Young Japanese Underweight Women with "Cinderella Weight" Are Prone to Malnutrition, including Vitamin Deficiencies

• Published in: Nutrients 2023-05, Vol.15 (9), p.2216
• Main Authors: Iizuka, Katsumi, Sato, Hiroko, Kobae, Kazuko, Yanagi, Kotone, Yamada, Yoshiko, Ushiroda, Chihiro, Hirano, Konomi, Ichimaru, Satomi, Seino, Yusuke, Ito, Akemi, Suzuki, Atsushi, Saitoh, Eiichi, Naruse, Hiroyuki
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Avitaminosis - epidemiology; Body weight; Carbohydrates; Cardiovascular diseases; Cell number; Cholesterol; Cross-Sectional Studies; East Asian People; Energy intake; Female; Folic acid; Hand Strength; Humans; Lymphocytes; Male; Malnutrition; Malnutrition - epidemiology; Nutrition; Nutrition assessment; Nutritional Status; Obesity; Occupational health; Risk factors; Thinness - epidemiology; Undernutrition; Underweight; Vitamin deficiency; Vitamins; Womens health; Young Adult; Young adults
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu15092216

Undernutrition among young women at "Cinderella weight" is socially important in Japan. To determine the nutritional status of Cinderella-weight women, we conducted an exploratory cross-sectional study on the health examination results of employees aged 20 to 39 (n = 1457 and 643 for women and men, respectively). The percentage of underweight women was found to be much higher than that of men (16.8% vs. 4.5%, respectively). In underweight women (n = 245), handgrip strength (22.82 ± 5.55 vs. 25.73 ± 5.81 kg, < 0.001), cholesterol level (177.8 ± 25.2 vs. 194.7 ± 31.2 mg/dL, < 0.05), and lymphocyte count (1883 ± 503 vs. 2148 ± 765/μL, < 0.001) were significantly lower than in overweight women (n = 116). Then, the BMI < 17.5 group (n = 44) was referred to the outpatient nutrition evaluation clinic. Lower prealbumin, cholesterol, and lymphocyte levels were also observed in 34%, 59%, and 32% of the patients, respectively. Regarding dietary characteristics, 32% of the underweight women in this study skipped breakfast, and 50% had low dietary diversity scores. Lower total energy intake, carbohydrate and fiber intake, and Ca and Fe intake were also observed in 90% of the patients. Deficiencies in vitamin B , B , D, and folate were diagnosed in 4.6%, 25%, 14%, and 98% of the patients, respectively. Thus, young underweight women may be prone to malnutrition.