• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.166-172
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• 2018

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Obesity and alcohol drinking are associated with metabolic syndrome. However, few studies show the relationship between alcohol drinking and metabolic syndrome according to varying degrees of obesity. This study aimed to determine the association between alcohol drinking and metabolic syndrome in obese and non-obese Korean male adults. SUBJECTS/METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 5,867 males aged ${\geq}20$ years who were examined at the Soonchunhyang University health promotion center during June 2008-December 2010. The subjects were divided into non-obese (body mass index [BMI] < $25kg/m^2$) and obese (BMI ${\geq}25kg/m^2$) groups and further divided according to weekly alcohol consumption into nondrinking (0 drinks/week), moderate drinking (${\leq}14$ drinks/week), and heavy drinking (> 14 drinks/week) groups. The subjects were also categorized into binge drinking and non-binge drinking groups. To obtain odds ratios (ORs) for metabolic syndrome, binary logistic regression analysis was performed. RESULTS: The overall metabolic syndrome prevalence was 27.3% (12.8%, non-obese group; 50.4%, obese group). After adjusting for age, physical activity, and smoking, in the non-obese group, the OR for heavy drinking with binge drinking (reference: nondrinking) was 1.56 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.12-2.18), with a significant increase in metabolic syndrome prevalence. In the obese group, the OR for heavy drinking with binge drinking was 1.42 (95% CI = 1.07-1.88), showing a significant increase in metabolic syndrome prevalence (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In both non-obese and obese Korean males, heavy drinking with binge drinking was associated with increased risk of metabolic syndrome. Thus, both non-obese and obese males should restrict their alcohol intake and not indulge in binge drinking.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.183-191
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• 2013

Objectives: In Korea, the proportion of deaths due to alcohol is estimated at 8.9%, far exceeding the global estimate of 3.8%. Therefore, this study was performed to examine the factors associated with low-risk, moderate-risk, and high-risk drinking patterns in Korean adults and to identify target populations for prevention and control of alcohol-related diseases and deaths. Methods: We analyzed data from 230 715 Korean adults aged 19 years and older who participated in the 2009 Korean Community Health Survey. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to examine associations between socio-demographic and health-related factors and patterns of alcohol use. Results: A substantially larger proportion of men than women engaged in high risk (21.2% vs. 3.4%) and moderate-risk alcohol use (15.5% vs. 8.2%). In both sexes, moderate- and high-risk uses were associated with younger age, higher income, being currently employed, smoking, being overweight/obese, and good self-rated health. Conclusions: Given the large proportion of the population that is engaging in moderate- and high-risk drinking and given the social norms that support this behavior, public health policies and campaigns to reduce alcohol consumption targeting the entire population are indicated.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.318-332
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• 2018

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the behavioral modification of obese adults who underwent nutritional and physical activity education. Twenty obese females, aged 20-60 years old, with BMIs (Body Mass Index) >30 or body fat (%) >40 were subjected to this study. Methods: The physical activity education program consisted of doing exercise in a gymnasium together or home exercise. Dietary attitudes and dietary intakes were assessed using weight control, physical activity, and eating habits. The nutrition-exercise educational period was 12 weeks. Results: After the study period, there was significant improvement in physical activity and eating habits score. Furthermore, there was a significant increase in the dietary intakes of fiber, iron, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin $B_6$, and niacin. Blood pressure, blood glucose, and total cholesterol levels showed a tendency to decrease, but there was no significant difference. BMI, fat mass, abdominal circumference, and visceral fat levels were significantly reduced while muscle mass significantly increased. Conclusions: This study suggests that behavioral modification by nutrition and physical activity education with feedback has positive effects on dietary intake and anthropometric biomarkers in obese adults. Therefore, lifestyle interventions of this kind could be recommended as a method for obesity management.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.62 no.12
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• pp.450-455
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• 2019

Background: Lipid accumulation product (LAP) is associated with the presence and severity of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in adults. Purpose: Here we evaluated the ability of LAP to predict NAFLD in obese children. Methods: Eighty obese children (38 girls; age 6-18 years) were included. Anthropometric measurements and biochemical values were obtained from the patients' medical records. LAP was calculated as [waist circumference (WC) (cm) - 58]×triglycerides (mmol/L) in girls; [WC (cm) - 65]×triglycerides (mmol/L) in boys. The minLAP and adjLAP were described (3% and 50% of WC values, respectively) and the total/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol index (TC/HDL-C) was calculated. NAFLD was observed on ultrasound, and patients were divided into 3 groups by steatosis grade (normal, grade 0; mild, grade 1; moderate-severe, grade 2-3). The area under the curve (AUC) and appropriate index cutoff points were calculated by receiver operator characteristic analysis. Results: LAP was positively correlated with puberty stage (rho=0.409; P<0.001), fasting insulin (rho= 0.507; P<0.001), homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (rho=0.470; P<0.001), uric acid (rho=0.522; P<0.001), and TC/HDL-C (rho=0.494; P<0.001) and negatively correlated with HDL-C (rho=-3.833; P<0.001). LAP values could be used to diagnose hepatosteatosis (AUC=0.698; P=0.002). The LAP, adjLAP, and minLAP cutoff values were 42.7 (P=0.002), 40.05 (P=0.003), and 53.47 (P= 0.08), respectively. For LAP, the differences between the normal and mild groups (P=0.035) and the normal and moderate-severe groups were statistically significant (P=0.037), whereas the difference between the mild and moderate-severe groups was not (P>0.005). There was a statistically significant difference between the normal and mild groups for adjLAP (P=0.043) but not between the other groups (P>0.005). There was no significant intergroup difference in minLAP (P>0.005). Conclusion: LAP is a powerful and easy tool to predict NAFLD in childhood. If LAP is ≥42.7, NAFLD should be suspected. This is the first study to assess LAP diagnostic accuracy for childhood obesity.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.385-393
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• 2004

This study examined the relations of educational level and life-style behaviors to the obesity. A total of 507 male adults aged 30 - 50 years completed the self-reported questionnaires. Educational level was used for measuring socioeconomic status. Activity at work, leisure-time activity and TV watching were measured for life-style behaviors related to physical activity, and some demographic and family history of disease as well. Subjects were categorized as obese when BMI was equal to or over 25kg/$m^2$, in which 19.7％ resulted obesity. Using multivariate logistic regression, the association between the measured factors and obesity was assessed. The odds ratios (OR) for risk of obesity did not differ with either age or monthly income. Subjects who completed high school (OR = 0.36; 95％ CI = 0.20 - 0.66) or university (OR = 0.34; 95％ CI = 0.16 - 0.71) had lower risk of obesity than those with education below middle school. Those with moderate activity level at work (OR = 0.41; 95％ CI = 0.24 - 0.72) showed lower risk of obesity than in inactive ones. The subjects watching TV more than 3.5 hr/day presented higher risk of obesity (OR = 2.46; 95％ CI = 1.28 - 4.74), compared with those watching TV less than 1.5 hr/day. The higher risk of obesity observed in high level of leisure time activity than in low one was considered due to that physical activity at work and leisure-time might counteract each other. Educational level and activity at work or leisure-time activity or TV watching were jointed and categorized, and then OR for obesity was estimated. The extent of obesity risk at a given level of each work activity or leisure-time activity or TV watching was different depending the educational level, which was significantly high when educational level was below middle school. Educational difference had no effect on activity level at work. However, higher educational attainment increased the leisure activity and reduced TV watching (p＜0.05), indicating that low education tended to contribute to more sedentary life-style. The findings of this study is concluded that low education was related to obesity in adult males, and its relation can partly be explained through acquiring inactive life-style behaviors. Individuals with low education might be more susceptible to the risk factors of obesity.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.97-112
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to develop a nutrition education curriculum with teacher's guide which includes discretionary activities for obese children. A survey was carried out to investigate the recognition of body image and food behaviors according to the obesity index (mild, moderate, severe) in school children (4~6th grade, 158 boys and 60 girls) who were selected based on a physical examination in May, 2006 in the Gyeongnam province. Next, a nutrition education curriculum with teacher's guide was developed on the basis of the findings from the survey and from preceding researches. The results are summarized as follow. The results of this study showed the existence of some nutritional problems such as overeating, prejudice, skipping meals, snacking patterns, etc, which indicate the need for nutritional management for obese children. Most overweight children (80.3%) showed the most interest in the nutrition education program, particularly with regards to dieting for weight control (64.7%). The developed nutrition education curriculum consisted of 8 main subjects and 13 subtitles. The curriculum was prepared for 13 lessons and included songs and singing, making-up lyrics, games about nutrition, discussions of the experience of eating (satiety, thirst, hunger), debates on dietary habits, writing and others to promote the interest for learning. We aimed to develop this program in an attempt to improve the dietary habits of obese school children. This is very important because once a dietary habit is formed in adults, it is difficult to change and the best adjustable stage is during childhood. Therefore, early nutrition education during elementary school can change and build-up the awareness of health in young elementary school children.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.642-655
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• 2022

Purpose: We examined the effects of the 8-week moderate-intensity Pilates exercise program on body composition, balance ability, metabolic parameters, arterial condition, and eating habits among overweight and obese women. Methods: From the general sample of overweight or obese Korean women (body mass index ≥ 23 kg/m² ), those who had not been diagnosed with any chronic degenerative diseases were enrolled in the study (n = 39). After 8 weeks of the Pilates exercise program, the participants were subdivided into adherence and non-adherence groups. Among the study participants, 24 women were matched for age and menopausal status to reduce the bias, and then finally included for the comparison (Pilates-adherence, n = 12; Pilates-non-adherence, n = 12). Results: The body balance measured by the Y-balance test, body mass index, and subcutaneous fat areas were significantly improved in both groups. However, the Pilate-sadherence group showed more positive changes in body balance and had significant improvement in body composition parameters such as waist size, visceral fat area, systolic blood pressure, arterial aging index, fasting blood glucose, and glycated hemoglobin than the Pilates-non-adherence group. In addition, the nutrition quotient for Korean adults (balance, moderation, and behavior except diversity) were significantly improved in both groups after dietary education. However, the participants did not show dramatic improvement in the metabolic parameters, because all the study subjects were in relatively good health and did not have any diagnosed diseases. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that higher adherence to the Pilates exercise program together with a modification of eating habits may effectively improve body balance, body composition, and obesity-related parameters among overweight and obese women.