• Nutritional Sciences
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.107-112
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• 1999

Diet quality index DQI) offers a new way of comparing eating habits across populations and across countries. Nutrients and food consumption data from 100 elderly Korean women aged 65 and older were collected in Seoul or Kyunggi-do, Korea by the 24 hour recall method. Diet quality index (DQI) was computed for 1049 elderly women (65 and older) from the 1994-1996 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (CSFII) in the US according to US dietary guidelines, and applied to the diet of elderly Korean women for purposes of comparison. A modified 16-point DQI awarded 2 points each for moderate consumption of fat ($\leq$ 30% energy), saturated fat ($\leq$ 10%), cholesterol ($\leq$ 300 mg/day), sodium ($\leq$ 2400 mg/day), and protein ($\leq$ 100% RDA), adequate intakes of carbohydrate ($\qeq$50% energy) and calcium ($\qeq$ 100% RDA), and plenty of fruits and vegetables ($\qeq$ 5 servings). Criteria were based on US dietary guidelines. Partial scores were given if subjects were close to meeting these cutoff points. Diets with $\leq$ 300 mg cholesterol/day were reported by 97% or the Korean sample and 82% of the American sample, while 90% of the Koreans and 42% of the Americans met the goal of $\leq$ 30% of energy from fat, and 98% of the Koreans and 47% of American met the recommendation of $\leq$ 10% of energy from saturated fat. In contrast, only 8% of the Korean sample met the sodium recommendation of $\leq$ 2400 mg sodium per day, whereas 54% of the American subjects met this goal. The mean DQI scores were 10.1 for the elderly American women and 11.3 for the elderly Korean women. Overall, the elderly Korean diet was more consistent with the US dietary guidelines than the elderly American diet.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.143-149
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• 2007

Inadequate dietary intakes and poor health behaviors are of concern among rural residents in Korea. This study is conducted to compare dietary intakes, dietary diversity score (DDS), mean nutrient adequacy ratio (MAR) and health related behaviors by rural, factory and urban areas in Asan. A total of 930 adults (351 men and 579 women) were interviewed to assess social economic status (SES), health related behaviors and food intakes by a 24-hour recall method. Mean age was 61.5 years with men being older (64.8 years) than women (59.3 years, p<0.001). Men in the factory area were older than rural or urban men while urban women were the youngest. Education and income of urban residents were higher than other area residents. There were more current drinkers in urban area while smoking status was not different by regions. Physical activity was significantly higher in rural or factory areas, whilst urban residents exercised more often (p<0.05). Rural or factory area residents considered themselves less healthy than others while perceived stress was lower than urban residents. Energy intakes were higher in urban residents or in men, however, after SES was controlled, energy intake did not show any differences. Energy-adjusted nutrient intakes were significantly higher in the urban area (p<0.05) for most nutrients except for carbohydrate, niacin, folic acid, vitamin $B_6$, iron and fiber. Sodium intake was higher in factory area than in other areas after SES was controlled. DDS of rural men and MAR of both men and women in the rural area were significantly lower when SES was controlled. In conclusion, dietary intakes, diversity, adequacy and perceived health were poor in the rural area, although other health behaviors such as drinking and perceived stress were better than in the urban area. In order to improve perceived health of rural residents, good nutrition and exercise education programs are recommended.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.352-364
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• 2020

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Given the increasing proportion of the Korean population that is aged 65 years and older, the present study analyzed the relationship between diet quality and sarcopenia in elderly persons by using data from the 2008-2011 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). SUBJECTS/METHODS: Data for 3,373 persons aged 65 years and over (men: 1,455, 43.1%) were selected from the 2008-2011 KNHANES. Sarcopenia assessments are based on a formula that divides a subject's appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) by their weight (wt) and multiplies that result by 100 ([ASM/wt] × 100). Sarcopenia is present if the subject's result was less than one standard deviation (SD) below the sex-specific mean for a young reference group. For evaluation of diet quality, data obtained via the 24-hour recall method were used to calculate the Diet Quality Index for Koreans (DQI-K). A general linear model was applied in order to analyze general information and nutritional intake according to sarcopenia status. For analysis of the relationship between diet quality and sarcopenia, a binominal logistic regression analysis was undertaken. RESULTS: The sarcopenia prevalence rate among the study subjects aged 65 years and over was 37.6%. The DQI-K of those without sarcopenia was 3.33 ± 0.04 points, while that of those with sarcopenia was 3.45 ± 0.04 points (P < 0.05). The relationship between diet quality and sarcopenia revealed that subjects aged 75 and older had a poor diet quality, and their odds ratio (OR) of sarcopenia presence was significantly higher (OR: 1.807, 95% confidence interval: 1.003-3.254, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that poor diet quality was related to sarcopenia presence in Koreans aged 75 and older. In order to improve the diet quality of the elderly (aged 75 and older), it is necessary to develop dietary improvement guidelines.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.26 no.8
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• pp.982-997
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• 1993

This study was conducted to evaluate the nutritional status and nutrition knowledge of upper elementary school children attending a rural type school lunch programs. The subjects of this study consisted of 186 elementary school students in the 5th and 6th grades. Anthropometric measurements were taken for body weight, hight, sitting height, triceps skinfold thickness, and circumferences of midarm and chest. Dietary intakes of nutrients were assessed by modified 24-hour recall method. Test consisted of multiple-cholic items was used to assess nutrition knowledge of subjects. The results are summerized as follows: 1) The children's average body weight were 34.8kg in and 37.6kg in girls. Their average heights were 140.2cm in boys and 143.9cm in girls. Body weight, height, sitting height, triceps skinfold and body surface area of girls were significantly higher than those of boys(p<0.05). Anthropometric data of children approximated to the Korean standards, but were lower than those of children in Seoul and other rural area. 2) Total daily energy and nutrient intakes were below the RDA's, except for intakes of niacin and ascorbic acid. School lunch provided 30.5% of total energy intake ; 3.13% of carbohydrate intake, 30.3% of protein intake and 32.4% of fat intake. Therefore, school lunch largely contributed to the nutritional balance of these children. 3) The mean scores on the nutrition knowledge test of fifth grade and sixth grade students were 16.8(out of possible 40 points) and 23.5 (out of a possible 50 points), respectively. 4) Score of food habit had positive correlations with intakes of protein, iron and niacin. But score of nutrition knoweldge test showed to be only related to intake of ascorbic acid.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.38 no.9
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• pp.750-755
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• 2005

Hepcidin, a peptide hormone synthesized mainly by the liver, has been implicated as a key regulator of iron homeostasis. Results from studies with experimental animal models suggested that hepcidin levels are related with body iron status, but little data is available in human subjects. This study was conducted to determine the relationship between serum pro-hepcidin levels, blood indexes of anemia, and dietary iron intake in female college students. Serum pro-hepcidin concentrations were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in eighty-two women with $22.1\pm0.2$ years old. Dietary intake data were collected by using the 24-hour recall method for 3 days. Mean concentrations of serum pro-hepcidin were 85.1 ng/ml$\pm$6.1(s.d.) with the range of 13.6-295.7 ng/ml. The median value of serum pro-hepcidin in the study subjects was 70.3 ng/ml. Serum pro-hepcidin concentrations were positively correlated with hemoglobin concentrations (r=0.273, p=0.013), and also with hematocrit (r=0.291, p=0.008). To examine whether the level of dietary iron intake affects serum pro-hepcidin levels, study subjects were divided into two groups according to the amounts of daily iron intake. Serum pro-hepcidin concentrations were $22\%$ lower in groups with low iron intake (${\leq}10.1$ mg/day), compared to high-iron intake group (>10.1 mg/day) . In conclusion, these data, as in agreement with findings in mice, suggest that hepcidin plays an important role in regulating iron metabolism in the human body.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.132-142
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• 2004

Nutritional factors affecting bone mineral density (BMD) in the different age groups of Korean men were investigated to obtain baseline data for maintaining bone health. Information on diet and anthropometry was collected in 80 elementary school children, 83 high school students, 87 adults aged 25 to 35 years and 98 elderly people over 60 years of age. Data for food and nutrient intake were obtained by 24-hour recall method. BMDs of lumbar spine (L$_2$- L$_4$) and femoral neck were measured by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. The relationship between BMD and nutritional factors were analyzed. In the femoral neck, 5.7% of adults was classified as osteopenia and 47.9% and 37.8% of the elderly were classified as osteopenia and osteoporosis. It was shown that plant protein, Ca, p, Fe, thiamin, riboflavin and vitamin C intakes were related with BMD in all age groups. As for the mean adequacy ratio (MAR) of nutrients, the lowest quartile group of BMD showed significantly lower MAR among children. The RDA percent of nutrients was a strong influential factor on BMD. Subjects who consumed below 75% of Korean RDA in energy, vitamin A, thiamin, and vitamin C showed lower BMD. Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that MAR in children, vegetable Ca in adolescents, and vitamin C in adults and elderly people were the highest influential factor on BMD. Therefore, the above results demonstrated that not only calcium but also other nutrients such as protein, iron, vitamin A, riboflavin, and vitamin C were necessary in order to keep the healthy bone status. In addition, although there were various dietary factors that influenced bone density, MAR was identified as the major factor that affected bone density. Thus, a balanced diet that includes all nutrients is necessary for a healthy bone density. (Korean J Nutrition 37(2) : 132-142, 2004)

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.460-466
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• 2006

To investigate the effects of dietary patterns on bone mineral density and its biochemical markers among Korean healthy college women for 2 years, 34 female college students were recruited through convenience sampling. Bone mineral density was measured using Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) twice at baseline and two years later. Osteocalcin and parathyroid hormone were measured in fasting serum and N-teleopeptides of type collagen (NTx) in urine. Dietary intake was assessed by 24-hour recall method 8 times with average 4-month interval. Dietary patterns with percent energy of each food group using cluster analysis were classified into two groups. The first cluster (n = 16) was characterized with high consumption of bread, snack, fast foods, beverage and considerable of rice so it was determined as 'Modified dietary pattern group'. The second cluster was characterized with high consumption of rice and kimchi so determined as 'Traditional dietary pattern group'. There were no significant difference of age, menarcheal age, body mass index but percent of body fat by pattern groups. The traditional group showed higher value of bone mineral density among lumber spine and all femur sites at baseline and 2 years later but it was not significant after adjusted for percent of body fat. Serum osteocalcin and urine NTx was higher among the traditional group at baseline than the modified group. There were similar proportions of carbohydrate:fat:protein between groups but significantly higher intake of protein, iron, vitamin A among the traditional group. In conclusion, there were two distinctive dietary patterns among Korean college women. There was difference of bone mineral density and its biochemical markers between two patterns. Further research would be necessary to explore the relationship between dietary patterns and health risks for larger-sized and various populations.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.34-39
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to assess vitamin $B_6$ intake and status in Korean patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes. Sixty-four patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes and 8-11% glycated hemoglobin (A1C), along with 28 age-matched non-diabetic subjects, participated. Dietary vitamin $B_6$ intake was estimated by the 24 hour recall method and plasma pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) was measured. There was a significant difference in daily total calorie intake between the diabetic and non-diabetic groups ($1,917{\pm}376$ vs $2,093{\pm}311\;kcal$). There were no differences in intake of total vitamin $B_6$ ($2.51{\pm}0.91$ vs $2.53{\pm}0.81\;mg/d$) or vitamin $B_6$/1,000 kcal ($1.31{\pm}0.42$ vs $1.20{\pm}0.32\;mg$) between the diabetic and non-diabetic groups, and I intakes of total vitamin $B_6$ were above the Korean RDA in both groups ($180.0{\pm}57.9$ vs $179.0{\pm}65.4$). There was a higher percentage of diabetic subjects whose plasma PLP concentration was < 30 nmol/L compared to non-diabetic group. Plasma PLP levels tended to be lower in the diabetic subjects than in the non-diabetic subjects, although the difference was not statistically significant due to a large standard deviation ($80.0{\pm}61.2\;nmol/L$ vs $68.2{\pm}38.5\;nmol/L$). Nevertheless, plasma PLP levels should be monitored in pre-diabetic patients with diabetic risk factors as well as in newly diagnosed diabetic patients for long-term management of diabetes, even though this factor is not a major risk factor that contributes to the development of degenerative complications in certain patients.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.42 no.8
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• pp.759-769
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• 2009

This study investigated the effects of the nutrition education and exercise program on body composition, dietary intakes and physical fitness in obese women. The subjects were 44 obese women (BMI${\geq}$ 25 kg/$m^2$) who had been participating in nutrition education (1 time/week) and exercise program (3 time/week) for 12 weeks. Nutrition education was focused on low energy, high protein and low carbohydrate diet to reduce the body weight and improve the diet quality. To evaluate the effectiveness of the program, daily nutrient intakes were assessed by 24-hour recall method. Body composition, blood lipid profiles and physical fitness test were assessed before and after the intervention. After the intervention, body weight, BMI, percent body fat, soft lean mass and waist/hip ratio were significantly decreased (p < 0.001). Fasting blood sucrose, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and atherogenic index (AI) were significantly decreased (p < 0.001), while HDLcholesterol was significantly increased (p < 0.001). Energy adjusted protein, fiber, vitamin A, vitamin $B_2$, vitamin $B_6$, vitamin C, vitamin E, niacin and folate were significantly increased. After the intervention, the muscle endurance, muscle strength, agility, balance were significantly increased. The changes in obesity indices (body weight, BMI, percent body fat, waist-hip ratio) were correlated with the changes of the nutrient intakes, serum lipid profiles, physical fitness. These results show that nutrition education and exercise program was effective not only for weight reduction but also for the improvement of physical strength and cardiovascular disease risk factors in obese women.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.159-167
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• 2001

The objective of this study is to examine the factors affecting bone mineral density in pre- and postmenopausal women. The subject were 30 Korean premenopausal women with mean ages of 33.6 years, and 30 Korean post menopausal women with mean ages of 63.3 years without diagnosed diseases. Data for food and nutrient intake were obtained by the24-hour recall method. BMD of lumbar spine and femoral neck were measured by the dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Anthropometric measurement were made, and a blood sample was taken for assay osteocalcin. The results are summarized as follows: 16.67% of the subjects in the premenopausal women and 87.33% of the subjects in the postmenopausal women was less than the korean RDA level exceping phosphorus and vitamin C. In the premenopausal women, BMD of lumbar spine is correlated significantly with anthropometric measurement such as weight, waist circumference, BMI, and body fat mass BMD of femoral neck for the premenopausal women is correlated significantly with weight, BMI, waist circumference, body fat mass, hip circumference, and BMDs of both site are negatively correlated with lean body mass, total body water, but they are not related with intake of nutrients in this study. In the postmenopausal women group, BMDs of both site are not significantly correlated with anthropometric measurement, but BMD of lumbar spine showed positive relation with intake of energy, protein, and carbohydrate. In conclusion, adequate nutrient intake, especially energy, protein have been suggested to prevent the loss of bone mineral density in the postmenopausal women. Also, adequate body weight and BMI have been suggested in the premenopausal women.