Objective

This study investigated the association between plant-based diet indices—overall plant-based diet index (PDI), healthful PDI (hPDI), and unhealthful PDI (uPDI)—and depressive symptoms in South Korean adults.
Methods
This cross-sectional study analyzed 5,846 participants (aged 19–64 years) using data from the 2014 and 2016 South Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Dietary intake was assessed with a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire, from which PDIs were derived. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Survey-weighted linear and logistic regression models were applied to assess associations, adjusting for sociodemographic, lifestyle, and clinical factors.
Results
In fully adjusted models, higher overall PDI and hPDI were associated with lower PHQ-9 scores (β=−0.23; 95% confidence interval [CI], −0.41 to −0.04 and β=−0.16; 95% CI, −0.30 to −0.02 per 10-unit increment, respectively), whereas higher uPDI scores were associated with higher PHQ-9 scores (β=0.21; 95% CI, 0.07 to 0.35 per 10-unit increment). For clinical depressive symptoms (PHQ-9 ≥10), each 10-unit increase in overall PDI was associated with a 33% reduction in odds (odds ratio, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.50 to 0.89). Associations for hPDI and uPDI were attenuated and not statistically significant. Subgroup analyses revealed that these associations varied by sex, age, and obesity status.
Conclusion
Greater adherence to healthy plant-based foods and lower intake of less healthy plant-based foods were associated with fewer depressive symptoms among South Korean adults. These findings highlight the importance of plant-based food quality, rather than quantity alone, in supporting mental health.

Objective

As global life expectancy rises, the focus has shifted from longevity alone to healthy aging. Although dietary models such as the Mediterranean, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay, and EAT-Lancet diets show benefits for specific health outcomes, their direct application to South Korean populations is limited by differences in dietary patterns and cultural practices. This study aimed to develop nutritional criteria for a South Korean-adapted longevity diet framework.
Methods
A multiphase development approach was used, including a narrative review of major dietary models and clinical nutrition guidelines to identify key components of a longevity diet. Macronutrient distribution, food group intake, and nutrient-specific recommendations were synthesized into a structured framework. The EAT-Lancet reference diet was adjusted from 2,400 to 2,000 kcal/day to reflect energy requirements of South Korean adults.
Results
The proposed framework comprises six domain-specific recommendations, including macronutrient targets of 50%–65% carbohydrates, 10%–20% protein, and 15%–30% fat, with a 1:1 animal to plant protein ratio. Food group recommendations were tailored to South Korean dietary patterns. The framework addresses weight management, glycemic control, cardiovascular health, cognitive function, muscle function, and skin health. It emphasizes whole grains, dietary fiber, plant-based proteins, and unsaturated fats, while limiting refined carbohydrates, added sugars, and saturated fats.
Conclusion
This study presents evidence-based nutritional criteria for a South Korean-adapted longevity diet framework that integrates disease prevention with functional health support to promote healthy aging.

Objective

Because vitamin D deficiency is associated with diabetes and insulin resistance, and the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index is a reliable marker of metabolic health, this study aimed to clarify the association between vitamin D status and the TyG index.
Methods
A cross-sectional analysis was conducted on 4,819 participants from the 2022 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination survey, stratified by age and sex. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25(OH)D3) <20 ng/mL, and a metabolically unhealthy state as a TyG index of ≥8.82 and ≥8.73 for men and women, respectively.
Results
Approximately 46.9% of South Korean adults were vitamin D deficient, and 35.5% were metabolically unhealthy. After adjustment, blood 25(OH)D3 levels were inversely correlated with the TyG index in younger women (β=−0.004, standard error [SE]=0.002, P=0.039), middle-aged men (β=−0.006, SE=0.003, P=0.015), and older men (β=−0.008, SE=0.002, P=0.002). Vitamin D deficiency was associated with a higher risk of a metabolically unhealthy state in middle-aged men (odds ratio [OR], 1.59; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11−2.28) and older men (OR, 2.15; 95% CI, 1.31−3.55).
Conclusion
These findings suggest that adequate vitamin D status may help maintain a metabolically healthy state, and the TyG index may help identify vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency, particularly in middle-aged and older South Korean men.

Objective

Nutritional management is essential in caring for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), older adults at higher risk of malnutrition and comorbidities. However, data on actual dietary intake patterns in older adults with predialysis CKD, especially by diabetes mellitus (DM) status, remain limited.
Methods
This cross-sectional study included 106 patients aged ≥65 years with CKD stage G3a or higher, divided into DM (n=67) and non-DM (n=39) groups. Dietary intake was assessed using a single 24-hour recall. Nutrient and food-group intakes were compared with recommended levels.
Results
In both groups, energy intake was lower than recommended levels. More than half of the participants exceeded sodium limits, and approximately half consumed excess protein. Patients with DM had significantly higher protein intake and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels than those without DM. Most food groups, except protein foods, were consumed below recommended levels.
Conclusion
Dietary patterns in older adults with predialysis CKD showed low energy intake, high sodium intake, and relatively high protein intake. Those with DM had higher protein intake and BUN levels, suggesting dietary differences by diabetes status. These findings underscore the need for age-sensitive, individualized nutritional management strategies that consider kidney function and DM status.

Postgastrectomy diarrhea is often attributed to dumping syndrome or functional changes; however, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) from anatomical and physiological alterations may be an underrecognized cause of malabsorption and nutritional decline. Because EPI symptoms are often nonspecific, it may remain undiagnosed and lead to progressive malnutrition if untreated. This case report describes severe EPI identified via nutrition-focused assessment in a patient with persistent diarrhea after Billroth II gastrectomy, and the clinical response to pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT). A patient with a history of subtotal gastrectomy with Billroth II reconstruction for gastric cancer presented with chronic diarrhea, steatorrhea, weight loss, and hypoalbuminemia. Repeated endoscopic and radiologic evaluations identified no structural cause of diarrhea. Comprehensive nutrition-focused assessment indicated fat malabsorption, and fecal pancreatic elastase was markedly reduced (23.8 µg/g), confirming severe EPI. PERT with pancreatin containing 25,000 units of lipase (Norzyme) was initiated with meals. Posttreatment, steatorrhea resolved and bowel movements normalized without dietary fat restriction. Serum albumin levels subsequently normalized, and body weight returned to the normal range, indicating improved nutritional status. This case emphasizes the clinical value of nutrition-focused assessment in identifying treatable causes of malabsorption, such as EPI, in patients with persistent postgastrectomy diarrhea.

The incidence of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is approximately 35 cases per 100,000 patients with a prevalence of 2.25 cases per 1,000. This dysrhythmia originates at or above the atrioventricular node and is defined by a narrow complex QRS (<120 msec) at a rate of >100 beats/min. The effects of vitamin B12 deficiency on sympathetic and parasympathetic systems may cause heart rate variability and autonomic dysfunction. In patients with SVT, the underlying mechanism may be further exacerbated by vitamin B12 deficiency or induced by the deficiency. We describe a case series of three patients with no known comorbidity who presented to our department with SVT. Their SVTs were terminated using the modified Valsalva maneuver. All three patients were incidentally found to be severely deficient in vitamin B12 and had hyperhomocysteinemia. They were discharged on medications and dietary advice to increase vitamin B12 levels. Correcting vitamin B12 deficiency and hyperhomocysteinemia could play a preventive role in patients at risk for SVT. Our case series demonstrates a plausible association between vitamin B12 deficiency and SVT occurrence in previously healthy individuals with no known comorbid conditions.

Micronutrient deficiencies are a major public health concern in low- and middle-income countries, where conventional supplementation and fortification programs are often limited by low bioavailability, fragile supply chains, cultural resistance, and poor long-term adherence. This research note proposes a food-based alternative model that leverages selected traditional Korean foods (K-foods)—gim (dried seaweed), kimchi (fermented vegetables), and cheonggukjang (fermented soybean paste)—as culturally adaptable and nutritionally dense components of official development assistance nutrition strategies. These foods provide functionally relevant nutrients, such as iodine, vitamin K2, probiotics, and fermentation-derived bioactive peptides, and offer benefits, including shelf stability, microbial resilience, and decentralized production. Employing a multidisciplinary clinical nutrition framework integrating food composition science, fermentation biology, public health nutrition, and development policy, this note presents a five-step research roadmap encompassing nutrient profiling, safety and stability assessment, cultural acceptability evaluation, community-based efficacy trials, and policy translation. By prioritizing food-based, multinutrient dietary interventions over single-nutrient strategies, the proposed model highlights a scalable and clinically relevant pathway for enhancing micronutrient status in resource-limited settings. This work contributes to emerging discussions on nutrition-sensitive official development assistance and highlights K-foods as potential tools for sustainable, culturally responsive global nutrition interventions.