Ranil Jayawardena

• MBBS (Col), HND (UK), MSc (Glasgow), PhD (QUT) FRCP
• Professor in Nutrition at University of Colombo

Country-specific Food Composition Data (FCD) could support nutritional research, and aid in making informed decisions to develop food and nutrition policies in a country. Sri Lanka is ethnically diverse, and its food culture and trends are driven by this diversity, resulting in a varied pattern of food consumption. This study aimed to develop a com...

Background Sports nutrition plays a crucial role in providing the fuel to meet the energy demands of athletes’ training programmes, enhancing adaptations associated with training, and ensuring rapid recovery between workouts. However, evidence suggests that the dietary habits of many athletes are unsatisfactory when compared to sport-specific nutri...

Background and objective Valid and cost-effective approaches are essential to assess physical activity and sedentary behaviours in individuals of all ages. This study aimed to validate a physical activity recall questionnaire (PAR-Q) and a physical activity log against the doubly labelled water (DLW) technique in 11-13-year-old Sri Lankan children....

Background: Optimal nutrition is vital for recovery, performance, and well-being of athletes. However, Sri Lankan track and field athletes often fall short of dietary recommendations due to the lack of personalized nutrition guidance. This study evaluated the effectiveness of culturally appropriate, evidence-based, personalized dietary advice on th...

Background Muscular strength that can be improved through maximal, explosive, and reactive training, reduces injury risk and enhances sport-specific performance in athletes. In team sports, increased strength boosts physical and neuromuscular function, delays fatigue, speeds recovery and optimizes technical execution and decision-making during comp...

Stretching, performed after a warm-up and typically before an exercise training session, aims to increase the length of a musculotendinous unit, that is, the distance between a muscle's origin and insertion. It is commonly used to prevent sports injuries.

Background While several validated sports nutrition knowledge questionnaires exist, none are specifically designed to assess the sports nutrition knowledge (SNK) of Sri Lankan track and field athletes. This study aims to validate the Sri Lankan Sports Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire (SLn-SNKQ), tailored for this athlete group, to provide more acc...

Obesity has reached pandemic proportions globally and, in the South Asian countries. However, the rate of increase in the South East Asian region is alarming. This rapid increase is not only associated with a sharp increase in the metabolic and psychosocial complications of obesity but also will be a huge burden on the health economics of these dev...

Obesity has emerged as a major clinical and public health challenge. At Colombo, the South Asian Obesity Federation (SOF) declares its commitment to a comprehensive person-centered, public-inclusive, policy-concordant campaign against obesity. The SOF commits to conducting academic/research activities, awareness campaigns, advocacy efforts, and aud...

Background: Satisfactory nutrition knowledge among athletes is important to encourage proper dietary habits to overcome deficiencies and enhance sports performance. Identifying knowledge gaps in sports nutrition is essential for improving athletes' understanding through a tool that evaluates both general nutrition knowledge (GNK) and sports nutriti...

Background: The aging population is expanding at an unprecedented rate, leading to a significant increase in the prevalence of malnutrition among older adults. Oral Nutritional Supplements (ONS) have emerged as a widely accepted strategy to address the nutritional needs of this demographic. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of an O...

Background Malnutrition of older individuals, leads to significant functional decline, reducing their quality of life. Lifestyle interventions; dietary improvements and supplementation are explored to enhance the physical function of older adults. The current study aimed to assess the impact of oral nutritional supplements (ONS) on the functional a...

Background Malnutrition often manifests as a body weight (BW) reduction and unhealthy alteration in body composition. The present study aimed to assess the efficacy of an oral nutritional supplement (ONS) in improving BW and body composition among older adults with malnutrition. Methods An open‐label randomised controlled, parallel‐group study was...

Background Shift work has been identified as a risk factor for several chronic health conditions including obesity. This study evaluated the impact of a low-calorie meal replacement (MR) as a dinner substitute on body composition and metabolic parameters in shift workers with overweight and obesity. Methods An 8-week parallel, randomized controlle...

Background: Sports nutrition plays a crucial role in providing the fuel to meet the energy demands of athletes' training programs, enhancing adaptations associated with training, and ensuring rapid recovery between workouts. However, evidence suggests that the dietary habits of many athletes are unsatisfactory when compared to sport-specific nutrit...

Background and objective: Valid and cost-effective approaches are essential to assess physical activity and sedentary behaviors in individuals of all ages. This study aimed to validate a physical activity recall questionnaire (PAR-Q) and a physical activity log against the doubly labelled water (DLW) technique in 11-13-year-old Sri Lankan children....

Background Integrating the core aspects of sports nutrition knowledge [SNK] into the multidisciplinary team is critical to improving an athlete’s performance and well-being. Conducting in-depth interviews with members of the sports-related team is a comprehensive method of gathering information on various aspects of SNK. This qualitative study aime...

Background Proper validation of a newly developed sports nutrition knowledge questionnaire is crucial to ensure that health professionals and coaches can confidently assess athletes' nutrition knowledge, which is known to impact athletes' food choices. This study aims to validate the Athletic-Sports Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire (A-SNKQ), speci...

Background During recent years several studies have investigated the impact of different dietary oils on body weight. They have shown differential positive and negative effects on anthropometry. We investigated the effects of palm and coconut oils on body weight and other anthropometric parameters, considering their importance as a primary source o...

Nutrition and diet are key modifiable risk factors for the rising burden of non-communicable diseases like cardio-vascular diseases and diabetes in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs). The nutritional transition in dietary behaviours in LMICs has most likely contributed to this problem. Although traditionally assumed to be environmental, diet...

The white blood cell (WBC) count increases significantly in reaction to infections and certain chronic diseases. Shift employment increases the risk for chronic low-grade inflammation and the progression of several chronic diseases. The objective of this study was to systematically evaluate the evidence from studies on total and differential WBC co...

Background: The Sri Lankan population's mental health was undoubtedly significantly impacted by the county’s economic crisis. This study investigated the prevalence of perceived stress and its socio-demographic predictor. Methods: A web-based cross-sectional survey was undertaken in July-August 2022, using google forms. The respondents were assesse...

Background: Malnutrition of older individuals, leads to significant functional decline, reducing their quality of life. Lifestyle interventions; dietary improvements and supplementation are explored to enhance the physical function of older adults. The current study aimed to assess the impact of oral nutritional supplements (ONS) on the functional...

Background The economic crisis in Sri Lanka has disarrayed the country's healthcare services, posing a challenge to people with chronic diseases on routine care. This study investigated the changes in medication adherence during the economic crisis. Methods A web-based cross-sectional survey was undertaken in July–August 2022. It assessed socio-de...

Background The global aging population is expanding rapidly and many individuals have a particularly higher risk of malnutrition. Malnutrition can lead to impaired body function, morbidity, and mortality. Meeting nutritional requirements is a key strategy to minimize multiple debilitating adverse outcomes associated with malnutrition in the elderly...

The consequences of malnutrition in the elderly often manifest as weight loss and altered body composition. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of an oral nutritional supplement (ONS) on body composition in malnourished older adults.

Sports nutrition (SN) is pivotal in aiding athletes to reach peak performance, minimize sport-related injuries, enhance career longevity, and improve general health. An accurate assessment of athletes’ sports nutrition knowledge (SNK) is required to design targeted nutrition education programs aimed at enhancing both nutritional knowledge and dieta...

Objectives Shift work is associated with various health challenges, including obesity and metabolic disturbances. To address these concerns, a randomised controlled clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of a low-calorie meal replacement (MR) dietary intervention for dinner among shift workers with obesity. This study focuses on the...

Background Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis in adults, characterised by chronic pain and loss of mobility. Osteoarthritis most frequently occurs after age 40 years and prevalence increases steeply with age. WHO has designated 2021–30 the decade of healthy ageing, which highlights the need to address diseases such as osteoarthriti...

Aim The economic crisis in Sri Lanka has caused millions of people to descend into poverty, compromising their rights to health, education and standard of living. This study aimed to examine how the economic crisis has affected Sri Lankans’ lifestyles. Subject and methods An online cross-sectional survey was conducted in July 2022, using an e-ques...

Shift workers frequently experience alterations in their circadian rhythms, which are correlated with variations in hematological parameters. Changes in blood cells may be related to an individual's health status. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the relationship between shift work and changes in blood cells among a group of healthcare worker...

Background: Satisfactory nutrition knowledge among athletes is important to encourage proper dietary habits to overcome deficiencies and enhance sports performance. Identifying knowledge gaps in sports nutrition is essential for improving athletes' understanding, ideally through a contemporary tool that evaluates both general nutrition knowledge (G...

Background: Diabetes is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide, and affects people regardless of country, age group, or sex. Using the most recent evidentiary and analytical framework from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD), we produced location-specific, age-specific, and sex-specific estimat...

Aims: This study investigated how the economic crisis has changed Sri Lankans' food consumption. Methods: A web-based cross-sectional survey was carried out in the month of July 2022, using an e-questionnaire based on Google Forms. The questionnaire assessed respondents' socio-demographics, food consumption, and dietary patterns before and durin...

Background: The global aging population is expanding rapidly. This older population is particularly at higher risk of malnutrition. Malnutrition can lead to impaired body function, morbidity, and mortality. Meeting nutritional requirements is a key strategy to minimize multiple debilitating adverse outcomes associated with malnutrition in the elder...

Methods: A placebo-controlled, double blind, randomized, parallel-group comparative study was conducted. Subjects received 5.2 g PHGG or placebo daily for 12 weeks. Cold-like symptoms were assessed based on patient diary, and the levels of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in stool and blood immune markers at baseline and at weeks 6 and 12. Cold-like...

Background When conducting reviews, obtaining unreported information by contacting corresponding authors via traditional methods of correspondence, such as email/postage has become increasingly challenging. Objective/s The current study aimed to identify the different non-traditional sources and approaches to obtain unreported data from respective...

PurposeNausea and vomiting during pregnancy (NVP) are common symptoms in pregnancy. Although no definitive treatment option for NVP, pyridoxine (Vitamin B6) supplementation has been used widely. The present study aims to systematically evaluate the current evidence regarding pyridoxine for the treatment of NVP.Methods Data were obtained using a ste...

Evidence on what people eat globally is limited in scope and rigour, especially as it relates to children and adolescents. This impairs target setting and investment in evidence-based actions to support healthy sustainable diets. Here we quantified global, regional and national dietary patterns among children and adults, by age group, sex, educatio...

Objective: It is important to understand the factors associated with vaccination hesitancy for a given population for successful coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) immunization program. This survey aimed to examine the prevalence of vaccine hesitancy and associated sociodemographic factors. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was undertake...

Improved vaccine efficacy has a major impact on future rabies prevention and control. In this systematic review, a comparative assessment of different nucleic acid-based antirabies vaccination tools developed using different methods, in different countries, was undertaken. The comprehensive search was done in three databases. Articles were carefull...

Background Shift work is considered a risk factor for a number of chronic health conditions including obesity. Weight reduction in obese patients lowers the risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, certain cancers, and mortality. Achieving a negative energy balance by providing low-calorie meal replacements is widely used for weight management. T...

Objective: This study compared the body composition parameters between shift workers and non-shift workers in a hospital setting in Sri Lanka. Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study was carried out among a sample of 78 healthcare workers, recruited by a stratified random sampling technique. Subjects underwent anthropometric and bio-impeden...

Purpose of Review This review primarily provides an overview of the current evidence on chronotype (which reflects an individual’s preference for the timing of sleeping, eating, and activity in a 24-h period) and sleep quality changes in obesity in postmenopausal women. It also explores possible nutritional strategies to manage these changes in thi...

Background: The COVID-19 lockdown severely affected dietary behaviors, particularly meat or equivalent consumption. This study aimed to understand the impact of COVID-19 confinement on meat or equivalent consumption pattern among Sri Lankans. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from 27th May to 2nd June 2021 as a national-level online s...

Background The health risks associated with moderate alcohol consumption continue to be debated. Small amounts of alcohol might lower the risk of some health outcomes but increase the risk of others, suggesting that the overall risk depends, in part, on background disease rates, which vary by region, age, sex, and year. Methods For this analysis,...

Supplementary data

Background: Combating viral hepatitis is part of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and WHO has put forth hepatitis B elimination targets in its Global Health Sector Strategy on Viral Hepatitis (WHO-GHSS) and Interim Guidance for Country Validation of Viral Hepatitis Elimination (WHO Interim Guidance). We estimated the global, regional, a...

Objective: This study evaluated the association between shift work and metabolic syndrome (MetS) among a group of healthcare workers in Sri Lanka. Methods: This study was in comparative cross-sectional design with 78 shift and non-shift workers aged ≥18 years. Data were collected through questionnaires, anthropometric measures and blood tests. M...

Purpose The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically altered the dietary patterns of individuals. This study aimed to investigate the changes in the purchase and consumption of fruit and vegetables in Sri Lanka during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods An online cross-sectional survey assessed the self-reported changes in fruit and vegetable consumption and...

Shift work, defined as work occurring outside typical daytime working hours, is associated with an increased risk for metabolic syndrome (MetS) due to several biological and environmental changes. The MetS refers to the clustering of several known cardiovascular risk factors, including insulin resistance, obesity, dyslipidemia, and hypertension. Th...

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been characterized by the World Health Organization as a pandemic in March 2020 and the lockdown measures that were implemented in an effort to limit the transmission of the virus affected the daily life of many people in all over the world. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the changes...

Aims The burden and health costs of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus continue to increase globally and prevention strategies in at-risk people need to be explored. Previous work, in both animal models and humans, supports the role of zinc in improving glucose homeostasis. We, therefore, aimed to test the effectiveness of zinc supplementation on glycaemic c...

Background Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Given the recent increasing trends in colorectal cancer incidence globally, up-to-date information on the colorectal cancer burden could guide screening, early detection, and treatment strategies, and help effectively allocate resources. We examined the temporal pat...

Background and aims Proper nutrition to optimise immune function is mandatory as at present there is no specific medicine to cure COVID-19. Our study aimed to investigate the use of nutritional supplements and their key immunity enhancing components among Sri Lankans. Methods This current study was an online survey conducted during the period from...

Background: Shift work is considered a risk factor for a number of chronic health conditions including obesity. Weight reduction in obese patients lowers the risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, certain cancers, and mortality. Achieving a negative energy balance by providing low-calorie meal replacements is widely used for weight management....

Background: Diabetes, particularly type 1 diabetes, at younger ages can be a largely preventable cause of death with the correct health care and services. We aimed to evaluate diabetes mortality and trends at ages younger than 25 years globally using data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019. Methods: We...

Background Diabetes, particularly type 1 diabetes, at younger ages can be a largely preventable cause of death with the correct health care and services. We aimed to evaluate diabetes mortality and trends at ages younger than 25 years globally using data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019.

Obesity has reached pandemic proportions and is a growing concern throughout the world. A parallel trend has also been observed among women in reproductive age, leading to the increasing global prevalence of gestational obesity (GO). The well-known obesity-related health problems also extend to pregnancy, where they are responsible for giving rise...

Background: Given the projected trends in population ageing and population growth, the number of people with dementia is expected to increase. In addition, strong evidence has emerged supporting the importance of potentially modifiable risk factors for dementia. Characterising the distribution and magnitude of anticipated growth is crucial for publ...

Background Although it is reported in numerous interventional and observational studies, that a low-fat diet is an effective method to combat overweight and obesity, the relationship at the global population level is not well established. This study aimed to quantify the associations between worldwide per capita fat supply and prevalence of overwei...

Background Given the projected trends in population ageing and population growth, the number of people with dementia is expected to increase. In addition, strong evidence has emerged supporting the importance of potentially modifiable risk factors for dementia. Characterising the distribution and magnitude of anticipated growth is crucial for publi...

Background In estimating the global burden of cancer, adolescents and young adults with cancer are often overlooked, despite being a distinct subgroup with unique epidemiology, clinical care needs, and societal impact. Comprehensive estimates of the global cancer burden in adolescents and young adults (aged 15–39 years) are lacking. To address this...

Abstract Background People from South Asia are at increased risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D). There is an urgent need to develop approaches for the prevention of T2D in South Asians that are cost-effective, generalisable and scalable across settings. Hypothesis Compared to usual care, the risk of T2D can be reduced amongst South Asians with central ob...

Background The rapid spread of COVID-19 renewed the focus on how health systems across the globe are financed, especially during public health emergencies. Development assistance is an important source of health financing in many low-income countries, yet little is known about how much of this funding was disbursed for COVID-19. We aimed to provide...

Objective: To identify the optimal AUSDRISK threshold score to screen for pre-diabetes and diabetes. Methods: A total of 406 adult patients not diagnosed with diabetes were screened in General Practices (GP) between May and October 2019. All patients received a point of care (POC) HbA1c test. HbA1c test results were categorised into diabetes (≥6.5%...

Background Obesity prevalence has increased during the past few decades, causing a pandemic with an influx in other co-morbidities. Many factors influence weight gain in an obesogenic environment therefore strategies for treating obesity may vary from conventional dietary and physical activity interventions to pharamacotherapy. A shift in unconvent...

Introduction South Asians are at high risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D). We assessed whether intensive family-based lifestyle intervention leads to significant weight loss, improved glycaemia and blood pressure in adults at elevated risk for T2D. Methods This cluster randomised controlled trial (iHealth-T2D) was conducted at 120 locations across India...

Introduction: Due to the composition and biological properties of coconut oil, there is still considerable debate regarding potential benefits for the management of obesity, including the specific impact on body weight (BW) reduction. This systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials aims to assess the impact of coconut oil on BW reducti...

Background Regularly updated data on stroke and its pathological types, including data on their incidence, prevalence, mortality, disability, risk factors, and epidemiological trends, are important for evidence-based stroke care planning and resource allocation. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) aims to provide a...

Global, regional, and national sex-specific burden and control of the HIV epidemic, 1990–2019, for 204 countries and territories: the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2019 GBD 2019 HIV Collaborators * Show footnotesOpen AccessPublished:October, 2021DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-3018(21)00152-1 Summary Background The sustainable development goa...

Introduction The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and abdominal obesity is escalating in South Asian countries. It is well established that MetS is associated with increased risk for both Type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases. South Asians have an increased risk of MetS due to a variety of factors including unhealthy lifestyle...

Background: Obesity and its’ comorbidities in young adults are emerging health concerns. Obesity is a well-known risk factor for developing cardiovascular diseases, type -2 diabetes, carcinomas, gallbladder disease, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, and gynecological complications. Young adulthood is considered the best time period to introduce weight c...

Introduction: There has been a dramatic increase in the practice of shift work throughout the world. It is known to associate with several adverse health outcomes including increased adiposity. The present study aims to systematically evaluate the literature to find the associations between exposure to shift work and body composition. Evidence ac...

Aims: This study aimed to investigate the immediate impact of COVID-19 quarantine measures on physical inactivity and weight gain among Sri Lankans. Methods: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted from the 27th of May to 2nd of June 2021 using Google forms. The questionnaire including socio-demographics and physical activity related ques...

s Background and aims COVID-19 has emerged as a global pandemic affecting millions of people. Vitamin D deficiency is one of the risk factors for increased susceptibility to COVID-19. This study aimed to examine the correlation between the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and COVID-19 infection and mortality rates among the adult population in E...

The pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and lockdown measures, that were implemented in many countries in order to control the virus transmission, had negatively influenced the lifestyle of millions of people worldwide. In this study we aimed to investigate the impact of the first COVID-19 lockdown period (March-May 2020) on snacking be...