Search

1. The effect of food collagen, cattle bone collagen-derived (CBC) peptides, on ovariectomy induced increases in blood pressure was examined in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP). 2. Long-term administration of CBC peptides to ovariectomized SHRSP suppressed the hypertension compared with ovariectomized SHRSP fed standard chow. 3. The CBC peptides showed an inhibitory activity (1C50 40 μg/mL) for angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) in vitro. Furthermore, preincubation of CBC peptides with gastrointestinal proteases did not change this inhibitory activity of CBC for ACE. 4. These results indicate that CBC peptides may prevent increases in blood pressure in ovariectomized SHRSP by a possible mechanism of an inhibitory action against ACE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

L-Dopa given i.p. increased regional cerebral blood flow and influenced EEG patterns in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive, but not in normotensive rats. The feasibility of this approach for determining the pathology of the cerebral vessels and the blood-brain barrier warrants further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. Nine male Japanese immigrants living in Brazil who had been exposed to risk factors for lifestyle-related diseases, such as excess sugar intake, were tested using a cross-over design for hyperglycaemia and hyperinsulinaemia for 2 h after an oral loading of sucrose (S; 50 g) or palatinose sugar (PS; 50 g; containing palatinose and sucrose in a ratio of 9 : 1). 2. Thirty male Japanese immigrants were randomized to a double-blind, placebo-controlled intervention study and given S or PS for daily use for 16 weeks. Then, on the basis of the World Health Organization CARDIAC study protocol, blood pressure measurements, laboratory tests on fasting blood samples and visceral fat examination by computed tomography were undertaken in these subjects. 3. Glycaemic and insulinaemic responses were suppressed significantly more 30 min and 1 h, respectively, after oral loading of PS compared with S. 4. The PS group showed significant ( P < 0.05) decreases in visceral fat and systolic and diastolic blood pressure from baseline and a trend towards the reduction of visceral fat compared with the S group, although the difference did not reach statistical significance ( P = 0.06). 5. Therefore, PS is expected to contribute to the prevention of metabolic syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. One hundred and sixty-four female junior college students aged 18–24 were randomized into three groups, with each group consuming a specified lunch for 5 weeks: group C (ordinary school lunch; K), group S (K + soy-rich lunch containing more than 40 mg soy isoflavones) and group F (K + fish containing more than 700 mg DHA). 2. Of the 157 subjects who completed the study (46 from group C, 54 from group S and 57 from group F), triglycerides (TG) in subjects of S and F groups were significantly decreased from the baseline ( P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively), and a significant intergroup difference was observed between C and F groups ( P < 0.05). Body fat percentage (BFP) was significantly increased from the baseline in group C ( P < 0.01), and a significant intergroup difference was observed in the amount of change between groups C and S. 3. The TG of subjects with BFP greater than or equal to 28% were significantly decreased from the baseline in S and F groups ( P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively). The TG of subjects with BFP less than 28% did not decrease significantly. 4. Diets enriched with soy or fish could effectively reduce the risk of lifestyle-related diseases in adolescent Japanese women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. The present study was conducted to examine whether supplementation of calcium (Ca) has a beneficial effect on bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD). 2. Healthy volunteer Japanese girls aged 15–18 years were randomly assigned to two groups, one group taking Ca tablets (300 mg) and the other placebo tablets (Pt) (vehicle only) daily for 8 months, in a double-blind parallel placebo-controlled design. 3. Eighteen girls completed the study (nine in each group). In the Ca group, BMC increased significantly ( P < 0.05 vs before the study), BMD increased ( P < 0.1) and body fat decreased ( P < 0.1). Body mass index and lean body mass showed no significant changes in both groups. 4. Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) significantly increased ( P < 0.05) from the baseline in the Ca group. 5. Ca supplementation (300 mg/day for 8 months) significantly increased BMC and had a tendency to reduce body fat in teenage girls. Because Ca supplementation concomitantly increased IGF-1, sufficient Ca may contribute to the risk reduction of osteoporosis and obesity through metabolic activation in teenage girls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the prevention of nutrition and lifestyle related diseases. Worldwide food patterns and components have been examined by the WHO-CARDIAC study for their possible protection against lifestyle-related diseases such as coronary heart diseases (CHD) and stroke. The age-adjusted CHD mortality rates, which in Japanese study populations were all among the lowest in the world, were inversely and significantly related with 24 hOUR isoflavone,2 and taurine,3 excretions as well as n-3 fatty acid ratios in the serum phospholipids, biological markers for soybean and seafood intakes, respectively. Japanese food patterns of eating where soybean products and/or seafood are consumed nearly every day confer some protection against CHD, despite increases in risk factors associated with Westernization and urbanization of dietary customs.

The article focuses on a study on the importance of nutrition in Japanese longevity. It cites that the mortality rates of coronary heart diseases (CHD) and stroke are inversely related with the average life spans of several populations in the world. It notes that nutritional conditions for long life were confirmed to be close to Japanese, specifically Okinawans' food patterns of eating soy bean products and/or sea food almost everyday, which were conferred some protection against cardiovascular diseases (CVD).