• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.373-377
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• 2002

Allergens in processed foods may place persons with food allergies at significant risk when the labels do not Provide sufficient warnings or identification of high-risk ingredients. Because egg proteins are common food allergens, this study was carried out to identify hen's egg albumin (ovalbumin, OVA) in five commercially processed foods containing egg (custayd, cookie and pasta), and chicken meat (sausage and meatball) by immunological methods using commercially produced murine monoclonal immunoglobulin G (M-IgG), immunoblotting and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Sample buffer with chelating and reducing agents was prepared and used for the preparation of the protein fractions from the foods. Most bands in sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) profile (5~15% gradient gel) presented at 75 kDa below. OVA (43 kDa) in the sample lanes could not be visually observed on the gel. However, OVA in solutions prepared from custard and cookie could be detected by M-IgG, but were not detected in sausage and pasta. OVA in all samples could be quantitatively determined by the equation obtained from the standard curve by ELISA. Cookie and custard containing egg white and egg, respectively, contained very high concentrations of OVA. OVA in the other products were present in relatively low concentrations, but sufficiently high to pose possible risk of allergy, ELISA is a very sensitive and precise method for the identification and quantification of allergens in food products including allergy-inducible materials.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.2879-2886
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• 2012

In order to thoroughly analyze risk factors of breast cancer (BC) in premenopausal Uruguayan women, a case-control study was carried out at the Pereira Rossell Women's Hospital, Montevideo, where 253 incident BC cases and 497 frequency-matched healthy controls were interviewed on menstrual and reproductive story, were administered a short food frequency questionnaire and undertook a series of body measurements necessary to calculate body composition and somatotype. Odds ratio (OR) coefficients were taken as estimates of relative risk derived from unconditional logistic regression. Among the classical risk factors, only the family history of BC in first degree relatives was significantly associated with risk of premenopausal BC (OR=2.20, 95% CI 1.33-3.62). Interestingly, this risk factor was found to be stronger in women of ages >40 (OR=4.05, 95% CI 2.10-7.81), late menarche (OR= 2.39, 95% CI 1.18-4.85), early age for their first delivery (OR=3.02, 95% CI 1.26-7.22), short time between menarche and first delivery (OR=3.22, 95% CI 1.29-8.07), and with high parity (OR=4.10, 95% CI 1.79-9.36), although heterogeneity was detected only for age and parity. High consumption of red meat was positively associated with the disease risk (OR=2.20, 95% CI 1.35-3.60), in the same way as fried foods (OR=1.79, 95% CI 1.12-2.84). Conversely, a high intake of plant foods displayed a protective effect (OR=0.41, 95% CI 0.26-0.65). Except for hypertension (OR=1.55, 95% CI 1.03-2.35), none of the analyzed components of metabolic syndrome were associated to BC risk. Particular increases of risk for premenopausal BC were found for family history in first degree relatives in certain subsets derived from the menstrual-reproductive history. Preventive strategies could broaden their scope if new studies confirm the present results, in view of the limited prevention measures that premenopausal BC currently has.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.2291-2297
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• 2012

Objective: Gastric cancer is an important public health problem in the world and Turkey. In addition to Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), smoking, alcohol consumption and family history, certain dietary factors have been associated with its occurrence. The impact of dietary habits and life-style factors on the risk of gastric cancer in Turkey were evaluated in this study. Design: A questionnaire was applied to 106 patients with gastric adenocarcinoma and 106 controls without cancer matched for age (range 28-85 years) and gender selected from a hospital based population. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated with logistic regression analysis. Results: The incidence of H. pylori was 81.3% in patients. Frequent consumption of salty dishes, very salty foods like pickles, soup mixes, sausages, foods at hot temperature (ORs = 3.686, 7.784, 5.264, 3.148 and 3.273 respectively) and adding salt without tasting (OR = 4.198) were associated with increased gastric risk. Also heavy smoking and high amount of alcohol consumption (p = 0.000) were risk factors. Frequent consumption of green vegetables, onion, garlic and dried fruits (ORs = 0.569, 0.092, 0.795 and 0.041) was nonsignificantly associated with decreased risk. Conclusion: Improved dietary habits, reducing salt consumption and eradication of H. pylori infection may provide protection against gastric cancer in Turkey.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.233-241
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• 2013

There are limited data on healthy dietary patterns protective against metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) development. We identified dietary patterns among middle-aged and older adults and investigated the associations with the incidence of MetSyn. A population-based prospective cohort study included 5,251 male and female Koreans aged 40-69 years. At baseline, all individuals were free of MetSyn, other major metabolic diseases, and known cardiovascular disease or cancer. Cases of MetSyn were ascertained over a 6-year of follow-up. Dietary patterns and their factor scores were generated by factor analysis using the data of a food frequency questionnaire. We performed pooled logistic regression analysis to estimate multivariable-adjusted relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for associations between factor scores and MetSyn risk. Two dietary patterns were identified; (1) a healthy dietary pattern, which included a variety of foods such as fish, seafood, vegetables, seaweed, protein foods, fruits, dairy products, and grains; and (2) an unhealthy dietary pattern, which included a limited number of food items. After controlling for confounding factors, factor scores for the healthy dietary pattern were inversely associated with MetSyn risk (P-value for trend < 0.05) while those for the unhealthy dietary pattern had no association. Individuals in the top quintile of the healthy diet scores showed a multivariable-adjusted RR [95% CI] of 0.76 [0.60-0.97] for MetSyn risk compared with those in the bottom quintile. The beneficial effects were derived from inverse associations with abdominal obesity, low HDL-cholesterol levels, and high fasting glucose levels. Our findings suggest that a variety of healthy food choices is recommended to prevent MetSyn.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.207-214
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• 2002

Food preference of children may be determined by various lifestyle and environmental factors. This study evaluated the effect of rural or urban inhabitance, cooking methods, and frequency of exposure to vegetable dishes on the acceptance of vegetables by 452 fifth grade children. The subjects were students utilizing meal service in public elementary schools in Boryeoung-city, Chungcheong-nam-do (urban); Cheolwon-gun, Gangwondo (rural); or Pocheon-gun, Kyeonggi-do (suburban). A survey was used to determine the preference of students for 59 foods containing vegetables as a primary ingredient, and categorized by fat content (high, low, or intermediate). Children with working mothers and those living in urban areas tended to have less preference for vegetables than their counterparts in rural areas or with mothers who remained at home. Preference for vegetable foods was correlated with the frequency that vegetable foods were prepared by mothers. Vegetable dishes with a high fat content were preferred over those with low or intermediate fat content, except far soup. This study suggests that children who live in urban areas and whose mothers work outside of the home may be predisposed to nutritional deficiencies due to poor acceptance of vegetable foods, and that all children may be at risk for over-consumption of dietary fat, due to a preference for high fat foods.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.19
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• pp.8509-8519
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• 2014

Many studies have found links between diet and cancer. The summary estimates of the association between dietary factors and cancer risk were investigated using previously reported studies of the Korean population. Gastric cancer risk was inversely associated with the high intake of soy foods [OR (95% CI): 0.32 (0.25-0.40) for soybean, 0.56 (0.45-0.71) for soybean curd, and 0.67 (0.46-0.98) for soymilk], allium vegetables [OR (95% CI): 0.37 (0.26-0.53) for green onion, 0.54 (0.40-0.73) for garlic, and 0.54 (0.35-0.85) for onion], fruits [OR (95% CI): 0.61 (0.42-0.88)], and mushrooms [OR (95% CI): 0.43 (0.21-0.88)]. Salt and Kimchi were associated with an increased gastric cancer risk [OR (95% CI): 1.92 (1.52-2.43) and 2.21 (1.29-3.77), respectively]. Colorectal cancer risk was positively associated with meat intake [OR (95% CI): 1.25 (1.15-1.36)]. Total soy products, soybean curd, and soymilk showed an inverse association with breast cancer risk [OR (95% CI): 0.61 (0.38-0.99), 0.47 (0.34-0.66), and 0.75 (0.57-0.98), respectively]. Green/yellow and light colored vegetables were associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer [OR (95% CI): 0.34 (0.23-0.49) and 0.44 (0.21-0.90), respectively]. Mushroom intake was inversely associated in pre-menopausal women only [OR (95% CI): 0.47 (0.26-0.86)]. In conclusion, soy foods, fruits and vegetables might reduce cancer risk in the Korean population. High salt food might be risk factor for gastric cancer, and intake of high amount of meat might cause colorectal cancer.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.91-99
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• 2011

Risk ranking must be determined for various hazards/food combinations to conduct microbial risk management effectively. Risk Ranger is a simple, easy-to-use calculation tool developed in Microsoft Excel and designed to rank the risk (low, medium, and high) for semi-quantitative microbial risk assessment. The user is required to answer 11 questions in Risk Ranger related to 1) severity of the hazard, 2) likelihood of a disease-causing dose of the hazard being present in the meal, and 3) the probability of exposure to the hazard in a defined time. This study determined the risk ranking for twenty three combinations of foodborne pathogens/potentially hazardous foods (PHFs) using a Risk Ranger. In this study, pathogenic E. coli in fresh cut produce salad was scored as 79, which was the highest rank among the 23 combinations of the foodborne pathogens and PHFs. On the other hand, zero risk was obtained with V parahaemolyticus in sushi, Salmonella in meat products and E. coli O157:H7 in hamburger patties. Although Risk Ranger is very simple method to rate the risk of foodborne pathogens and PHFs combination, the accuracy of result was mainly affected by the availability and accuracy of data in the literature. According to the result of literature review, the data are needed for contamination rate of raw materials, consumption amount/frequency of PHFs, and the effect of processing on pathogen. Risk ranking must be continuously revalidated with new data.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.13
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• pp.5293-5298
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• 2014

To investigate the association between salt processed food and gastric cancer, a hospital based case-control study was conducted in a high risk area of China. One hundred and seven newly diagnosed cases with histological confirmation of gastric cancer and 209 controls were recruited. Information on dietary intake was collected with a validated food frequency questionnaire. Unconditional logistic regression was applied to estimate the odds ratios with adjustment for other potential confounders. Comparing the high intake group with never consumption of salt processed foods, salted meat, pickled vegetables and preserved vegetables were significantly associated with increased risk of gastric cancer. Meanwhile, salt taste preference in diet showed a dose-response relationship with gastric cancer. Our results suggest that consumption of salted meat, pickled and preserved vegetables, are positively associated with gastric cancer. Reduction of salt and salt processed food in diets might be one practical measure to preventing gastric cancer.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.80-84
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• 2008

Maximum level of hazardous chemicals in foods can be settled after overall investigation of toxicological database, the representative exposure assessment, risk level on the present exposure level, the need of maximum level establishment, making of maximum level scenario proposed under consumer protection and verification of contamination reduction method and review of application efficiency on maximum level for risk management. The maximum level should be needed when the risk value of specific chemical caused by food ingestion was high and chronic human exposure was predicted continuously unless the maximum level exists. The key role of the risk assessment is to improve the efficiency of the risk management to reduce the present risk level and make the risk management policy scientifically by setting the representative result of the risk assessment.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.351-362
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• 2003

The goal of this study was to examine the effects of perceived risks toward GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) food on the decision-making to purchase it and demands to reveal its Identity. The major results were as follows. First, consumers strongly perceived the risk toward GMO food, and demanded labeling to identify it. But, many consumers had indecisive in the purchase of GMO food. Second, consumers with high level of perceived risks toward GMO food were more likely not to buy GMO food. In addition, the level of perceived risk was high among consumers who had many children. Finally, consumers with high level of perceived risks toward GMO food were more likely to demand the labelling for identifying GMO food. Consumers who had many children and high level of reliability for labelling food safety strongly demanded to label for revealing GMO food.