The present study was carried out to evaluate the physiological effects of seaweed supplementation on blood glucose levels, lipid profile, and antioxidant enzyme activities in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Subjects were randomized into either a control group or a seaweed supplementation group. Pills with equal parts of dry powdered sea tangle and sea mustard were provided to the seaweed supplementation group three times a day for 4 weeks. Total daily consumption of seaweed was 48 g. We found that total dietary fiber intake was 2.5 times higher in subjects receiving seaweed supplementation than in the control group. Accordingly, fasting blood glucose levels (p<0.01) and 2-hour postprandial blood glucose measurements (p<0.05) were decreased significantly in those ingesting seaweed. Furthermore, the serum concentrations of triglycerides were decreased and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was increased significantly in seaweed supplement group (p<0.05). However, the concentrations of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were not affected by seaweed supplementation. The level of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances in erythrocytes was significantly lower with seaweed supplementation compared to controls (p<0.05). Catalase and glutathione peroxidase activities with seaweed supplementation were higher than the controls (p<0.05), but superoxide dismutase activity was not affected. We, therefore, conclude that ingestion of seaweed influences glycemic control, lowers blood lipids, and increases antioxidant enzyme activities.

A multicomponent multicatalyst reaction (MC)(2)R for constructing fully substituted 1,2,3-triazoles is reported. An application of chemoselectivity and latent catalysis in a sequence of multicatalytic reactions confers control over a number of undesired processes, where all of the reagents coexist in the same reaction vessel. The sequence of a chemoselective copper-catalyzed azide alkyne cycloaddition followed by a palladium/copper-catalyzed Sonogashira cross-coupling afforded 1,2,3-triazoles regioselectively with good to high yields and a broad scope.

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We carried out a case-control study to examine the relationship between fruits, vegetables, and soy foods intake with breast cancer risk in Korean women. Incident cases (n = 359) were identified through cancer biopsies and hospital-based controls (n = 708) were selected in the same hospitals. Subjects were asked to indicate usual dietary habits, which were assessed using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (98 items). Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated by unconditional logistic regression after adjustment for additional confounding factors according to the menopausal status. High grape intake showed an inverse association of breast cancer in postmenopausal women (OR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.35-0.95; p for trend = 0.05). High tomato intake was associated with reduced breast cancer risk in premenopausal women (OR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.38-0.89, p for trend = 0.04). In postmenopausal women, green pepper intake showed an inverse association of breast cancer risk (OR = 0.60, 95% CI = 0.43-0.96, p for trend = 0.03). High soybean intake showed an inverse association of breast cancer in postmenopausal women (OR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.34-0.89, p for trend = 0.02). Our study suggests that high intake of some fruits, vegetables, and soybeans may be associated with a reduced breast cancer risk.

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