Jane C-J Chao

Taipei Medical University | TMU · School of Nutrition and Health Sciences

The objective of the present review was to summarize the molecular mechanisms associated with the effects of the vitamins A, C, E and K, and group B vitamins on bone and their potential roles in the development of osteoporosis. Epidemiological findings have demonstrated an association between vitamin deficiency and a higher risk of developing osteo...

The effects of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBP) and plasmon-activated water (PAW) against IFN-γ/TNF-α induced inflammation in human colon Caco-2 cells were investigated. Cells were divided into the control, induction, LBP treatment (100–500 μg/mL), and combination groups with PAW. Inflammation was induced 24 h with 10 ng/mL IFN-γ when cell con...

Globally, anemia affects 56 million pregnant women, especially women with a low household income. Functional erythropoiesis requires a constant supply of micronutrients, and the demands significantly increase during fetal development. This study aims to identify dietary patterns for preventing gestational erythropoiesis-associated micronutrient def...

Vitamin D is involved in the pathophysiology of anemia. This cross-sectional study was conducted using the Nationwide Nutrition and Health Survey in Pregnant Women in Taiwan database. We investigated associations among dietary patterns (DPs), vitamin D, and iron-related biomarkers in pregnant women. The principal component analysis revealed four DP...

Background: Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is a global micronutrient issue that commonly occurs in pregnant women, leading to adverse health outcomes. We examined the role of sunlight-related factors and dietary vitamin D intake on vitamin D concentrations among pregnant women in different climate zones. Methods: We conducted a nationwide cross-sect...

The objective of the present study was to evaluate potential similar patterns and interactive effects of obesity and hypertension on hair essential trace element and mineral content in adult women. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 607 adult women divided into controls (n = 101), groups with obesity without hypertension (n = 199), hypertens...

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are at higher risk of stroke. This study aimed to investigate the clinical factors of stroke risk in COPD and allied conditions patients and associations between medications for treating COPD and allied conditions. The population-based study cohort comprised 24,173 patients diagnosed with C...

Aspirin causes gastrotoxicity and damaged epithelial defense via cyclooxygenase inhibition. C-phycocyanin (CPC) and Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBP), an active ingredient of Spirulina platensis and wolfberry, respectively, exerted antioxidation, anti-inflammation, and/or immunoregulation. The actions of CPC and/or LBP on gastric damage induced...

Background: Olive (Olea europaea Linn) leaves contain a phenolic compound oleuropein (Ole) has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory activities. However, whether Ole might be an effective treatment for atopic dermatitis (AD) remains unknown. Objective: This study investigated the functional role of oleuropein in a 2,4-dinitrochlor...

The consumption of snacks is often done between meals. About 20% of the daily intake of adolescents comes from snacks. Snacks contribute‘empty’ energy but provide an excess intake of substances that are not beneficial to the teenager’s body. This study aims to determine the pattern of snack consumption and nutritional status of adolescents in Malan...

Active ingredients in the natural products have been considered to be used for alleviating the symptoms of ulcerative colitis, hence the effects of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LP) and capsaicin on dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis in rats were investigated. Rats were grouped into normal, DSS induced colitis, and colitis treated with...

Purpose To assess whether polymorphisms of haptoglobin (Hp) modify the relationship between dietary iron and the risk of gestational iron-deficiency anemia (IDA). Methods This study analyzed 1430 singleton pregnant women aged 20 ~ ≤ 48 years from the 2017–2019 National Nutrition and Health Survey of Pregnant Women in Taiwan. Sociodemographic, bloo...

Unhealthy diet and inappropriate lifestyle contribute to an imbalance in cardiometabolic profiles among postmenopausal women. This research aimed to analyze the association between dietary pattern and changes in cardiovascular risk factors among postmenopausal Taiwanese women using binary logistic regression. This cross-sectional study involved 568...

Objective: Our aim was to evaluate the feasibility of our developed intelligent cardiopulmonary training system (ICTS) and of the percentage of time spent within the target HR range (%time) as an indicator of adherence to training intensity. Methods: In this noncontrolled trial, nine participants with sedentary lifestyles were recruited from the ou...

Anemia and dyslipidemia often occurs in premenopausal women. This study investigated the association between dietary patterns and anemia among dyslipidemic women in Taiwan. This study recruited 22,631 dyslipidemic women aged 20–45 years between 2001 and 2015. The dietary assessment was collected by a validated food frequency questionnaire. The bioc...

Background : Angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), which are commonly used antihypertensives, have been proposed to lower the risk of Parkinson's disease by reducing oxidative stress based on animal and in vitro studies. Thus, this study aimed to test this association in patients with newly diagnosed hypertension. Methods : This retrospective coho...

Urolithin A is an active compound of gut-microbiota-derived metabolites of polyphenol ellagic acid that has anti-aging, antioxidative, and anti-inflammatory effects. However, the effects of urolithin A on polyinosinic acid-polycytidylic acid (poly(I:C))-induced inflammation remain unclear. Poly(I:C) is a double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) similar to a vir...

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory disease with chronic relapsing symptoms. This study investigated the effects of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBP) and capsaicin (CAP) in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced UC rats. Rats were divided into normal, DSS-induced UC, and UC treated with 100 mg LBP/kg bw, 12 mg CAP/kg bw, or 50 mg LBP/kg bw...

Background: Indonesian young adults who live abroad usually buy meals from café or catering. These meals tend to be less nutritious, including high fat, low fiber, and high carbohydrate. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the pattern of food consumption among young Indonesian adults who lived in a different environment. Materials and Meth...

Background and objectives: Insulin resistance (IR) is frequently associated with chronic low-grade inflammation and has an important role as a mediator in the development of liver disease. Thus, this study aimed to explore the relationship between two indexes of IR and abnormal liver function parameters. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional...

The objective of the present study was to review the existing data on the association between Zn status and characteristics of gut microbiota in various organisms and the potential role of Zn-induced microbiota in modulating systemic effects. The existing data demonstrate a tight relationship between Zn metabolism and gut microbiota as demonstrated...

Background: Food literacy is a collection of interrelated knowledge, skills, and behavior required to plan, manage, select, prepare, and eat food for further meeting dietary requirements and determining dietary intake. In Indonesia, 93.6% of all adolescents aged 10 years or over consumed an inadequate amount of fruits and vegetables and more than h...

Carissa, a genus of the Apocynaceae family, consists of evergreen species, such as shrubs as well as small trees that are native to Asia, Africa, and Oceania’s subtropical and tropical regions. Most of the Carissa species are traditionally used to treat various diseases, such as chest pain, headaches, gonorrhoea, rheumatism, syphilis, oedema, rabie...

We assessed the reproducibility and validity of a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) among middle-aged and older adults in Semarang, Indonesia. A total of 259 subjects aged 40–80 years completed two FFQs (nine-month apart) and nine 24 h dietary recalls (24HDRs, as a reference method). The reproducibility of the FFQ was analyzed using correlation co...

Background Anemia and electrolyte disturbances are adverse outcomes of chronic kidney disease (CKD). This study explored the association between metabolic parameters with anemia and electrolyte and mineral disorders among CKD patients in Taiwan. Methods This cross-sectional study with a total of 2176 CKD stages 3–5 patients were collected from the...

While diet and lifestyle are independently implicated in the etiology of liver disease, the interaction of diet and lifestyle may be more helpful for determining the risk of liver abnormality. Thus, our study aimed to evaluate the interaction between the dietary pattern associated with liver biomarkers and lifestyle factors among Taiwanese adults w...

Hepcidin is a regulator of iron metabolism. Diet affects the body’s iron status, but how it influences hepcidin concentrations and the risk of gestational iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) remains unclear. We investigated relationships of food and nutrient intake with serum hepcidin levels in relation to the iron status at a population scale. A retrospe...

The objective of the present study was to evaluate hair toxic metal levels in patients with obesity and/or coronary heart disease (CHD). Following a 2 × 2 factorial design, subjects without CHD were grouped into normal weight control (n = 123) and obese groups (n = 140). Patients suffering from CHD were divided into normal weight (n = 180) and obes...

Vitamin D’s function in the development of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is not consistent in the literature. We examined the association between maternal plasma 25(OH)D concentration and GDM risk. A national cross-sectional study (1497 pregnant women) was conducted between 2017 and 2019 across Taiwan. Blood samples were drawn at recruitment...

Objective The coexistence of underweight (UW) and overweight (OW)/obese (OB) at the population level is known to affect iron-deficiency anemia (IDA), but how the weight status affects erythropoiesis during pregnancy is less clear at a population scale. This study investigated associations between the pre-pregnancy body mass index (pBMI) and erythro...

Objectives Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disease in the colon, and the prevalence of UC is increasing worldwide. Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBP) from wolfberry extract has immunomodulatory effects, and act as a prebiotics candidate. Capsaicin (CAP) as an active ingredient of chili peppers has the potential for anti-inflamm...

Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the association of lifestyle factors with the risk of anemia among adults in Taiwan. Methods This cross sectional study included 118,924 (43,055 men and 75,869 women) participants aged 20–45 years, who had health examination including blood tests, anthropometric measurements, and questionnaires t...

Background: Comorbidity is common and causes poor stroke outcomes. We aimed to examine the modifying impacts of physical activity (PA) and diet quality on the association between comorbidity and disability in stroke patients. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 951 stable stroke patients in Vietnam from December 2019 to December 20...

Recently, the role of lifestyle factors in testicular function has developed into a growing area of interest. Based on cross-sectional data on 3283 Taiwanese men, we investigated whether interactive effects of unhealthy lifestyle behaviors were associated with testicular function. The men were recruited from a private screening institute between 20...

Background and Objectives The nursing assessment in the psychiatric department differ from those used in other departments considerably. We developed a psychiatric knowledge-based clinical decision support system (Psy-KBCDSS), which may aid nurses in solving patients’ problems in the psychiatric department. In addition, we compared the sensitivity...

Inadequate dietary intake, poor nutritional status, heavy smoking, and alcohol consumption are associated with the risk of anemia. The objective of this study was to investigate the associations between dietary patterns, lifestyle, nutritional status, and anemia-related biomarkers among adults using a multivariable regression model. Taiwanese adult...

Epidemiological studies demonstrated an association between heavy metal exposure and the incidence of obesity and metabolic syndrome. However, the particular effects of metal toxicity on adipose tissue functioning are unclear. Therefore, recent findings of direct influence of heavy metals (mercury, cadmium, and lead) and metalloid (arsenic) on adip...

We investigated the association between dietary patterns and serum hepatic enzyme levels in adults with dyslipidemia and impaired fasting glucose in Taiwan. A total of 15,005 subjects (5452 men and 9553 women) aged 35–69 years were selected. Two major dietary patterns were identified by principal component analysis: Western dietary pattern and Medi...

Background The use of dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers (DCCBs) was proposed to reduce the risk of Parkinson's disease (PD). This study aimed to evaluate the association between DCCB and its dose effect and the risk of PD in patients with newly diagnosed hypertension. Methods This population-based retrospective cohort study enrolled 107,207...

The objective of this study was to investigate of selenium (Se), zinc (Zn), chromium (Cr), and vanadium (V) levels in blood serum, hair, and urine of adult obese patients. A total of 199 lean and 196 obese subjects were enrolled in the study. Serum, hair, and urinary metal and metalloid analysis were performed by inductively coupled plasma mass spe...

We evaluated the interactive effects of nutrition education (NE) and lifestyle factors on kidney function parameters and cardiovascular risk factors among chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. This cross-sectional cohort study recruited 2176 CKD stages 3–5 patients aged > 20 years from Integrated Chronic Kidney Disease Care Network, Shuang Ho Hosp...

Diets could play an important role in testicular function, but studies on how adherence to the dietary patterns that influence human testicular function in Asian countries are scarce. Herein, we examined the association between testosterone-related dietary patterns and testicular function among adult men in Taiwan. This cross-sectional study recrui...

Background Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin are used for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. Chronic use of low-dose aspirin is associated with the occurrence of gastric ulcer. The aim of this study was to investigate the healing potential of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBP) from Chinese Goji berry and C-phycocyanin (...

This study explored the association between dietary patterns and kidney function parameters in adults with metabolic syndrome in Taiwan. This cross-sectional study was undertaken in 56,476 adults from the health screening centers in Taiwan from 2001 to 2010. Dietary intake and dietary patterns were assessed using a food frequency questionnaire and...

Background COVID-19 has affected more than 180 countries and is the first known pandemic to be caused by a new virus. COVID-19’s emergence and rapid spread is a global public health and economic crisis. However, investigations into the disease, patient-tracking mechanisms, and case report transmissions are both labor-intensive and slow. Objective...

Objectives We examined impacts and interactions of COVID-19 response involvement, health-related behaviours and health literacy (HL) on anxiety, depression, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among healthcare workers (HCWs). Design A cross-sectional study was conducted. Data were collected 6 April to 19 April 2020 using online-based, self-...

This study investigated the gastroprotective effect of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBP) and C-phycocyanin (C-PC) in rats with ethanol-induced gastric ulcer. Rats were divided into 5 groups: normal, ulcer, ulcer treated with 100 mg/kg bw LBP, ulcer treated with 50 mg/kg bw C-PC, and ulcer treated with 50 mg/kg bw LBP and 25 mg/kg bw C-PC. Pretr...

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic causes a huge burden for affected countries. Several public health interventions were applied to contain the infection. However, the pandemic itself and the lockdown measure negatively influence people's lifestyles and psychological health. Purpose: To explore determinants of healthy dietary intake and depression,...

Background Dietary patterns were associated with the risk of chronic disease development and outcome-related diseases. In this study, we aimed to compare the correlation between dietary patterns and metabolic syndrome (MetS) using two methods for identifying dietary patterns. Methods The participants ( n = 25,569) aged ≥40 years with impaired kidn...

Background: Dietary patterns were associated with the risk of chronic disease development and outcome-related diseases. In this study, we aimed to compare the correlation between dietary patterns and metabolic syndrome (MetS) using two methods for identifying dietary patterns. Methods: The participants (n = 25,569) aged ≥ 40 years with impaired kid...

Background: Dietary patterns were associated with the risk of chronic disease development and outcome-related diseases. In this study, we aimed to compare the correlation between dietary patterns and metabolic syndrome (MetS) using two methods for identifying dietary patterns. Methods: The participants (n = 25,569) aged ≥ 40 years with impaired kid...

Non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) cause gastrointestinal injury through both topical and systemic effects, which may generate reactive oxygen species and lead to apoptosis. Aspirin, a NSAID, is widely used for cardio‐protection and causes gastrotoxicity in long‐term administration. C‐phycocyanin (CPC) is a biliprotein pigment of the bl...

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic affects people’s health and health-related quality of life (HRQoL), especially in those who have suspected COVID-19 symptoms (S-COVID-19-S). We examined the effect of modifications of health literacy (HL) on depression and HRQoL. A cross-sectional study was conducted from 14 February to 2 March 2020....

Background Dietary patterns were associated with the risk of chronic disease development and outcome-related diseases. In this study, we aimed to compare the correlation between dietary patterns and metabolic syndrome (MetS) using two methods for identifying dietary patterns. Methods The participants (n = 25,569) aged ≥ 40 years with impaired kidne...

BACKGROUND: Essential trace elements and minerals play a significant role in neurodevelopment. Although certain studies demonstrated impaired essential trace element and mineral status in children with ADHD, the existing data are insufficient. The objective of the present study was to assess serum trace element and mineral levels in children with A...

Obesity has become a significant problem for developing countries, including Indonesia. High duration of sedentary activity and high intake of unhealthy foods were associated with high risk of overweight and obesity. The objective of this study was to compare the distributions of sedentary activity and dietary behavior with overweight/obesity risks...

Background: The increasing prevalence of obesity has become a pandemic problem, and dietary patterns are one of the important factors causing obesity. Although the correlation between dietary patterns and obesity has been well explored, the gender difference on the association between dietary patterns and obesity remains unclear. The objective of...

Background: Lifestyle factors were associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) occurrence. We explored the associations between lifestyle factors and CVD risk factors, and assessed the interactive effects of lifestyle factors on CVD risk factors. Methods: A cross-sectional data of 114,082 (57,680 men and 56,402 women) middl...