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Moringa oleifera (Moringaceae) infusion as supplement for adolescents from Cerro Guayabal, Ecuador

Abstract:

Moringa oleifera is a dicotyledonous perennial plant native to the foothills of the Himalayas of northern India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan; The leaves of this species have a chemical composition rich in nutrients and other non-nutrient compounds with antioxidant properties that places them as a potential and useful food to treat different types of malnutrition. The adolescents of the Ecuadorian community Cerro Guayabal, Manabí province, in a Health Situation Analysis conducted in 2015, showed unhealthy lifestyles and inadequate hygienic-sanitary conditions. Hidden morbidity was suspected as they lacked a local health care center, which placed them as a population at nutritional risk. The objective of this research was to evaluate the changes in nutritional variables of the adolescents of that community after a nutritional intervention with infusion of dried leaf powder of Moringa oleifera. A longitudinal trial was carried out without a control group, type before and after, with application of the intervention for six months, to 31 adolescent volunteers living on Cerro Guayabal. The diagnostic stage was based on epidemiological characterization and assessment of nutritional status. The main impact of the intervention was the significant decrease in cases of anemia and the improvement in the lipid pattern of adolescents. The intervention met the criteria of feasibility, acceptability and sustainability. The results confirmed the contribution of the leaves of the plant to the treatment of anemia and dyslipidemia.