OBJECTIVE:Failure to achieve adequate caloric intake is common after percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) and may contribute to progressive malnutrition in older adults. This study aimed to identify factors associated with achieving adequate caloric delivery early after PEG placement. METHODS:This single-center retrospective observational study included patients aged ≥65 years who underwent PEG between January 2022 and December 2024. Target caloric intake was determined based on basal energy expenditure (BEE). The target nutritional intake achievement rate (TaNIAR) was defined as the ratio of final delivered calories to BEE. Patients were classified into an underfeeding group (TaNIAR <100%) and an appropriate-feeding group (TaNIAR ≥100%). Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors independently associated with achieving TaNIAR ≥100%. RESULTS:Fifty-nine patients were analyzed; 15 were classified as underfeeding and 44 as appropriate-feeding. The median final caloric intake, calculated in increments of 300 kcal corresponding to the packet size of the enteral formula, was 1,200 kcal (range, 600-1,200 kcal) in the underfeeding group and 1,200 kcal (range, 900-1,400 kcal) in the appropriate-feeding group. Multivariable analysis identified the use of a pectin-containing oligomeric formula (POF) (odds ratio [OR], 32.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.7-292.9) and BEE ≤990 kcal/day (OR, 29.5; 95% CI, 3.1-277.7) as factors independently associated with achieving TaNIAR ≥100%. The final caloric intake clustered within a relatively narrow range in both groups. CONCLUSION:Lower BEE and the use of POF were independently associated with achieving adequate caloric delivery after PEG placement. Optimization of enteral formula selection may represent a practical strategy to improve early nutritional adequacy in older patients. Further prospective studies are required to validate these findings.
OBJECTIVE:College students exhibit high beverage consumption and various diet-related problems. Therefore, this study investigated gender-specific beverage consumption patterns and evaluated beverage-related behaviors and beverage-derived nutrient intake among college students. METHODS:This study included 366 college students (171 men and 195 women) from Chungnam, South Korea. Beverage categories included carbonated and sugar-sweetened beverages, caffeinated beverages, energy drinks, alcoholic beverages, and milk and liquid yogurt products. Beverage preference, consumption frequency, beverage-related dietary behaviors, and dietary intake were assessed using 3-day 24-hour dietary recalls to evaluate beverage-derived nutrient intake. RESULTS:The mean total beverage intake was 433.9 g/day. Carbonated and sugar-sweetened beverages accounted for the highest intake (144.9 g/day), followed by caffeinated beverages (125.6 g/day), alcoholic beverages (124.3 g/day), and milk and liquid yogurt products (39.2 g/day). Beverages contributed 10.1% of total energy intake and 35.5% of total sugar intake. Carbonated and sugar-sweetened beverages were the largest contributors to carbohydrate and sugar intake, whereas alcoholic beverages contributed the most energy. Milk and liquid yogurt products were the largest contributors to beverage-derived fat and protein intake. Male students had significantly higher intakes of carbonated and sugar-sweetened beverages, alcoholic beverages, total beverages, and beverage-derived energy and sugar than female students. CONCLUSION:These findings highlight the need for nutrition education to promote healthier beverage choices among college students and support the development of gender-specific beverage-related interventions.
OBJECTIVE:This study investigated the prevalence and factors of concurrent wasting and stunting (WaSt) in Cambodian children aged 6-59 months. METHODS:This cross-sectional analysis of the Cambodia Demographic and Health Survey from 2021 to 2022 included 3,420 children aged 6-59 months and a subsample of 1,237 aged 6-23 months for whom dietary indicators were available. WaSt was defined as height-for-age and weight-for-height z-scores below -2 standard deviations according to the World Health Organization (WHO) Growth Standards. Dietary indicators followed 2021 WHO/UNICEF infant and young child feeding definitions. Survey-weighted logistic regression was employed in Stata 18.0, with statistical significance set at P<0.05. RESULTS:The prevalence rates were 22.4% for stunting, 9.3% for wasting, and 2.1% for WaSt. The odds of WaSt were higher among children with low birth weight (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 4.93; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.92-12.63), those born to underweight mothers (AOR, 2.42; 95% CI, 1.06-5.56), and those from the poorest wealth tertile (AOR, 2.46; 95% CI, 1.14-5.31). Contrarily, the odds were lower among girls (AOR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.28-0.97) and children of mothers who were overweight or obese (AOR, 0.25; 95% CI, 0.10-0.65). No dietary indicator was associated with WaSt, although power was limited by few cases (n=21). CONCLUSION:WaSt was independently associated with low birth weight, maternal underweight, and household poverty, whereas no significant association with dietary indicators was observed. Integrated programs targeting maternal nutrition, birth outcomes, and poverty in vulnerable households are warranted.
Mood disorders, including major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder, constitute a primary source of global disability, and with conventional monoamine-targeted pharmacotherapy, approximately one-third of patients remain with treatment-resistant disease. Over the past decade, the microbiota-gut-brain axis (MGBA) has emerged as a systems-level pathophysiological framework that explains the chronic neuroinflammation, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis hyperactivity, and impaired neuroplasticity that characterize treatment-resistant mood disorders. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are key molecular mediators in MGBA signaling, exerting epigenetic regulation through the inhibition of histone deacetylase, suppression of microglial toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor-kappa B signaling, reinforcement of intestinal and blood-brain barrier integrity, and rebalancing of tryptophan-kynurenine metabolism. A few small randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses have reported that restoring SCFA output using next-generation psychobiotics (Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Akkermansia muciniphila, and Clostridium butyricum), prebiotic-rich dietary patterns, defined synbiotics, and direct postbiotic supplementation is associated with symptom improvement, although the evidence base remains preliminary, and have been proposed as candidate prognostic biomarkers. This narrative review synthesizes 2022 to 2026 mechanistic and clinical evidence on SCFA-producing psychobiotics in mood disorders; integrates these findings within a clinical nutrition framework that positions dietary fiber, microbiota-accessible carbohydrates, and targeted psychobiotic supplementation as legitimate adjuncts to conventional psychopharmacology; and discusses the translational challenges of strain specificity, dosing variability, and precision-psychobiotic medicine. Nevertheless, current evidence remains dominated by preclinical models, with human trials constrained by size, duration, and number.
Objective: This study aimed to adapt a systematic methodology for estimating the added sugars content of South Korean foods and to assess added sugars intake among South Koreans using data from the 2023 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.Methods: The estimation procedure developed for Australian foods was modified and applied to South Korean foods. Added sugars content was estimated for 2,314 food items using the modified 7-step estimation procedure, and these estimates were applied to dietary intake data. Mean contents of total sugars and estimated added sugars were summarized by food group. Mean intakes of total sugars and added sugars, the percentage of energy from added sugars, and the prevalence of excessive added sugars intake were estimated.Results: According to the modified estimation procedure, 53% of food items were assigned to step 1 (total sugars=0) or step 2 (non-added sugars food groups) and therefore assigned added sugars content of zero, while 21% were assigned to step 3, in which all total sugars were classified as added sugars. Mean added sugars intake was 30.7 g/day, accounting for about half of total sugars intake (58.3 g/day). Overall, 21.2% of the population had energy intake from added sugars exceeding 10% of total energy intake, with the highest proportion observed among adolescent girls (37.9%).Conclusion: This study provides the first nationally representative estimates of added sugars intake among South Koreans by adapting a systematic methodology. These findings provide a robust foundation for monitoring population-level added sugars intake and informing the development of targeted policies and interventions to reduce added sugars intake.
