1. Table 3. Demographic characteristics and liver function profiles of study participants.M
PROTECTIVE ROLE OF MICRONUTRIENTS IN CURBING NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES (NCDS)
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL PATHOLOGY ,UNIVERSITY OF ZIMBABWE COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCES ,
Blessing Munyawiri
INTRODUCTION
RESULTS
RESULTS……
DISCUSSION
Zimbabwe especially the urban parts, calories obtained from meat, sugars and oils and fats have been increasing during recent decades
Those from fibre-rich foods such as wholegrains, pulses and roots have been declining.
This nutrition transition affected dietary patterns and nutrient intake, which influenced the risk of developing NCDs.
However looking at Japan and the drastic fall in some of the cancers especially the stomach cancer upon increase in consumption of fruits and other vegetables shows that if we adopt the same method we are likely to benefit from its effects.
In Zimbabwe there is a significant rise in mortality and morbidity rate attributable to non-communicable diseases such as cancers, cardiovascular diseases et cetera. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in this country accounts for 31% of total deaths. The rapid pace of globalization which Zimbabwe , like any other African country has experienced has resulted in the influx of risk factors such as refined foods and lifestyles with high NCDs risk factors. I have juxtaposed Japan and Zimbabwe alongside comparing the trends in the above diseases. Japan is one of those countries in the world where people are more likely to reach 100 years than anyone else which has been attributed to their diet.
AIM
CONCLUSION
The study aimed to ascertain the impact of the modern ‘Westernized’ diet on the rate at which the NCDs are infiltrating through our Zimbabwean population.
Consuming predominantly plant-based diets reduces the risk of developing NCDs, these foods are rich in phytochemicals. Phytochemicals refers to a wide variety of compounds produced by plants. They comprise of antioxidants. Some of the more commonly known phytochemicals include beta carotene, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), folic acid, and vitamin E.
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW .
RECOMMENDATIONS
In this systematic review publications published from 2002 to 2016 were used.
Fruits and vegetables are rich in micronutrients which are important as antioxidants and these can play a big role in curbing NCDs associated mortality and morbidity, and I encourage our population to include it in their daily diet. Most of these are locally grown in Zimbabwe such that they can be available to most people. The following picture depicts some of these recommended foods.
RESULTS
The recommended Japanese diet is rich in fruits, vegetables and low in salt and since the introduction of refrigerators in that country which ensued that fruits and vegetables could be kept longer and fresh there was a steep fall in cancers especially gastric cancer as supported by figures below.
Figure 2: Age-adjusted death rates for seven leading cancers, Japanese women, and ages 30-69, A B
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
In Zimbabwe, currently over 5000 new cancer cases are diagnosed annually, however this may just be the tip of an iceberg as many cancers are not captured by the routine National Health Information Services. In the developing countries ,nutritional factors are becoming a common cause of various cancers .Twenty percent of cancers in the developing countries is due to dietary and nutritional contribution.
REFERENCES
1. Ministry of Health and Child Care National Cancer Prevention and Control strategy for Zimbabwe ( ).
2. National Nutritional Guideline on Non-Communicable Disease Prevention Control and Management. Federal Ministry of Health Abuja. (October 2014).
3. The Cancer Transition in Japan since 1951Vol 7, 2002 Max –Planck-Gesellschaft
4. The Japan Time October 10, 2011
5. World Cancer Research Fund International, 2014
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Acknowledgements
Figure 1: Relative trends in intake of fruits, vegetables, and salt, Japan,