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Dietary patterns among Japanese adults: findings from the National Health and Nutrition Survey, 2012

Background and Objectives: Recent studies have analyzed dietary patterns to assess overall dietary habits, but there have been no studies of dietary patterns among the contemporary Japanese population nationwide. The objective of this study was to identify dietary patterns based on consumption of food items among Japanese adults, and to examine whether these dietary patterns were associated with nutrient intake, demographic characteristics, and lifestyle factors. Methods and Study Design: The study population included 25,754 Japanese adults aged 20 years and older registered in the nationwide National Health and Nutrition Survey database in 2012. Dietary patterns were analyzed by factor analysis of 29 food items from the dietary intake survey and household-based semi-weighed dietary records. Results: Five dietary patterns were identified: high-bread and low-rice, high-meat and low-fish, vegetable, wheat-based food, and noodle and alcohol patterns. The lowest quartile of factor scores for high-meat and low-fish, wheat-based food, and noodle and alcohol patterns had higher nutrient intakes, and the highest quartile of factor scores for the vegetable pattern had a higher nutrient intake overall (all p＜0.01). Dietary pattern scores were associated with demographic and lifestyle factors such as sex, age, region, smoking status, and alcohol intake. Conclusions: Five major dietary patterns among Japanese adults were identified by factor analysis. Dietary pattern scores were associated with differences in nutrient intakes and demographic and lifestyle factors. These patterns were further used for examining the association between Japanese diets and health outcomes.

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Association between metabolic syndrome and coffee consumption in the Korean population by gender: a cross-sectional study in Korea

Background and Objectives: We conducted this cross-sectional study to identify the association between coffee consumption and risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in the Korean population. Methods and Study Design: Subjects aged 30–79 years in the Fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted in 2010 and 2011 were included (n=8,246). The self-reported frequency of coffee consumption was classified as non-drinker, ＜1, 1, 2, and ≥3 cups/day. Results: The MetS prevalence was 33.6% in men (n=1,149) and 26.1% in women (n=1,388). Among women, the level of coffee consumption was inversely associated with MetS and each component (p for trend 0.002 for abdominal obesity and ＜0.001 for others). The dose-response inverse association remained significant between coffee consumption and MetS, high triglyceride, and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (p for trend 0.001, 0.009, and ＜0.001, respectively; adjusted for age and body mass index). Compared with women who did not consume coffee, the adjusted odds ratio (OR) for MetS was 0.57 (95% CI, 0.38- 0.86) for women who consumed ≥3 cups per day (p for trend 0.002). Among women, excluding those receiving medical treatments for hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia, a significantly lower OR for MetS (0.53, 95% CI 0.31-0.93) was observed with coffee consumption ≥3 cups, and the dose-response inverse association remained significant (p for trend 0.008). In men, there were no significant associations between coffee consumption and MetS. Conclusion: In conclusion, coffee consumption is associated with a lower risk of MetS among Korean women. There was a dose-response inverse relationship between coffee consumption and the prevalence of MetS in Korean women.

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Acne vulgaris and its association with dietary intake: a Malaysian perspective

Background and Objectives: Acne vulgaris is a common skin condition among adolescents and young adults. Its relationship with the dietary intake is highly debatable and equivocal. This study aimed to identify the association between acne vulgaris and dietary intake among Malaysians. Methods and Study Design: A case-control study was conducted involving 57 acne vulgaris patients and 57 age-, gender- and ethnicity-matched controls. All participants were aged 14 and above. The Comprehensive Acne Severity Scale (CASS) was used to categorise patients (grades 2 to 5) and controls (grades 0 to 1). Information such as the demographics, family history, smoking habits and dietary intake were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Results: In the patient arm, the gender ratio of male to female was 1.5:1. 43 patients (75.4%) had a family history of acne vulgaris. No significant association was found for acne in patients with a history of smoking. Milk consumption was significantly higher in patients (63.2%, n=36) versus controls (43.9%, n=25), (OR=2.19, p＜0.05). In addition, chocolate consumption was also significantly higher in patients (43.9%, n=25) versus controls (24.6%, n=14), (OR=2.4, p＜0.05). No significant association was found with the intakes of sweets, potatoes, chips, nuts, yoghurt, ice-cream or carbonated drinks. Conclusions: Dietary intake of milk and chocolate may play a role in acne vulgaris. Prospective cohort and intervention studies are recommended to explore whether a causal relationship might obtain.

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Fast food consumption alongside socioeconomic status, stress, exercise, and sleep duration are associated with menstrual irregularities in Korean adolescents: Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009-2013

Background and Objectives: Menstrual irregularities in adolescents are a concern because they are considered a subjective indicator of poor physical and reproductive health. Menstrual regularity is associated with many genetic and mental health factors, and lifestyle changes can markedly influence an individual’s level of menstrual regularity. Therefore, we investigated associations between lifestyle factors and menstrual irregularities in Korean adolescents by analysing data collected from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2009 to 2013. Methods and Study Design: A total of 463 female adolescents aged 15-18 years participated in this study; they were divided into two groups based on their menstrual regularity. We assessed the between-group differences in relation to lifestyle-related factors, fast food consumption, and diet quality. Results: The frequencies of consumption of soda, coffee, and fried foods were significantly higher in the irregular menstruation group. However, the nutritional quality index was not significantly different between the two groups. Logistic regression analysis revealed that younger age at menarche (odds ratio [OR]=0.69, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.54-0.88), higher family income (OR=0.37, 95% CI=0.15-0.91), lack of exercise (OR=10.42, 95% CI=2.73-39.8), and high stress levels (OR=4.18, 95% CI=1.02-17.12) were associated with menstrual irregularity, whereas sufficient sleep (OR=0.49, 95% CI=0.39-0.60) and low frequency of eating out accounted for menstrual regularity. Conclusions: Lifestyle factors and stress levels influence menstrual regularity in Korean adolescents. Appropriate and accessible education on lifestyle management is required.

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Results of a long-term follow-up evaluation of an Australian adult nutrition education program

Background and Objectives: To assess persistence of improvements in nutrition-related attitudes and behaviours 2-4 years after attending an adult nutrition education program (FOODcents). Methods and Study Design: A link to an online survey was sent to 407 past FOODcents participants. The survey replicated items included in previous FOODcents evaluation surveys. In total, 87 responses were received (response rate 21%). Analyses were conducted on matched responses across 3 time points: pre, post, and follow-up. Results: Improvements since baseline were maintained in confidence to buy healthy foods on a budget and a range of dietary behaviours (e.g., increased consumption of vegetables, legumes, and wholegrain products; greater use of the nutrition information available on food packages; and decreased consumption of soft drinks). There were two primary areas in which improvements were not maintained over time: reported intake of fruit and frequency of consumption of fast food. Conclusions: The results suggest that adult nutrition education can be effective in encouraging individuals to alter their food shopping processes and modify their diets. The tendency for some behavioural outcomes to be worse at follow-up than at baseline indicates that marketplace factors such as food promotion and availability may be influencing these specific dietary behaviours. This rare longitudinal study of the effects of adult nutrition education shows that this form of intervention has the potential to produce lasting improvements in attitudes and behaviours. However, such programs cannot be expected to produce large and lasting effects without support from population-level nutrition policies and programs that address macro-environmental factors that influence dietary behaviours.