• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.48-56
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• 2009

This study was conducted to examine the effects of Opuntia ficus-indica complexes(OCB) on the intake of water and food, body weight, blood glucose levels, glucose tolerance and lipid metabolism in streptozotocin(STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Thirty-two male Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to four different groups; non-diabetic control(NC), diabetic control (DC), diabetic OCB of 2%(OCB-2), and diabetic OCB of 5%(OCB-5). The animals were fed on each experimental diet for 3 weeks. The DC, OCB-2 and OCB-5 groups showed a higher intake of water and food than the NC group. The fasting blood glucose levels were 100 $ mg/d{\ell}$ and 416 $ mg/d{\ell}$ for the NC and DC groups, respectively. The OCB-5 group presented a significantly low fasting glucose level of 21%(P<0.05), while OCB-2 group had a decrease of 13% compared to the DC group. As for the results of the glucose tolerance test, the highest blood glucose level was observed for all the groups at 30 minutes after the glucose injections as well as higher plasma insulin levels in the OCB-5 group. Plasma total cholesterol, triglyceride, non-esterified fatty acids(NEFA) and LDL-cholesterol concentrations were also lower in the OCB-2 and OCB-5 groups. The experimental diet did not affect the HDL-cholesterol levels. The overall results suggest that the higher intake of food by the OCB-2 and OCB-5 groups improved the blood glucose levels and lipid metabolism in STZ-induced diabetic rats.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.998-1007
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• 2016

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of a lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) extract on the inflammation of human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) and blood lipid improvement in hypercholesterolemic mice fed a high cholesterol diet. The lettuce extract (100% ethanol extract) inhibited the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 in HUVEC treated with tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$). The lettuce extract suppressed the adhesion of THP-1 to TNF-${\alpha}$-treated HUVEC. The lettuce extract decreased the TNF-${\alpha}$-stimulated production of proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-6, interleukin-8 and chemokine monocyte chemotactic protein 1. In hypercholesterolemic mice, the lettuce extract reduced serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol level, while the lettuce extract elevated high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol level, resulting in the decrease of atherogenic index and cardiac risk factor level. These results suggested that lettuce extract can be an useful resource to show an anti-inflammatory effect and improve lipid metabolism.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.174-182
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• 2003

Purpose: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been recognized as an important childhood liver disease, especially where the prevalence of childhood obesity is increasing. The purpose of this study is to clarify the usefulness of elevated serum aminotransferase activities and their ratio for predicting the presence of fatty liver and its severity in obese children. Methods: Forty-four children (M/F 29/15, age 4 to 16 years) with obesity (weight excess>20%) were analyzed retrospectively with medical records based on degree of obesity, bioelectrical impedence, serum aminotransferase activities, lipid profiles and ultrasonography. Results: 1) Ultrasonography was carried out in 34 cases. Elevated serum ALT was found in 89.7% (26/29) of the patients diagnosed as fatty liver by ultrasonography and decreased AST/ALT ratio (<1) was found in 96.6% (28/29). There was a strong correlation between elevated serum ALT (>45 IU/L) or decreased AST/ALT ratio (<1) and the fatty liver in obese children (p<0.05). 2) There was no significant correlation between the serum ALT or AST/ALT ratio and the degree of fatty liver (p>0.05). 3) There was a significant correlation between total cholesterol, triglyceride and fatty liver (p<0.05). Conclusion: Serum ALT activity and AST/ALT ratio were useful to predict the presence of fatty liver diagnosed by ultrasonography in obese children, whereas they were not useful to predict the degree of fatty liver. Therefore, to prevent fatty liver progressing to advanced liver disease, it is necessary to manage and monitor the obese children continuously, especially those who have predicting factors of fatty liver.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.341-348
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• 2014

We investigated the anti-obesity and anti-hyperlipidemic effects of extracts of two roasted coffee beans (Vietnam robusta and Ethiopia mocha sidamo G2) and fermented coffee beans with Monascus rubber mycelium (MR) by solid-state culture. C57B/L6 mice were divided into seven groups: normal diet (ND) group, high fat diet (HFD) group, and HFD groups with hot water extracts from Vietnam robusta coffee beans (HFD-VR), MR-fermented Vietnam robusta coffee beans (HFD-VR-MR), MR-fermented Vietnam robusta coffee beans with 10% brown rice (HFD-VR-MR-BR10), Ethiopia mocha sidamo G2 coffee beans (HFD-ES), and MR-fermented Ethiopia mocha sidamo G2 coffee beans (HFD-ES-MR). After 6 weeks, body weight gain and food efficiency ratio were higher in the HFD group, but significantly reduced in the coffee extracts-fed groups. The HFD-ES-MR group showed greater body weight reduction than the HFD-ES group. The serum triglyceride, total cholesterol, and LDL-cholesterol levels as well as the atherogenic index and cardiac risk factor all tended to decrease in groups fed Vietnam robusta coffee extracts compared to the HFD group. These results suggest that Vietnam robusta and Ethiopia mocha sidamo G2 may be used to make functional coffee beverages with anti-obesity and anti-hyperlipidemic activities.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.333-340
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to develop functional lotus root bugak with plasma lipid reduction capacity by controlling the color of batter used for bugak preparation. Lotus root, nearly colorless, was selected to observe color effects. Gardeniae fructus (GF), Opuntia ficus-indica var. saboten (OF), and green tea (GT), which are colored yellow, red, and green, respectively, were used as coloring agents. Fermented glutinous rice was prepared naturally during winter season by placing glutinous rice and water (1:2, w/w) together in a crock pot for 7 days. Coloring materials (10%, w/w) were blended with glue made from fermented glutinous rice flour to prepare the batter. Cooked lotus root was then mixed with a 1.1-fold amount of batter (w/w) and dried at room temperature. Lotus root bugak (LRB) is pan-fried with un-roasted sesame oil, which is traditionally used as frying oil in Korea. Low-density lipoprotein receptor knockout ($LDLr^{-/-}$) mice (n=36) were fed an atherogenic diet (AD) containing various types of LRB (10 g%) for 10 weeks. Plasma triglyceride, total cholesterol, and LDL-C concentrations decreased significantly in mice fed LRB prepared with OF batter (OFB) and GT batter (GTB) (P<0.05). Protein expression levels of fatty acid synthase (FAS) and 3-hydroxyl-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR) in the OFB and GTB groups were suppressed compared with the LRB group (P<0.05). In accordance with the results on FAS and HMGCR expression, sterol regulatory element binding protein-I and II (SREBP-I and II), which are responsible for the regulation of FAS and HMGCR gene expression, respectively, were down-regulated compared to the LRB group (P<0.05). In conclusion, the plasma lipid reduction activities of OFB and GTB could be mediated through down-regulation of FAS and HMGCR mRNA expression via suppression of regulatory molecules, SREBP-I and II, in $LDLr^{-/-}$ mice.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.650-655
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• 2014

Hypercholesterolemia is the presence of high levels of cholesterol in the blood, and it is regarded as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease due to the effects of cholesterol. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of unripe Rubus coreanus Miquel (uRC) extract on lipid metabolism in hypercholesterolemic mice fed a high cholesterol diet (HC). uRC 50 (unripe R. coreanus 5% ethanol extract 50 mg/kg/day), uRC 100 (unripe R. coreanus 5% ethanol extract 100 mg/kg/day), uRC 300 (unripe R. coreanus 5% ethanol extract 300 mg/kg/day), and BO (borage seed oil containing minimum of 20% ${\gamma}$-linolenic acid 30 mg/kg/day) were orally administered for 60 days after HC. Oral administration of uRC 50, uRC 100, uRC 300, and BO significantly reduced serum total-cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL-cholesterol, glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, glutamic pyruvic transaminase, atherogenic index, and cardiac risk factor levels. Similarly, uRC treatment elevated serum HDL-cholesterol levels. These results suggest that unripe R. coreanus extract could be established as a functional food for the improvement of lipid metabolism.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.869-876
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• 2013

To develop functional products based on black garlic, a black garlic extract (BG) of 7 brix, a gaeddongssuk extract (GS) of 0.7 brix and two types of mixtures (MBS-I, black garlic 7 brix : gaeddongssuk 0.7 brix; MBS-II, black garlic 14 brix : gaeddongssuk 1.4 brix, 93:7, v/v) were supplemented to rats training on a treadmill for 4 weeks. Body weight from the training did not decrease during the experimental period. Serum albumin content significantly increased in the groups fed an experimental diet compared to the control. The BUN content significantly decreased in BG and MBS-II groups compared to the control. AST and ALP activities significantly decreased in the groups fed an experimental diet compared to the control. Serum triglyceride and total cholesterol levels in MBS-I and MBS-II groups significantly decreased compared to the control. Lipid levels in the serum and liver tissue were not significantly different between the MBS-I and MBS-II groups. The lipid peroxide content in the serum and liver tissue was significantly reduced in the groups fed all extracts compared to the control; the serum and liver lipid contents was lowest in the MBS-I and MBS-II groups, respectively. Hepatic catalase activity in the GS and MBS groups increased by 1.8~2.3 times compared to the control. SOD and GSH-px activities significantly increased from treatment with the extracts by 1.3~1.5 times and 1.2~1.7 times, respectively. These results indicate that a mixture of BG and GS extracts has higher biological activity than a single supplementation of BG or GS extract. Therefore, the addition of gaeddongssuk to black garlic (MBS-I and MBS-II) is effective as a defense material against oxidative stress. MBS-I may be especially effective for its biological activities.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.42 no.7
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• pp.631-638
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• 2009

This study was performed to examine the health risks according to the obesity types based upon body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) cutoffs. The subjects were 8,966 adults aged 40-79 years from the 1998, 2001 and 2005 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. The subjects were classified into 4 types of obesity groups based on BMI and WC: BMIWC (BMI${\geq}$ 25 kg/$m^2$ and WC${\geq}$ 90 cm for males and ${\geq}$ 85 cm for females), WC (BMI < 25 kg/$m^2$ and ${\geq}$ 90 cm for males and ${\geq}$ 85 cm for females), BMI (BMI ${\geq}$ 25 kg/$m^2$ and < 90 cm for males and < 85 cm for females), normal (BMI < 25 kg/$m^2$ and < 90 cm for males and < 85 cm for females) groups. More than half (n = 5,103) of the subjects fell into the normal group and BMIWC group accounts for 58%, followed by BMI group of 27% and WC group of 16%. Mean ages of subjects were highest in WC group and lowest in BMI group. Blood levels of total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL-cholesterol and glucose, and blood pressures were higher and HDL-cholesterol was lower in 3 types of obesity groups (BMIWC, WC, BMI) than in the normal group. Among the 3 obesity groups, energy and fat intake was significantly higher in BMIWC than in normal group in males, however, no differences were found among the 4 groups in females. The three obesity groups had greater odds ratios for hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, hyper-LDL-cholesterolemia, hypo-HDL-cholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and metabolic syndrome compared to the normal group. Among 3 obesity groups, BMIWC group had the highest odds ratios for hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and metabolic syndrome. Especially BMIWC and WC groups showed the highest odds ratios for diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome, suggesting the potential role of abdominal obesity in diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome. Our data indicate that different types of obesity may show different degrees of health risks. The appropriate selection and use of obesity indexes may be effective for management of obesity as well as obesityrelated diseases.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.41 no.8
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• pp.1086-1093
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• 2012

The hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of autoclaved soy flour and DJI chungkukjang powder fermented using Bacillus subtilis DJI were investigated in type 2 diabetic animal models. After a 2-week adaptation period, the diabetic animal model db/db mice were divided into the diabetic control group (D-C group), a diabetic group fed with soybean (D-S group), and a diabetic group fed with DJI chungkukjang (D-CJ group). The body weight gain, food intake, water intake, liver, and adipose tissue weights were not significantly different between the experimental groups. The supplementation of DJI chungkukjang or autoclaved soy flour diet induced a marked reduction of fasting blood glucose, blood glycosylated hemoglobin levels, and glucose levels in the oral glucose tolerance test and AUC for glucose compared with the diabetic control group. However, DJI chungkukjang showed a much stronger antidiabetic effect than unfermented autoclaved soy flour. Serum insulin levels were the same among the groups. The supplementation of DJI chungkukjang or autoclaved soy flour diet also significantly lowered the serum triglyceride, total cholesterol, and LDL-cholesterol levels compared with the control diabetic group, while it elevated the HDL-cholesterol level in the serum. This data suggests that the dietary supplementation of autoclaved soy flour or DJI chungkukjang may be useful in the control of blood glucose in animals with type 2 diabetes.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.41 no.7
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• pp.957-962
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• 2012

The principal objective of this study was to determine the effects of an ethanol extract of Polygonum multiflorum Thunberg (PMT) on body lipid metabolism in rats fed a high-cholesterol diet for 5 weeks. The rats were divided into 6 groups: a control group (I), a cholesterol-control group (II), a control group treated with 0.5% PMT (III), a control group treated with 1% PMT (IV), a cholesterol-control treated with 0.5% PMT (V), and a cholesterol-control group treated with 1% PMT (VI). Body weight gains and food efficiency ratios were not significantly different among the groups. The levels of serum blood glucose and triglycerides of the treated animals significantly decreased compared to the control and the cholesterol-control groups (p<0.05). There was a clear tendency of decreased LDL-cholesterol level in PMT-treated animals compared to the cholesterol-control group. However, no significant differences were observed in the serum HDL- and LDL-cholesterol levels. In the ratio of HDL-cholesterol to total cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol to LDL-cholesterol concentration, both the 0.5% PMT and 1% PTM extract intake groups had a higher percentage than in the control and cholesterol-control groups (p<0.05). In addition, the atherosclerotic index in serum was significantly lower in the PMT intake group than those in the group control and the cholesterol-control. These results indicated that the PMT extract was effective on the improvement of lipid metabolism in SD rats.