Improving Skin Carotenoid Levels in Young Students through Brief Dietary Education Using the Veggie Meter.

The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of carotenoid have been determined to aid in the prevention of a wide range of oxidative disorders, arteriosclerosis, obesity, and various types of cancers. In order to keep high carotenoid levels in the body, much of the vegetable and fruit (V/F) intake is mandatory. However, the actual intake of V/F is not enough in many countries. The aim of this study was to assess whether brief dietary education using the Veggie Meter (VM) that could measure skin carotenoid (SC) levels could induce the increase in carotenoid levels via V/F intake. Two hundred and sixty-one elementary and junior high school students (ages 7−14 years old) received brief educational session and SC evaluation by VM, and the changes in SC levels were examined after 6 months. The baseline VM scores ranged from 131 to 825, and the average significantly increased from 400.0 ± 124.7 (standard deviation) to 447.4 ± 140.4 at Month 6 (p < 0.0001). The percentage of increase at month 6 was negatively correlated with the baseline values (r = −0.36, p < 0.0001). This finding implies that subjects who became aware of their inferiority tended to make a significant effort to change their behavior. The multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that subjects taking much of green and yellow vegetables, drinking vegetable/tomato juice, and eating any fruit had higher VM scores than the average value. In conclusion, the educational approach using VM was supposed to be an effective method of raising awareness of the V/F shortage and increasing V/F intake that could indue the increase in SC levels.

Fermented soy products intake and risk of cardiovascular disease and total cancer incidence: The Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective study.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The association of fermented soy products, separately from total soy products, with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and total cancer has not been reported. We examined this association in a population-based prospective cohort study in Japan. SUBJECTS/METHODS: We studied 79,648 participants (42,788 women; 36,860 men) aged 45-74 years without a history of cancer, myocardial infarction, or stroke. Participants completed a food frequency questionnaire (1995-1998) and were followed to 2009-2012. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to calculate the hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of incidence of CVD and total cancer according to quartiles of total soy products, nonfermented soy products, fermented soy products, miso soup, natto, total isoflavones from soy products, isoflavones from nonfermented soy products, and isoflavones from fermented soy products. RESULTS: In women, we observed a significant inverse association between fermented soy product intake and the risk of CVD (multivariate HR in the highest compared with the lowest quartile of fermented soy product intake: 0.80; 95% CI: 0.68, 0.95; P for trend = 0.010), and also found significant inverse associations for natto and isoflavones among fermented soy products. In site-specific analysis, we observed a similar, significant inverse association between fermented soy product intake and the risk of stroke in women. We found no significant association between any soy product and risk of CVD in men or total cancer in both sexes. CONCLUSIONS: Intake of fermented soy products such as natto was inversely associated with the risk of CVD in women.

Combined associations of physical activity and dietary intake with health status among survivors of the Great East Japan Earthquake.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Each of the effects of physical activity and dietary intake on health is well known, but combined associations of physical activity and dietary intake on health has not been reported yet. Physical activity and dietary intake are key factors for maintaining health of survivors of the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. This study aimed to examine combined associations of physical activity and dietary intake with survivors' health status. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: We used data from 6668 participants of a cross-sectional survey taken 3 years (2013) after the disaster. To evaluate combined associations of physical activity and dietary intake, answers to questions regarding these two variables were categorized into four groups: poor physical activity and poor dietary intake (Group 1), poor physical activity and good dietary intake (Group 2), good physical activity and poor dietary intake (Group 3), and good physical activity and good dietary intake (Group 4). Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed by sex, with good self-rated health and good mental health as dependent variables, and age, place of residence, living conditions and physical activity/dietary intake group (with Group 1 as the reference category) as independent variables. RESULTS: Good self-rated health was associated with age in both sexes, and Groups 3 (male: odds ratios (ORs) 1.84 (95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) 1.32-2.57), female: OR 1.82 (95% CI 1.32-2.51)) and 4 (male: OR 1.96 (95% CI 1.39-2.76), female: OR 1.94 (95% CI 1.42-2.64)). Good mental health was associated with Groups 3 (OR 1.48 (95% CI 1.10-1.97)) and 4 (OR 1.86 (95% CI 1.37-1.97)) for male respondents; and living place (other than temporary housing) (OR 1.45 (95% CI 1.26-1.68)) was associated with Group 4 (OR 1.42 (95% CI 1.09-1.85)) for female respondents. CONCLUSIONS: Good physical activity alone or combined with good dietary intake was associated with good self-rated health and good mental health. Further interventions regarding physical activity and dietary intake are needed to improve the health status of survivors.

Cruciferous Vegetable Intake Is Inversely Associated with Lung Cancer Risk among Current Nonsmoking Men in the Japan Public Health Center (JPHC) Study.

Background: Cruciferous vegetables, a rich source of isothiocyanates, have been reported to lower the risk of several types of cancer, including lung cancer. However, evidence from prospective observations of populations with a relatively high intake of cruciferous vegetables is sparse.Objective: We investigated the association between cruciferous vegetable intake and lung cancer risk in a large-scale population-based prospective study in Japan.Methods: We studied 82,330 participants (38,663 men; 43,667 women) aged 45-74 y without a past history of cancer. Participants were asked to respond to a validated questionnaire that included 138 food items. The association between cruciferous vegetable intake and lung cancer incidence was assessed with the use of Cox proportional hazard regression analysis to estimate HRs and 95% CIs (with adjustments for potential confounding factors).Results: After 14.9 y of follow-up, a total of 1499 participants (1087 men; 412 women) were diagnosed with lung cancer. After deleting early-diagnosed cancer and adjusting for confounding factors, we observed a nonsignificant inverse trend between cruciferous vegetable intake and lung cancer risk in men in the highest compared with the lowest quartiles (multivariate HR: 0.85; 95% CI: 0.69, 1.06; P-trend = 0.13). Stratified analysis by smoking status revealed a significant inverse association between cruciferous vegetable intake and lung cancer risk among those who were never smokers and those who were past smokers after deleting lung cancer cases in the first 3 y of follow-up [multivariate HR for never smokers: 0.49 (95% CI: 0.27, 0.87; P-trend = 0.04); multivariate HR for past smokers: 0.59 (95% CI: 0.35, 0.99; P-trend = 0.10)]. No association was noted in men who were current smokers and women who were never smokers.Conclusion: This study suggests that cruciferous vegetable intake may be associated with a reduction in lung cancer risk among men who are currently nonsmokers.