• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.78-87
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• 2024

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The prevalence of obesity, a worldwide pandemic, has been increasing steadily in Korea. Reports have shown that increased intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT) is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, independent of body mass index. However, the relationship between dietary intake and IMAT accumulation in the Korean population remains undetermined. The objective of this study was to evaluate regional fat compartments using advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques. We also aimed to investigate the association between IMAT amounts and dietary intake, including carbohydrate intake, among Korean individuals with obesity. SUBJECTS/METHODS: This cross-sectional study, performed at a medical center in South Korea, recruited 35 individuals with obesity (15 men and 20 women) and classified them into 2 groups according to sex. Anthropometry was performed, and body fat distribution was measured using MRI. Blood parameters, including glucose and lipid profiles, were analyzed using commercial kits. Linear regression analysis was used to test whether the IMAT was associated with daily carbohydrate intake. RESULTS: Carbohydrate intake was positively associated with IMAT in all individuals, with adjustments for age, sex, height, and weight. No significant differences in blood indicators were found between the sexes. CONCLUSIONS: Regardless of sex and age, higher carbohydrate intake was strongly correlated with greater IMAT accumulation. This suggests the need to better understand sex differences and high carbohydrate diet patterns in relation to the association between obesity and metabolic risk, which may help reduce obesity prevalence.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.177-182
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• 1983

In order to clarify the effect of the unilateral pneumonectomy on the compensatory growth of the residual lung, liver and kidney, and serum electrophoresis pattern, right lung pneumonectomy was performed on rabbits under general anesthesia with pentobarbital sodium. On the fifth day after the surgery, the weight of the residual lung, liver and bilateral kidneys was measured and organ weight-body weight ratio was calculated. And in an attempt to know whether the cells in the liver and the kidney were proliferated by unilateral pneumonectomy, DNA content was determined. The quantity(g/100 ml) of serum protein was determined also and serum electrophoresis was performed on cellulose acetate membrane. The results obtained are summarized as following. The weight of the residual lung and lung weight-body weight ratio was significantly increased respectively. The weight of the liver and organ weight-body weight ratio were not changed but the DNA content of the liver and kidney tissue increased significantly, illustrating that unilateral pneumonectomy caused cellular hyperplasia in the liver and in the kidney as well as in the residual lung. The quantity(g/100 ml) of serum protein was significantly increased and in the analysis of the electrophoregram, there was significant difference between the normal and pneumonectomy group. Taken together, these results indicate that unilateral pneumonectomy caused the compensatory hyperplasia of the liver, the kidney and the residual lung as well as the change of electro-phoretic pattern. And it also suggests that a humoral factor, which proliferates the cells in the residual lung, the liver and the kidney, existed in the pneumonectomized rabbits.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.133-142
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• 2009

Objective : Recently, obesity has increased at an alarming rate and is now a worldwide health problem. Natural dietary supplement, $CharmSlim^{(R)}$(C), is mixed pills, which consists of beans, black sesames, kelps, onions, adlay seeds, anchovies, pyogo mushrooms, green tea. Our study was performed to determine the weight-loss effects of natural dietary supplement, based on natural ingredients, in mice fed high-fat diet with an abundance of carbohydrates. Methods : Four groups of male ICR mice were fed different diets during 6 weeks: normal diet(NOR), high-fat (15%, w/w) diet(HF), high-fat supplemented with natural dietary supplement powdered 5%(C5) and 10%(C10) groups. We measured the changes of food intake, body weight and adipose tissues weights. Also we examined levels of lipid profiles in serum. Results : Body weight, liver weight and food efficiency ratio were significantly higher in the HF group than in NOR group. After 6 weeks of treatment, body weight, liver weight and adipose tissues weights (epididymal, perinephric, visceral and BAT) were significantly decreased in the C10 group when compared to the control HF group. The C10 group had markedly lower serum levels of total cholesterol and triglyceride when compared with HF group. Conclusion : These results demonstrate that this dietary supplement can suppress the increased lipid profiles, body weight and fat gains, thus could be considered as an effective adjunct in the treatment of obesity.

• International Journal of Contents
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.26-31
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• 2011

People with obesity or over-weight need nutritional intervention to reduce their weight, because weight loss reduces the incidence rate of chronic diseases such as hypertension, type II diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer in obese people. This study was to develop a system for individualized weight control program available both for wired and wireless internet users. This system is especially useful to users carrying wireless internet mobile device. If they input their physical information (height, weight and waist circumference) and mineral levels measured by hair tissue mineral analysis, the system provides evaluation of their health status and metabolic related functions such as endocrine and carbohydrate tolerance. Based on these evaluations, food menus are then offered to them to manage their health status and to improve their metabolic related physiological functions in a personalized way. The system also provides more information for recommended foods, such as nutritional information, food ingredients, recipes, and videos related to cooking. Bibimbap was selected as an example dish for customized contents for mobile web. Bibimbap is one of the most well-known Korean traditional dishes prepared with various kinds of ingredients including several different kinds of vegetables, meat, and egg so that it is a low calorie dish as well as a well-balanced diet. Therefore, this system developed in this study allows the mobile users to access web site through wired wireless internet everywhere and provides a customized content to the users to manage their weight and finally to achieve a desirable weight.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.121-126
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• 2007

Obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. In our case study using animal models for disease states such as obesity or hypertension, we found that, Isaria sinclairii remarkably reduced body weight and ameliorated metabolic abnormalities in Zucker and SHR rats. Genetically obese (fa/fa) Zucker rats were one animal model chosen for this study. Four groups of rats received a standard diet and were treated orally with the following test samples daily for 8 weeks: saline (negative control), ethanol extracts of I. sinclairii, hot water extract of I. sinclairii, or $Xenical^{(R)}$ (30 mg/kg, positive control). Mild reductions (6.3%) in body weight gain were observed in the groups treated with the hot water extract of I. sinclairii compared to the control after 8 weeks. Interestingly, organ weight was greatly reduced by this Dongchunghacho (I. sinclairii), in parallel with the mild reductions in body weight gain and reductions in abdominal fat (adipose tissue). Also observed was a 4.1 % decrease in the ratio of heart weight/body weight compared to the control group. As a hypertensive animal model, SHR (spontaneously hypertensive rat) and WKY (Wistar Kyoto) rats were also administered these extracts for one month. Treatment with the hot water extract of I. sinclairii caused greater reductions in body weight gain for the SHR group (10.9%) compared to the WKY group's (5.2%). Based on these results, I. sinclairii extracts contain selective action for anti-obesity activity, naturally occurring candidate for regulation of body weight increase, as demonstrated in the present study.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.180-185
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• 2003

Rats(Sprague-Dawley) were randomly assigned to the following four groups, control, exercise only, exercise and the intake of DNA, exercise, and the intake of DNA plus crude catechin. 0.4% of DNA from salmon egg and 0.1% crude catechins from Puerariae thunbergiana roots were fed to the rats. The exercise group was exercised in a treadmill at 20 m/min speed for 6 wks. Body weight and body fat weight of 4 groups were investigated, and the body fat composition and antioxidant activity were evaluated by measuring the weight of organs and biochemical test. After 6 wks, body weight did not show any significant differences among those 4 groups, but body fat weight in exercised groups was significantly decreased. The weight of liver, epididymal adipose tissue(E.A.T) and perirenal adipose tissue(P.A.T) were significantly decreased in groups of exercise only, exercise and the intake of DNA, exercise and the intake of DNA plus crude catechin(p<0.05). Phospholipid, cholesterol and triglyceride levels of serum were decreased by exercise, but HDL-cholesterol level of serum was significantly increased(p<0.05). GOT, GPT and glucose levels in serum were slightly decreased by crude catechin, but serum NEFA levels were significantly increased by crude catechin(p<0.05). Results indicated that excercise with the intake of crude catechin would be helpful for the functional development of the compositions in blood lipid.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.117-117
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• 2005

Objectives : This experimental study was designed to investigate the effect of SBY-III extract on the weight, cell size of epididymal fat-pad, fat accumulation area in liver, serum lipid level and UCP1 mRNA in brown adipose tissue of high fat diet-fed obese rats continued by high fat diet and regulated by normal Diet. Methods : The body weight gain, weight of the internal organs(epididymis, liver, brown adipose tissue), insulin, triglyceride, total cholesterol, total lopod, free fatty acid, expression of UCP1 mRNA were measured in high fat diet-fed obese rats continued by high fat diet and regulated by normal diet. The experimental study are divided into exp-I and exp-II. Each study was administered normal diet, high fat diet and SBY-III according to each situation. Normal group is normal diet for 8 weeks. Exp-I are divided into control group(high fat diet for 8 weeks) and sample group(high fat diet for 8 weeks and SBY-III for last 2 weeks). Exp-II are divided into control group(high fat diet for 6 weeks and normal diet for 2 weeks) and sample group(high fat diet for 6 weeks and normal diet with SBY-III for 2 weeks). These were then compared mutually. Results : 1. Irrespective of diet control, sample group taken SBY-III showed the more effective decrease of weight gain than control group and diet control-fed sample group with SBY-III showed the more effective decrease of weight loss including weight gain than control group. 2. Irrespective of diet control, sample group taken SBY-III showed the more effective decrease cell size of epididymal fat-pad, fat accumulation area in liver than control group. 3. Non diet control-fed sample group taken SBY-III showed the more effective decrease of serum triglyceride, total lipid, free fatty acid than control group and diet control-fed sample group taken SBY-III showed the decrease of serum triglyceride, free fatty acid than control group. 4. Only diet control-fed sample group taken SBY-III showed the decrease of UCP1 volume. Conclusions : These results shows that SBY-III has effects on anti-obesity, especially keeping pace with diet control.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.35 no.9
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• pp.1194-1199
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• 2006

Effects of Korean traditional soybean fermented foods on weight reduction and lipid lowering activities were studied using Spraque-Dawley (SD) rats fed a high fat diet. The rats were raised for four weeks after adaptation period on either a normal diet (ND, based on the AIN-93 diet), high fat diet (HFD, supplemented with 12% lard oil in the ND), or diets containing 10% of freeze dried Doenjang, Chungkukjang, Kochujang, or Samjang to HFD. The final weight, food efficiency ratio (FER) and the weight of adipose tissue were decreased significantly by the consumption of Doenjang and Samjang, compared to HFD (p<0.05). The contents of cholesterol and triglyceride increased by HFD were reduced by the fermented foods in liver and perirenal fat tissues of the rats, especially Doenjang and Samjang diets showed high lipid lowering activity. And TG and cholesterol contents in the plasma serum were simillar trend to liver and perirenal fat tissue. These results suggested that Korean traditional soybean fermented foods, especially Doenjang showed the highest weight reduction and lipid lowering activities of the rats fed high fat diet.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.65 no.3
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• pp.143-152
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• 2022

We investigated the serum cholesterol and visceral fat lowering effects of Momordica charanatia (MC) and Withania somnifera (WS) extracts in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice. Combination of fermented MC and WS extracts (FMCWS) as well as that of non-fermented extracts (MCWS) were orally administered to HFD-induced obese mice along with the HFD supplementation for 8 weeks. During the experiment, body weight, food intake, and levels of total cholesterol, triglyceride and HDL-cholesterol were analyzed. Body weight and the levels of total cholesterol and triglycerides were significantly increased in the HFD-fed mice compared with the normal control (NC) group. However, supplementation of the extracts showed a tendency to reduce body weight gain and suppressed the levels of total cholesterol and triglyceride with the increment of HDL-cholesterol levels. Abdominal fat weight was significantly increased in the HFD group, and the size of adipocytes within the epididymal adipose tissue was markedly expanded compared with the NC group. However, in the FMCWS and MCWS groups, the abdominal fat weight was significantly reduced and the sizes of the adipocytes were noticeably diminished compared with those of the HFD-fed mice. Moreover, the deposition of giant vesicular fat cells observed in the liver tissue of the HFD group was prominently reduced in these groups. These results indicate that the combination of extracts from MC and WS tends to have potent synergic effects in reducing body weight gain as well as significantly lowering the visceral fat and the serum lipid levels, and thus improving anti-obesity efficacy in HFD-induced obese mice.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.125-132
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• 1997

To investigate the cadmium (Cd) toxicity on the testis, male rats were treated with 1, 2, 4 and 8 mg/kg of Cd by IP. According to histochemical studies, Cd-treated testis tissue showed death of spermatozoa, death of Sertoli cells, death of all the spermatogenic cells, and finally disappearance of basal lamina of seminiferous tubules with increasing doses, and showed decreased ground substances and Leydig cells, increased inflammatory cells and fibroblasts, and fibroblasts, and finally disappearance of ground substances and all the cells except fibroblasts within interstitial tissues with increasing doses. According to biochemical studies, two kinds of proteins, 25 and 45 kDa, were dramatically disappeared from the total protein of rat testis treated with Cd comparing to normal testis. The result of electrophoresis of total protein suggests that actin (45 kDa), presumed on its mmolecular weight and amount, in the testis-cells is the primary target of Cd poisoning. Although its exact mechanism is not clear, the disappearance of two proteins when testis is exposed to Cd should give some clues to understnad the mechanism of necrosis of testis tissue crumbling by heavy metal pollutant such as Cd.