Relationships between children's Nutrition Quotient and the practice of the Dietary Guidelines of elementary school students and their mothers / 한국영양학회지

PURPOSE: This study was conducted in order to investigate children's Nutrition Quotient (NQ) and the degree of keeping the Dietary Guidelines of children and their mothers and to further examine the relationships between children and mothers. METHODS: The subjects were 281 children from 4th to 6th grade in an elementary school located in Gwangju and their mothers RESULTS: NQ of the children was 66.8 +/- 14.2, which was in the third (medium) grade. Among the five factors, the scores for Moderation and Diversity were in the second (high) grade, but those for Regularity, Practice, and Balance were in the third grade. Children of non-working mothers had significantly higher scores for NQ and Balance than those of working mothers. Children of mothers with age over 40 had a significantly higher score on Diversity than those with mothers under age 40. Children of mothers with higher education showed higher score for Regularity than those with lower education. Children from high-income families had higher score for Moderation. The score for children keeping the Dietary Guidelines was 78.8 +/- 10.5 and children of non-working mothers showed higher score than those of working mothers. The score for mothers practicing the Dietary Guidelines was 80.6 +/- 9.4 and non-working mothers and mothers with age over 40 had higher score. Children's NQ showed significant correlation with the score for keeping the Dietary Guidelines for children (r = 0.789, p < 0.001) and also with that of mothers (r = 0.235, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: These results show that NQ of elementary school children in Gwangju is in the medium grade, the degree of practicing the Dietary Guidelines for children is pretty fair, and these factors are influenced by their mother's socioeconomic characteristics such as employment, age, education, and family income.

Effects of nutrition education on nutrition-related knowledge, dietary habits, and nutrient intakes of alcoholic patients / 한국영양학회지

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine the characteristics of nutrition-related knowledge, dietary habits, and nutrient intakes of alcoholic patients and how nutrition education affects these nutritional behaviors. METHODS: Subjects included 37 adult male alcoholic patients who were hospitalized. The nutrition education program consisted of five lessons over a five-week period. An each 80-minute nutrition education program per week was implemented for the alcoholic patients over a five-week period. Both before and after the implementation of nutrition education, their nutrition-related knowledge and dietary habits were assessed and nutrient intakes were investigated. RESULTS: The subjects showed drinking habits of considerably high frequency, a large quantity of alcohol consumption, and preference for soju (a liquor) over beer. They had proper weight, height, and BMI, and came from relatively poor socioeconomic backgrounds with a low-level of self-rated health status and a comparatively high rate of suffering from disease. Mean score of their nutrition-related knowledge and dietary habits was quite low. They consumed less energy, dietary fiber, vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin, folic acid, Ca, and K, but more Na compared to each Dietary Reference Intake (DRI). After implementing the nutrition education, mean score of nutrition-related knowledge and dietary habits showed significant improvement. In addition, the meeting rate of each DRI of several nutrients was increased significantly, including energy, carbohydrate, dietary fiber, vitamins A, C, and B6, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pyridoxine, folic acid, Ca, P, K, Fe, and Zn, while that of Na decreased. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study indicate that alcoholic patients had various nutritional problems, such as lack of nutrition-related knowledge, bad dietary habits, and insufficient nutrient intakes, however, these problems can be positively modified by implementation of a relatively short-term nutrition education program.

Effects of Sasa Borealis Leaf Extract on the Glucose Tolerance of Major Foods for Carbohydrate

Sasa borealis leaf has been known to have anti-diabetic properties. In this study, we tried to evaluate the effects of Sasa borealis leaf extract (SBE) on the inhibition of alpha-glucosidase activity and postprandial glycemic response following ingestion of four carbohydrate-rich foods; cooked rice, ramen (instant noodle), noodle, and bread. Fourteen healthy female adults consumed 50 g of glucose (control) or one of the four foods containing 50 g of available carbohydrate with or without 2,000 mg of SBE. The activity of alpha-glucosidase was inhibited dose-dependently by SBE. With SBE, blood glucose concentration at 15 min and the positive area under the curve (AUC) of postprandial glycemic response at 15 min and 30 min after consuming each of the four foods were reduced significantly. As the result, total positive AUC during 120 min was decreased in case of taking cooked rice or bread. Glycemic index and glycemic load of the four foods were declined from 13% to 23% with SBE. The results of this study suggest that SBE may be effective for postprandial glucose control by inhibiting alpha-glucosidase activity.

Sasa borealis leaves extract improves insulin resistance by modulating inflammatory cytokine secretion in high fat diet-induced obese C57/BL6J mice

Obesity is considered a mild inflammatory state, and the secretion of inflammation-related cytokines rises as adipose tissue expands. Inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interlukin 6 (IL-6) and monocyte-chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), are modulated by adipose tissue and known to play an important role in insulin resistance which is the common characteristics of obesity related disorders. In this study we analyzed the effects of Sasa borealis leaves extract on inflammatory cytokines and insulin resistance in diet induced obese C57/BL6J mice. The obese state was induced by a high fat diet for 20 weeks and then the mice were divided into two groups; obese control group (OBC, n = 7) and experimental group (OB-SBE, n = 7). The OBC group was fed a high fat diet and the OB-SBE group was fed a high fat diet containing 5% Sasa borealis leaves extract (SBE) for 12 weeks. We also used mice fed a standard diet as a normal control (NC, n = 7). The body weight and adipose tissue weight in the OB group were significantly higher than those in the NC group. The effects of the high fat diet were reduced by SBE treatments, and the body weight and adipose tissue deposition in the OB-SBE group were significantly decreased compared to the OBC group. The OBC group showed higher serum glucose and insulin levels which resulted in a significant increase of incremental area under the curve (IAUC) and HOMA-IR than the NC group. Also, serum leptin, TNF-alpha, and IL-6 levels were significantly higher in the OBC group than in the NC group. In contrast, the OB-SBE group showed a reversal in the metabolic defects, including a decrease in glucose, insulin, IAUC, HOMA-IR, TNF-alpha, IL-6 and leptin levels. These results suggest that BSE can suppress increased weight gain and/or fat deposition induced by a high fat diet and theses effects are accompanied by modulation of the inflammatory cytokines, TNF-alpha and IL-6 secretion resulting in improved insulin resistance.

Effects of Folic Acid and Ascorbate Supplementation on Plasma Homocysteine and Oxidative Stress in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

In patients with type 2 diabetes, oxidative stress could be increased by their metabolic changes. Elevated plasma homocysteine is considered as one of markers of enhanced oxidative stress. Due to oxidative stress, some complications like cardiovascular or renal diseases may develop in type 2 diabetes patients. Plasma homocysteine concentration may be increased if folate status were inadequate. Protective effects against oxidative stress may be diminished if the status of anti-oxidative nutrient as vitamin C was poor. It is, therefore, important to maintain adequate status of folate and vitamin C in type 2 diabetes patients. Thus, this study was performed to determine the effects of supplementation of folate and/or ascorbate on blood glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level, serum concentrations of homocysteine and cholesterol, plasma oxidized low density-lipoprotein (LDL), concentration and plasma glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity in the patients with type 2 diabetes. A total of 92 type 2 diabetes patients participated voluntarily with written consents. They were divided into one of the four experimental groups; Control (C), Folate-supplemented (F), Ascorbate-supplemented (A), and Folate plus ascorbate-supplemented (FA). The subjects in C were taken placebo, those in F were supplemented 1 mg of folate, those in A received 1,000 mg of ascorbate, and those in FA were given 1 mg of folate plus 1,000 mg of ascorbate daily for 4 weeks. Supplementation of folate or ascorbate resulted to increase serum folate level or plasma ascorbate concentration apparently, respectively. Folate supplementation not ascorbate seemed to decrease plasma concentrations of homocysteine and oxidized LDL and reduce plasma GSH-Px activity. There might not be synergic effect of the supplementation of folate plus ascorbate. The results indicate that oxidative stress in the patients with type 2 diabetes may lower mainly by folate supplementation.

Scientific Principles on the Revision and Addition of the Codex Nutrient Reference Values for Food Labelling Purposes

There has been a need to update the current Codex nutrient reference values (NRVs) which had been established following the Helsinki Consultation in 1988. The main purposes of NRVs are to help consumers compare the nutrient content of different food products and estimate the usefulness of a food product in terms of its percentage contribution to the overall healthful diets. The establishment of Codex NRVs for labelling purposes is intended to facilitate the goals of protecting consumers' health and ensuring fair practices in food trade. When revising the Codex NRVs several issues are needed to discussed, which are: 1) Consideration of population groups whether to have one set of NRVs for general population or to have several sets of NRVs for each population groups, 2) Determination of scope of nutrients such as what nutrients to include and what reference values to choose and 3) Development of principles for establishing NRVs such as the selection of suitable reference values among many including recommended intake/recommended dietary allowances, estimated average requirement and upper levels to extract NRVs. This paper will discuss the above issues and the inputs and efforts that the Korean Nutrition Society had put into to carry out the project, "International Collaboration on the Revision and Addition of the Codex Nutrient Reference Values for Food Labelling Purposes," and to ascertain relevant scientific principles and evidences that are utilized for establishment and revision of the Codex NRVs.

The Scope of Population Groups and Nutrients for Codex Nutrient Reference Values

The purposes of this study were to establish the scope of population groups to be set and nutrients to be included for Codex Nutrient Reference Values (NRVs). Examination of a variety of documents and reports on the principles of scientific evidence was gone through to choose representative groups from a variety of population groups and kinds of nutrients for setting Codex NRVs. Also, hearings from the groups of NRVs expertise has been formed and was gone through by e-working process. The differences of food and foods being consumed in general and by specific population groups and limited actual space on packages for food labeling were considered. This paper suggest the options on the scope of population groups to be set and nutrients to be included for Codex NRVs on the basis of the above procedures. Also, the advantages and disadvantages of these options are commented when the options are applied for establishment and revision of the Codex NRVs.

Iron Intake During Pregnancy on Serum Concentrations of Trace Minerals in Mothers and Neonates

It is a common clinical practice to recommend taking iron supplements for pregnant women during gestation. Although it is required to ensure adequate iron stores during pregnancy, there has been some debate over the interference effects of excessive iron load, because it is possible to compete in the transport in the intestine and placenta and in binding to serum proteins of other trace minerals. In this study, maternal and neonatal serum concentrations of Fe, Zn, Cu, Se, Cr, Mn, and Co were assessed along with maternal Fe intakes. A total of 124 pregnant women and their term neonates participated voluntarily in this research. The women were divided into one of the three groups {high Fe intake (HFI), median Fe intake (MFI), and low Fe intake (LFI)} by their total Fe intakes and one of the two groups (Anemic and Normal) by their Fe nutritional status. All the data were compared among the three groups and between the two groups also. Total Fe intakes of HFI, MFI, and LFI groups were 140.8 +/- 76.1, 68.0 +/- 11.2, and 30.2 +/- 8.6 mg/day, respectively. Those of Anemic and Normal groups were 90.1 +/- 74.8 and 86.6 +/- 46.8 mg/day, respectively. Maternal Hb concentration and Hct were not significantly different among HFI, MFI, and LFI groups but those were significantly different between Anemic and Normal groups. However, neonatal Hb concentration was not significantly different among HFI, MFI, and LFI groups and between Anemic and Normal groups either. Maternal serum Fe concentrations of the three groups, HFI, MFI, and LFI, were similar but that of Anemic group was significantly lower compared to Normal group. However, there was no significant difference in neonatal serum Fe concentrations among the three groups and between the two groups either. Serum concentrations of the other trace minerals in both mothers and neonates were not significantly different among HFI, MFI, and LFI groups and between Anemic and Normal groups. In addition, in the maternal serum, Fe concentration was positively correlated to Zn and Se concentration, respectively. As for the neonatal serum, Fe concentration showed a positive correlation to Zn, Cu, Mn, Se, and Co concentration, respectively. No trace mineral concentration was found to correlate negatively to Fe concentration in both maternal and neonatal serum, The results in this study indicate that Fe intakes of pregnant women, even if it is considerably above the level of estimated average requirement (EAR), may not affect serum Fe concentration in both mothers and neonates. In addition it might not influence adversely on the availability of other trace minerals including Zn and Cu in both mothers and neonates.

Folate Content of Human Milk During Extended Lactation and Folate Nutritional Status of Lactating Women in Korea

Lactating women have an increased need of folate in the breastfeeding period and, as a consequence, may be in risk of folate deficiency. Folate content of breast milk, furthermore, is important for infants to support exponential growth. However, little is known about the folate content of breast milk from Korean lactating women and their folate nutritional status. In this study, therefore, we investigated the folate status of Korean lactating women and the folate content of their breast milk during extended lactation. A total of 10 subjects who delivered full-term infants participated this study voluntarily. Dietary folate intakes were measured and blood and breast milk were collected at 1, 2, 3, and 6 months postpartum. The women who did not take folic acid supplements failed to meet the recommended intake (RI) of folate for lactating women during all the study periods but those who did met the RI. The unsupplemented women showed lower plasma folate concentrations compared to the supplemented women and all the women were in suboptimal folate status determined by plasma folate concentration throughout the study periods. But the supplemented women showed lower prevalence of suboptimal folate status only at 3 or 6 months postpartum. Plasma folate concentrations of both groups decreased with the progression of lactation. Erythrocyte folate concentrations were not different between the two groups, however, that of the unsupplemented reduced further as time progressed. Plasma homocysteine levels were not different between the two groups. Concentrations of erythrocyte folate and plasma homocysteine were not changed throughout the study periods. Folate contents of their breast milk through the study periods were not different between the two groups and it decreased as lactation progressed in both groups. The results of this study suggest that the folate nutritional status of Korean lactating women might be deteriorated with the progression of lactation without folic acid supplements.

Effects of Folic Acid or Ascorbate Supplementation on Plasma Homocysteine Levels and Oxidative Stress in Korean Adults with Impaired Fasting Glucose / 대한지역사회영양학회지

Impaired fasting glucose (IFG) is one of significant risk factors of developing diabetes. The persons with IFG are, thus, an important target group for primary prevention of diabetes. It is well known that plasma homocysteine concentration may be increased in poor folate nutritional status. Elevated level of plasma homocysteine is considered as a marker of enhanced oxidative stress. In addition, the protective effect against oxidative stress may be diminished in poor antioxidative nutrient status as vitamin C. It is, therefore, important to maintain adequate nutritional status of folate and vitamin C in the patients with type 2 diabetes or IFG. This study was performed to determine the effects of supplementation of folic acid or vitamin C on plasma concentrations of homocysteine, oxidized LDL, and lipids and on the activity of plasma anti-oxidative enzyme in patients with IFG. A total of 97 patients with IFG were participated voluntarily with written consents. They were divided into one of the four experimental groups; Control (C), Folatesupplemented (F), Ascorbate-supplemented (A), and Folate plus ascorbate-supplemented (FA). The subjects in C were taken placebo, those in F were supplemented 1 mg of folate, those in A were received 1,000 mg of vitamin C, and those in FA were given 1 mg of folate plus 1,000 mg of vitamin C daily for 4 weeks. No change in plasma concentrations of vitamin C, lipids, and oxidized LDL and the activity of GSH-Px were observed in vitamin C-supplemented group (A + FA) and folate-supplemented group (F + FA) compared to the placebo group (C + A). Only the folate-supplemented group (F + FA) had significantly increased average serum folate concentration and lowered plasma homocysteine concentration compared to the placebo group (C + A). Thus, it should be recommended the patients with IFG to increase folate intake through diets and, if it is not sufficient, to take folic acid supplements to prevent the development of complications induced by hyperhomocysteinemia as well as oxidative stress.

The Effects of the Sasa Borealis Leaves Extract on Plasma Adiponectin, Resistin, C-Reactive Protein and Homocysteine Levels in High Fat Diet-Induced Obese C57/BL6J Mice

As obesity is known to be related to hyperlipidemia, diabetes and coronary heart disease, and other chronic diseases, many researches have focused on functional food materials showing anti-obesity activity. The adipokines secreted by adipose tissue, resistin and adiponectin are known to play an important role in the pathogenesis of chronic diseases directly. C-reactive protein and homocysteine are molecules regulated by adipose tissue indirectly also relate to the chronic diseases. This study was performed to study of the anti-obesity effects of Sasa borealis in diet-induced obese mice (C57/BL6J). The mice were divided into four group: NFD (Normal fat diet), HFD (High fat diet), BSE (High fat diet containing 5% of 70% ethanol extract of Sasa borealis leaves), BLW (High fat diet containing 5% of water extract of Sasa borealis leaves). The experimental diets were fed for 11 weeks. The final body weight of the mice in the groups of BSE and BLW groups were significantly lower than the HFD group. The effects of weight reduction were due to reduced body fat accumulation. The adiponectin levels are significantly decreased in HFD group compared than NFD group and increased taken by Sasa borealis containing diet. The resistin levels are not significantly different between experimental groups. The CRP and homocyteine levels are significantly higher in HFD group than NFD group and significantly decreased by Sasa borealis containing diet, especially BLW group. These results indicate that orally administered Sasa borealis not only has the effect of reducing the body weight and total fat weight, but preferable effect in adiponectin levels and related molecules as CRP and homocysteine. Therefore we expect the Sasa borealis may have an anti-obesity function and anti-metabolic syndrome effect in diet-induced obese mice.

Childbearing women of twenty and under are at greater risk than those of twenty-five and over for compromised folate status

This study assessed folate intakes, folate concentrations in plasma and erythrocytes, plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) concentration, and urinary excretion of folate metabolites in Korean women with childbearing potential. A total of 23 women voluntarily participated in this study. Precise dietary intakes for 3 consecutive days were determined by weighing all foods consumed and folate intake was calculated using a computer-aided dietary analysis system. Folate concentration of plasma and erythrocytes was determined by a microbiological method. Plasma tHcy concentration was assayed using an HPLC analysis method. Urine excreted over the same period of time was collected and folate catabolites, para-aminobenzoylglutamate (pABG) and para-acetamidobenzoylglutamate (ApABG), were evaluated using a reverse-phase HPLC method after affinity chromatography. Young women of 20 and under were likely to consume less folate with low energy intake, had lower folate concentration in plasma and erythrocytes, and excreted a lesser amount of ApABG and total folate catabolites than women of 25 years and over. The results of this study confirmed that young Korean women with childbearing potential, especially those under 21 years of age, might be at risk for compromised folate status due to insufficient folate intakes from inadequate energy consumption.

Trans Fatty Acids of Breast Milk Lipids of Korean Women from Week 1 to 6 Months of Postpartum / 대한지역사회영양학회지

This study was done to determine the trans fatty acid (tFA) composition of human milk from postpartum to sixth months after delivery, to investigate the tFA intake of lactating women, and to estimate the intakes of tFA by infants exclusively fed breast milk. A total of 27 lactating Korean women participated to this study voluntarily, gave their breast milk, and responded to an investigation of their diets. The lactating women consumed 2.3-2.8 g/d of tFAs over the period of the first, second, third, and sixth months postpartum, which was 3.4-4.9% of the total fat intake and 0.8%-1.2% of the total energy intake. The proportions of tFAs in the breast milk were 1.89% in colostrum, 1.78% in transitional milk, and 1.78-2.25 in mature milk of the first, second, third, and sixth months postpartum. The tFAs of the breast milk identified in this study were C16:1n9t, C18:1n9t, C18:2n6t12t, C18:2 n6t12c, C18:2n6c12t and C18:2n6t11t. Among them, C18:1n9t was predominant, which made up 59.26% of all tFAs in colostrum, 62.36% in transitional milk, and 64.42% in mature milk. The proportion of total tFA was unchanged with time, although some significant differences were noted for individual tFAs. The percentages of C18:2n6t12c and C18:2n6c12t decreased over the study period. Estimated tFA intake of the exclusively breast-fed infants was 0.18 g/d when fed colostrum, 0.29 g/d when fed transitional milk, and 0.53 g/d when fed mature milk until the sixth month of postpartum. Those were 0.5%, 0.8%, and 1.1% of the total energy intake. The results in this study indicate that lactating Korean women consume not a large quantity of tFAs, secrete breast milk not containing much tFA, and the estimated intake of tFAs by infants fed exclusively breast milk is not great.

Dietary Intakes, Serum Concentrations, and Urinary Excretions of Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, Se, Mo, and Cr of Korean Young Adult Women

This study was conducted to investigate dietary intakes, serum concentrations, and urinary excretions of iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), selenium (Se), molybdenum (Mo), and chromium (Cr) of Korean young adult women. A total of 19 apparently healthy young adult women aged in their twenties or thirties participated voluntarily. One-tenth of all foods they consumed for 3 consecutive days were collected, all urine excreted for the same 3 days was gathered, and fasting venous blood was withdrawn for the trace mineral analyses. Of the food, blood, and urine samples, the contents of Zn, Cu, Mn, Se, Mo, and Cr were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) and that of Fe by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) after wet digestion. The intake of Fe, 6.94 +/- 2.18 mg, did not meet the estimated average requirement (EAR) for Korean women aged 20-29 years old. On the contrary, the intakes of Zn (9.35 +/- 4.95 mg), Cu (1.18 +/- 0.26 mg), and Mn (3.69 +/- 0.69 mg) were sufficient for each respective EAR. However, some of the subjects did not take the EAR for Zn. The Se intake, 41.93 +/- 9.28microgram, however, was almost similar to the EAR for Se. Although there are no references for Mo and Cr, the intakes of these minerals (134.0 +/- 49.1 and 136.5 +/- 147.9microgram, respectively) seemed to be excessively sufficient. Serum Fe concentration, 88.7 +/- 36.8microgram/dL, seemed to be a little bit lower than its reference median but within its normal range. Approximately one-fourth of the subjects were in anemic determined by Hb and Hct and below the deficiency serum level of Fe, 60microgram/dL. In addition, serum Se concentration, 3.73 +/- 0.60microgram/dL, was also below its reference median and normal range. However, serum concentrations of Zn (99.6 +/- 30.6microgram/dL) and Mo (0.25 +/- 0.10 microgram/dL) were fairly good compared to each reference median. The status of Cu could be determined as good although its serum concentration (91.6 +/- 14.6microgram/dL) was slightly below its reference median. Since there are no decisive reference values, it was not easy to evaluate serum concentrations of Mn (0.93 +/- 0.85microgram/dL) and Cr (8.60 +/- 7.25microgram/ dL). But Mn and Cr status seemed to be adequate. Urinary Fe excretion, 4.48 +/- 1.98microgram/dL, was pretty much lower than its reference and that of Se, 2.45 +/- 1.17microgram/dL, was also lower than its average. On the other hand, those of Zn (42.95 +/- 20.47microgram/dL) and Cu (5.68 +/- 1.50microgram/dL) were fairly good. In case of Mn, urinary excretion, 0.31 +/- 0.09microgram/ dL, was much greater than its reference. Urinary excretions of Mo (7.48 +/- 2.95microgram/dL) and Cr (1.37 +/- 0.41microgram/dL) were very higher compared to each reference. The results of this study revealed that Korean young adult women were considerably poor in Fe status, a bit inadequate in Se status, partly inadequate in Zn status, and fairly good in Cu, Mn, Mo and Cr status. However, there was a problem of excessive intakes of Mo and Cr. It, therefore, should be concerned to increase the intakes of Fe, Se and Zn but to decrease Mo and Cr consumption for young adult women.

Plasma Total Homocysteine, Folate and Vitamin B12 Concentrations in Patients with Coronary Stenosis / 대한지역사회영양학회지

Recently elevated plasma homocysteine concentration is considered an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis and thrombosis with coronary artery disease. Folate and vitamin B12 are cofactors and closely related with metabolism of homocysteine. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the correlation between homocysteine and folate and vitamin B12 in patients with ischemic heart disease. Twenty-six patients, in whom coronary angiographic finding revealed more than 50% of stenosis at least in one coronary vessel were enrolled as the patient group, and thirty subjects, in whom angiographic finding revealed in not significant stenosis, but complained of chest pain, were selected as the control group. Fasting venous blood was obtained and measured the concentration of plasma total homocysteine, folate and vitamin B12 by high performance liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection method. We examined the correlation between homocysteine and folate and/or vitamin B12 in the control group and the patient group, respectively. Compared with the control group, the patient group had relatively higher plasma total homocysteine concentration (10.7 +/- 4.2 vs 9.6 +/- 3.5 umol/L), but showed no significant difference. Folate and vitamin B12 concentration are low in the patient group, but showed no significant difference between patient and control group. Plasma total homocysteine concentration showed negative correlation with folate and vitamin B12 in both the control group and the patient group, and showed significantly negative correlation in patient group {r = -0.550 (p<0.01) vs r = -0.609 (p<0.01)}. We knew that the plasma total homocysteine concentration were relatively elevated in patient group compared with the control group. Because plasma total homocysteine concentrations are closely negative correlated with folate and vitamin B12 in the patient group, folate and vitamin B12 supplement can lower the mortality and morbidity of ischemic heart disease.

Minimal Weight and Body Fat Percentage in Relation to the Onset of Menarche in Korean Females / 대한지역사회영양학회지

Menarche is a main indicator of sexual maturity which relates to a reproductive function. The onset of the menstrual cycle differs individually and is influenced by many variables such as socio-economic situation, race, genetics, climate, altitude, nutritional status, and physical growth. Among them physical growth has been known to be the most influencing factor, particularly when expressed as body fat designated by weight. This study intended to investigate the body composition of girls around the menarche period and to evaluate the minimal levels of weight and fat percentage needed for the onset of menarche. A total of 101 female subjects, aged 11 to 13 years, were recruited from the 5th and 6th grades of an elementary school, in Mokpo, Korea. The subjects were placed into one of two groups Pre-menarche and Post-menarche groups according to their experience with menarche. Thereafter, the subjects in the Post-group were placed into 4 subgroups based on the number of menstruations they experienced: Post-I (1 - 3 times), Post-II (4 - 6 times), Post-III (7 - 9 times), and Post-IV (> 10 times). The average age at the onset of menarche of the subjects in Post groups was 11.2 +/- 0.6 years. There were significant differences in the data of anthropometry and body composition between the Pre and Post groups, although the mean ages of both Pre and Post groups were the same. Weight, waist, hip and thigh girths, fat percentage, and lean body mass of the Post groups were significantly higher than those of the Pre group. Height was not significantly different between the groups. Weight was highly correlated with body fat mass (r = 0.92, p < 0.001), fat percentage (r = 0.85, p < 0.001), and body mass index (r = 0.91, p < 0.001). These results indicate that weight, compared with height, reflects body composition well and influences the onset of the menstrual cycle. It could also be suggested that the minimal weight and fat percentage needed for the onset of menarche in Korean females are 41 kg and 17% to 19%, respectively.

A Study on the Changes of Maternal Dietary Iron Intakes, Its Bioavailability, and Iron Status during Pregnancy / 대한지역사회영양학회지

To increase both iron and enhancers for iron absorption through diets should be a basic strategy to sufficiently provide increased iron for pregnancy. Previous studies reported that iron intakes of Korean pregnant women were short and their iron status deteriorated as pregnancy progressed. However, there is little data about the bioavailability of dietary iron during pregnancy. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the changes of dietary iron intakes, its bioa-vailability and iron status during pregnancy longitudinally in Korean women. A total of 151 pregnant women in their first trimester of pregnancy voluntarily participated. Among them, 72 women finished the research protocol during the second trimester and 55 did it during the third trimester. Dietary intakes of total iron, both non-heme and heme iron, as well as enhancers, both MPF (meat, poulty, and fish) and vitamin C, increased significantly as pregnancy progressed. As the results, bioavailability of dietary iron and iron absorbed increased significantly as pregnancy progressed. However, the amount of iron absorbed at each trimester did not meet considerably the iron needed during pregnancy. All five indices examined in the study, Hb level, Hct, serum concentrations of ferritin and sTfR (soluble transferrin receptor), and sTfR:ferritin ratio, showed that iron status of the subjects deteriorated as pregnancy progressed. The rate of anemia of the subjects increased as pregnancy progressed although more than 80% of the subjects took iron supplements after the 20th week of pregnancy. These results imply that it is needed to provide more iron especially, heme iron and dietary enhancers to prevent the deterioration of iron status during pregnancy. Future research on bioavaila-blility of supplemental iron should be performed to determine the iron balance precisely.

Iron Status of the Adolescent Females before and after Menarche

This study was performed to determine the iron status of the adolescent Korean girls before and after menarche. The 101 subjects aged 11-13 years who attending in an elementary school in Mokpo were recruited. They were divided into pre-menarche (A) group or post-menarche (B) group based on their menstruation status. The latter subjects were sub-divided into one of the four groups according to the times of their menstruation B-I(> or =3 times), B-II (4-6 times), B-III (7-9 times) or B-W (> or =10 times). In the total subjects, dietary iron intake, 11.3 mg/day, was below the Korean RDA for iron, the percentage of heme iron to total iron intake, 15%, and the bioavailability of dietary iron, 12.3%, seemed to be low. And their body iron storage, 140.8 mg, seemed to be insufficient. However, they tended to meet body's iron requirement in the cell level. Red blood cell number (RBC), hematocrit (Hct), and hemoglobin (Hb) level in the total subjects were 4.5 1012/I, 39.3%, and 13.0 g/dl, respectively. The subjects in B group had lower (p<0.05) RBC and Hct compared to those in A group and the prevalence of iron-deficiency anemia tended to be high. Serum iron, ferritin, and soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) and sTfR:ferritin ratio were 86.7microgram/d, 17.6microgram/l, 3.58 mg/1, and 230, respectively. Those four indices were not significantly different among the groups. The results of this study imply that, although there a tendency to affect negatively iron status, menstrual blood loss in adolescent females does not deteriorate obviously their iron status during the relatively short period up to 1 you. However, it should be better to improve their iron status after starting menarche by increasing iron intake, especially heme-iron, and enhancing factors for iron absorption.

The Relationships of Health-Related Lifestyles with Homocysteine, Folate, and Vitamin B/sub 12/ Status in Korean Adults / 대한지역사회영양학회지

The elevation of plasma total homocysteine(tHcy) is now established as a risk factro for cardiovascular disease. It is also well known that plasma levels of folate and vitamin B/sub 12/ influences homocysteine metabolism as cofactors. Recently, the effects of health-related lifestyle factors, such as smoking, alcohol drinking coffee consumption, regular exercise, and etc, on plasma tHcy have been determined. The Hordalane Homocysteine Study revealed that smoking and coffee consumption are major deter minants of plasma tHcy as well as folate levels; however, the influence of alcohol intake is still controversial. In Koreans, the effects of lifestyle factors of plasma tHcy have not yet been determined. Thus, we investigated the relationships of various lifestyle determinants with plasma tHcy, folate, and vitamin B/sub 12/ levels and the erythrocyte folate concentrations in Korean adults (99 males and 96 fermales). Plasma tHcy levels were significantly hight in male subjects. On the contrary, plasma levels of folate and vitamin B/sub 12/ and erythrocyte folate concentration of the females were significantly higher than those of the males. Among the five lifestyle factors determined in the study, regular exercise significantly affects plasma tHcy levels only in the females, Contrary to the expectation, there were on significant differences in plasma tHcy levels between alcohol drinkers and non-alcohol drinkers as well as smokers and non-smokers. And also, plasma tHcy leverls were not different between coffee consumers and non-coffee consumer and between green tea consumers and non-green tea consumers. Although alcohol intake did not influence plasma tHcy levels, the duration, frequency, and amount of alcohol drinking showed significant negative relationships with plasma folate levers. These results indicate the regular exercise and alcohol intake might influence plasma levels of tHcy and folate in Koreans, although the results were not reveled in both sexes.

A Longitudinal Study on Maternal Iron and Folate Status During and After Pregnancy in Korean Women / 대한지역사회영양학회지

Anemia in women during pregnancy and after delivery has been known to affect the mother, the fetus, and the infant's growth and health status. Studies examining, changes in iron and folate status associated with anemia during pregnancy and during pregnancy, and those supplements are stopped after postpartum. However, the effects of those have not been clearly determined in pregnant and lactating Korea women. Therefore, this study was performed to determine the changes in maternal iron and folate status during pregnancy and six months after delivery longitudinally in six pregnant women who consumed supplements from 20 wk to delivery. We concluded that the iron status deteriorated during pregnancy and especially was weak in the third trimester, but had a tendency to recovery after delivery. On the other hand, the folate status deteriorated in the first and second trimester and was good in the third trimester, but had a tendency to decrease after delivery. These results suggested that the iron status was not improved despite consuming total iron supplements of 50 mg/day through diets and supplements during the second half of the pregnancy. On the other hand, the folate status improved at the end of pregnancy by consuming folate supplements of a total of 800 mg/day through diets and supplements. However, folate status was poor in the first half of the pregnancy, and the tendency of folate status to decrease during postpartum was advanced. At the point in which iron and therefore supplementation is essential. However, the effects of supplement intake time and intake dosage need to be verified and the nutritional status changes of postpartum women should be carefully monitored.