• Nutritional Sciences
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.179-189
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• 2006

Objective: We investigated the efficacy of a 12-week supplementation of soy isoflavone with L-carnitine on the development of obesity in high fat-induced obese C57BL/6J mice, which are known as a good model of diet-induced obesity. Methods: We measured body weights, adipose tissue mass, serum/liver lipid profiles and fat cell size/number in C57BL/6J mice fed diets containing either low fat (4%) or high fat (35%), or high fat supplemented with soy isoflavone powder containing 10% isoflavone and L-camitine for 12 weeks. Results: Body weight gain, abdominal adipose tissue and liver weight were lower by 31% 78% and 31.4% respectively, in mice on high fat diet containing soy isoflavone+L-carnitine (SC mixture) compared with high fat diet group. Also, SC mixture improved serum lipid profiles such as total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), and liver lipid profiles such as total lipids and TG. As subsequent results, this SC mixture prevented high-fat diet from accumulating TG in the liver. The size of fat cell was also significantly decreased in SC mixture fed mice. At the end point of this experiment, our results showed that feeding with soy isoflavone for 12 weeks finally increased camitine palmitoyltransferase 1 (CPT 1) activity through elevating the level of CPT1 expression. Conclusions: This study suggests that long-tenn supplementation with dietary soy isoflavone and L-carnitine is more synergistically beneficial for the suppression of high-fat diet induced obesity by inhibiting liver TG accumulation and the gain in abdominal adipose tissue weight than that with soy isoflavone. The antiobesity effects of SC mixture might be attributed, at least in part, to the induction of fatty acid catabolism by soy isoflavone, genistein.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.1083-1087
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• 2013

Background: Colorectal cancer has several modifiable behavioural risk factors but their relationship to the risk of colon and rectum cancer separately and between countries with high and low incidence is not clear. Methods: Data from participants in the Asia Pacific Cohort Studies Collaboration (APCSC) were used to estimate mortality from colon (International Classification of Diseases, revision 9 (ICD-9) 153, ICD-10 C18) and rectum (ICD-9 154, ICD-10 C19-20) cancers. Data on age, body mass index (BMI), serum cholesterol, height, smoking, physical activity, alcohol and diabetes mellitus were entered into Cox proportional hazards models. Results: 600,427 adults contributed 4,281,239 person-years follow-up. The mean ages (SD) for Asian and Australia/New Zealand cohorts were 44.0 (9.5) and 53.4 (14.5) years, respectively. 455 colon and 158 rectum cancer deaths were observed. Increasing age, BMI and attained adult height were associated with increased hazards of death from colorectal cancer, and physical activity was associated with a reduced hazard. After multiple adjustment, any physical activity was associated with a 28% lower hazard of colon cancer mortality (HR 0.72, 95%CI 0.53-0.96) and lower rectum cancer mortality (HR 0.75, 95%CI 0.45-1.27). A 2cm increase in height increased colon and all colorectal cancer mortality by 7% and 6% respectively. Conclusions: Physical inactivity and greater BMI are modifiable risk factors for colon cancer in both Western and Asian populations. Further efforts are needed to promote physical activity and reduce obesity while biological research is needed to understand the mechanisms by which they act to cause cancer mortality.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.226-231
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• 2012

The purpose of the study was to assess the effects of a 12 weeks aged garlic extract (AGE) regimen with regular exercise on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in postmenopausal women. A total of 30 postmenopausal women ($54.4{\pm}5.4$ years) were randomly divided into the following four groups: Placebo (Placebo; n = 6), AGE intake (AGEI; n = 8), exercise and placebo (Ex + Placebo; n = 8), exercise and AGE (Ex + AGE; n = 8) groups. The AGE group consume 80 mg per day, and exercise groups performed moderate exercise (aerobic and resistance) three times per week. After 12 weeks of treatment, body composition, lipid profile, and CVD risk factors were analyzed. Body weight was significantly decreased in AGEI, Ex + Placebo, and Ex + AGE groups compared to baseline. Body fat % was significantly decreased in the AGEI and Ex + Placebo groups. Body mass index (BMI) was significantly decreased in the AGEI, Ex + Placebo, and Ex + AGE groups. Fat-free mass was significantly decreased in the AGEI group. Total cholesterol (TC) was significantly lower in the Ex + Placebo compared to the Placebo group. AGE supplementation or exercise effectively reduced low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C). Triglyceride (TG) was significantly increased in the AGEI group. Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were significantly decreased in the AGEI, Ex + Placebo, and Ex + AGE compared to the placebo group. AGE supplementation reduced homocysteine levels regardless of whether the women also exercised. The present results suggest that AGE supplementation reduces cardiovascular risk factors independently of exercise in postmenopausal women.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.43-51
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• 2003

This study examined to find out the relationship between nutritional knowledge and food habit of the students majoring food & nutrition(218 students) and the students majoring Korean oriental medicine(286 students). The results of this study are as follows; 1)The intake of vegetable and dairy products is high for the students majoring food & nutrition(p＜0.01), and the intake of instant food is low for the students majoring Korean oriental medicine(p＜0.01). 2)In the value of diet, the ratio which acknowledges the importance of the relationship between the diet and the nutrients is high for the students majoring food & nutrition (p＜0.01), and the ratio which acknowledges the diet as the way to remove hunger or to enjoy eating is high for the students majoring Korean oriental medicine(p＜0.01). The ratio of the students who acknowledge taste, nutrition and preference as the important factors in selecting foods is high for the students majoring food & nutrition(p＜0.01). The ratio of regularity in each meal, consuming time, and the food quantity is high for the students majoring Korean oriental medicine(p＜0.01). 3)The total score of 20 inquiring items about nutritional knowledge is high for the students majoring food & nutrition(p<0.01), and especially the mark is high in such items inquiring the relationship between animal fat and nutrition(p<0.01), the relationship between water and obesity(p<0.05), the relationship between cholesterol and food(p<0.01), the recommended energy quantity(p<0.05), and the vitamin B group (P<0.01). According to this study, it is hard to determine that there is inevitable positive relationship between diet habits and nutritional knowledge. The students majoring food and nutrition know better than the students majoring Korean oriental medicine about the relationship between diet, health and nutrients however they can not practice what they blow when selecting foods. On the other hand the students majoring Korean oriental medicine show lower marks in food habits and nutritional knowledge than those of the students majoring food and nutrition; however, they show higher marks in practicing regular diet. According to this result it is necessary to increase the subjects related nutrition in the curriculum not only lot the students majoring food & nutrition to practice their nutritional knowledge in their actual life but also for the students majoring Korean oriental medicine to obtain correct nutritional knowledge and information.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.81-87
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• 2006

This study was made for male and female university students regarding the nutrition knowledge about fat, fat contents in food, and practice toward fat. The result is as follows;1.Out of 13 questions inquiring the knowledge about fat a significant difference was observed between female and male students in 10 questions. Male students' nutrition knowledge about fat was $6.33{\pm}0.16$, and that of female students' was $6.33{\pm}0.16$ and there was no significant difference. The ratio of correct answer was 49% and 59% respectively. Female students marked high ratio of correct answer such items as ${\omega}-3$ fatty acid, the relation between high fat diet and atherosclerosis(coronary disease), the relation between obesity and fat, the relation between ${\omega}-3$ fatty acid and heart disease, cholesterol, fatty acid in butter, degree of unsaturation in liquid oil, margarine, chicken fat, rancity of fat. 2.Male students' total score of knowledge about fat quantity in food was $4.91{\pm}0.10$ and that of female students was $5.58{\pm}0.10$. There was significant difference(p<0.001) and the ratio of correct answer was 55% and 62% respectively. Out of 9 food items, significant difference was observed in 7 items according to student's majoring subject. The ratio of correct answer for the questions about the quantity of fat in food female showed high figures in such items as white meat(p<0.01), whole milk(p<0.0001), skim milk(p<0.01), potato chips(p<0.001), biscuit(p<0.001). However, male students showed high figures on the question about the quantity of fat in vegetable margarine. 3. Out of 12 items observing the degree of diet practice on fat, significant difference was observed between male and female students in 6 items. Female students practice the question items positively with high ratio: intake of fish instead of meat(p<0.01), removing visible fat in meat(p<0.0001), removing chicken skin(p<0.0001), removing oil during cooking (p<0.05), selection of low fat milk or skim milk(p<0.05), selection of meat part(p<0.001). There was significant difference between male and female students in practicing diet on fat (p<0.001) and the total score was $31.52{\pm}0.52$ and $34.65{\pm}0.41$ respectively.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.882-888
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• 1998

This study was designed as a part of efforts to investigate the biochemical pollutant markers for diagnosis of marine pollutions by changes in lipid components of the flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) in the South Sea of Korea, Hemoglobin levels in serum of cultured flounders in the South Sea were lower ($4\~17\%$) than those of wild flounder in Pohang as a control group. Triglyceride (TG), Total and low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol contents in serum of cultured flounders in the South Sea were $12\~25\%,\;9\~19\%$ and $17\~25\%$ respectively which are higher than those of wild flounder in Pohang. Atherogenic index (AI) and T-Chol/PL ratios in serum of cultured flounders in the South Sea were significantly higher($26\~43\%$ and $17\~26\%$ respectively) than those of wild flounder in Pohang. These results suggest that near-coastal water as well as neritic water of the South Sea might be affected by pollutant input as well as the Yellow Sea of Korea.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.24 no.4 s.36
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• pp.516-530
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• 1991

A case-control study was conducted to investigate the effect of low-level blood lead on the blood pressure. The plasma renin activity(PRA) was measured also to investigate one of the possible mechanisms by which lead nay play a role to influence on the blood pressure. Seventy-two hypertensive and sixty -nine control study subjects were selected from the workers who had no history of b-related lead exposure, in Ulsan city and it's vicinity, Korea. In addition to measuring blood lead levels and PRA, body mass index(BMI), hematocrit, serum sodium, potassium, creatinine, ionized calcium, and cholesterol were measured. Also, the habits of smoking, alcohol drinking and family history of hypertension were checked. The blood lead level of the hypertensive group was $19.8{\pm}5.5{\mu}g/dl$, which was significantly higher than that of the control group, $12.5{\pm}4.7{\mu}g/dl$(p<0.01). On multiple logistic regression analysis, the odds ratio of blood lead level on the occurence of high blood pressure was 1.38, also statistically significant (p<0.01). There was no significant differences between the hypertensive and the control group in the PRA or In (PRA), but there was a marginally significant linear relationship between blood lead and PRA in the hypertensive group(p<0.1). In conclusion, blood lead level which has been known to be within normal limits may be one of the possible risk factors of hypertension and PRA alteration by lead may act as one of the mechanisms.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 2000

Nowadays, mongolian gerbil is notably utilized for the research of brain and water deprivation because of a congenital incomplete willis circle structure in the brain, audiogenic seizure in low noise, and special cholesterol metabolism without water absorption for a long time. In this study, we are intend to identify the morphological changes of the catecholaminergic neuron of brain according to the time lapse in the condition of long term water deprivation. 55 mongolian gerbil were divided 10 groups(control, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 42th day water deprivation group), of which each group include 5 mongolian gerbils and 5 normal mongolian gerbils in control group were also used for brain atlas as a control. The brains were observed by the immunohistochemical stain using the TH, DBH and PMNT antibody. The results were as followings; 1. The nerve fibers of the TH-immunoreactive neuron were observed only in the and corpus striatum of the telencephalon. 2. Intensity of the immunostain of the nerve fiber in the cerebral cortex and corpus striatum was decreased gradually day by day after water deprivation. 3. The TH-immunoreactive nerve cells were observed in the paraventricular and periventricular nucleus of the 3rd ventricular in the hypothalamus of mongolian gerbil but the number of nerve cells were decreased from the first day of the water deprivation to the 10th day and increased until the 20th day, after than redecreased from the 20th day by the continuous water deprivation. The number of nerve fibers in this area were increased in the first day, but decreased from the 2nd day of water deprivation. The shape and density of the dopamine secreting cells in the brain of mongolian gerbil by the immunoreactive stain were changed in the continuous water deprivation. In this results, we can conclude that dopamine concerned in the water metabolism of mongolian gerbil, and mongolian gerbil could be used as an animal model for the research of water deprivation.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.58 no.3
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• pp.259-265
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• 2015

Momordica charantia, commonly known as bitter melon, has interesting pharmacological activities such as anticancer, antiviral, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antioxidant. As supported by recent scientific reports on the beneficial effects of M. charantia, it is one of the most promising functional plants for diabetes today. In this study, we fermented the bitter melon with lactic acid bacteria and investigated the capability of controlling diabetic conditions by decreasing the blood glucose levels. After extracting the fermented bitter melon with hot water or ethanol, we tested several biological activities using mouse models. When we tested the efficacy of the glycemic control, the extracts of fermented bitter melon significantly lowered the blood glucose levels of the alloxan-induced diabetic mice. We also found that the lactic acid bacteria-fermented bitter melon protected liver damages from the treatment of alloxan monohydrates and maintained low levels of triglycerides and high levels of HDL cholesterol in these mouse models. These results suggest that our approach on fermenting bitter melon and the extracts of fermented bitter melon could lead to the possibility of the development of functional foods that contain the effectiveness of controlling blood glucose and lipid levels as well as preventing liver damages.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.717-726
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• 2010

This study was conducted to investigate health status and nutrient intakes among 5th grade elementary students at Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2010. This study was cross-sectional study on 1,384 children (687 boys, 697 girls) from nine elementary schools located in Seoul and Gyeonggi province. The average height, weight and BMI were 145 cm, 40.6 kg $19.2\;kg/m^2$ for boys and 145.4 cm, 38.2 kg, $18.0\;kg/m^2$ for girls. The prevalence of overweight and obesity were 11.3%, 5.2%, respectively. Serum AST, ALT, glucose, HDL-Cholesterol and RBC levels were significantly higher, while TG levels was significantly lower for boys than for girls. The average energy intake was 1772.4 kcal, which was 98.7% of Estimated Energy Requirement (EER). The boys consumed more energy intake (1800.4 kcal) than the girls (1744.7 kcal). Also, they took insufficient calcium and folate (69.1% and 83.3% of Recommended Intake (RI)) and excess sodium (297.6% of Adequate Intake (AI)) and 85.1% of the subjects had breakfast everyday. In general, the proportion of the children who consumed fruits and vegetables at least once or more a day was low. There was a higher proportion of children in boys who had ramyun and milk with sufficient physical activity than those in girls. As a result of this study, we can find risk factors on obesity and metabolic disorders, and the results can be used for an evidence of nutrition education program and the intervention program.