Nobuko Sarukura

Effects of zinc supplementation on serum zinc concentration and ratio of apo/holo-activities of angiotensin converting enzyme in patients with taste impairment.

OBJECTIVE The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of zinc supplementation on hypogeusia, serum zinc concentration and the ratio of apo/holo-activities of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE ratio) in patients with taste impairment. ACE ratio was used as an index of zinc nutritional status. METHODS Forty patients complaining of taste impairment were divided into two groups: zinc deficiency taste impairment (n=12) and idiopathic taste impairment (n=28). Patients with zincemia values of less than 63 microg/dl with no history of other disorder or medication known to cause dysgeusia were diagnosed as zinc deficiency group, while those with the same condition and values more than 64 microg/dl were considered to belong to the idiopathic group. Patients orally received 150 mg of polaprezinc containing 33 mg of zinc every day. Subjective symptom was scored according to visual analogue scale (VAS). RESULTS Zinc supplementation improved hypogeusia in both idiopathic and zinc deficiency groups. The mean improvements of VAS were 3.02+/-3.03 in the idiopathic group and 3.13+/-2.53 in the zinc deficiency group. Thus, there were no significant differences in idiopathic and zinc deficiency groups. Significant correlations were found between the improvement of VAS score and the ACE ratio after zinc supplementation in both idiopathic and zinc deficiency groups. On the contrary, significant correlations were not found between the improvement of VAS score and the zinc concentration in the serum after zinc supplementation in both groups. CONCLUSION The results of the present study indicated that zinc deficiency is a predominant factor underlying taste impairment and ACE ratio may be a predictor of the prognosis for taste impairment after zinc supplementation, in addition to a more sensitive indicator of zinc nutrition than zinc concentration in the serum.

Effects of dietary zinc deprivation on zinc concentration and ratio of apo/holo-activities of angiotensin converting enzyme in serum of mice

OBJECTIVE The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of dietary zinc deprivation on zinc concentration, the activity of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) and ratio of apo/holo-activities of ACE (ACE ratio) in the serum of mice. METHODS Twenty-two male mice were deprived of dietary zinc for up to 9 days. Zinc concentration in the serum was measured by means of atomic absorption spectrometry. Also, the activity of ACE in the serum was measured by HPLC as the activity of holo-ACE. After addition of zinc to the serum in vitro, the increase of ACE activity over the initial value was determined as that of apo-ACE. Finally, the ratio of apo/holo-ACE activities was calculated. RESULTS There was a significant decrease of zinc concentration, but a slight decrease of the activity of ACE in the serum of mice by intake of zinc-deficient diet for 9 days. ACE ratio tended to increase on day 5 and was significantly increased on day 9 in mice deprived of dietary zinc. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that ACE ratio is as sensitive as serum zinc concentration for the evaluation of zinc deficiency and can be used for the biochemical diagnosis of zinc nutritional status in patients with zinc deficiency-induced taste impairment.

Dietary Salt and Health: UMAMI Seasoning as an Attempt to Reduce Salt Intake

Sodium in salt is a major factor in various non-communicable diseases. These include high blood pressure, stroke, stomach cancer and others. In Japan before the 1970’s, salt intake was about 15 g/day/person and the leading cause of death was stroke, especially brain hemorrhage. Through various types of nutrition education designed to reduce salt intake, the prevalence of stroke has been decreasing dramatically; however, it is still one of the leading causes of death. The highest number of patients are those with illnesses related to high salt intake and themedical cost of these illnesses may be greater than 50% of all medical costs. Many other countries may have similar problems. To reduce salt intake, UMAMI is commonly recommended in Japan and this actually has favorable effects;however, this has not yet been fully supported by scientific evidence. Among UMAMI seasonings, glutamate from kelp, (a kind of seaweed) is common in Japan. Since the UMAMI in kelp was found to be monosodium glutamate,artificial production of it was developed and is now used world-wide. In this article, we would like to review the role of salt in the body, its effects on health and sickness, attempts to reduce salt intake, and effective reduction methods, especially those using monosodium glutamate.

Optimal Weight Gain Recommendations For Non- Obese Japanese Pregnant Women

Optimal Weight Gain Recommendations For Non- Obese Japanese Pregnant Women To determine optimal weight gain recommendations for reducing unfavorable pregnancy outcomes in non-obese women, by comparing four different cutoffs for weight gains. Out of 4774 cases in the hospital-based survey of the 2010National Growth Survey of Preschool Children, data on 3547 singleton term deliveries with maternal pre-pregnancy BMI<25.0 were selected. Two cutoffs for adequate weight gains, the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW), and the Japan Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy (JSSHP) weight gain guidelines were applied to identify “insufficient”, “adequate”, and “excess” weight gain groups. Logistic regression analyses were applied to estimate the risks for “insufficient” and “excess” weight gains to selected pregnancy outcomes.