Obesity is a prevalent and complex disease. The prevalence of obesity in Korea increased from 29.7% in 2010 to 35.7% in 2018, with the prevalence of abdominal obesity among Korean adults in 2018 being 23.8%. Obesity contributes to medical costs and socio-economic burden due to associated comorbidities. The treatment and management of obesity is changing and reflects new clinical evidence. The 2020 Korean Society for the Study of Obesity Guideline for the Management of Obesity in Korea summarizes evidence-based recommendations and treatment guidelines.

Objective: In China, a low-fat diet (LFD) is mainly recommended to help improve blood glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, a low-carbohydrate diet (LCD) has been shown to be effective in improving blood glucose levels in America and England. A few studies, primarily randomized controlled trials, have been reported in China as well. Method: Firstly, we designed two ‘six-point formula’ methods, which met the requirements of LCD and LFD, respectively. Fifty-six T2DM patients were recruited and randomly allocated to the LCD group (n = 28) and the LFD group (n = 28). The LCD group received education about LCD’s six-point formula, while the LFD group received education about LFD’s six-point formula. The follow-up time was three months. The indicators for glycemic control and other metabolic parameters were collected and compared between the two groups. Results: Forty-nine patients completed the study. The proportions of calories from three macronutrients the patients consumed met the requirements of LCD and LFD. Compared to the LFD group, there was a greater decrease in HbA1c level in the LCD group (−0.63% vs. −0.31%, p < 0.05). The dosages of insulin and fasting blood glucoses (FBG) in the third month were lower than those at baseline in both groups. Compared with baseline values, body mass index (BMI) and total cholesterol (TC) in the LCD group were significantly reduced in the third month (p < 0.05); however, there were no statistically significant differences in the LFD group. Conclusions: LCD can improve blood glucose more than LFD in Chinese patients with T2DM. It can also regulate blood lipid, reduce BMI, and decrease insulin dose in patients with T2DM. In addition, the six-point formula is feasible, easily operable, and a practical educational diet for Chinese patients with T2DM.

Infant born small for gestational age (SGA) are at increased risk of perinatal morbidity, persistent short stature and metabolic alterations in later life. The result of SGA followed by rapid weight gain during early postnatal life has been associated with increased long-term risks for central obesity, insulin resistance, impaired glucose tolerance, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, increased fat mass, and cardiovascular disease. We should carefully monitor their weight during infancy and childhood to prevent excessive rates of weight gain. ‘Healthy catch up growth’ may decreased the risk of obesity-related comorbidities in SGA. Establishing the optimal growth patterns in SGA to minimize short- and long-term risks is important, and further studies will be needed. This review discusses recent studies concentrating on obesity-related morbidities in SGA infants that may provide insight into growth monitoring.

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Use of both scintigraphy and US results in a more complete depiction of neonatal congenital hypothyroidism than either test alone.

This study identified underlying TSHR and TPO mutations in Korean patients with CH and revealed a possible relationship between imaging findings and mutation status. In addition, the low rate of mutation positivity suggests significant genetic heterogeneity of CH in the Korean population.

In this work, we investigated exposure levels, distribution patterns, and potential harmful impacts of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) on thyroid hormone activity in 26 children with congenital hypothyroidism and their mothers' pair and 12 normal control pairs. The average concentration of PBDEs in congenital hypothyroidism (median: 22.16 ng/g lipid) was higher than in normal controls (median: 14.76 ng/g lipid), but there was no statistical difference between the two groups. The BDE congeners were dominated by penta- to hepta-BDEs, but the greater brominated congeners (e.g., BDE 197, 196, 207, and 208) were relatively abundant in congenital hypothyroidism. BDE 138 was only observed in the congenital hypothyroidism cases. The maternal transfer and transport ratio of individual BDE congeners was shown for BDE 28 (0.588, p < 0.001), BDE 47 (0.564, p < 0.001), BDE 49 (0.712, p < 0.001) and BDE 119 (0.477, p = 0.002). The thyroid hormones were most obviously influenced by the internal exposure to PBDEs in normal mothers, showing a positive relationship with TSH (0.641 with BDE 154; 0.591 with BDE 153) and FT4 (0.584 with BDE 49; 0.572 with BDE 66) and a negative relationship with T3 (-0.577 with BDE 154) in the normal infants group. No significant correlations were observed in the congenital hypothyroidism cases.