• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.41 no.12
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• pp.1734-1739
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• 2012

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of diet on the nutritional status and constipation rate of female college students. A total of 251 female college students living in Gyeonggi province participated in this study. Dietary intake was ascertained from a 3-day dietary record, including 2 weekdays and 1 weekend day. Anthropometrics, general characteristics, diet experiences, dietary habits and prevalence of constipation were analyzed using a questionnaire. The subjects were divided into two groups, a control group (n=165, 46.2%) and a diet group (n=135, 53.8%). There was no significant difference in age, height, weight or BMI between groups. The prevalence of constipation was higher in the diet group than the control group. The intakes of energy, dietary fiber and water of the diet group were significantly lower than those of the control group. Correlation analysis revealed that the prevalence of constipation was negatively associated with exercise score, dietary fiber intake and water intake. It is postulated that dietary habits might be important factors contributing to constipation. Accordingly, nutrition education aimed to improve intakes of fiber and water may be necessary during weight control periods.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.904-910
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• 2013

The aim of this study was to investigate the eating behavior and nutritional status of subjects according to their purpose of exercise. A total of 214 subjects, 20 to 30 years of age, who visited fitness centers in Seoul were enrolled. Anthropometrics, exercise habits, nutritional knowledge, and eating behaviors were analyzed using a questionnaire. Nutritional status was assessed by serial 24 h recalls. The subjects were divided into two groups based on their purpose of exercise: increasing muscle (Muscle growth, n=107) or losing body weight (Weight loss, n=107). The Muscle growth group contained a higher percentage of men, whereas the Weight loss group contained a higher percentage of women. The Muscle growth group showed significantly higher scores of nutritional knowledge and eating behaviors compared to the Weight loss group. The Muscle growth group also had a significantly higher intake of energy and protein compared to the Weight loss group. In fact, the intake of energy in the Weight loss group was lower than the estimated energy requirement (EER) for both men and women subjects. The intake of protein in the Muscle growth group was twice as much as the recommended nutrient intake (RNI). The intake of calcium in both groups was less than the RNI. In conclusion, those who exercised with the aim of increasing muscle took excess dietary protein and those who exercised with the aim of weight loss had a lower energy intake than the EER.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.461-469
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• 2013

This study was conducted in order to investigate body awareness and dietary life according to gender. Subjects of the study were 120 men and 127 women aged 20 to 30 years, who exercise regularly at a fitness center in Seoul. The subjects were asked to fill out a questionnaire on body awareness, reason for regular exercise, dietary behaviors, and nutrition knowledge. The percentage of overweight and obesity was 69.2% in men, and 25.2% in women. The percentage of subjects who considered themselves as overweight was 38.3% in men and 59.8% in women. Intake of protein in men was higher than the recommended nutrient intake (RNI). Intake of energy in women was lower than the estimated energy requirement (EER). Men who considered themselves as overweight showed lower energy intake than men who considered their body weight as under and normal, whereas no difference in energy intake was observed between women who considered themselves as overweight and women who considered their body weight as under and normal.

• Food Engineering Progress
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.169-175
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• 2009

Water soluble polysaccharides (WSP) and arabinogalactan of Portulaca oleracea L. (POL) were increased after extrusion and commercial cellulase treatment. Arabinose and galactose content increased more about 1.5 times than those of raw POL, and rhamnose also increased about 2.6 times in WSP. High molecular weight fraction (I) of POL depending on extrusion condition including Ext I, Ext II and Ext III degraded into low molecular weight fraction (II) about 37, 29, and 26%, respectively, ranged from 67,000-69,000 Da of molecular weight. Especially, the molecular weight and composition of WSP with extruded, were increased from 9 to 13% in low molecular weight fraction, compared to those of raw POL. Solubilization and degradation of polysaccharides were a directly propotional to specific mechanical energy in POL extrusion. WSP obtained by extrusion at Ext I and Ext II were found to be effective antioxidants in different in vitro assays with regards to 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC). However, these results suggest that WSP obtained using extrusion and subsequent enzymatic treatment may be an effective method to produce arabinogalactan from POL and be used as a functional food ingredients.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.448-458
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• 2021

Purpose: Mulberry (Morus alba L.) fruit is widely grown in Asia and consumed as fresh fruit, jam, and juices. The fruit has beneficial health effects, including anti-diabetic, anti-tumor, and anti-obesity properties. However, the mechanisms by which mulberry fruit juice powder (MJ) regulates inflammatory microRNAs (miRs) are not yet known. This study investigated the effect of mulberry fruit juice powder on the regulation of inflammation and miR-132/143 during 3T3-L1 adipocyte differentiation. Methods: The 3T3-L1 cells were induced to differentiate for 2 days and then treated with various concentrations of MJ for 7 days. Cytotoxicity was determined by evaluating cell viability using a water-soluble tetrazolium salt-8 assay kit. Intracellular lipid accumulation was evaluated by oil-red O staining. The levels of the expression of genes involved in adipogenesis and inflammation, and miR-132/143 were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reactions. Results: MJ showed no cytotoxic effect on 3T3-L1 adipocytes at concentrations below 100 ng/mL. Intracellular lipid accumulation was reduced by MJ treatment at concentrations of 100 ng/mL. The messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of proliferator-activated receptor-γ, cytosine-cytosine-adenosine-adenosine-thymidine/enhancer-binding protein-α, and adipocyte protein 2, which are involved in adipogenesis, were suppressed by MJ. A reduction was also seen in mRNA levels of genes related to the inflammatory response, such as tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, and inducible nitric oxide synthase. The expression of the inflammatory miR-132 and miR-143 was also decreased by MJ. Conclusion: These results suggest that MJ may suppress adipogenesis and inflammation through the regulation of miR-132/143 expression in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Thus, MJ may be useful as a food agent that prevents obesity-associated inflammation.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.631-643
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• 2021

Purpose: Frailty is a clinical syndrome in older adults, and adequate nutrition is a modifiable factor in preventing the condition. The current study aims to investigate the association between frailty and dietary intake in the Korean elderly. Methods: This cross-sectional study included data from the 2018 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of 1,268 subjects (535 men and 733 women) aged 65 years or older. Frailty was defined as having more than three of the following 5 modified Fried frailty phenotype criteria: unintentional weight loss, exhaustion, walking difficulties, weakness, and low physical activity. Dietary intake was assessed by applying the one-day 24-hour dietary recall. The association between frailty and dietary intakes were analyzed by multiple logistic regression. Results: Totally, 9.7% men and 21.9% women were classified as the frail group. Increasing levels of frailty were proportional to a decreased mean nutrient adequacy ratio in both genders. Moreover, the total food intake was significantly low in the frail elderly. In male subjects, multiple logistic regression analyses after adjusting covariates showed that the odds ratio (OR) of frailty in the highest tertile of the consumption of fruits (OR [95% confidence interval, CI] = 0.34 [0.13-0.93], p-trend = 0.021) were significantly lower than values obtained in the lowest tertile. In females, the highest tertile of fish and shellfish intake showed a significantly lower OR for frailty (OR [95% CI] = 0.55 [0.30-0.99], p-trend = 0.045), as compared with the lowest tertile. Conclusion: The present study indicates that high intake of fruits for men, and fish and shellfish for women, are probably linked with lowering the risk of frailty in the elderly.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.36-46
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• 2022

Purpose: Quercetin is a polyphenolic flavonoid abundant in many fruits and vegetables. It has potential health-beneficial properties, such as antioxidant, anti-obesity, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory effects. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the lipid metabolism improvement effect of quercetin affected the regulation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity and microRNA (miR)-21 expression in the liver of mice fed a high-cholesterol diet. Methods: Male C57BL/6J mice were fed with normal diet, quercetin-free diet and diets containing 0.05% or 0.1% quercetin for six weeks. Hypercholesterolemia was induced by adding 1% cholesterol and 0.5% cholic acid to all diets. Serum and liver triglyceride (TG), and total cholesterol (TC) concentrations were analyzed using a commercial enzymatic colorimetric kit. AMPK activity was quantified using an AMPK kinase assay kit. The levels of miR-21 and genes involved in lipid metabolism were measured by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results: Supplementation of quercetin reduced serum and hepatic TG and TC levels without changing body weight and food intake. Dietary quercetin significantly inhibited the mRNA levels of hepatic sterol-regulatory element binding protein-1c, acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 and fatty acid synthesis, which are involved in hepatic lipogenesis. Dietary quercetin enhanced AMPK activity and suppressed miR-21 expression, promoting hepatic lipid accumulation. Conclusion: These results suggest that the lipid-lowering effect of quercetin on the serum and liver of mice may be partially mediated by the regulation of lipogenic gene expression, AMPK activity and miR-21 expression in the liver of mice fed a high-cholesterol diet.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.46 no.7
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• pp.868-875
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• 2017

The aim of the present study was to investigate antioxidant nutrient intake and risk of metabolic syndrome based on stress level in rural Korean women. Subject were participants from the Multi-Rural Communities Cohort Study, which was a part of the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study. According to scores of the Psychosocial Well-Being Index Short-Form, a total of 10,111 subjects were classified into 'low stress group (n=8,015)' from 0 to 26 points and 'high stress group (n=2,096)' above 27 points. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires, anthropometric measurements, and blood chemical analysis. Dietary nutrient consumption was assessed by a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. High stress group showed lower intake of antioxidant nutrients, such as vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, folate, zinc, and carotene compared to the low stress group. Intake of fruits and vegetable was lower in the high stress group compared to the low stress group. Subjects with high stress showed higher risk of hypertension [odd ratio (OR), 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.226 (1.112~1.351)] and hypertriglyceridemia [OR, 95% CI=1.227 (1.110~1.356)] than subjects with low stress. High stress group had a significantly greater odds ratio for metabolic syndrome compared with the low stress group [OR, 95% CI=1.216 (1.101~1.342]). Thus, the present study suggests that high stress might be associated with low intake of antioxidant nutrients and high risk of metabolic syndrome in rural Korean women.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.21-35
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• 2022

The recommended meal composition allows the general people to organize meals using the number of intakes of foods from each of six food groups (grains, meat·fish·eggs·beans, vegetables, fruits, milk·dairy products and oils·sugars) to meet Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans (KDRIs) without calculating complex nutritional values. Through an integrated analysis of data from the 6th to 7th Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (2013-2018), representative foods for each food group were selected, and the amounts of representative foods per person were derived based on energy. Based on the EER by age and gender from the KDRIs, a total of 12 kinds of diets were suggested by differentiating meal compositions by age (aged 1-2, 3-5, 6-11, 12-18, 19-64, 65-74 and ≥ 75 years) and gender. The 2020 Food Balance Wheel included the 6th food group of oils and sugars to raise public awareness and avoid confusion in the practical utilization of the model by industries or individuals in reducing the consistent increasing intakes of oils and sugars. To promote the everyday use of the Food Balance Wheel and recommended meal compositions among the general public, the poster of the Food Balance Wheel was created in five languages (Korean, English, Japanese, Vietnamese and Chinese) along with card news. A survey was conducted to provide a basis for categorizing nutritional problems by life cycles and developing customized web-based messages to the public. Based on survey results two types of card news were produced for the general public and youth. Additionally, the educational program was developed through a series of processes, such as prioritization of educational topics, setting educational goals for each stage, creation of a detailed educational system chart and teaching-learning plans for the development of educational materials and media.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.227-239
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• 2022

Purpose: This study investigated the effects of water-soluble mulberry leaf extract (ME) on hepatic lipid accumulation in high-fat diet-fed rats via the regulation of hepatic microRNA (miR)-221/222 and inflammation. Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats (4 weeks old) were randomly divided into 3 groups (n = 7 each) and fed with 10 kcal% low-fat diet (LF), 45 kcal% high-fat diet (HF), or HF + 0.8% ME for 14 weeks. Lipid profiles and cytokine levels of the liver and serum were measured using commercial enzymatic colorimetric and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. The messenger RNA (mRNA) and miR levels in liver tissue were assayed by real-time quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Results: Supplementation of ME reduces body weight and improves the liver and serum lipid profiles as compared to the HF group. The mRNA levels of hepatic peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma, sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c, fatty acid synthase, and fatty acid translocase, which are genes involved in lipid metabolism, were significantly downregulated in the ME group compared to the HF group. In contrast, the mRNA level of hepatic carnitine palmitoyl transferase-1 (involved in fatty acid oxidation) was upregulated by ME supplementation. Furthermore, administration of ME significantly downregulated the mRNA levels of inflammatory mediators such as hepatic tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, and inducible nitric oxide synthase. The serum levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and nitric oxide were also significantly reduced in ME group compared to the HF group. Expression of hepatic miR-221 and miR-222, which increase in the inflammatory state of the liver, were also significantly inhibited in the ME group compared to the HF group. Conclusion: These results indicate that ME has the potential to improve hepatic lipid accumulation in high-fat diet-fed rats via modulation of inflammatory mediators and hepatic miR-221/222 expressions.