Using the Hilbert Transform to Evaluate the Effects of Functional Foods on Autonomic Nervous System Activity: A Comparison with the Fast Fourier Transform.

Evaluating the autonomic nervous system (ANS) via heart rate variability (HRV) to investigate the effects of food on human health has attracted attention. However, using a conventional HRV analysis via the fast Fourier transform (FFT), it is difficult to remove artifacts such as body movements and/or abnormal physiological responses (unexpected events) from the HRV analysis results. In this study, an analysis combining bandpass filters and the Hilbert transform was applied to HRV data on functional food intake to compare with FFT analysis.

Similarities and discrepancies between commercially available bioelectrical impedance analysis system and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry for body composition assessment in 10-14-year-old children.

A variety of easy-to-use commercial bioelectrical impedance appliances are available. The aim of this study was to examine the usefulness of a commercially available body composition meter using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) by comparing its measurement results with those obtained from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). The participants were 443 children aged from 10 to 14 years (226 boys and 217 girls).

Associations among perceived health competence, effortful control, self-control, and personality traits in Japanese university students.

Perceived health competence is thought to contribute to lifelong healthy behavior. However, the factors that affect perceived health competence have not been investigated. We investigated the associations among perceived health competence, effortful control, self-control, and personality traits in university students and proposed a model of how these factors affect perceived health competence.

Association between the recognition of muscle mass and exercise habits or eating behaviors in female college students.

This study aimed to examine the association between muscle mass and perception of body shape, desired body shape, physical strength, exercise habits, and eating behaviors. Height, weight, and body composition in 270 female university students were measured. The questionnaire on body shape perception, desired body shape, dieting experience, current, and past exercise habits, exercise preference, and eating behaviors were administered.

Infant weight gain and DXA-measured adolescent adiposity: data from the Japan Kids Body-composition Study.

Background: Rapid weight gain in early life is associated with adiposity later in life. However, there is limited information on the association between weight gain and body fat mass measured using precise methods. This study aimed to investigate whether weight gain is associated with body fat mass measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in adolescents.

Attitude toward breakfast mediates the associations of wake time and appetite for breakfast with frequency of eating breakfast.

Purpose: We investigated associations among attitude toward breakfast, appetite for breakfast, wake time, personality traits, self-esteem, and frequency of eating breakfast in university students and proposed a model of factors affecting the frequency of eating breakfast.

Methods: The participants, 555 Japanese university students (177 men, 378 women), completed a questionnaire about their height and weight, living with family, wake time, frequency of eating breakfast, appetite for breakfast, attitude toward breakfast, personality traits, and self-esteem. Appetite for breakfast was evaluated with a four-point Likert-type scale.

Trunk-to-peripheral fat ratio predicts a subsequent blood pressure in normal-weight pubertal boys: a 3-year follow-up of the Kitakata Kids Health Study.

Background: Limited evidence exists regarding the relationship between central-to-peripheral fat ratio measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and subsequent cardiometabolic risk in both pediatric and adult populations.

Methods: The present cohort study investigated the relationship between DXA-measured body fat distribution and cardiometabolic parameters. The source population was 275 4th-6th graders (aged 9.

Maternal pre-pregnancy underweight is associated with underweight and low bone mass in school-aged children.

Introduction: A number of studies have reported that pre-pregnancy overweight status is associated with offspring obesity, yet only a few studies have examined pre-pregnancy underweight status as it associates with offspring health. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of pre-pregnancy underweight status in a mother on health outcomes in her offspring. To this end, the primary outcome examined in the present study was underweight status in the offspring, with a secondary outcome of offspring low bone mass.

Calcium Intake and Bone Mineral Acquisition during the Pubertal Growth Spurt: Three-Year Follow-Up of the Kitakata Kids Health Study in Japan.

Calcium intake during a growth spurt may influence bone mineral acquisition. However, no population-based cohort studies have examined the relationship between calcium intake and whole-body bone mineral acquisition in Japanese children. The present study investigated the relationship between calcium intake and whole-body bone mineral acquisition in community-dwelling children in a northeast region of Japan using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.

Psychometric properties of the Japanese version of the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire for Children.

This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the 20-item Japanese version of the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire for Children (DEBQ-C). A population-based sample of 502 Japanese school children who were fifth- and sixth-graders in elementary schools and first- and second-graders in junior high schools was assessed. A sample was randomly split into two subsamples, one for exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and another for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).

Associations between serum levels of insulin-like growth factor-I and bone mineral acquisition in pubertal children: a 3-year follow-up study in Hamamatsu, Japan.

Background: Epidemiological data regarding the association between serum levels of IGF-I and bone mineral acquisition during childhood are scarce. Here, we investigated the association between serum levels of IGF-I and bone status during puberty.

Methods: We analyzed prospective 3-year follow-up data of 254 community-dwelling children who completed both baselines (at age 11.

Leptin mediates the relationship between fat mass and blood pressure: The Hamamatsu School-based health study.

Animal studies have shown that leptin mediates the association between obesity and hypertension. However, only a few studies have assessed this relationship in population-based epidemiological studies. This study aimed to determine whether leptin mediates the relationship between body fat and blood pressure in school-aged children.

Association of anthropometric status, perceived stress, and personality traits with eating behavior in university students.

Purpose: We investigated the association of anthropometric status, perceived stress, and personality traits with eating behavior in university students.

Methods: The participants, 1546 Japanese university students (964 males, 582 females), completed a questionnaire which asked for their current height and weight, ideal height and weight, eating behaviors, perceived stress, and personality traits.

Results: Restrained eating was higher in normal-weight participants compared with underweight participants in both males and females (p < 0.

Trends in Serum Lipid Levels of a 10- and 13-Year-Old Population in Fukuroi City, Japan (2007-2017).

Background: Current trends in serum lipid levels among children are likely to be important predictors of future cardiovascular disease prevalence. However, no studies have examined trends in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels in Japanese children.

Methods: We investigated trends in LDL-C levels from 2008 through 2017 and HDL-C levels from 2007 through 2017 in a population of 10- and 13-year-old children in Fukuroi City, Japan.

Relationship Between Maternal Pre-pregnancy Weight and Offspring Weight Strengthens as Children Develop: A Population-Based Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Maternal pre-pregnancy weight has been reported to be positively associated with offspring weight. The association between maternal weight and offspring weight might be explained by maternal lifestyle. We investigated the strength of the relationship between maternal body mass index (BMI) at the beginning of pregnancy and offspring BMI at several growth stages.

Relationships between serum leptin levels and bone mineral parameters in school-aged children: a 3-year follow-up study.

Leptin regulates bone cell differentiation and functions via direct and indirect actions in experimental settings. Epidemiologically, however, the impact of leptin on the regulation of bone metabolism remains unclear. While some studies have reported a positive relationship between leptin and bone mineral parameters, other studies found an inverse or no association.

Fat mass is positively associated with bone mass acquisition in children with small or normal lean mass: A three-year follow-up study.

The independent impact of fat mass (FM) on bone health is difficult to assess, as FM is correlated with lean soft tissue mass (LSTM). In a previous cross-sectional study, FM was suggested to help promote high bone mass acquisition in adolescents with small LSTM. The present prospective cohort study investigated the effects of FM on bone in pubertal children after stratification by height-normalized index of LSTM (LSTMI).

Association of social support with gratitude and sense of coherence in Japanese young women: a cross-sectional study.

Purpose: Recent studies have shown that perceived social support is associated with gratitude and sense of coherence, but evidence for this concept remains scarce. In the present study, we investigated relationships between social support, gratitude, and sense of coherence, focusing on the construct of and source of social support among young women.

Methods: The study was conducted in 2014 in Japan.

Trunk-to-Peripheral Fat Ratio Predicts Subsequent Blood Pressure Levels in Pubertal Children With Relatively Low Body Fat - Three-Year Follow-up Study.

Background: Only a few studies have examined the relationship between fat distribution measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and blood pressure (BP), and no cohort study has targeted a pediatric population.

Methods and results: The source population comprised all students registered as fifth graders in the 2 elementary schools in Hamamatsu, Japan. Of these, 258 children participated in both baseline (at age 11) and follow-up (at age 14) surveys.

Predicting bone mineral acquisition during puberty: data from a 3-year follow-up study in Hamamatsu, Japan.

Although most adult bone mass is acquired before adolescence, only a few studies have assessed bone turnover markers in children. Thus, the utility of bone markers to evaluate and predict bone mineral accrual in children is unclear. The present study assessed the association between serum bone markers at 11 years of age and subsequent changes in bone gain.

Increased Ratio of Trunk-to-Appendicular Fat and Decreased Adiponectin: A Population-Based Study of School Children in Hamamatsu, Japan.

Very few epidemiological studies have examined the relative impact of visceral fat and subcutaneous fat on serum adiponectin levels. Trunk-to-extremity fat ratio is reportedly a better surrogate for visceral fat than for subcutaneous fat. In the present study, we investigated the association between adiponectin and trunk-to-appendicular fat ratio (TAR) in a school population.

Inverse association between height increase and LDL cholesterol during puberty: A 3-year follow-up study of the Fukuroi City.

Objectives: Few studies have reported on the association between changes in serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and height increase. We investigated the association between LDL-C change and height increase during puberty in a 3-year follow-up study in Fukuroi City, Japan.

Methods: The source population was all fifth grade 2,515 students enrolled in any public school in Fukuroi, Japan in 2008, 2009, and 2010.

Cardiovascular response to short-term fasting in menstrual phases in young women: an observational study.

Background: Menstrual cycle-related symptoms are an important health issue for many women, and some may affect cardiac autonomic regulation. In the present study, we evaluated the cardiovascular and physiological stress response to 12-h short-term fasting in the menstrual phases of healthy young women.

Methods: We performed a randomized crossover study.