Furuta M, Matsuda S
School of Health Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan.
Hum Biol. 1998 Dec;70(6):1057-71.
The purpose of the present study was to assess the influence of nutrition on the nationwide decreases and regional differences in mean birth weight (MBW) recently observed in Japan. The relationship between MBW and nutritional intake was examined using nationwide data covering a two-decade time span from 1969 to 1988. The results of different statistical analyses indicate the MBW decreased uniformly in all 12 major regions of Japan over those 20 years (p < 0.0001). This trend was accompanied by decreases in energy and carbohydrate intake and increases in the intake of fat. We also found that the relationship between MBW and the nutrients is not linear but quadratic, showing declines in MBW only beginning from certain critical points. Hence we conclude that changes in MBW in Japan reflect the nutritional status of the Japanese, namely, decreases in the intake of energy and carbohydrate and an increase in fat intake in recent years. We also conclude that regional differences in MBW are concordant with differences in nutritional intake.
本研究的目的是评估营养对日本近期全国范围内平均出生体重（MBW）下降及地区差异的影响。利用1969年至1988年这二十年的全国数据，研究了MBW与营养摄入之间的关系。不同统计分析结果表明，在这20年中，日本所有12个主要地区的MBW均呈一致下降趋势（p < 0.0001）。这一趋势伴随着能量和碳水化合物摄入量的减少以及脂肪摄入量的增加。我们还发现，MBW与营养素之间的关系不是线性的，而是二次曲线关系，仅从某些临界点开始MBW才出现下降。因此，我们得出结论，日本MBW的变化反映了日本人的营养状况，即近年来能量和碳水化合物摄入量减少，脂肪摄入量增加。我们还得出结论，MBW的地区差异与营养摄入差异一致。
