title: Eating a healthy lunch improves serum alanine aminotransferase activity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Nutritional guidance and diet control play important roles in the treatment of obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver. However, in Japan, nutritional guidance is difficult to provide in practice. Therefore, we evaluated the effects of providing the 'once-a-day' intervention of a healthy lunch on various metabolic parameters.
  
  
  METHODS
  For a 1-month preparatory period, 10 subjects generally consumed the lunches that were provided by the worksite cafeteria. This was followed by a 1-week washout period, after which, the subjects consumed healthy, low-calorie, well-balanced lunches for a 1-month test period. After the preparatory and test periods, blood samples were obtained from all subjects. The serum levels of indices relevant to metabolic syndrome and fatty liver were measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum alanine aminotransferase activity significantly decreased by 20.3% after the healthy intervention. However, the indices of metabolic syndrome did not significantly change. Analysis of the relationship between serum alanine aminotransferase activity and nutrient content indicated that the improvement of serum alanine aminotransferase status was due to the higher vegetable content and lower animal-source protein of the meals provided.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In summary, the 'once-a-day' intervention of providing a healthy lunch improved serum alanine aminotransferase status. A diet high in vegetables and low in animal-based protein is important in maintaining a healthy condition.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Health and Nutrition Sciences, Nakamura Gakuen University, 5-7-1 Befu, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka, 814-0198, Japan. iwamoto@nakamura-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Masako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iwamoto
authors.forename: Kaori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yagi
authors.forename: Kayoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yazumi
authors.forename: Airi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Komine
authors.forename: Bungo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Shirouchi
authors.forename: Masao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sato
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D031204:Caloric Restriction; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000097:blood / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000201:enzymology*; D004435:Eating; D002149:Energy Intake; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000201:enzymology*; D007564:Japan; D062409:Lunch; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D014675:Vegetables / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D014280:Triglycerides; D000410:Alanine Transaminase
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