Food intake and dietary patterns that affect urinary sodium excretion in young women.

We aimed to clarify food intake and dietary patterns that affect urinary sodium excretion (urinary salt excretion) among young women. We used 2012 to 2018 data from the health and nutrition testing on admission, which is a part of ongoing epidemiological studies, for students enrolling in the Faculty of Nutrition Science, Nakamura Gakuen University. Fasting urine samples were collected from the participants, and their estimated daily salt excretion was calculated using the Tanaka equation. The dietary assessment used was the semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, and we confirmed its validity. The participants included 2218 women aged 18 to 20 years who were classified into four groups according to urinary salt excretion (g/d) from their spot urine: Q1 , <5.56; Q2 , 5.56≤, <6.79; Q3 , 6.79≤, <8.12; and Q4 , 8.12<. The high urinary salt group had a significantly higher consumption of oil and fat, fish, meat, eggs, soybean, green and yellow vegetables, white vegetables, seaweeds, and pickled vegetables compared with the low urinary salt groups. When we compared the differences of the quartiles for urinary sodium excretion and the factor loadings for three dietary patterns by factor analysis with varimax rotation, the high urinary salt group showed a higher tendency for Japanese dietary patterns of factor 1 compared with the low urinary salt group. In conclusion, the various foods, including foods containing proteins and vegetables and Japanese dietary pattern centering on fish, vegetables, soybeans, and seaweed, affected the urinary sodium excretion in young women.

Plasma phenotypes of protein S Lys196Glu and protein C Lys193del variants prevalent among young Japanese women.

: Protein S Tokushima (p.Lys196Glu) and two protein C gene variants (p.Arg189Trp, p.Lys193del) are hereditary thrombophilia in Japanese and Chinese populations, respectively; however, their diagnosis by plasma analyses is difficult because of the type II deficiency phenotype. Three gene variant genotypes were examined in young Japanese women (n = 231). Plasma total protein S activity and total protein S antigen levels were measured using a total protein S assay system, protein C and protein S activities by clot-based methods, and protein C and free protein S antigen levels by latex agglutination methods. protein S Tokushima (p.Lys196Glu) and protein C p.Lys193del variants were prevalent among participants with allele frequencies of 1.08 and 0.86%, respectively, whereas any carrier of protein C p.Arg189Trp variant was not identified. The plasma phenotype of the type II deficiency of protein S Tokushima heterozygotes was demonstrated by decreased total protein S activity with a normal total protein S antigen level; however, the protein C activities of protein C p.Lys193del heterozygotes were within reference intervals, whereas their protein C antigen levels were elevated. We compared the diagnostic accuracy of the total protein S activity/total protein S antigen ratio for identifying protein S Tokushima heterozygotes with that of the clot-based protein S activity/free protein S antigen ratio and found that sensitivity and specificity of 100% each was only achieved by the former. Protein S Tokushima and protein C p.Lys193del are prevalent among young Japanese women, and a plasma analysis using the total protein S assay system is more accurate than the clot-based protein S activity/free protein S antigen ratio for diagnosing protein S Tokushima carriers.