The relationship of ready-to-eat cereal consumption with nutrition and health status in the Korean population based on the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2012 / 한국영양학회지

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to explore the relationship of ready-to-eat cereal (RTEC) consumption with nutrition and health status. Examination of health status for this project included obesity, abdominal obesity, hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, hypercholesterolemia, low-HDL-cholesterolemia, diabetes, anemia, and metabolic syndrome. METHODS: Two groups, RTEC consumers and those who did not consume RTEC, were identified using 24-hour dietary recall data from the 2012 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Nutritional intakes and risk factors of the two groups were compared using covariates-adjusted statistical procedures. Statistical analyses were performed using SAS survey procedures, and strata, cluster, and weight were considered. Subjects of analysis of nutritional intake were between the ages of 1 and 75, and those considered in the risk factor analysis were between the ages of 19 and 75. RESULTS: Results showed that 3.8% of the Korean population was RTEC consumers. Compared to the subjects who did not intake RTEC, RTEC consumers exhibited significantly higher intakes of calcium, thiamin, riboflavin, and vitamin C. It was also discovered that the percentage of people whose intakes were less than EAR decreased with RTEC consumption. RTEC consumption showed significant association with decreased systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, serum triglyceride, and serum total cholesterol. Consequently, prevalence of hypertension among RTEC consumers was significantly lower than that among non-consumers, and the odds ratio for hypertension was 0.19 after adjusting the models for covariates. CONCLUSION: Results of this study clearly suggest an association of RTEC consumption with improved nutritional status and cardiometabolic risk profile in Korean adults. Conduct of additional studies will be necessary in order to determine the nature of these relationships.

Complex sample design effects and inference for Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data

Nutritional researchers world-wide are using large-scale sample survey methods to study nutritional health epidemiology and services utilization in general, non-clinical populations. This article provides a review of important statistical methods and software that apply to descriptive and multivariate analysis of data collected in sample surveys, such as national health and nutrition examination survey. A comparative data analysis of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) was used to illustrate analytical procedures and design effects for survey estimates of population statistics, model parameters, and test statistics. This article focused on the following points, method of approach to analyze of the sample survey data, right software tools available to perform these analyses, and correct survey analysis methods important to interpretation of survey data. It addresses the question of approaches to analysis of complex sample survey data. The latest developments in software tools for analysis of complex sample survey data are covered, and empirical examples are presented that illustrate the impact of survey sample design effects on the parameter estimates, test statistics, and significance probabilities (p values) for univariate and multivariate analyses.

Noodle consumption patterns of American consumers: NHANES 2001-2002

Although noodles occupy an important place in the dietary lives of Americans, up until the present time research and in-depth data on the noodle consumption patterns of the US population have been very limited. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the food consumption and diet patterns of noodle consumers and non-consumers according to age, gender, income, and ethnicity. The 2001-2002 NHANES databases were used. The NHANES 2001-2002 data showed that noodle consumers reporting noodle consumption in their 24-h recall were 2,035 individuals (23.3% of total subjects). According to the results, the mean noodle consumption was 304.1 g/day/person, with 334.3 g for males and 268.0 g for females. By age, the intake of those in the age range of 9-18 years old ranked highest at 353.0 g, followed by the order of 19-50 year-olds with 333.5 g, 51-70 year-olds with by 280.4 g, older than 71years old with 252.3 g, and 1-8 year-olds with 221.5 g. By gender, males consumed more noodles than females. Also, according to income, the intake amount for the middle-income level (PIR 1~1.85) of consumers was highest at 312.5 g. Noodle intake also showed different patterns by ethnicity in which the "other" ethnic group consumed the most noodles with 366.1 g, followed by, in order, Hispanics with 318.7 g, Whites with 298.6 g, and Blacks with 289.5 g. After comparing food consumption by dividing the subjects into noodle consumers and non-consumers, the former was more likely to consume milk, fish, citrus fruits, tomatoes, and alcoholic beverages while the latter preferred meat, poultry, bread, and non-alcohol beverages.

Analysis of Dietary Fiber Intake in the Korean Adult Population Using 2001 Korean National Health and Nutrition Survey Data and Newly Established Dietary Fiber Database

The present study estimates intake levels of dietary fiber (DF) in Korean adults aged 20 and over, using a newly established dietary fiber database for 3,149 food items, as well as 24-hour recall method data from the 2001 Korean National Health and Nutrition Survey. Dietary fiber intake and food groups are analyzed by gender, age, and region. The average dietary fiber intake, per capita of Korea was estimated to be 12.24 g/1,000 kcal or 23.58 g/day. Caloriebased dietary fiber intake for 20-49 year-old-Korean males, 20-29 year-old females, and the adults who resided in metropolitan areas was under the Adequate Intake for DF, 12 g/1,000 kcal. Further, the dietary fiber intake after adjusting energy intake in people over 75 year-old was estimated to be 75% of AI. Vegetables, cereals and fruits were three major sources of DF for Korean, making up approximately 75% of DF. Regarding the subjects of this study, major sources of dietary fiber were Kimchi and well-polished rice, which supplied 13.98% and 9.16% of total dietary fiber intake, respectively. The result of this study could contribute to the establishment of DRIs for dietary fiber, after adjusting energy intake for Korean aged 75 years and over. The beneficial health effects of DF and the necessity of nutritional education in this area should be continuously emphasized concerning 20-29 year-old people and metropolitan adults.

Relation between Milk Consumption and Bone Mineral Density of Female College Students in Korea

The purpose of our study was to evaluate an association between milk consumption and bone mineral density (BMD) of female college students in Korea. The dietary data of 1,410 Korean college students living in the vicinity of Seoul area were collected through the Food Frequency Questionnaire. The mean age, height, weight and BMI of the subjects were 20.4 years, 162.1 cm, 52.7 kg, and 20.0 kg/m2 respectively. The mean intakes of energy, protein, and phosphorus were 2,398.7 kcal, 95.2 g, and 1,302.9 mg respectively, which were above their EER or Recommended Intake (RI), but the mean intake of calcium was 657.8 mg which was below its RI, and 44.0% of the subjects did not meet Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) of calcium. The daily milk consumption was 131.1 g, and the total consumption of milk and dairy product was 228.7 g. Forty five percent of the subjects consumed 50 ~200 g of milk or dairy products. After the analysis of their dietary intakes, the subjects were divided into quintiles of total consumption of milk and dairy product, which were considered as major source of dietary calcium. Ninety two subjects from the upper quintile (UQ) and 85 subjects from the lower quintile (LQ) were selected and their bone mineral densities (BMD) of lumbar spine (L1-L4) and the femur were examined by the dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. The BMD (g/cm2) of L1, L2, L3, and average of femur were 1.065, 1.150, 1.187, and 0.988 for the UQ subjects, which were significantly higher than those of the LQ subjects, 1.010, 1.090, 1.146, and 0.942 respectively. Moreover, the T-scores of the UQ were significantly higher than those of the LQ. The prevalence rates of osteopenia classified according to WHO's criterion were 12.0% in the UQ, and 20.0% in the LQ group which showed non significant. Blood levels of calcium, and phosphorus of UQ and LQ group were both within the normal range, and were not significantly different. Our results showed that UQ group presented the better status of bone mineral density and bone health. Therfore our results suggest that continuous consumption of more than one and a half cups of milk per day, which corresponds to the least amount of UQ group's consumption, would affect positively on the bone health of Korean adults.

Ready-to-eat Cereal Consumption Enhances Milk and Calcium Intake in Korean Population from 2001 Korean National Health and Nutrition Survey

The purpose of this study was to establish an association between the consumption of ready-to-eat cereal (RTEC), milk, and calcium within the context of the most current population dietary practice in Korea. Inadequate calcium intake among Korean children and adults is one of the important public health concern. Milk is one of the best calcium sources because of its bioavailability, and RTEC is one of the foods commonly consumed with milk. The most recent Korean National Health and Nutrition Survey, 2001 dataset was used as the source of data for this research. Subjects excluding pregnant women, were categorized according to gender and age (1~5, 6~11, 12~19, 20~49, 50 + years) and then by consumption of RTEC and milk. SAS and SUDAAN were used for statistical analyses. Sample weighted means, standard errors, and population percentages were calculated, and multiple regression model with adjustment for covariates were used to determine the predictability of total daily calcium intake from inclusion of RTEC and milk compared to the meal without RTEC and milk. RTEC was consumed by 2.4% of Korean people. Average calcium intake was 17 times greater when RTEC was consumed with milk than when RTEC was consumed without milk. Respondents who consumed RTEC with milk had significantly higher mean daily calcium and other nutrient intakes than respondents who consumed neither. In the multiple regression analysis, milk consumption with or without RTEC predicted total daily calcium intake after adjusting for age, income, and alcohol consumption (p < 0.0001). The percentage of respondents below the estimated average requirement (EAR) level for calcium was lower for RTEC consumers than for RTEC non-consumers in all age-gender groups, especially significant differences were in children aged 1~5, boys and girls aged 12~19, men aged 20~49, and women older than 50 years of age. RTEC consumption was not associated with intake in excess of the tolerable upper intake level (UL) for calcium. In conclusion, RTEC consumption was positively associated with both milk and calcium intakes in all age and gender groups in Korean population.

Comparison of Nutrient Intakes between Korean and United States Adults

Dietary Variety Score (DVS) or Nutrient Adequacy Ratio (NAR) offers a way of comparing eating habits across populations and across countries. This study compared nutrients intakes, food intakes, DVS, and NAR between Korean and US adults using the large national survey data. 4662 Korean adults (men: 2201, women: 2461) aged 20 - 49 years were selected from the 'Korean National Health and Nutrition Survey, 2001' and 4199 US adults (men: 2127, women: 2072) aged 20 - 49 years were selected from the 'US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES IV, 1999 - 2002)'. The total plant food intakes were high in Korean adults, but the total animal food intakes were high in US adults. Intakes of legumes and nuts, vegetables and mushrooms were higher in Korean than in US adults. On the other hand, intakes of meats, milk and dairy products of US adults were higher than Korean. Beverage intakes were 8 - 10 times higher in US adults than in Korean. The mean DVS of Korean men and women were higher than US men and women. Intakes of fat, calcium and vitamin B2 of US adults were 1.5 - 2 times higher than those of Korean, which could probably related to larger consumption by US adults on milk and dairy product. While the intakes of carbohydrate and vitamin C of the Korean were higher than the US adults, which could presumably related to higher grain and vegetable consumption. Percent energy intakes from carbohydrate, protein, and fat were 64.1%, 15.8%, and 20.1% for Korean men, 52.4%, 15.0%, and 32.6% for US men, 65.9%, 14.9%, 19.2% for Korean women, and 52.1%, 14.7%, 33.2% for US women respectively, which showed higher %energy from carbohydrate in Korean and higher %energy from fat in US adults. Most nutrient intakes except energy and vitamin C expressed as %RDA were higher in US than in Korean adults. Mean Adequacy Ratio (MAR) of US men and Korean men were both 0.85, while the MAR was 0.81 for Korean women, 0.79 for US women. The Korean women's diet showed more diverse and adequate than the US women's diet.

Effects of Dietary Antioxidant Vitamins and Fiber on the Risk of Myocardial Infarction

BACKGROUND: Even though antioxidant vitamins and fiber have been hypothesized to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, few observational studies have been done in Korea. METHODS: The study sample consisted of 102 myocardial infarction (MI) patients and 112 control subjects admitted in Medical College of Catholic University in Korea. Dietary habits and nutrient intakes were assessed by a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. RESULTS: Dietary consumptions of antioxidant vitamins, such as vitamin C, vitamin A, and fiber per energy were significantly higher in the controls than in the myocardial infarction patients. Odds ratios of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E and fiber in the 4th quartile compared with the 1st quartile were 0.41 (95% CI 0.18~0.90), 0.33 (95% CI 0.15~0.75), 0.89 (95% CI 0.41~1.94), 0.27 (95% CI 0.12~0.63), respectively. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that higher intake of foods rich in antioxidant vitamins and fiber can substantially reduce the risk of MI in middle-aged men.