Association between dietary omega-3 intake and haemoglobin concentration among female students in Universiti Putra Malaysia

Yunos, Nurul Aqilah (2021) Association between dietary omega-3 intake and haemoglobin concentration among female students in Universiti Putra Malaysia. [Project Paper] (Submitted)

Text FPSK3 2021 31.pdf Download (3MB)

Abstract

Anaemia is due to several factors including nutritional deficiency of specific nutrients including iron and vitamin D. Association between unsaturated fat and iron absorption also has been reported, however it remains unclear whether similar trend of association can be observed with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (Omega-3PUFA). Therefore, this study was aimed to investigate the association between dietary omega-3 intake and Hb concentration, in a cross-sectional study carried out in 120 female students (mean (± S.D) age: 22.46 ± 0.15 years). A set of questionnaires was used to determine socio-demographic characteristics and anthropometric measurements including height and weight were obtained. Dietary omega-3 intake was evaluated using a 42-item Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Food Frequency Questionnaire (Omega-3PUFAFFQ). Hb concentration was assessed using Hemocue Hb 201+ Analyzer and concentration of <12.0 g/dl was considered as anaemia. Pearson and spearman correlation tests were used to determine the associations between intended variables as appropriate (p<0.05). The study observed mean (± S.D) Hb concentration was normal (12.00 ± 1.48 g/dl) with anaemia prevalence of 47%. The mean (± S.D) dietary omega-3 intake was 0.86 ± 0.65 g/day with nearly 50.8% achieved the RNI. No significant association was observed between the overall dietary omega-3 intake and Hb concentration (r= 0.056, p= 0.547), as well as the analyses in each food group (fish and seafood, plant-based oil, vegetables, meat, poultry and egg, milk and dairy product). Additional analyses carried out in anaemic participants (n=56) also observed no significant association between dietary omega-3 intake and Hb concentration (r= -0.081, p=0.553). Despite of the non-significant findings, due to the linear trend observed between improved Hb concentration with increased intake of omega-3 observed in this study, further investigations should evaluate the role of anti-inflammatory properties in Omega-3PUFA which have been demonstrated to contribute to the improvement of iron status in general.

Item Type:	Project Paper
Faculty:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Science
Depositing User:	Ms Norafizah Radzuan
Date Deposited:	04 Sep 2023 07:10
Last Modified:	04 Sep 2023 07:10
URI:	http://psaspb.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/1412

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