• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.580-588
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• 2014

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The objective of the study was to provide useful insights into plain water intake of Korean adults according to life style, anthropometric, and dietary characteristics. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The data from the 2008-2010 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used. The subjects were 14,428 aged 20-64 years. Water intake was estimated by asking the question "How much water do you usually consume per day?". Dietary intake was estimated by 24-hour dietary recall. A qualitative food frequency questionnaire including 63 food items was also administered. RESULTS: The mean plain water intake for men and women were 6.3 cup/day and 4.6 cup/day, respectively. Plain water intake increased as lean body mass, waist circumference, and body mass index levels increased, except for percentage of body fat. As energy and alcohol intakes increased, plain water intake increased. As total weight of food intake and total volume of food intake increased, plain water intake increased. Plain water intake increased as consumption of vegetables increased. Plain water intake increased as frequencies of green tea, alcoholic drink, and all beverages were increased in men. Plain water intake increased with increased frequencies of green tea, milk, soy milk, and alcoholic drink and decreased frequencies of coffee and soda in women. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that persons who had a higher waist circumference or lean body mass and women with higher BMI consumed more plain water. The persons eating high quality diet, or the persons who had more vegetables, green tea, milk, soy milk, or alcoholic drink consumed more plain water.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.352-361
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• 2015

Tea is one of the three most consumed drinks in the world along with coffee and cocoa, and it represents culture and tradition. There are more than 1,000 tea-related smartphone applications registered in the Apple App Store and Google Play. This study examined, for the consumers of the 20's, if there are differences in consumer preferences for tea-related applications based on gender, age, tea consumption amount and tea drinking duration. Based on surveys of 169 tea consumers, this study found that there were significant differences in consumer preferences for tea-related applications based on age and tea drinking amount. The applications of 'tea places,' 'entertainment,' and 'tea timer' were preferred by the consumers of 20's and 'etiquette,' 'tea ceremony,' 'teaware,'and 'tea information recording' were favored by the consumers of 30's and older. The consumers with higher drinking amount showed higher preferences for tea etiquette related applications. There were no significant differences for tea-related applications based on gender and tea drinking duration. The result of the study is expected to contribute to the development of tea related applications with higher appeals to consumers as well as traditional Korean drinks.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.507-515
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• 2001

The elevation of plasma total homocysteine(tHcy) is now established as a risk factro for cardiovascular disease. It is also well known that plasma levels of folate and vitamin $B_{12}$ influences homocysteine metabolism as cofactors. Recently, the effects of health-related lifestyle factors, such as smoking, alcohol drinking coffee consumption, regular exercise, and etc, on plasma tHcy have been determined. The Hordalane Homocysteine Study revealed that smoking and coffee consumption are major deter minants of plasma tHcy as well as folate levels; however, the influence of alcohol intake is still controversial. In Koreans, the effects of lifestyle factors of plasma tHcy have not yet been determined. Thus, we investigated the relationships of various lifestyle determinants with plasma tHcy, folate, and vitamin $B_{12}$ levels and the erythrocyte folate concentrations in Korean adults (99 males and 96 fermales). Plasma tHcy levels were significantly hight in male subjects. On the contrary, plasma levels of folate and vitamin $B_{12}$ and erythrocyte folate concentration of the females were significantly higher than those of the males. Among the five lifestyle factors determined in the study, regular exercise significantly affects plasma tHcy levels only in the females, Contrary to the expectation, there were on significant differences in plasma tHcy levels between alcohol drinkers and non-alcohol drinkers as well as smokers and non-smokers. And also, plasma tHcy leverls were not different between coffee consumers and non-coffee consumer and between green tea consumers and non-green tea consumers. Although alcohol intake did not influence plasma tHcy levels, the duration, frequency, and amount of alcohol drinking showed significant negative relationships with plasma folate levers. These results indicate the regular exercise and alcohol intake might influence plasma levels of tHcy and folate in Koreans, although the results were not reveled in both sexes.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition Conference
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• 2001.12a
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• pp.74-87
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• 2001

Evidence shows that the serum level of cholesterol (CH) is decreased with increasing green tea (GT) consumption. This presentation summarizes our recent findings on the effect of GT extract on intestinal absorption of [$^{14}C$-labeled CH and phosphatidylcholine (PC). Ovariectomized (OX) adult rats were infused intraduodenally with lipid emulsions containing radiolabeled lipids [$^{14}C$-CH or $^{14}C$-phosphatidylcholine (PC)] in the presence of GT extract or catechins to determine the rates and amounts of CH absorption and the intestinal hydrolysis and lymphatic output of PC. During lipid infusion, lymph was collected hourly for 8 h. The lymphatic absorption of $^14C$-CH was drastically lowered by infusion of GT extract at two dosage levels (GTl =5.4 mg catechins/h and GT2 = 15.1mg catechins/h). The cumulative lymphatic absorptions of $^{14}C$-CH in rats infused with GT1 and GT2 were 20.7$\pm$4.3 and $4.8{\pm}4.1{\%}$ dose, respectively, whereas the absorption of $^{14}C$-CH in rats infused with no GT extract (GT0) was $36.3{\pm}1.1{\%}$ dose. GT extracts also significantly lowered the absorption of-tocopherol (TP) in a dose dependent manner ($29.6{\pm}4.9{\%}$ dose in GT0, $20.8{\pm}5.8{\%}$ dose in GTl, and $7.9{\pm}5.4{\%}$ dose in GT2 groups). Both (+)-catechin and EGCG significantly lowered the lymphatic outputs of $^{14}C$-radioactivity after intraduodenal $^{14}C$-PC infusion. A significantly higher amount of $^{14}C$-PC remained unhydrolyzed in the intestinal lumen of the EGCG rats ($22.8{\%}$) compared with the (+)-catechin ($15.8\%$) and control groups ($11.9\%$). GT extracts, (+)-catechin, and EGCG significantly reduced the absorption of TP. The inhibitory effect of GT extract and catechins on lipid absorption may be mediated in part through the inhibition of pancreatic PLAz. The findings provide the first direct evidence that green tea and catechins have a profound inhibitory effect on the intestinal absorption of CH in OX rats. Results suggest that green tea and catechins may be used as a dietary or pharmacological means of lowering cholesterol absorption.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.637-653
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• 2020

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study examined the associations between food consumption frequency of Korean adults and self-perceived chewing difficulty, using the food frequency questionnaire (FFQ, 112 items) from 2013-2016 of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). SUBJECTS/METHODS: Subjects were divided into not difficult in chewing (NDC) and difficult in chewing (DC) groups, with 24.17% being classified into DC. Males and females consumed 35 and 37 items less frequently than the other sex, respectively. Due to the remarkable gender difference in food consumption, gender-stratified one-sided survey regression analysis was performed after adjusted for the effect of age, household income, and self-rated health status. RESULTS: Thirty-four items of FFQ were significantly less consumed by the DC group. Females exclusively consumed less beverages and alcohol while males showed the same for fruits and milk·dairy products. Consumption frequency of 8 items such as steamed potatoes·grilled potatoes, stir fried beef, other kimchi·fresh vegetable kimchi, orange, sour pork·pork cutlet, tteokbokki and green tea were significant only in males. In contrast, 17 items including cooked rice with other grains and legumes, boiled egg·steamed egg, Korean cabbage kimchi, banana, and tofu stew·soft tofu stew were significant only for females. Finally, items that showed significance for both were 9 items including loaf bread, ready-to-eat cereal, steamed sweet potatoes·grilled sweet potatoes, stir-fried lotus roots·stir-fried burdock, green laver salad·brown seaweed salads, apples, tomato·cherry tomatoes, squid (raw, dried shredded, boiled, stir-fried), and curd type yogurt. CONCLUSIONS: Findings in this study suggest chewing difficulty may be an important nutritional issue that has to be dealt with for healthful food consumption, with distinct interest of gender.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.117-123
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• 2005

A cumulative evidence indicates that consumption of tea catechin, flavan-3-ol derived from green tea leaves, lowers the risk of cardiovascular diseases. However, a precise mechanism for this cardiovascular action has not yet been fully understood. In the present study, we investigated the effects of different green tea catechins, such as epigallocatechin-3 gallate (EGCG), epigallocatechin (EGC), epicatechin-3 gallate (ECG), and epicatechin (EC), on angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced hypertrophy in primary cultured rat aortic vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC). [$^3H$]-leucine incorporation was used to assess VSMC hypertrophy, protein kinase assay, and western blot analysis were used to assess mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activity, and RT-PCR was used to assess c-jun or c-fos transcription. Ang II increased [$^3H$]-leucine incorporation into VSMC. However, EGCG and ECG, but not EGC or EC, inhibited [$^3H$]-leucine incorporation increased by Ang II. Ang II increased phosphorylation of c-Jun, extracellular-signal regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 and p38 MAPK in VSMC, however, EGCG and ECG , but not EGC or EC, attenuated c-Jun phosphorylation increased by Ang II. ERK 1/2 and p38 MAPK phosphorylation induced by Ang II were not affected by any catechins. Ang II increased c-jun and c-fos mRNA expression in VSMC, however, EGCG inhibited c-jun but not c-fos mRNA expression induced by Ang II. ECG, EGC and EC did not affect c-jun or c-fos mRNA expression induced by Ang II. Our findings indicate that the galloyl group in the position 3 of the catechin structure of EGCG or ECG is essential for inhibiting VSMC hypertrophy induced by Ang II via the specific inhibition of JNK signaling pathway, which may explain the beneficial effects of green tea catechin on the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases observed in several epidemiological studies.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.205-213
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• 2001

A survey was conducted to investigate the intake pattern of health supplements and health foods by using questionnaire. The data were collected from 395 adults over middle age and analyzed with SAS program. The natural foods were most frequently taken among health supplements and health foods for health. There was no difference in pattern of health supplements or health foods intake between male and female. The item taken over 20% of subjects was health drinks, green tea, ginseng product, dietary fiber drink, honey, general tea, tonic medicine from natural foods, vitamin B, vitamin C from nutrition supplements, and Lactobacillus product from health supplements. As the main reason for taking health supplements or health foods, the male indicated recovery of fatigue and improvement of health, but the female indicated recovery of fatigue and protection or treatment on disease(p<0.001). The frequency of taking health supplements or health foods was once a day. About the effect of health foods 70.1%, of subjects answered not bad and 25% responded very helpful for their health. Twenty percent of subjects experienced side effects such as diarrhea. The results showed that the proper education program should be developed for consumer to choose suitable health supplements or health foods according to their dietary life and health condition.

• Nutritional Sciences
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.174-182
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• 2004

Women have a greater incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) after menopause. This relates to hormone imbalance-induced changes in known CHD risk factors, especially hyperlipidemia. The purpose of this study was to explore d1e differences in food consumption and food sources of nutrients in the Korean diet between postmenopausal women aged 50-74 years with normocholesterolemia(NC) and those with hypercholesterolemia(HC). Each subject was either classified as part of the NC group (n=39, serum total cholesterol con. ＜200 mg/$dl$) or the HC group (n=31, serum total cholesterol con. $\geq$240 mg/dl) based on the Guideline for Korean Hyperlipidemia.l Diet was assessed through a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Consumption of foods such as biscuits and/or crackers, squid and eggs was significantly (p＜0.05) higher in the HC group than in the NC group. On the other hand, consumption of potatoes/starches and carrots was significantly (p＜0.05) lower in the HC group than in the NC group. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of the consumption of legumes and legume products containing phytoestrogen and we could not find a relationship between legumes and legume products and serum cholesterol levels. Consumption of green tea tended to be lower in the HC group than in the NC group. Major sources of cholesterol, cholesterol-saturated index and vitamin A in the diets of the HC group consisted of foods high in cholesterol. Our results confirm that postmenopausal women with hypercholesterolemia in Korea tend to consume cholesterol-rich foods and dishes.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.84-94
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• 2014

Periodontal disease is one of the most common chronic inflammatory diseases in the oral cavity, and this is the leading cause of loss of teeth. Studies on the association between diet and periodontal diseases are very limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between food and nutrient intakes and the prevalence of periodontitis. Subjects were 13,391 adults participating in the 2008-2010 Korea Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Periodontitis was diagnosed by dentists using the Community Periodontal Index. Nutrient intakes were estimated by the 24-hour dietary recall. Consumption frequencies of foods were from the food frequency questionnaire. Subjects were categorized into 'smoking' or 'non-smoking' groups. Multiple logistic regression analysis was applied to determine the association between diet and periodontitis. The proportions of subjects having periodontitis were 26% in the non-smoking group and 37.5% in the smoking group. In the nonsmoking group, intakes of fruits, dairy products, green tea, energy and vitamin C were inversely associated with the prevalence of periodontitis, but fish and coffee intakes were positively associated with the prevalence of periodontitis after adjusting for covariates. In the smoking group, protein and retinol intakes were inversely associated with the prevalence of periodontitis after adjusting for covariates. These results suggest that certain food and nutrient intakes such as fruits, dairy products, green tea, vitamin C, protein, or retinol intakes may affect the prevalence of periodontitis among Korean adults. Further studies are required to confirm these findings in other research settings.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.452-460
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• 2000

Aspects of health food intake were investigated by conducting a questionnaire survey with over 480 of adults in Taejon and the data were analyzed by $\chi$$^2$-test, t-test and ANOVA, using an SAS program. Eighty two percent of the subjects had taken some kind of health food. The health foods they took frequently were, for example, health drinks, green tea, ginseng products, dietary fiber drinks, honey, general tea, vitamin B, vitamin C, and tonic medicines. The main reason for taking health foods was recovery from fatigue and the frequency of taking health foods was one time per day. Most of the subjects took health foods without knowledge of their components or effects. When they health foods with a perceived knowledge of their components and effects, they responded that the health foods were very helpful for them. Twenty percent of subjects experienced side effects, such as diarrhea, stomachache, headache, nettle rash, and stomach cramps. Information on health foods was obtained mainly from friends or family. The user group showed higher intention to continue health food intake than non users(p < 0.001). Health foods were taken without any knowledge about them. Health food intake was significantly correlated with consideration of disease, suffering or disease, medical examination, and self-perceived health status, but not with food habits and health food knowledge. As for the results from the adults consumption pattern of health food, an education program should be developed to choose proper health foods according to the consumers dietary life and health conditions. Also a proper guide line should be established to be chosen the authorized health foods.