The Journal of Japan Mibyou System Association

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Objective: This study served to clarify the effect of coping on physical and mental health in Lazarus's stress theory.
Methods: The participants were faculty of medicine and health sciences students. The 1, 330 participants completed the Way of Coping Check List Scale (WCCL) and the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form (MOS SF-36) self-administered questionnaire. The numeric data was analyzed using JMP IN Ver. 5 to calculate frequencies. Compensation was made by reducing the alpha significance level for statistical analyses from 0.05.
Results: The analysis was based on the results of 1, 164 participants who completed the survey. The physical component summary (PCS) and the mental component summary (MCS) were an object variable. The problem-focused coping (Pr) and emotion-focused coping (Em) were an explanatory variable. In addition a multiple regression analysis was conducted. As a result of having examined the significance of the standardized partial regression coefficient, the relation between the influence on as opposed to PCS and MCS in Pr and Em, the Em (p<0.0001) significantly affected the PCS, and resulted in a negative relation. Both the Pr (p<0.0001) and Em (p<0.0001) had a significant effect on the MCS. In particular, the Pr affected a positive relation and the Em affected a negative relation.
Conclusion: The results suggest that the Pr does not influence PCS, but it promotes MCS. In addition, the Em lowers both of the PCS and MCS.

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The roots of sugar beets are used for the ingredients of sugar. However, the other parts of sugar beets are unused. The aim of this study was to investigate the usefulness of powder of leaves and stems of sugar beet (SB) as dietary fiber, because SB contains 35.3% dietary fiber. The effects of SB on cecal fermentation were examined in rats fed 3% cellulose diet, 8.7% SB diet, or 17.4% SB diet for 21 days. The same amount of dietary fiber were contained in the cellulose and 8.7% SB diets. Cecal organic acids, and acetate and butyrate concentrations in cecal contents were significantly higher in the 8.7% SB diet than those in the cellulose diet, and plasma cholesterol and (LDL + VLDL) -cholesterol concentrations were significantly lower in the 8.7% SB diet than those in the cellulose diet. In other hand, 17.4% SB diet strengthened the effects of SB on cecal organic acids and plasma cholesterol concentration. However, dose dependency of SB was not detected in food intake, energy intake, and fecal excretion. Food intake and energy in-take were significantly lower in 17.4% SB diet than that fed 8.7% SB diet, and fecal excretion was significantly higher in 17.4% SB diet than that fed the 8.7% SB diet. These results suggest that suitable quantity of SB in diet might promote cecal fermentation. In addition, SB might improve life-style-related diseases by decreasing plasma cholesterol.

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Background & aim: Many middle-aged and older women are seriously afflicted by general malaise, or menopausal fatigue, leading to a variety of quality of life issues. The aim of this trial was to test the nutritional effects of tablets containing primarily royal jelly and theanine on the sensation of fatigue and other menopausal symptoms.
Methods: Sixty menopausal women, ranging from 40 to 60 years of age, were randomly divided into two groups. The subjects in the RTG12 group were given tablets (RTG12) containing royal jelly and theanine or placebo tablets on a daily basis for 4 weeks. During the test period, they took three tablets twice a day after breakfast and dinner.
Results: Vasomotor symptoms, as described by Kupperman, were significantly improved at two weeks (p<0.01) and four weeks (p<0.01) in the RTG12 group.
In addition, the sensation of fatigue (the sum total score of four items: malaise ; weakness fatigue ; stiff shoulders, arthralgia, myalgia ; and headache) was significantly improved at two weeks (p<0.05) and four weeks (p<0.05) in the eleven subjects of the group who had been suffering from general fatigue and depression.
Conclusion: These results suggest that RTG12 tablets composed primarily of royal jelly and theanine alleviated the sensation of fatigue symptoms and vasomotor symptoms among the subjects with menopausal syndrome. Thus it has been demonstrated that RTG12 tablets improve the QOL of menopausal women.

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