Cognitive function is maintained in noninstitutionalized elderly Japanese requiring care with high levels of health-related quality of life.

Background: Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) has been reported to be associated with cognitive function; however, whether or not this relationship involves causality is uncertain. This study aimed to determine whether HRQOL levels are associated with subsequent changes in cognitive function in elderly people requiring care.

Methods: Participants were 74 community-dwelling elderly people utilizing the long-term care service (69 % women) who underwent physical and psychological examinations at baseline and follow-up.

Association between Dietary Intake and Bone Mineral Density in Japanese Postmenopausal Women: The Yokogoshi Cohort Study.

Diet and food intake play an important role in the development of osteoporosis. However, apart from calcium and vitamin D, how nutrients affect bone status is not fully understood. The purpose of this study was to determine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between dietary intake and bone mineral density (BMD) in Japanese postmenopausal women.

High serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels do not retard postmenopausal bone loss in Japanese women: the Yokogoshi study.

Unlabelled: We conducted a cohort study exploring an association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (serum 25(OH)D) and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels and 5-year changes in bone mineral density (BMD) in 482 postmenopausal women. High serum 25(OH)D levels do not retard postmenopausal bone loss within the lumbar spine or femoral neck, and high PTH levels potentially increase hip bone loss.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore an association between serum 25(OH)D levels and 5-year changes in BMD in postmenopausal women.

Nutritional and biochemical parameters associated with 6-year change in bone mineral density in community-dwelling Japanese women aged 69 years and older: The Muramatsu Study.

Objective: Predictors of bone loss in elderly Asian women have been unclear. This cohort study aimed to assess lifestyle, nutritional, and biochemical predictors of bone loss in elderly Japanese women.

Methods: Subjects included 389 community-dwelling women aged 69 y and older from the Muramatsu cohort initiated in 2003; follow-up ended in 2009.

Determination of whether the association between serum albumin and activities of daily living in frail elderly people is causal.

Objectives: Serum albumin and activities of daily living (ADL) are associated with each other, but whether the association is causal is not known. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a causal association exists between serum albumin and ADL levels.

Methods: The subjects were 116 frail elderly individuals (34 men and 82 women; mean age 83.

Physical activity and 5-year changes in physical performance tests and bone mineral density in postmenopausal women: the Yokogoshi Study.

Objective: The effect of physical activity on musculoskeletal health in older adults is not completely understood. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between physical activity and 5-year changes in physical performance tests and bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal women.

Study Design: The design was a 5-year cohort study.

Low body mass index and low serum albumin are predictive factors for short-term mortality in elderly Japanese requiring home care.

Japan has a rapidly growing elderly population requiring care. This study aimed to clarify risk factors for two-year mortality in such people. Subjects included 205 community-dwelling elderly people, who were approved for care in the 2003 Yamato Study, an epidemiologic study of individuals utilizing the long-term care service system.

Magnesium intake and bone mineral density in young adult women.

The purpose of this study was to determine a possible association between magnesium intake and bone mass in young adult women. Subjects consisted of 106 female university students aged 19-25 years. Calcium and magnesium intakes were evaluated using the duplicate sampling method on three weekdays.

Age-related decrease in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations in the frail elderly: a longitudinal study.

Several cross-sectional studies have demonstrated an age-related decrease in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations. No prospective studies, however, have been conducted to examine this correlation to date. The objectives of this study were to measure age-related changes in serum 25(OH)D concentrations and to identify predictors of change in serum 25(OH)D concentrations in the frail elderly during a 2-year follow-up period.

The usefulness of day-service in maintaining general nutritional status in elderly Japanese: a longitudinal study.

Day-service, commuting service for elderly people requiring care at home, is one healthcare option in Japan. To date, however, there exist no studies that have examined the effects of day-service use on health outcomes in Japan. The objective of the present longitudinal study was to determine whether there is an association between day-service use and various physical and mental health outcomes in elderly people requiring care.

Threshold value of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration in relation to elevated serum parathyroid hormone concentrations in elderly Japanese women.

This study was designed to determine the threshold value for 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentration in relation to elevated serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) concentrations in elderly Japanese women. The subjects were 582 noninstitutionalized, ambulant women who lived in a community in Japan. Serum 25(OH)D concentrations were determined using the Nichols Advantage chemiluminescent assay, and serum intact PTH concentrations were determined with a two-site immunoradiometric assay.

Nutrition, mild hyperparathyroidism, and bone mineral density in young Japanese women.

Background: The adverse effects of poor nutrition on the bones of young Asian women have not been fully elucidated.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate possible associations of vitamin D nutrition, calcium intake, and other nutrients with bone metabolism and bone mass in young Japanese women.

Design: The subjects were 108 female college students aged 19-25 y.

Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and activities of daily living in noninstitutionalized elderly Japanese requiring care.

To date, no study has investigated the nutritional status of vitamin D in frail elderly people living at home. The purposes of this study were to assess serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels and associated factors in noninstitutionalized elderly people who had various levels of physical disability, and to propose an adequate vitamin D nutritional status for the elderly by interpreting the serum 25(OH)D levels in relation to serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels in this population. Health examinations were conducted in the winter and summer of 2003.

Intakes of calcium and other nutrients related to bone health in Japanese female college students: a study using the duplicate portion sampling method.

The purposes of this study were to determine intakes of nutrients related to bone health, such as calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), sodium (Na), potassium (K), and protein, in Japanese female college students, using the duplicate portion sampling method, and to identify possible lifestyle factors explaining their calcium intakes. Subjects were 106 Japanese female college students aged 19-23 years. All foods in the duplicate portions, as eaten by the subjects during a three-weekday period, were collected.

Health characteristics of elderly Japanese requiring care at home.

The number of elderly subjects requiring care is rapidly increasing, however, their health status has not been well studied. The purposes of this study were to describe the health characteristics of the elderly at home who were using long-term care insurance, and to clarify factors that influence dependence for activities of daily living (ADL). The subjects were 194 elderly people living at home, who were approved for care.