BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVESThis study was performed to investigate the association between the dietary intake of fish and shellfish, and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in the middle-aged Korean female patients with Type 2 diabetes (T2D).SUBJECTS/METHODSA cross-sectional analysis was performed with 356 female patients (means age: 55.5 years), who were recruited from the Huh's Diabetes Clinic in Seoul, Korea between 2005 and 2011. The dietary intake was assessed by a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire and analyzed using the Computer Aided Nutritional Analysis program (CAN-Pro) version 4.0 software.RESULTSIn a multiple regression analysis after the adjustment for confounding factors such as age, BMI, duration of diagnosed T2D, alcohol consumption, fiber intake, sodium intake, and total energy intake, fish and shellfish intake of the subjects was negatively associated with triglyceride and pulse wave velocity (PWV). Omega-3 PUFAs intake was negatively associated with triglyceride, systolic blood pressures, diastolic blood pressures, and PWV. The multiple logistic regression analysis with the covariates showed a significant inverse relationship between the omega-3 PUFAs consumption and prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia [OR (95% CI) for greater than the median compared to less than the median: 0.395 (0.207-0.753)].CONCLUSIONSThese results suggest that the consumption of fish and shellfish, good sources of omega-3 PUFAs, may reduce the risk factors for CVD in the middle-aged female patients with T2D.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVESThis study was conducted to compare the overall changes in dietary intake and metabolic syndrome risk parameters in Vietnamese marriage-based female immigrants over time.SUBJECTS/METHODSThe subjects of this study were 581 Vietnamese marriage-based female immigrants, who were recruited from local clinical centers in Korea. Baseline data were collected from 2006-2011 and the follow-up data were collected from 2012-2014. Dietary food intake was assessed by a 1-day 24-hour recall method.RESULTSCompared to the baseline, the mean body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure increased while the fasting blood sugar, triglycerides and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol decreased at follow-up. The total consumption of foods such as vegetables/fruits/seaweeds/mushrooms, oil and fat, and eggs decreased during the follow-up period, whereas the consumption of sugars, beverages and meats increased. Partial correlation between the rate of change [(Follow-up - Baseline) / Baseline × 100] in metabolic syndrome risk parameters and food intake after controlling for confounding factors showed that the waist circumference was positively correlated with either the total plant food intake (r = 0.1042, P = 0.0129) or the total food intake (r = 0.0880, P = 0.0359). The plasma levels of total cholesterol (r = -0.1918, P = 0.0289) and HDL-cholesterol (r = -0.1424, P = 0.0007) were negatively correlated with the percentage of total intake from plant food, and HDL-cholesterol levels were positively correlated with the intake of total animal food (r = 0.0980, P = 0.0217). The serum C-reactive protein levels were positively correlated with the total intake of animal food (r = 0.2374, P < 0.0001) or the percentage of total intake from animal food (r = 0.1346, P = 0.0016).CONCLUSIONSThese results suggest that the change rate of dietary intake such as total plant food or animal food is associated with the change rates of metabolic syndrome risk parameters.

Food insecurity due to economic problems, difficulty in adjusting to Korean food as well as limited access to Vietnamese foods may be the major reasons for decrease in dietary intake after the arrival of Vietnamese immigrants in Korea. This study was conducted to compare changes in food insecurity between baseline(2010) and follow‐up(2013) in 145 Vietnamese female(mean age: 24.5 years) marriage immigrants in Korea. Four food insecurity questions focusing on economic reasons and lack of adjustment to unfamiliar Korean foods were asked through face to face interviews. During the baseline survey, about 28.7% of subjects skipped meals, because they lacked enough money for food during the previous year, however it decreased to 4.9% at follow‐up. About 32.0% and 27.1% of them at baseline felt hungry or skipped meals, because there was no food that they wanted to eat or no food for their appetite at home in the last year. However, it decreased to 9.9% and 4.2% at follow‐up, respectively. Our results indicate a need for nutritional support programs for immigrant Vietnamese females in Korea.[This work was supported by the Research Program funded by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(2010‐E71002‐00, 2013‐E71002‐00) and the BK 21 Plus.)

This study was aimed to examine the association between intake of fish and shellfish and milk and dairy products with CVD risk factors in 356 middle‐aged (40‐64 years) female with T2D. Dietary food intake was assessed by semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire method. The average daily intakes of fish and shellfish and milk and dairy products were 63.9 g and 127.5 g, respectively. After adjustment for age, body mass index and energy intake, multiple regression analysis showed that intake of fish and shellfish (p=0.0423) and milk and dairy products (p=0.0094) was negatively associated with serum triglyceride level. These results suggest that intake of fish and shellfish and milk and dairy products is associated with decreased CVD risk in middle‐aged female patients with T2D.[This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (NRF‐2013R1A1A2011544) and Brain Korea 21 Plus.]