Obesity Fact Sheet in Korea, 2019: Prevalence of Obesity and Abdominal Obesity from 2009 to 2018 and Social Factors

Lim

et al. 2020

IJERPH

While exposure to sunlight is a well-documented primary source of vitamin D supply, factors leading to vitamin D deficiency vary according to population characteristics. Using nationwide data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), we aimed to investigate a diverse range of potential factors in association with vitamin D deficiency. Overall, 21,208 participants aged ≥20 years were selected from KNHANES conducted between 2010 and 2014. The associations between various environmental and occupational factors and vitamin D deficiency (defined as serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] < 20 ng/mL) were evaluated in logistic regression models after controlling for potential covariates and also after stratification for age and sex. Under given criteria, 15,138 (71.4%) participants were vitamin D deficient. Significant associations were observed between vitamin D deficiency and average environmental temperature and radiation, weekly walking frequency, type of occupation, and shift work. When participants were stratified by age and sex, we observed greater associations of vitamin D deficiency with walking frequency among young males (odds ratio [OR] and 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.24 [1.05–1.47] for those walking <5 times per week compared to those walking ≥5 times per week) and shift work (OR [95% CI]: 1.40 [1.10–1.78] for those working at night compared to those working during the day). We also observed a significant association of vitamin D deficiency with educational attainment (OR [95% CI]: 1.43 [1.09–1.89] for those with ≤middle school compared to those with ≥high school) among older group of females. This study suggests that vitamin D deficiency is related to geographical conditions and subpopulation characteristics. The age and sex-specific associations may urge the effective promotion of vitamin D supply recommendations.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental and Occupation Factors Associated with Vitamin D Deficiency in Korean Adults: The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2010–2014

Lim

et al. 2020

IJERPH

“…2 According to an obesity fact sheet of Korea, the occurrence of obesity in adults increased from 29.7% in 2009 to 35.7% in 2018. 3 Further, obesity is closely associated with increased risks of various chronic metabolic disorders, including diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension, dyslipidemia, and cardiovascular diseases. 1 According to the diabetes fact sheet in Korea, half of the patients with DM suffer from obesity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Associations Between Vitamin D Receptor BsmI and ApaI Polymorphisms and Obesity in Korean Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Nam¹,

Choi²,

Jeon³

et al. 2021

DMSO

Background: Vitamin D receptor (VDR) polymorphisms are associated with osteoporosis, diabetes, immunological diseases, and cancers. However, the association of obesity with VDR polymorphisms has shown inconsistent results, and perhaps it depends upon the characteristics of a population. Therefore, we evaluated the association between BsmI (rs1544410) and ApaI (rs7975232) polymorphisms of VDR and obesity in Korean patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: A total of 506 patients with T2DM participated in the study. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism was used to analyze BsmI and ApaI polymorphisms; the genotypes were presented as BB, Bb, or bb for BsmI and AA, Aa, or aa for ApaI. Obesity was defined using the body mass index (BMI) with a cutoff level of 25 kg/m 2. Results: The prevalence of obesity was higher in patients with the bb genotype than in those with BB or Bb genotypes (48.4% vs 33.9%, P = 0.031). The mean BMI was 25.2 ± 3.5 kg/m 2 in patients with bb genotype and 24.1 ± 3.1 kg/m 2 in patients with BB or Bb genotypes. Patients with Aa or aa genotypes showed a higher prevalence of obesity than patients with AA genotype (47.6% vs 26.1%, P = 0.043). Glycemic control parameters and lipid profiles did not show significant differences with either polymorphism. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess the association between VDR polymorphisms and obesity in Korean patients with T2DM. Further studies in larger populations and multiethnic cohorts are needed to validate our findings.

“…The fundamental cause of obesity is known to be an imbalance between energy intake and expenditure. However, complex causal factors, including dietary choices, genetic predisposition, environmental factors, and the westernization of lifestyles, also play a role [ 2 ]. A more scientific description of obesity would be that it results from adipose tissue expansion by adipocyte hypertrophy and hyperplasia, especially in preadipocytes, stroma vascular cells, and stem cells.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anti-Obesity and Antidiabetic Effects of Nelumbinis Semen Powder in High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese C57BL/6 Mice

Hwang

Lee

2020

Nutrients

Nelumbinis Semen (NS, the seeds of Nelumbo nucifera) extract is a traditional Korean medicine with anti-oxidant activity. The present study examined the anti-obesity and antidiabetic effects of NS powder in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese C57BL/6 mice. Mice (n = 8/group) were fed a normal diet (CON), HFD, HFD containing 5% NS powder (HFD-NS5%), or HFD containing 10% NS powder (HFD-NS10%) for 12 weeks. Food intake was relatively higher in groups HFD-NS5% and HFD-NS10%, while the food efficiency ratio was highest in group HFD (p < 0.05). HFD-NS5% reduced the body weight (−39.1%) and fat weight (−26.6%), including epididymal fat and perirenal fat, and lowered the serum triglyceride levels (−20.6%) compared with HFD. Groups HFD-NS5% and HFD-NS10% showed hepatoprotective properties, reducing the serum ALT levels (p < 0.05) and fat globules (size and number) in the liver compared with group HFD. HFD-NS5% and HFD-NS10% regulated the blood glucose, improved the glucose intolerance, and showed a 12.5% and 15.0% reduction in the area under the curve (AUC) of intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IPGTT), and a 26.8% and 47.3% improvement in homeostatic model assessment insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), respectively, compared with HFD (p < 0.05). Regarding the expressions of genes related to anti-obesity and antidiabetes, there was a 1.7- and 1.3-fold increase in PPAR-α protein expression, 1.4- and 1.6-fold increase in PPAR-γ protein expression, and 0.7- and 0.6-fold decrease in TNF-α protein expression, respectively, following HFD-NS5% and HFD-NS10% treatments, compared with HFD, and GLUT4 protein expression increased relative to CON (p < 0.05). These results comprehensively provide the fundamental data for NS powder’s functional and health-promoting benefits associated with anti-obesity and antidiabetes.