Issue 2

▪ Keyword : gut microbiota, cardiovascular diseases, chronic heart failure, Asian, risk factors

▪ Content : Background and Objectives: Chronic Heart Failure (CHF) is one of the leading cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), particularly in the Asian population. Individuals with specific health risks, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and coronary artery disease (CAD), are more susceptible to developing CHF. Current evidence is limited to understanding the link between gut microbiota dysbiosis and CHF. Therefore, this review aims to explore the potential connection between dietary patterns, gut microbiota, and its metabolites in individuals at risk of CHF in the Asian population. Methods and Study Design: A literature review of cross-sectional studies was conducted using primary keywords such as "Asian", "obesity", "type 2 diabetes", "hypertension", "dyslipidemia", "coro...

▪ Keyword : dietary intake of lutein + zeaxanthin, plasma lutein + zeaxanthin level, depression, US adults, NHANES

▪ Content : Background and Objectives: Evidence regarding the relationship between dietary and plasma lutein + zeaxanthin (L + Z) levels and the risk of depression is scarce. This study aimed to investigate the associations of dietary consumption of L + Z and plasma L + Z level with risk of depression in adult of United States by using data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Methods and Study Design: A total of 7,829 and 7,324 individuals aged ≥ 20 years were included from the NHANES to analyze the relationship between dietary L + Z and depression, as well as plasma L+ Z levels with the risk of depression, separately. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used. Subsequently, the dose-response relationships were conducted using restricted cubic splines.

▪ Keyword : garlic consumption, diabetes, older adults, epidemiology, China

▪ Content : Background and Objectives: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major public health problem worldwide. Numerous traditional plants are used for preventing DM. However, limited evidence supports the association between garlic consumption and DM. Methods and Study Design: Data used in this study was from the 2008-2018 Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey. Data on garlic consumption was obtained by questionnaire, and DM by self-reported diagnosis. A multivariate adjusted Cox regression model was used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) to determine the incidence of DM.

▪ Keyword : mulberry leaves, water chestnut, 1-deoxynojirimycin, polyphenols, postprandial blood glucose level

▪ Content : Background and Objectives: Postprandial hyperglycemia is a risk factor not only for diabetes mellitus, but also arteriosclerosis. Therefore, controlling the rapid postprandial increase in blood glucose levels is necessary. This study aimed to develop a mulberry leaf and water chestnut husk tea and investigate its effect on postprandial blood glucose levels. Methods and Study Design: We measured the polyphenols and 1-deoxynojirimycin contents as well as antioxidant activity of mulberry leaf and water chestnut husk tea in an in vitro experiment. The effect of the tea on postprandial blood glucose levels in 30 participants with borderline diabetes was investigated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover comparison study.

▪ Keyword : diet, niacin, dyslipidemia, NHANES

▪ Content : Background and Objectives: The association of niacin intake with dyslipidemia remains uncertain. The aim of this study was to explore the association between dietary niacin intake and the prevalence of dyslipidemia among adults in the United States (US). Methods and Study Design: Data were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted between 2005 and 2014. The exposure variable was dietary niacin intake, measured through 24-hour dietary recall interviews and treated as both a continuous and categorical variable. Dyslipidemia, defined by diagnostic criteria, was the outcome. Logistic regression and restricted cubic spline models were applied to examine the association between niacin intake and the prevalence of dyslipidemia.

▪ Keyword : noodle consumption, metabolic syndrome, Korean, carbohydrates, diet

▪ Content : Background and Objectives: The proportion of noodles in the Korean diet is increasing, but the effect of noodle intake on metabolic syndrome has not been sufficiently investigated. Therefore, we investigated noodle consumption and its relation to metabolic syndrome in Korean adults. Methods and Study Design: This study was conducted on 10,505 adults using the combined data of the 2012–2016 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Noodle intake was evaluated with a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) based on 112 food items. To compute odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) controlled for confounders, multivariable logistic regression models were used.

▪ Keyword : congenital heart disease, chylothorax, prolonged pleural effusion, nutrition support, risk factor

▪ Content : Background and Objectives: Previous studies on the risk factors for prolonged pleural effusion (PPE) have primarily focused on surgical-related risk factors, with little research exploring the influence of nutritional factors on this delay. This study aimed to identify the nutritional risk factors for PPE in Chinese infants following congenital heart disease (CHD) surgery. Methods and Study Design: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients under 3 years old with chylothorax following CHD surgery from 2016 to 2020. PPE was defined as pleural effusion lasting over 14 days. Logistical regression analysis was conducted to identify the risk factors.

▪ Keyword : iodine, thyroid function, pregnancy outcomes, fetal outcomes, Qujing

▪ Content : Background and Objectives: This study investigated the iodine status of pregnant women at an average altitude of approximately 2000 meters in Qujing, China. The relationship between iodine and thyroid function in different trimesters as well as adverse pregnancy and fetal outcomes were also investigated. Methods and Study Design: A total of 1,025 pregnant women who were admitted to Qujing Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University from January 2019 to August 2021 were included. Urinary iodine concentration (UIC) was detected by colorimetric method, and serum thyroid function was detected by chemiluminescence. Among them, 537 pregnant women were followed up to analyze the association of iodine with adverse pregnancy and fetal outcomes.

▪ Keyword : hip fracture, frailty, inflammatory marker, nutritional status, complications

▪ Content : Background and Objectives: To investigate the underlying inflammatory markers of frailty and evaluate the predictive power of frailty and nutritional risk screening (NRS) for in-hospital complications in elderly patients with hip fractures. Methods and Study Design: A total of 233 elderly patients with hip fractures participated in the study. Frailty and nutritional risk screening was performed on all participants, who were then divided into frail (‘frail only’ and ‘frail and malnourished’) and non-frail (‘robust’ and ‘malnourished only’) cohorts. The clinical data were collected for all participants, and in-hospital complications were followed up.

▪ Keyword : vitamin B-12, folate, holotranscobalamin II, methylmalonic acid, homocysteine

▪ Content : Background and Objectives: Measurement of vitamin B-12 deficiency using different methods may cause diagnostic difficulties. In order to rapidly and safely diagnose vitamin B-12 deficiency, it is important to determine the reference ranges of serum B-12 and its related biomarkers such as homocysteine, holotranscobalamine (holo-TC) and methylmalonic acid (MMA). This study aimed to determine reference interval (RI)s for serum vitamin B-12 and related markers. Methods and Study Design: Samples were collected from 404 young-to-middle-aged healthy adults aged 18-65 years. Vitamin B-12, homocysteine, holotranscobalamin, folate were analyzed using the Arcitect i2000 device. Plasma MMA was analyzed by LC/MS. RIs were then evaluated accordingly.

▪ Keyword : eating alone, folate, n-3 PUFA, depression, older adults

▪ Content : Background and Objectives: This study aimed to examine whether eating alone, folate intake, and n-3 PUFA intake are independently associated with psychological distress in older adults. Methods and Study Design: We analyzed cross-sectional data from 1011 study participants aged ≥65 years in Japan. We assessed psychological distress using the Kessler 6 scale, whether the participants ate alone or with others, folate and n-3 PUFA intake using a short food frequency questionnaire.

▪ Keyword : sarcopenia, combined intervention, body composition analysis, resistance exercise, nutritional supplement

▪ Content : Background and Objectives: Sarcopenia is the progressive loss of muscle mass and strength that can adversely affect an individual’s health and quality of life. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a combined nutritional and exercise intervention among older adults who were at risk of sarcopenia. Methods and Study Design: 46 older adults were included in a 30±3 days intervention that combined oral nutritional supplements with resistance exercise. Parameters were measured at baseline (day 0) and after intervention (day 30±3), including routine parameters of sarcopenia, blood tests, and body measurements. The ITT analysis method was used, and the data were analysed using paired t-tests/paired Wilcoxon test, and ANOVA.

▪ Content : Commentary