Nakamura Gakuen University (中村学園大学, Nakamura gakuen daigaku) is a private university in Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan. The predecessor of the school was founded in 1954. It was chartered as a junior college in 1957 and became a four-year college in 1965..
There is a growing amount of research on the association of physical activity level (PAL) and physical activity-related energy expenditure (PAEE) with physical activity (PA) intensity or body composition variables; however, the age of the target population, especially young adults, is limited. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association between PA indices such as each PA intensity, including sedentary behaviour (SB), and free-living energy expenditure using the doubly labelled water (DLW) method. Using the DLW method under free-living conditions, total energy expenditure was evaluated in 32 healthy women without regular exercise habits in their 20 s. PA, including the percentage of time spent engaging in light, moderate, and vigorous physical intensities, was measured using a validated accelerometer. The %SB was also calculated. Partial correlation coefficients of the relationship between the PAL and PA variables, including sleeping time, age, and body composition indices, were calculated while controlling for the effect of multiple variables. PAEE normalised for body weight (PAEE/kg) and average PAL were 10.2±3.0 kcal/kg/d (42.7±12.7 kJ/kg/d) and 1.60±0.17, respectively. PAL and PAEE/kg had significant negative partial correlations with %SB (r=-0.428, p=0.033 and r=-0.484, p=0.014, respectively). The results indicate that reducing SB attributes to higher values of PAL and PAEE/kg. This is the first study to clarify the contribution of SB and other PA indices to the intensity of PAL and free-living energy expenditure using DLW in young adult women without regular exercise habits.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:In this multicentre prospective observational study, we aimed to investigate changes in energy intake and nutritional indices, including cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, respiratory, and musculoskeletal conditions, among older adults hospitalised in general hospitals who required long-term rehabilitation. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN:This study included patients aged ≥65 years who were admitted to 41 National Hospital Organization hospitals between September 2019 and March 2020 with cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, respiratory, or musculoskeletal diseases. Physical measurements, blood test values, energy intake, and activities of daily living were evaluated at admission and discharge. RESULTS:The analysis includ-ed 222 patients (125 men, 97 women; mean age, 78.9 years). On admission, 75.7% of patients were malnourished or at risk of malnutrition based on the Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form score, with the highest prevalence (84.1%) observed in patients with respiratory disease. Although energy intake significantly increased during hospitalisation in all disease groups, only 31.1% of patients met the estimated energy requirements at discharge, and their body mass index and nutritional indices decreased. Logistic regression analysis showed that older age, female sex, higher energy intake at admission, and lower inflammation were associated with sufficient energy intake at discharge. Energy intake at admission was consistently associated with sufficient energy intake at discharge regardless of disease category, whereas other associated factors dif-fered by disease. CONCLUSIONS:Nutritional management in general hospitals may be inadequate for older adults requiring long-term rehabilitation. These findings suggest the need for early individualised nutritional management in hospitalised older adults undergoing long-term rehabilitation.
Background/Objectives Emerging evidence suggests dietary nutrients influence mental health. This study examined associations between multiple nutrient intakes and depressive symptoms in a large sample of US adults. Methods This cross-sectional study used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2017-2018. Adults aged ≥18 years with complete Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) data were included (N = 5,068). Nutrient intake was assessed using two-day averaged 24-hour dietary recalls. Multiple linear and logistic regression analyses were conducted, adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, smoking status, and total energy intake. Bonferroni correction (α = 0.00625) was applied for multiple comparisons. Results Depression prevalence (PHQ-9 ≥ 10) was 9.1% (n = 459). In fully adjusted models, dietary fiber (β = -0.042), folate (β = -0.0018), magnesium (β = -0.0027), and selenium (β = -0.0054) were inversely associated with PHQ-9 scores (all p < 0.001). Per 1-SD increase, folate (OR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.61-0.85), dietary fiber (OR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.66-0.89), magnesium (OR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.68-0.94), and selenium (OR = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.69-0.96) were associated with lower depression odds. Conclusions Higher intakes of dietary fiber, folate, magnesium, and selenium were inversely associated with depressive symptoms in US adults. Survey-weighted sensitivity analyses confirmed that the associations for dietary fiber, folate, and magnesium were robust to NHANES complex sampling weights. Unweighted analyses were the primary analytic approach, and results should be interpreted as internal associations within the analytic sample. These cross-sectional findings warrant confirmation through longitudinal and interventional studies.
BACKGROUND:The network approach to psychopathology conceptualizes mental disorders as systems with causally interacting symptoms. While the temporal stability of symptom networks has been examined in single-culture samples, no research has compared stability patterns across cultural contexts. METHODS:Using longitudinal data from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS; N = 673) and Midlife in Japan (MIDJA; N = 197), we estimated depression networks using four CES-D subscales (Depressed Affect, Positive Affect, Somatic Symptoms, Interpersonal Problems) at two time points (T1 and T2). Temporal stability was assessed using the Network Comparison Test and correlations between edge weights and centrality indices. RESULTS:Depression networks demonstrated high temporal stability in both samples, with edge weight correlations of r = 0.945 (MIDUS) and r = 0.902 (MIDJA) and centrality correlations of r = 0.957 (MIDUS) and r = 0.864 (MIDJA). Positive Affect showed moderate negative connections to other subscales in the American sample but was functionally independent in the Japanese sample across both time points. The Depressed Affect-Somatic connection was the strongest edge in both cultures but notably stronger in Japan. LIMITATIONS:The MIDJA sample was relatively small, measurement intervals differed between samples, and findings may not generalize beyond these specific midlife populations. CONCLUSIONS:Depression symptom networks show high temporal stability within cultures while exhibiting stable cross-cultural differences in specific-symptom connections. The functional independence of positive affect in Japanese samples has implications for cross-cultural assessments and culturally adapted interventions.
Frailty and pre-frailty are characterized by a decline in life functions, including physical and mental vitality, for which dietary habits play an important role. This study aimed to examine the association of dietary diversity with frailty and pre-frailty in a community-dwelling older Japanese population. Food intake was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire, and the dietary diversity score (DDS) was calculated based on the number of days per week that each of the 12 food groups was consumed. A total of 1,388 participants (628 men and 760 women) aged 65 and older were divided into five groups according to the quintile of DDS. Frailty status was assessed according to the revised Japanese version of the Cardiovascular Health Study criteria. A multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to estimate odds ratios with 95
