnesses were discovered as some respondents had more than one disease at a time. Females (76.7%) were with chronic illnesses while males had 23.3%. Subjects 40-50 years with chronic illnesses were 69.2%, while those 51-60 were 30.8%. The chronic diseases and their distribution were grouped into ten and they included 17.0% diabetes, 28.6% arthritis, 32.7% eye related problems, 30.0% heart, 19.8% brain and 19.9% cancer related problems. Uncovered also were, 9.1% fibroid, 17.5% prostatitis, 21.3% peptic ulcer/gastritis and 2.9% adult asthma/hiccoughs. Most of the respondents (85%) knew little or nothing about the nutrient contents of the various foods they consumed. The result also showed that the respondent’s concepts of antioxidants, free radicals, sources and health implications were below the mean value.  The subjects were found to have consumed inadequate amounts of antioxidant rich  foods.  Majority  groups  (79.1%,  56.9%,  76.1%,  59.9%,  81.4%  and  72.5%)  of  the respondents had negative consumption practice to intakes of the antioxidant rich fruits, vegetables, grain/legumes, food additives, beverages, and snacks, respectively, for over 20 years. On the other hand, minority groups (21.9%, 43.1%, 23.9%, 40.1%, 18.6%, and 27.5%) had positive  practice  to  consumption  of  the  antioxidant  rich  food  groups,  respectively,  with exception of the antioxidant rich animal products that had a high percentage of 80.5% consumption   practice.   Ten   factors   including   ignorance,   scarcity,   cultural   background, upbringing, foreign, fear of system intolerance, poor knowledge of preparation, poor colour acceptance, religious beliefs and time for preparation of such foods appeared to contribute to inadequate consumption of the essential nutrients. It is therefore concluded that many factors including poverty, lack of knowledge or ignorance of the immense nutritional importance of antioxidant foods were responsible for their inadequate consumption.   Probably as a result of these, a high percentage of the respondents were affected by different chronic diseases.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0   INTRODUCTION

Background of the study

Antioxidants are disease fighting compounds that nature puts in foods to help body cells and tissues stay healthy (Warmer, 2002). Turner (2002) documented that antioxidants are phyto chemicals produced by plants to fight against viruses, fungi and bacteria. They are essentially the chemical substances that mop up harmful free radicals (bioxidants) from body cells and tissues (Blomhoff,   2002). They are compounds that protect other body compounds from harmful effects of oxygen by themselves reacting with oxygen (Packer & Cadenas, 1995). Ene-Obong (2001) asserted that antioxidants are substances that counteract the actions of free radicals in the body and assist to prevent extreme broad spectrum of diseases.

The collection of solar energy and its conversion into chemical energy in plants would not have been possible without a mechanism that effectively eliminates hazardous excess energy and prevents oxidative damage of the plant cells. Plants are high in numerous antioxidant compounds such as polyphenols, carotenoids, tocopherols,  tocotrienols, glutathione, ascorbic acid, as well as enzymes with antioxidant activity. Animal cells have a much more limited de-novo  antioxidant  production  (Blomhoff,  2005).  Oxidative  damage  can  accumulate  in animal cells when the critical balance between generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) or reactive nitrogen species (RNS) and antioxidant defense is unfavourable and compelling evidence  demonstrates  that  such  oxidative  damage  is  involved  in  the  pathogenesis  of cardiovascular diseases (Talalay, 2000). Free radicals damage healthy cells and are especially likely to attack the fats that provide structure to cell membrane surrounding the cells. The reactions are expected to provide progressive adverse damage that accumulates with age throughout the body and such damages are manifested as disease at certain age as determined environmental factors (Harman, 1992). Free radicals are those harmful and unstable types of oxygen that damage cells and cause decay, disease, and cancers. Every single person is affected by free radicals through exposure to pollutants, toxins and stress This is even more pronounced for smokers, people with chronic disease including cancer, people recovering from surgery or illness, people with weak immune system and elderly (Nutrihealth, 2005). Antioxidants neutralize highly reactive, destructive compounds- called free radicals or bioxidants whose production is actually a normal part of life and part of the equation of simply breathing in oxygen (Kendall, 2000). Usually the body’s natural defense system neutralizes free radicals that develop, rendering them harmless. However, environmental assaults on the body such as UV-radiation, pollutions and alcohol, can overpower the body’s ability to neutralize free radicals. This allows them to cause damage to the structure and function of the body cells and there is good evidence that the damage contributes to ageing and leads to a host of illnesses, including cancer and heart diseases (Nutrihealth, 2005). Buttress, Celly, Dallal, Young and Evans (1994) in their initial studies, indicated that antioxidants reduce oxidative stress. However, human intervention studies do not support a beneficial effect of antioxidant supplements.   Turner (2002) disclosed that initial studies in animals and humans are supportive of beneficial effects of plant foods rich in total antioxidants and that antioxidants and other plant compounds improve the endogenous antioxidant’s defense through induction of antioxidants. The best protection for the animal cells as for plant cells may be obtained by a combination of antioxidants as antioxidants with different chemical properties are needed for proper protection of all components in a cell or an organism. Such interactions were proved invivo and invitro for alpha-tocopherol, alpha- tocotrienol, ascorbic acid, lipoic acid and thiols (Droge, 2002). Antioxidants- beta carotene, vitamins C and E and selenium as scavengers of harmful oxygen-derived free radicals, assist to prevent cell and tissue damages which could precipitate many diseases such as cancer, atherosclerosis, diabetes, respiratory diseases, liver damages, rheumatoid arthritis, cataract

and acquired immune-deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Others are inflammatory bowel diseases, central nervous system disorders, Parkinson disease, motoneuron disease and conditions associated with premature deaths (Talalay, 2000). Antioxidants with different chemical properties may recharge each other in an oxidant net work and the total antioxidants of dietary plants may be a useful tool for testing antioxidant network hypothesis. Dietary plants rich in total antioxidant compounds include several fruits, nuts, seeds, vegetables, drinks, ginger, red beans, soybeans, onions, garlic, spinach, brussel sprouts, cabbage, kale, cauliflowers and other food spices (Turner, 2002). Antioxidant research continues to grow and emerge as new beneficial none nutritive foods are discovered and such obtained from food sources, including fruits, vegetable and whole grains are potentially active in disease

risk reduction and generally beneficial to human health (Warmer, 2002).

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

Adults within the ages 40-60 are susceptible to chronic diseases and plant foods, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains contain many none nutritive dietary components that are beneficial to human health. Research supports that some of these foods as part of an overall healthy diet have the potential to delay the onset of many age related diseases. This observation   has   lead   to   continued   research   aimed   at   identifying   specific   bioactive components of foods, such as antioxidants, which may be responsible for improving and maintaining health (Turner, 2002). The most well known component of food with antioxidant activities are vitamins A, C, and E, beta carotene, the mineral selenium, and more recently, the compound Lycopene (Bliss, 2007). Research continues to grow regarding the knowledge of antioxidants as healthful components of food. Oxidation or the loss of an electron produces reactive substances known as free radicals which can cause oxidative stress or damage to cells. Antioxidants are capable of stabilizing free radical before they react and cause harm in much the same way as buffer stabilizes an acid to maintain a normal pH. Since oxidation is a normally  occurring  process  within  the  body,  a  balance  with  antioxidants  must  exist  to

maintain health (Warmer, 2002). As the body has its defenses against oxidative stress, these defenses are thought to become less effective with ageing as oxidative stress becomes greater (Nutrihealth 2005). Free radicals lead to a number of degenerative diseases associated with ageing, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, co             gnitive impairment, alzheimer’s, immune dysfunction, cataract and macular degeneration. Also, certain conditions such as stress, chronic diseases and ageing can tip the balance in favour of free radical formation and can contribute to ill effects on health (Brittmarie, 2003)

Consumption of antioxidant rich foods is thought to provide protection against oxidative damage and contributes positive health benefits (Newsweek, 1994). Gester (1998) stated that a recent review of current literature suggests that combination of fruits and vegetables have synergistic effects on antioxidant activities leading to greater reduction in risk of chronic diseases, especially, cancer and heart disease. Health organizations have recognized the beneficial roles that fruits and vegetables could play to reduce risk of diseases and developed communication programmers to encourage consumers to eat more antioxidant rich fruits and vegetables daily (Droge, 2002). The role of antioxidant rich foods like fruits, vegetable, spices and whole grains in maintaining good health has been documented (Nutrihealth, 2005). The thrust of this study was to elicit information on the consumption pattern of antioxidant rich foods among the middle aged adults in Enugu North local government area of Enugu state Nigeria. This might provide a base to weigh their potentials to gain from the inestimable beneficial  effects  of  wealth  of  antioxidant  rich  foods  at  their  disposal  for  purposes  of necessary recommendations.

1.2    General objective of the study

The main objective of the study was to elicit information on the consumption pattern of antioxidant rich foods by middle aged adults in Enugu North local government area of Enugu State, Nigeria.

1.2.1   Specific objectives of the study

The specific objectives were to   –

     assess the respondent’s general knowledge of food nutrients, sources and functions.

      assess  the  respondent’s  concepts  of  antioxidants,  free  radicals,  their  sources  and health implications.

    assess the consumption pattern of antioxidant rich foods by the respondents.

    determine the length of consumption pattern of antioxidant rich foods and

      assess the factors that militate against adequate consumption of antioxidant rich foods by the respondents

1.3     Significance of the study

The  result  of  this  study  would  sensitize  the  state  and  federal  Government  of  Nigeria, Ministries of Health, Education and Nutrition experts to develop appropriate Nutrition Education and other programmes to improve nutrition and prevent most of the numerous age related diseases.

It is expected that other Nutritionists and Scientists would be spurred to launch similar researches in other age groups and areas.

The result of the study would be beneficial in raveling the adverse effects of insufficient intakes of antioxidant rich foods at older ages.

This  study  would  also  expose  both  foreign,  local  and  obscured  sources  of  powerful antioxidant rich foods available to the inhabitants of Enugu North Local Government Area.

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