Sehar Iqbal

Al Ain University · Nutrition and Dietetics

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) account for 58% of the total deaths in Pakistan. Modifiable risk factors, including physical inactivity, unhealthy diets, and tobacco and alcohol use, are the major contributors to NCDs. Their prevalence and causal factors vary among age groups, and the aim of this review is to assess these differences and their caus...

Celiac disease (CD) is a multi-organ complex autoimmune disorder triggered by a gluten-containing diet in genetically predisposed individuals. The only effective treatment for people with CD is strict, lifelong adherence to a gluten-free diet to reduce severe disease outcomes. Therefore, this study aimed to produce high-nutrition gluten-free pasta...

Citation: AlJaloudi, R.; Al-Dabbas, M.M.; Hamad, H.J.; Amara, R.A.; Al-Bashabsheh, Z.; Abughoush, M.; Choudhury, I.H.; Al-Nawasrah, B.A.; Iqbal, S. Development and Characterization of High-Energy Protein Bars with Enhanced Antioxidant, Chemical, Nutritional, Physical, and Sensory Properties. Foods 2024, 13, 259. https://doi. Abstract: Protein-rich...

Soil‐transmitted helminths (STHs) parasitic infection is known as one of the most common infections around the world affecting more than a quarter of the world's population. The relationship between STH infections and micronutrient deficiencies are closely related and often coexist among the affected population. The study, therefore, aimed to summa...

Very few studies have thus far evaluated the impact of various processing and preservation techniques (blanching, frying, freezing, dehydration, and sun drying) on the levels of total phenolics, flavonoids, and antioxidant activities of okra. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different processing and preservation me...

COVID-19 has affected all aspects of human life so far. From the outset of the pandemic, preventing the spread of COVID-19 through the observance of health protocols, especially the use of sanitizers and disinfectants was given more attention. Despite the effectiveness of disinfection chemicals in controlling and preventing COVID-19, there are crit...

Spirulina, a blue-green microalga is an eminent functional food due to its unique nutritional and disease-mitigating properties. The main objective of this article is to present an overview of the nutritional composition of Spirulina. Along with its therapeutic potential and applications in the food industry. Studies included in this review have su...

Various factors—including natural disasters and health emergencies—considerably affect vaccination programs. The reasons can be multiple. This is visible during the 2 years of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic causing COVID-19, which has overwhelmed the entire world and yet fearing its consecutive waves of various variants. With no exception, the si...

Rapidly increasing global warming and world population calls for exploring untapped elements of biodiversity in a much broader sense. Though there exists much evidence on the importance of livestock and animal-derived protein, escalating challenges related to sustainability have led to finding alternatives to animal-derived proteins. Mycoprotein is...

Iron supplementation and fortification are the well-known approaches to treat iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in women of reproductive age. The objective of the current randomized controlled trial (RCT) was to evaluate the cumulative effects of prebiotics and iron fortification among women of reproductive age. For this purpose, a total of 75 iron defi...

COVID-19 has affected all aspects of human life so far. From the outset of the pandemic, preventing the spread of COVID-19 through the observance of health protocols, especially the use of sanitizers and disinfectants was given more attention. Despite the effectiveness of disinfection chemicals in controlling and preventing COVID-19, there are crit...

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by poor social interaction, repetitive behavior, learning difficulties, cognitive issues, and unusual eating patterns. Different factors including genetic and environmental variables have been identified to increase the risk of developing ASD. Objective: The m...

Trace elements are essentially required for various physiological and metabolic functions, and any disturbance in the trace elements homeostasis may result in the development of chronic diseases including breast cancer. Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer type reported in women equally affecting both the high-income and low-income countries....

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2021.647294.].

By the mid of June 2021, after an almost 1.5-year-long COVID-19 pandemic that has significantly affected the world in multiple ways, various vaccines against COVID-19 have arrived and started worldwide. Yet, economic, (geo)political, and socio-cultural factors may influence its uptake at individual and country levels. Several issues will (and alrea...

Zinc is an essential trace element involved in different physiological functions. During pregnancy, it plays a crucial role in healthy embryogenesis. This umbrella review, therefore, aimed to summarize the existing literature of meta-analyses evaluating the effect of maternal zinc supplementation or zinc status on maternal and neonatal outcomes. Tw...

This umbrella review summarizes the available meta-analyses elucidating the effects of maternal pesticide exposure on adverse health outcomes in children particularly the risk of childhood cancer. A literature search was conducted on PubMed and Scopus with 10-years temporal restriction and with search terms of (‘pesticides’) and (‘maternal’ or ‘pre...

Food insecurity is a multifaceted phenomenon, which affects an individual's life right from the embryonic stage. Being a crucial factor, it substantially impacts the pregnancy phases, including aggravating stressful pregnancy events, by compromising the adequate quantity and quality of food. Focusing on low-income countries, this review aimed to ev...

Micronutrients, as essential components of prenatal care, are important to reduce the risk for maternal and child morbidity and mortality by lowering pregnancy-related complications. The present study aimed to investigate the status of the trace elements, i.e., selenium, zinc, and manganese in pregnant and non-pregnant women from a developing count...

Objective: Maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNT) elimination in low-income countries is a major aim of public health endeavors, due to poor vaccination status, lack of antenatal care, and unhygienic birth practices. The objective of this study, thus, was to assess the present state and factors associated with maternal tetanus toxoid (TT) vaccination...

Birth related complications and comorbidities are highly associated with a poor nutritional status of pregnant women, whereas iron and iodine are among especially important trace elements for healthy maternal and fetal outcomes. The study compares the status of iron, iodine, and related functional parameters in pregnant and non-pregnant women from...

Nutrition is known to exert an undeniable impact on blood pressure with especially salt (sodium chloride), but also potassium, playing a prominent role. The aim of this review was to summarize meta-analyses studying the effect of different electrolytes on blood pressure or risk for hypertension, respectively. Overall, 32 meta-analyses evaluating th...

Background: Iron deficiency is the most abundant nutritional deficiency in the world and is discussed to be associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. The objective of this review was to perform an umbrella summary of meta-analyses to evaluate the effects and associations of iron supplementation or iron status on maternal and birth/neonatal outco...