Changes in food sufficiency among Korean adults in urban and rural areas during the COVID-19 pandemic: an analysis of the 7th and 8th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Objectives: Understanding changes in food sufficiency within various demographic groups during emergency situations, such as the global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, is crucial in formulating public health policies for future preparedness. This study investigated potential differences between urban and rural residents in food sufficiency trends during the COVID-19 pandemic and examined how these changes varied according to sociodemographic factors. Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed data from 19,724 adults aged 20 years and older, utilizing information from the 7th-8th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2018-2021). Results: In urban areas, across all subpopulations, food sufficiency improved significantly during the COVID-19 period relative to pre-pandemic levels (p<0.001). However, in rural regions, a significant increase in food sufficiency during the COVID-19 era was observed only among women, with an odds ratio of 1.42 (confidence interval, 1.06 to 1.89). Nevertheless, no significant interaction terms were found between region and various sociodemographic factors regarding changes in food sufficiency during the COVID-19 period. Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, food sufficiency among urban residents improved compared to the pre-pandemic era, whereas their rural counterparts saw no such improvement. Additionally, no significant interaction was detected between urban versus rural areas and changes in food sufficiency during the COVID-19 period. These findings indicate the need for targeted food policies to prepare for potential future pandemics, particularly in rural areas, where food sufficiency did not improve.

Higher energy consumption in the evening is associated with increased odds of obesity and metabolic syndrome: findings from the 2016-2018 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (7th KNHANES).

OBJECTIVES: Chrono-nutrition emphasizes meal timing in preventing obesity and metabolic disorders. This study explores the impact of temporal dietary patterns (TDPs) on obesity and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Korean adults aged 20 years to 65 years. METHODS: We utilized dynamic time warping method and Kernel k-means clustering to investigate diet quality and the odds ratios (ORs) of obesity and MetS with different TDPs using data from the 7th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. RESULTS: Participants were divided into three groups based on relative energy intake over 24 hours. After adjusting for age and gender, Cluster 3 (with the highest proportion of energy intake in the evening) had the lowest Healthy Eating Index scores compared to other clusters. Following adjustment for key covariates, Cluster 3 showed the highest values for body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure, total cholesterol, and triglycerides. Compared to Cluster 1 (with a lower proportion of energy intake in the evening), Cluster 2 and Cluster 3 had ORs for obesity of 1.12 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.97 to 1.30) and 1.19 (95% CI, 1.03 to 1.37), respectively. For MetS, the ORs were 1.26 (95% CI, 1.08 to 1.48) and 1.37 (95% CI, 1.17 to 1.61) when comparing Cluster 2 and Cluster 3 to Cluster 1. CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals that individuals with higher energy intake in the evening have increased odds of obesity and MetS, even after adjusting for major covariates, including age and total energy intake.

Identification of Biomarkers Related to Metabolically Unhealthy Obesity in Korean Obese Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: The current study aimed to screen for relationships and different potential metabolic biomarkers involved between metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) and metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO) in adolescents. METHODS: The study included 148 obese adolescents aged between 14 and 16. The study participants were divided into MUO and MHO groups based on the age-specific adolescent metabolic syndrome (MetS) criteria of the International Diabetes Federation. The current study was conducted to investigate the clinical and metabolic differences between the MHO and MUO groups. Multivariate analyses were conducted to investigate the metabolites as independent predictors for the odds ratio and the presence of the MetS. RESULTS: There were significant differences in the three acylcarnitines, five amino acids, glutamine/glutamate ratio, three biogenic amines, two glycerophospholipids, and the triglyceride-glucose index between the MUO group and those in the MHO group. Moreover, several metabolites were associated with the prevalence of MUO. Additionally, several metabolites were inversely correlated with MHO in the MUO group. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the biomarkers found in this study have the potential to reflect the clinical outcomes of the MUO group. These biomarkers will lead to a better understanding of MetS in obese adolescents.

The verification of the reliability of a triglyceride-glucose index and its availability as an advanced tool.

BACKGROUND: The triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index has been considered as insulin resistance (IR) assessment index. The current study aimed to verify the reliability of the TyG index as an IR assessment marker; the study of plasma fatty acids and body fat composition to determine potential metabolic syndrome (MetS) participants with a body mass index (BMI) of between 25.0 and 29.9 kg/m2. METHODS: The study included 378 overweight participants with a body mass index of between 25.0 and 29.9 kg/m2. They were divided into tertiles according to the homeostasis model assessment of IR (HOMA-IR) or the TyG index. The role of the IR assessment index and the relationship with IR-related diseases and the risk factors using gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry, computed tomography, and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, was investigated. RESULTS: It was only in the TyG index tertile that the higher TyG index participants showed considerably higher LDL-cholesterol levels. More markedly, a close relationship was observed between the TyG index and the omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids compared with the HOMA-IR. Unlike HOMA-IR, with regard to the risks of developing chronic diseases, the MetS, the third tertile of the TyG index, showed an approximately 33.7 times greater odds ratio (OR) of the MetS occurring, compared with the first tertile of the TyG index. CONCLUSIONS: The TyG index may be considered as an IR assessment index. In addition, the TyG index is an advanced tool that reflects the relevance of pro-inflammation levels and the presence of IR-related chronic diseases.

Effect of Steamed Onion (ONIRO) Consumption on Body Fat and Metabolic Profiles in Overweight Subjects: A 12-Week Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial.

Objective: The aim of the study is to investigate the effect of Jeju steamed onion (ONIRO) on body fat and metabolic profiles in overweight subjects.Methods: This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical intervention was conducted and completed at one clinical research site. The subjects (n = 70) were randomly divided into placebo or test group and were instructed to take before each meal either the placebo or ONIRO capsule for 12 weeks. Anthropometric as well as serum and metabolic parameters, including triglycerides, cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, leptin, adiponectin, C-peptide, and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were measured at baseline and after 12 weeks. Body composition was also measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and computed tomography (CT). This trial is registered under the trial registration code clinicaltrials.gov: NCT03645382 (https://register.clinicaltrials.gov).Results: Compared to the placebo, ONIRO supplementation for significantly reduced the percentage of body fat and fat mass as measured by DEXA (p = 0.028 and 0.022, respectively) with no significant effects on lean body mass. CT analyses at the L1 level showed a significant decrease in the areas of whole fat, visceral fat, and subcutaneous fat (p = 0.009, p = 0.039, p = 0.020, respectively), while CT scan of L4 resulted in a significant reduction of whole fat area and subcutaneous area (p = 0.006 and p = 0.012, respectively). The levels of triglycerides (TG) and C-peptide were significantly lower after 12 weeks of ONIRO treatment.Conclusions: These findings suggest that ONIRO supplementation reduces total body fat, notably abdominal visceral fat, with positive changes of the clinically relevant metabolic parameters serum TG and C-peptide.

Chitosan oligosaccharide (GO2KA1) improves postprandial glycemic response in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance and impaired fasting glucose and in healthy subjects: a crossover, randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The antidiabetic and hypoglycemic effects of chitosan have been reported in previous studies. We have previously shown that chitosan oligosaccharide reduces postprandial blood glucose levels in vivo. We conducted a short-term crossover study to support the results of the previous study. METHODS: The study was a randomized, double-blind, controlled crossover trial completed at one clinical research site. Subjects with impaired glucose tolerance and impaired fasting glucose and healthy subjects were randomly assigned to consume one of two different experimental test capsules that differed in only the sample source (GO2KA1 vs placebo), and all subjects were instructed to consume the 75 g sucrose within 15 min. After a 7-day interval, the subjects consumed the other capsules that were not consumed on the first day. We assessed blood glucose levels using a 2-h oral sucrose tolerance test. The study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03650023). RESULTS: The test group showed significantly lower blood glucose levels at 60 min (p = 0.010) and postprandial blood glucose areas under the curve (p = 0.012). The change in blood glucose levels at 60 min was significantly lower in the test group than in the placebo group (p = 0.017). CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results of this study, the consumption of chitosan oligosaccharide (GO2KA1) supplements with a meal can effectively reduce postprandial blood glucose levels, which is relevant to the prevention of diabetes.

Newly identified set of obesity-related genotypes and abdominal fat influence the risk of insulin resistance in a Korean population.

We aimed to identify obesity-related single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci in a Korean population and construct an obesity genetic risk score (GRS) to examine the association of the genetic predisposition to obesity with insulin resistance (IR). In total, 9675 subjects were included, and 7666 of these subjects were used for replication. A GRS was constructed using the SNP loci that overlapped in both cohort sets. The subjects showed a trend toward an increase in body mass index, waist circumference, systolic/diastolic blood pressure, homeostatic model assessment (HOMA)-IR, HOMA-B, and levels of insulin, triglyceride, and alanine aminotransferase across the tertiles of obesity GRS, while the adiponectin level showed a trend toward a decrease with increasing GRS. The associations between the obesity GRS and the measures of fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, and adiponectin were significant after adjusting for confounding factors. Moreover, a significant association between obesity GRS and HOMA-IR was observed in subjects with abdominal obesity. The present results indicate that a predisposition to obesity may affect IR in the Korean population and that abdominal fat may alter or modify the genetic effects. Furthermore, the set of obesity-related genotypes and abdominal fat may play interactive roles in determining the risk of IR.