Comparative study of attitudes to eating between male and female students in the People's Republic of China.

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to compare eating attitudes and lifestyles of male and female college students in China (Beijing). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The subjects of this study consisted of 217 male and 177 female college students. They were asked to fill out the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26) and a lifestyle questionnaire. RESULTS: The percentages of those above the cutoff point on the EAT-26 for abnormal eating attitudes were 4.7% of male and 6.2% of female students. Body perception of being fat (distorted body image) was the factor most associated with abnormal eating attitudes. DISCUSSION: Weight related concern was prevalent amongst the Chinese students. This suggests that the culture of the beauty of thinness is common among young students in Beijing, particularly female students.

Factors associated with abnormal eating attitudes among female college students in Japan.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence rates of abnormal eating attitudes and associated risk factors among female Japanese college students. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The study population was 7812 female college students in Tokyo. They were asked to fill out the Japanese version of EAT-26 and lifestyle questionnaires. RESULTS: 5.1% of the subjects had a total EAT-26 score above the cutoff point (>20). Multiple regression analysis found the most important factors associated with abnormal eating attitudes were distorted body image, fewer sleeping hours, irregular meal habits, cigarette smoking and more exercise. DISCUSSION: The prevalence of abnormal eating attitudes among female college students in this study was lower than that of Japanese female high school students and lower than that reported for college students of both western and non-western countries. Our results suggest that body image dissatisfaction may be the most important factor associated with abnormal eating behavior.

Influences of long- and short-distance driving on alpha waves and natural killer cell activity.

We examined the effective amplitudes of alpha waves (using a mean frequency with a range of +/- 0.5 Hz), and activity of natural killer cells in six subjects, before and after a short-distance (43 km, 1 hr.) drive, and after a midnight (am 0:00-am 7:00 to 8:00) long-distance (550 km on average, for 7 to 8 hr.) drive. Following a long-distance drive, the activity of natural killer cells tended to decrease, and the effective amplitudes of alpha waves in the photic feedback period were greater than those observed during the rest period, showing that photic driving had occurred even under physically and mentally stressful conditions. However, after short-distance driving, no photic driving response occurred and activity of natural killer cells tended to increase, possibly related to mental concentration. Avoiding midnight long-distance driving may help prevent excessive stress and preserve high activity in natural killer cells.

EEG-driven photic stimulation effect on plasma cortisol and beta-endorphin.

The effect of EEG-driven photic stimulation on stress-related endocrine function was studied. Subjects were 16 healthy males divided into a photic stimulation group (n = 8) and a control group (n = 8). Electrodermal and emotional lability measures were assessed by nonspecific skin conductance response and the Maudsley Personality Inventory, respectively. Plasma cortisol and beta-endorphin concentrations were measured both before and after EEG-driven photic stimulation as well as the resting condition. Subjects with electrodermal, emotional, or both lability showed comparable decreases of plasma beta-endorphin on photic stimulation as did the stable subjects. Under resting control conditions, however, they showed significant increases of beta-endorphin compared to both stable subjects as well as the photic stimulation condition. In addition, labile subjects showed significant alpha enhancement on photic stimulation compared to stable subjects and to the resting control condition. The data suggest that increases of plasma beta-endorphin in labile control subjects may denote a stress response to the conditions of these experiments, and that any decrease by EEG-driven photic stimulation may indicate a reduction of responsiveness to an acute stress.

Treatment of a depressive disorder patient with EEG-driven photic stimulation.

This study examined the effects of electroencephalographic- (EEG-) driven photic stimulation on a case of depressive disorder, as measured by a psychometric test of mood states, EEG parameters, and several autonomic indices. The EEG-driven photic stimulation enhances the alpha rhythm of brain waves using photic signals, the brightness of which is modulated by a subject's own alpha rhythm. The patient was a 37-year-old businessman, who was treated for depression with medication during the 13 months prior to his first visit to our hospital. He underwent two sets of inpatient treatment sessions, comprising first 16 and then 18 treatment sessions. The treatments brought about the following changes: an improvement in general mood state, alpha rhythm increase, cardiac parasympathetic suppression, and increased skin conductance level. In addition, significant correlations between alpha rhythm increase and cardiac parasympathetic suppression or cardiac sympathetic predominance were observed with each inpatient treatment. Significant correlations between alpha rhythm increase, cardiac parasympathetic suppression, or cardiac sympathetic predominance and the improvement of general mood state were also observed. Thus, from these observations, it was concluded that the alpha enhancement induced by EEG-driven photic stimulation produced an improvement in the patient's depressive symptomatology connected with cardiac parasympathetic suppression and sympathetic predominance.