Sunmin Park

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Verified

Sunmin verified their affiliation via an institutional email.

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• Ph.D.
• Professor (Full) at Hoseo University

Background: Traditional fermented soybean foods, acting as potential synbiotics, may help mitigate cognitive impairment associated with amnesia. This study investigated the neuroprotective effects of four kanjang (Korean fermented soy sauce) varieties and their underlying mechanisms. Methods: Male Sprague Dawley rats (n = 70) were divided into seve...

Background: Hyper-LDL-cholesterolemia is a key contributor to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), and both genetic predisposition and lifestyle influence it. This study aimed to develop personalized strategies for managing hyper-LDL-cholesterolemia by integrating polygenic risk scores (PRSs), genetic variants, and bioactive compound interactions, lever...

Hyperhomocysteinaemia has been associated with increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, but the complex interplay between genetic determinants and modifiable lifestyle factors in modulating homocysteine (HC) levels remains incompletely understood. We aimed to investigate the aetiology of hyperhomocysteinaemia by examining the interactions betwe...

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in medical diagnostics represents a transformative advancement in healthcare, with projected market growth reaching $188 billion by 2030. This comprehensive review examines the latest developments in AI-driven diagnostic technologies across multiple disease domains, particularly focusing on cancer, Al...

According to Dongeuibogam (東醫寶鑑), a UNESCO Memory of the World-registered medical text, Omigalsu (五味喝水) was a traditional Korean beverage formulated from Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. (Omija, Schisandra) extract and soybean. It was historically prescribed for treating “sogal” (消渴), a condition characterized by symptoms analogous to diabetes...

Kimchi, a fermented vegetable dish, holds a pivotal role in this culinary tradition, serving not only as a flavor enhancer but also as a crucial source of nutrition. Despite kimchi’s significance in Korean dietary culture, its origins and historical evolution have often been subject to misinterpretation. This is largely due to an overreliance on no...

Background: This study aimed to investigate genetic variants associated with the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and their interactions with lifestyle factors and bioactive compounds in large hospital-based cohorts, assessing their impact on renal dysfunction risk. Methods: Participants were categorized into two groups based on eGFR: Hi...

Kimchi, a unique traditional fermented food of Korea, is a product of agricultural necessity and scientific serendipity. This blessed food, born from the efforts of Korean women striving to create delicious and lasting sustenance, has become an integral part of Korean cuisine. Always present in the traditional Korean bapsang, which means meal table...

Obesity represents a complex interplay between genetics, nutrition, and lifestyle. This study aimed to elucidate the intricate relationship between genetic variants, energy intake, and bioactive compounds in influencing obesity risk, particularly in low energy intake, to reveal how dietary intake modulates molecular-level interactions. We analyzed...

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) prevention is a critical challenge for aging societies, necessitating the exploration of food ingredients and whole foods as potential therapeutic agents. This study aimed to identify natural compounds (NCs) with therapeutic potential in AD using an innovative bioinformatics-integrated deep neural analysis approach, combini...

Background: The relationship between gut microbiota composition, lifestyles, and colonic transit time (CTT) remains poorly understood. This study investigated associations among gut microbiota profiles, diet, lifestyles, and CTT in individuals with subjective constipation. Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of data from our randomized clini...

Background: Myocardial infarction (MI) can range from mild to severe cardiovascular events and typically develops through complex interactions between genetic and lifestyle factors. Objectives: We aimed to understand the genetic predisposition associated with MI through genetic correlation, colocalization analysis, and cells’ gene expression values...

The Inuit, sometimes referred to as Eskimos, are indigenous people to the remote circumpolar regions of the northern hemisphere that remain relatively inaccessible to outsiders. The traditional diet consisted almost entirely of raw animal foods eaten fresh, dried, or fermented and was similar to the diets of wild carnivorous animals. From the 1950s...

Background/Objectives: Schisandra chinensis Fructus (SCF) is a traditional medicinal herb containing lignans that improves glucose metabolism by mitigating insulin resistance. We aimed to investigate the therapeutic potential and action mechanism of SCF for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) using a network pharmacology analysis, followed by experimental val...

The microbiome is a singular term for a vast array of life forms that live symbiotically within the bodies of human and animal hosts, forming commensal, parasitic, or mutualistic relationships [...]

Background/Objectives: This study investigated the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and gastric cancer (GC) risk, while also examining the interaction of genetic factors with lifestyle variables including the nutrient and bioactive compound intake in Korean adults of a large hospital-based cohort. Methods: We conducted a...

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disorder (MASLD) is increasingly prevalent globally, highlighting the need for preventive strategies and early interventions. This comprehensive review explores the potential of health functional foods (HFFs) to maintain healthy liver function and prevent MASLD through an integrative analysis of netw...

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by impaired insulin/insulin-like growth factor-1 signaling in the hippocampus. Zeaxanthin and lutein, known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, have been reported to protect against brain damage and cognitive decline. However, their mechanisms related to insulin signaling in AD remain un...

Myocardial infarction (MI) is a significant global health issue. Despite advances in genome-wide association studies, a complete genetic and molecular understanding of MI is still elusive and needs to be...

The vagus nerve regulates metabolic homeostasis and mediates gut–brain communication. We hypothesized that vagus nerve dysfunction, induced by truncated vagotomy (VGX) or carotid artery occlusion (AO), would disrupt gut–brain communication and exacerbate metabolic dysregulation, neuroinflammation, and cognitive impairment. This study aimed to test...

Scope: Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the fatty acid desaturase 1 (FADS1) gene is suggested as risk factor of metabolic diseases in genome-wide association studies (GWAS). This study hypothesized that FADS1_rs174546T associates with serum triglycerides (TG) in Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES). In addition, functional study of...

This study aimed to investigate the impact of a common non-synonymous gene variant (C>G, rs738409) in patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing 3 (PNPLA3), leading to the substitution of isoleucine with methionine at position 148 (PNPLA3-I148M), on susceptibility to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and explore potential therapeutic nutri...

This study examined how consuming porcine brain enzyme hydrolysate (PBEH) affects the immune function and composition of the gut microbiota in an immunodeficient animal model. Male Wistar rats aged 6 weeks were fed casein (control), 100 mg/kg body weight (BW), red ginseng extract (positive-control), and 6, 13, and 26 mg PBEH per kg BW (PBEH-L, PBEH...

We aimed to investigate the intricate interplay between genetic predisposition and lifestyle factors on stroke. We conducted a comprehensive genome-wide association study(GWAS) to identify the genetic variants linked to stroke in the participants who experienced a stroke event(cases; n=672) and those with no stroke history(non-stroke; n=58,029) in...

We aimed to investigate the association of a sustainable diet with a long-term reduction in waist circumference (WC) while identifying novel biomarkers for WC reduction (WCR). The participants were recruited initially during 2004–2013 in a large hospital-based cohort, and the follow-up measurements were conducted during 2012–2016. The 65,611 adults...

Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), formerly known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is characterized by hepatic fat accumulation by metabolic dysfunction. The rising prevalence of MAFLD, especially among Asians, may be associated with changes in gut microbiota. We investigated gut microbiota characteristics an...

UVB radiation significantly threatens skin health, contributing to wrinkle formation and an elevated risk of skin cancer. This study aimed to explore bioactive compounds with potential UVB-protective properties. Using in silico analysis, we chose compounds to reduce binding energy with matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP1). Piperitoside, procyanidin C1...

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory intestinal disease affecting the colon and rectum, with its pathogenesis attributed to genetic background, environmental factors, and gut microbes. This study aimed to investigate the role of enterotypes in UC by conducting a hierarchical analysis, determining differential bacteria using machine lea...

The genetic and environmental determinants of serum propionylcarnitine concentrations (PC) remain largely unexplored. This study investigated the impact of genetic and environmental factors on serum propionylcarnitine levels in middle-aged and elderly participants from the Ansan/Ansung cohort of the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study. Our goal wa...

Introduction Hypo-high-density lipoprotein cholesterolemia (hypo-HDL-C) contributes to the development of cardiovascular diseases. The hypothesis that the polygenic variants associated with hypo-HDL-C interact with lifestyle factors was examined in 58,701 middle-aged Korean adults who participated in the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES)...

Objectives The association between fecal microbiota and height in children has yielded conflicting findings, warranting further investigation into potential differences in fecal bacterial composition between children with short stature and those of standard height based on enterotypes (ETs). Methods According to the height z score for age and gend...

Hypothyroidism is a prevalent endocrine disorder and is associated with a variety of metabolic disturbances. This study aimed to investigate the polygenic variants associated with hypothyroidism risk and the interaction of polygenic risk scores (PRS) with dietary patterns in influencing disease risk in 56,664 participants aged >40 in a hospital-bas...

This study aimed to investigate alterations in the gut microbiota of patients with depression compared to those in the gut microbiota of healthy individuals based on enterotypes as a classification framework. Fecal bacteria FASTA/Q samples from 333 Chinese participants, including 107 healthy individuals (Healthy group) and 226 individuals suffering...

We investigated the effects of different types of long-term fermented soybeans (traditionally made doenjang; TMD) on glucose and bone metabolism and memory function in ovariectomized (OVX) rats. The rats were categorized into six groups: Control, cooked unfermented soybeans (CSB), and four TMDs based on Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis) and biogenic...

The foods, diets, lifestyles, and cultures that can be encountered throughout the world are different depending on the environment of each region and each ethnic group. Ethnic food has been developed according to the constraints of the given environment in terms of philosophical, agricultural, and geohistorical conditions. In other words, ethnic fo...

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex, progressive respiratory disorder with persistent airflow limitation and tissue destruction. We aimed to explore the genetic impact of COPD and its interaction with nutrient intake in 8840 middle-aged and elderly individuals from the Ansan/Ansung cohorts. Participants were diagnosed with COP...

Gastric cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers in Asia, and has a significant global incidence. However, the impact of fried food consumption on gastric cancer risk remains uncertain, mainly due to the limited number of participants in previous studies. To address this knowledge gap, we aimed to examine the association between fried food intak...

Oxidative stress is associated with insulin resistance and secretion, and antioxidant systems are essential for preventing and managing type 2 diabetes (T2DM). This study aimed to explore the polygenic variants linked to oxidative stress and the antioxidant system among those associated with T2DM and the interaction of their polygenic risk scores (...

We determined whether oral oat and green onion water extracts (GOO) supplementation could stimulate longitudinal bone growth in weaning rats. Fistuloside A, B, and C in the green onions and 26-desglucoavenacoside A and B and avenacoside A in the oats lowered the binding energy of growth differentiation factor-5 (GDF5) and insulin-like growth factor...

T2DM etiology differs among Asians and Caucasians and may be associated with gut microbiota influenced by different diet patterns. However, the association between fecal bacterial composition, enterotypes, and T2DM susceptibility remained controversial. We investigated the fecal bacterial composition, co-abundance network, and metagenome function i...

Background: Osteoporosis develops in the elderly due to decreased bone mineral density (BMD), potentially increasing bone fracture risk. However, the BMD is not regularly measured in a clinical setting. This study aimed to develop a good prediction model for the osteoporosis risk using a machine learning (ML) approach in adults over 40 years in th...

The controversy over the link between noodle consumption and metabolic syndrome (MetS) persists. Using a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach, we aimed to examine the potential causal relationship between noodle consumption and the risk of MetS and its components in adult populations of city hospital-based (n = 58,701) and Ansan/Ansung...

Adult height is inversely related to metabolic syndrome (MetS) risk, but its genetic impacts have not been revealed. The present study aimed to examine the hypothesis that adult height-related genetic variants interact with lifestyle to influence adult height and are associated with MetS risk in adults aged >40 in Korea during 2010–2014. Participan...

Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) has markedly increased among Asians as their diets and lifestyles become more westernized. We, therefore, investigated the hypothesis that the Korean healthy eating index (KHEI) scores are associated with gender-specific T2DM risk in adults. The hypothesis was tested using the data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition...

Introduction Jang is a fermented soybean paste containing salt and is traditionally used as a substitute for salt to enhance the flavor of foods in Korea. It has been speculated that regular consumption of Jang may lower the risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS). We hypothesized that Jang intake was associated with the risk of MetS and its components a...

Traditionally made doenjang (TMD) produced by the long-term fermentation of soybeans with salt may improve symptoms of estrogen deficiency. We aimed to evaluate the effects of four TMD types, containing low and high amounts of Bacillus species and biogenic amines (HBHA, HBLA, LBHA, and LBLA), on energy, glucose, and lipid metabolism, by altering th...

Obesity has become a severe public health challenge globally. The present study aimed to identify separate and interactive dietary, genetic, and other factors that increase the risk of obesity as measured by body fat (BF) mass. We utilized a genome-wide association study to identify genetic variants associated with high fat mass (obesity; n = 10,50...

Objectives: Insulin resistance is a common risk factor for metabolic syndrome (MetS), leading to type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases. This study tested the hypothesis that the polygenic variants associated with the risk of insulin resistance (IR) interact with the lifestyles and nutrient intake of participants aged >40 in a large...

A plant-based diet (PBD) has been reported to be linked to metabolic syndrome (MetS) risk in observational studies, but not in causal association studies. We aimed to examine the hypothesis that high PBD exhibited a causal and inverse association with MetS and its components using two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR). PBD was clustered according...

Background: Some persons are genetically resistant to obesity, but only a few studies have evaluated thinness genes for preventing obesity. We aimed to investigate the association of polygenic variants with being underweight and their interaction with the lifestyles of middle-aged and elderly persons and identify potential new genetic approaches f...

Genetic and environmental factors are associated with developing and progressing duodenal ulcer (DU) risk. However, the exact nature of the disease pathophysiology and the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)—lifestyle interaction has yet to be determined. The purpose of the present study was to examine the SNPs linked to DU risk and their interact...

Simple Summary The porcine placenta has been traditionally used as a potential treatment for liver damage, and enzymatic porcine placenta hydrolysate (EPPH) may promote efficacy. However, there are few studies of EPPH to demonstrate exercise-induced physical and cognitive fatigue. Daily intake of EPPH rich in glycine, glutamate, arginine, alanine,...

The role of gut microbes has been suggested in type 2 diabetes (T2DM) risk. However, their results remain controversial. We hypothesized that Asians with T2DM had different fecal bacterial compositions, co-abundance networks, and metagenome functions compared to healthy individuals, according to enterotypes. This hypothesis was examined using the c...

Background Hansik, a traditional Korean diet, may have a beneficial impact on metabolic syndrome (MetS) risk as dietary westernization increases its prevalence. We examined the hypothesis that adherence to the hansik diet may be inversely associated with the risk of MetS and its components and sought to understand the gender differences in 58,701 m...

The gut microbiota has been demonstrated to play a critical role in maintaining cognitive function via the gut-brain axis, which may be related to the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). However, the exact mechanism remains to be determined. We investigated that patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) could exhi...

Background/Objectives: Obesity has become a severe public health challenge globally. The present study aimed to identify separate and interactive dietary, genetic, and other factors that increase the risk of obesity, as measured by body fat mass. Subjects/Methods: We utilized a genome-wide association study to identify genetic variants associated w...

Bioactive compounds in some herbs can, directly and indirectly, protect against photoaging. We evaluated the effects of Gastrodia elata Blume (GE) and Poria cocos Wolf (PC) water extracts on ultraviolet (UV) B-induced skin lesions by acute UVB exposure in ICR mice and explored their mechanism of action. After removing the hair on the back of the mi...

Over the last several decades, there has been a considerable growth in type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in Asians. A pathophysiological mechanism in Asian T2DM is closely linked to low insulin secretion, β-cell mass, and inability to compensate for insulin resistance. We hypothesized that genetic variants associated with lower β-cell mass and function and th...

We aimed to examine the hypothesis that dietary ferulic acid and vinpocetine intake improve the memory deficits caused by hippocampal amyloid-β accumulation in type 2 diabetic(T2DM) rats with induced Alzheimer’s disease(AD). Their mechanisms were also tested. Partial pancreatectomized animals with hippocampal amyloid-β(25–35) infusion representing...

Background and aims We investigated whether alcohol intake has a causal relationship with type 2 diabetes(T2DM) risk in adults of the Korean Genomic Epidemiology Study using two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. Methods and results Daily alcohol intake was calculated based on the type, average amount, and frequency of alcohol consumpti...

Attenuating acetylcholinesterase and insulin/insulin-like growth factor-1 signaling in the hippocampus is associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) development. Fucoidan and carrageenan are brown and red algae, respectively, with potent antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antiviral activities. This study examined how low-molecular-weig...

We examined the hypothesis that the genetic variants associated with abdominal obesity (AO) risk, excluding skeletal muscle mass impact, interact with lifestyle characteristics of adults aged >40 years in three cohorts from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study. Participants from a large city hospital‐based cohort, excluding those with cancers,...

A high salt intake may exacerbate menopausal symptoms and substituting for different types of traditionally made kanjang (TMK; soy sauce) may prevent it. This study examined whether substituting salt with lyophilized TMK containing low and high Bacillus and biogenic amines in a high-fat diet might modulate the menopausal symptoms and the energy, gl...

Bile acid metabolism, involved with the digestion and absorption of nutrients in the gut, is linked to the gut microbiota community, greatly impacting the host’s metabolism. We examined the hypothesis that the modulation of bile acid metabolism by dietary fat contents, gallbladder removal (GBX; cholecystectomy), and bile acid sequestrant (BAS; chol...

Low-grade subclinical inflammation is interrelated with metabolic diseases, and its susceptibility interacts with genetic and environmental factors. We aimed to examine genetic variants related to a high risk for inflammation using serum C-reactive protein(CRP) concentration, interactions among the genetic variants, and the genetic variant interact...

Menopause increases the osteoporosis risk, to which phytoestrogen intake can be beneficial. This study hypothesized that mulberry vinegar had a preventive effect on osteoporosis by decreasing osteoclastic activity. The hypothesis was tested in ovariectomized (OVX) rats and RANKL-differentiated osteoclast cells. OVX rats were given 0(OVX-CON), 0.5(O...

Generalized healthy eating patterns may not benefit everyone due to different genetics and enterotypes. We aimed to compare the effects of a low-glycemic diet representing the Korean traditional balanced diet (Low-GID) and westernized diet as a control diet (CD) on anthropometry, serum metabolites, and fecal bacteria in a randomized clinical trial...

Excessive oxidative stress can contribute to metabolic syndrome (MetS), and antioxidants can protect against its development. Vitamin C (VC) is a well-known antioxidant, and observational studies have associated a deficiency with an increased MetS risk. This study tested the hypothesis that dietary VC intake caused an inverse relation of MetS and i...

Aim: Mucin-degrading bacteria are known to be beneficial for gut health. We aimed to isolate human-derived mucin-degrading bacteria and identify potential probiotic characteristics and their effects on the bacterial community and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production according to three different enterotypes of the host. Methods and results: B...

We investigated the molecular mechanism by which Houttuynia cordata Thunb (HCT) may intervene in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and COVID-19-induced cytokine storms using network pharmacology and molecular docking approaches. Using the Traditional Chinese medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP), a "component-target...

No study has revealed the effect of porcine brain enzyme hydrolysate (PBEH) on memory impairment. We aimed to examine the hypothesis that PBEH intake modulates memory deficits and cognitive behavior in scopolamine (SC)-induced amnesia rats, and its mechanism, including gut microbiota changes, was determined. Sprague–Dawley male rats had intraperito...

Pinus koraiensis needles (PKN) and cones (PKC) have been shown to protect against inflammation and pathogenic bacteria. We investigated the efficacies and action mechanisms of topical applications of 1,3‐butylene glycol (BG) extracts and oral administration of their water extracts on atopic dermatitis (AD) symptoms. After exposing HaCaT cells and N...

Osteoarthritis (OA) is increasing globally, especially among elderly Asian women, and its increase may be due to the interaction between genetic factors and lifestyle. This study tested the hypothesis that polygenetic variants associated with OA risk interacted with lifestyle in adults over 40 years in the Ansan–Ansung cohort. Genetic variants were...

A testosterone deficiency potentially increases osteoarthritis (OA) symptoms, and dietary protein and exercise affect them. However, their efficacy and their interactions are still unclear. We hypothesized that a high-protein diet (HPD) and regular exercise modulated OA symptoms in testosterone-deficient rats, and it was examined in bilateral orchi...

Context Fruits of Forsythia suspensa Vahl (Oleaceae) and seeds of Cassia obtusifolia Linne (Caesalpinaceae) have been used to treat inflammation in Asia. Objective We examined the alleviation of memory function in Alzheimer's disease (AD) rats fed Forsythiae Fructus (FF) and Cassiae Semen water extracts (CS) and investigated the mechanisms respons...

Abdominal obesity is a critical factor for metabolic diseases, and specific eating patterns such as the Mediterranean diet help prevent metabolic diseases. This study aimed to investigate the association between the modified Korean health eating index (MKHEI), including a Korean-balanced diet, and abdominal obesity risk according to genders in adul...