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People who are food and nutrition insecure largely reside in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa and for many, fish represents a rich source of protein, micronutrients and essential fatty acids. The contribution of fish to household food and nutrition security depends upon availability, access and cultural and personal preferences. Access is largely determined by location, seasonality and price but at the individual level it also depends upon a person's physiological and health status and how fish is prepared, cooked and shared among household members. The sustained and rapid expansion of aquaculture over the past 30 years has resulted in >40% of all fish now consumed being derived from farming. While aquaculture produce increasingly features in the diets of many Asians, it is much less apparent among those living in Sub-Saharan Africa. Here, per capita fish consumption has grown little and despite the apparently strong markets and adequate biophysical conditions, aquaculture has yet to develop. The contribution of aquaculture to food and nutrition security is not only just an issue of where aquaculture occurs but also of what is being produced and how and whether the produce is as accessible as that from capture fisheries. The range of fish species produced by an increasingly globalized aquaculture industry differs from that derived from capture fisheries. Farmed fishes are also different in terms of their nutrient content, a result of the species being grown and of rearing methods. Farmed fish price affects access by poor consumers while the size at which fish is harvested influences both access and use. This paper explores these issues with particular reference to Asia and Africa and the technical and policy innovations needed to ensure that fish farming is able to fulfil its potential to meet the global population's food and nutrition needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People who are food and nutrition insecure largely reside in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa and for many, fish represents a rich source of protein, micronutrients and essential fatty acids. The contribution of fish to household food and nutrition security depends upon availability, access and cultural and personal preferences. Access is largely determined by location, seasonality and price but at the individual level it also depends upon a person's physiological and health status and how fish is prepared, cooked and shared among household members. The sustained and rapid expansion of aquaculture over the past 30 years has resulted in >40% of all fish now consumed being derived from farming. While aquaculture produce increasingly features in the diets of many Asians, it is much less apparent among those living in Sub-Saharan Africa. Here, per capita fish consumption has grown little and despite the apparently strong markets and adequate biophysical conditions, aquaculture has yet to develop. The contribution of aquaculture to food and nutrition security is not only just an issue of where aquaculture occurs but also of what is being produced and how and whether the produce is as accessible as that from capture fisheries. The range of fish species produced by an increasingly globalized aquaculture industry differs from that derived from capture fisheries. Farmed fishes are also different in terms of their nutrient content, a result of the species being grown and of rearing methods. Farmed fish price affects access by poor consumers while the size at which fish is harvested influences both access and use. This paper explores these issues with particular reference to Asia and Africa and the technical and policy innovations needed to ensure that fish farming is able to fulfil its potential to meet the global population's food and nutrition needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objectives of the study were to identify factors associated with utilisation of antenatal care facilities in a rural population in South India. A community-based, cross-sectional questionnaire study of 30 randomly selected areas was used. A total of 1254 women (95%) had at least one antenatal care visit. The median number of visits was four. High utilisation of antenatal care facilities was associated with low parity and adverse obstetrical history, short distance to healthcare facilities and literacy. It was concluded that antenatal care coverage was high. Information about the above few aspects can be used to target women who are at risk of getting inadequate antenatal care.

Objective: To study the influence of parboiling and the severity of the process on glycaemic and insulinaemic responses to rice in type 2 diabetes. Moreover, to examine changes in starch structure related to parboiling, which may affect the metabolic responses and digestibility., Design: Nine type 2 diabetic subjects ingested four test meals: white bread (WB) and three meals of cooked polished rice of the same variety being non-parboiled (NP), mildly traditionally parboiled (TP) and severely pressure parboiled (PP). The participants ingested the test meals (50 g available carbohydrates) on separate occasions after an overnight fast., Setting: Outpatient clinic, Dept. Endocrinology and Metabolism, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark., Results: All three rice samples elicited lower postprandial plasma glucose response (NP: 335+/-43; TP: 274+/-53; PP: 231+/-37 mmol/1*180 min.; means+/-s.e.m.) than white bread (626+/-80; P<0.001), within rice samples PP tended to be lower than NP (P=0.07). The glycaemic indices were: NP: 55+/-5, TP: 46+/-8 and PP: 39+/-6, and lower for PP than NP (P<0.05). The insulin responses were similar for the three rice meals, which were all lower than that to white bread (P<0.001). Differential scanning calorimetry showed the presence of amylose-lipid complexes in all rice samples and of retrograded amylopectin in PP. Amylose retrogradation was not detected in any of the rice samples., Conclusions: All rice test meals were low-glycaemic in type 2 diabetic subjects. There was no effect of TP on glycaemic index, whereas PP reduced the glycaemic index by almost 30% compared to NP., Sponsorship: The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Aarhus University Hospital, Danish International Development Assistance (DANIDA), Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the 'Konsul Johannes Fogh-Nielsens og Fru Ella Fogh-Nielsens Legat' foundation.

The present rat balance study investigated Ca availability from the whole indigenous small fish species, mola (Amblypharyngodon mola) from Bangladesh and from skimmed milk. Four groups of six young male rats each were fed ad libitum with diets containing either small fish or milk, at 100 or 160 g crude protein/kg diet dry matter. The study was conducted for 28 d and faeces and urine samples were collected in two balance periods: day 8-14 and 22-28. The Ca and N contents of the diets, faeces and urine were analysed. Ca intake, fractional Ca absorption and Ca retention in relation to N retention were measured. Digestibility and protein utilization of the experimental diets, weight gain of the rats, femur bone weight and mineral composition as well as bone alkaline phosphatase activity were also determined. It was concluded from the values of these variables that Ca from small fish with bones was available and appeared to be a useful Ca source in rats, though perhaps not as available as Ca from milk. This study suggests that small fish with bones may be an important source of Ca in human diets. Promotion of the production and consumption of small fish in population groups with low intakes of milk and milk products should therefore be encouraged.

The prevalence of osteoporosis in developing countries is low compared to most industrialised countries despite an apparent low Ca intake. It is possible, however, that food surveys have overlooked important Ca sources in developing countries. Small fish eaten with the bones can be a rich source of Ca, even though Ca from bone may be considered unavailable for absorption. In the present study, absorption of Ca from indigenous Bengali small fish was compared with the Ca absorption from milk. Ca absorption from single meals was determined in 19 healthy men and women (21-28 y). Each subject received two meal types on two separate occasions. Both meals consisted of white wheat bread, butter and ultra pure water with the main Ca source being either small Bengali fish (397 mg Ca in total) or skimmed milk (377 mg Ca in total). The meals were extrinsically labelled with 47Ca, and whole-body retention was measured on day 8, 12, 15 and 19 after intake of each meal. The labelling procedure was evaluated by an in vitro method. The calculated absorption of Ca as measured with 47Ca whole-body retention was 23.8 +/- 5.6% from the fish meal and 21.8 +/- 6.1% from the milk meal (mean +/- SD), which was not significantly different (p = 0.52). Even after correction for an incomplete isotope exchange, as indicated by the in vitro study, Ca absorption was similar from the two meal types. It was concluded that Ca absorption from small Bengali fish was comparable that from skimmed milk, and that these fish may represent a good source of Ca.

Objective: To study the association between attendance to antenatal care and postpartum health behaviour among women in rural Tamil Nadu, South India., Design: Community based, cross-sectional questionnaire study of 30 randomly selected areas served by health subcentres., Setting: Rural parts of Salem District, Tamil Nadu, South India., Population: 1321 women who were delivered in the six months before the questionnaire-based interview., Main Outcome Measures: Feeding of colostrum, time of initiation of breastfeeding and maternal dietary habits during the first month postpartum., Results: The median number of antenatal visits was four (range 0-51; lower quartile 3, upper quartile 7)., The fifth month of pregnancy was the median time for the initiation of antenatal care. Pregnant women 1. who had a large number of antenatal care visits, 2. who initiated antenatal care in the first trimester or 3. who reported having received information about breastfeeding were more likely to feed colostrum (odds ratio 1.48; 95% CI 1.06 to 2.07), (odds ratio 1.40; 95% CI 1.06 to 1.85), (odds ratio 1.66; 95% CI 1.29 to 2.14, respectively). Only women who reported having received information about breastfeeding were more likely to initiate early breastfeeding (odds ratio 1.81; 95% CI 1.34 to 2.43). Use of antenatal care facilities was not associated with maternal postpartum dietary habits., Conclusions: A large number of women attended antenatal care in the study area, but antenatal care had a limited effect on postpartum health behaviour. As antenatal care is considered an essential part of primary health care and takes up considerable resources, we recommend further research to explain the gap between the intentions of antenatal care and the actual outcome of such care.

Objective: To study the influence of parboiling, amylose content and gelatinisation temperature of rice on the postprandial blood glucose and insulin responses in non-insulin-dependent diabetic (NIDDM) subjects., Design and Subjects: Twelve NIDDM subjects ingested high (27%) and low amylose content five test meals of 50 g available carbohydrates as white bread, cooked polished rice with high (27%) and low amylose content (12%) with different gelatinisation temperature and as nonparboiled and parboiled. The meals were taken in random order after a 12h fast with approximately 7 days interval., Results: The glycaemic indices (GI) of all rice varieties were lower than that of white bread (P <0.001). Furthermore, GI of parboiled rice with a high amylose content was lower than that of parboiled rice with a low amylose content (50 +/- 7 vs 73 +/- 7, P <0.01). No differences were 47 +/- 4, n.s.), nor between non-parboiled and parboiled rice (50 +/- 7 vs 53 +/- 7, n.s.). Insulin responses to the five test meals were not significantly different in the NIDDM subjects., Conclusions: In NIDDM subjects the investigated rices were all low glycaemic as compared to white bread,independent of parboiling and physico-chemical characteristics. The mildparboiling process used did not influence GI. The study showed that the amylose content, but not the gelatinisation temperature, may be an useful criterion in selection of low GI rices also after parboiling.