Objective: The present study aimed to examine the effects of fermented milk containing Bifidobacterium breve strain Yakult, Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactococcus lactis, galactooligosaccharide, and polydextrose on the defecation ability of young Japanese women classified according to the stress level.
Study design: A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled parallel-group study.
Subjects: Ninety-two female university students with stool frequency ≤5 times per week.
Methods: The total intervention period was 8 weeks including a non-intake period and an intake period. The subjects maintained a diary in which they daily recorded on defecation, skipping of meals, frequency of staple food intake, wake-up/bedtime, and special circumstances that may have influenced defecation. The food frequency questionnaire and Cornell Medical Index-health questionnaire (classification of stress level) were administered once a month during this study.
Results: The defecation frequency of the test group following the intake period was significantly increased as compared with that within the observation period; however, this difference was not observed for the placebo group. The test group with a low stress level experienced a significant increase in defecation frequency and a significant reduction of urinary phenol as compared with the placebo group. However, a group with a stress level higher than domain 1 showed no increase in the defecation frequency by the test drink or reduction of urinary phenol.
Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that stress confers a negative influence on the effects of fermented milk for constipation.

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Objective: Gastric electrical activity can be measured using surface electrodes placed on the abdomen. We have previously used electrogastrography (EGG) recording and analysis methods to report that gastric motility transiently increases after cold or hot water ingestion, and that an indicator of gastric motility power is associated with appetite sensations. To investigate the effects of pungent-tasting fluid on gastric motility and appetite sensations, we performed 2 tests in a parallel design by using the following test samples: spice-containing soup with yellow curry powder and consommé (Spice) or isoenergetic, iso-sodium-containing flavorless placebo soup (Control).
Methods: Twelve young women participated in this study. Each subject consumed Spice or Control at 9 a.m. on 2 separate days in a randomized order. The EGG, eardrum temperature, and heart rate were measured for 20 min in a fasting state and 40 min after consuming the soup while sitting in an upright position. Appetite sensations were measured at fasting, immediately after, and 40 min after consumption. To determine gastric motility, we assessed bradygastria, normogastria, tachygastria, and each power ratio (post/pre) of the EGG frequency power spectrum.
Results: Each EGG power ratio (bradygastria, normogastria, and tachygastria) tended to increase after the consumption of the Spice soup as compared to after the consumption of the Control soup. Fullness and satiety scores significantly increased after Spice soup consumption at different time courses. The relative increase in eardrum temperature was significantly greater immediately after consuming Spice soup than after consuming Control soup; however, similar increases in mean eardrum temperature and heart rate were observed in both the groups.
Conclusion: These results suggest that consumption of spice-containing soup enhances gastric motility, fullness and satiety feelings, and eardrum temperature as compared to the consumption of iso-energetic, iso-sodium content flavorless placebo soup.

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Objective: The objective of this study is to assess dietary habits as a whole and determine which dietary factors correlate with the self-rated health and diet-related quality of life (QOL) of fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade elementary schoolboys who participate in junior soccer clubs.
Methods: The subjects included 75 elementary schoolboys (valid response rate, 93%). A self-administered questionnaire was used in the study, and its framework included questions regarding QOL, health and nutrition status, behavior, stage of change, preparation factor, attribute, dietary environment, and relation between exercise and nutrition. To determine which diet-related factors are correlated with QOL, binomial logistic regression analysis was performed using QOL as the dependent variable and other factors as the independent variables.
Results: On assessing dietary habits according to the questionnaire framework, many responses were sorted into the categories of high QOL level, eating behavior, staple food-related preparation factors, and dietary environment. Not many positive responses were obtained for meal planning and preparation or for sharing and applying diet-related information. The binomial logistic regression analysis performed with QOL as the dependent variable showed that the QOL was significantly associated with “the frequency of eating dinner with the family,” “telling the parents to prepare healthy food,” “outcome expectancy for eating rice sufficiently,” “self-efficacy for eating rice sufficiently,” “motivation for diet-related learning,” and “the frequency of eating snacks after exercise.”
Conclusions: Dietary education programs for elementary school children who participate in sports activities need to set goals for encouraging specific eating behavior that enhances the students' preparation factors and for planning interventions that include sports activity.

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Objective: To investigate the situations and utilization of the published reports describing dietary intake quantitatively in infants and young children, which contains useful information for observation of transition about dietary intake, development of dietary reference intakes and exposure assessment of chemical contaminants in foods.
Methods: We searched applicable articles published during the first issue-2010 on Eiyougaku-Zasssi, Nihon-Eiyou-Syokuryou-Gakkaishi and Syouni-Hoken-Kenkyu (searched by hand). We systematically collected relevant articles that were published in other journals from the Igaku-Chuo-Zassi and MEDLINE databases.
Results: We selected 25 articles in which nutrient intake and/or food intake were described (hand searched, 21; from Igaku-Chuo-Zassi, 3; from MEDLINE, 0; and from references cited in other articles, 1). Specifically, nutrient and food intake were described in 15 articles, and either of them was described in 10 articles. Twenty articles were published before 2003. Overall, 19 articles focused on young children and 6, on infants. Three articles contained unclear descriptions of the methods of nutrition survey and the grouping of food items.
Conclusions: There were quite a small number of the articles which studied on dietary intake in infants and young children, and the recent publications of the articles were fewer. It will be necessary to promote the reports being easily accessible and demonstrating the basic data, resynthesize for adjust and analyze in which the meta analysis.

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Objective: The purpose of this study was to develop items for measuring the competency of registered dietitian students before they graduated from their training institution, by obtaining information regarding practical expertise and skill requirements.
Methods: We reviewed the literature regarding domestic and international competency models and prepared a Japanese registered dietitian's competency model, which had a 3-layer structure: A, elementary; B, general; and C, occupational. The practical expertise required before graduation was determined as follows: For the primary data extraction, an expert panel from each occupational field (i.e., clinical nutrition, public health nutrition, and food service management) determined the competency items relevant to layers A-C of the model. For the second data extraction, cards containing all the primary extraction items were prepared and reclassified into layers A-C by eliminating and integrating concepts and content common to each occupational area. For the final data extraction, items that were particularly important were extracted from the second extraction items, which were needed before graduation, and adopted as competency measurement items.
Results: We extracted 582 items during the primary data extraction and 124 items during the second data extraction. On final extraction, 40 items were adopted for measuring the competency of registered dietitian students before graduation. The items were divided into the following categories: A, elementary competency (4 items: values, self-confidence, motivation, and attitude); B, general competency (29 items: practical expertise was considered as a particularly important item for judging the registered dietitian's performance); and C, occupational competency (7 items: a minimum level of specialized practical experience in public nutrition, clinical nutrition, and in food service fields was considered particularly important).
Conclusion: We adopted a Japanese registered dietitian's competency model and developed items for measuring the competency of registered dietitian students before graduation by using expert panels. In future studies, we will evaluate the competency level of senior students and use this competency model to analyze the factors required for achieving improved professional performance.

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Objective: To analyze the physical properties of green tea, milk, orange juice, and miso soup thickened with starch-based, guar gum-based, xanthan gum-based, and other thickeners and categorize these thickeners based on their effects on the physical properties of foods.
Methods: Thickened solutions were prepared by dissolving 15 types of thickeners into 4 foods, and their viscosities and textures were measured. Five indexes—viscosity, viscosity variances at 10 and 120 min after the addition of thickeners, initial viscosity increase rate (vis-IR), and adhesiveness—were calculated from the measured values. Principle component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CLA) were performed using these 5 indexes.
Results: The viscosity of each food was higher with guar gum-based thickeners than with other thickeners. Viscosity variances were dependent on the food/thickener combination. Vis-IR varied depending on the food type. Green tea, for example, had a higher vis-IR for xanthan gum-based thickeners, while orange juice had a higher vis-IR for starch-based thickeners. Adhesiveness was greatest for starch-based thickeners regardless of the food type. The distribution of thickeners based on the PCA of each of the 4 foods did not match their classification based on thickening ingredients. However, the CLA obtained using the 5 indexes of all the 4 foods as explanatory variables showed that the thickeners clustered according to their thickening ingredients.
Conclusion: Categorization of commercial thickeners based on their effects on the physical properties of foods varies depending on the food type. Therefore, it is important to select thickeners appropriate for a particular food type and purpose.

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Objective: This study aimed to elucidate the knowledge and skills of cooking required by national registered dietitians working in hospitals.
Methods: We selected 58 national registered dietitians working in 22 hospitals. The questionnaire comprised 30 questions based on the standard of questions asked during the national registered dietitian exam.
Results: Over 90% of the subjects answered “required” or “maybe required” for 28 questions. We also evaluated whether the experience of working in the hospital may influence the knowledge and the skills for cooking required by national registered dietitians. Comparison of 4 groups classified by one's experience per decade; 1~9 years, 10~19 years, 20~29 years, and >30 years. No significant difference was observed for this comparison. Comparison of 3 groups classified by one's experience before or after amendment of the curriculum of the national registered dietitian training colleges; 1~4 years, 5~19 years, and >20 years. The requirement for “Experiential understanding of changing of nutrients by cook (experiment of cooking science)” was recognized more by the 5~19 year group than by the >20 year group (p < 0.05). The requirement for “Food composition” was recognized more by the 5~19 year (p < 0.05) and >20 year (p < 0.05) groups than by the 1~4 year group.
Conclusions: In order to master the basic knowledge and the skills of cooking, the national registered dietitian exam should be mandatory to maintain the professionalism of national registered dietitians working in hospitals. The knowledge and skills of cooking required by national registered dietitians working in hospitals are influenced by one's experience.

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