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We investigated whether pre-germinated brown rice bran extract containing acylated steryl glucosides (PSG) reduces the risk of atherosclerosis in post-menopausal Vietnamese women. A total of 60 post-menopausal Vietnamese women (45-65 y old) with high LDL cholesterol levels (over 140 mg/dL) were randomly divided into PSG (n=30) and placebo (n=30) groups. The subjects in the PSG group were assigned a daily intake of 6 capsules containing 50 mg PSG, and the subjects in the placebo group were assigned a daily intake of 6 capsules containing corn oil for 6 mo. Before baseline and after month 2, month 4, and month 6 of the intervention, we conducted anthropometric measurements, blood biochemical examinations, a nutrition survey, and physical activity, flow-mediated dilation (FMD), and cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) measurements. Serum LDL cholesterol concentrations were significantly reduced from 163.6±25.3 (mg/dL) to 135.9±26.8 (mg/dL) compared to the placebo group (p

In recent years, reports have described various roles of vitamin D in human health. Vitamin D deficiency has emerged as a significant public health problem throughout the world. Even in the Vietnamese context, it has been reported to be present in a majority of the population in spite of the wide availability of sunlight. Vitamin D and calcium are essential nutrients for bone health. The proposed health benefits of vitamin D and calcium have attracted increased interest from health care professionals, the media, and the public. The aim of this paper is to summarize the published data on vitamin D and calcium intake as well as on the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in the Vietnamese population, and to provide recommendations for a proper strategy to control calcium and vitamin D deficiency in this population. The national authorities should adopt policies aimed at improving vitamin D and calcium status by using measures such as dietary recommendations, food fortification, vitamin D supplementation, and judicious sun exposure.

Bone mass decreases along with aging, especially for women after menopause because of lower estrogen secretion together with low calcium intake. This study was conducted to study the effect of eggshell calcium supplementation on bone mass in 54 postmenopausal Vietnamese women living in a farming area about 60 km from Hanoi, Vietnam. Sets of 3 subjects matched by age, bone mass, BMI and calcium intake were divided randomly into 3 groups with 18 subjects in each group. The eggshell calcium group was administered 300 mg/d calcium from eggshell, the calcium carbonate group 300 mg/d calcium from calcium carbonate and the placebo group received no calcium supplementation. Bone mass (Speed of Sound (SOS)) was measured at the beginning (the baseline), the middle (6th month) and the end of the study (12th month) by the single blind method. SOS of the eggshell group increased significantly at 12 mo (p0.05) and was significantly higher than that of the placebo and calcium carbonate groups at 12 mo (p0.05). The SOS of the calcium carbonate group tended to be higher than that of the placebo group but without a significant difference (p0.05). In conclusion, eggshell calcium was more effective in increasing bone mass than calcium carbonate in postmenopausal Vietnamese women.