Consumption of probiotic foods and its relation to obesity risk among selected college students in Laguna, Philippines
2018
Mejia, W. | Barrion, A.S. | Abacan, S. | Castillo-Israel, K.A.
The increasing prevalence of overweight/obesity in young adults in the Philippines is an alarming nutrition problem that needs to be addressed to prevent its chronic health consequences. Due to its beneficial effect on energy utilization in humans, the consumption of probiotics can serve as a possible intervention to combat overnutrition. As a contribution to the limited research linking the consumption of probiotics to obesity, this cross-sectional study aimed to determine the relationship be- tween the amount and frequency of probiotic consumption and the risk of developing obesity among selected college students in Laguna, Philippines. Using stratified random sampling, 364 respondents were selected. Fischer's exact text was employed to identify the association between obesity risk and consumption of probiotics. Results show that students mostly consumed dairy products and fermented rice among local probiotic food. Most respondents, however, subsist on a diet containing less than 100 g of probiotic products and consume these products less frequently. No association was established between the consumption of probiotics and the risk of developing obesity. It is recommended that further studies on identifying the relationship between probiotics and obesity should consider the viability and amount of probiotics in the food upon consumption, since its beneficial effects on the human body can only be observed if the right amount is ingested. Moreover, maximizing the beneficial effects of probiotics on human health can be the next step in resolving overnutrition.
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