This study was designed to investigate the relationship between nutritional intake and caries experience of junior high school students. The sample consisted of 295 boys and 356 girls in Kangwha county. Dependent variables were total caries experience, occlusal surface caries experience, smooth surface caries experience and DMFS score (Decayed, Missing, Filling Tooth Surface score). Independent variables such as pit and fissure retentiveness of first molars, oral hygiene status, intraoral acidogenicity were also measured by dentists. Other independent variables such as toothbrushing habits, socioeconomic conditions, between-meal eating habits, and daily nutritional intake were determined during an interview. Univariate and multivariate analysis was performed to evaluate how nutritional intake influences caries experience. The results were as follows: 1. The most influential factor on dental caries experience was pit and fissure retentiveness. 2. Dietary fiber and potassium were the significant nutritional factors on total caries experience and occlusal caries experience, and niacin was the significant nutritional factor on smooth surface caries. 3. DMFS score was positively associated with the daily amount of carbohydrate and niacin intake, and negatively associated with total energy intake. The above results suggested that pit and fissure retentiveness was the most influential factor on caries experience. However, in this study, the intake of potassium and niacin was identified to influence the caries experience in addition to confirming the well-known relationship between fiber and carbohydrate intake.
Adolescence ; Child ; Dental Caries/etiology* ; Diet* ; Dietary Carbohydrates/administration & dosage ; Dietary Fiber/administration & dosage ; Energy Intake ; Female ; Human ; Male ; Oral Hygiene

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Constipation is one of the most prevalent gastrointestinal complaints. High fiber intake is recommended as an initial therapy for constipation. Ear mushroom is known to have higher fiber contents about 50% than other mushroom. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of fiber supplements using ear mushrooms on the improvement of functional constipation. METHODS: We conducted a double blind study with 3 groups (placebo, ear mushrooms alone, and ear mushrooms with additives including cascara sagrada, etc.), which were randomly assigned out of 34 patients with functional constipation, defined by modified Rome II criteria. Number of bowel movement, straining, sense of incomplete evacuation, stool consistency, satisfactory relief, abdominal pain/discomfort and colon transit time were evaluated and analyzed before, during and after the treatment. RESULTS: Both ear mushrooms alone and ear mushrooms with additives significantly improved number of bowel movement, straining, sense of incomplete evacuation, stool consistency and satisfactory relief in patients with functional chronic constipation (p<0.05). Although the use of ear mushrooms with additives was found to be more effective on the improvement of constipation than ear mushrooms alone, it may induce abdominal discomfort or pain. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with functional constipation, fiber supplements using ear mushrooms significantly improved constipation related symptoms without serious side effect.
Adult ; *Agaricales ; Aged ; Constipation/*diet therapy ; Dietary Fiber/*administration & dosage ; Double-Blind Method ; English Abstract ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged

OBJECTIVETo explore the influence of fiberform on the defecation condition after surgery for benign anorectal lesion.

METHODSA total of 121 cases undergoing surgery for benign anorectal lesion at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from October 2009 to February 2010 were randomly divided into the treatment group (n=61) and the control group (n=60) according to random number table. Patients in the treatment group received fiberform granule for 2 weeks while patients in the control group did not receive any medication to promote defecation. Postoperative defecation symptom scores and patient satisfaction were compared between the two groups.

RESULTSOn postoperative day 7, patients in the treatment group had a lower defecation smoothness score (62.1% decrease), lower fecal character score (74.3% decrease), lower defecation interval score (80.2% decrease), lower defecation pain score (77.5% decrease), the differences were statistically significant. On postoperative day 14, the degree of decrease of the abovementioned score were 58.3%, 88.5%, 82.8% and 83.1%, respectively. Postoperative patient satisfaction rate in the treatment group was significantly higher than that in the control group(P<0.05). No patient in the treatment group experienced any adverse events such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, and drug dependence.

CONCLUSIONFiberform can effectively prevent defecation disorders such as dry stool, unsmooth defecation, and anorectal pain.

Abdominal Pain ; chemically induced ; Anal Canal ; surgery ; Defecation ; drug effects ; Diarrhea ; chemically induced ; Dietary Fiber ; administration & dosage ; Humans ; Treatment Outcome

Three yearling lambs with a rumen cannula were used to investigate the effects of supplementation with an urea-minerals lick block (ULB) on the kinetics of ruminal fibre digestion, nutrient digestibility and nitrogen (N) utilization of rice straw (RS), ammonia bicarbonate (AB)treated RS (ABRS) and hay prepared from natural pasture. The digestibility of dry matter and organic matter of RS increased by 13.1% and 12.7% (P<0.05) when the diet was supplemented with ULB, and approached to that of ABRS, indicating that the effect of ULB on digestibility of RS is similar to that of AB treatment. The digestibility of ABRS was slightly improved by the ULB feeding. Nitrogen retention was highest in lambs fed on ABRS alone, followed by hay with ULB, and was lowest in animals fed on RS with ULB. However, both the amount and proportion of N retention to N intake were enhanced by ULB supplementation to lambs fed on hay. The proportion of N retained to N digested decreased due to ULB supplementation to lambs fed on RS or ABRS. Supplementing ULB did not greatly influence the rumen degradation of either dry matter or crude protein in each of the three diets. RS and hay had similar values in the potential extent of digestion (PED) and digestion rate of PED (kd) of fibrous materials, but the discrete lag time for RS was lower than that for hay. The AB treatment significantly increased the PED (P<0.05) and kd (P<0.05) of RS. Neither the PED nor kd for RS and ABRS was influenced by ULB supplementation, but the kd for hay significantly increased due to ULB. The lag time for hay was also shortened by the ULB feeding. The ULB improved the digestion of fibre in the rumen of lambs fed on low quality roughage. It is inferred that while ULB is effective in increasing nutrient digestibility of low quality roughages by improving ruminal fibre digestion. A synchronized supply of N and energy to rumen microbes should be considered to improve the efficiency of N utilization when the basal diet is ammoniated straw.
Administration, Oral ; Animal Feed ; Animals ; Dietary Fiber ; metabolism ; Dietary Supplements ; Digestion ; drug effects ; physiology ; Feeding Behavior ; drug effects ; physiology ; Minerals ; administration & dosage ; Nitrogen ; metabolism ; Sheep ; physiology ; Urea ; administration & dosage

beta-Glucan is a polysaccharide in the form of fiber and the main element of fiber in grains such as barley, oats, yeast and mushrooms. Many studies have examined the efficacy of beta-Glucan in terms of the lipid lowering effects, blood sugar reduction, weight reduction, immune modulator, and anticarcinogenic effect. However, there is no comprehensive review article on the biomedical issues regarding beta-Glucan. The authors searched for systematic reviews and clinical experiments for each relevant topic and reviewed the biomedical effects of beta-Glucan, for the purpose of developing research strategies for the future.
beta-Glucans/administration & dosage/*pharmacology/therapeutic use ; Neoplasms/drug therapy ; Infection/drug therapy ; Humans ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Dietary Supplements ; Dietary Fiber/administration & dosage/*pharmacology/therapeutic use ; Cholesterol/blood ; Body Weight/drug effects ; Blood Glucose/analysis ; Anticholesteremic Agents/pharmacology ; Animals

Onion (Allium cepa L.) contains high levels of dietary fibers and antioxidants, including vitamin C, D, and folates. Onion is also known as a quercetin-rich vegetable with high flavonoid content. Onion peel contains over 20 times more quercetin than onion flesh. The aim of this study was to examine the question of whether onion peel extract supplementation has an effect on maximal exercise performance in rat. Onion peel extracts were extracted with hot water. Thirty male Sprague Dawley rats were maintained on a pellet diet for one week, and then randomly divided into five groups: Normal control, Positive control (quercetin 20 mg/kg), Onion peel 4 mg/kg, Onion peel 20 mg/kg, and Onion peel 100 mg/kg. Oral administration was performed daily. The experimental period was four weeks. Thereafter, animals were then forced to swim in water and the maximal exercise performance period from the swimming start time to the exhausted time, in which they failed to rise to the surface of the water to breathe within a 7 second period, was measured. After necropsy, weights of gastrocnemius muscles were measured. Lactate dehydrogenase concentration in serum was measured using an enzymatic method, using a commercial kit. The maximal exercise performance period was significantly longer in the onion peel extracts fed groups, compared with the control group. The lactate dehydrogenase concentration of the onion peel extracts fed groups was significantly lower, compared with the control group. Based on these results, we suggest that onion peel water extract supplementation can enhance exercise capacity caused by the mechanism of decreasing lactate dehydrogenase concentration.
Administration, Oral ; Animals ; Antioxidants ; Ascorbic Acid ; Diet ; Dietary Fiber ; Humans ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase ; Male ; Muscles ; Onions* ; Polyenes ; Quercetin ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Swimming* ; Vegetables ; Water* ; Weights and Measures

OBJECTIVETo investigate the intakes of total dietary fiber (TDF), soluble dietary fiber (SDF) and insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) in Subjects With Type 2 Diabetes so as to provide the base for making the adequate intakes of dietary fiber.

METHODSThe enzymatic-gravimetric methods for dietary fiber were established on basis of a collaborative study. Dietary intake was measured by means of 3-day food records through weighting and using food pictures. TDF, SDF and IDF were analyzed by enzymatic-gravimetric methods.

RESULTSThe reproducibility relative standard deviations for DF ranged from 2.63% to 9.67%. Vegetable foods were the mainly sources of DF. The total dietary intakes, insoluble and soluble fibers were 26.5 +/- 9.8, 14.6 +/- 5.8, 10.4 +/- 4.4 (g/d) respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe dietary fiber intake of the diabetes remains in the range of intakes recommended by American Diabetes Association.

Aged ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; physiopathology ; Diet Records ; Dietary Fiber ; administration & dosage ; analysis ; Feeding Behavior ; physiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged

OBJECTIVETo investigate the influence of early enteral nutrition with synbiotics on the plasma endotoxin level, the nutritional state, the inflammatory response and the incidence of infectious complications in severely burned patients.

METHODSRandomized double blind and control method was employed im the study. Forty severely burned patients were randomly divided into A and B groups with 20 in each group. The patients in group A received early enteral nutrition with synbiotics including four kinds of lactic acid bacteria and four kinds of fibers, while those in group B received early enteral nutrition with synbiotics including only four kinds of fibers. The patients with 80% to 280% coefficient unit burned surface(UBS) were further divided into A1 (n = 10) and B1 (n = 11) groups. The plasma endotoxin level in group A and B was determined dynamically on the 1st, 3rd, 7th, 10th, 14th, and 21st postburn days (PBD), and its abnormal rate in both groups was statistically analyzed in correlation with the normal endotoxin level. meanwhile, the mortality, the incidence of infectious complications and the blood bacterial culture results were compared between the two groups. The plasma levels of IL-1, IL-6 and prognostic inflammatory nutrition index (PINI) were also determined at the above time points.

RESULTSThe plasma endotoxin level in group A (37.9 +/- 5.4) ng/L was evidently lower than that in group B (59.1 +/- 7.9) ng/L (P < 0.05) on 10 PBD. The abnormal rate of plasma endotoxin in group A (36.7%) was evidently lower than that (49.2%) in group B (P < 0.05). Blood culture was positive in 3 patients in group A, and 5 in group B. There was no obvious difference in the incidence of infectious complication between the two groups. Two patients died in group A and 1 group B. There was no obvious difference in plasma IL-1 level between A1 and B1 groups at different time points. The plasma IL-6 level in A1 group in 10th and 14th PBD was evidently lower than that in B1 group (P < 0.05). The PINI in A1 group on the 10 PBD was remarkably lower than that in B1 group.

CONCLUSIONEarly enteral nutrition with synbiotics was helpful in decreasing inflammatory stress response and lowering the plasma endotoxin level. Enteral supplementation of synbiotics might be beneficial to the controlling of burn infection.

Adult ; Burns ; therapy ; Dietary Fiber ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Double-Blind Method ; Endotoxins ; blood ; Enteral Nutrition ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Intestinal Mucosa ; drug effects ; Male ; Probiotics ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use

Constipation is a digestive symptom that is frequently seen in clinical practice. Its prevalence has been reported to be 2% to 20%, depending on geographical region. Despite the rapid development of medical science, systematic studies on constipation have been rarely conducted in Korea. Recently, guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of functional gastrointestinal disorders, including constipation, were proposed by The Korean Society of Neurogastroenterology and Motility. These guidelines are expected to reflect the current situation regarding treatment of constipation in Korea. In this paper, practical constipation treatment methods that are in current use will be reviewed with reference to these recent guidelines.
*Behavior Therapy ; Constipation/diagnosis/epidemiology/physiopathology/*therapy ; Defecation/*drug effects ; Dietary Fiber/*administration & dosage ; Humans ; Laxatives/*therapeutic use ; Practice Guidelines as Topic ; Prevalence ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; *Risk Reduction Behavior ; Treatment Outcome

The purpose of this study is to investigate the memory enhancing effect and underlying molecular mechanism of arabinoxylan (AX), a major component of dietary fiber in wheat against scopolamine (SCO)-induced amnesia in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Diverse behavior tests including Y-maze, Morris water maze, and passive avoidance tests were performed to measure cognitive functions. SCO significantly decreased the spontaneous alterations in Y-maze test and step-through latency in passive avoidance test, whereas increased time spent to find the hidden platform in Morris water maze test compared with the sham control group. In contrast, oral administration of AX (25 mg/kg and 50 mg/kg) effectively reversed the SCO-induced cognitive impairments in SD rats. Furthermore, AX treatment up-regulated the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the cortex and hippo-campus via promoting activation of cAMP response element binding protein (CREB). Therefore, our findings suggest that AX can improve SCO-induced learning and memory impairment possibly through activation of CREB and up-regulation of BDNF levels, thereby exhibiting a cognition-enhancing potential.
Administration, Oral ; Amnesia ; Animals ; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor ; Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein ; Dietary Fiber ; Learning* ; Maze Learning ; Memory* ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Scopolamine Hydrobromide ; Triticum ; Up-Regulation