Comparison of Various Foods Intakes and Their Relationships with Body Mass Index in Japanese Old Men and Women

Objective: Obesity is an important health problem, leading to many metabolic diseases such as type2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, cancer etc. There are many diet proposals to combat obesity. Since obesity is relatively rare in Japan, we wanted to know what kinds of foods influence body mass index (BMI) in old Japanese people. Methods: Healthy participants were given self-administered diet history questionnaires and described answers on each item by recollection of diets they took (7 days dietary recall). We used a brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire (BDHQ) by using which the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare reports national Nutrition Surveys. From these questionnaires, we calculated the intakes of energy, carbohydrate, fat, protein or other foods. Results: Men take more alcohol, salt fruit, beans, and eggs than women. Intakes of major foods such as carbohydrate, lipid, and protein did not influence BMI in men and women. Conclusion: Within the range of foods intakes in Japan, no restriction of any food such as carbohydrate is not necessary for staying lean.

Effects of Various Foods Intakes on Plasma Levels of Trans Fatty Acids in Japanese Old Men

Background: Trans fatty acids are said to be formed by the partial hydrogenation of vegetable oils. Some amounts are produced in digestive organs of ruminants and present in dairy products or meat. In Japan, use of trans fatty acids in the foods is prohibited, thus trans fatty acids must come from foods or microbes in the digestive organs. Methods: Plasma levels of fatty acids including trans forms of healthy old men are measured by gas chromatography and correlations between various foods intakes and plasma levels of trans fatty acids such as palmitoelaidic, elaidic and linoelaidic acids are examined. Results: No correlations between various foods intakes and trans fatty acids were found except between intake of preference drinks such as tea or coffee and plasma levels of palmitoelaidic and linoelaidic acids. Conclusion: Since palmitoelaidic acid is cardioprotective, increase in plasma levels of palmitoelaidic acid may indicate that intakes of tea and coffee may be beneficial for heath by increasing palmitoelaidic acids.

Plasma Fatty Acid Composition in Men over 50 in the USA and Japan

Background: Coronary heart disease (CHD) rates differ markedly between the US and Japan. Fatty acid profiles have been linked to risk for CHD. Few studies have compared the plasma fatty acid composition, including trans fatty acids, in Japanese and US subjects. Methods: Fasting blood samples were taken from healthy older (>age 50) American (n = 76) and Japanese (n = 44) men, and plasma levels of 23 fatty acids were analyzed by gas chromatography and expressed as a percent of total fatty acids. Results: As expected, plasma levels of long-chain ω3 fatty acids (docosahexaenoic and eicosapentaenoic acids, DHA and EPA) were higher in Japanese men and ω6 fatty acids (e.g., arachidonic acid, AA) were lower compared with American men. Plasma levels of the major industrially-produced trans fatty acids (IP-TFAs;elaidic and linoelaidic acids) were far higher in American men, and levels of the potentially cardioprotective, primarily ruminant-derived trans fatty acid palmitoelaidic acid (POA) were higher in Japanese. Plasma levels of saturated or monounsaturated fatty acids were also higher in the American men. Conclusion: There are multiple differences in plasma fatty acid profiles between American and Japanese older men. The higher levels of DHA and EPA, along with the lower levels of the IP-TFAs, are consistent with the markedly lower risk for coronary heart disease in Japan vs. the US.