Galactosemia is a rare, hereditary metabolic disorder caused by the accumulation of galactose and its metabolites in the body due to a lack of enzymes that convert galactose to glucose. This study aimed to investigate the dietary behaviors and nutritional statuses of patients with galactosemia and to provide basic information on the development of nutrition education programs to improve quality of dietary life. A survey was conducted on 13 parents of (<11 years of age) children with galactosemia and 26 parents of (<11 years of age) children without galactosemia. Mean body mass index was greater for school-age children with galactosemia (18.77 kg/m2) than for corresponding normal children (16.55 kg/m2). Underweight and obesity rates of children with galactosemia were greater than those of children without galactosemia. In addition, children with galactosemia had a higher food neophobia rate and thus consumed less food. Normal children exhibited a greater range of food preferences than those with galactosemia, especially for milk and dairy products (p= .001) and fats and sweets (p= .04). Reliable food databases and appropriate dietary recommendations are required to ensure the proper growth of children with galactosemia.
Unhealthy dietary behavior such as insufficient calcium intake can be one of risk factors of osteoporosis and chronic diseases in older people. This study evaluated the recent trends in dietary calcium intake and the food source in Korean adults aged 50 years or older using the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES, 2015-2019) data. This study used 24-hour recall survey data to investigate the calcium intake, the major food groups and main dishes contributing to the calcium intake. The mean calcium intake was 479.55-506.81 mg/day. The major food groups that contribute to calcium intake were vegetables, milks and fishes. Dairy and frozen desserts and kimchi were the major dish groups that contributed to the calcium intake. Calcium intake from milk in dairy and frozen dessert group has been high in last 5 years (50-64 years old: 34.71-47.68 mg, 65-74 years old: 29.72-43.65 mg, over 75 years old: 22.91-42.93 mg). In addition, baechu-kimchi is the most contributed to the calcium intake in kimchi group (50-64 years old: 35.10-41.47 mg, 65-74 years old: 29.62-34.96 mg, over 75 years old: 23.79-29.13 mg). In conclusion, various source of calcium needs to be recommended to increase intake calcium in over 50 years, which may reduce chronic diseases and improve quality of life.
The intake of processed foods containing high levels of sugar increases the incidence of chronic diseases, including obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Limiting sugar intake is important for a healthy life at all ages. Therefore, this study analyzed food sources and sugar intake by the different age groups based on the 7th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). We used 24-hour recall survey data to investigate the daily sugar intake and the major food groups and main dishes contributing to sugar intake. The mean sugar intake was 58.9-66.8 g/day. The three major food groups contributing to sugar intake were fruits (15.2-19.9 g/day), beverages (10.7-12.4 g/day), and milk and milk products (7.6-7.8 g/day). Teas and other non-alcoholic beverages (14.7-17.3 g/day), fruits (12.5-16.2 g/day), and dairy products (7.0-7.6 g/day) were the major food groups that contributed to the sugar intake. Carbonated drinks, apples, and milk were the top sources of sugar intake in each group. In conclusion, the sugar intake of Koreans is mainly from carbonated drinks, fruits, and milk. These results provided the basic data for nutrition education and nutrition program development according to the different age groups of the Korean population.