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Objective: The present study was conceived in response to a perceived lack of data about the nutritional status of free-living elderly Yoruba people living in a poor urban area in south-western Nigeria. The major focus was to assess the micronutrient status of elderly Yoruba people living in a slum of Ibadan. Design: A cross-sectional descriptive study was designed to collect data on dietary intake and micronutrient status. Setting: By means of a structured questionnaire and the estimated food record method, nutrient intake was assessed. Blood was taken from 120 people to determine serum micronutrient levels. Subjects: A total of 240 elderly Yoruba people were selected from Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria using a random sampling technique. Conclusions: The majority of the elderly Yoruba people were deficient in Zn, ferritin and vitamin B 6 . This is the result of a diet lacking in vitamins and minerals.

Cereals remain the major components of traditional complementary foods but possess antinutritional factors in addition to nutrients. High  antinutrient content have been linked to poor quality complementary foods and high level of undernutrition among children less than two years. Hence, this study examined the effect of fermentation, germination and combined germination-fermentation processing methods on the nutrient and antinutrient contents of Quality Protein Maize (QPM). Maize seeds were fermented and germinated for 72 hours. A batch of the germinated seeds was further fermented for 24 and 48 hours separately. The raw and processed maize seeds were chemically analysed for proximate, mineral (calcium, iron and zinc) and antinutrient (phytate, tannin, oxalate, saponin, polyphenol and hemaglutinnin) composition. ANOVA was used to detect significant differences. Result showed that the crude protein content of raw QPM seeds increased significantly from 10.04% to 10.44% after  fermentation while it decreased to 9.12% following germination (72 hours)-fermentation (48 hours). Crude fat content decreased significantly with  the treatments (4.70-3.20%). Calcium (10.38-4.23mg/100g) and iron (3.70-1.90mg/100g) contents decreased significantly with all the methods.  Germination and combined germination-fermentation reduced more antinutrients in maize compared to fermentation. Fermented seeds had the least tannin (28-27.5 mg/100g) and phytate (967.5-828.5 mg/100g) reduction while the oxalate (590-646 mg/100g), saponin (425-545 mg/100g) and hemaglutinnin (17.31-19.53 mg/100g) contents increased. Germination-fermentation (24 hours) decreased phytate content by > 90% and retained more iron (79 vs 61%) and zinc (80 vs 74%) than fermentation. Combined germination-fermentation (24 hours) was more effective in antinutrient reduction in Quality Protein Maize seeds. Keywords: Maize, complementary foods, antinutrients, processing

Background/Objective: Double burden of malnutrition, characterized by undernutrition among poor children and overnutrition among disadvantaged adults coexisting in the same population group or household, is a serious global problem. The objective of this study was to assess double burden of malnutrition among mothers and their under-five children in rural communities of Ibadan, Nigeria. Methods: This cross-sectional and descriptive study adopted a two-stage random sampling to recruit 217 mother-child pairs from 18 rural communities in Ido and Akinyele Local Government Areas of Ibadan. A semi-structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information on socio-demographic characteristics and personal characteristics of mothers and their under-five children respectively. Anthropometric characteristics of mothers was obtained and their Body Mass Index (BMI) was determined using WHO classification. Children anthropometry was measured and expressed as stunting (height-for-age), wasting (weight-for-height) and underweight (weight-for-age) using WHO Anthro. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, and correlation at 0.05 level of significance. Results: Age of mothers and under-five children were 32.3±6.2 years and 35.3±14.1 months respectively. Household size was 6.3±1.7 and 62.2% had no formal education. Underweight, overweight and obesity among mothers were 9.2%, 15.2% and 3.2%, respectively. Among children, underweight, stunting and wasting were 30.4%, 40.6% and 7.8%, respectively. Household size was significantly associated with stunting. Mothers’ BMI was positively and significantly correlated with height-for-age (r=0.173), weight-for-height (r=0.150) and weight-for-age (r=0.250) in children. Conclusion: This study confirms coexistence of double burden of malnutrition at household level in this rural areas of Ibadan, Nigeria. That is the concurrence of child undernutrition and maternal under and overnutrition in the same household surveyed, which was characterized by a high prevalence of undernutrition particularly stunting early in life. Therefore, a comprehensive nutritional programme that is context-specific targeted at rural women and their children should be implemented. Keywords: Overnutrition, Rural women, Under-five children, Nutritional status, undernutrition

Dietary management of patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) has remained a very tasking one, especially as it affects the source and quantity of protein in diets. This study was carried out to determine the effects of lowprotein diets from common protein foods on 36 ⅔-nephrectomized albino rats (NR). NR were placed on isocaloric 14% protein diets incorporating cooked beef (A), smoked catfish (B), cooked beef and smoked catfish (C), cooked beef, smoked catfish and sun-dried, hulled, red cowpeas (D), cooked egg white (E), and sun-dried hulled, red cowpeas (F) for a period of six months during which food intake, anthropometric parameters, blood urea and serum creatinine levels were measured. Food intake decreased significantly (p<0.05) in the NR placed on all experimental diets, with F>A>C=D>B>E. The same trend was obtained for body weight gains. All the NR had proteinuria and reduction in 24-hour urine output; these were greatest in NR placed on diet F and lowest in those on diets E and B. Blood urea and serum creatinine levels of NR on diet E were significantly lower (p<0.05) than the corresponding levels for NR on diets B>C>A>D>F. In conclusion, this study has shown that cooked egg white and smoked catfish had more beneficial effects on food intake, anthropometric parameters, blood urea and creatinine levels in NR. It is recommended that low-protein diets containing egg white and fish be offered to patients suffering from early to moderately severe CRF as conservative therapy to ameliorate its symptoms in patients.(Afr. J. Biomed. Res. 11: 47-54)