Honokiol Improves Liver Steatosis in Ovariectomized Mice.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease, and is associated with the development of metabolic syndrome. Postmenopausal women with estrogen deficiency are at a higher risk of progression to NAFLD. Estrogen has a protective effect against the progression of the disease. Currently, there are no safe and effective treatments for these liver diseases in postmenopausal women. Honokiol (Ho), a bioactive natural product derived from Magnolia spp, has anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenic, and anti-oxidative properties. In our study, we investigated the beneficial effects of Ho on NAFLD in ovariectomized (OVX) mice. We divided the mice into four groups, as follows: SHAM, OVX, OVX+ß-estradiol (0.4 mg/kg of bodyweight), and OVX+Ho (50 mg/kg of diet). Mice were fed diets with/without Ho for 12 weeks. The bodyweight, epidermal fat, and weights of liver tissue were lower in the OVX group than in the other groups. Ho improved hepatic steatosis and reduced proinflammatory cytokine levels. Moreover, Ho markedly downregulated plasma lipid levels. Our results indicate that Ho ameliorated OVX-induced fatty liver and inflammation, as well as associated lipid metabolism. These findings suggest that Ho may be hepatoprotective against NAFLD in postmenopausal women.

Unprocessed Meat Consumption and Incident Cardiovascular Diseases in Korean Adults: The Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES).

Meat consumption has been shown to be associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in Western societies; however, epidemiological data are limited on the Korean population. Therefore, we examined the associations between unprocessed meat consumption and CVD incidence in Korea. Data were derived from the Ansung-Ansan cohort (2001-2012), including 9370 adults (40-69 years) without CVD or cancer at baseline. Total unprocessed meat consumption was estimated as the sum of unprocessed red meat (beef, pork, and organ meat) and poultry consumption. In the fully adjusted Cox regression model, the relative risks of CVD across increasing quintiles of total unprocessed meat intake were 1.0 (reference), 0.72 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.55, 0.95), 0.57 (95% CI: 0.42, 0.78), 0.69 (95% CI: 0.51, 0.95), and 0.69 (95% CI: 0.48, 0.97), but no significant linear trend was detected (p for trend = 0.14). Frequent poultry consumption was significantly associated with a decreased CVD risk; this association showed a dose-response relationship (p for trend = 0.04). This study showed that a moderate intake of total unprocessed meat was inversely associated with CVD risk. A significant inverse association between poultry consumption and incident CVD was observed in Korean adults, requiring further confirmation in other populations.

Dietary Issues and Challenges on Cardiometabolic Health in Korea: From a Viewpoint of a National Nutrition Surveillance System.

A national nutrition surveillance system is an essential instrument for the detection of nutrition and nutrition-related health problems that can assist on policy implementation. The role of nutritional surveillance in detecting trends of nutritional problems and predicting their risks has become more important as its strong scientifically based method and evidences may provide insights on chronic disease risks. In this review, we attempted to identify dietary issues of Korean cardiometabolic disease (CMD) based on the national nutrition surveillance system and addressed gaps and limitations in the system. In addition, an alternative way on how the system can overcome these problems with the view of ultimately improving public health in Korea was discussed.

Household Food Insecurity Is Associated with Adverse Mental Health Indicators and Lower Quality of Life among Koreans: Results from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2012-2013.

Food insecurity is an ongoing public health issue and contributes to mental health status. We investigated whether food insecurity is associated with inadequate nutrient intake and whether it affects mental health indicators (perceived stress/experience of depressive symptom/suicidal ideation) and quality of life (QOL) among Koreans (n = 5862, 20-64 years) using data from the Korea National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (2012-2013). Household food security status was categorized as "food-secure household", "food-insecure household without hunger", and "food-insecure household with hunger". Data on food insecurity, sociodemographic factors, nutrient intake, mental health indicators, and QOL were used. A logistic regression model was conducted to determine odds ratios (ORs) for psychological health. A greater proportion of food-insecure participants were nutritionally deficient compared with expectations of the 2015 Korean Dietary Reference Intakes. These deficiencies were generally higher in both "food-insecure household" groups. Both "food-insecure household" groups, particularly the "food-insecure household with hunger" group showed significantly adverse mental health status (ORs: 1.52-3.83) and lower QOL (ORs: 1.49-3.92) than did the "food-secure household" group before and after adjusting for sex, age, education, household income, smoking/alcohol consumption, physical activity, marital status, and receiving food assistance. In conclusion, food insecurity may be significantly associated with adverse mental health indicators and decreased QOL in young/middle-aged Koreans.

Association of dietary intakes of total and subtypes of fat substituted for carbohydrate with metabolic syndrome in Koreans.

Amount of fat consumption has gradually increased among Koreans, which is relatively lower than western countries. In the current study, we examined the association between dietary fat and metabolic syndrome (MetS) prevalence among Korean adults. 3,212 participants who are aged 30-74 years from the Korea National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (KNHANES) VI (2013) were included for cross-sectional analyses. Dietary intake data was assessed using 24-hour recall method, and MetS was defined using guideline of the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment panel III (NCEP-ATP III). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to estimate MetS odds ratios, using nutrient density model, according to 5% percent unit of dietary fat intake. The prevalence of MetS was significantly associated with dietary intake of total fat and saturated fatty acid (SFA) after adjustment (odds ratio [OR] 0.984 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.972-0.996; OR 0.946 95% CI 0.915-0.979). When dietary intake of total fat and SFA were substituted for carbohydrate (CHO), ORs for MetS were 0.985 (95% CI 0.972-0.998) and 0.948 (95% CI 0.907-0.990), respectively, after adjusting for potential covariates. In summary, MetS was significantly associated with dietary intakes of total fat and SFA, and when substituting dietary fat for carbohydrate among Koreans.

Association between age at menarche and diabetes in Korean post-menopausal women: results from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2007-2009).

Early menarche is known to be associated with diabetes, however this association remains controversial. Our study aimed to investigate the possible association between age at menarche and diabetes prevalence in post-menopausal Korean women. This study included 3,254 post-menopausal Korean women aged 50-85 years from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey IV (KNHANES 2007-2009). Logistic regression analyses were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) for diabetes prevalence. Levels of biochemical markers were compared according to groups by age at menarche. Women in the earlier menarche age group (10-12 years) showed higher levels of fasting blood glucose (FBG) and scores of homeostatic model assessment in the insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index than other groups (p <0.05). After adjusting for potential confounding factors, early age at menarche was significantly associated with a higher prevalence of diabetes (OR 1.86, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 1.07-3.23). The observed association remained significant despite additional adjustment for body mass index and waist circumference (OR 1.82, 95% CI 1.03-3.23) and despite further adjustments for FBG levels and HOMA-IR index (OR 2.25, 95% CI 1.11-4.55). Our findings strengthen the hypothesis that younger age at menarche is associated with increased diabetes prevalence in the Korean population.