• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.533-544
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• 2016

Objectives: We aimed to examine levels of physical activity, anthropometric features, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among Korean breast cancer survivors who reported changes in their diet after diagnosis. Methods: A total of 380 women who had been diagnosed with stage I to III breast cancer and had breast cancer surgery at least six months before the interview were included. Participants provided information on dietary change after diagnosis, post-diagnostic diet, physical activity, anthropometric measures, and HRQoL through face-to-face interview. We assessed HRQoL levels of breast cancer survivors using a validated Korean version of European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) and Breast Cancer Module (BR23). We used the logistic regression and generalized linear models to identify the associations of dietary changes in relation with physical activity, anthropometry, and HRQoL. Results: The majority of participants (72.6%) reported that they have changed their diet to a healthier diet after diagnosis. Breast cancer survivors who reported to have change to a healthy diet had higher intakes of vegetables and fruits and lower intakes of red and processed meats, and refined grains than those who did not. Also, survivors with a healthy change in their diet were more likely to engage in physical activity (top vs. bottom tertile: odds ratio [OR], 1.85; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.02-3.36) and have lower body mass index (BMI) (OR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.82-0.98 for one $kg/m^2$ increment in BMI) compared to those who did not. We found that a healthy change in diet was associated with higher scores of physical functioning (p=0.02) and lower scores of constipation (p=0.04) and diarrhea (p=0.006) compared to those who did not. Conclusions: Healthy changes in diet after breast cancer diagnosis may be associated with lower levels of BMI, and higher levels of physical activity and HRQoL.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.333-343
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• 2019

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: To compare five indices of adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MD) among adults living in the Mediterranean region. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A total of 100 healthy Lebanese adults aged between 18 and 65 years. Face-to-face interviews to collect sociodemographic and medical information, to take anthropometric measurements, and to fill a validated, culturally adapted, food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). The score for each item was calculated following the recommendations for each corresponding index. The five MD indices were Mediterranean Diet Scale (MDScale), Mediterranean Food Pattern (MFP), MD Score (MDS), Short Mediterranean Diet Questionnaire (SMDQ), and the MedDiet score. RESULTS: Significant correlations were detected between items with P-values < 0.001. Minimal agreement was seen between MDScale and MedDiet score and maximal agreement between MDS and MedDiet score. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that MDS and MedDiet scores had significant correlations with fiber and olive oil intake, main components of the MD. MDScale showed a significant correlation with waist-to-hip ratio and with total energy intake but none of the five indices was correlated to body mass index (BMI). CONCLUSIONS: The indices that showed the highest correlation with variables related to the MD are the MDScale and the MedDiet score; therefore, they can be used to assess our future study populations. Based on the current results, more than half of the study population was non-adherent to the MD and adherence to this diet did not appear to protect against being overweight ($BMI{\geq}30$).

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.165-173
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• 2015

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study addressed the question whether the composition of supposedly 'healthy' or 'unhealthy' dietary regimes has a calorie-independent short-term effect on biomarkers of metabolic stress and vascular risk in healthy individuals. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Healthy male volunteers (age $29.5{\pm}5.9years$, n = 39) were given a standardized baseline diet for two weeks before randomization into three groups of different dietary regimes: fast food, Mediterranean and German cooking style. Importantly, the amount of calories consumed per day was identical in all three groups. Blood samples were analyzed for biomarkers of cardiovascular risk and metabolic stress after two weeks of the baseline diet and after two weeks of the assigned dietary regime. RESULTS: No dietary intervention affected the metabolic or cardiovascular risk profile when compared in-between groups or compared to baseline. Subjects applied to the Mediterranean diet showed a statistically significant increase of uric acid compared to baseline and compared to the German diet group. Plasma concentrations of urea were significantly higher in both the fast food group and the Mediterranean group, when compared to baseline and compared to the German diet group. No significant differences were detected for the levels of vitamins, trace elements or metabolic stress markers (8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine, malondialdehyde and methylglyoxal, a potent glycating agent). Established parameters of vascular risk (e.g. LDL-cholesterol, lipoprotein(a), homocysteine) were not significantly changed in-between groups or compared to baseline during the intervention period. CONCLUSIONS: The calorie-controlled dietary intervention caused neither protective nor harmful short-term effects regarding established biomarkers of vascular or metabolic risk. When avoiding the noxious effects of overfeeding, healthy individuals can possess the metabolic capacity to compensate for a potentially disadvantageous composition of a certain diet.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.473-481
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to investigate the fad dieting status and needs of nutrition education on healthy dieting in male and female collegians according to the desired loss weight. The subjects were 611 students (287 males, 324 females) from universities in Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces in Korea. The subjects were divided into the following four groups based on the difference between their current body weight and their desired body weight: no desired weight loss (WL0), desired weight loss less than 5 kg (WL5), desired weight loss 6 to 10 kg (WL10), and desired weight loss more than 11 kg (WL11). The fad dieting status was surveyed using a questionnaire about 11 selected trendy dieting methods. The higher desired weight loss group showed higher current weight and BMI in both males and females. Self weight overestimation was higher in the females than in the males, and in the WL10 group than in the other groups of males. As desired loss weight increased, weight loss trials and experienced trendy dieting types increased in both males and females. In the male subjects, the experience of the half meal diet and the chicken breast diet was significantly associated with the desired loss weight. In females, trials of more trendy diet types including the half meal diet, cereal diet, fasting, and Atkins diet were significantly associated with the higher desired loss weight. The need for nutrition education on healthy dieting was high among all the different desired weight loss groups, showing that a minimum of 60% of subjects in each group answered 'necessary and strongly necessary', with the highest in the WL11 group in both males and females. From these results, desired loss weight is associated with higher current weight status, unhealthy weight control practices, and needs for nutrition education in both male and female subjects. Therefore, in the future, nutrition education programs should give greater attention to providing healthy dieting methods for young collegians who desire more weight loss.

• Journal of Korean Home Economics Education Association
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.85-114
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• 2014

The main purpose of this study was to develop teaching and learning plans and a smart textbook for food and nutrition education in Home Economics focusing on 'healthy diet and meal plans' unit in "Technology home Economics" textbooks for 7th graders to evaluate the effectiveness of the instruction conducted with the smart textbook. The content of the study to achieve the purpose is as follows: First, design a smart education-based teaching and learning curriculum for food and nutrition education in Home Economics, focusing on 'healthy diet and meal plans' unit. Second, develop a smart textbook for food and nutrition education based on the teaching and learning curriculum, using a smart content authoring tool. Third, evaluate the effectiveness of the instruction after applying the curriculum in real classroom situations. The results of this study were as follows: First, teaching and learning plans and materials were developed for two units, 'issues regarding teenagers' diet' and 'implementation of a healthy and balanced diet', under 'teenagers' life'. The first unit, 'issues regarding teenagers' diet', dealt with topics such as teenagers' dietary behaviors, nutrition, and health. Learning objectives for this unit were to help students identify and evaluate their own dietary behaviors. The second unit, 'implementation of a healthy and balanced diet', encouraged students to diagnose problems with their diet and plan nutrient rich meals. The objectives for this unit were to help students implement a healthy and balanced diet by providing them with nutrition and dietary guidelines for Koreans, sample meal plans, and guidelines for developing healthy eating habits for teenagers. In order to develop a teaching and learning plans to achieve these objectives, teaching and learning materials including inquiry tasks, materials for group activities, multimedia, applications and various pop-up learning materials were developed. Second, a smart textbook using DocZoom, which was a smart content authoring tool was developed. The textbook dealt with issues regarding teenagers' diet and implementation of a healthy and balanced diet. Multimedia material used in the textbook come from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's food and nutrition education web sites and other sources. To develop student-oriented material, relevant video clips were added to the smart textbook to motivate students and enhance their interest in the course. Third, the outcome of this study indicated that the instruction using teaching and learning plans and learning materials with the smart textbook was effective for enhancing students' interest in Home Economics classes (t-value=-3.99, p<.001), creating enthusiasm for learning(t-value = -2.61, p<.05), encouraging self-directed and independent learning(t-value = -4.77, p<.001), and improving students' interest in food and nutrition courses(t-value = -3.83, p<.001). The students' evaluation of the instruction were as follows: the instruction using teaching and learning plans and learning materials with smart textbooks, instead of paper textbooks, helped them save time looking for learning materials; students evaluated that it was easier for them to see and understand video clips and charts. In addition, most students answered that instruction with smart textbooks were more fun and convenient, and they agreed that the courses enhanced their learning experience.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.34-50
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• 2024

Objectives: Transformation through a sustainable food system to provide healthy diets is essential for enhancing both human and planetary health. This study aimed to explain about sustainable diets and illustrate appropriate measurement of adherence to sustainable diets using a pre-existing index. Methods: For literature review, we used PubMed and Google Scholar databases by combining the search terms "development," "validation," "sustainable diet," "sustainable diet index," "planetary healthy diet," "EAT-Lancet diet," and "EAT-Lancet reference diet." For data presentation, we used data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2017-2018, among adults aged 20 years and older (n = 3,920). Sustainable Diet Index-US (SDI-US), comprising four sub-indices corresponding to four dimensions of sustainable diets (nutritional quality, environmental impacts, affordability, and sociocultural practices), was calculated using data from 24-hour dietary recall interview, food expenditures, and food choices. A higher SDI-US score indicated greater adherence to sustainable diets (range: 4-20). This study also presented SDI-US scores according to the sociodemographic status. All analyses accounted for a complex survey design. Results: Of 148 papers, 16 were reviewed. Adherence to sustainable diets fell into 3 categories: EAT-Lancet reference diet-based (n = 8), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) definition-based (n = 4), and no specific guidelines but including the sustainability concept (n = 4). Importantly, FAO definition emphasizes on equal importance of four dimensions of diet (nutrition and health, economic, social and cultural, and environmental). The mean SDI-US score was 13 out of 20 points, and was higher in older, female, and highly educated adults than in their counterparts. Conclusions: This study highlighted that sustainable diets should be assessed using a multidimensional approach because of their complex nature. Currently, SDI can be a good option for operationalizing multidimensional sustainable diets. It is necessary to develop a Korean version of SDI through additional data collection, including environmental impact of food, food price, food budget, and use of ready-made products.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.61-70
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• 2020

Objectives: This study examined the association of the total diet quality with the incidence risk of metabolic syndrome constituents and metabolic syndrome among Korean adults. Methods: Based on a community-based cohort of the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES) from 2001 to 2014, data from a total of 5,549 subjects (2,805 men & 2,744 women) aged 40~69 years at the baseline with a total follow-up period of 38,166 person-years were analyzed. The criteria of the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel was employed to define metabolic syndrome. The total diet quality was estimated using the Korean Healthy Eating Index (KHEI). Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for risk of metabolic syndrome constituents and metabolic syndrome in relation to KHEI quintile groups was calculated by multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model. Results: After adjusting for age, energy intake, income, education, physical activity, smoking, and drinking, the incidence of abdominal obesity and high blood pressure was significantly lower, by approximately 29.7% (P < 0.01) and 25.2% (P < 0.01), respectively, in the fifth KHEI quintile compared to the first quintile in men. A significant decreasing trend of the metabolic syndrome incidence was observed across the improving levels of KHEI (HRq5vs.q1: 0.775, 95% CIq5vs.q1: 0.619~0.971, P for trend < 0.01). In women, the incidence of abdominal obesity and metabolic syndrome was significantly lower, by approximately 29.8% (P < 0.01) and 22.5% (P < 0.05), respectively, in the fifth KHEI quintile compared to the first quintile adjusting for multiple covariates. On the other hand, the linear trend of metabolic syndrome risk across the KHEI levels did not reach the significance level. Conclusions: A better diet quality can prevent future metabolic syndrome and its certain risk factors among Korean men and women.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.258-268
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• 2015

The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of fad dieting as a method to lose weight among male and female college students. A total of 710 students participated in this study. Fad dieting was surveyed using a questionnaire about 11 fad diet methods. The mean age of the subjects was 21.4 years for males and 20.4 years for females. The proportion of students who had experience trying to lose weight was 52.8% for males and 78.6% for females (p<0.001). The diet method employed by the highest number of participants was the half meal diet (27.6% for males, 43.9% for females), followed by the cereal diet (8.8% for males, 43.9% for females), fasting (9.9% for males, 21.4% for females), and the chicken breast diet (13.1% for males, 9.2% for females). The female students were more likely than the males to try fad diets other than the chicken breast diet and the Atkins diet. The most frequent side effect of fad dieting was the yo-yo effect, followed by binge eating, weakness, anemia, and so on. The proportion of students who indicated that nutrition education is needed for healthy dieting was 39.1% for males and 45.4% for females. From these results, we concluded that a high percentage of college students attempt to lose weight through fad diets, with some gender differences. Therefore, in the future, nutrition education programs should focus more attention on providing healthy dieting methods to young college students to help them lose weight.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.681-684
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• 2002

This study was undertaken to investigate the hypocholesterolemic activity of Bifidobacteria (B. breve K-110, B. breve K-111, and B. infantis K-525) isolated from a healthy Korean. The administration of B. breve K-110 and K-111 with a high cholesterol diet significantly protected the increase of serum total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol relative to that of a high cholesterol diet alone. Such a diet supplemented with 0.5％ B. breve K-111 decreased serum total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol to 57 and 55％, respectively. The administration of Bifidobacteria also significantly inhibited the lipid-deposited surface in the aorta. The normalizing activity of serum cholesterol level in cholesterolemic rats was accelerated by Bifidobacteria. The normalizing activity of B. breve K-111 on serum cholesterol level was superior to that of B. breve K-110. These results suggest that Bifidobacteria in the human intestine playa role in the prophylactics of arteriosclerosis.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.56-63
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• 2009

African Americans in the United States suffer from many health disparities such as obesity, diabetes or hypertension. Lifestyle factors including diet and physical activity play an important role in prevention of these health conditions. The purpose of this research project was to assess beliefs, barriers and self-efficacy of eating a healthy diet and self efficacy of shopping for foods such as whole grains or foods designated as low fat or low sodium. Additionally, the objective was to assess beliefs about healthfulness, appropriate consumption, and protective aspect of specific foods including fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. The assessment was done using a survey instrument developed for this study. Data collection took place at two church locations. Data were obtained from 57 African Americans, mean age 50 years old (SD 12.70) completed the survey. The majority of respondents (58.1%) were females and most (75%) had at least some college education. Generally, benefits of eating healthy foods received considerably higher scores compared to barriers of eating healthy. A belief that healthy foods would help to take care of one's body received the highest mean score while a belief that healthy foods are too expensive had the highest score from all barriers. The results showed high self-efficacy of eating and purchasing healthy foods, high awareness of knowledge regarding foods associated with disease prevention but low awareness of recommendations for fruits and vegetables. The high scores for benefits, self-efficacy and knowledge regarding eating healthy foods did not translate into the perception of intake of such foods. Most participants believed that they do not eat enough of healthy foods. Interventions design to help African Americans make dietary changes should be culturally relevant and should involved working on a community level utilizing messages that are familiar and relevant to African Americans.