• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.134-142
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• 2020

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: North Korean refugees (NKRs) in South Korea are a unique population as they must adapt in a new country with similar cultural traits but different social, political, and economic systems, but little research has been conducted on diet and nutrition in this population. This study examined food security, dietary behaviors, and nutrient intakes among adult NKRs living in South Korea and compared them to those of South Koreans. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The subjects were 139 adult NKRs (25 men, 114 women) living in the Seoul metropolitan area, and 417 age- and sex- matched South Korean controls (SKCs; 75 men, 342 women) selected from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Food security and dietary behaviors (meal skipping, eating-out, meals with family, nutrition education and counseling, and nutrition label knowledge and utilization) were obtained using self-administered questionnaires. Nutrient intakes were assessed by 24-hr recall. The statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS ver. 23.0. RESULTS: In South Korea, food security had improved over the previous 12 months, but remained significantly poorer for NKR women than SKC women. Meal skipping was three times more frequent than for SKCs and eating-out was rare. Average energy intake was 1,509 kcal for NKR men and 1,344 kcal for NKR women, which was lower than those of SKCs (2,412 kcal and 1,789 kcal, respectively). Significantly more NKRs (men 24.0%, women 21.9%) showed simultaneously deficient intake in energy, calcium, iron, vitamin A, and riboflavin than SKCs (men 2.7% (P = 0.003), women 7.0% (P < 0.001)). NKR women had a significantly higher index of nutrient quality (INQ) for some nutrients than SK women. CONCLUSIONS: This study reports significant differences in food security, dietary behaviors, and nutrient intakes between NKRs and SKCs. Generally, NKRs reported lower intakes despite improved food security, but relatively good INQs across nutrients. Further research is needed to understand processes of food choice and consumption among NKRs to provide appropriate support aimed at improving diets.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.26 no.11
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• pp.917-924
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• 2003

This research aims to test a new drug candidate based on a traditional medicinal herb, F1, an herbal extract obtained from Astragalus membranaceus and its main ingredient, 1-monolinolein that may have fewer side effects and less uterine hypertrophy. In vitro experiments, human osteoblast-like cell lines, MG-63 and Saos-2, were analyzed by 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and an alkaline phosphatase (ALP) assays. Mouse osteoclasts were induced through a calcium-deficient diet and inhibition effects were measured. In vivo experiments were done using ovariectomized (OVX) rats for 9 weeks. At necropsy, uterus weights were measured, trabecular bone area (TBA) of tibia and lumbar vertebra were measured bone histomorphology. In results, cell proliferation and ALP activity in Saos-2 by ether F1 or 1-monolinolein did not increased significantly compared to the control. The F1 inhibited osteoclast development ($IC_{25}=3.37{\times}10^{-5}$mg/mL) less than 17$\beta$-estradiol. The OVX rats administered F1 (2 mg/kg/day and 10 mg/kg/day) showed an increase in TBA of the tibia significantly (136.3${\pm}4.2% and 138.5{\pm}$10.3% of control). In conclusions, the herbal extract, F1 inhibited tibia and lumbar bone loss and did not cause uterine hypertrophy. However, 1-monolinolein, the main ingredient of the herbal extract, did not inhibit bone loss.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.3 no.5
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• pp.715-721
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• 1998

This study was performed to investigate how milk supplementation can benefit the elderly by increasing bone density but possibly harming the iron status concomitantly. Forty one elderly subjects over 65 years of age(male : 9, female : 32) participated. All subjects were apparently healthy, home staying and attending meal service for lunch at the welfare center. They were from low income area of Puchon city. One cup of milk per day was served for 10 months. The mean intake of calcium was significantly increased for females after milk supplementation. Males showed significantly increased means of triceps skinfold thickness, suprailiac skinfold thickness and waist circumference. Females showed significantly increased measurements fo three kinds of skinfold thickness, waist circumference, and hip circumference. There were no significant change in the mean bone density of lumbar spine$(L_2~L_4)$, femoral neck, ward's triangle and torchanter, but the proportion of osteopenia estimated by the T score of lumbar spine bone density was lowered from 50.0% to 34.6% for females. The mean Hb level was significantly for males. The proportion of anemia estimated by Hb(<12g/dl), Hct(<36%) and serum ferritin(<15mg/ml) were increased from 17.2% to 51.7%, from 20.7% to 44.8% and from 10.3% to 17.2%, respectively for females. It looks like milk supplementation can effect the intakes of several nutrients considered to be commonly deficient in the Korean diet fo elderly people, increase some anthropometric measurements, and decrease the proportion of osteopenia. However it can have adverse effects on iron status of females.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.958-964
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• 2004

This study examined the effects of maternal calcium intake levels on mineral metabolism during pregnancy and lactation. Five week-old female Sprague-Dawley rats were fed normal Ca (NCa, 0.5%) and low Ca (LCa, 0.15%) diets for 5 weeks during preconception. The low Ca intake group was divided into three groups and fed low Ca (0.15%), normal Ca (0.5%) and high Ca (1.5%) diets for 6 weeks during pregnancy and lactation. All of the rats were mated with normal male rats. The control group was consistently fed a normal Ca diet for 11 weeks. Pups were adjusted to 10 per dam. After weaning, dams and their weaned rats were sacrificed. We measured total protein, albumin, alkaline phosphatase and mineral content in serum and weight, length, breaking force, ash and mineral content in bone and kidney. There was no significant difference in weight gain and food intake among the groups. Serum total protein and albumin were in the normal range but slightly decreased with a low Ca diet during preconception. Calcium supplementation above normal level increased bone weight, Ca content and breaking force in femur of maternal and their weaned rats. However, high maternal Ca intake significantly decreased Mg and Fe contents in maternal serum and bone and Mg and Zn contents in serum of weaned rats. Also, it induced Ca, P and Mg deposit in maternal kidney. Our experimental results suggest that Ca deficiency during preconception may deteriorate bone status of mother and their offsprings. Moreover, high Ca supplementation during pregnancy and lactation may lead to disturb mineral metabolism in bone and other tissues.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.1145-1151
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• 2016

This study was conducted to evaluate the relative bioavailability (RBV) of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25-OH-$D_3$) to cholecalciferol (vitamin $D_3$) in 1- to 21-d-old broiler chickens fed with calcium (Ca)- and phosphorus (P)-deficient diets. On the day of hatch, 450 female Ross 308 broiler chickens were assigned to nine treatments, with five replicates of ten birds each. The basal diet contained 0.50% Ca and 0.25% non-phytate phosphorus (NPP) and was not supplemented with vitamin D. Vitamin $D_3$ was fed at 0, 2.5, 5.0, 10.0, and $20.0{\mu}g/kg$, and 25-OH-$D_3$ was fed at 1.25, 2.5, 5.0, and $10.0{\mu}g/kg$. The RBV of 25-OH-$D_3$ was determined using vitamin $D_3$ as the standard source by the slope ratio method. Vitamin $D_3$ and 25-OH-$D_3$ intake was used as the independent variable for regression analysis. The linear relationships between the level of vitamin $D_3$ or 25-OH-$D_3$ and body weight gain (BWG) and the weight, length, ash weight, and the percentage of ash, Ca, and P in femur, tibia, and metatarsus of broiler chickens were observed. Using BWG as the criterion, the RBV value of 25-OH-$D_3$ to vitamin $D_3$ was 1.85. Using the mineralization of the femur, tibia, and metatarsus as criteria, the RBV of 25-OH-$D_3$ to vitamin $D_3$ ranged from 1.82 to 2.45, 1.86 to 2.52, and 1.65 to 2.05, respectively. These data indicate that 25-OH-$D_3$ is approximately 2.03 times as active as vitamin $D_3$ in promoting growth performance and bone mineralization in broiler chicken diets.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.255-261
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• 2006

This study was Conducted to investigate the effect of ${\gamma}-PGA\;({\gamma}-poly\;glutamic\;acid)$ on Ca absorption and bone metabolism in rats. Weaned 4-week old male rats were fed Ca-deficient diets for 3 weeks after the adjustment period. Rats were divided into 6 groups and were fed experimental diets for four weeks. Experimental groups were basal (Ca deficient), control (Ca diet: Ca 0.45%), CP1(Ca 0.45%+casein phosphopeptide 1%), PG1(Ca 0.45%+gamma poly glutamic acid 1%), CPG (Ca 0.45%+casein phosphopeptide 1%+gamma poly glutamic acid 1%) and PG3(Ca 0.45%+gamma poly glutamic acid 3%). Though daily Ca intake and food intake of experimental groups showed no significant difference that of control group. The values of fecal Ca excretion and urinary Ca excretion in groups fed ${\gamma}-PGA$ were significantly lower than that in tile control group. The values of Ca absorption in groups fed ${\gamma}-PGA$ were significantly higher than that in the control group. The levels of femur Ca in ${\gamma}-PGA$ supplemented group were significantly increased compared to the control group. Also, breaking force of femur in ${\gamma}-PGA$ supplemented group showed about 40% increase compared to the control group. These results show that ${\gamma}-PGA$ supplement could be helpful to increase Ca absorption as well as to intensify the femur strength and to increase the Ca content of femur in rats.