The effect of Benitenshi sweet potatoes on defecation and gut microbiota was examined in 22 female university students. The study included 4 experimental periods and lasted 4 weeks. The first week was the control period; the students consumed 300 g, 0 g, and 100 g of Benitenshi during the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th weeks, respectively. Dietary fiber in peeled Benitenshi was estimated to be 2.9 g per 100 g after heat-treatment at 200-210℃ for 1 hour. Fecal weight was measured in comparison to a wood cube. Subjetive bowel condition and abdominal distention were assessed using 4-score questionnaires. For measurement of microbiota, fresh fecal samples were collected on the last day of each experimental period. Gut microbiota was analyzed by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) . The results showed that fecal weight was 1.6 times higher after ingestion of 300 g of Benitenshi and 1.5 times higher after ingestion of 100 g, compared with the control period. Defecation frequency was also significantly increased after intakes of 300 g compared with intake during the control period. Bowel condition and ease of defecation were improved with an intake of 300 g, and abdominal distention did not change. In addition, increased Benitenshi intake significantly increased the levels of the operational taxonomic unit, A58, which contained Faecalibacterium sp. These findings suggest that Benitenshi intake might improve bowel condition and gut microbiota without abdominal distention.

Where weights and ingredients of dishes are unknown, standardized recipes (SRs) are prepared in dietary consumption studies, including the National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHNS) , Japan. To appraise the validity of SRs as a dietary assessment tool, we computed nutrient contents according to weighed dietary records for the dishes actually consumed by the community-dwelling elderly, in comparison with those calculated using SRs adopted for the NHNS. We computed 11 percentile values (3rd, 10th, . . .90th, and 97th percentiles) for the selected nutrients of the 21 most frequently consumed dishes. Nutrient contents using SRs were evaluated adopting agreement rates (the number of percentiles located within the range of ±20％ of SRs) and robust statistics z-scores. The mean agreement rate was 22.3％, ranging from 10.9％ (nimono) to 50.0％ (curry and rice) , and the figures for side dishes were lower than those for other dish groups, including principal/staple food and main dishes. The estimated robust z-scores of the SRs were mostly less than ±1.0. The validity of SRs was substantially high, and thus SRs may be applicable as a dietary database for dishes consumed by the elderly. However, because the actual dishes varied greatly, further validation studies of SRs are warranted.

Brown rice (BR) contains various micronutrients and functional components, and is thought to be effective for prevention of obesity and lifestyle-related diseases. However, BR is not widely consumed, possibly due to its poor taste qualities. Therefore, we performed an exploratory randomized crossover trial involving two 4-week periods to compare the eating duration and palatability of partially abraded BR (PABR) , which is a form that has been processed to improve its taste, with those of BR. Ten healthy subjects (4 men and 6 women) aged 40‐64 years were recruited, and were asked to keep a record of their food intake during the study. At the baseline and end of the study, anthropometric measurements, sampling of fasting blood and a questionnaire survey were performed. None of the participants dropped out of the study in either of the two periods. PABR was judged to be more palatable than BR by 80％ of the subjects. The predicted continuous eating duration score for PABR tended to be higher than that for BR (p＝0.068) .

Japanese athletes have made a spectacular showing in masters sports in recent years. The present study aimed to clarify the dietary intakes of the oldest Japanese world record holders of master sports. The subjects were the oldest Japanese male world M 100 record holder for the 100-m sprint (102 years old) and the oldest Japanese female world W95 record holder for swimming (98 years old) . We measured their height, weight and percentage body fat. Furthermore, we examined their dietary intake by the weighing method and calculated their daily nutrient intake, food consumption and nutrient density using the nutritional calculation software Excel Eiyoukun version 6.0 (Kenpakusha, Tokyo, Japan) . The daily energy intake of the male athlete was 1,432 kcal, and that of the female athlete was 1,691 kcal. Protein intake in the male athlete was 48.4 g (1.12 g/kg body weight) , and that in the female athlete was 75.8 g (1.63 g/kg body weight) . The nutrient intakes in the male athlete were lower than those for younger old-olds, but were higher than those for non-athletes of the same age. The nutrients except for vitamin B₁₂ intake in the female athlete were lower than for older elderly elite athletes, but the intakes of many nutrients by the female athlete were higher than those revealed in the Nutrition Examination Survey of people aged 75 years and older.