Mariko Nakamoto, Yukiko Tanaka, Satomi Ono, Akiko Nakamoto, Emi Shuto and Tohru Sakai : Associations of marital and parental status and family members living together with health-related behaviors in Japanese young workers : a cross-sectional study., The Journal of Medical Investigation : JMI, Vol.66, No.1-2, 141-147, 2019.
(要約)
The aim of this study was to clarify the associations of family members living together with healthrelated behaviors in Japanese young workers. The participants were 300 men and women aged 20-39 years in 2015 who had a job. A web-based self-administered questionnaire on status of partnering and parenting, number of family members living together, dietary habits, drinking habit, smoking habit, self-rated health, employment status, working time and commuting time was conducted through Internet. Multiple logistic regression analysis and general linear models were used to assess the association of family members living together with healthrelated behaviors. The multivariate-adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval, p-value) for current drinking in unmarried participants living with their parents compared to unmarried participants living alone was 0.35 (0.13-0.93, p=0.036). The adjusted means of frequency of breakfast skipping and frequency of eating out showed a trend for inverse associations with the presence of a partner and children. However, those associations disappeared after adjustment for age of youngest child. The findings suggest that the presence of parents might affect drinking behavior and that age of youngest child living together might affect the frequency of breakfast skipping in young Japanese workers. J. Med. Invest. 66 : 141-147, February, 2019.
Mariko Nakamoto, Emi Shuto, Akiko Nakamoto, Akiko Hata, Nanako Aki, Yosuke Shikama, Yukiko Bandou, Takako Ichihara, Takako Minagawa, Ayako Tamura, Yumi Kuwamura, Makoto Funaki and Tohru Sakai : Soy product and isoflavone intake associations with allergic diseases in Japanese workers: rhinitis, dermatitis and asthma., Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol.27, No.6, 1277-1285, 2018.
(要約)
The aim of this study was to determine the associations of intake of soy products and isoflavones with allergic diseases. We conducted a cross-sectional study in 1437 participants (aged 20-64 years) who were living in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan during the period 2010- 2011. We obtained anthropometric data and information on life style characteristics including dietary intake and current medical histories of allergic diseases using a structural self-administered questionnaire. Multiple logistic regression models were used to assess the associations of soy products and isoflavones with allergic diseases after controlling for age, family history of allergic diseases, smoking, drinking, physical activity, energy intake, BMI and dietary factors. Intake of soy products showed significant inverse dose-response relationships with allergic rhinitis. The third quartile for soy products had an adjusted OR of 0.56 (95% CI: 0.35-0.91) compared to the reference group (first quartile), though intake of soy products showed no dose-response relationship with atopic dermatitis. Intake of soy isoflavones showed a significant inverse dose-response relationship with atopic dermatitis, though the association between intake of soy isoflavones and atopic dermatitis was U-shaped after adjustments for potential confounders. On the other hand, the associations between intake of soy isoflavones and other allergic diseases were not significant. The results indicate that higher intake of soy products is associated with reduced risk of allergic rhinitis in Japanese workers. Furthermore, moderate intake amounts of soy products and soy isoflavones are associated with inverse risk of atopic dermatitis.
Tohru Sakai, Miyuki Ohhata, Misaki Fujii, Sayaka Oda, Yasuna Kusaka, Miki Matsumoto, Akiko Nakamoto, Tomoyo Taki, Mariko Nakamoto and Emi Shuto : Brazilian Green Propolis Promotes Weight Loss and Reduces Fat Accumulation in C57BL/6 Mice Fed A High-Fat Diet, Biological & Pharmaceutical Bulletin, Vol.40, No.4, 391-395, 2017.
(要約)
Propolis is a bee product with various biological properties. C57BL/6 mice were fed a high-fat diet and treated with propolis for 14 weeks. Body weight in mice treated with 2% propolis was less than that in control mice from 3 weeks after the start of treatment until 14 weeks except for the 7th week. Mice treated with propolis showed significantly lower epididymal fat weight and subcutaneous fat weight. Infiltration of epididymal fat by macrophages and T cells was reduced in the propolis group. Supplementation of propolis increased feces weight and fat content in feces, suggesting that mechanisms of weight reduction by propolis partly include a laxative effect and inhibition of fat absorption.
Tohru Sakai, Tomoyo Taki, Akiko Nakamoto, Shiho Tazaki, Mai Arakawa, Mariko Nakamoto, Rie Tsutsumi and Emi Shuto : Dietary ribonucleic Acid suppresses inflammation of adipose tissue and improves glucose intolerance that is mediated by immune cells in C57BL/6 mice fed a high-fat diet., Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology, Vol.61, No.1, 73-78, 2015.
(要約)
Recent evidence suggests that immune cells play an important role in differentiation of inflammatory macrophages in adipose tissue, which contributes to systemic chronic inflammation. Dietary ribonucleic acid (RNA) has been shown to modulate immune function. We hypothesized that RNA affects immune cell function in adipose tissue and then improves inflammatory response in adipose tissue. C57/BL6 mice and recombination activating gene-1 (RAG-1) knockout mice on a C57BL/6 mice background were fed a high-fat diet containing 1% RNA for 12 wk. An oral glucose tolerance test was performed. Supplementation of dietary RNA in C57BL/6 mice fed a high-fat diet resulted in a smaller area under the curve (AUC) after oral glucose administration than that for control mice. The mRNA expression levels of inflammation-related cytokines in adipose tissue and serum interleukin-6 levels were reduced by dietary RNA supplementation. Interestingly, reduction of the AUC value by RNA supplementation was abolished in T and B cell-deficient RAG-1 knockout mice. These results indicate that RNA improves inflammation in adipose tissue and reduces the AUC value following oral glucose administration in a T and B cell-dependent manner.
Akiko Nakamoto, Emi Shuto, Rie Tsutsumi, Mariko Nakamoto, Yoshitaka Nii and Tohru Sakai : Vitamin A Deficiency Impairs Induction of Oral Tolerance in Mice., Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology, Vol.61, No.2, 147-153, 2015.
(要約)
Oral tolerance is a phenomenon of induction of systemic unresponsiveness to antigens ingested by the oral route and loss of immune response. Studies have shown the importance of vitamin A in oral tolerance in vitro but not in an in vivo experimental model. Therefore, we carried out experiments to determine how vitamin A deficiency affects tolerance induction and the ability of mesenteric lymph node (MLN) CD11c(+) cells to induce regulatory T cells (Tregs). Immunological tolerance was induced by oral ovalbumin (OVA) administration in vitamin A-sufficient mice. OVA-specific antibody and cytokine production were significantly reduced. On the other hand, in vitamin A-deficient mice, both OVA-specific antibody and cytokine production were not suppressed by oral OVA administration. Regarding induction of Tregs, the conversion rate of Foxp3(+) cells from naïve CD4(+) cell by CD11c(+) cells was decreased in vitamin A-deficient mice. Our study indicates that vitamin A deficiency causes the breakdown of oral tolerance in vivo.