• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.351-362
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• 2003

The goal of this study was to examine the effects of perceived risks toward GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) food on the decision-making to purchase it and demands to reveal its Identity. The major results were as follows. First, consumers strongly perceived the risk toward GMO food, and demanded labeling to identify it. But, many consumers had indecisive in the purchase of GMO food. Second, consumers with high level of perceived risks toward GMO food were more likely not to buy GMO food. In addition, the level of perceived risk was high among consumers who had many children. Finally, consumers with high level of perceived risks toward GMO food were more likely to demand the labelling for identifying GMO food. Consumers who had many children and high level of reliability for labelling food safety strongly demanded to label for revealing GMO food.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.132-138
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• 2013

The food choices in childhood have high a probability of being carried through into their adulthood life, which then contributes to the risk of many non-communicable diseases. Therefore, there is a need to gather some information about children's views on foods which may influence their food choices for planning a related dietary intervention or programme. This paper aimed to explore the views of children on foods and the types of foods which are usually consumed by children under four food groups (snacks, fast foods, cereals and cereal products; and milk and dairy products) by using focus group discussions. A total of 33 school children aged 7-9 years old from Selangor and Kuala Lumpur participated in the focus groups. Focus groups were audio-taped, transcribed and analyzed according to the listed themes. The outcomes show that the children usually consumed snacks such as white bread with spread or as a sandwich, local cakes, fruits such as papaya, mango and watermelon, biscuits or cookies, tea, chocolate drink and instant noodles. Their choices of fast foods included pizza, burgers, French fries and fried chicken. For cereal products, they usually consumed rice, bread and ready-to-eat cereals. Finally, their choices of dairy products included milk, cheese and yogurt. The reasons for the food liking were taste, nutritional value and the characteristics of food. The outcome of this study may provide additional information on the food choices among Malaysian children, especially in urban areas with regard to the food groups which have shown to have a relationship with the risk of childhood obesity.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.132-148
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• 2024

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the current mean daily intake of 10 food groups, analyze the sociodemographic factors associated with food consumption, and determine the associations between food consumption/dietary intake and the prevalence rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes (T2D), and hypertension (HTN) in Jakarta, Indonesia. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A total of 600 participants aged 20-85 yrs were included in this cross-sectional study. Food consumption and dietary habits were assessed using a food frequency questionnaire. To determine the association between food consumption/dietary habits and the abovementioned diseases, logistic regression analysis was performed. RESULTS: The average vegetable and fruit intake was lower, while sugar and salt consumption were higher than that recommended by Indonesia's national dietary guidelines. A high intake of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) was associated with young age, men, "single" status, a high education level, and employment with a high monthly income. Obesity and T2D were positively correlated with high intakes of cereals and tubers, UPFs, sugars, fats, and oils. Conversely, an inverse association was found between legume, vegetable, and fruit consumption and obesity risk. An inverse correlation was also observed between vegetable consumption and T2D risk. Moreover, a high salt intake was inversely correlated with fruit consumption in terms of HTN risk. Non-indulgence in habitual late-night snacking and refrainment from consuming more than one dish at each meal were also negatively related to the prevalence of obesity, T2D, and HTN. Inverse correlations were also observed between the prevalence rates of T2D and HTN and abstaining from adding sugar to beverages. CONCLUSION: Foods high in fat, sugar, and sodium were strongly associated with the risks of obesity, T2D, and HTN. Additionally, poor eating habits were also associated with disease development.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.255-270
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• 2020

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that influence the consumption of convenience foods among Korean adolescents. Methods: This study had a descriptive cross-sectional study. Data were obtained from the 15th (2019) Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey, which involved a nationwide representative sample of 57,303 middle- and high-school students. Convenience-food consumption was defined by frequency of adolescents consuming convenience foods obtained from convenience stores, supermarkets, and cafeterias over the previous 7 days. The analyzed variables were related to sociodemographic, mental health, and health behavior. The Rao-Scott χ² test was applied to examine the difference in the rate of consuming convenience foods obtained from convenience stores according to each factor. Hierarchical logistic regression was conducted to examine the factors that influence convenience-food consumption among Korean adolescents. Results: It was found that 29.1% of Korean adolescents consumed convenience foods obtained from convenience store more than three times per week. The significant influencing factors were female sex; low subjective academic achievement, and subjective household economic status; high perceived stress; low subjective sleep sufficiency; experience of depression; suicidal ideation; lower physical activity; skipping breakfast; lower consumptions of fruit, milk, and vegetables; higher consumptions of soda drinks, sweet drinks, caffeine, and fast food; lower water intake; current smoking and drinking; drug use; and experience of violence. Conclusion: These findings provide a better understanding of the sociodemographic, mental-health, and health-behavior factors that influence the consumption of convenience foods among Korean adolescents. We suggest that differentiated policies, strategies, and nutrition education need to be developed and implemented, in order to address the above-mentioned factors and thereby reduce such behaviors among Korean adolescents.

• Clinical Nutrition Research
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.199-217
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• 2023

People with higher genetic predisposition to obesity are more susceptible to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and healthy plant-based foods may be associated with reduced risks of obesity and other metabolic markers. We investigated whether healthy plant-foods-rich dietary patterns might have inverse associations with cardiometabolic risk factors in participants at genetically elevated risk of obesity. For this cross-sectional study, 377 obese and overweight women were chosen from health centers in Tehran, Iran. We calculated a healthy plant-based diet index (h-PDI) in which healthy plant foods received positive scores, and unhealthy plant and animal foods received reversed scores. A genetic risk score (GRS) was developed based on 3 polymorphisms. The interaction between GRS and h-PDI on cardiometabolic traits was analyzed using a generalized linear model (GLM). We found significant interactions between GRS and h-PDI on body mass index (BMI) (p = 0.02), body fat mass (p = 0.04), and waist circumference (p = 0.056). There were significant gene-diet interactions for healthful plant-derived diets and BMI-GRS on high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (p = 0.03), aspartate aminotransferase (p = 0.04), alanine transaminase (p = 0.05), insulin (p = 0.04), and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (p = 0.002). Adherence to h-PDI was more strongly related to decreased levels of the aforementioned markers among participants in the second or top tertile of GRS than those with low GRS. These results highlight that following a plant-based dietary pattern considering genetics appears to be a protective factor against the risks of cardiometabolic abnormalities.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.659-663
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• 2013

Introduction: Squamous cell carcinoma of esophagus (ESCC) is one of the most common cancers in China. Preserved vegetables are processed foods and consumed in high amounts in the high risk areas for ESCC. This study aimed to investigate the relationships of preserved vegetable consumption with ESCC and precancer lesions. Methods: Cases from Yanting cancer hospital with pathological diagnosis of primary cancer, along with controls and individuals diagnosed with precancer lesions by endoscopy with iodine staining were interviewed. Trained staff collected data on dietary habits 1 year before the interview. An unconditional logistic regression model was used to estimate odds ratios of preserved vegetable consumption for precancer lesions and cancer. Results: Adjusting for potential confounders, intake of preserved vegetables (OR=2.92, 95%CI 1.32~6.47) and longer intake period (OR=5.78, 95%CI 2.26~14.80) were associated with higher risk of ESCC. Compared with lowest intake frequency, the highest was associated with a 3.0-fold risk for precancer lesions and 3.59-fold risk for ESCC (both p<0.05). Conclusion: Consumption of preserved vegetables is a risk factor for esophageal lesions in high risk areas. The carcinogenicity of preserved vegetables needs investigation in further studies and the public health strategies for reducing the consumption might be initiated in high risk areas.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.9
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• pp.5085-5088
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• 2013

Background: The north-western region of China has a high incidence of oesophageal cancer. This study aimed to investigate whether the intake of food and beverage at high temperature is associated with the risk of oesophageal cancer among adults residing in this remote part of China. Materials and Methods: A case-control study was undertaken in Urumqi and Shihezi, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China, between 2008 and 2009. Participants were 359 incident oesophageal cancer patients and 380 hospital-based controls. Information on temperature of food and beverage intake was obtained by face-to-face interview. Logistic regression analyses were performed to ascertain the association between intake temperature and the risk of oesophageal cancer. Results: The oesophageal cancer patients consumed foods and beverages at higher temperatures than controls, p<0.001. High temperature of tea, water and food intake appeared to increase the risk of oesophageal cancer by more than two-fold, with adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence intervals) of 2.86 (1.73-4.72), 2.82 (1.78-4.47) and 2.26 (1.49-3.45), respectively. Conclusions: Intake of food and beverage at high temperature was positively associated with the incidence of oesophageal cancer in north-western China.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.524-532
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• 2010

The Na, component of salt, can increase the risk of high blood pressure and hypertension. Especially, children are exposed to an increased risk of high sodium intake, because they often consume Na-rich processed foods and commercially prepared foods in the street. However, the database for the sodium and chloride content for these children's favorite foods is insufficient. In this study, the Na and Cl contents in 89 children's favorite foods were analyzed by using Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) method. The analyzed food items were presented after being classified into 33 kinds of food groups. The Na contents in 100 g children's favorite foods ranged from 0.3 mg to 35.1mg in fruits, 28.9mg to 82.5mg in milks, 127.2 mg to 602.2 mg in breads, cakes, sandwiches, and rice cakes, 2.5 mg to 1169.9 mg in candies, cookies and ice creams, 226.9 mg to 693.7 mg in commercially prepared street foods, and 103.4 mg to 875.8 mg in fast foods of westernized restaurant. Among children's favorite food groups, 100 g fried chicken, hotdog, burgers, and donuts contained an average Na of 536 mg, 553 mg, 794 mg, and 562.2 mg, respectively, so they are classified as 'high Na foods'. In contrast, 100 g fruits and dairy products contained Na an average 4.9 mg and 43.4 mg, respectively, being classified as 'low Na foods'. One serving of ramen, mandu noodle, and burger pizza can supply over 667mg Na, which is one third of the KDRI targeted intake. Likewise, the Cl contents in children's favorite foods were diverse according to food groups. The Cl contents in the analyzed foods differed from the 1.5 times of Na content, which is assumed in general. This study showed that the Na and Cl contents in children's favorite foods are very diverse. Conclusively, a strategy to reduce Na contents in the fast foods such as noodles and westernized restaurant foods is necessary for children health.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.277-288
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• 1994

In recent years, there is remarkable tendency of overconsumption and high calorie intake which may come from a high availability of foods, the increase of food production, processed food, and imported food. This cause chronic diseases such as obesity. high blood pressure inducing heart disease, and diabetics etc. Traditional Korean eating pattern and habit make too much waste of foods and wasting time for the food preparation. The dietary guideline used for the guidance of Korean diet pattern is composed of 'nutrients-ingredient-cooking-meal which is not visualized pattern. Therefore we made up menus in the pattern of meal-cooking-ingredient-nutrient, which is more brief, compact and more visualized pattern. We set 27,000 menus with 600 kcal/meal which is combined with staple meal-main dish-side dish (30 menus of rife meal, 5 menus of bread meal, noodle meal and one serving dish meal). 600 kcal menu is basically for volume of serving per one person according to the experimental cooking and reference. This has several advantages of simple procedure of cooking, easy practice to use menus, and good source of nutritional values. In addition to these, it also provides a new menu to decrease the calorie consumption reducing the risk of chronic disease, to prevent wasting foods, and to help single person.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.448-458
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• 2014

Objectives: Increasing salt preferences with age are said to increase preferences of salty foods, thereby leading to greater sodium consumption, which has further implication for hypertension. This study examined the link between preference of salty taste and dietary factors and health-related risk factors in Korean elderly people. Methods: We studied 312 elderly individuals aged > 65 years (male, 100 and female, 212). With each subject, pleasant concentration of NaCl was estimated using the sip-and-spit method. Dietary habits, food preferences, consumption frequencies, anthropometric and biochemical assessment were assessed. Results: The pleasant salt concentration was significantly increased in individuals older than 75 years (p < 0.05). Subjects who liked high concentration of salt showed significantly higher preferences for salty foods (p < 0.001). Results showed significant effects (p < 0.01) of fruit & fruit juice consumption frequencies, MNA (mini-nutritional assessment), cognition score, BMI, body fat %, waist circumference, arm circumference, calf circumference, vitamin D level that subjects who likes low salty taste were higher than subjects who likes high salty taste. Conclusions: The preference for salty taste in the elderly was not correlated with hypertension. But, increased preference for salty taste with age and increased salty food preferences may result in higher sodium consumption. Therefore, nutritional education regarding lowering salt preference and favorable behaviors of low-salt diet is needed to improve the quality of life in the rural elderly.