Public Health Nutrition
The domain looks at the dynamic relationship of 1. food intake, 2. nutritional status and 3. health; and the interaction of the environment with the food-health axis. Further, our research will set to establish Bangladesh's own tools, benchmarks, standards in nutritional assessments for context-specific solutions for Bangladeshi population. Apart from empirical science, the domain will extend to collaborate with national and international collaborations in the fields of food and nutrition surveys, surveillances, strategies, policies and capacity building. The domain further envisions to engage in genomics based and precision nutrition in the coming decades.INTEREST(S)
Micronutrients, Anemia, Dietary Inflammatory Index, Noncommunicable Diseases, Dietary Assessment, Nutritional Technical Governance, Gut Microbiome, Iron, Zinc, Vitamin A, Obesity, Stunting, Groundwater and Nutrients, Environmental Nutrients, Inflammation and Nutrients.
VISION
Populations enjoying good health through equity-based exposure to optimum nutrition.
MISSION
To promote nutrition of people of Bangladesh and global through research pertaining to evidence-based problem appraisal, formulation of solutions, and advocacy to strengthen national and international policies.
An appraisal of the context-specific cut-off of hemoglobin distribution in Bangladeshi women
The study aims to devise a Bangladeshi cut-off of hemoglobin distribution in women to assess the implication on prevalence of anemia and fine tune the interventions for anemia for nuanced management. ...
Groundwater Iron and Managing Iron Deficiency and Anemia in Pregnant Women in Bangladesh: A Bird’s Eye View
The study narrates the complex interaction of iron treatment for pregnant women, physiological response of pregnancy and intake of iron from drinking groundwater
Dietary Inflammatory Index: An assessment of dietary habit and the potential risks of the non-communicable diseases in young adult students of Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The study aims to examine the association of dietary inflammatory index and its association with the risks of non-communicable diseases. The results are expected to aid in the formulation of optimum g...
Service recipient’s monitoring of the micronutrient powder (MNP) consumption and perceived health status of young children in rural Bangladesh
The research aims to validate the service recipient’s monitoring of consumption of micronutrient powder against the service provider’s monitoring. Further it validates the mother’s perception of healt...
Demographic and Nutritional Profile of Thalassemia Carrier and Non-carrier Young Children in Bangladesh: A comparative study
The research compares the socio-demographic status, nutritional and dietary profile between thalassemia carrier and non-carrier children. Findings may aid in policy/guidelines development targeting th...
Temporal Effect on Iron Concentration of the Extracted Groundwater Samples in Bangladesh: Potential Implication on Iron-status in the Population
The study experiments the extent by which extracted groundwater off the tube-wells is oxidized and the amount of iron left in groundwater available for consumption and favoring iron status in populati...
RContribution of Groundwater Iron to Cooked Rice and the Implication on the Recommended Iron Intakes: A Cross-Sectional Study in Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, groundwater has different levels of iron content across different geographical locations. Intake of iron from groundwater through drinking can minimize iron deficiency among rural population. Rice contributing a major share of daily meal (~70%) in Bangladesh, absorbs a substantial amount of water. This study aimed to estimate the contribution of groundwater iron entrapped in cooked rice and its implications on the recommended iron intake. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 25 households, selected based on the iron content of their drinking groundwater source in Belkuchi Upazila, Sirajganj district, Bangladesh. Each household was supplied with 300 grams of raw rice and rice was cooked by “water-draining rice” (WDR) and “water-sitting rice” (WSR) cooking methods. Total iron content in groundwater, raw rice and the cooked rice was analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Iron content in filtered and non-filtered water was measured as 0.4 ± 0.2 mg/L and 6.1 ± 2.0 mg/L, respectively. After adjusting for water filtration, the weighted mean of total iron content in WDR and WSR was 6.18 and 5.70 mg, respectively. Assuming the average rice intake, iron content in WDR and WSR fulfilled approximately 98.15 % and 90.62 % of the average requirement for non-pregnant and non-lactating women (NPNL). The water-entrapped iron in cooked WDR and WSR fulfilled about 23.77 % and 20.38 % of Recommended Dietary Allowances, and 52.83 % and 45.30 % of Estimated Average Requirements, respectively in NPNL women suggesting that groundwater entrapped in rice grains during cooking is an influential dietary iron source.