This study investigated the in vivo insulin function of Polygonatum odoratum in normal and diabetic male Sprague-Dawley rats. Diabetes mellitus was induced by an i.p. injection of streptozotocin. Normal and diabetic rats were assigned to the diet groups of the control basal diet and Polygonatum odoratum diet. The animals were fed the diet and water ad libitum for 15 days. Initial and final body weights, total food intake and serum glucose and insulin levels were measured. An insulin suppression test was performed to elucidate the insulin function in the peripheral tissues. The results showed that the final serum glucose levels significantly decreased in the diabetic rats on the Polygonatum odoratum diet compared with the diabetic rats on the control diet. The final serum insulin levels were increased in the diabetic rats on the Polygonatum odoratum diet compared with the diabetic rats on the control diet. The in vivo function of the insulin increased in the diabetic rats on the Polygonatum odoratum compared with the diabetic rats on the control diet. These data indicate that Polygonatum odoratum may be beneficial in improving the in vivo insulin function in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of P/S ratio of fatty acid and antioxidant (vitamin E, selenium) supplements on the serum lipid levels and hepatic antioxidant enzyme activity in rats. Female 16-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats were fed 6 different experimental diets for 4 weeks. While the peroxidizability index (PI) levels of fatty acids in the experimental diets were fixed at 81.22, the levels of P/S ratio of fatty acids were formulated at 0.38, 1.00, 4.81 (LP, MP, HP). These diets were supplemented with vitamin E (1,000 mg/kg diet) and selenium (2.5 mg/kg diet) (LP-S, MP-S, HP-S). This study showed that the serum concentrations of total-cholesterol and HDL-C increased with the increasing of the P/S ratio in the diet (p <0.05). Antioxidant supplementation significantly lowered the concentrations of triglyceride (TG) and VLDL-C of serum (p<0.05). Levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) in the liver tended to decrease with the increasing of the P/S ratio in the diet (p<0.001), but antioxidant enzyme activity in the liver was not significantly different. In addition, antioxidant supplementation significantly lowered TBARS level in the liver (p<0.05), but had no effect on antioxidant enzyme activity except for glutathione reductase (p<0.05). In conclusion, it is necessary to consider the properties of dietary fatty acids and antioxidants supplementation for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.

Food irradiation has been steadily increasing in many countries in line with increasing international trade and concerns about naturally occurring harmful contaminants in food. Although irradiation provides an excellent safeguard for the consumer by destroying almost 100% of harmful bacteria, it is necessary to ensure the safety of irradiated foods. This study was performed to investigate the effect of an irradiated diet on lipid peroxidation in the plasma, liver, small intestinal mucosa, and lymphocyte DNA damage in mice. Eight-week old ICR mice were assigned to two groups to receive either non-irradiated or irradiated (10 kGy) diets containing 20.38% fish powder and 6.06% sesame seeds for 4 weeks. The resulting changes in the degrees of lipid peroxidation were evaluated based on the level of plasma and liver thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS), transmission electron micrograph of jejunal mucosa, and free radical-induced oxidative DNA damage in lymphocytes, as measured by alkaline comet assay (single cell gel electrophoresis). The peroxide values of the gamma irradiated diet were measured every week, and the sample for comet assay was taken at the end of the four week experimental period. There was no significant difference in food efficiency ratio between the two groups. The peroxide values of the diet were immediately increased to 35.5% after gamma irradiation and kept on increasing during storage. After 4 weeks, no differences in tissue or plasma TBARS value were observed between the two groups, but epithelial cells of jejumum showed osmiophillic laminated membranous structures, considered as myelin figures,. The oxidative DNA damage expressed as tail moment (TM) increased 30% in the blood lymphocytes of the mice fed the irradiated diet. In conclusion, the comet assay sensitively detected differences in lymphocyte DNA damage after feeding with the irradiated diet for 4 weeks. However, in order to ensure the safety of irradiated foods, it would be more useful to conduct a long-term feeding regimen using an irradiated diet and examine the level of lipid peroxidation and the state of oxidative stress in a greater range of organs.

The effect of dietary supplementation of the two oriental medicinal prescriptions, Sypjeondaebotang or Jahyulyanggeuntang, on iron bioavailability was evaluated in rats which were depleted of iron by being fed an irondeficient diet for 4 weeks. Seventy two iron-depleted rats were randomly divided into 3 groups (n = 24) , and fld one of the following experimental diets for 4 (n = 8), 12 (n = 8), and 25 days (n = 8) : Control diet (CD), Sypjeondaebotang-supplemented diet (SD), Jahyulyanggeuntang -supplemented diet (JD). The CD contained 20 mg Fe/kg diet as FeSO4, and the SD or JD was identical except that the respective oriental medicinal prescription extract was included at the level of 4 g/kg diet. Animals fed the SD and JD for 25 days consumed significantly less food (p＜0.001), but showed no change in food efficiency ratio compared to those that were fed the CD. Serum iron concentration and transferrin saturation values were significantly higher in rats fed the SD for 25 days compared to those that were fed the CD for the same period (p < 0.05). The values of serum UIBC (p < 0.05) and TIBC (p > 0.05) were lower in rats fed the SD compared to those fed the CD. Dietary supplementation of Sypjeondaebotang during the period of iron repletion significantly increased blood levels of hemoglobin (p < 0.05) and hematocrit (p < 0.01) measured at day 12, and increased mean corpuscular volume (p < 0.05) measured at day 25, compared to the values for the CD rats. Regression analyses of hemoglobin-repletion bioassay data from rats fed the SD and JD showed the relative biological values of 123% and 99%, respectively, calculated against the slope for the CD rats. Apparent iron absorption and retention values were also significantly lower (p < 0.05) in rats fed the SD for 25 days than those for the CD rats. Based on the results from diverse biochemical indices of iron status and the chemical balance study, the effect of Jahyulyanggeuntang on iron bioavailability appears to be less prominent than that for Sypjeondaebotang. Taken together, these results indicate that Sypjeondaebotang has a positive effect in restoring iron depletion by increasing the iron bioavailability in rats.

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is a group of positional and geometric isomers of linoleic acid (LA) and exhibits anticarcinogenic activity in a variety of animal models. We have previously observed that CLA inhibited the growth of Caco-2 cells, a human colon adenocarcinoma cell line. The present study was performed to determine whether the growth inhibitory effect of CLA is related to change in secretion of IGF- II and/or IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs) that have been shown to regulate Caco-2 cell proliferation by an autocrine mechanism. Cells were incubated in serum-free medium with various concentrations of CLA or linoleic acid (LA). Immunoblot analysis of 24-hours, serum-free, conditioned medium using a monoclonal anti-IGF-IIantibody revealed that Caco-2 cells secreted both mature 6,500 Mr and higher Mr forms of pro IGF-II. The levels of pro IGF-II and mature IGF-IIwere decreased by 43 $\pm$ 2% and 53 $\pm$ 6%, respectively by treatment with 50 $\mu$ M CLA. LA slightly increased pro IGF- II levels. Results from Northern blot analysis showed that CLA decreased IGF-II mRNA levels at 50 $\mu$ M concentration suggesting that CLA regulation of IGF-II protein expression occurs partly at the transcriptional level. Ligand blot analysis of conditioned media using 1251-IGF-II revealed that CLA slightly decreased IGFBP-2 levels and increased IGFBP-4 levels. We confirmed our previous results that CLA inhibited cell growth in a dose-dependent manner but LA slightly increased cell growth. Exogenous IGF-II mitigated the growth inhibitory effect of CLA. These results indicate that the growth inhibitory effect of CLA may be at least in part mediated by decreasing IGF-II and IGFBP-2 secretion and increasing IGFBP-4 secretion in Caco-2 cells.

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) consists of several geometric isomers of linoleic acid. CLA is found in foods derived from ruminants and exhibits strong anticarcinogenic effects in a variety of animal models. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play a key role in cancer progression. Specifically, MMP-2 and -9, which hydrolyze the basal membrane type IV collagen, are involved in the initial breakdown of collagen and basement membrane components during tumor growth and invasion. However, the effects of CLA on cancer cell motility and MMP expression and activity are not currently well known. Therefore, the present study examined whether CLA reduces the activity of MMP and cell motility in SW480 and SW620 cells, the human colon cancer cell lines. Gelatin zymography and Western blot analysis revealed that phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) induced the activity and protein expression of Mr 92,000 MMP-9 in both cell lines. To examine whether CLA inhibits the MMP activity, cells were incubated with 100 ngfmL PMA in the presence of various concentrations of CLA. PMA-induced MMP-9 activity was decreased by 20 $\mu$ M CLA in SW480 cells, and by 10 $\mu$ M and 20 $\mu$ M CLA in SW620 cells. Results from the Hoyden chamber assay showed that cell motility was increased by PMA and that PMA-induced cell motility was significantly decreased by 20 $\mu$ M CLA in SW480 cells. These results indicate that CLA may reduce the motility and MMP activity in human colon cancer cells.

This intervention study was performed to assess the effect of spirulina on lipid metabolism, antioxidant capacity, and immune function in elderly Koreans. The subjects were 6 male and 6 female people between the ages of 60 and 75, who were given spirulina supplements of 7.5 g/day for 24 weeks. Dietary intake, anthropometric measurements and biochemical assessment for plasma lipid levels, antioxidant status and immune function were measured before and throughout the intervention period. Before entering the study, the subjects were in relatively good health. Their nutrient intake was satisfactory, and anthropometric indices and plasma nutrient levels were within the normal range. Spirulina supplementation for 24 weeks did not affect dietary intake and anthropometric parameters. However, considerable changes were observed in blood lipid profiles, antioxidant capacity, and immune indices. The plasma concentrations of triglycerides, total- and LDL-cholesterol decreased from 4 weeks of the supplementation period. The antioxidant capacity improved, as shown in increasing TAS and decreasing TBARS after supplementation. Improved immune function was also observed as the PBL lymphocyte proliferation rate and plasma C3 levels increased. The above effects of spirulina supplementation did not differ between mild hypercholesterolemic (cholesterol $\geq$ 200mg/d1) and normochole-sterolemic (cholesterol < 200 mg/dl) subjects. This study provided evidence that spirulina could be used as dietary supplementation in nutritionally vulnerable groups to improve nutritional and health status and to prevent chronic disease such as hyperlipidemia or oxidation-prone diseases. further studies in this area with various population groups are warranted.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the eating habits and social behavior of preschool children. Six hundred twenty seven children ranging in age from 4 to 7 and their mothers were asked to complete a questionnaire assessing the children's eating habits and kindergarten teachers were asked to rate the social behavior of their preschool children. The eating habits of children positively correlated to those of their mothers, primarily in meal regularity, breakfast frequency, unbalanced meals, overeating, eating delivery food and food preferences. The results showed that 33% of preschool children always had unbalanced meals and 50% sometimes had them. Children who had ice cream, cake, carbonated drinks or cookies as snacks more often, tend to have meals irregularly because they favored sweets and were possibly induced to have unbalanced meals. Sixty five percent of the children were graded as good in terms of having healthy eating habits and had good social behavior. The results indicate that the eating habits of children are related to problem behavior, especially social withdrawal and anxiety. That is, children who have undesirable eating habits are likely to be anxious or socially withdrawn.

This study was performed to investigate the dietary attitudes and nutrient intakes of nurses. A total of 291 nurses working at hospitals in the Kyungnam area participated in the study. The general characteristics and dietary attitudes of the subjects were surveyed using a self-administered questionnaire, and nutrient intakes was examined using one-day 24-hour recall method. The results were as follows : 67.7 percent of the subjects were nurses, 32.3% were nursing assistants. Average age of the subjects was 26.9 years old, average nursing experience was 5.7 years, and 70.7% of the subjects graduated from junior college. The rates of shift work (45.4%) and non-shift work (54.6%) were similar, and 91.5% of subjects worked on a three-shift a day schedule. The average nutrition knowledge score was 14.3 $\pm$ 2.5 out of a possible 20 points. Most of the nurses had experienced dietary problems such as skipping meals and overeating. Sixty-eight point three percent of the nurses had breakfast less than 3 times a week, and the main reason for skipping meals was a lack of time. Most of the nurses (74.1%) didn't exercise regularly. The average score on dietary habits was 55.6 out of 100, and most of the subjects belonged to the‘fair’group in terms of dietary habits. Married nurses, and those over 31 years of age, scored significantly higher on dietary habits than unmarried nurses, and those under 25 years of age (p < 0.001), and the scores significantly increased with increasing age. Mean daily carbohydrate and fat intake was 231.5 $\pm$ 66.1 g, 41.1 $\pm$ 18.8 g, and cholesterol and crude fiber intake was 238.2 $\pm$ 184.6 mg, 5.2 $\pm$ 2.0 g. respectively. Compared with the recommended allowances, the energy (1560.0 $\pm$ 448.5 kcal), calcium (453.8 $\pm$ 222.3 mg) iron (10.6 $\pm$ 7.6 mg), vitamin A (658.5 $\pm$ 538.1 R.E) and vitamin B$_2$ (0.96 $\pm$ 0.5 mg) figures were below the Korean RDA, and the protein (65.9 $\pm$ 31.0 g), vitamin B, (1.14 $\pm$ 0.5 mg), vitamin C (143.2 $\pm$ 119.6 mg), niacin (14.4 $\pm$ 6.3 mg) and phosphorus (958.1 $\pm$ 352.1 mg) figures were above the Korean RDA. The average carbohydrate, protein, fat ratio of energy intake was 60：17：23. The intake ratio of Ca and P showed an unbalance of 1：2. The dietary habits had a positive correlation (p < 0.001) with nutrition intake except vitamin A and vitamin C. Therefore, In order to improve overall dietary behavior and nutritional status, systematic nutrition education programs should be developed.

The purposes of this study were to : (a) analyze the menus of food service operations using the menu analysis techniques of Kasavana & Smith, Miller, Merricks & Jones, Pavesic and Uman, (b) closely examine the characteristics of the five analysis techniques. Calculations for the menu analysis were done by computer using the MS 2000 Excel spreadsheet program. Menu mix% and unit contribution margin were used as variables by Kasavana & Smith, sales volume and food cost% by Miller, sales volume and cash contribution by Merrick & Jones, weighted contribution margin and food cost% by Pavesic, and total cash contribution and unit contribution margin by Uman. In each case, a four-cell matrix was created, and menu items were located in each according they achieved high or low scores with respect to two variables. Items that scored favorably on both variables were rated in the top category (e.g., star, prime, signature, group A, winner) and those that scored below average on both were rated in the lowest category (e.g., dog, problem, loser, group D, loser). While the 3 methods of Kasavana & Smith, Miller, Merrick & Jones focus on customers' viewpoints, the others consider the managers' viewpoints. Therefore, it is more likely to be desirable for decision-making on menus if the menu analysis technique chosen is suited to its purpose.