• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2015

Obesity has become one of the major public health problems all over the world. Recent novel eras of research are opening for the effective management of obesity though gene and nutrient intake interactions because the causes of obesity are complex and multifactorial. Through GWASs (genome-wide association studies) and genetic variations (SNPs, single nucleotide polymorphisms), as the genetic factors are likely to determine individuals' obesity predisposition. The understanding of genetic approaches in nutritional sciences is referred as "nutrigenomics". Nutrigenomics explores the interaction between genetic factors and dietary nutrient intake on various disease phenotypes such as obesity. Therefore, this novel approach might suggest a solution for the effective prevention and treatment of obesity through individual genetic profiles and help improve health conditions.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.290-302
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• 2005

The nutrients intake and health-related habits of nonagenarian subjects in Korean representative longevity belts of Damyang, Gokseong, Kurye, Sunchang were evaluated for the purpose of providing the information on the desirable food selection and dietary pattern of elderly population. A survey was conducted with 91 subjects (26 males and 65 females) and their food intakes were measured by the combination of one meal weighing and 24-hr recall, and their general background information was collected by visit. The mean age of the subjects was 93.6 $\pm$ 2.2 (male) and 97.6 $\pm$ 4.6 (female) The average smoking rate was $20.9\%$, the rate of regular drinking was $26.4\%$. The average energy intake was 1,284.9 kcal comprising $77.1\%$ of RDA for elder people over 75. The energy ratio of carbohydrate, protein and fat were 66.5 : 18.2 : 15.3. The average intake of protein, calcium, iron and zinc were $107.4\%,\;59.9\%,\;106.3\%$ and $60\%$ of RDA respectively. The lower intake of vitamins as low as $70\%$ was found except vitamin $B_6$ and niacin. The majority of the subjects consumed rice as staple diet and mostly consumed white plain rice rather than mixed grain rice. The animal and plant food intakes were 88.4 : 11.6 in males and those of females were 83.0 : 17.0 showing a tendency of plant-based meals. Nutrients that showed NAR over 0.7 were protein, iron, vitamin $B_6$, niacin and phosphate, but those with INQ over 1. Nutrient with INQ below 0.7 was only vitamin E. Even though their nutritional quantity did not appear to be enough, but their nutritional quality was relatively high. The adding dairy products, nuts and fruits for the purpose of proving sufficient vitamin and minerals can achieve the optimal nutritional intake patterns. Further research on RDA of this age population should be followed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.433-439
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• 1991

This nutritional survey was conducted from September 15 to 21, 1990, in order to investigate the nutritional status of housewives living in Andong city, rural area of Korea. The subjects of this survey were 222 rural housewives living in Andong area. The results were summarized as follows ; The daily food intake was 1133.1g and that of animal foods was 131.5g. The average intake of nutrients was above the RDA. Total calorie intake was 2123.7kcal. Perentages of energy from carbohydrate, protein and fat were 64.4, 18.1 and 17.5 respectively. The predicted percentages of deficiency was 19.8% in calorie, 10.0% in protein, 14.0% in Ca and 25.2% in Fe of total subjects. The correlation between the income level, food expenditure and protein intake was significant.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.327-339
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• 2009

It is known that Korean pregnant women take iron supplements at a higher than the recommended level. This study was designed to provide data on current iron intake levels both from food sources and supplement to better guide iron supplement use during pregnancy. We also explored associations of iron supplement intake levels with various sociocultural factors and pregnancy outcomes. Dietary intakes of 510 pregnant women were assessed by a validated 102-item food frequency questionnaire, and information on types and amounts of nutritional supplement intakes were also attained. While dietary intake levels of most nutrients exceeded the KDRIs (Korea Dietary Reference Intakes: EAR: Estimated Average Requirements), folate fell short of the KDRIs. A total of 428 women (83.9%) reported to take iron supplement. The pregnant women were divided into the three groups (group I: Fe supplement intake ${\le}$ EAR, group II: EAR < Fe supplement intake ${\le}$ 3 times of EAR, group III: 3 times of EAR < Fe supplement intake). The mean dietary intake of iron was 24% of the total iron intake for pregnant women. Iron intake from food was not significantly different among I, II, and III. In case of iron intake from supplements, the most frequent dose (34.1%) was 90-100 mg/day, and the mean iron supplement intake was 362% of the EAR. The study findings showed that those with higher levels of iron supplements had better meal quality measured by NAR (Nutrient Adequacy Ratio) and INQ (Index of Nutrient Quality). In addition iron supplement intake levels were significantly related to age (20s: 66.5 ${\pm}$ 38.6 mg/day, 30s: 77.3 ${\pm}$ 47.8 mg/day, p < 0.0116) and experience of childbirth (1st pregnancy: 70.9 ${\pm}$ 41.2 mg/day, 2nd pregnancy: 64.5 ${\pm}$ 39.5 mg/day, ${\ge}$ 3rd pregnancy: 94.4 ${\pm}$ 63.8 mg/day, p < 0.005). However, no significant difference was found between iron supplement intake levels and various pregnancy outcomes including birth weight, birth height, gestational age, weight gain during pregnancy, and jaundice. It is worrisome that iron intake by supplement use greatly exceeded the EAR, suggesting the need of appropriate guidelines for iron supplement intake during pregnancy. Thus iron overdose from supplements in pregnancy should be considered as a serious condition.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.113-121
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• 1992

Food intake data from 228 persons (96 male adult ranging in age from 19 to 54, 27 female adult ranging in age from 20 to 46, 54 boys ranging in age from 9 to 11, and 51 girls ranging in age from 8 to II) were studied with respect to the shape of the underlying probablity distributions. For each menu items distributional shapes of food intake were different. Most of distributions for food intakes from normaJ distributions. From food intake data of 2 meals nutrition intake data are calculated. For each meal, energy, protein, fat, carbohydrate, fiber, calcium, iron, vitamin A, thiamin, ribofavin, niacin and vitamin C were computed and thier distributions were compared with normal distributions. Distributions for adult female showed normal distributions for some food items. For nutrient intake data from male adults, distributions for vitamin C from 1st meal and calcium from 2nd meal were marginal and the remains were differed from normal distributions. For adult female and childern, distiributions for some nutients were differed from normal distributions. It is hard to find special patterns for each nutrient distributions. Therefore the normal distributions assumptions should be verified prior to applying parametric techniques to thier data. If those assumptions are not valid, non-parametric techniques should be used to analyze their data.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.336-341
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• 2016

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The incidence of thyroid cancer has increased in many countries, including Korea. International differences in the incidence of thyroid cancer may indicate a role of diet, but findings from previous studies are inconclusive. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the roles of nutrients in thyroid cancer risk in Korean women. SUBJECTS/METHODS: We conducted a case-control study comprising 113 cases and 226 age-matched controls. Nutrient intake was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire, and the association between nutrient intake and thyroid cancer risk was estimated using a logistic regression model. RESULTS: We found that high calcium intake was associated with a reduced risk of thyroid cancer (OR [95% CI] = 0.55 [0.35-0.89]). Significant associations were observed among subjects who were older than 50 years, had low BMI, and had low calorie intake. However, other nutrients included in this study did not show any significant associations with thyroid cancer risk. CONCLUSION: This study suggested a possible protective effect of calcium on thyroid cancer risk. Well-designed prospective studies are required to confirm these findings.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.134-142
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• 2020

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: North Korean refugees (NKRs) in South Korea are a unique population as they must adapt in a new country with similar cultural traits but different social, political, and economic systems, but little research has been conducted on diet and nutrition in this population. This study examined food security, dietary behaviors, and nutrient intakes among adult NKRs living in South Korea and compared them to those of South Koreans. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The subjects were 139 adult NKRs (25 men, 114 women) living in the Seoul metropolitan area, and 417 age- and sex- matched South Korean controls (SKCs; 75 men, 342 women) selected from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Food security and dietary behaviors (meal skipping, eating-out, meals with family, nutrition education and counseling, and nutrition label knowledge and utilization) were obtained using self-administered questionnaires. Nutrient intakes were assessed by 24-hr recall. The statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS ver. 23.0. RESULTS: In South Korea, food security had improved over the previous 12 months, but remained significantly poorer for NKR women than SKC women. Meal skipping was three times more frequent than for SKCs and eating-out was rare. Average energy intake was 1,509 kcal for NKR men and 1,344 kcal for NKR women, which was lower than those of SKCs (2,412 kcal and 1,789 kcal, respectively). Significantly more NKRs (men 24.0%, women 21.9%) showed simultaneously deficient intake in energy, calcium, iron, vitamin A, and riboflavin than SKCs (men 2.7% (P = 0.003), women 7.0% (P < 0.001)). NKR women had a significantly higher index of nutrient quality (INQ) for some nutrients than SK women. CONCLUSIONS: This study reports significant differences in food security, dietary behaviors, and nutrient intakes between NKRs and SKCs. Generally, NKRs reported lower intakes despite improved food security, but relatively good INQs across nutrients. Further research is needed to understand processes of food choice and consumption among NKRs to provide appropriate support aimed at improving diets.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.82-91
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• 2011

The present study reviewed the effects of excess iodine intake on thyroid function and the incidence of thyroid disease and discussed the scientific basis for establishing a tolerable upper intake level (UL) of iodine for Koreans. ULs are defined as "the highest level of daily nutrient intake that is likely to pose no risk of adverse effects to almost all individuals in the general population." Koreans consume excess iodine from seaweed, and iodine intake is strongly influenced by seaweed consumption. However, no dose-response data derived from subjects consuming excess iodine frequently but not continuously during a lifetime are available. Therefore, the Korean DRI committee set the iodine UL to reduce the risk of adverse health effects by excess iodine intake for Koreans with distinctive seaweed-eating habits.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.125-133
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• 2013

Previous studies have shown that sodium excretion is positively related to calcium excretion in the urine. As excessive sodium intake is a common nutritional problem in Korea, we intended to investigate associations among sodium intake levels and calcium status, evaluated by 24 hour recall method and urinary excretion, and bone status. We collected dietary information for non-consecutive three days from 139 young adult women 19~29 years. After classifying the subjects into 4 groups based on the dietary sodium levels by daily total sodium intake (mg) and sodium density (sodium intake per 1000 kcal energy intake), we compared the bone status, nutrient intakes, urinary calcium and sodium excretions. The results showed a positive association between total daily sodium intake and intake of other nutrients. However, no significant differences in nutrients intakes were observed among subject groups classified by sodium density levels. There were no significant differences of bone density among groups by total daily sodium intake as well as by sodium density. While total daily sodium intake showed significantly positive relationship with urinary sodium (p < 0.05) and calcium (p < 0.05), sodium density was not related to urinary excretion of calcium and sodium. Our results suggested that promoting balanced meals providing appropriate amounts of energy intake is the essential component of nutrition education for improving calcium status of young Korean women with excessive sodium intake.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.142-149
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• 2007

To evaluate the seasonal differences of nutrient intake and serum biochemical indices (total cholesterol, HDL-, LDL- cholesterol, TG, MDA : malondialdehyde, TAS : total antioxidant status, folate) in Korean college women with a mean age of 20.15y, this study was conducted twice: once in winter and a second time in summer. Anthropometric assessment was also measured in the two seasons. As a result body fat mass (p<0.05), body fat% (p<0.05), and abdominal fat% (p < 0.01) in the summer were significantly lower than those in winter. Intake of fat (p < 0.05), polyunsaturated fatty acid (p < 0.01), zinc (p < 0.05), and vitamin E (p < 0.05) were at significantly higher levels in the summer period compared with the winter period. In addition, nutrients with an intake level less than 75% RI of KDRIs were folate in winter and calcium, and folate in the summer. Total cholesterol (p < 0.05) and HDL-cholesterol in summer, according to lipid profiles, were significantly lower than those in winter. Although MDA, one of the products of lipid peroxidation, remained unchanged, TAS was significantly higher in summer than in winter. The level of folate in summer showed significantly lower than that in winter. The present study suggests that nutrient intake of college women women differs according to the seasons and anthropometric indices and serum biochemical indexes were associated with seasons. Thus nutritional education programs on the basis of season are needed for college women.