Child and adolescent overweight and obesity have become an important global public health problem. Prevalence data for pediatric overweight and obesity in Nigeria are available. However, a review of such data is unavailable, and is, therefore, reported in this paper. A total of 37 full-length papers and 5 detailed abstracts which met the inclusion criteria were reviewed. The subjects in the reviewed papers were 2-20 years of age. Sixty nine percent and 14% of the studies were conducted in urban and rural areas, respectively. As much as 74% of the papers and 65% of the participants were from the South of Nigeria. Half of the papers used the World Health Organization reference standards for diagnosis. When apparent outliers were excluded, the prevalence of obesity in the "adolescents only" and "children and adolescents" subgroups were 0.0-2.8% and 0.0-5.8%, while for overweight in the respective groups they were 1.0-8.6% and 5.0-12.0%. The data from this study suggests that prevalence rates of obesity and overweight in Nigeria are not only lower than the figures reported from other parts of the world, but have also remained stable (albeit within wide margins) during the period.

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Background: α glucosidase inhibitors like Acarbose ^® , Voglibose ^® and Miglitol ^® inhibit the action of α glucosidase, and that reduces postprandial hyperglycemia. It is worthwhile to study the dose-response and comparative efficacy of Voglibose ^® . Aim of the Study: The aim of the study is to study the effect of graded doses of Voglibose ^® on impaired glucose tolerance and to compare it with a placebo and standard drug (metformin). Materials and Methods: In this study, 24 rabbits were divided into six groups with four rabbits per group. In all the groups diabetes was induced by administering alloxan. Group-1 was considered as a diabetic control. Group II, III, and IV were treated with Voglibose ^® 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, and 1 mg/kg/day. Group V rabbits were treated with metformin 50 mg/kg/day, and Group VI ones were treated with a combination of Voglibose ^® (1 mg/kg/day) and metformin (50 mg/kg/day). Results: The graded doses of Voglibose ^® showed a dose response. Voglibose ^® alone and with metformin were found to control PPBS at 1 h and 2 h (P < 0.01). There was also a decrease in the fasting glucose over a period of 3 weeks. Voglibose ^® (0.25 mg/kg) was equivalent to metformin (150 mg/kg). However, the same dose of metformin was significantly less effective than Voglibose ^® at the doses of 0.5 mg/kg and 1.0 mg/kg. Conclusion: The response to Voglibose ^® (1 mg/kg) on the postprandial hyperglycemia is better than with metformin. However, when Voglibose and metformin were combined the response was enhanced

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Introduction: Prevalence of overweight and obesity has been reported in developing countries, especially in urban populations. Prevalence of obesity increased from rural (12.8%) than in urban (14.6%) area and overweight in increased from rural (25.8%) than urban (26.3%) area in the age 14-16 years Surat, Gujarat. Objective: To ascertain the prevalence of overweight/obesity among adolescents in urban and rural area of Salem District, Tamil Nadu. Methods: The study was carried out at the Salem block in Salem District. Cross-sectional data were collected from November 2012 to March 2013. Anthropometric measurements were recorded among 1898 school going adolescents, and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Multistage stratified random sampling design was employed. School going adolescents in the age group of 11-15 years who were studying 6 ^th -10 ^th standard were included. Area of residence was collected from the school register with the help of class teachers. Results: The overall prevalence rate of overweight/obese among adolescents was found to be 12.11%. The highest prevalence was observed at the age of 14 years (15.76%). The prevalence rate of overweight/obese was higher in rural (13.16%) than urban (11.33%) area. Consequently, the prevalence rate of overweight/obesity was higher in rural girls (15.88%) and urban girls (13.74%) compared with boys (12.18%) in rural and (10.45%) urban areas. The highest rate of prevalence was observed at the age of 15 years (14.42%) in urban and 12 years (8.30%) in a rural area. Conclusion: An increasing prevalence of overweight/obesity was seen in rural adolescents especially in girls. Hence, it is an urgent need for immediate and targeted preventive measures.

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Aim: The aim was to examine the association between high maternal body mass index (BMI) and feto-maternal outcome in primigravida women. Settings and Design: Observational case-control study. Subjects and Methods: A case-control study was conducted on pregnant women admitted for delivery in the labor ward having height and weight recorded before pregnancy or up to 12 weeks of pregnancy fulfilling inclusion criteria. The control group of 200 women with BMI in the normal range (20-24.9 Kg/m ² ) was compared with study group of 200 women with BMI 25-29.9 Kg/m ² and more than 30 Kg/m ² . Outcome measures were maternal complications, obstetric complications and neonatal complications. Statistical Analysis Used: Data were entered and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 21. The strength of association expressed as the odd ratio with 95% confidential interval values. Results: We found a linear relationship between increasing BMI and the risk of developing preeclampsia, gestational diabetes mellitus, failed induction of labor, cesarean section, both elective and emergency, postpartum hemorrhage, abnormal birth weight and neonatal intensive care unit admission. Conclusions: Obese pregnant women are at a higher risk of feto-maternal complications. Since it is a modifiable and preventable condition, preconception counselling, treatment of obesity before conception and awareness regarding associated health risks are highly desirable.

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Objective: The problem of overweight (OW) and obesity (OB) is not confined only to developed countries but is also widely prevalent in developing countries. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of OW and OB among affluent school going adolescents in Bangalore, India, and identify its associated factors. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional and institutional study, adopting a multistage stratified cluster sampling procedure, was carried out on 1750 adolescents 12-15 years of age of both sexes from Bengaluru, India. Results: The prevalence of OW was 17.4% among boys and 17.0% among girls. Prevalence of OB was 7.4% in boys and 7% in girls. There was a higher prevalence of OW and OB in boys compared with girls, but difference was not significant. Junk food and chocolate eating habits had more prevalence of OB and OW than underweight indicating that the caloric intake is associated with an increase in body mass index (BMI). On assessing the relationship between caries and nutritional status, OW children had mean decayed missing filled surfaces (DMFS) of 1.57 ± 3.104 while obese children had a mean DMFS of 0.91 ± 1.702. The relation between BMI and DMFS was statistically significant. Conclusion: The increasing trend of the modern day epidemic of OW/OB in children calls for immediate action in both rural and urban areas to reduce the incidence through appropriate nutritional intervention programs involving school children, their parents, and school authorities.

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Maternal obesity is defined as obesity during pregnancy. Many obese women, in their child-bearing age, are entering into the pregnancy, not aware of the fact that they are a high-risk pregnancy group. It is very well-documented that a strong link exists between maternal overweight/obesity and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and gestational weight gain and resultant large for gestational age babies. A twin pregnancy adds to the associated maternal co-morbid conditions and fetal morbidity/mortality. The present case study of maternal obesity specified the likely complications of maternal obesity and associated co-morbid conditions like pregnancy-induced hypertension and GDM. A single case study cannot account for the generalized application for population of obese pregnant women at large, but can be corroborated with various studies of maternal obesity from the literature review.

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Background: The rise in the prevalence of overweight and obesity has continued to elicit genuine public health concerns across different disciplines. This underscores the need for continuous monitoring of anthropometric indices of obesity and predisposing factors across populations of different age groups. Unfortunately, few studies have documented the prevalence of obesity in Nigerian adolescents. Materials and Methods: A cross-section of adolescents attending high school in Ilorin, the Capital of Kwara State, Nigeria, was recruited into this study; following informed consent, they were requested to fill-in questionnaires in order to obtain their sociodemographic and lifestyle information. Subsequently, each participant's anthropometric measurements were taken which included, body weight, standing height, waist and hip circumferences. Results: Analyses of our data reveal gender disparity in the prevalence of obesity among participants. Based on body mass index, 6% of adolescent girls are obese, and 8.5% are overweight, while obesity and overweight among adolescent boys are 2% and 2.5%, respectively. Underweight was 7% and 15% among female and male participants, respectively. However, using waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), central obesity among male and female subjects is as high as 26% (WHR = 0.9) and 30% (WHR = 0.84), respectively. Lifestyle-factors analysis reveals that at least 31% of obese participants do not engage in any physical exercise; only 12.5% of obese subjects reported that they did not consume soft drink at all. Our data reveal familial tendencies of obesity -31.58% of overweight and obese subjected reported obesity in their families; only 18.78% of underweight and normal-weight subjects reported the same in their families. Conclusion: The prevalence of obesity is higher among female adolescents compared to male adolescents among the study population in Ilorin, Nigeria. While underweight is 2 times higher among male adolescents, each condition requires imminent attention because each poses a potential risk factor for ill-health.

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Background: Blends of rice bran oil (RBO) offer promise as functional foods to lower cholesterol. In Japan, a blend of 70% RBO and 30% safflower oil (KO) was shown to lower cholesterol in young healthy volunteers. However, this effect has not been demonstrated in hyperlipidemic individuals in the Indian population. Objective: We evaluated the effect of the blend on blood lipids in hyperlipidemic individuals for 12 weeks after 2 weeks stabilization period. Design: The study was a double blind, randomized, and controlled study. Thirty-five free-living individuals of either gender, aged 18-70 years completed this study. Assessment of subjects was carried out at baseline and weeks 0, 4, 8, and 12. Results: All 35 subjects completed the study. There was a significant reduction in serum cholesterol (21%, P < 0.001) at the end of 12 weeks in the experimental group. In the control group, there was a significant reduction till week 8 (17%, P < 0.001), followed by an increase at week 12. A similar trend was seen with serum low density lipoprotein (LDL). At week 12, LDL in the experimental group was significantly lower (P < 0.05) than LDL in the control group. Conclusions: Consumption of a diet enriched in the blended oil and meeting the recommended dietary guidelines resulted in an improved lipid profile. The blend can play an important role in the diet of people at risk of coronary heart disease.

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Introduction: The objective was to assess the prevalence of hyperuricemia among newly diagnosed hypertensive patients in a tertiary care hospital in the Northern hilly state of Himachal Pradesh, India. Materials and Methods: In all 118 newly diagnosed patients with hypertension above the age of 20 years were included. Uric acid (UA) was measured using enzymatic uricase method. Hyperuricemia was defined as serum urate level > 6.8 mg/dl. National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III criteria modified for Asian subjects, was used for defining metabolic syndrome (MS). Student's t-test for mean of continuous variables and Chi-square test for proportions were used for statistical significance. Results: The mean UA level among all the hypertensive subjects was 4.7 ± 1.0 mg/dl. The mean UA of patients with MS was 5.2 ± 1.3 mg/dl while in those without MS was 4.2 ± 0.7 mg/dl. The difference in mean UA in the two groups was statistically significant (P = 0.001). The prevalence of hyperuricemia was 5%, and all the patients were postmenopausal females among the MS group. Conclusion: In this study, cross-sectional associations between hypertension, MS and hyperuricemia were observed.

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Douglas L Colman with his pioneering research studies, using obese parabiotic (ob/ob and db/db) mice, had laid a strong foundation for the subsequent identification of his hypothesized "Satiety" factor as the adipose tissue-secreted hormone, leptin. His research continues to have far-reaching impact on the way biomedical investigators explore and research the area of "Obesity/Adiposity" and physicians evaluate and treat "Hunan Obesity." There is a revolutionary change in the concept of the adipose tissue from a mere store-house of fat to it being a major endocrine organ. Though the use of recombinant human leptin in the so-called garden variety of obesity (common obesity) has failed to have a major therapeutic impact, its use in certain leptin-deficiency syndromes, such as lipodystrohy-disorders, hypolaptinimc hypothalamic amenorrhea etc., has shown a reversal of the associated endocrine-metabolic and reproductive dysfunctions. It is however, unfortunate that the recombinant leptin is majorly an orphan drug and is not uniformly available to a large number of lipodystrophic patients throughout the world. This article briefly summarizes the pleotropic role of leptin and describes the current expansion of the therapeutic applications of recombinant leptin not only as a mono-therapy, but as an adjuvant in weight management programs targeted for common obesity.

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