Purpose: Although activating thermogenic adipocytes is a promising strategy to reduce the risk of obesity and related metabolic disorders, emerging evidence suggests that it is difficult to induce adipocyte thermogenesis in obesity. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the regulation of adipocyte thermogenesis in diet-induced obesity. Methods: Adipose progenitor cells were isolated from the white and brown adipose tissues of control diet (CD) or high-fat diet (HFD) fed mice, and fully differentiated white and brown adipocytes were treated with β-agonists or 18-carbon fatty acids for β-adrenergic activation or peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) activation. Results: Compared to the CD-fed mice, the expression of uncoupling protein 1 (Ucp1) was lower in the white adipose tissue of the HFD-fed mice; however, this was not observed in the brown adipose tissue. The expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (Pparg) was lower in the brown adipose progenitor cells isolated from HFD-fed mice than in those isolated from the CD-fed mice. Norepinephrine (NE) treatment exerted lesser effect on peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator (Pgc1a) upregulation in white adipocytes derived from HFD-fed mice than those derived from CD-fed mice. Regardless which 18-carbon fatty acids were treated, the expression levels of thermogenic genes including Ucp1, Pgc1a, and positive regulatory domain zinc finger region protein 16 (Prdm16) were higher in the white adipocytes derived from HFD-fed mice. Oleic acid (OLA) and γ-linolenic acid (GLA) upregulated Pgc1a expression in white adipocytes derived from HFD-fed mice. Brown adipocytes derived from HFD-fed mice had higher expression levels of Pgc1a and Prdm16 compared to their counterparts. Conclusion: These results indicate that diet-induced obesity may downregulate brown adipogenesis and NE-induced thermogenesis in white adipocytes. Also, HFD feeding may induce thermogenic gene expression in white and brown primary adipocytes, and OLA and GLA could augment the expression levels.

Purpose: The carbohydrate-restricted diet has been recognized to be effective into preventing and alleviating lifestyle-related diseases, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. The rare sugar ᴅ-allulose is a functional monosaccharide with anti-obesity effects. In the present study, we examined the effects of dietary ᴅ-allulose on body fat accumulation in rats fed severely carbohydrate-restricted diets containing high concentrations of different fats, beef tallow, or soybean oil. Methods: Male Wistar rats (n = 35, 3-week-old) were divided into 5 groups: One chow-fed control (C) group, and four carbohydrate-restricted groups, namely, beef tallow (B), beef tallow + ᴅ-allulose (BA), soybean oil (S), and soybean oil + ᴅ-allulose (SA), with free access to the diet and water for 8 weeks. The B and BA diets contained 23% beef tallow and 2% soybean oil, whereas the S and SA diets contained 25% soybean oil. Furthermore, the BA and SA diets contained 5% ᴅ-allulose. Results: The final body weight, weight gain, and food intake were significantly higher, and food efficiency was significantly lower in the control group compared to the other carbohydrate-restricted groups. Intra-abdominal adipose tissue, carcass fat, and total body fat weights were not influenced by dietary fat type or ᴅ-allulose supplementation, except for the epididymal adipose tissue weight. In contrast, carbohydrate restriction suppressed body weight gain in rats, but remarkably increased body fat accumulation. Conclusion: Under carbohydrate-restricted conditions, no anti-obesity effects of dietary ᴅ-allulose were observed, regardless of the dietary fat type. The causes of these effects are unknown. However, they may be influenced by a very low carbohydrate and high protein diet. Further research is required to elucidate the effects of ᴅ-allulose under various nutrient compositions with different fat, carbohydrate, and protein energy ratios.

본 연구에서는 정향과 마가목 복합물 (SS)의 항비만 효과를 알아보기 위해 실험을 진행하였다. SS 투여는 3T3-L1 세포 내 TG와 TC가 유의적으로 감소하는 효과를 나타냈으며, 지질 합성 관련 유전자와 지방산 산화 관련 유전자 발현을 조절하는 효과를 보여주었다. 비만이 유도된 C57BL/6 mice에서 SS 투여는 혈청 내 leptin 호르몬 수치를 감소시켰으며, AMPK/ACC/SREBP-1 경로를 경유하여 TG 합성을 억제하였다. 또한, 조직병리학적 분석을 통해 지질 축적과 지방세포의 크기가 감소된 것을 확인하였다. 따라서 SS는 비만의 예방과 치료를 위한 잠재력을 갖춘 소재로 사료된다.

본 연구에서는 해조류 섭취와 염증과 관련된 유전자의 변이 및 다유전자 위험 점수 간의 상호작용이 염증에 미치는 영향을 확인하였다. 남성과 여성 모두 PRS가 높은 그룹에서 염증 발생 위험은 증가하였다. 본 연구에서는 해조류의 섭취가 염증과 직접적인 관련이 있는 것으로 밝혀지지 않았지만, 해조류 섭취와 다유전자 위험 점수 변이 사이에선 통계적으로 유의한 결과를 보였다. 특히, 낮은 해조류의 섭취는 높은 다유전자 위험 점수를 가진 여성에서 고염증 발생 위험이 높았다. 따라서 본 연구결과는 한국인에게서 작용하는 염증 및 염증질환에 대한 유전자 소인을 파악할 수 있고 면역 체계의 균형 및 건강 유지에 새로운 중재방안을 제시할 수 있음을 기대한다.

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the distinctions in dietary and health-related behaviors among Indonesian women who marry Koreans or into multicultural families (MF) and those who marry Indonesians living in Korea (IK) and in Indonesia (II). Methods: The study was performed with 192 subjects using an online questionnaire regarding food choice, dietary and health behavior, and nutrition quotient (NQ). The analysis used Pearson's chi-squared test, the Fisher's exact test, multinomial logistic regression, and the general linear model. Results: The MF group consumed Korean food more than once a day and Indonesian food 1-2 times monthly (p < 0.001). The main challenge for the IK and II groups in consuming Korean food was the presence of pork and the different food flavors (p < 0.001). The MF group tended to have normal body mass index, consumed more vitamin and mineral supplements (p = 0.014), and exercised regularly ≥150 min/week compared to the IK and II groups (p < 0.001). However, the MF group had the highest rate of skipping breakfast (p = 0.040). When evaluating the NQ of the participants, the MF group consumed more vegetables (p = 0.026), mixed grains (p = 0.031), and spicy and salt soups (p = 0.006). The II group consumed more fish (p = 0.005), beans (p = 0.009), and nuts (p = 0.003). The IK group checked the nutrition labels the most (p = 0.005), while their consumption of vegetables, fish, beans, and nuts was lowest. The MF group had a higher balance score, which resulted in a substantially more nutritious food intake compared to the other two groups (p = 0.037). Conclusion: The MF group consumed more vegetables and mixed grains, adequate fish, beans, and nuts, and engaged in longer daily physical activity. However, the IK group had a relatively low-quality diet and nutritional intake status compared to the other two groups, and this needs to be improved in the future.

본 연구에서 개정된 한국인을 위한 식생활 지침을 기반으로 식품 및 영양소 섭취, 식생활 습관, 환경을 고려한 식생활 문화를 평가할 수 있는 항목을 개발하였다. 예비 문항을 확보하기 위하여 국내·외 평가도구 및 최신 문헌을 조사하여 항목을 조사하였고, 전문가 11명 대상 타당도 평가를 통해 70개의 항목을 선정하였다. 선정된 후보 항목 평가를 위해 서울·수도권 지역 중심으로 성인 332명을 대상으로 온·오프라인 조사를 시행하였고, 하루 총 에너지 섭취가 500 kcal 미만 또는 5,000 kcal 이상으로 섭취한 대상자 2명을 제외한 330명의 조사 자료를 활용하여 수렴타당도 분석 및 탐색적 요인분석을 진행하였다. 분석 결과 최종 선정된 문항은 총 34개로 식품 및 영양소 섭취 영역 11개, 식생활 습관 영역 9개, 식생활 문화 영역 14개로 구성되었다. 본 연구에서 개발한 평가 항목은 2021년 개정된 식생활지침을 기반으로 영역별로 성인의 전반적인 식사의 질과 지속가능한 식생활을 동시에 평가하는 데 용이하다는 점에서 건강한 식생활 개선을 위한 평가 도구로써 활용이 기대된다.

Purpose: Recently, high-protein diets have become highly popular, and the market for protein products has steadily increased in Korea together with the development of various types of such products. However, there is limited information on the consumption of protein supplements (PS) or protein-fortified foods (PF). Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the use of PS/PF among young adults in Jeju. Methods: A total of 350 adults (140 men and 210 women) aged 19-39 years voluntarily participated in this study from June 2022 to May 2023. PS/PF use was measured using a questionnaire. Dietary intake was assessed using a 24-hour dietary recall. Results: Approximately 31.4% of the participants (n = 110) had consumed PS/PF for more than 2 weeks during the past year and 71.8% of them (n = 79) were still consuming these products (PS/PF consumers). The PS/PF consumers tended to be male and physically active (p < 0.05 for all). The most frequent reason for PS/PF use was muscle gain (59.5%), followed by protein supplementation (19.0%) and body fat loss (13.9%), and the most frequent type of PS/PF consumed was powders (70.6%), followed by drinks (17.7%) and bars (8.8%). The PS/PF consumers tended to consume a high-protein low-carbohydrate diet compared to the non-consumers. The prevalence of consuming dietary protein less than the estimated average requirement (EAR) was significantly lower in PS/PF consumers (13.9%) compared to non-consumers (25.4%; p = 0.0316). Conclusion: These findings indicate that the necessity of protein supplementation should be determined based on the current dietary protein intake and individual requirements. The study also provides the basic information for establishing guidelines for appropriate protein intake.