• Proceedings of the KSCN Conference
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• 2002.11a
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• pp.887-893
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• 2002

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.265-273
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• 2016

Objectives: This study compared the nutritional status of child-bearing age women between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea). Methods: The data presented in the DPRK Final Report of the National Nutrition Survey 2012 was utilized for the nutritional status and food intake of North Korean women. To produce the South Korean women's data comparable to those of North Korean women, the data from the 2012 National Health and Nutrition Survey were analyzed and the data presented in the 2010 Report of the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards were utilized. Results: The prevalence of maternal anemia (blood hemoglobin < 12.0 g/dL) was over 30% in all the age groups of North Korean women and 8.9%, 14.2%, 16.4% in 20-29, 30-39, 40-49 year old South Korean women, respectively. The prevalence of maternal protein-energy malnutrition (Mid-Upper Arm Circumference < 22.5 cm) was 25.2%, 21.4%, 21.8% in 20-29, 30-39, 40-49 year old North Korean women, respectively and less than 10% in all the age groups of South Korean women. Result of dietary diversity comparison showed that North Korean women consumed less food than South Korean women at all food groups: grains, fruits, vegetables, meat, and dairy. Percentage of North Korean women having consumed protein rich foods-meat and fish, eggs or dairy products-were much lower than those of South Korean women. Conclusions: The striking disparity of nutritional status between South and North Korean women indicates that nutrition support for North Korean women is essential in the process of preparation for a unified nation.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.386-392
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• 2016

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Changes in nutritional status during gestation and lactation have detrimental effects on offspring metabolism. Several animal studies have shown that maternal high-fat diet (HFD) can predispose the offspring to development of obesity and metabolic diseases, however the mechanisms underlying these transgenerational effects are poorly understood. Therefore, we examined the effect of maternal HFD consumption on metabolic phenotype and hepatic expression of involved genes in dams to determine whether any of these parameters were associated with the metabolic outcomes in the offspring. MATERIALS/METHODS: Female C57BL/6 mice were fed a low-fat diet (LFD: 10% calories from fat) or a high-fat diet (HFD: 45% calories from fat) for three weeks before mating, and during pregnancy and lactation. Dams and their male offspring were studied at weaning. RESULTS: Dams fed an HFD had significantly higher body and adipose tissue weights and higher serum triglyceride and cholesterol levels than dams fed an LFD. Hepatic lipid levels and mRNA levels of genes involved in lipid metabolism, including $LXR{\alpha}$, SREBP-2, FXR, LDLR, and ABCG8 were significantly changed by maternal HFD intake. Significantly lower total liver DNA and protein contents were observed in dams fed an HFD, implicating the disturbed liver adaptation in the pregnancy-related metabolic demand. HFD feeding also induced significant oxidative stress in serum and liver of dams. Offspring of dams fed an HFD had significantly higher serum cholesterol levels, which were negatively correlated with liver weights of dams and positively correlated with hepatic lipid peroxide levels in dams. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal HFD consumption induced metabolic dysfunction, including altered liver growth and oxidative stress in dams, which may contribute to the disturbed cholesterol homeostasis in the early life of male mice offspring.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nutrition Society Conference
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• 2006.05a
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• pp.19-20
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• 2006

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.27 no.9
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• pp.940-948
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• 1994

The present study was designed to determine if prenatal and postnatal Se nutriture affects Se concentration, glutathione peroxidase(GSHPx) activity and phospholipid distribution of the neonatal rat lung. Female SD rats were bred and fed a semipurified Se-deficient(0.04ppm, Se-) or a Se-adequate(0.5ppm, Se+) diet through pregnancy and lactation. On d 2 of lactation, maternal dietary Se had no significant effect on pulmonary Se concentration of pups. On d 16 of lactation, mean milk Se concentration in Se- dams was significantly lower than that in Se+ dams. Milk Se concentration was reflected on lung Se concentration and GSHPx activity of d 16 pups, which were dramatically decreased in Se- pups. In addition, pulmonary disaturated phosphatidyl choline/total phosphatidyl choline ratio was also significantly decreased in Se- pups, implying impaired function of pulmonary surfactant. These data indicate that adequate Se nutrition is important in the maturation of neonatal rat lungs.

• Journal of Photoscience
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.29-32
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• 2002

Studies till date suggest the existence of a fetal biological clock in suprachiasmatic nuclei entrained by the circadian signal from mother. Melatonin from maternal pineal gland reaches to the fetus by crossing every biological barrier including placenta, hence fetuses were exposed to similar melatonin variation as their mother. Experimental modulations of maternal pineal gland activity of pregnant females either by exposing the them to different photoperiodic schedules or by exogenous melatonin treatments till the date of parturition, regulated the fetal plasma level of melatonin, thereby the prenatal (fetal) growth and development. This clearly suggests the maternal transport of melatonin to their fetus through placenta since fetal retina-hypothalamic tract was incomplete. An extension of experimental schedules till 60 days of post-partum period regulated the neonatal pineal gland activity and gonadal maturation along with their plasma levels of melatonin and sex steroids suggesting clearly the phenomenon of maternal transfer of melatonin to their young ones during the post-natal period, when the neonates were solely dependent on the mother's milk for their nutrition and energetic demands. On the basis of above observations we may suggest that the maternal pineal gland activity regulate the prenatal development by passing its melatonin to fetus via placenta and post-natal growth and sexual maturation by passing maternal melatonin to neonates via milk. Hence, the photoperiod perceived by mother is translated into the maternal plasma level of melatonin which not only regulates the prenatal but also the post-natal growth and sexual maturation of neonates.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.467-475
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• 2006

The necessity of adequate pregnancy weight gain for optimal pregnancy outcome has been recognized. However, the specific components of pregnancy weight gain that might be critical for fetal growth and development have not been elucidated clearly. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation of pregnancy weight gain and birth weight with serum leptin levels in women delivered newborns. The subjects were recruited from K university hospital. The subject's characteristic data (age $32.1\;{\pm}\;4.3\;y$, gestational age $39.5\;{\pm}\;1.1wk$, pre-pregnancy weight $58.0\;{\pm}\;8.6\;kg$, pregnancy weight gain $12.7\;{\pm}\;5.5\;kg$, newborn's birth weight $3.5\;{\pm}\;0.5\;kg$) were gathered. Maternal dietary assessment was carried out at the end of pregnancy. After delivery, blood samples were collected from 20 mother-newborn pairs. Serum levels of various lipids and leptin were analyzed. Maternal daily consumption of iron, zinc, folate were lower than the RDA of each nutrient and index of nutritional quality was less than 1 showing that the quality of maternal diet was low. The levels of serum leptin of mothers and infants were $10.2\;{\pm}\;6.7\;ng/ml$ and $1.7\;{\pm}\;0.6\;ng/ml$, respectively. The serum leptin concentrations of male infants $(1.9\;{\pm}\;0.7\;ng\;ml)$ were not different from that of females $(1.7{\pm}0.5\;ng/ml)$. A negative correlation was found between the maternal pre-pregnant BMI and weight gain during pregnancy (r = -0.54, p < 0.05). There was a positive correlation between the pregnancy weight gain and the newborn's birth weight (r=0.59, p < 0.01 There were also positive correlation between newborn's birth weight and newborn's serum leptin levels (r = 0.57, p < 0.01). No correlations were found between maternal serum leptin levels and that of newborn's. Efforts should be made to attain adequate diet and weight gain during the pregnancy to reduce the likelihood of low or over birth weight of newborns.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.32 no.7
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• pp.793-801
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• 1999

The purposes of this study are to assess iron status in mothers and their newborn infants at birth and to analyze the influence of maternal iron status on their newborn babies. Venous bloods samples were drawn from 144 pregnant women just before delivery and cord bloods of their newborn babies were collected immediately after birth for measurement of hemoglobin, hematocrit, serum iron, ferritin, total binding capacity and transferrin saturation. The values of hemoglobin and hematocrit were significantly lower in the mothers(10.9$\pm$1.43g/dl and 33.7$\pm$3.67%) than in their newborn infants(14.7$\pm$1.43g/dl and 45.3$\pm$4.76%)(p<0.0001). At delivery, serum iron levels in cord blood were about twice as high as those in the maternal blood, and serum ferritin levels in the cord blood were about four times higher than those in the maternal blood. The serum ferritin levels of multigravidas were higher than those of primigravidas,. but there was no difference between the serum ferritin levels of their infants. The serum ferritin levels of the mothers and their infants were higher in maternal group with iron supplement regularly than in other maternal group without iron supplement during pregnancy. Among the mothers, 26.4% had a serum ferritin levels below 12ng/ml(i.e. depleted iron stores)and 78.9% had a hemoglobin below 12g/dl(i.e.iron deficient anemia). When the maternal group was classified according to their serum ferritin levels by 9ng/ml, 12ng/dl or 20ng/ml, there was no significant difference in the iron status of their newborn infants among the three groups. The hemoglobin and serum ferritin levels of the mothers were well correlated with those of their babies. The maternal hemoglobin values negatively correlated with infant birth weight. It is possible that the demands of iron of the mother might be increased in the case of a newborn infant of greater size. The results of this study provide useful information regarding establishment of RDA for iron in pregnant women and guidance about the need for iron supplement during pregnancy.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.1057-1065
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• 1998

Anthropometric and body compositional changes and the outcomes of the pregnancies of 90 healthy Korean women were investigated in a longitudinal study. Their weight increased from 51.3$\pm$5.9kg to 65.1$\pm$7.8kg during their pregnancies. The total weight gain was 13.8$\pm$4.5kg, and therefore, weekly weight gain was 340$\pm$110g during the entire period of the pregnancy. The weight gain was composed of approximately 50-60% fat mass and 40-50% fat-free mass. Skinfold thicknesses, both of triceps and subscapular, increased during the pregnancies. The fat mass calculated from skinfold thickness and that measured with bioelectrical impedance analysis went on increasing during the pregnancies. Although there was a considerable difference with respect to the fat mass observed using the three methods, fat mass gain was 5.0-6.1kg and fat-free mass gain was 4.0-5.3kg from the first trimester to the third trimester of pregnancies. There were significant correlations between maternal anthropometric parameters and indices of pregnancy outcomes. Especially, the infant's birth weight was associated with maternal pre-pregnancy weight and weight gains during the pregnancies. The infant's birth length was related to the maternal weight observed at term(p<0.05) and weight gain during the entire pregnancies (p<0.05) . Neither increase of fat mass nor fat-free mass affected the outcomes of pregnancy. These results show that maternal weight gain during pregnancy is led by increments of approximately above 50% fat mass. The fat mass increase seems to be larger in central areas than in subcutaneous areas. Maternal weight gain during pregnancy, especially during late pregnancy, is a factor affecting the birth weight and length of infant. On the basis of the body compositional changes, it can be predicted that the additional energy requirement for pregnancy in Korean women is more than 200-230 MJ (64,500-76,250kca1). (Korean J Nutrition 31(6) : 1057-1065, 1998)

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.630-638
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• 2011

This study was performed to assess the relationships among bone mineral density, anthropometric measurements, maternal factors and exercise in premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Anthropometric measurements were taken by a trained practitioner and the maternal factors of the 78 subjects in Gyeonggi-do were acquired by an interview questionnare. The BMD of the lumbar spine(L2~L4), femoral neck, Ward's triangles and trochanters were measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. The mean age of the premenopausal women was 45.23 years and that of the postmenopausal women whose ase of menopause was 49.37 years was 61.27 years. The age, waist and waist to hip ratio of postmenopausal women were significantly higher than those of premenopausal women. BMD of the lumbar spine(L2~L4) in postmenopausal women was significantly higher than that of premenopausal women. Number of children and age at last delivery were significantly higher in postmenopausal women than those in premenopausal women. The BMDs of the lumbar spine and femoral neck of premenopausal women was positively correlated with weight, body mass index, waist and WHR and the BMDs of these two sites in postmenopausal women were positively correlated with height, and weight. In postmenopausal women, BMD of the lumbar spine was negatively correlated with duration time after menopause and BMD of the femoral neck was positively correlated with age at last delivery. These results suggest that it is necessary to maintain adequate body weight. Health management and education about performing more exercise are recommended for postmenopausal women to prevent osteoporosis.