Lyons Graham, Dean Geoff, Tongaiaba Routan, Halavatau Siosiua, Nakabuta Kabuati, Lonalona Matio, Susumu Gibson
School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, Urrbrae, South Australia 5064, Australia.
Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, University of Tasmania, Prospect, Tasmania 7250, Australia.
Plants (Basel). 2020 Jul 24;9(8):942. doi: 10.3390/plants9080942.
Pacific Islanders have paid dearly for abandoning traditional diets, with diabetes and other non-communicable diseases (NCD) widespread. Starchy root crops like sweet potato, taro, and cassava are difficult to grow on the potassium-deficient soils of atolls, and high energy, low nutrient imported foods and drinks are popular. Nutritious, leafy food plants adapted to alkaline, salty, coral soils could form part of a food system strategy to reduce NCD rates. This project targeted four atolls south of Tarawa, Kiribati, and was later extended to Tuvalu. Mineral levels in diverse, local leafy food plants were compared to reveal genotype-environment interactions. Food plants varied in ability to accumulate minerals in leaves and in tolerance of mineral-deficient soils. Awareness activities which included agriculture, health, and education officers targeted atoll communities. Agriculture staff grew planting material in nurseries and provided it to farmers. Rejuvenation of abandoned giant swamp taro pits to form diversified nutritious food gardens was encouraged. Factsheets promoted the most suitable species from 24 analyzed, with multiple samples of each. These included (chaya), (ofenga), (hedge panax), and (purslane). The promoted plants have been shown in other studies to have anti-NCD effects. Inclusion of the findings in school curricula and practical application in the form of demonstration school food gardens, as well as increased uptake by farmers, are needed. Further research is needed on bioavailability of minerals in plants containing phytates and tannins.
太平洋岛民因摒弃传统饮食而付出了沉重代价，糖尿病和其他非传染性疾病（NCD）广泛流行。像红薯、芋头和木薯这样的淀粉根茎类作物在环礁缺钾的土壤上很难生长，而高能量、低营养的进口食品和饮料很受欢迎。适应碱性、含盐珊瑚土壤的营养丰富的叶菜类食用植物可以成为降低非传染性疾病发病率的食物系统战略的一部分。该项目针对基里巴斯塔拉瓦以南的四个环礁，后来扩展到图瓦卢。比较了当地多种叶菜类食用植物中的矿物质含量，以揭示基因型与环境的相互作用。食用植物在叶片中积累矿物质的能力以及对缺矿物质土壤的耐受性方面存在差异。提高认识活动包括针对环礁社区的农业、卫生和教育官员。农业工作人员在苗圃中培育种植材料并提供给农民。鼓励恢复废弃的巨型沼泽芋坑，以形成多样化的营养食物园。情况说明书推广了从24种经过分析的植物中挑选出的最合适的物种，每种都有多个样本。这些植物包括叶用木薯（chaya）、非洲菠菜（ofenga）、刺五加（hedge panax）和马齿苋（purslane）。其他研究表明，所推广的植物具有抗非传染性疾病的作用。需要将这些研究结果纳入学校课程，并以示范学校食物园的形式实际应用，同时提高农民的采用率。对于含有植酸盐和单宁的植物中矿物质的生物利用度，还需要进一步研究。
