Estimation of greenhouse gas emissions from Japanese healthy meals with different protein sources

IntroductionDiets that promote people’s health and environment-friendly are essential for achieving a sustainable society. Protein sources are the main contributors of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE), and lower intakes of livestock meat and more intakes of poultry meat and legumes are recommended. Although Japanese consume less meat than other countries, it is unclear whether the GHGE of healthy Japanese meals is sufficient to solve climate change. In addition, most previous studies have focused on general household meals, not necessarily healthy meals. Therefore, we explored recommended food choices of protein sources in both healthy and environment-friendly meals.MethodsWe used data on healthy meals provided by retailers certified under the “Healthy Meal and Food Environment” Certification System. We first examined the number of main ingredients in the staple, main, and side dishes. We then compared the GHGE of meals with different combinations of main ingredients of main dishes (protein sources). To estimate the GHGE, we developed a database of GHGE per food weight for each food in the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan.ResultsData on a total of 509 meals were considered in the analysis. The mean ± standard deviation of the total GHGE of one meal was 1044.7 ± 614.9 g-CO2 eq/650 kcal. The minimum and maximum values were 412.5 and 4268.5 g-CO2 eq/650 kcal, respectively. Regarding meat, chicken was more likely to be used in meals with low GHGE.DiscussionThe healthy meals with the lowest GHGE in this study had the potential to contribute to solving climate change. Although healthy meals in this study were created with the same nutrient level criteria, a large difference existed between the minimum and maximum GHGE and it depends on the choice of protein ingredients. The findings may be useful to develop food guide for Japanese taking environmental perspectives into account

[Article] School Lunch during the High Economic Growth Period : Studies Targeting School Lunch Eaters and School Dietitians in Tokyo

日本において，肥満は生活習慣病のリスク要因として，重要な健康課題である。肥満の課題は，中高年で深刻であり，この多くの者は，戦後大きく生活が変化した高度経済成長期の学校給食を経験している。食生活は健康への影響が大きいことから，高度経済成長期の学校給食を振り返ることで，現在の日本人の健康課題を考察できるのではないかと考え，本研究では，2つの研究を実施した。まず，研究1として，高度経済成長期の時代に学校給食を食べていた人182人を対象に，インターネットを用いた質問紙調査で，当時の学校給食についてたずねた。そして，対象者を学校給食を経験した年代で3群（昭和30年代のみ，昭和30年代と40年代，昭和40年代のみ）に分け，属性や当時の給食時間の様子，好きなメニュー，苦手なメニューを比較検討した。その結果，脱脂粉乳を提供する学校は昭和40年代で減っていた一方で，昭和40年代ではソフト麺やミートソースのメニューが提供されていた。研究2では，東京都で学校栄養士として勤めていた人を対象に，昭和30年代から勤めていた対象者（3人）と昭和40年代から勤めた対象者（4人）を分けて，グループインタビューを実施した。その結果，当時の学校給食提供には制限があったが，子どもの栄養改善のために，おいしい給食を提供しようと努力をしていたことがわかった。学校給食の欧米化もその1つであった。学校給食で味を覚えた子どもたちは，高度経済成長期後半1970年に出店されるファストフードを抵抗なく受け入れたことが推察された。現在の日本人の肥満の課題は，学校給食が原因とはいえない。しかし，学校給食は子どもたちの身体だけでなく，食嗜好をも形成することを今一度認識し，我われは今後の学校給食を考える必要があるといえる。Obesity is a pressing problem currently affecting health, leading to lifestyle-related diseases in Japan. The problem of obesity is especially seen in middle-aged and older people, many of whom had school lunches during the period of high economic growth (1955-1973), when their lifestyles changed significantly after the war. Since eating habits largely impact health, we surmised that elucidating the current health issues of Japanese people is possible by retrospectively evaluating the school lunches during the high economic growth period; therefore, we conducted two studies. In Study 1, we asked 182 individuals who ate school lunch during the period of high economic growth via an Internet survey regarding their school lunch at that time. Then, the subjects were divided into three groups (Group A: experienced only Showa 30's (entered in 1955- 1958); Group B: experienced both Showa 30's and 40's (entered in 1959-1964); Group C: experienced only Showa 40's (entered in 1965-1969)) according to the age when they consumed their school lunch. We then compared by group, the demographics, the state of the lunch time at that time, their favorite menu, and the menu they disliked. We found that the number of schools offering skim milk powder decreased in Group C, whereas soft noodles and meat sauce were offered in Group C. In Study 2, a group interview was conducted with those who worked as school dietitians in Tokyo, dividing them into those who worked in Showa 30's (1955-1964) (three people) and those who worked in Showa 40's (1965-1974) (four people). This showed that restrictions were imposed with regard to the provision of school lunches during that period due to the lack of school lunch facilities. However, various efforts were made to provide delicious lunches to improve the nutrition of children. One of these efforts was the westernization of the school lunches. It was deemed that children who consumed school lunches accepted without reluctance, the fast-food chains that opened in Japan in 1970. However, it cannot be concluded that the current problem of obesity in Japanese people can be attributed solely to the school meals. Nevertheless, we have to acknowledge that a school lunch is not the only contributing factor to children's growth and health, but also their food preference that continues until they grow up.departmental bulletin pape

Increased RNA transcription of energy source transporters in circulating white blood cells of aged mice

Circulating white blood cells (WBC) contribute toward maintenance of cerebral metabolism and brain function. Recently, we showed that during aging, transcription of metabolism related genes, including energy source transports, in the brain significantly decreased at the hippocampus resulting in impaired neurological functions. In this article, we investigated the changes in RNA transcription of metabolism related genes (glucose transporter 1 [Glut1], Glut3, monocarboxylate transporter 4 [MCT4], hypoxia inducible factor 1-α [Hif1-α], prolyl hydroxylase 3 [PHD3] and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 [PDK1]) in circulating WBC and correlated these with brain function in mice. Contrary to our expectations, most of these metabolism related genes in circulating WBC significantly increased in aged mice, and correlation between their increased RNA transcription and impaired neurological functions was observed. Bone marrow mononuclear transplantation into aged mice decreased metabolism related genes in WBC with accelerated neurogenesis in the hippocampus. In vitro analysis revealed that cell-cell interaction between WBC and endothelial cells via gap junction is impaired with aging, and blockade of the interaction increased their transcription in WBC. Our findings indicate that gross analysis of RNA transcription of metabolism related genes in circulating WBC has the potential to provide significant information relating to impaired cell-cell interaction between WBC and endothelial cells of aged mice. Additionally, this can serve as a tool to evaluate the change of the cell-cell interaction caused by various treatments or diseases

The ASTRO-H X-ray Observatory

The joint JAXA/NASA ASTRO-H mission is the sixth in a series of highly successful X-ray missions initiated by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS). ASTRO-H will investigate the physics of the high-energy universe via a suite of four instruments, covering a very wide energy range, from 0.3 keV to 600 keV. These instruments include a high-resolution, high-throughput spectrometer sensitive over 0.3-2 keV with high spectral resolution of Delta E < 7 eV, enabled by a micro-calorimeter array located in the focal plane of thin-foil X-ray optics; hard X-ray imaging spectrometers covering 5-80 keV, located in the focal plane of multilayer-coated, focusing hard X-ray mirrors; a wide-field imaging spectrometer sensitive over 0.4-12 keV, with an X-ray CCD camera in the focal plane of a soft X-ray telescope; and a non-focusing Compton-camera type soft gamma-ray detector, sensitive in the 40-600 keV band. The simultaneous broad bandpass, coupled with high spectral resolution, will enable the pursuit of a wide variety of important science themes.Comment: 22 pages, 17 figures, Proceedings of the SPIE Astronomical Instrumentation "Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2012: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray

The Quiescent Intracluster Medium in the Core of the Perseus Cluster

Clusters of galaxies are the most massive gravitationally-bound objects in the Universe and are still forming. They are thus important probes of cosmological parameters and a host of astrophysical processes. Knowledge of the dynamics of the pervasive hot gas, which dominates in mass over stars in a cluster, is a crucial missing ingredient. It can enable new insights into mechanical energy injection by the central supermassive black hole and the use of hydrostatic equilibrium for the determination of cluster masses. X-rays from the core of the Perseus cluster are emitted by the 50 million K diffuse hot plasma filling its gravitational potential well. The Active Galactic Nucleus of the central galaxy NGC1275 is pumping jetted energy into the surrounding intracluster medium, creating buoyant bubbles filled with relativistic plasma. These likely induce motions in the intracluster medium and heat the inner gas preventing runaway radiative cooling; a process known as Active Galactic Nucleus Feedback. Here we report on Hitomi X-ray observations of the Perseus cluster core, which reveal a remarkably quiescent atmosphere where the gas has a line-of-sight velocity dispersion of 164+/-10 km/s in a region 30-60 kpc from the central nucleus. A gradient in the line-of-sight velocity of 150+/-70 km/s is found across the 60 kpc image of the cluster core. Turbulent pressure support in the gas is 4% or less of the thermodynamic pressure, with large scale shear at most doubling that estimate. We infer that total cluster masses determined from hydrostatic equilibrium in the central regions need little correction for turbulent pressure.Comment: 31 pages, 11 Figs, published in Nature July

Hitomi (ASTRO-H) X-ray Astronomy Satellite

The Hitomi (ASTRO-H) mission is the sixth Japanese x-ray astronomy satellite developed by a large international collaboration, including Japan, USA, Canada, and Europe. The mission aimed to provide the highest energy resolution ever achieved at E  >  2  keV, using a microcalorimeter instrument, and to cover a wide energy range spanning four decades in energy from soft x-rays to gamma rays. After a successful launch on February 17, 2016, the spacecraft lost its function on March 26, 2016, but the commissioning phase for about a month provided valuable information on the onboard instruments and the spacecraft system, including astrophysical results obtained from first light observations. The paper describes the Hitomi (ASTRO-H) mission, its capabilities, the initial operation, and the instruments/spacecraft performances confirmed during the commissioning operations for about a month

Hitomi X-Ray Studies of Giant Radio Pulses from the Crab Pulsar

To search for giant X-ray pulses correlated with the giant radio pulses (GRPs) from the Crab pulsar, we performed a simultaneous observation of the Crab pulsar with the X-ray satellite Hitomi in the 2300 keV band and the Kashima NICT radio telescope in the 1.41.7 GHz band with a net exposure of about 2 ks on 2016 March 25, just before the loss of the Hitomi mission. The timing performance of the Hitomi instruments was confirmed to meet the timing requirement and about 1000 and 100 GRPs were simultaneously observed at the main pulse and inter-pulse phases, respectively, and we found no apparent correlation between the giant radio pulses and the X-ray emission in either the main pulse or inter-pulse phase. All variations are within the 2 fluctuations of the X-ray fluxes at the pulse peaks, and the 3 upper limits of variations of main pulse or inter-pulse GRPs are 22% or 80% of the peak flux in a 0.20 phase width, respectively, in the 2300 keV band. The values for main pulse or inter-pulse GRPs become 25% or 110%, respectively, when the phase width is restricted to the 0.03 phase. Among the upper limits from the Hitomi satellite, those in the 4.510 keV and 70300 keV bands are obtained for the first time, and those in other bands are consistent with previous reports. Numerically, the upper limits of the main pulse and inter-pulse GRPs in the 0.20 phase width are about (2.4 and 9.3) 10(exp 11) erg cm(exp 2), respectively. No significant variability in pulse profiles implies that the GRPs originated from a local place within the magnetosphere. Although the number of photon-emitting particles should temporarily increase to account for the brightening of the radio emission, the results do not statistically rule out variations correlated with the GRPs, because the possible X-ray enhancement may appear due to a >0.02% brightening of the pulse-peak flux under such conditions

ニホンジン ロウドウシャ ニ オケル ケンコウテキナ ショクセイカツ ニ タイスル カイシャク ト タイド

京都大学0048新制・課程博士博士(社会健康医学)甲第11187号社医博第3号新制||社医||1(附属図書館)22771UT51-2004-T156京都大学大学院医学研究科社会健康医学系専攻(主査)教授 佐藤 俊哉, 教授 中原 俊隆, 教授 福原 俊一学位規則第4条第1項該当Doctor of Public HealthKyoto UniversityDA