• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.62-72
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Many studies have revealed an association between fat mass and the obesity-related gene (FTO) and obesity. On the other hand, no meta-analysis was conducted with data from only Koreans. Therefore, this study performed a meta-analysis using Korean data to provide evidence for the association between FTO single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and the risk of obesity among Korean adults. SUBJECT/METHODS: Meta-analysis was finally conducted with data extracted from seven datasets of four studies performed on Korean adults after the screening passed. Five kinds of FTO SNPs (rs9939609, rs7193144, rs9940128, rs8050136, and rs9926289) were included, and the relationship between FTO SNPs and body mass index (BMI) was investigated using linear regression with an additive model adjusted for covariants, such as age, sex, and area. RESULTS: The minor alleles of FTO SNPs were associated with increased BMI (odds ratio [OR], 1.31; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.21-1.42). In sub-group analysis, FTO rs9939609 T>A was significantly associated with BMI (OR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.06-1.42). The other FTO SNPs together were significantly associated with BMI (OR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.25-1.49). The publication bias was not observed based on Egger's test. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis showed that minor alleles in the FTO SNPs were significantly associated with an increased BMI among Korean adults. This meta-analysis is the first to demonstrate that minor alleles in the FTO SNPs contribute significantly to the increased risk of obesity among Korean adults using data from a Korean population.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.302-306
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• 2013

We report the dietary exposure to rotenone in the Korean population and children (1-18) through consumption of lettuce and cucumber. To obtain the residue data, we analyzed using the GC-NPD and HPLC-DAD method. Rotenone residues in samples were as follows; lettuce 0.16-1.15, cucumber < 0.001-0.006. The average dietary intake was determined using result from the 2009 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Data. The risk index (RI) was calculated using rotenone residues and dietary intakes. The lettuce and cucumber showed the highest at 18.41%, 0.00, respectively. RI fell below 100 of %RfD showing no risks in these vegetables. Therefore, the risk assessment on the detected rotenone was evaluated as safe level.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.89-93
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• 2017

Background: Rates of overweight and obese Australians are high and continue to rise, putting a large proportion of the population at risk of chronic illness. Examining characteristics associated with preference for a work-based weight-loss program will enable employers to better target programs to increase enrolment and benefit employees' health and fitness for work. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was undertaken at two Australian mining sites. The survey collected information on employee demographics, health characteristics, work characteristics, stages of behavior change, and preference for workplace assistance with reaching a healthy weight. Results: A total of 897 employees participated; 73.7% were male, and 68% had a body mass index in the overweight or obese range. Employees at risk of developing obesity-related chronic illnesses (based on high body mass index) were more likely to report preference for weight management assistance than lower risk employees. This indicates that, even in the absence of workplace promotion for weight management, some at risk employees want workplace assistance. Employees who were not aware of a need to change their current nutrition or physical activity behaviors were less likely to seek assistance. This indicates that practitioners need to communicate the negative effects of excess weight and promote the benefits of a healthy lifestyle to increase the likelihood of weight management. Conclusion: Weight management programs should provide information, motivation. and trouble-shooting assistance to meet the needs of at-risk mining employees, including those who are attempting to change and maintain behaviors to achieve a healthy weight and be suitably fit for work.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.221-225
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• 2012

Zinc deficiency is known to be associated with insulin resistance in obese individuals. This study was performed to evaluate the effect of zinc supplementation on insulin resistance and metabolic risk factors in obese Korean women. Forty obese women (body mass index (BMI) ${\geq}25kg/m^2$) aged 19-28 years were recruited for this study. Twenty women of the study group took 30 mg/day of supplemental zinc as zinc gluconate for 8 weeks and 20 women of control group took placebo. Usual dietary zinc intake was estimated from 3-day diet records. Insulin resistances were measured using Homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) indices, and insulin sensitivities Matsuda indices, which were calculated using oral glucose tolerance test data. Metabolic risk factors, such as waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting glucose, triglyceride, high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and adipocyte hormones such as leptin, and adiponectin were also measured. At the beginning of study, dietary zinc averaged 7.31 mg/day and serum zinc averaged $12.98{\mu}mol/L$ in the study group. Zinc supplementation increased serum zinc by 15% and urinary zinc by 56% (P < 0.05). HOMA values tended to decrease and insulin sensitivity increased slightly in the study group, but not significantly so. BMI, waist circumference, blood pressure, blood glucose, triglyceride, HDL cholesterol, and adipocyte hormones did not change in either the study or control group. These results suggest that zinc status may not affect insulin resistance and metabolic risk factors in obese Korean women. Further research is required on a larger cohort with a longer follow-up to determine the effects of zinc status on insulin resistance and metabolic variables.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.16 no.sup1
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• pp.70-88
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• 2022

Sodium is a physiologically essential nutrient, but excessive intake is linked to the increased risk of various chronic diseases, particularly cardiovascular. It is, therefore, necessary to accomplish an evidence-based approach and establish the Korean Dietary Reference Intakes (KDRIs) index, to identify both the nutritional adequacy and health effects of sodium. This review presents the rationale for and the process of revising the KDRIs for sodium and, more importantly, establishing the sodium Chronic Disease Risk Reduction Intake (CDRR) level, which is a new specific set of values for chronic disease risk reduction. To establish the 2020 KDRIs for dietary sodium, the committee conducted a systematic literature review of the intake-response relationships between the selected indicators for sodium levels and human chronic diseases. In this review, 43 studies published from January 2014 to December 2018, using databases of PubMed and Web of Science, were finally included for evaluating the risk of bias and strength of evidence (SoE). We determined that SoE of the relationship between dietary sodium and cardiovascular diseases, cerebrovascular disease, and hypertension, was moderate to strong. However, due to insufficient scientific evidence, we were unable to establish the estimated average requirement and the recommended nutrient intake for dietary sodium. Therefore, the adequate intake of sodium for adults was established to be 1,500 mg/day, whereas the CDRR for dietary sodium was established at 2,300 mg/day for adults. Intake goal for dietary sodium established in the 2015 KDRIs instead of the tolerable upper intake level was not presented in the 2020 KDRIs. For the next revision of the KDRIs, there is a requirement to pursue further studies on nutritional adequacy and toxicity of dietary sodium, and their associations with chronic disease endpoint in the Korean population.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.386-393
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• 1997

This experiment was performed to investigate the effect of different dietary lipids on the risk factors of coronary vascular disease(CVD) in ovariectomized rats. female rats of Sprague-Dawley stram were divided into sham-operated(sham) and ovariectomized(ovx) groups and then each group was divided into a beef fallow group, a soy bean oil group and a fish oil group. After 16 weeks of feeding on experimental diets, animals were sacrificed and blood, liver, kidney and perirenal fat pad were obtained. Food intake and weight gain of fish oil group were significantly lower than other dietary lipid groups. food intake and weight gain tended to be higher in ovx groups than in sham groups. The weight Index(g/100g body weight) of liver and kidney was higher in the fish oil group than the other groups and weight index was lower in ovx groups compared to sham groups. The weight of the perirenal fat pad was the highest in the beef tallow group and the lowest in the fish oil group. The fish oil group showed the lowest total cholesterol(TC) and triglyceride (TG) levels in serum. Serum TG levels were lower in all ovx groups than in sham groups, but serum TC levels were not influenced by ovariectomy. fatty acid composition of serum reflects the recent dietary Intake of fat. Linoleic acid content was tile highest in soy bean oil group and eicosapentaenoic acid(EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid(DHA) contents were the highest in fish oil group. fatty acid composition of adipose tissue, especially EPA and DHA contents in perirenal fat pad, was highest in the fish oil group. Saturated fatty acid(SFA) and monounsaturated fatty acid(MUFA) in serum and adipose tissue did not reflect fatty acid intake. The activities of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, a lipogenic enzyme, in the blood of the beef tallow and soybean oil groups showed the tendency to be high and that of the fish oil group to be low in ovx. Carnitine acetyltransferase, a lipolytic enzyme, showed the highest activity in the liver of the fish oil group and was least active in the soy bean oil group.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.270-282
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• 2023

We performed a study to examine the association between diet quality and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Our study included 3,586 women aged 40-64 years who participated in the sixth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The study subjects were classified into the NAFLD group (n=816) and the normal group (n=2,770) using the hepatic steatosis index. The anthropometric indices, blood profiles, and dietary intake data of the subjects were obtained. The waist circumference, body mass index, and the serum levels of triglycerides, fasting blood sugar, HbA1c, and systolic and diastolic blood pressures were higher in the NAFLD compared to the normal groups (p<0.001, respectively). The intakes of protein (g/kg body weight, p<0.001), potassium (p<0.001), and vitamin A (p=0.006) were significantly lower in the NAFLD group. It was observed that the higher the total Korean Healthy Eating Index score, the lower the risk of NAFLD. A reverse relationship was shown between the NAFLD risk and the intakes of total fruits, total vegetables, vegetables excluding Kimchi and pickled vegetables, meat, fish, eggs and beans. Therefore, it is recommended that middle-aged women in Korea increase their intakes of fruits, vegetables, and foods high in protein for the proper management of NAFLD.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.80-93
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• 2012

Recent studies have reported that the glycemic index (GI) has an effect on developing the risk for metabolic abnormalities such as diabetes, dyslipidemia, and obesity. As there are no reliable GI values for common Korean foods, only a few studies have been carried out using the dietary GI for Korean adults. The aim of this study was to establish a table of GI values for common Korean foods and evaluate dietary glycemic index (DGI) and dietary glycemic load (DGL) among the Korean adult population. International tables of GI values and other published values were used to tabulate GI values for common Korean foods. Among 653 food items, 149 (22.8%) were adapted from published data, 60 (9.2%) were imputed from similar foods, and 444 (68.0%) were assigned a zero. Data from 7,940 subjects aged 20 years and older in the 2007-2008 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were obtained, and DGI and DGL were calculated. The average DGI was 60.0 and the average DGL was 182.5 when the reference food GI value was glucose. After adjusting for potential confounding variables, DGI and DGL increased significantly according to age group (p for trend < 0.001). The food group that contributed most to DGL was grain and its products supplying 85.3% of total DGL, whereas the mean GI value in grain and its products was 72.6. Fruits and potatoes also contributed to DGL (5.8 and 2.9%, respectively), and their GIs were high (67.7 for potatoes and 45.8 for fruits). For individual food items, white rice supplied 66.7% of total GI followed by glutinous rice (2.3%) and steamed white rice cakes (2.0%). In conclusion, a table of GI values for 653 common food items was established in which white rice was the most contributing item to DGL. Our results will be useful to examine the relationships between DGI, DGL, and metabolic abnormalities in the Korean population.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.178-187
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• 2015

Objectives: This study was conducted to compare dietary habits, weight control behaviors, eating disorder risk and depression among middle school girls who were at various stages of dieting. Methods: Subjects were 391 girls attending a middle school in Kyeonggido, Korea. All the information was gathered by self-administered questionnaires. Eating disorder risk and depression were assessed using EAT-26 and PHQ-9, respectively. Data were compared among 4 groups; no interest in a diet (N=112), had experienced dieting (N=86), on diet currently (N=71), and plan to diet (N=122). Results: A higher number of students currently on diet tended to be unsatisfied with their own weight (p < 0.01), overestimated their weight (p < 0.05), and weighed own body frequently (p < 0.001), compared to those with only experienced dieting in the past or those who plan to diet, despite similar weights and body mass index. The students who experienced dieting in the past or those who plan to diet appeared to have several undesirable as well as desirable dietary habits and their risk of eating disorder was significantly more prevalent compared to those without an interest in dieting (p < 0.01), although significantly less prevalent compared to those currently on a diet. Conclusions: We conclude that unnecessary dieting is common among middle school girls and providing proper education with regard to healthy weights is needed to enhance their physical as well as psychological wellbeing.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.224-230
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• 2019

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate sex differences in the effect of body mass index (BMI) and stress on high-risk diabetes mellitus (DM). Methods: Secondary analysis of data from 4,271 male and female adults participating in the Sixth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2015 was performed. The participants were evaluated using questionnaires and blood tests. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ${\chi}^2-test$, and multiple logistic regression analysis (SPSS 24.0). Results: To identify sexspecific effects, interaction variables were included. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level was higher in men than in women, and the risk of DM decreased 0.31 times in women compared to that in men. As age increased, the odds of risk DM increased 1.03. The risk of DM increased 1.99 times in overweight individuals and 2.79 times for obese individuals compared to that in individuals with normal weight. Stress levels were higher in women than in men, but stress is not an influential factor in high-risk DM. In age-sex interaction, the odds of risk DM increased 1.02 in women compared to that in men as age increased. Conclusion: HbA1c level was affected by age-sex interaction, and age and sex should be considered in the application of HbA1c in the diagnosis of DM.