Adverse profile of dietary nutrients, anthropometry and lipids in urban slum dwellers of northern India

Abstract

Objectives: The intra-country rural to urban migrant populations undergo radical socio-economic and lifestyle changes in a developing country. Therefore, it is an interesting sample in which to study nutrition pattern, anthropometry and metabolic profile. The aim of this study was to assess nutrient profile and its association with the anthropometry, percentage body fat (%BF) and blood lipids in the urban slum dwellers in northern India. Design: A cross sectional epidemiological descriptive study. Settings: The study was conducted in urban slum colony of Gautam Nagar, situated in a southern area of New Delhi. Subjects: The data was recorded in 227 subjects (52 males and 175 females). Results: The diets averaged approximately 59–60% of energy from carbohydrates, 12–13% energy from protein, and 24–27% energy from dietary total fat. Lower intake of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), a low ratio of n-6/n-3 fatty acids, a high ratio of polyunsaturated and saturated fatty acids, a high intake of erucic acid, and a low consumption of fibre and vitamin E intake were significant observations. Although their mean body mass index (BMI) was in a low range (20.5±4.2), %BF was high in females (26.7±8.6%; P=0.001), and a high prevalence of abdominal obesity was observed in both males (22%) and females (16%). Moreover, there was high prevalence of hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia and, in particular, low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Those consuming a high-fat diet (>30%) also consumed high MUFA, n-3 fatty acids, saturated fat and dietary cholesterol. Carbohydrate intake as percentage energy was a significant predictor of the levels of triacylglycerol in males, while in females significant predictors for triacylglycerol include intake of carbohydrate as percentage energy, age, %BF and BMI. Conclusion: In this economically deprived population, now constituting approximately 30–50% of the urban population of major cities in India, such adverse dietary, anthropometric and metabolic factors are predictors of early and accelerated atherosclerosis. Sponsorship: This study was fully supported by a financial grant from the Science and Society Division, Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2001) 55, 727–734