• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.655-671
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• 2021

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: While plate waste has been widely investigated in hospitals, there have been minimal studies specific to the texture-modified diet (TMD). This study aims to determine the percentage of plate waste among patients prescribed with TMD and its contributory factors. SUBJECTS/METHODS: This was a single-centre study conducted in the university hospital on three types of TMD (blended diet, mixed porridge, minced diet) during lunch and dinner meals. Weighing method and visual estimation method assisted by digital photograph were adopted in this study. Face to face interview was carried out to investigate on 1) the food/food service quality factors in terms of patients' satisfaction level towards sensorial quality of food and food services provided and 2) the clinical/external factors including appetite, the provision of oral nutrition support, time taking the diet, the need for feeding assistance and the length of hospital stay. RESULTS: The mean percentage of overall plate waste of 95 patients receiving TMD was high (47.5%). Blended diet was identified as the most wasted diet (65%) followed by minced diet (56%) and mixed porridge (35%). Satisfaction level among patients was moderate. Patients on TMD in general had higher satisfaction level on the aspect of food service as compared to food quality. Substantial association between sensorial qualities of food and plate waste were varied according to individual TMD type. A multiple linear regression showed that only the satisfaction level toward the aspects of appearance and variety of foods were the predictors of TMD plate waste (R² = 0.254, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: A significant relationship between the percentage of plate waste and the overall satisfaction level of patients receiving TMD suggests that vigorous strategies are needed to reduce the food waste of TMD which will lead to a better nutritional status and clinical outcomes among the patients.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.26 no.7
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• pp.899-906
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• 1993

Human blood selenicum(Se) level depends on the Se content and bioavailablilty of foods. In countries where the soil has low Se content, the differences of Se intake and blood Se concentration are shown according to the type of diet. In this study, Se status of women eating an average German diet(175 German healthy women) and wholesome nutrition group(243 women) were studied. There were significant differences in wholeblood and plasma Se levels between the two groups. In average German diet group, mean wholeblood Se concentration was 84.97ug/l and plasma Se concentration was 75.02ug/l. In wholesome nutrition group mean wholeblood Se concentration and plasma Se concentration with Se levels, correlation analysis was conducted between Se concentration and BMI, age and daily food intake. BMI and age did not correlate significantly with wholeblood and plasma Se levels. In wholesome nutrition group, serum and wholeblood Se levels had significant correlation with fish intake.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.422-432
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• 2019

Objectives: The purposes of the study were to assess wastes generated in school foodservice and to identify factors influencing the generation of plate waste. Methods: A survey was administered from November 18-30 in 2015 to dietitians and nutrition teachers that were employed in schools located in Gyeonggi province. A questionnaire file and on-line survey site link were sent to the dietitians and nutrition teachers by e-mail. A total of 622 dietitians and nutrition teachers responded and 594 responses were used for data analysis after excluding 28 responses with significant missing data. Results: Plate waste was the major part of food waste generated in school foodservice. Vegetable menus and soup/stews were discarded the most as plate waste. The dietitians and nutrition teachers perceived students' unbalanced diet and lack of appreciation of food as causes of the plate waste. Regarding waste management, they were concerned about environmental contamination by food waste and felt uncomfortable about discarding food. No plate waste day was the most frequently used plate waste reduction activity, followed by newsletters on plate waste reduction. Difficulty in getting teachers' support for dietary education during meal time was rated the greatest barrier to implementing the activities. To reduce plate waste, they perceived that students should understand the importance of environment conservation, teachers should supervise students' eating during meal time, students should be educated about proper portion, and foodservice staff should improve food quality. Conclusions: To improve students' intake and reduce plate waste in school foodservice, foodservice staff need to involve students in school foodservice and improve the palatability of meals, especially vegetable dishes. School nutrition teachers and dietitians should educate students about healthy eating and environment conservation and the school community needs to understand and support plate waste reduction and healthy eating in schools.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.57-63
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• 2017

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The level of serum albumin is an index of nourishment care and management. However, the distribution and correlates of serum albumin levels among individuals with motor disorders have not been reported until now. Therefore, we examined the distribution and correlates of serum albumin levels among individuals with motor disorders. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A cross-sectional study on 249 individuals with motor disabilities (144 men, mean age: 51.4 years; 105 women, mean age: 51.4 years) was conducted at five institutions in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan in 2008. The results were compared with data from the National Health and Nutrition Survey. RESULTS: The mean serum albumin levels were $4.0{\pm}0.4g/dL$ for men and $3.8{\pm}0.5g/dL$ for women. Overall, 17 (11.8%) men and 25 (23.8%) women had hypoalbuminemia (serum albumin level ${\leq}3.5g/dL$); these proportions were greater than those among healthy Japanese adults (${\leq}1%$). Low serum albumin level was related with female sex, older age, low calf circumference, low relative daily energy intake, low hemoglobin (Hb), low blood platelet count, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low $HbA_{1c}$, and high C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. The strongest correlates, based on standardized betas, were Hb (0.321), CRP (-0.279), and HDL-C (0.279) levels. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that the prevalence of hypoalbuminemia is higher in individuals with motor disabilities than in healthy individuals and that inflammation is a strong negative correlate of serum albumin levels. Therefore, inflammation should be examined for the assessment of hypoalbuminemia among institutionalized individuals with motor disabilities.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.1155-1169
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Unhealthy food choices among young adults are common globally, and the incidence of chronic diseases, such as obesity, is rising. Food literacy (FL) is important for improving and maintaining individual health in a rapidly changing food environment and can form the basis for following a sustainable diet. Therefore, it is essential to improve FL among young adults, particularly college students, who are in the formative years of their lifelong food habits. This study examined the facilitators and barriers of FL and related dietary behavior among college students in South Korea. SUBJECTS/METHODS: This study recruited 25 college students with different residence types using convenience and snowball sampling. In-person, telephone, and video interviews were conducted from March to November 2021. The interview data were analyzed using framework analysis based on the socio-ecological model. RESULTS: At the individual level, prior good experiences with food were the most frequently mentioned facilitator. In contrast, the major barriers were a lack of knowledge, financial hardship, irregular schedules, and academic stress. At the interpersonal level, the influences of family and peers, such as early exposure to healthy eating habits and opportunities to have easy accessibility to farms and farming, are major facilitators, but the lack of a sense of community was the major barrier. At the environmental level, the major barriers were unfavorable food environments at home and in neighborhoods, such as the absence of kitchens in housing and large packaging of produce at markets. CONCLUSIONS: Many factors affected the students' FL and related healthy eating practices. These findings suggest that a campus-based FL program should be developed by reflecting on these facilitators and barriers.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nutrition Society Conference
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• 2002.11a
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• pp.128-128
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• 2002

• Proceedings of the KSCN Conference
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• 2006.05a
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• pp.82-82
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• 2006

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.28 no.11
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• pp.1573-1582
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• 2015

This study was to investigate the effect of soyabean isoflavones (SIF) on onset of puberty, serum hormone concentration, and gene expression in hypothalamus, pituitary and ovary of female Bama miniature pigs. Fifty five, 35-days old pigs were randomly assigned into 5 treatment groups consisting of 11 pigs per treatment. Results showed that dietary supplementation of varying dosage (0, 250, 500, and 1,250 mg/kg) of SIF induced puberty delay of the pigs with the age of puberty of pigs fed basal diet supplemented with 1,250 mg/kg SIF was significantly higher (p<0.05) compared to control. Supplementation of SIF or estradiol valerate (EV) reduced (p<0.05) serum gonadotrophin releasing hormone and luteinizing hormone concentration, but increased follicle-stimulating hormone concentration in pigs at 4 months of age. The expression of KiSS-1 metastasis-suppressor (KISS1), steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) and 3-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase/delta-5-delta-4 isomerase ($3{\beta}-HSD$) was reduced (p<0.01) in SIF-supplemented groups. Expression of gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor in the pituitary of miniature pigs was reduced (p<0.05) compared to the control when exposed to 250, 1,250 mg/kg SIF and EV. Pigs on 250 mg/kg SIF and EV also showed reduced (p<0.05) expression of cytochrome P450 19A1 compared to the control. Our results indicated that dietary supplementation of SIF induced puberty delay, which may be due to down-regulation of key genes that play vital roles in the synthesis of steroid hormones.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.49 no.5
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• pp.295-303
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• 2016

Purpose: The objective of this study was to compare the effects of three different levels of xylobiose containing sucrose on glycemic indices based on oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and blood glucose response in healthy adults. Methods: Healthy adults (six male and five female participants, n = 11) underwent 14~16 hr of fasting. Subsequently, all participants took 50 g of available carbohydrates from glucose, sucrose containing 7% xylobiose (XB 7), sucrose containing 10% xylobiose (XB 10), or sucrose containing 14% xylobiose (XB 14) every week on the same day for 8 weeks. Finger prick blood was taken before and 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 min after starting to eat. Results: We observed reduction of the glycemic response to sucrose containing xylobiose. The glycemic indices of XB 7, XB 10, and XB 14 were 57.0, 53.6, and 49.7, respectively. The GI values of XB 7 were similar to those of foods with medium GI, and the GI values of XB 10 and XB 14 were similar to those of foods with low GI. The postprandial maximum blood glucose rise (Cmax) of XB 14 was the lowest among the test foods. XB 7, XB 10, and XB 14 showed significantly lower areas under the glucose curve (AUC) for 0~30 min, 0~60 min, 0~90 min and 0~120 min compared to glucose. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that sucrose containing xylobiose has an acute suppressive effect on GI and postprandial maximum blood glucose rise. In addition, levels of xylobiose in sugar may allow more precise assessment of carbohydrate tolerance despite lower glycemic responses in a dose-dependent manner.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2012

This study investigated the effects of a healthy image on the preference and intake frequency of meat and animal products. The study looked into beef, pork, chicken, sausage, mackerel, cutlass fish, croaker, tuna, squid, shrimp, clams, fish cakes, eggs, milk, yogurt, ice cream, and cheese. A total of 359 usable surveys given to elementary school students, college students, and adults were collected using a convenient sampling method. While milk had the healthiest image, sausage had the least healthy image. The respondents preferred yogurt the most and sausage the least. The intake frequency of eggs was the highest and clams the lowest. The healthy image, preference, and intake frequency for all studied foods showed significant differences across both gender and age. The relationship between healthy image and preference was significant for all foods, and a healthy image always had a positive influence on preference. The relationship of healthy image and intake frequency was significant in 14 foods except for mackerel, cutlass fish, and tuna. Also a healthy image created a positive effect on the intake frequency of 14 foods.