• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.245-252
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• 2024

Ginseng is a traditional herbal medicine used for prevention and treatment of various diseases as a tonic. Recent scientific cohort studies on life prolongation with ginseng consumption support this record, as those who consumed ginseng for more than 5 years had reduced mortality and cognitive decline compared to those who did not. Clinical studies have also shown that acute or long-term intake of ginseng total extract improves acute working memory performance or cognitive function in healthy individuals and those with subjective memory impairment (SMI), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), or early Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia who are taking AD medication(s). Ginseng contains various components ranging from classical ginsenosides and polysaccharides to more recently described gintonin. However, it is unclear which ginseng component(s) might be the main candidate that contribute to memory or cognitive improvements or prevent cognitive decline in older individuals. This review describes recent clinical contributors to ginseng components in clinical tests and introduces emerging evidence that ginseng components could be novel candidates for cognitive improvement in older individuals, as ginseng components improve SMI cognition and exhibits add-on effects when coadministered with early AD dementia drugs. The mechanism behind the beneficial effects of ginseng components and how it improves cognition are presented. Additionally, this review shows how ginseng components can contribute to SMI, MCI, or early AD dementia when used as a supplementary food and/or medicine, and proposes a novel combination therapy of current AD medicines with ginseng component(s).

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.297-309
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• 2016

Around the world, fermentation of foods has been adopted over many generations, primarily due to their commercial significance with enriched flavors and high-profile nutrients. The increasing application of fermented foods is further promoted by recent evidence on their health benefits, beyond the traditionally recognized effects on the digestive system. With recent advances in the understanding of gut-brain interactions, there have also been reports suggesting the fermented food's efficacy, particularly for cognitive function improvements. These results are strengthened by the proposed biological effects of fermented foods, including neuroprotection against neurotoxicity and reactive oxygen species. This paper reviews the beneficial health effects of fermented foods with particular emphasis on cognitive enhancement and neuroprotective effects. With an extensive review of fermented foods and their potential cognitive benefits, this paper may promote commercially feasible applications of fermented foods as natural remedies to cognitive problems.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.448-458
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• 2014

Objectives: Increasing salt preferences with age are said to increase preferences of salty foods, thereby leading to greater sodium consumption, which has further implication for hypertension. This study examined the link between preference of salty taste and dietary factors and health-related risk factors in Korean elderly people. Methods: We studied 312 elderly individuals aged > 65 years (male, 100 and female, 212). With each subject, pleasant concentration of NaCl was estimated using the sip-and-spit method. Dietary habits, food preferences, consumption frequencies, anthropometric and biochemical assessment were assessed. Results: The pleasant salt concentration was significantly increased in individuals older than 75 years (p < 0.05). Subjects who liked high concentration of salt showed significantly higher preferences for salty foods (p < 0.001). Results showed significant effects (p < 0.01) of fruit & fruit juice consumption frequencies, MNA (mini-nutritional assessment), cognition score, BMI, body fat %, waist circumference, arm circumference, calf circumference, vitamin D level that subjects who likes low salty taste were higher than subjects who likes high salty taste. Conclusions: The preference for salty taste in the elderly was not correlated with hypertension. But, increased preference for salty taste with age and increased salty food preferences may result in higher sodium consumption. Therefore, nutritional education regarding lowering salt preference and favorable behaviors of low-salt diet is needed to improve the quality of life in the rural elderly.

• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.75-94
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• 2011

This study is designed to expand 'Q-Methodology' into the global marketing realm in attempt to find out how Canadian consumers will perceive Korean food. The ultimate aim of this thesis is to lay a basic foundation to globalize Korean food and heighten the potential and quality of Korean food. Korean food, well-known as slow diet, jumps on the bandwagon of the Korean Wave and spreads at a rapid pace. At this point, most Korean food becomes widespread under the influence of the boom of not just the Korean Wave but also the growing desire for health food. Hence, it is the most important to analyze consumers' types in order to learn how each individual nation perceives Korean Food. This can be used as the basic research and study to enhance the national competitiveness of Korean food. Q-methodology is adopted in this study to reveal the critical dimensions and characteristics of the target market and/or consumers for Korean Food using the Canadian respondents' subjective attributes. Three categories (pragmatic trend type, traditional culture seeking type, a beginner type) of Canadian consumer behavior regarding Korean Food are found and suggested in this study. The objective attributes of Korean food are not considered here, but the Canadian consumers' subjective behavioral attributes are.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.519-529
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• 2015

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of food insecurity in Korean elderly and to analyze the health status as well as food and nutrient intakes according to food insecurity status. Methods: A total of 939 elderly subjects (over 65 years old) were used in our analysis from the fifth 2010 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES V-1). The variables consisted of general characteristics, physical and mental health, nutrient intake, rate of deficient intake of energy and nutrients compared with Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans (KDRIs) and food quality and diversity according to the status of food insecurity. Food insecurity status was measured using a self-reported food security questionnaire on the dietary situation in the previous year, and participants were classified according to three groups: food secure group, mildly food insecure group, and moderately/severely food insecure group. Results: The proportion of the food insecure group was approximately 67% and the food insecure group had lower income and educational status than the food secure group. Food insecurity was associated with worse physical and mental health status after adjusting potentially confounding variables. The results showed that food insecurity in Korean elderly significantly affected mental health (including stress cognition, depression experience, and suicide thoughts) which exceeded stages of physical health. In addition, food insecurity showed significant association with low nutrient intake and high rate of deficient intakes of energy and nutrients compared with KDRIs, and a reduction of dietary quality and diversity was indicated in the food insecure group. Conclusion: This study concludes that the prevalence of food insecurity may affect the physical and mental health as well as dietary intake of the elderly Korean population. Therefore, food insecurity should be considered as an important public health issue in Korea.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.371-385
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Soy isoflavone (SIF) and soy lecithin (SL) have beneficial effects on many chronic diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases. Regretfully, there is little evidence to show the combined effects of these soy extractives on the impairment of cognition and abnormal cerebral blood flow (CBF). This study examined the optimal combination dose of SIF + SL to provide evidence for improving CBF and protecting cerebrovascular endothelial cells. MATERIALS/METHODS: In vivo study, SIF50 + SL40, SIF50 + SL80 and SIF50 + SL160 groups were obtained. Morris water maze, laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI), and hematoxylin-eosin staining were used to detect learning and memory impairment, CBF, and damage to the cerebrovascular tissue in rat. The 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and the oxidized glutathione (GSSG) were detected. The anti-oxidative damage index of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH) in the serum of an animal model was also tested. In vitro study, an immortalized mouse brain endothelial cell line (bEND.3 cells) was used to confirm the cerebrovascular endothelial cell protection of SIF + SL. In this study, 50 µM of Gen were used, while the 25, 50, or 100 µM of SL for different incubation times were selected first. The intracellular levels of 8-OHdG, SOD, GSH, and GSSG were also detected in the cells. RESULTS: In vivo study, SIF + SL could increase the target crossing times significantly and shorten the total swimming distance of rats. The CBF in the rats of the SIF50 + SL40 group and SIF50 + SL160 group was enhanced. Pathological changes, such as attenuation of the endothelium in cerebral vessels were much less in the SIF50 + SL40 group and SIF50 + SL160 group. The 8-OHdG was reduced in the SIF50 + SL40 group. The GSSG showed a significant decrease in all SIF + SL pretreatment groups, but the GSH showed an opposite result. SOD was upregulated by SIF + SL pretreatment. Different combinations of Genistein (Gen)+SL, the secondary proof of health benefits found in vivo study, showed they have effective anti-oxidation and less side reaction on protecting cerebrovascular endothelial cell. SIF50 + SL40 in rats experiment and Gen50 + SL25 in cell test were the optimum joint doses on alleviating cognitive impairment and regulating CBF through protecting cerebrovascular tissue by its antioxidant activity. CONCLUSIONS: SIF+SL could significantly prevent cognitive defect induced by β-Amyloid through regulating CBF. This kind of effect might be attributed to its antioxidant activity on protecting cerebral vessels.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.106-118
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• 2013

In this paper, we analyzed the Cognition of irradiated food and its relation with self-efficacy. The most important variables described behaviors based on health choices compared with the choice to choose irradiated food items. According to the survey, 33.1% of respondents said that the reason why irradiated food is considered to be a health risk is because "radiation is dangerous". 27.9% of respondents answered that "eating irradiated food is like eating a radioactive substance", 21.1% said radiated food is comparable to a "genetic variation in food" while 10.1% said "food goes bad during the irradiation process". On this basis, it is reasonable to conclude that respondents have a misunderstanding of irradiated food without reference to the general theory of irradiated knowledge. In this respect, it would be helpful to provide education showing that irradiated food is not related to eating harmful or genetically modified food to help high school students create informed opinions of irradiated food. In terms of relevance with health-specific self-efficacy, experience of acquiring information about irradiated food was marked at r=0.148 (p<0.01), experience of purchasing irradiated food was marked at r=0.077 (p<0.05), experience of eating irradiated food was marked at r=0.113 (p<0.01) while knowledge of irradiated food, attitude towards irradiated food and behavior was marked at r=0.103 (p<0.01), r=0.076 (p<0.05) and r=0.105 (p<0.01) respectively. This shows that self-efficacy is high when one has experience of acquiring information about irradiated food, purchasing or eating irradiated food resulting in a high level of knowledge, attitude and behavior. Education which serves to improve the level of self-efficacy needs to be provided along with an educational program which will increase the public's understanding of irradiated food. It is expected that if this education which increases the level of self-efficacy is provided together with correct information of irradiated food, behavior to choose and eat irradiated food will also improve.

• Culinary science and hospitality research
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.43-51
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to assess the sanitation level and purchase behavior of fishery products, and to identify management conditions of bad smell from cooking fish at home as perceived by housewives in a metropolitan area. Frequency analysis, descriptive analysis, and cross-tabulation analysis were employed as statistical techniques for current study. Total 270 were collected from housewives. The statistical variables included the kinds of cooking oil and the age of housewives, the types of hoods for fish roasting, the types of covers for fish grills, the number of family, the ventilation methods, and the maintenance of kitchen utensils based on family incomes, and they showed statistically significant differences(p<.05). Furthermore, the housewives whose sanitary cognition level for fishery products was high, the housewives whose level of purchase attitude was relatively high, and the housewives who utilized specialized kitchen utensils demonstrated statistically significant differences(p<.05). It resulted from the assessment of such actual conditions as difference of culinary environment according to the sanitation level of fishery products, the level of purchase attitude, and whether the housewives utilized special kitchen utensils or not. The more efforts were proved from those who had the intentions for improvement of an amenable culinary environment at homes, according to the higher income obtainers, the smaller nuclear family, the younger generation, whether the housewives utilized special kitchen utensils or not, and those who had the higher sanitary cognition level of fishery products. The above results were derived from an individual lifestyle or a dietary lifestyle, but eventually this seems to be related with the propensity and values hierarchy of individuals.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.174-181
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• 2004

Objective : To examine the association between dietary factors and cognitive impairment in older Korean women living in the community. Methods : Wave 2 data, from the Suwon Longitudinal Aging Study (SLAS), of 365 women aged 65 years or over, were used. The Korean version of the 30-point Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE-K) was used to assess cognitive impairment (score$\geq$19). Dietary habits and frequencies of food group consumption were also examined. Results : A total of 67 women (18.4%) were found to be cognitively impaired. In bivariate analyses, nondietary factors, such as age, marital status, education, income, self-rated health, depression, emotional support, social activity, exercise, and dietary factors, such as self-rated nutritional status, frequency of beans and bean products and milk and dairy products consumption were associated with cognitive impairment. In the multivariate analysis, a higher frequency ($\geq$1 vs. <1 time/day) of beans and bean products (OR=0.48, 95% CI: 0.23-0.99) and milk and dairy products (OR=0.25, 95% CI: 0.10-0.61) consumption was inversely associated with cognitive impairment, after adjustment for non-dietary factors. Conclusion : These results suggest that dietary factors may play a significant role in cognitive impairment of older Korean women.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.10 no.10
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• pp.2974-2984
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• 2009

This study was scale for subjective health-recognition related general factor, health habits and management, cancer recognition and provision. Methods : The subjects were elderly who voluntarily participated in the survey. Results : The Health recognition people 50.7% answered 'Normal'. The health condition should have obstructed a daily life, said that cognition cannot be good health recognition. The health control method was bad or normal group manages with the medical supply (foodstuffs inclusion) then again, the recognition good group was answered that did not tobacco and drink alcohol or prohibit do it. For ten years from now the health recognition about cancer occurrence possibility that the health recognition good group was rare possibility 42.7%, bad group was 52.0% and normal group was 47.6%. Conclusions : In health promotion priorities of elderly differed by gender and subjective health status. The regular exercise and health-related habit do as a favor the possibility of living is healthy.