Metabolic Evidence Rather Than Amounts of Red or Processed Meat as a Risk on Korean Colorectal Cancer

Effects of Pear Extracts on Microbiome and Immunocytokines to Alleviate Air Pollution-Related Respiratory Hypersensitivity

Pears are ancient functional foods for modern times. Particularly, Korean pears (Pyrus pyrifolia cv.) have been used as folk medicine for respiratory diseases and have strong potential for the treatment of hazardous aerosol-related diseases. Thus, the effects of pear ethanol extracts on air pollution-related respiratory hypersensitivity were studied by toxicokinetics, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and microbiomics in preclinical and randomized double-blind clinical studies. The mild-asthma subjects, who lived in the same city, Seoul, Korea, were separated into the placebo and the treatment (pear extracts, as brix 55; arbutin 5.01 mg and chlorogenic acid 0.18 mg/3 mL per day) groups for 4 weeks (n = 20). As results, there were positive associations between urinary 2-naphthol (NT) or 1-hydroxypyrene (OHP), exposure biomarkers for polyaromatic hydrocarbons in PM_2.5, and pro-inflammatory cytokines, interleukin (IL)-4 or IgE, respectively, in the human subjects. The pear extracts somewhat reduced 2-NT and 1-OHP levels. The proportions of fiber-degrading bacteria that stimulate growth of beneficial microflora for immune defense, that is, Bifidobacterium and Eubacterium, were significantly higher in the pear consuming group than in the placebo group. Moreover, pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IgE, IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13, were significantly suppressed by the pear extracts in the preclinical tests of the ovalbumin-induced asthma mice. Thus, we suggest that air pollution-related respiratory hypersensitivity can be alleviated by Korean pear extracts by modulation of microbiome and immunocytokines.

Assessment of dietary exposure to heterocyclic amines based on the Korean total diet study

Heterocyclic amines (HCAs) are contaminants in proteinaceous foods produced by cooking at high temperatures. This study was the first assessment of exposure to HCAs using the Korean total diet study. Twelve HCAs were analysed in 1,232 pooled samples using six isotope-labelled internal standards and HPLC-MS/MS. The daily intake of HCAs in the Korean population was estimated based on the concentration of HCAs in the total diet study samples and individual food consumption data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Among HCAs, the intake of β-carbolines, such as harman and norharman, was the highest, followed by the intake of PhIP. The primary sources of HCA intake were meat, fish, shellfish, and beverages, including alcohol. The margin of exposure to PhIP was 2,349,000 at the average level and 373,000 at the 95^th percentile in the Korean population. The estimated daily intake of all HCAs in the Korean population was considered safe.