Trace Nutrients Research
Online ISSN : 2436-6617
Print ISSN : 1346-2334
Volume 30
Displaying 1-21 of 21 articles from this issue
Original Article
  • Yukari Muramoto, Momoko Yaeo, Motoko Matsui, Kimiko Ohtani
    2013 Volume 30 Pages 1-6
    Published: December 10, 2013
    Released on J-STAGE: May 26, 2023
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    The possibility of the estimation of nutritional balance using color analysis of photographs of food dishes was investigated in the case of salad. A total of 78 photographs of different salad varieties obtained from a recipe book and recipe website were analyzed. The ingredients of each salad were painted with 10 different colors and the area % of each color was calculated using the Feelimage Analyzer (VIVA Computer Ltd.). The weight average food composition was determined for each color using recipes indicating trace nutrients and dietary fiber. The amounts of ingredients estimated by color analyses were corrected using correlation equations obtained from the correlation analyses between the amount of nutrients estimated from the area % of the color and the amounts calculated per 100 g of salad from the recipe. The estimated nutrient content obtained using the weight average food composition for each color was then compared with those calculated per 100 g of salad based on the recipe. Of the 78 varieties of salad analyzed, in more than 50 % of cases the contents of potassium, dietary fiber, vitamin B1 and phosphorus could be estimated to within ±30 % of those calculated from recipe. In order to validate this method, an additional three varieties of salad were analyzed. While the possibility of the evaluation of nutritional balance using color analysis of salad photographs was suggested by the results of this study, an increase in accuracy to estimate the amounts of ingredients and the weight average food composition for each color will be required.

    Download PDF (923K)
  • Masahiro Yuasa, Tomomi Hashimoto, Kimi Matsumoto, Hiromi Sawamura, Tom ...
    2013 Volume 30 Pages 7-12
    Published: December 10, 2013
    Released on J-STAGE: May 26, 2023
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    After disaster, relief foods and food storage meals are served. However, in the temporary shelters, it is known that the nutrition intake from these foods is not sufficient for victims. Therefore, a dietary goal for energy, protein, vitamin B1, vitamin B2 and vitamin C for dietary reference intake after disasters was presented by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in Japan. However, it was reported that the vitamin intake was not sufficient in the shelters, because the serving meals were mostly staple food (rice or breads). At that time, we developed vitamin-enriched bread for vitamin intake in the shelters. In this study, we examined the effects on vitamin status by taking meals to temporary shelters. Also, the usefulness of vitamin-enriched bread for improvement of vitamin nutrition was determined. Subjects were 10 women, aged 20 years old. The total experimental period lasted 10 days; stage 1 was the first 5 days, and stage 2 was the remaining of 5 days. Experimental diets, which were the same as the menus in the shelters, were prepared. Also, the main of daily breakfast course in stage 2 was substituted for vitamin-enriched bread. On the 1st, 5th and 10th days, blood and urine were collected. The vitamin B1, vitamin B2 and vitamin C concentrations were determined by HPLC. On the 5th day, the level of vitamin B1 and vitamin C in the blood and urine decreased compared to the 1st day. On the 10th day, the level of vitamin B2 and vitamin C in the blood and vitamin B1, vitamin B2 and vitamin C in the urine increased compared to the 5th day. From these findings, it is suggested that the diet vitamin distributions were not sufficient for maintaining a balanced nutrition and health condition of the victims, and vitamin-enriched bread is effective for improvement of vitamin nutrition intake.

    Download PDF (888K)
  • Keiko Murakami, Yoshitaka Hosokawa, Masataka Yoshino
    2013 Volume 30 Pages 13-16
    Published: December 10, 2013
    Released on J-STAGE: May 26, 2023
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    5-Aminosalicylate (mesalazine) and 4-aminosalicylate (PAS) are used for treatment of ulcerative colitis and for tuberculosis, respectively. Biological effects of these compounds were analyzed in relation to the generation of reactive oxygen species. 5-Aminosalicylate/iron complex inactivated aconitase, the most sensitive enzyme to oxidative stress. The inactivation required cyanide, an inhibitor of Cu/Zn SOD and cytochrome c oxidase, indicating that this compound can generate superoxide anion radical as a principal product. 5-Aminosalicylate stimulated the autooxidation of Fe2+ suggesting that this compound promoted the activation of dioxygen molecule by reduced iron. Salicylate and 4-amino-salicylate were ineffective on aconitase activity and did not stimulate the autooxidation. Cellular damage by 5-amino-salicylate can be partially explained by its transition metal complex-mediated generation of reactive oxygen species.

    Download PDF (739K)
  • Ryota Hosomi, Aoi Shimoji, Shinnosuke Noguchi, Kenji Fukunaga, Munehir ...
    2013 Volume 30 Pages 17-20
    Published: December 10, 2013
    Released on J-STAGE: May 26, 2023
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    Iron deficiency is a nutritional problem globally. Iron deficiency anemia is the most common form of nutritional anemia. An alternative approach to food enrichment with iron that has possible applications is cooking using an iron pot. When food is cooked using an iron pot, the iron content in the diet increases. However, no information is available concerning the amount of iron eluted when cooking in irons pots used for different periods of time and the surface chemical state of these pots. In this study, we evaluated the amount of iron eluted when cooking using new and old iron pots, and the elemental composition and chemical state of the surface of a new iron pot by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. At first, the amount of iron eluted when cooking in an old iron pot was higher than in a new iron pot. However, the amount of iron eluted when cooking in a new iron pot was increased with increasing use of a new iron pot. Further studies are needed to resolve these contradictory results on the amount of iron eluted when cooking with iron pots for different periods of time. The surface composition of a new iron pot was predominantly iron oxides/hydroxides, and the white-colored area on the surface of an iron pot only contained the Fe metal and carbide.

    Download PDF (1162K)
  • Akane Yamamoto, Shozo Tomonaga, Masayuki Funaba, Tohru Matsui
    2013 Volume 30 Pages 21-26
    Published: December 10, 2013
    Released on J-STAGE: May 26, 2023
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    Excessive action of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor is induced by magnesium deficiency, which causes oxidative stress and inflammation in the heart. In the present study, we examined the effect of an NMDA receptor antagonist (dizocilpine, MK-801) on the hepatic oxidative stress and inflammatory response induced by magnesium deficiency in rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups of six rats as a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement (control and magnesium deficiency, and MK-801 and placebo treatment). The experiment was conducted for one week. Hepatic level of reactive oxygen species was increased by magnesium deficiency but MK-801 administration did not affect the level of reactive oxygen species. Magnesium deficiency increased the hepatic mRNA levels of Mac-1 and CD45 expressed by leukocyte-related cells such as macrophage, monocyte and neutrophil, and the mRNA level of Mcpt1 expressed by mast cells but MK-801 administration did not affect the increased levels of these mRNA by magnesium deficiency. As a conclusion, the excessive action of NMDA receptor was unlikely to be involved in hepatic oxidative stress and inflammatory response induced by magnesium deficiency in rats

    Download PDF (737K)
  • Kimi Matsumoto, Munehiro Yoshida, Hiromi Sawamura, Toshiaki Watanabe
    2013 Volume 30 Pages 27-30
    Published: December 10, 2013
    Released on J-STAGE: May 26, 2023
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    “Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan” is revised every 5 year. In the revision in 2010, the content of 5 micronutrients in foods such as iodine, selenium, chromium, molybdenum, and biotin were newly listed. The dietary reference intakes of these micronutrients have already set in Dietary Reference Allowance for Japanese, 6th revision published in 2000. However, to our knowledge, there are not many reports about the intake of these micronutrients in Japan. Therefore, we conducted to analyze the contents of these micronutrients, especially iodine and selenium in foods and estimate the daily intake of micronutrients in the hospital and the prison by two dietary surveys. The menu of meals served in these facilities were planned by the registered dietitian, in which the estimated daily intake of micronutrients on average was calculated from the master menu for 1 week by using the commercial soft “Excel Eiyokun” (menu value). Also common meals for adults and infant meals for a baby were collected in the hospital and in the prison for 7days on June to July in 2011. The content of iodine and selenium in these meals was analyzed by ICP-MS (analyzed value). The difference in the dietary intake of iodine and selenium in these facilities was compared between in the analyzed value and menu value. In the daily iodine intake, the menu value was high in both the hospital and prison. As iodine is contained in seaweed at the high concentration, the group mean of iodine was increased in the algae. However, dried laver seaweed “nori”, brown seaweed “wakame” with a low concentration contains was included in this group as well. So, it is suggested that the interviewing about the amount used and the kind of foods relevant to seaweed is needed to estimate the daily intake of iodine from the menu. As for the daily intake of selenium, the analytical value was as close as that the menu value. However there was a large variation within days which is in part due to using or not using fishes and eggs in the menu. These findings suggest that it is necessary to know the characteristic of each micronutrient in the cooking for calculating of the daily intake.

    Download PDF (737K)
  • Shin-nosuke Noguchi, Noriko Yukawa, Kenji Fukunaga, Toshimasa Nishiyam ...
    2013 Volume 30 Pages 31-34
    Published: December 10, 2013
    Released on J-STAGE: May 26, 2023
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    To examine a contribution of low phosphorus (P) status to high serum calcium (Ca) and variation of hepatic or renal trace element (iron (Fe), zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu)) contents of rats administered lanthanum (La), male 8-week Wistar rats were fed AIN93M diet (control diet; P content, 3 mg/g), a low-P AIN93M diet (low P diet; P content, 1.5 mg/g) or AIN93M diet supplemented with La carbonate (La-supplemented diet; La content, 9 mg/g) for 4 weeks, and Ca in the serum and femur, P in the serum, femur and feces and Fe, Zn and Cu in the liver and kidney were determined. The La administration increased fecal P excretion, caused the lowest luminal P absorption and induced hypophosphatemia. Lowered serum P was also observed in rats fed the low-P diet. Significantly higher serum Ca was observed in rats fed the low-P diet or the La-supplemented diet compared to those fed the control diet. Femur Ca and P were significantly decreased in rats fed the La-supplemented diet than those fed the low-P diet or the control diet. Compared to the control rats, rats fed the low-P diet or the La-supplemented diet showed significantly lower renal copper concentration. These results indicate that low P status contributed to the high serum calcium and low renal copper levels in rats administered La, and that the high serum Ca was caused by acceleration of bone resorption in response to the hypophosphatemia induced by La administration.

    Download PDF (701K)
  • Mariko Ishiguro, Aki Takizawa, Kaho Fujino, Risa Onuki, Yurika Goto, S ...
    2013 Volume 30 Pages 35-40
    Published: December 10, 2013
    Released on J-STAGE: May 26, 2023
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is one of the catechin (natural polyphenols) that is present in green tea, and has many biological functions. Some studies reported that EGCG suppresses food intake and decreases the body weight of mice and rats. However, there is no data regarding the effects of EGCG on the hypothalamic feeding center. We investigated whether EGCG could modulate the gene expression of feeding-regulatory peptides in the hypothalamus. In addition, we examined how EGCG affects peripheral secretion of these peptides. C57BL/6j mice were divided into two groups: one group was injected intraperitoneally with 200 μg of EGCG daily for 9 days, and the other group was injected with saline. The body weight and food intake were measured every day. On the last day of the experiment, blood, epididymal white adipose tissue (EWAT), brown adipose tissue (BAT), and hypothalamus were collected. Concentrations of insulin, leptin, ghrelin, and GLP-1 in plasma were determined using EIA. The mRNA expression levels of NPY and POMC in the hypothalamus, leptin in EWAT, and uncoupling proteins (UCP-1, -2, and -3) in BAT were measured using real-time RT-PCR.

    Food intake was significantly reduced by EGCG Day 1-3 onwards, but the body weight of the EGCG group was not different from that of the control group. Leptin concentration in plasma was significantly decreased by EGCG, but there were no differences in plasma concentrations of insulin, ghrelin, and GLP-1 between the groups. Also, mRNA levels of NPY and leptin increased 2-fold and decreased by one third, respectively, in the EGCG group. The mRNA levels of POMC and UCPs were not altered by EGCG. These results suggest that EGCG can suppress satiety and stimulate appetite. The suppression of feeding by EGCG observed in this study may be caused by the toxicity of EGCG, especially the toxicity resulting from its antibacterial action mediated by free radicals.

    Download PDF (838K)
  • Shin Harumatsu, Suguru Fukuda, Hiroyuki Matsui, Yoshikazu Matsuda
    2013 Volume 30 Pages 41-43
    Published: December 10, 2013
    Released on J-STAGE: May 26, 2023
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    Glutathione is found in various tissues and plays an important role in terms of anti-oxidant effects and drug metabolism. In a previous study, we reported that oyster extract enhanced glutathione in rat hippocampus.

    Acetaminophen has been extensively used as an analgesic. However, it has been reported that an overdose of it caused serious hepatic damage. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine whether oyster extract inhibits hepatic damage due to acetaminophen.

    In serum, the administration of oyster extract tended to suppress up-regulation of AST and ALT with acetaminophen. In liver, the administration of oyster extract increased total glutathione. In addition, it suppressed the downregulation of glutathione with acetaminophen.

    These results indicate that oyster extract inhibits hepatic damage due to acetaminophen.

    Download PDF (741K)
  • Takatsugu Maekawa, Ayaka Kozai, Atsuko Iizuka, Kimi Matsumoto, Hiromi ...
    2013 Volume 30 Pages 44-47
    Published: December 10, 2013
    Released on J-STAGE: May 26, 2023
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    Dashi has been used in various dishes for many years, and has made our eating habits rich. In Japan, marine products, such as dried bonito, dried sardines and sea-weed, have been used as materials of a natural seasoning. In particular, the dried bonito is widely used as a special cooking ingredient which contains “Umami.” We studied the difference between Japanese and Chinese people in the threshold of five tastes (sweet, salty, acidity, bitter taste, and Umami), food preferences and the palatability of the “Dashi”. The surveys of the taste were conducted with 19 young people (21.0 ± 0.2) and 32 middle-aged and elderly people (64.0 ± 1.3) in Japan, and with 20 young people of Jiangsu, and 20 middle-aged and elderly people (46.0 ± 1.3) of Zhejiang in China. As for the taste threshold, although the bitter taste had a significant difference between Japan and China, a significant difference was not found concerning the other four tastes. In a food preference survey, the consistency of the foods which Chinese eat willingly was heavy and thick compared to Japanese people. As for the palatability of the Dashi, the Chinese soup (n = 15) was 4.78 ± 2.28% in Brix, 1.09 ± 0.38% in salty, and the Japanese soup (n = 25) was 4.32 ± 1.04% , and 0.81 ± 0.15% , respectively. The Brix and salt concentration of the Chinese soup were higher than Japan’s. These results demonstrated that the taste characteristics between Japanese and Chinese foods and the taste preferences of Chinese and Japanese people are different, although a large difference in the tastes other than bitter taste was not found in the taste threshold between Japanese and Chinese people.

    Download PDF (970K)
  • Kotaro Suzuki, Toru Nonomura, Noriyuki Yamazaki, Hisaaki Takahashi, Hi ...
    2013 Volume 30 Pages 48-51
    Published: December 10, 2013
    Released on J-STAGE: May 26, 2023
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    Oyster is an old worldwide food containing abundant nutritional elements including many kinds of minerals such as zinc, nucleic acid, glycogen, and amino acids. It is reported that Oyster extract exhibits several physiological activities in experimental animals. Recently, we reported that Oyster extract enhanced hippocampus glutathione levels in rats. In general, glutathione is known as an antioxidant. On the other hand, Oxidative stress is a key factor of pathogenesis of dementia and Parkinson’s disease. This time, we investigated effect of Oyster extract by experimental Alzheimer-type dementia model of mouse and 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced experimental parkinsonism model of mouse.

    As a result, on experimental Alzheimer-type dementia model, Oyster extract tended to exert moderation effect on deficit memory in mice administered for 14 days or 28 days. Furthermore, on MPTP-induced experimental parkinsonism model, Oyster extract tended to exert moderation effect on parkinsonism in mice administered for 11 days.

    Download PDF (805K)
  • Masayuki Katayama, Motohiro Kasama, Yohko Sugawa-Katayama
    2013 Volume 30 Pages 52-57
    Published: December 10, 2013
    Released on J-STAGE: May 26, 2023
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    In an attempt to study the accumulation processes of nutritionally important as well as ecologically unavoidable minerals in growing Hijiki (Sargassum fusiforme (Harvey) Setchell ** ) plants, tissue concentrations of calcium and arsenic were determined. Hijiki plants were harvested in several stages of their growth from November through April. Fresh plants were washed thoroughly and cut at a length of 10 cm along the stalk from the bottom to the top of the plants. The leaves and stalks were separated, weighed and stored at -40°C until freeze-dried. Arsenic was determined by HPLC-ICP-MS analysis after extraction of the samples with a HNO3 solution, and calcium was determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry in a 1M HCl solution containing strontium chloride, after ashing the samples with a mixture of conc. H2SO4-conc. HNO3 on an electric furnace. The distribution of arsenic concentrations showed a correlation with those of calcium during growth of Hijiki plants, in contrast to the correlations between arsenic and zinc, which correlated only in the earlier stages of growth, although these correlations were not so evident as found between manganese and zinc concentrations.

    ** Newly proposed taxonomic name of Hizikia fusiforme Okam.1)

    Download PDF (1369K)
  • Yukiko Sumida, Mieko Kawamura
    2013 Volume 30 Pages 58-63
    Published: December 10, 2013
    Released on J-STAGE: May 26, 2023
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    Focusing on magnesium (Mg), insulin, and the neurotransmitter serotonin, we conducted an animal experiment on serotonin secretion in the brain under the conditions of continuous intake of Mg-deficient diet both with and without intake of sweetener solution, which has been shown to affect insulin metabolism.

    Experimental animals comprised 5 or 6-weeks male ddY mice. As Mg-deficient diet groups, AIN-93G Mg-deficient diet was given accompanied by the following solutions: 1 distilled water; 2 sucrose; 3 aspartame; 4 stevioside; 5 minerals-trehalose; or 6 trehalose. As controls, groups corresponding to the Mg-deficient diet groups 1 through 6 were set using AIN-93G diet. Each diet was provided ad libitum, and each sweetener solution was prepared to have a sweetness level of 10% . Levels of serotonin and protein in the brain were then measured.

    As a result, under the present experimental conditions, continuous intake of Mg-deficient diet tended to reduce serotonin levels in the brains of mice. The present findings also suggest a tendency for this phenomenon to be promoted with simultaneous continuous intake of sweetener solution.

    Download PDF (964K)
  • Toshiaki Watanabe, Atsushi Fukushima, Kimi Matsumoto, Hiromi Sawamura, ...
    2013 Volume 30 Pages 64-73
    Published: December 10, 2013
    Released on J-STAGE: May 26, 2023
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    We determined the biotin content in hospital meals using different dietary surveys such as “food group calculation survey” and “duplicate meals survey,” to estimate the dietary intake of biotin in patients. As for hospital meals, the daily average biotin contents for 10 days calculated by the food group calculation survey were 19.4 μg/day in meals for infants, 45.5 μg/day in meals for children, 52.8 μg /day in meals for pregnant/lactating women, and 56.7 μg/day in common meals for adults. The average contents of biotin for 10 days by the duplicate meals survey were 9.7 μg/ day in meals for infants, 41.6 μg/day in meals for children, 34.2 μg /day in meals for pregnant/lactating women and 41.9 μg/day in common meals for adults. The common meals contained basic and standard cooking ingredients and balanced with Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) for adult patients. The average intake of biotin in common meals for adults in the hospital exceeded the Adequate Intake (AI) (50 μg/day) for adults via the food group calculation survey, but was not sufficient in meals for adults and pregnant/lactating women by the duplicate meals survey. It is necessary to be careful about the kinds of foods and the method of cooking the ingredients when the biotin intake for hospital patients is calculated using the hospital menu sheet.

    Download PDF (701K)
  • Kaoru Yoshida, Maki Kiriki, Yuko Kubota, Yui Joko, Mari Kitamura
    2013 Volume 30 Pages 74-78
    Published: December 10, 2013
    Released on J-STAGE: May 26, 2023
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    Trace elements, such as zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), cupper (Cu) and manganese (Mn) are essential elements but excess amounts of these elements are known to cause many neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Some supplements of botanical or animal origin contained high concentrations of Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn and aluminium (Al). The risk of excessive intake of Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn and Al is increased by trace elements in food and in dietary supplements.

    We conducted a questionnaire survey to investigate the use of dietary supplements and dietary habits in 322 young, middle-aged, and older adults. 44.2% of men and 60.6% of women subjects were using or had used supplements. The half of women over 50 years old was using supplements. Supplement users had more healthy eating habits than the non-users. 73.2% of the dietary supplement users took the supplements every day. Many current users were taking supplements of botanical or animal origin. These results suggest that the risk of excessive intake of the trace elements is caused by taking food plus botanical or animal origin supplements.

    Download PDF (1092K)
  • Satomi Nomura, Noriyuki Furutani, Kimiko Ohtani, Yukari Muramoto, Moto ...
    2013 Volume 30 Pages 79-85
    Published: December 10, 2013
    Released on J-STAGE: May 26, 2023
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    Tambaguro (cv. Shin-Tamba-Guro) harvested in Kyoto prefecture is very popular not only in its large size but the palatability. The yellow soybean, ‘Kyo-Shiro-Tamba’, has been obtained under improvement of Tambaguro. In this study, the characterization of ‘Kyo-Shiro-Tamba’ was performed by comparing with those of other varieties of Tamba black soybean. As results, ‘Kyo-Shiro-Tamba’ is shown to be less contents in free amino acids and free sugars but superior in the rheological properties and sensory evaluation, which meant that ‘Kyo-Shiro-Tamba’ had wide processing characteristics.

    Download PDF (1257K)
  • Terumi Aiba, Motoko Matsui, Keiko Tomita, Kimiko Ohtani
    2013 Volume 30 Pages 86-92
    Published: December 10, 2013
    Released on J-STAGE: May 26, 2023
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    The effects of “cooking within the living unit” (CWLU) in “unit care type special nursing homes for the elderly” on resident’s physical status and quality of life (QOL) have been clarified in previous reports. Although there is a good appreciation for CWLU, actual implementation is often seen to be difficult. The purpose of this study was to clarify the present condition of the dietary environment in the unit care type nursing home in comparison with that in the conventional type. We conducted a questionnaire study with dietitians at special nursing homes for the elderly in the Kinki district in 2009. It was suggested that the unit care type was more like a home because of greater freedom in the dietary environment, and a higher number of residents had the opportunity to converse among themselves and with the staff while eating. When considering the dietary environment for the improvement of nutritional status and QOL of residents in the unit care type special nursing homes for the elderly, it is important to develop nursing methods that make effective use of facilities such as CWLU. In addition, it is necessary to increase the number of staff in order to perform individual care more effectively and sufficiently.

    Download PDF (578K)
  • Ayumi Mukama, Munehiro Yoshida
    2013 Volume 30 Pages 93-96
    Published: December 10, 2013
    Released on J-STAGE: May 26, 2023
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    To examine intra- and inter-individual variation of urinary selenium, molybdenum and iodine concentration, a spot sample of morning urine was continuously collected from 12 healthy Japanese young adults (7 males and 5 females) for seven days and selenium, molybdenum and iodine in these urine samples were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Minimum, mean, median, geometrical mean and maximum values (μg/g creatinine) for the all samples were as follows: selenium, 18, 36, 35, 34 and 72, respectively; molybdenum, 14, 69, 57, 57 and 206, respectively; iodine, 15, 160, 89, 99 and 1105, respectively. Coefficients of variation for the all samples were estimated to be 27.8% for selenium, 83.8% for molybdenum and 118.1% for iodine. Ratios of intra- to inter-variance were calculated as 1.88 for selenium, 2.32 for molybdenum and 2.58 for iodine. These results indicate that the variation of urinary iodine was higher than that of selenium or molybdenum, and the intra-individual variation was higher than the inter-individual variation in urinary selenium, molybdenum and iodine. Based on the logarithmical transformed data, median and 5th to 95th percentile of usual urinary excretion (μg/g creatinine) was estimated to be 37 and 26 to 46 for selenium, 60 and 33 to 110 for molybdenum, and 163 and 31 to 576 for iodine, respectively.

    Download PDF (713K)
Mini Review
  • Akihito Ishigami
    2013 Volume 30 Pages 97-100
    Published: December 10, 2013
    Released on J-STAGE: May 26, 2023
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) is a water-soluble vitamin that functions as an electron donor to reduce the reactive oxygen species. Vitamin C is also a cofactor for numerous biosynthetic enzymes such as prolyl and lysyl hydroxylase for procollagen hydroxylation. Vitamin C is synthesized mainly in the liver of most mammalian species including mice and rats. However, humans, primates, and guinea pigs are unable to synthesize vitamin C in vivo. To clarify the relationships between vitamin C and aging, we developed SMP30/GNL knockout mice which unable to synthesize vitamin C in vivo and found that these knockout mice were shorter in life-span than the wild-type mice when fed vitamin C low diet (about 2.5% a day of vitamin C). Moreover, we also found that an absence or low intake of vitamin C during pregnancy induced multiple abnormalities in the developing tissues of SMP30/GNL knockout mice. Therefore, a diet that supplies an adequate amount of vitamin C is essential to avoid a life-shortening deficiency and to provide optimal conditions for fetal and neonatal health.

    Download PDF (945K)
  • Shigeshi Kikunaga, Kazue Kosaka
    2013 Volume 30 Pages 101-109
    Published: December 10, 2013
    Released on J-STAGE: May 26, 2023
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the zinc nutritional status and the factors associated with ADL (Activities of Daily Living) in the elderly patients in nursing facilities. The Factors correlated with ADL were body mass index (BMI), level of care, grade of bedridden, and grade of cognitive. The estimations of the hematological consistent, physical index, and dietary survey were made based on an examination carried out on a total 55 disabled elderly patients aged from 63 to 100 years old. The obtained results from this study are summarized as follows: 1) The subjects showed low levels of serum zinc, although the intake of zinc was close to the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) level. 2) The four significant positive correlations were found between the serum zinc and the albumin (Alb) and BMI, between the serum Alb and the serum zinc and BMI, between the BMI and the serum zinc and Alb, and between the level of care and the grade of bedridden and grade of cognitive. And also, the two significant inverse correlations were found between the Alb and the grade of bedridden and grade of cognitive, and between the BMI and the level of care, grade of bedridden and grade of cognitive. 3) The BMI, level of care, grade of bedridden, and grade of cognitive of the subjects changed according to the zinc nutritional status. These results suggested that to improve and maintain the ADL in the elderly, it is necessary to increase the levels of zinc and albumin in the serum, and BMI to the reference values of them.

    Download PDF (423K)
  • Minoru Ikeda
    2013 Volume 30 Pages 110-112
    Published: December 10, 2013
    Released on J-STAGE: May 26, 2023
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Download PDF (660K)
feedback
Top