A Case-Control Study on Dietary Quality and Risk for Coronary Heart Disease in Korean Men

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between dietary quality and the risk of coronary heart disease (CBD) among Korean men by a case-control study. METHODS: The cases were 108 male patients with a first acute myocardial infarction or a new diagnosis of angina pectoris who were admitted to a university teaching hospital in Seoul. Controls were 142 age-matched patients admitted to the departments of ophthalmology and orthopedic surgery at the same hospital. Dietary information was assessed by a nutritionist using a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), and dietary quality index (DQI) scores were calculated. RESULTS: The intakes of total fat and cholesterol and body mass index (BMI) in cases were significantly higher than those in controls. The mean DQI scores were 8.6 for the cases and 9.4 for the controls. A higher DQI, which was indicative of a better quality diet, was inversely associated with the risk of CHD when comparing the highest to lowest quatiles, but borderline significant (odd ratios 0.60, 95% confidence interval 0.25-1.39, P for trend=0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that better dietary quality may reduce the risk of CHD among Korean men.

Effect on Diarrhea of Dietary Soluble Fiber Added to Nasogastric Tube-Fed Formulas in Stroke or Traumatic Brain Injury Patients

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of dietary soluble fibers added to nasogastric tube-fed formulas and to compare the difference of the degree of diarrhea according to the amount of dietary soluble fibers in stroke or traumatic brain injury patients for comprehensive rehabilitative management. METHOD: Fifty-two stroke or traumatic brain injury patients fed by nasogastric tube due to dysphagia were included. They received fiber-free formulas for the first 30 days and then they were randomly assigned to three groups, including the control (fiber-free) group, moderate fiber (3.5 gm fiber/L) group and high fiber (7 gm fiber/L) group. Each group received their respective formulas for the next 30 days. We compared diarrhea score and frequency. RESULTS: In the control group, the degree of diarrhea was not changed with time. In the moderate and high fiber groups, daily diarrhea score and monthly diarrhea frequency were low compared to the control group (p<0.05). Also, the incidence of pseudomembraneous colitis was low in fiber groups. CONCLUSION: We concluded that adding dietary soluble fibers to nasogastric tube-fed formulas may be helpful to reduce the diarrhea and the development of pseudomembraneous colitis. The proper fiber amount will be determined through the following more case studies.

Comparison of Different Measurements of Lean Body Mass in Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis Patients / 대한신장학회잡지

Malnutrition is common in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis(CAPD) patients. Previous studies showed that 18-56% of CAPD patients were suffering from varying degrees of malnutrition. Malnutrition reflects inadequate dialysis or improper dietary intake, leading to a reduction in lean body mass(LBM). Monitoring of LBM, therefore is important for long-term nutritional assessment of CAPD patients. At present, dual energy X-ray absorptiometry(DEXA) is known to accurately predict body compositions in normal and dialysis patients. To determine the most convenient and cost effective tool for LBM measurement, the present cross- sectional study was carried out assessing LBM by DEXA as well as by four other techniques: anthropometry, bioelectrical impedance analysis, infrared interactance and creatinine kinetics. 1) Subjects were 15 men and women each, all clinically stable with a mean CAPD duration of 35.5 months. The mean concentration of serum albumin was 3.9+/-0.5g/dl, normalized protein catabolic rate (NPCR) 0.98+/-0.16g/kg/day, KT/Vurea 2.08+/-0.34 and standardized creatinine clearance(SCCr) 65.8+/-22.1 l/week/1.73m2. 2) Significant correlations between LBM measured by DEXA and LBM measured by other methods were found(r >0.833, p<0.05). Compared with DEXA, the best result was found with anthropometry as it had the highest r value in both measurements of LBM and %LBM(r values are 0.899 and 0.908, respectively). 3) The mean prediction error and root mean squared prediction error was lowest between LBM by anthropometry and that by DEXA. 4) LBM showed no correlation with serum albumin, NPCR, KT/Vurea, and SCCr. In conclusion, anthropometry accurately predicts LBM and may be a suitable alternative tool compared to DEXA in stable CAPD patients.