• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.586-592
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• 2010

This study investigated the effects of Stevia rebaudian bertoni leaf extract on lipid profiles in C57BL/6J mice, as compared to stevioside. Fourty mice were divided into four groups: NC (normal diet and DW), HC (high fat diet and DW), HLSV (high fat diet and stevia leaf extract, 1 mL/kg/day), and HSS (high fat diet and stevioside, 1 mL/kg/day). Serum triglyceride concentrations were significantly lower in the HLSV and HSS groups than in the HC group. Epididymal fat pad weights were significantly lower in the HLSV and HSS groups than in the HC group. We also evaluated the serum and liver carnitine levels (NEC, AIAC, ASAC, TCNE) of all the groups. These results were supported by the mRNA expression of enzymes related to lipid metabolism (ACC, PPAR${\alpha}$, ACS, CPT-I) assessed by RT-PCR. Overall, the results show the antiobesity effects of stevia leaf extract as compared to stevioside in high fat diet induced obese mice.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.335-351
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• 2008

Adequate nutrients intake and regular eating habit are so important for the students to develop physical and mental health, and they contribute significantly for the development of intellectual capacity. The intake of simple sugar contained in the processed foods is known to have been related not only with such physical problems as obesity and diabetes but also with hyperactivity during growing period. This study analysed the effects of carbohydrate processed snacks on the middle school students' emotional intelligence and intended to demonstrate the correlation and the influence of the foods. The subjects of this study were 476 the 1st grade middle school students sampled from two public middle schools of Gyeonggi Province, Korea. Questionnaire contained 47 questions including the kinds of sugar containing processed foods, the frequency of intake, the frequency of normal diet, and the emotional test. All data obtained in this study were processed by SAS 8.2 program. 77.9% of the students had snacks more than once a day and the favored foods were in the order of bread, cookies, fruit, milk and dairy products, flour foods, ramen and ice cream. Less of the sugar contained processed snacks consumed high emotional intelligence showed(p<0.001). And low intake of carbohydrate processed snacks linked with having more regular meals and the higher levels of emotional intelligence. There was no gender difference in consuming simple sugar containing processed foods, however, out of these foods, carbonated drinks, ramen and pizza affected significantly the emotional intelligence of the male students. It was found that sugar contained processed snacks affect the eating habits like meal skipping and the emotional intelligence. It is determined that the effects of carbohydrate processed snacks on emotional intelligence can not be denied.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.228-237
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• 2017

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the smoking status among adult workers, and current status of sugar intake. Methods: The survey included 500 men working in Gyeonggi-do from October to November in 2016. Questionnaire items covered their age, working status, smoking status, eating habits, eating behaviors, snack consumption status, habits and behaviors related to sugar intake. All data were analyzed by SPSS program (Ver. 23) and descriptive statistics was performed; a t-test, ${\chi}^2$ test, One-way ANOVA and Scheffe test were used for post-hoc test. Results: The study results showed that eating habits and behaviors of non-smokers were better than those of smokers. The frequency of daily snack consumption was the highest in smokers compared to and non-smokers. The smokers' favorite taste after smoking was 'Sweet'. The average score of sugar-related nutrition knowledge was higher in non-smokers compared to smokers. Non-smokers had better recognition of 'sugar reduction', and smokers were more likely to eat sweet foods, respectively. On the other hand, non-smokers could observe that they were trying to control themselves for health reasons. According to the results of the study, non-smokers showed better eating habits and dietary habits and consumed less sugar. Also, it was found that non-smokers tried to drink more water than beverages and refrain from eating sweets to reduce their sugar intake. Further, the most of the bread, coffee and beverages were also consumed at a lower frequency by non-smokers compared to smokers. Conclusions: This study results showed that smoking and sugar consumption were closely related. Therefore, adult workers should actively promote and learn so that they can maintain healthy and suitable dietary habits through reduction of sugar consumption.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.176-184
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to evaluate total sugars intake and determine its relationship with nutrient density and obesity degree in elementary school children. A total of 1,292 elementary school students (638 boys, 654 girls) in Chungnam participated in this study. Daily total sugars intake of subjects was analyzed using the USDA database of sugars after a questionnaire survey using 24-hour recalls. The average age of subjects was 9.7 years, daily energy intake was 1,834.0 kcal, and total sugars intake was 37.6 g/day, which was 8.3% of total energy intake. Sugars intake from the milk group was highest at 18.4 g/day, followed by fruits, cereals, sugars and sweeteners, and beverages. Nutrient density of protein as well as Na, Fe, and Zn levels were significantly lower according to total sugars intake level. There was no significant difference between overweight and obesity risk among the sugars intake quartile groups. In conclusion, total sugars intake of subjects was not significantly high and not associated with obesity risk; however, high sugars intake in children was associated with decreased consumption of protein, Fe, and Zn, which are important for growth.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.818-827
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• 2016

This study was conducted to develop and validate the Sugar Intake Reduction Test (SIRT) for young children, and included eating behaviors, attitude, and nutritional knowledge about sugars. A draft version of the SIRT was developed after literature review. The final draft of the SIRT was established after two pilot tests of 5 year old children and an expert group's review, and is comprised of a one on one test between an investigator and a child using picture tools. It contained of 20 questions which included 3 components: eating behaviors (5 items), preference for sugar sweetened food (10 items), and nutritional knowledge about sugars (5 items). The final SIRT was conducted on 181 children 5 (n=100) to 6 (n=81) years old, to examine its item and test adequacies. The passing rate of most items significantly increased with increasing age, and most of the item discrimination also differed significantly between the below and upper score groups. The content validity was given a high score by professionals (mean score 3.9 out of 4). Reliability of all the items in the SIRT was high (Cronbach's ${\alpha}=0.82$). Moreover, the total component and the sub-component scores of the SIRT correlated significantly. Our results indicate that the SIRT is a valid tool to measure sugar intake reduction in young children aged 5~6 years.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.335-344
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• 2018

This study aimed to develop and evaluate a sugars intake reduction program (SIRP) that was designed to increase the knowledge, attitude, and skills of Korean children aged 5 years regarding sugars intake reduction. A total of 101 children aged 5~6 years from 6 preschools participated in SIRP. SIRP consisted of 4 sessions including 10 activities (e.g., story-telling, arts, experiment, checking nutrition facts, pledge), delivered to children at preschools by nutritionists over a one-month period. Three letters were sent to parents throughout the program to inform them of the children's activities at the preschools and to provide additional information on reducing children's sugars intake. A total of 90 children completed the program; 83 parents of these children completed the SIRP evaluation survey. The children's sugars intake reduction score was significantly increased after attending SIRP. Teachers (n=6) who participated in this program agreed to improve their students' attitudes on reducing sugars intake and to decrease students' behaviors related to sugars intake. Parents agreed to improve their children's attitude on reducing sugars intake and to decrease children's behaviors related to sugars intake. The outcome showed SIRP improved participants' attitudes towards sugars reduction and increased the skills to reduce the sugars intake of children aged 5~6 years. Future studies should examine whether SIRP reduces actual sugars intake among children.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.10-21
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• 2009

The objective of this research was to assess the dietary habits, food frequency, and nutrition knowledge of young children who like sweets in the Busan area; the study was conducted using survey method with questionnaires. One hundred eighty three children, aged 8 to 9 years, were divided into two groups: the sweet preference group (SPG) and the control group, based on the subjects' scores for sweets-related dietary habits, sweets preference, and sweets frequency. For dietary habits, the score for eating more snacks than meals was significantly higher in the SPG group than the control group. The SPG group members were also more likely to skip breakfast, have irregular meals, and consume instant and fast food more frequently (p<0.001) than the control group. Nutrition knowledge scores for proper snack intake and proper dietary attitude were significantly lower in the SPG than in the control group (p < 0.05). With regard to food frequency, the SPG consumed more bread, cake, chicken, ham, sausage, hamburger, and ice cream, but less fish, tofu, beans, kimchi, bean sprouts, and milk than the control group. Strong positive correlations were noted between sweets preference, sweets frequency, and sweets-related dietary habits, whereas all of them were correlated negatively with nutritional knowledge. Sweets frequency was related negatively to meal regularity, having breakfast, eating the adequate amount of meals, and recommended food frequency.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.923-934
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to provide the basic information for developing sugar related nutrition education programs for children in child-care facilities and their parents. The results showed that the total score of parent's dietary attitudes towards sugar-rich foods was 17.94 and the total score of parent's nutritional knowledge was 3.67. A positive relationship was observed among items of parent's dietary attitudes (p<0.01), and some correlations were also observed between the total score of parent's nutritional knowledge and the total score of parent's dietary attitudes (p<0.05 or p<0.01). The total average score of children's eating behaviors for sugar-rich foods was 23.98, and the item with the highest score was 'I often eat candy, chocolate and jelly'. For children, food that received the highest preference was chocolate, and soft drinks received the lowest preference. The most frequently consumed food item was candy or caramel, and the least frequently consumed food item was soft drinks. There were positive correlation among the total score of children's eating behaviors, food preferences, and food intake frequency (p<0.01). When parent's tried to reduce the sugar intake, children's total score of eating behaviors (p<0.001) and food intake frequency (p<0.001) for sugar-rich food was lower. We conclude that parent's dietary attitudes may influence children's eating behaviors, food preferences, and food intake frequency for sugar-rich foods.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.474-483
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• 2021

The intake of processed foods containing high levels of sugar increases the incidence of chronic diseases, including obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Limiting sugar intake is important for a healthy life at all ages. Therefore, this study analyzed food sources and sugar intake by the different age groups based on the 7^th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). We used 24-hour recall survey data to investigate the daily sugar intake and the major food groups and main dishes contributing to sugar intake. The mean sugar intake was 58.9-66.8 g/day. The three major food groups contributing to sugar intake were fruits (15.2-19.9 g/day), beverages (10.7-12.4 g/day), and milk and milk products (7.6-7.8 g/day). Teas and other non-alcoholic beverages (14.7-17.3 g/day), fruits (12.5-16.2 g/day), and dairy products (7.0-7.6 g/day) were the major food groups that contributed to the sugar intake. Carbonated drinks, apples, and milk were the top sources of sugar intake in each group. In conclusion, the sugar intake of Koreans is mainly from carbonated drinks, fruits, and milk. These results provided the basic data for nutrition education and nutrition program development according to the different age groups of the Korean population.

• Food Science and Industry
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.2-11
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• 2016

As recently many studies on the relationship between excessive sugar intake and chronic disease have been reported across the world, more attention to sugar intake has been paid. Sugars, called simple sugars, is a kind of carbohydrate and sum of monosaccharides and disaccharides. Sugars that are particularly related to health are added sugars or free sugars, which are added to food by processing or cooking. It is generally not to give satiety and increases energy density without other nutrients. Especially, the major food source of added sugar is sugar-sweetened beverages(SSBs), from which sugars are closely linked with health outcome. The total sugar intake in Korea is 61.4 g per day and it is almost half of those in the western countries such as the U.S. or Australia and it is within the recommendation level by the Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans. However, when it is classified by age groups or food sources, sugar intake in adolescents and young adults are high and the sugar from processed foods is also high that would lead to high intake levels of added sugar. Particularly, the frequency of SSBs, the major food source of added sugar, is the highest among 20's. While the studies of excessive sugar intake with chronic diseases including obesity, type 2 diabetes, metabolic disease, cardiovascular disease reported in the Western populations, those in the Korean populations have just started. Given our dietary practice is very different from those in the western population, more prospective studies would be necessary to evaluate sugar intake by type or food source exactly and examine its relationship with chronic diseases in the Korean population.