, Hae Jin Kang, Yoo Kyoung Park , Seungmin Lee , Diana Shubekova, Juhae Kim, Minji Kang , Hae Jin Kang, Mijoo Choi, Yoo Kyoung Park Citations
, Yoon Jung Park , Hee-Jung Park, Hyo Jeong Lim, Jung Joo Lee, Bo-Eun Kim, Eun Joo Bae, Yeon Hee Lee, Dal Lae Ju, Young Ran Kim, Jin-Hee Yeom, Hee-Sook Lim, Ha-Neul Kim, Seul Bi Lee, Seo-Yeon Park, Hee Joon Baek, Yoo Kyoung Park , Eun-Hee Jang, Seungmin Lee Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a multifactorial neurodevelopmental condition often accompanied by metabolic and nutritional imbalances. Conventional dietary interventions, such as the gluten-free, casein-free diet, typically fail to consider individual genetic variations. Nutrigenomics, the study of gene-nutrient interactions, offers a promising framework for exploring personalized dietary interventions that may help address the metabolic and neurological complexities associated with ASD, although current evidence remains preliminary. This research note offers recommendations for integrating nutrigenomics into special education through a multidisciplinary approach that combines clinical nutrition, genetics, and educational practice via a 3-phase agenda. Stage 1 focuses on identifying behavioral subgroups within special education settings and using validated tools such as the Child Behavior Checklist Scale to analyze nutritional intake. Stage 2 involves the development and pilot-testing of behavior-specific nutrition protocols that are tailored to these subgroups, incorporating input from practice experts in nutrigenomics. Lastly, in Stage 3, a personalized nutrition model that incorporates genetic screening and metabolic profiling is constructed in collaboration with dietitians, educators, and caregivers. By bridging clinical and educational domains, this study seeks to establish nutrigenomics-based nutrition therapy as a viable and equitable intervention for improving health and developmental outcomes among students with ASD.
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Cataracts are a major cause of visual impairment worldwide, particularly among older adults, with an increasing prevalence due to population aging. Surgery is the primary treatment; however, preventive strategies are crucial for reducing the disease burden. This study aimed to investigate dietary and health-related factors associated with cataract occurrence and develop a predictive model using machine learning. Data were derived from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2015–2017. The study included 190 women aged 60–79 years: 124 with cataracts and 66 controls. Analyzed variables included sociodemographic, behavioral, chronic disease, and dietary intake factors. After data preprocessing, 4 machine learning algorithms: support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF), eXtreme gradient boosting, and multilayer perceptron were used. Model performance was evaluated using accuracy, precision, recall, F1-score, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) and precision-recall curves. Among the tested models, the SVM achieved the best performance under stratified 10-fold cross-validation, with 71% accuracy, 86% precision, 73% recall, 79% F1-score, 65% AUROC, and 81% AUPRC. According to our findings, the odds of having cataracts can be effectively predicted using dietary and health data without relying on specialized ophthalmic equipment. The proposed model demonstrates the potential of machine learning-based tools for early identification and prevention of cataracts. Future studies with larger and more diverse samples, as well as integrating additional data sources such as genomics and lifestyle factors, are warranted to refine predictive accuracy and enhance personalized nutrition-based interventions.
This study examined meal patterns and protein-rich food utilization in the foodservice practices of public and private geriatric long-term care hospitals in South Korea. Over a period of 6 months, a total of 612 daily menus (306 from each hospital type, breakfast, lunch, and dinner) were collected from four hospitals (two public, two private). Each menu was categorized by meal composition, included staple food, soup, main dish, side dishes, and kimchi. The most common meal pattern consisted of a staple food, soup, main dish, two side dishes, and kimchi. Compared with private hospitals, public hospitals offered a greater variety in meal composition, staple foods, soups, and main dishes. However, no significant differences were observed in protein foods of main dishes. Overall, meat accounted for about half, whereas fish accounted for one-third. Approximately 30% of protein foods in main dishes were processed. In side dish 1, the proportion of protein-rich foods was lower in public than in private hospitals, whereas the proportion of processed foods exceeded two-thirds in both hospital, but was significantly higher in public hospitals. Soup was the second most important protein source after the main dish, with fish as the most often used; however, processed protein foods were also common. These findings indicate that the main dish and soup are the principal protein sources, and the relatively high inclusion of fish reflects a favorable pattern. However, to ensure intake of high-quality proteins by older adults, the high reliance on processed protein foods highlights the need to reconsider foodservice practices.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major respiratory disorder characterized by irreversible airflow limitation. The role of diet in the prevention and management of COPD is receiving increasing attention. This study aimed to examine the association between the composite intake of vegetables, fruits, meat, and fish and pulmonary function as well as COPD prevalence in a representative sample of Korean adults aged ≥ 40 years using data from the 7th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Higher vegetable intake was associated with significantly better pulmonary function parameters, including forced vital capacity (p < 0.001), forced vital capacity percent predicted (p = 0.050), forced expiratory volume (FEV) in 1 second (FEV1; p < 0.001), FEV1 percent predicted (p = 0.038), FEV in 6 seconds (p < 0.001), and peak expiratory flow (p < 0.001). Furthermore, individuals with a high combined intake of vegetables, fruits, meat, and fish demonstrated a 0.261-fold lower COPD prevalence than those without such intake (p = 0.039). The dietary inflammatory index (DII) was significantly lower among participants without COPD than among those with COPD (mean DII = −3.6947, p = 0.002), indicating that a diet rich in anti-inflammatory nutrients can help reduce COPD risk. These findings suggest that vegetable consumption supports improved respiratory function, and a composite dietary pattern incorporating various food groups may help reduce the prevalence of COPD in the adult population.
We investigated adolescents’ perceptions of meat alternatives and examined the relationships among their views on various types of these alternatives. A survey was conducted with 372 middle and high school students, focusing on their perceptions of 3 categories of meat alternatives: plant-based meats, edible insects, and cultured meats. The relationships among these perceptions were subsequently analyzed. Overall, 77.4% of respondents were aware of meat alternatives, and 38.7% reported having consumed them. Perception levels differed by category, with plant-based meats receiving the highest scores, followed by cultured meats and edible insects. Notably, perceptions across the different categories of meat alternatives were significantly correlated. These findings suggest that increasing awareness about meat alternatives—particularly through education—may help promote sustainable and healthy eating behaviors among adolescents.
This study was conducted to analyze diet and health-related factors based on the income level of single-adult households using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Survey (KNHANES). Among those who participated in the 2016–2018 KNHANES, 951 single-adult households aged 19 to 64 were selected, and factors such as general characteristics, physical characteristics, dietary behaviors, health behaviors, and the prevalence of chronic diseases were analyzed. The high-income group had higher frequency of eating out, better dietary status generally, higher recognition rate of nutrition labels than the other groups. The rate of alcohol consumption and smoking was higher in the high-income group of single-adult households, while the rates of anxiety and depression were higher in the low-income group. Additionally, the use of dietary supplements decreased as income level decreased. Among chronic diseases, hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia had the lowest prevalence in the middle-income group and the highest prevalence in the low-income group. These results suggest that diet and health behaviors vary by income level in single-adult households and may be associated with the prevalence of chronic diseases. Future systematic studies should be conducted to determine the causal relationships between these factors.
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Nutrition fact labels (NFLs) have advantages because they are an intuitive tool that provides unified information regulated by the government and does not require any devices or special skills. During pandemic, with increased interest in information about healthy food choices and optimum nutrition, frequent exposure to NFLs on pre-packaged foods and dietary supplements may have helped consumers become aware of and/or use NFLs. We aimed to evaluate NFL usage changes from the pre- and early to the late pandemic years in the Korean adult population, using data from the Korean Community Health Survey (3-year total respondents n = 687,610) conducted from 2019 to 2021. NFL awareness, effect, and utilization ratios in each subgroup (sex, age, diabetes mellitus/hypertension, subjective health status, and physical activity) were analyzed for the 3 years by the cross-tabulation test of weighted complex sample analysis. Despite the declining awareness of NFLs in the Korean population, the proportion of individuals who were affected by the NFL content in the entire population and the utilization ratio among those who were aware of NFLs increased continuously during the early and late pandemic periods. Thus, Nutrition experts and policy-makers need to increase efforts to maintain interest in NFLs that emerged during the pandemic. NFLs, a conventional but well-regulated and effective tool, may have enabled the Korean population to make healthy food choices during the pandemic.
This study compared the effects of 12 weeks of intensive nutrition education (IE) using the 5A's behavioral change model and basic nutrition education (BE) on nutritional knowledge and nutrient intake among Korean adolescent athletes. This study included elite adolescent athletes (IE group: n = 65, BE group: n = 65) at a physical education high school in Seoul. In this prospective, randomized, controlled trial, the athletes' body composition, nutritional knowledge, nutrient intake, and self-management practices were evaluated at the beginning and end of the intervention. Both groups had increased levels of nutrition knowledge between pre- and post-test, but the change in total score for nutrition knowledge was significantly higher in the IE group than in the BE group (p < 0.001). Energy intake post-test increased significantly in the IE group (from 2,185 to 2,651 kcal/day, p < 0.001) but not in the BE group. The intake of carbohydrates, protein, and fat also increased significantly in the IE group (carbohydrates: from 298 to 352 g/day, protein: from 86 to 106 g/day, fat: from 71 to 88 g/day, all p < 0.001), but the change in the BE group was not significant. Additionally, the IE group showed a significant overall increase in vitamins and minerals compared to the BE group at post-test. Adolescent athletes in the IE group showed improved nutritional knowledge and intake compared to those in the BE group 12 weeks after the intervention.
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