This study was carried out to investigate preference and purchase factors of seaweed in some regional residents of Korea. Subjects were residents (n = 1,218) whose residential area was divided into inland and coastal region and the survey was done during December 2007. Especially, purchase factors of seaweeds was conducted only in married females (n = 353). The subjects are composed of 46.5% male and 53.5% female. Regional distribution of subjects was found to be 16~17%, with highest ratio in the age bracket of 20~29 years old. Proportion of students, at 29.8%, was the highest ranking occupation of the subjects. Preference score of seaweeds by region was highest for laver followed by brown seaweed and sea tangle. In terms of preference by gender, female subjects displayed higher preference score for green laver (p < 0.01), seaweed fusiforme, brown seaweed, sea tangle (p < 0.001) than the male subjects. Considerations being made when purchasing seaweeds for each region were in the order of freshness, taste and nutrition. In comparing the inland and coastal region, scores of freshness, convenience, design and color for the coastal region was higher, displaying significant difference.
Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Occupations ; Seaweed

The purpose of this study was to examine the dietary behavior of children according to their preference for fast food. The study was carried out on 470, 6th grade students (boys : 236, girls : 234) in September, 2002. The results are summarized as follows : The mean body mass index was 18.72 kg/m2 for boys and 17.76 kg/m2 for girls. The subjective health disorder symptoms for the group preferring fast food was not significantly different than that of the other groups. The group preferring fast food consumed an inadequate volume of food, and they had an irregular and unbalanced diet. Their intake of green vegetables, vegetables, protein foods, and seaweed was significantly lower than that of the other groups. The food habit score for the group preferring fast food was lower than that of the other groups, and they had irregular meal times and had unbalanced diets. The group preferring fast food had a preference for sweet tastes, whilst members of the other group preferred a savory taste. The first choice for fast food by the group preferring fast food was hamburgers, the reason being that it tasted good. Results show that children who have a preference for fast food need to correct their dietary behavior. As a result, proper nutritional education and intervention is required in order to improve the consuming habits of children and their preference for fast food.
Body Mass Index ; Child* ; Diet ; Education ; Fast Foods* ; Female ; Food Habits ; Humans ; Meals ; Satureja ; Seaweed ; Vegetables

The purpose of this study was to investigate the intake and preference of Kimchi in middle school students. A questionnaire was used as the instrument of investigation. The subjects were 375 male and 278 female students in Masan and Changwon City. The main results of this study are as follows. Fifty-nine point seven percent of the subjects liked Kimchi, whereas 3.7% of them disliked it, and the main reason liking Kimchi was 'hot taste' of Kimchi. Korean cabbage Kimchi and cubed radish Kimchi were highly preferred. And the preferred dishes made with Kimchi were stir-fried rice with Kimchi, Kimchi stew, pan-fried Kimch, seaweed rice with Kimch, Kimch pancake, Mandu with Kimchi, pork stew with Kimch. More than 90% of the subjects had eaten 6 kinds of Kimchi : Korean cabbage Kimchi, cubed radish Kimchi, radish leaves Kimchi, radish root & leaves Kimchi, watery radish Kimchi, white Kimchi. The frequency of Kimchi intake was 55.1% of the subjects ate Kimchi in every meal time, and 21.9% ate 2 times in a day. They preferred 'well fermented' and 'freshly prepared' Kimchi, and it was significantly difference between gender, male students more liked 'freshly prepared', whereas female students more liked 'well fermented' Kimchi(p<0.01).
Brassica ; Female ; Gyeongsangnam-do* ; Humans ; Male ; Meals ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Raphanus ; Seaweed

Alginate, which is isolated from brown seaweed, is a bioabsorbable long chain polysaccharides, beta-D-mannuronic acid and alpha-L-guluronic acid. The authors produced alginates and alginate-colllagen as a disc form. Then, to evaluate the efficacy of alginate and alginate-collagen complex as a wound healing material, three full-thickness skin defects of 2 cm in diameter were made at the back of the New Zealand white rabbits. Three groups of dressing materials-alginate, alginate-collagen complex and vaseline gauze as control group - were applied on the wound and the results were evaluated grossly and histopathologically. The authors compared gross findings of sizes of healed wound, wound epithelization and wound contraction by tracing the remaining wound area at 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, 25th day after wound introduction, and wound biopsy was performed at 3rd, 7th, 14th, 21st day, respectively. Alginate and alginate-collagen complex showed statistically higher percentage of wound contraction and wound healing compared to control group(p<0.05). Alginate-collagen complex showed statistically higher percentage of wound contraction, epithelization and wound healing compared to alginate alone. In conclusion, the result suggests that alginate has a good effect of wound healing and that alginate-collagen complex is more effective in wound healing than alginate alone.
Alginates ; Bandages ; Biopsy ; Collagen* ; Petrolatum ; Polysaccharides ; Rabbits ; Seaweed ; Skin ; Skin, Artificial* ; Wound Healing* ; Wounds and Injuries*

OBJECTIVE: Articular cartilage has a highly limited capacity to repair because of lack of blood supply. There have been no effective modality to regenerate the articular cartilage and prevent degenerative changes. It is necessary to proliferate the cells in vitro, however the cells lose their phenotype during in vitro monolayer culture. Although it is not enough to increase the number of the cells in the three dimensional culture, it is a effective way to maintain their original phenotype expression. Alginate has been used as a good source of scaffold in chondrocyte three dimensional culture. The objective of this study was to find the most favorable scaffold for chondrocyte viability among various alginate extracted from natural source in chondrocyte three dimensional culture. METHODS: The alginate extracted from brown seaweed, Undaria pinnatifida and sea tangle, Laminaria japonica inhabitating near Korean sea and commercially available alginate were used. Chondrocytes isolated from adult pig were used. Three kinds of chondrocyte-alginate bead were made and incubated for forty-four days. Cellular viability and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content were measured and compared. SPSS Version 10.0 was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Viability of chondrocyte and GAG content were increased as a function of time. Alginate from brown seaweed, U. pinnatifida appeared more favorable to maintain chondrocyte viability than others. The total GAG content was similar among three kinds of alginate CONCLUSION: Alginate extracted from natural see weed, especially brown seaweed, may be a good source to maintain chondrocyte viability in three dimensional culture.
Adult ; Cartilage, Articular ; Chondrocytes* ; Humans ; Laminaria ; Phenotype ; Seaweed ; Statistics as Topic ; Undaria

Ethanol extracts of brown seaweeds from Pakistan and China were isolated and compared for their antiallergenic activities. They included Sargassum tennerimum (ST) and Sargassum cervicorne (SC) from Pakistan, and Sargassum graminifolium turn (SG), Sargassum thunbergii (STH), and Laminaria japonica (LJ) from China. The ethanol extracts of these brown seaweeds were optimized at 85% (v/v) ethanol for the maximum yield of phlorotannin, an inhibitor against hyaluronidase. Total phlorotannins contained in the crude extracts were measured as 1.71% (SG), 0.74% (STH), 0.97% (LJ), 3.30% (SC), and 5.06% (ST). The 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC(50)) of Pakistani SC and ST were 109.5 and 21 microg/ml, respectively, lower than those of Chinese SG, STH, and LJ (134, 269, and 148 microg/ml, respectively). An antiallergic drug, disodium cromoglycate (DSCG), had an IC(50)=39 microg/ml, and a natural inhibitor of hyaluronidase, catechin, had an IC(50)=20 microg/ml. The IC(50) of ST extract was found similar to that of catechin (21 vs 20 microg/ml) and lower than that of DSCG (21 vs 39 microg/ml). This suggests that ST is a potent inhibitor of hyaluronidase, indicating a promising future development of natural antiallergic medicines or functional foods.
Anti-Allergic Agents ; pharmacology ; Hyaluronoglucosaminidase ; antagonists & inhibitors ; Seaweed ; chemistry ; Tannins ; analysis ; pharmacology

Fucoidan, a sulfated polyanionic polymer of L-fucose, is obtained from brown marine macroalgae. In the present study, neuroprotective effect of fucoidan against N-methyl- D-aspartate (NMDA)-induced excitotoxicity in the hippocampus was investigated. The patch clamp study revealed that fucoidan significantly inhibited NMDA receptor-activated ion current in the acutely dissociated hippocampal CA1 neurons. In an organotypic hippocampal slice culture, fucoidan inhibited NMDA-induced neuronal cell death in a dose-dependent manner. The present study showed that fucoidan possesses a neuroprotective effect against NMDA-induced excitotoxicity, and that the suppressive effect of fucoidan on the NMDA-induced ion current can be suggested as being the underlying neuroprotective mechanism of fucoidan.
Animals ; Cell Death ; D-Aspartic Acid ; Hippocampus ; N-Methylaspartate ; Neurons ; Neuroprotective Agents ; Polymers ; Polysaccharides ; Rats ; Seaweed

OBJECTIVES: Maintaining a balanced diet is very crucial for adolescents. However, adolescents, who may have a short notion about the amount of food, find it difficult to plan daily meals by applying the target pattern proposed by the Korean Nutrition Society. This study was carried out to revise the target pattern based on cooked dishes instead of raw material food groups as an easier way for Korean adolescents to plan their meals. METHODS: Target pattern for Korean adolescents were revised based on the following: 1st, categorize dish groups, 2nd, calculate representative values of each dish based on the adolescent' intake amount. 3rd, assign the recommended number of intake for each dish. Validity of the target pattern for Korean adolescent meal plan was examined by the energy content, energy contribution ratio, and NAR & INQ of nutrients. RESULTS: The 11 dish groups categorized were bab; gook.tang.gigae; side dishes of meat, fish, egg, legume, kimchi, vegetable, seaweed; and between meal of fruit, and milk.dairy product. Based on the representative energy values, recommended number of intake were assigned to each dish. For boys, bab and gook.tang.gigae: 3 each; meat, fish, egg, and legume: 1 each; kimchi and vegetable: 3 each; seaweed: 1; fruit and milk.dairy product: 2 each were assigned. For girls, bab and gook.tang.gigae: 2 each; meat, fish, egg, and legume: choice of 3 dishes, 1 each; kimchi and vegetable: 3 each; seaweed: 1; fruit and milk.dairy product: 2 each were assigned. Energy contents, energy contribution ratio of carbohydrate, protein, and fat for boys and girls were in adequate range. The NARs were 1.0 and INQs were > or = 1.0 for all nutrients examined. CONCLUSIONS: Revised dish-based, instead of food-based adolescent target patterns for boys and girls were easier and a valid way of Korean adolescent meal planning.
Adolescent* ; Diet ; Fabaceae ; Female ; Fruit ; Humans ; Meals* ; Meat ; Ovum ; Seaweed ; Serving Size* ; Vegetables

OBJECTIVES: Maintaining a balanced diet and thus health is crucial for adolescents, and the first step for balanced diet practice is meal planning. Adolescents, however, find it difficult to plan their meals. This study thus was set out to design an easier way of planning meals for adolescent girls. METHODS: A dish-based target pattern for adolescent girls was tabulated, and validity of this was examined. Meal plan applying a dish-based target pattern was prepared by 150 female middle school students, and nutritional adequacies of those meal plans were examined. Validity and adequacy were tested by energy content, energy contribution ratio, nutrient adequacy ratio (NAR), probability of nutrient inadequacy, index of nutritional quality (INQ) calculation. RESULTS: A dish-based target pattern with 11 dish groups was validated for nutritional adequacy. Though the NAR of calcium was 0.96, the INQ of calcium was 1.00. The average energy supply from the meal plans was 2,379 kcal, higher than the estimated energy requirement of a female middle school student, but the energy contribution ratio of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats were all adequate according to the acceptable macronutrient distribution range (AMDR). NAR of all nutrients examined were 1.0, except for calcium. The NAR and INQ of calcium were 0.87 and 0.75, respectively, and the meal plans at risk for calcium inadequacy was 19.30%. CONCLUSIONS: A dish-based target pattern proposed for adolescent girls was valid, but the meal plan prepared by female middle school students using this approach was high in energy and low in calcium supply. To cut down the energy supply from the meal plan, it is necessary to recommend dishes low in fat and use low fat cooking methods. To increase the calcium supply, it is important to recommend seaweed and legume group dishes with higher Ca INQ food items.
Adolescent* ; Calcium ; Carbohydrates ; Cooking ; Diet ; Fabaceae ; Fats ; Female ; Humans ; Meals ; Nutritive Value ; Seaweed

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study was to investigate the association between the previous history of seaweed intake after childbirth and subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) occurrence in Korean women based on the latest nationally representative epidemiological survey data, the Sixth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES VI).MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study used data from KNHANES VI, a cross-sectional, nationally representative survey that comprises a health interview survey, health examination survey, and nutrition survey. Of the initial 22,948 Korean participants enrolled in KNHANES VI, 2,046 women were selected for this analysis. To examine SCH, the thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) reference range was defined using a population-based TSH range.RESULTS: Subclinical hypothyroidism was increased in those who consumed seaweed soup after childbirth, but this was not significant (OR 1.3, CI: 0.80–2.13, p=0.293). However, the odd ratio for SCH differed according to the duration of seaweed soup consumption. When seaweed soup was consumed within 1 week after birth, the OR was increased in the crude model (OR 2.61, CI: 1.39–4.89, p=0.002), but this was no longer significant in the adjusted model (OR 1.89, CI: 0.79–4.50).CONCLUSION: The notable finding from this study is that the previous history of excessive seaweed consumption during post-partum period may not be a risk factor for SCH in Korean women.
Female ; Health Surveys ; Humans ; Hypothyroidism ; Iodine ; Korea ; Nutrition Surveys ; Parturition ; Reference Values ; Risk Factors ; Seaweed ; Thyrotropin