Available evidence suggests that social disadvantages are inextricably linked to unhealthy eating behaviors. Given that temporary workers face insecure employment and uncertainty in their work’s terms and conditions, issues relevant to maintaining healthy eating behavior are likely to be affected. This study investigated the association between temporary employments and, specifically, the status and frequency of meal skipping and of eating alone among temporary and permanent Korean workers. We used data from the 2013–2016 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. A total of 5912 working people were included as the study population. We classified them as temporary workers (n = 3036) and permanent workers (n = 2876). Eating behaviors included meal skipping and eating alone. The rate and frequency of meal skipping and eating alone were higher in temporary workers. After adjustment for potential confounders, the likelihoods for temporary workers’ skipping lunch was twice as high (OR = 1.95, 95% CI 1.45–2.63) as for permanent workers. In particular, temporary workers had four-fold-increased odds (OR = 4.12, 95% CI 2.29–7.41) of eating alone three times per day relative to permanent workers. We found that temporary workers were more likely to skip meals and eat alone than were permanent workers.

In this study, we aimed to investigate the prospective associations and their shapes between the dietary intake of total flavonoids and their seven subclasses and hypertension risk in a prospective cohort, the KoGES_CArdioVascular disease Association Study (CAVAS), and to consider obesity status as an additional factor. A total of 10,325 adults aged 40 years and older were enrolled at baseline, and 2159 patients were newly diagnosed with hypertension during a median follow-up of 4.95 years. Cumulative dietary intake was estimated using a repeated food frequency questionnaire. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using modified Poisson models with a robust error estimator. We observed nonlinear inverse associations between total and seven subclasses of flavonoids and hypertension risk, although there was no significant association between total flavonoids and flavones with hypertension risk in the highest quartile. For men, these inverse associations tended to be pronounced in the high BMI group, particularly for anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins [IRR (95% CI) in overweight/obese men: 0.53 (0.42–0.67) for anthocyanins; 0.55 (0.42–0.71) for proanthocyanidins]. Our results suggested that consumption of dietary flavonoids may not be dose-responsive but is inversely associated with hypertension risk, particularly among overweight/obese men.

OBJECTIVES: Limited and inconsistent prospective evidence exists regarding the relationship of dietary total antioxidant capacity (dTAC) and antioxidant intake with metabolic syndrome (MetS) risk. We evaluated the associations of the cumulative averages of dTAC and antioxidant intake (in 5 classes: retinol, vitamin C, vitamin E, carotenoids, and flavonoids, as well as 7 flavonoid subclasses) with the risk of MetS.METHODS: This study included 11,379 participants without MetS, drawn from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study_CArdioVascular disease Association Study (KoGES_CAVAS). The cumulative average consumption was calculated using repeated food frequency questionnaires. Incidence rate ratios were estimated using a modified Poisson regression model with a robust error estimator.RESULTS: The median follow-up period was 5.16 years, and 2,416 cases of MetS were recorded over 58,750 person-years. In men, significant inverse associations were observed in all 5 antioxidant classes, except for the highest quartile of dTAC. In women, dTAC and total flavonoids were not significantly associated with MetS; however, significant L-shaped associations were found for the remaining 4 antioxidant classes. Of the 7 flavonoid subclasses, only flavones in the highest quartile for men and flavan-3-ols in women lacked significant associations with MetS. The inverse associations were not sex-specific, but they were particularly pronounced among participants with a body mass index (BMI) of 23 kg/m2 or higher.CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that most antioxidant classes and flavonoid subclasses, unlike dTAC, exhibit a clear beneficial association with MetS in an L-shaped pattern in both men and women, particularly those with a high BMI.

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the association of individual healthy lifestyle factors (HLFs) and their combined healthy lifestyle score (HLS) with hypertension and/or dyslipidemia.METHODS: We analyzed data from 10,693 adults aged ≥19 from the 2019 to 2021 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. HLS was evaluated based on smoking status, alcohol consumption, body mass index (BMI), diet, and physical activity. Using logistic regression models, we estimated odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to evaluate the associations of HLFs and HLS with hypertension, dyslipidemia, and their comorbidity.RESULTS: The prevalence of hypertension alone, dyslipidemia alone, and their comorbidity was 8.7%, 24.6%, and 15.0%, respectively. Multivariable models showed an inverse association of hypertension (OR, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.30 to 0.46) and dyslipidemia (OR, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.32 to 0.41) with healthy BMI. Hypertension was inversely associated with healthy alcohol consumption (OR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.35 to 0.61) and diet (OR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.63 to 0.99), whereas dyslipidemia was inversely associated with non-smoking (OR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.43 to 0.60). Physical activity was inversely associated with their comorbidity (OR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.56 to 0.85). Adherence to HLS was associated with significantly lower odds of hypertension (81%), dyslipidemia (66%), and their conditions (89%) (all ptrend0.05).CONCLUSIONS: HLFs were associated with lower risk for hypertension and/or dyslipidemia. Obesity may contribute significantly to the risk of these conditions, while relevant HLFs for individual chronic diseases may vary significantly.

OBJECTIVES: This study constructed a comprehensive database of dietary antioxidants and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) to facilitate the estimation of daily antioxidant intake using a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). This database was applied to 3 general population-based cohorts (n=195,961) within the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES).METHODS: To establish a database of 412 foods derived from recipes of a 106-item FFQ, we followed a pre-established standardized protocol. This included the selection of source databases, matching of foods, substitution of unmatched items with identical foods and input of values, and assessment of coverage. For each food, the TAC was estimated by summing the individual antioxidant capacities, calculated by multiplying the amount of each antioxidant by its vitamin C equivalent antioxidant capacity.RESULTS: We identified 48 antioxidants across 5 classes: retinol, carotenoids, vitamins C and E, and flavonoids, with flavonoids divided into 7 subclasses. TAC values were then established. Coverage exceeded 90.0% for retinol, carotenoids, vitamin C, and vitamin E, while coverage for flavonoids was 60.9%. The daily intakes of 4 antioxidant classes—all but vitamin E—were higher in women than in men. The Ansan-Ansung cohort exhibited the highest levels of dietary TAC, vitamin E, and flavonoids, while the Health Examinees Study cohort displayed the highest values for retinol, carotenoids, and vitamin C.CONCLUSIONS: We customized a comprehensive antioxidant database for the KoGES FFQ, achieving relatively high coverage. This expansion could support research investigating the impact of dietary antioxidants on the development of chronic diseases targeted by the KoGES.