Biological Mechanisms

Abstract

A growing body of mainly cross-sectional evidence suggests an association between mycotoxins, particularly aflatoxin exposure, and poor linear growth in children. We describe the design and methods of a rigorous longitudinal birth cohort study aimed to deepen our understanding of this hypothesized relationship and to validate dried blood spots as a less invasive, low-cost collection method for venous blood samples. The AflaCohort study was conducted in Banke district of Nepal from 2015 to 2019.

Background

Aflatoxins are found in diverse foods widely consumed worldwide. This study investigated the association between aflatoxin exposure and (a) consumption of specific foods, (b) dietary diversity (DD), and (c) seasonality.

The following is the semi-annual report of the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Nutrition for the fiscal year 2016 starting October 2015 through September 2016 (Yr6).

The following is the semi-annual report of the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Nutrition for the fiscal year 2017 starting October 2016 through September 2017 (Yr7).

The following is the semi-annual report of the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Nutrition for the fiscal year 2018 starting October 2017 through September 2018 (Yr8).

This study used maternal and newborn data from the AflaCohort Study, an ongoing birth cohort study in Banke, Nepal (n = 1621). Data on aflatoxin B1(AFB1)-lysine adducts in maternal serum were collected once during pregnancy (at mean ± SD: 136 ± 43 d of gestation). Maternal serum AFB1-lysine adduct concentration was measured via HPLC.

The following are the annual reports of the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Nutrition for the fiscal year 2018 starting October 2017 through September 2018 (Yr8).

The following are the annual reports of the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Nutrition for the fiscal year 2017 starting October 2016 through September 2017 (Yr7).

Formal education can be a nutrition-sensitive intervention that supports the scale-up and impact of nutrition-specific actions. Maternal education has long been linked to child survival, growth, and development while adult earnings and nutrition are tied to years in school as a child. However, less is known about the relationship between maternal education and the micronutrient status of children, women and the general population.

This poster examines dietary diversity scores and BMI quantiles in northern and southwestern Ugandan districts. Presented at the 5th Annual Scientific Symposium.