Volume 22 Issue 1

▪ Keyword : vitamin D, climate change, health, pleiotropic functions

▪ Content : The functions of vitamin D are pleiotropic affecting all body organs and systems in some way. Its adequacy depends principally on sunshine for UV light to stimulate its synthesis in skin and on foods which contain it, either animal-derived or obtained from fungi or mushrooms, with the UV-responsive substrates dehydrocholesterol for vitamin D-3 or ergosterol for vitamin D-2, respectively.

▪ Keyword : percent body fat, bone mineral density, gender, development stage, adolescent

▪ Content : The effects of total and regional (trunk, arm, and leg) percent fat on total and regional (arm, leg, rib, thoracic spine, lumbar spine, proximal femur, and pelvis) bone mineral density (BMD) in Korean adolescents were examined using the Fourth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2009. Percent fat and BMD were measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry in a population-based sample of 710 Korean adolescents (365 boys and 345 girls), aged 10-19 years.

▪ Keyword : cognitive impairment, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, BMI

▪ Content : Objective: A population-based survey was conducted to analyze the association of under-weight, blood pressure, glucose and lipid metabolism with cognitive impairment in people, 60 years and over, living in 2 towns of Shanghai. Methods: Face-to-face interviews were carried out to collect relevant information with questionnaires. Anthropometric indices of height, weight, waist circumference (WC) and hip circumference were measured.

▪ Keyword : dietary supplements, pregnancy, folic acid, information, Japan

▪ Content : We investigated the characteristics of dietary supplements and their use by 1,076 Japanese pregnant women, the majority of whom were in mid- to late pregnancy. The subjects completed a self-reported survey on their sociodemographic characteristics, supplement use, and attitudes towards diet.

▪ Keyword : nutrient intake, maternal weight gain, white blood cells, ferritin, preterm delivery

▪ Content : This study determined factors of preterm delivery in Taiwan. Healthy women (n=520, age 29.1±4.2 y) at 8–12 weeks of pregnancy were recruited from prenatal clinics. Background information, anthropometrics, biochemical parameters, and dietary intake, collected by 24 h-recall were obtained from the first, second, and third trimesters to delivery. Clinical outcomes of neonates were also collected.

▪ Keyword : young children, child growth, anemia, complementary feeding, earthquake disaster

▪ Content : This study was carried out to investigate the nutritional status and feeding practices of young children in the worst-affected areas of China two years after the Wenchuan Earthquake. The sample consisted of 1,254 children 6-23 months of age living in four selected counties from the disaster-affected provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu.

▪ Keyword : uterine fibroid, diet, physical activity, stress, risk factors

▪ Content : This study was conducted to investigate the associations between uterine fibroids and lifestyles including diet, physical activity and stress from October 2009 to April 2011 in China. This case-control study composed of 73 women with uterine fibroids and 210 women without fibroids.

▪ Keyword : isoflavone, breast cancer, dose-response, meta-analysis, menopause

▪ Content : Epidemiologic studies that examine whether isoflavone consumption protects against breast cancer have yielded inconsistent results. The controversy focuses on the effects of the menopausal status and exposure dose of isoflavone. We aim to conduct a meta-analysis on the association between isoflavone intake and breast cancer risk by comprehensively assessing isoflavone exposure in the targeted populations.

▪ Keyword : bladder cancer, overall tea, black tea, green tea, meta-analysis

▪ Content : The association between tea consumption and bladder cancer has been confirmed in several animal studies, but one epidemiological study in 2001 showed no association between them. In order to provide an accurate assessment of this, we conducted a meta-analysis on tea consumption and bladder cancer risk. Studies were identified by a literature search in PubMed from January 1980 to March 2012 and the reference lists of relevant studies.

▪ Keyword : sodium, ready-to-eat meals, food reformulation, public health nutrition, cardiovascular disease

▪ Content : Australians consume substantially more sodium than recommended. Three quarters of dietary sodium derives from processed food and the growing ready meal category is a significant contributor. This study examined changes in sodium levels of Australian ready meal products between 2008 and 2011. Sodium data were systematically collected from all product labels in the same 5 stores each year. Mean sodium levels were calculated overall and compared between ready meal types, and by major brands.

▪ Keyword : nutrition education, medical schools, Japan, questionnaire, curriculum

▪ Content : A questionnaire survey was used to determine the status of nutrition education in Japanese medical schools in 2009. A similar survey was conducted in 2004, at which time nutritional education was determined to be inadequate in Japanese medical schools.

▪ Keyword : mothers, children, early life, nutrition transition, Thailand

▪ Content : Double burden of malnutrition (DBMN), the coexistence of under- and overnutrition in the same population, is an emerging public health concern in developing countries, including Thailand. This paper aims to review the maternal and child nutrition situation and trends as the country moved from a low-income to a middle-income country, using data from large scale national surveys. Protein-energy malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies predominantly affected mothers and children prior to the 1980s.

▪ Keyword : genetic association, IRS1, type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, DNA damage

▪ Content : Objective: Published data concerning associations between IRS1 variants and type 2 diabetes and related traits have been inconsistent. We examined the relationship between common variants in IRS1, type 2 diabetes, and related traits including insulin resistance, hyperglycemia and DNA damage in the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study. Methods: We genotyped six common IRS1 variants in an adult Puerto Rican population (n=1132) and tested for association with risk of type 2 diabetes and related traits.

▪ Keyword : bone-specific alkaline phosphatase, phosphorus, single nucleotide polymorphism, tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase, young adult subjects

▪ Content : Introduction: We had demonstrated that single nucleotide polymorphism (787T>C) in the tissue-nonspecific ALP (TNSALP) gene was associated with the bone mineral density (BMD). BMD was the lowest among TNSALP 787T homozygotes (TT-type) and highest among TNSALP 787T>C homozygotes (CC-type) in postmenopausal women. In the present study, we investigated the effects of the TNSALP genotype on associations among serum bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP), serum calcium, and phosphorus in healthy young Japanese subjects.

▪ Keyword : vitamin D deficiency, ethnicity, atmospheric pollution, food, sunlight, diagnosis

▪ Content : Sound clinical nutrition practice is grounded in evidence and stimulated by research. Yet, there are unanswered questions about food-health relationships. Clinical nutrition involves the identification of nutritional disorders and the motivation to rectify them with all required care.

▪ Keyword : cattle, methane, grassland, grain-fed

▪ Content : A number of prominent people have advocated eating less meat or becoming a vegetarian to reduce global warming, because cattle produce the greenhouse gas methane. This raises a number of questions including: what will happen to the grasslands that much of the world’s cattle currently graze; how will alternate protein be produced, and what will the greenhouse consequences of that production be? It comes down to production systems.

▪ Keyword : salt intake, urinary salt excretion, self-monitoring device, overnight urine, blood pressure

▪ Content : Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between salt intake and urinary salt excretion and to examine the validity of a self-monitoring device for estimating 24-h urinary salt excretion from overnight urine samples. Methods: Twelve young, healthy female volunteers consumed test meals from days 1 to 14 and estimated urinary salt excretion on days 2–15 by using a self-monitoring device.

▪ Keyword : fish intake, cardiovascular disease, inflammation, diet, omega-3

▪ Content : The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of consuming gilthead sea bream fillets, with different n-6/ n-3 ratios, on atherosclerotic biomarkers. Twenty healthy subjects were included in a randomised single-blinded cross-over trial. Participants were randomized into 2 groups, both of which received approximately 630 g per week of gilthead sea bream fed with either 100% fishmeal (FM) or partial replacement with plant proteins (PP) over two consecutive 10 week periods, respectively.

▪ Keyword : iodine deficiency disorder, Orang Asli, iodized salt, hyperthyroidism

▪ Content : Background: This research was performed to determine the prevalence of iodine deficiency disorder (IDD) and the effects of iodized salt supplementation on thyroid status amongst Orang Asli in Hulu Selangor, Malaysia. Methods: Study respondents were from three target groups, i.e. pre-school children (PSC), primary school-going children (SGC) and adult women.

▪ Keyword : carbohydrate loading, insulin resistance, enhanced recovery after surgery, hyperinsulinemic normoglycemic clamp, perioperative management

▪ Content : Preoperative 12.6% oral carbohydrate loading is an element of the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS)protocol aimed at alleviating postoperative insulin resistance; however, in Japan, beverages with 18% carbohydrate content are generally used for preoperative carbohydrate loading. We investigated the effect of 18% carbohydrate loading on alleviating insulin resistance.

▪ Keyword : nutritional assessment, nutritional status, hospital, malnutrition, nutritional support

▪ Content : Background: To assess nutritional status, the prevalence of nutritional risk, and nutritional support in hospitalized patients in Guangzhou, to determine gender or age associated differences in the prevalence of nutritional risk. Methods: A total of 2550 patients admitted during April to December 2008 from six departments (Gastroenterology, Pulmonology, Neurology, Nephrology, General Surgery and Thoracic Surgery) of four teaching hospitals were screened using the Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 tool.

▪ Keyword : human, antioxidant, serum, diet, metabolic syndrome

▪ Content : Objective: The aim of our study was to examine the association between the metabolic syndrome (MS) and serum antioxidant status. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 221 cases and 329 controls aged 18 to 65 years. Weight, height, body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose and lipids, as well as serum superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, malondialdehide, vitamins A, E, β-carotene and lycopene were examined. Intakes of antioxidants were also estimated.