Limited acceptance of globalization in food habits among middle-aged women in Osaka, Japan.

The study was initiated to identify the effects of recent changes in dietary pattern in Japan on nutrient intake. In the large city of Osaka, Japan, 24-h food duplicate samples were collected from 26 middle-aged women, and nutrients in the duplicates were estimated in reference to standard tables of food composition. The subjects took 1844 kcal (7.72 MJ) energy, 67.5 g protein, and 54.5 g lipid (37% from plants) per day. Micro-nutrient intakes were generally sufficient, but NaCl intake tended to be excessive, and the relatively high body mass index (>25 in six cases) suggested a possibility of over-eating. The food composition was rich in rice and fish, being basically of a traditional type. Consumption of bread, an acquired habit, was observed in 65% of the breakfasts but less so in lunch and none in dinner. Thus, the acceptance of bread in place of rice was limited and did not induce substantial alteration in nutrient intakes.

Reduction in estimated vitamin A intake induced by new food composition tables in Japan, where vitamin A is taken mostly from plant foods.

A revised edition of the standard tables of food composition was implemented in Japan in 2005; one of the major revision points is the change of retinol activity equivalents for pro-vitamin A carotenoids. This preliminary analysis was conducted to examine whether the revision affects the estimation of vitamin A intake; and if so, to what extent. Accordingly, a field survey was conducted to collect 24-h duplicates of daily foods of citizens, and 26 adult women volunteered. Application of the procedures in the new and previous standard tables of food composition gave 537 microg retinol activity equivalent and 704 microg retinol equivalence, respectively, for daily vitamin A intake. Thus, the changes in retinol activity equivalents induced substantial reduction (by 24%) in estimation of vitamin A intake among the Japanese population, for whom pro-vitamin A carotenoids in plant foods are the major sources (76%) for vitamin A, and retinol accounts for only 35% (on the retinol activity equivalent basis).

Effects of revision of Japanese food composition tables on estimation of nutrient intakes, with reference to age-dependent differences.

OBJECTIVE: To identify effects of revision of the Japanese food composition tables from the fourth version to the fifth version on nutrient intake estimation. DESIGN: A database on 783 samples of 24-hour food duplicate portions was re-visited. Nutrients in the duplicate portions were estimated by use of the fourth and fifth versions of the Japanese food composition tables in parallel, together with supplemental use of other databases. The two sets of estimates were subjected to comparison. SETTING: The sample collection was conducted at 31 sites all over Japan. SUBJECTS: The sample donors were 783 women aged 20-78 years. RESULTS: Compared with the estimates by use of the fourth version of the tables, the estimates by the fifth version were substantially higher for intakes of energy, carbohydrate, dietary fibre, vitamin A and niacin, and lower for iron intake. The increase in carbohydrate intake estimates was more evident in older women than in young women, whereas the decrease in the intake estimation of iron and the increase in that of dietary fibre were more marked in young women than in older women. CONCLUSION: The recent revision of food composition tables in Japan induced substantial changes in the estimation of nutrient intakes, i.e. an increase in energy, carbohydrate, dietary fibre, vitamin A and niacin, and a decrease in iron. The extent of the changes varied depending on age.

Effects of life away from home and physical exercise on nutrient intake and blood/serum parameters among girl students in Japan.

This study was initiated to examine if the life away from home and participation in sport activities affect nutritional health among girl university students. For this purpose, anthropometric data, peripheral blood and spot urine samples, 24-hour food duplicate samples, and answers to questionnaires were collected from 71 girl students at 19 to 23 years of ages who provided informed consent to participate in the study. Of the 71 participants, 29 and 42 participants lived in their homes or outside, respectively, and 23 subjects participated in sport activities whereas 48 subjects did not. Hematology, serum biochemistry and nutrient intakes were evaluated in comparison with the life conditions (home vs. dormitory, boarding house, etc.) and participation in sport activities. The population studied had insufficient intake of energy, protein, and minerals such as Ca and Fe. Those who lived in home or participated in sport activities took more energy and protein (although not the two minerals) than others. Skipping of breakfast was more common among those who lived away from home and had no sport activity. Thus, two social factors of life in home and participation in sport clubs contribute favorably for better food habits, but not necessarily improved intakes of Ca and Fe.

Food composition table-based estimation of energy and major nutrient intake in comparison with chemical analysis: a validation study in Korea.

This study was initiated to examine the accuracy of conventional food composition table-based estimation of intakes of energy, protein, lipid and carbohydrate, in comparison with chemical analysis. For this purpose, 66 women (at the ages of 29 to 54 years) in three locations in Jeju Island, Republic of Korea, volunteered to offer 24-hour food duplicate samples. A half of them were house-wives, and the remaining half were farmers or fishers. The duplicate samples were subjected 1) to the chemical analysis for daily intake of energy, protein, lipid and carbohydrate after official methods in Korea (measured values), and 2) to the estimation of intakes of the same items taking advantage of Korean Food Composition Tables (estimated values). The two sets of the results, i.e., the measured and estimated values, were compared by paired and unpaired t-test, and linear regression analysis. The estimated values correlated closely with the measured values, irrespective of energy or the three major nutrients. A close agreement was observed for energy intake (the estimated/measured ratio of > 98%), and it was also the case for protein intake (101%). Under- and over-estimation was observed, however, in regard to carbohydrate (by - 8%) and lipid intake (by + 24%), respectively. It was concluded that the Korean Food Composition Tables are sufficiently accurate when applied for estimation of total energy intake as well as protein intake. Cares should be taken, however, in applying the tables for estimation of lipid and carbohydrate intake, because there may be the risk of over- and under-estimation for the former and the latter, respectively.

Rice as the most influential source of cadmium intake among general Japanese population.

The objective of the present study is to examine whether rice is still a leading source of cadmium (Cd) burden among general populations in Japan. For this purpose, 10 prefectures were selected from all over Japan (including the northern- and southern-most Hokkaido and Okinawa prefecture, respectively). Cadmium levels in urine of never-smoking women (corrected for creatinine; Cd-Ucr) were compared with the rice- and wheat product-based Cd intake, which were estimated from Cd contents in rice and wheat (in the forms of bread, noodle and flour) consumed by residents in the areas, and per-capita daily consumption of rice and wheat. Stepwise multiple regression analysis taking Cd-Ucr as a dependent variable and rice- or wheat product-based Cd intakes as independent variables showed that rice was the most influential and almost exclusive variable with a partial correlation coefficient of 0.770-0.832, explaining 59-69% of total variation in Cd-Ucr. The effects of other sources including wheat were essentially negligible.

Number of dishes as an indicator of nutrient intake in China.

The objectives of this analysis are to investigate if counting the number of dishes consumed per day is a rapid procedure for estimating daily nutrient intake in China, and to explore if urban-rural differences exist in the daily number of dishes. A nutritional survey (including dish number counting) was conducted on 499 adult women in six urban and four rural communities in China. The number of dishes was an influential variable in estimating intake of protein, animal protein, fat, animal fat, and some vitamins (e.g., vitamin B2) and minerals (e.g., zinc), but not of energy and carbohydrate. Intake of some nutrients (e.g., protein) was sufficient when people consume more than 10 dishes per day. Thus, the number of dishes is a useful indicator of sufficient intake of animal protein and fat as well as some micro-nutrients. The application of the dish number counting method showed that there was a significant difference between urban (11.9 dishes per day) and rural populations (7.9 dishes).