Anthocyanin pigments from varieties of black, red and wild rice were identified and quantified to evaluate their potential as nutritional function, natural colorants or functional food ingredients. Anthocyanin extraction was conducted with acidified methanol with 0.1M HCl (85:15, v/v) and identification of anthocyanin, aglycone and sugar moieties was conducted by comparison with purified standards by HPLC, Ultraviolet-Visible absorption spectrophotometer and paper chromatography. Black and wild rice showed three different types of pigments by HPLC whereas red rice variety did not show any anthocyanins. Out of three pigments detected, one (peak 2) was characterized as cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G) by comparison of spectroscopic and chromatographic properties with an authentic standard, and another (peak 3) was tentatively identified as cyanidin-fructoside on the basis of spectroscopic properties with lambdamax of aglycone in 1% HCl methanol at 537 nm, electrospray ionization mass spectra with major ions at 449 and 287 m/z and chromatographic properties. But another pigment (peak 1) has not been characterized. The most abundant anthocyanin in black and wild rice was C3G.
Absorption ; Anthocyanins ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Chromatography, Paper ; Functional Food ; Glucosides ; Ions ; Methanol

The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationships among zinc status, diet quality, glycemic control and self-rated physical activity level of type 2 diabetic patients. Dietary intakes for two non-consecutive days were measured by 24-hour recall method for seventy-six diabetic patients. Fasting blood glucose and HbA1c were measured for the assessment of glycemic control. We evaluated the extent of dietary adequacy by the percentage of subjects with a dietary intake of a nutrient less than the estimated average requirement(EAR), the dietary diversity score(DDS) and the dietary variety score(DVS). Zinc status was assessed from serum levels and urinary excretion. Dietary inadequacy was serious for five nutrients: riboflavin, calcium, thiamin, zinc and vitamin C. Dietary intakes from the meat, fish, and egg food groups and the milk food group were below the recommended level. We found that subjects with high levels of physical activities had significantly higher DVS and serum zinc levels compared to others (p<0.05). Fasting blood glucose levels and HbA1c were not significantly different across self-reported physical activity levels. Therefore, we suggest that maintaining physical activity at or above a moderate level is beneficial to improving dietary quality and zinc status.
Ascorbic Acid ; Blood Glucose ; Calcium ; Diet ; Fasting ; Humans ; Meat ; Milk ; Motor Activity ; Ovum ; Riboflavin ; Zinc

A cross-sectional study involving 400 mothers was conducted in the Manya Krobo district of Ghana with the objective of studying household dietary practices, quality of diets and family nutritional status of rural Ghana. A combination of methods, including structured interviews using questionnaire, dietary assessments and anthropometry was used to collect data for the study. The data obtained was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 10 in Windows. Means and standard deviations were generated for continuous variables and frequency distribution for categorical variables. Most women consumed meals three times a day but only a few (12.5%) cooked all three meals at home. Breakfast and lunch were the two main meals purchased from food vendors. The most frequently consumed food items on daily basis were the starchy staples, maize, fish, pepper, onion, tomato and palm fruits. The nutritional qualities of diets were poor in terms of calcium and the B-vitamins. A significant proportion of the women were nutritionally at risk of being either underweight (12%), overweight (17%) or obese (5%). For adequate nutrition in this population, nutrition education intervention programs aimed at improving nutrient intake through improved diet diversity and increased use of local foods rich in calcium and the B-vitamins needs to be undertaken. There is also the need to intensify education on excessive weight gain and its attendant health problems in the area.
Anthropometry ; Breakfast ; Calcium ; Commerce ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diet ; Family Characteristics ; Female ; Fruit ; Ghana ; Humans ; Lunch ; Lycopersicon esculentum ; Meals ; Mothers ; Nutritional Status ; Onions ; Overweight ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Social Sciences ; Thinness ; Weight Gain ; Zea mays

This cross-sectional study assessed household food insecurity among low-income rural communities and examined its association with demographic and socioeconomic factors as well as coping strategies to minimize food insecurity. Demographic, socioeconomic, expenditure and coping strategy data were collected from 200 women of poor households in a rural community in Malaysia. Households were categorized as either food secure (n=84) or food insecure (n=116) using the Radimer/Cornell Hunger and Food Insecurity instrument. T-test, Chi-square and logistic regression were utilized for comparison of factors between food secure and food insecure households and determination of factors associated with household food insecurity, respectively. More of the food insecure households were living below the poverty line, had a larger household size, more children and school-going children and mothers as housewives. As food insecure households had more school-going children, reducing expenditures on the children's education is an important strategy to reduce household expenditures. Borrowing money to buy foods, receiving foods from family members, relatives and neighbors and reducing the number of meals seemed to cushion the food insecure households from experiencing food insufficiency. Most of the food insecure households adopted the strategy on cooking whatever is available at home for their meals. The logistic regression model indicates that food insecure households were likely to have more children (OR=1.71; p<0.05) and non-working mothers (OR=6.15; p<0.05), did not own any land (OR=3.18; p<0.05) and adopted the strategy of food preparation based on whatever is available at their homes (OR=4.33; p<0.05). However, mothers who reported to borrow money to purchase food (OR=0.84; p<0.05) and households with higher incomes of fathers (OR=0.99; p<0.05) were more likely to be food secure. Understanding the factors that contribute to household food insecurity is imperative so that effective strategies could be developed and implemented.
Child ; Cooking ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Family Characteristics ; Fathers ; Female ; Food Supply ; Health Expenditures ; Humans ; Hunger ; Logistic Models ; Malaysia ; Meals ; Mothers ; Poverty ; Rural Population ; Socioeconomic Factors

The purpose of this study was to estimate daily intake of manganese in Korean adults. Manganese intake was estimated through the use of the database of manganese content in frequently consumed Korean foods after first conducting anthropometric measurement and a survey on dietary intake with 354 Korean adults. Average age, height, weight and body mass index were 54.6 years, 165.7 cm, 67.2 kg and 24.5 kg/m2 in males and 53.8 years, 153.7 cm, 59.1 kg and 24.9 kg/m2 in females. The daily energy intakes of subjects were 1740.1 kcal in males and 1432.6 kcal in females. Male and female subjects recorded, respectively, 5.2 mg and 4.1 mg in manganese intake indicating that the male subjects consume more manganese (p<0.001). And they posted, respectively, 3.0 mg and 2.9 mg in manganese intake per 1000 kcal of energy consumption; it turned out that there was no significant difference. Daily manganese intake of both males and females posted, respectively, 148.8% and 135.2% of the adequate intake, and 8 males and 3 females surpassed the tolerable upper intake level. It is suggested that the study for accurate determination of manganese consumption needs to be more diversified based on the database of manganese content in Korean foods.
Adult ; Body Mass Index ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Manganese

Aloin is a physiologically active anthraquinone present in aloe. There are two isomers of aloin, aloin A and aloin B, occurring as a mixture of diastereomers. The objective of this study was to determine the bioavailability and tissue distribution of aloin. Rats were gavaged with 11.8g/kg aloin, and the levels of aloin and its conjugates were measured in plasma, tissues, and urine. Plasma aloin level showed a peak at 1hr after the administration and the concentration was 59.07+/-10.5 ng/ml. The 24 h cumulated urinary aloin was 0.03% of the initial dose. These results suggest that aloin is absorbed and reaches a peak plasma level within 1-1.5 h after the administration and a significant portion is possibly metabolized or is excreted in feces. These results can apply to the determination of the adequate intake level of aloe and aloe products to achieve the desired biological effect, and to interprete in vitro study results.
Aloe ; Animals ; Biological Availability ; Emodin ; Feces ; Plasma ; Rats ; Tissue Distribution

Taurine supplementation has been shown to have an effect on lowering blood lipids in ovariectomized (OVX) rats. It therefore seemed desirable to find out whether the beneficial effect of taurine on OVX rats fed calcium-deficient diet could also be reproduced. Forty female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into two groups. One group was OVX and the other group received a sham operation (Sham). Each rat group was further divided into the control diet and the taurine supplemented (2.0 g/100 g diet) diet group. All rats were fed on calcium-deficient diet and deionized water ad libitum for 6 weeks. Plasma and liver lipids were determined by using commercial kits. LDL-cholesterol concentrations were estimated with the equation of Friedewald et al. (1972). There were no significant differences in body weight gain and food intake between the control and taurine group within Sham and OVX groups, but body weight gain, food intake, and food efficiency ratio was higher in the OVX group. Concentrations of plasma total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL-cholesterol were significantly lower in the taurine fed group of OVX rats fed Ca deficient diet, while HDL-cholesterol concentration was increased in the taurine fed group. Therefore, in this study, we examined whether taurine also prevented hypercholesterolemia induced by ovarian hormone deficiency in ovariectomized rats when they were fed a calcium-deficient diet. These results indicate that taurine may have some beneficial effects on hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia in OVX rats fed calcium-deficient diet.
Animals ; Body Weight ; Cholesterol ; Diet ; Eating ; Female ; Humans ; Hypercholesterolemia ; Hypertriglyceridemia ; Liver ; Plasma ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Salicylamides ; Taurine ; Water

The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence and clinical characteristics of anemia and to define the risk factors for anemia in older Koreans in Asan. From January to February 2002, five hundred sixty two community-dwelling older adults aged over 60 years were selected from a cross sectional study. All subjects underwent laboratory tests, which included a complete blood cell count, reticulocyte, liver and renal functional tests, lipid profiles and iron status tests. The median age was 68.6 years (range, 60-92 years). The mean levels of hemoglobin were 14.4 +/- 1.3 g/dL in men and 12.9 +/- 1.0 g/dL in women, and the overall prevalence of anemia was 12.5% in all subjects, 10.8% in men and 13.6% in women. The prevalence of anemia was the lowest among age group of 60-69 (10.0%) followed by 70-79 (15.5%), and the highest among age over 80 (20.7%), but the difference was significant only for men. The age difference was more distinct in men than in women (p<0.05). The mean hemoglobin level was significantly lower in the subjects aged over 80 y than those in the 60-69 y group (p<0.05). According to a logistic regression analysis, lower albumin and higher creatinine levels were identified as independent risk factors of anemia among older adults in Asan. In conclusion, the overall prevalence of anemia in our study group was 12.5% and the highest (20.7%) among those aged over 80 y.
Adult ; Aged ; Anemia ; Blood Cell Count ; Creatinine ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Hemoglobins ; Humans ; Iron ; Liver ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Prevalence ; Reticulocytes ; Risk Factors

Atherosclerosis is characterized by a chronic inflammatory disease, and chemokines play an important role in both initiation and progression of atherosclerosis development. Leukotactin-1 (Lkn-1/CCL15), a new member of the human CC chemokine family, is a potent chemoattractant for leukocytes. Our previous study has demonstrated that Lkn-1/CCL15 plays a role in the initiation of atherosclerosis, however, little is currently known whether Lkn-1/CCL15 is associated with the progression of atherosclerosis. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in human coronary atherosclerotic lesions play a crucial role in the progression of atherosclerosis by altering the vulnerability of plaque rupture. In the present study, we examined whether Lkn-1/CCL15 modulates MMP-9 release, which is a prevalent form expressed by activated macrophages and foam cells. Human THP-1 monocytic cells and/or human peripheral blood monocytes (PBMC) were treated with phorbol myristate acetate to induce their differentiation into macrophages. Foam cells were prepared by the treatment of THP-1 macrophages with human oxidized LDL. The macrophages and foam cells were treated with Lkn-1/CCL15, and the levels of MMP-9 release were measured by Gelatin Zymography. Lkn-1/CCL15 significantly enhanced the levels of MMP-9 protein secretion from THP-1 monocytic cells-derived macrophages, human PBMC-derived macrophages, as well as macrophage-derived foam cell in a dose dependent manner. Our data suggest that the action of Lkn-1/CCL15 on macrophages and foam cells to release MMP-9 may contribute to plaque destabilization in the progression of atherosclerosis.
Atherosclerosis ; Chemokines ; Foam Cells ; Gelatin ; Humans ; Leukocytes ; Lipoproteins, LDL ; Macrophages ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; Matrix Metalloproteinases ; Monocytes ; Phorbols ; Rupture ; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of lecithin, mono-glyceride and mono-diglyceride on apparent total tract and ileal nutrient digestibilities in nursery pigs. Twenty [(Landrace x Yorkshire) x Duroc] barrows were surgically fitted with simple T-cannulas. Dietary treatments included 1) CON (basal diet: soy oil), 2) LO (lecithin 0.5%), 3) MO (mono-glyceride 0.5%), 4) MG (mono-glyceride 1.0%) and 5) MDG (mono-diglyceride 1.0%). In apparent total tract nutrient digestibility, dry matter (DM) and gross energy (GE) digestibilities of MDG treatments were higher than LO and MG treatments (p<0.05). In nitrogen (N) digestibility, LO treatment showed the lowest compared to others (p<0.05). The digestibility of crude fat was higher in MDG treatment than CON and LO treatments (p<0.05). In apparent ileal nutrient digestibility, DM digestibility was higher in MDG treatment than LO and MG treatments (p<0.05). GE digestibility was higher in MDG treatment than LO, MO and MG treatments (p<0.05). N digestibility of MDG treatment was greater than LO treatment (p<0.05). Also, the digestibility of crude fat was higher in MDG treatment than CON and LO treatments (p<0.05). In conclusion, mono-diglyceride can increase apparent total tract nutrient and apparent ileal nutrient digestibilities of DM, GE, N and crude fat.
Lecithins ; Nitrogen ; Nurseries ; Swine