Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 14 of 14

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Impact Of Child/Parent Characteristics On Ultra-Processed Food Intake In Preschool-Aged Children, A Latent Class Analysis Of Obesity-Related Factors And Obesity Risk, And The Qualitative Impact Of 9-11 Year Old's Perception Of Unhealthy Food Marketing, Jennifer E. Carroll Nov 2023

Impact Of Child/Parent Characteristics On Ultra-Processed Food Intake In Preschool-Aged Children, A Latent Class Analysis Of Obesity-Related Factors And Obesity Risk, And The Qualitative Impact Of 9-11 Year Old's Perception Of Unhealthy Food Marketing, Jennifer E. Carroll

Doctoral Dissertations

Childhood overweight/obesity is an epidemic in the US. Modifiable risk factors, such as intake of foods that are highly processed, are heavily marketed to children. Exposure to food advertisements, along with home environment factors, family meal styles, and digital media habits shapes children’s preferences, tastes, and habits. Predictors of ultra-processed food (UPF) intake in children are unclear and the potential effect of ad exposure on UPF intake is unknown. It is also unknown if there are distinct response patterns among a collection of potentially obesity-related factors, and if distinct groups affect child BMI. Additionally, more qualitative research is needed to …


Dimensions Of Social Isolation And Adverse Health Outcomes Among Older Men And Women In The United States: How Aging, Living Alone, And Obesity Contribute To Mortality, Youngjoon Bae Sep 2022

Dimensions Of Social Isolation And Adverse Health Outcomes Among Older Men And Women In The United States: How Aging, Living Alone, And Obesity Contribute To Mortality, Youngjoon Bae

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines the interaction of a series of potential social and biological mechanisms that may affect inequalities in mortality among those 65 or older. The mechanisms are social isolation and its relationships with obesity and diabetes. Although many prior studies have confirmed social isolation as a risk factor for adverse health outcomes such as obesity, diabetes, and even premature death, how and why social isolation works to generate adverse health outcomes remains mostly unknown. To extend the scholarship on social isolation and health, each chapter of this dissertation tests distinctive aspects of social isolation: living alone, rurality, and retirement, …


The Impact Of A Lifestyle Intervention On Risk Factors Of Cardiovascular Disease And Type Ii Diabetes Among At-Risk Hispanic Women, Kathryn A. Wagner Jun 2022

The Impact Of A Lifestyle Intervention On Risk Factors Of Cardiovascular Disease And Type Ii Diabetes Among At-Risk Hispanic Women, Kathryn A. Wagner

Doctoral Dissertations

Cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes are global epidemics affecting approximately 127 and 21 million people in the U.S., respectively. Women who are overweight, obese or who develop glucose intolerance during pregnancy represent high-risk groups for the development of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Hispanic women are both more likely to begin their pregnancies as overweight or obese and have a higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes, compared to non-Hispanic whites. However, prior lifestyle interventions have largely been limited to non-Hispanic whites. Therefore, this research assessed how culturally tailored lifestyle modification may affect cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes …


Potential Bioactives And Inflammatory Mediators Regulating Adipose Tissue Function In Obesity, Seok-Yeong Yu Feb 2021

Potential Bioactives And Inflammatory Mediators Regulating Adipose Tissue Function In Obesity, Seok-Yeong Yu

Doctoral Dissertations

Obesity is a serious health problem in the U.S. and worldwide and is associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Observational studies have also shown an inverse relationship between obesity and reduced bioavailability of fat-soluble vitamins, which is due in part to increased sequestration in expanded adipose tissue (AT). AT serves as the primary site of storage organ for excess energy, however, in morbid obesity enlarged adipocytes exhibit decreased lipid uptake, impaired lipid hydrolysis and oxidation and increased inflammation, which are collectively referred to as AT dysfunction. Substantial evidence characterizes AT …


Coffee Bioactives Regulate Lipid Metabolism In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Renalison Farias Pereira Dec 2020

Coffee Bioactives Regulate Lipid Metabolism In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Renalison Farias Pereira

Doctoral Dissertations

Coffee consumption is associated with reduced risk of metabolic syndrome, obesity and diabetes. Although the mechanisms of action are not yet elucidated, the effects of coffee and its bioactive components on lipid metabolism may account for the overall coffee effects on human health. Therefore, this study investigated the molecular mechanisms of coffee and its bioactive components on lipid metabolism using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model system. Green coffee bean extract (GCBE), the chlorogenic acid 5-O-caffeyolquinic acid (5-CQA), and the coffee diterpenes cafestol and kahweol reduced fat accumulation via distinct lipid metabolism pathways and/or behavior changes in C. elegans …


Cytochrome P450 Monooxygenase-Mediated Lipid Metabolism In Obesity And Colon Tumorigenesis, Weicang Wang Oct 2019

Cytochrome P450 Monooxygenase-Mediated Lipid Metabolism In Obesity And Colon Tumorigenesis, Weicang Wang

Doctoral Dissertations

Colon cancer is a major public health issue: it is expected to have 140,250 new cases and 50,630 deaths during 2018, making colon cancer the third most common type of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Obesity is associated with enhanced colonic inflammation, which is a major risk factor of colorectal cancer. Currently, more than 35% of adults and nearly 17% of children are obese. Considering the obesity and colon cancer epidemic in the United States, there is an urgent need to identify novel therapeutic targets for obesity and colon cancer. Here, using …


Embodied Heritage: Obesity, Cultural Identity, And Food Distribution Programs In The Choctaw Nation Of Oklahoma, Kasey Aliene Jernigan Oct 2018

Embodied Heritage: Obesity, Cultural Identity, And Food Distribution Programs In The Choctaw Nation Of Oklahoma, Kasey Aliene Jernigan

Doctoral Dissertations

This research examines obesity among Oklahoma Choctaws at the intersections of issues related to historical trauma; structural, symbolic, and everyday violence; and the social processes of heritage, identity, and meaning-making. Unique to Native Americans is an historical reliance on food assistance, from rations in the 1800s to the more recent Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR). Participation in FDPIR is linked with increased risk of obesity, with foods historically high in fat and sugar, and is the primary food source for more than 60% of Native Americans. Spanning more than six months of ethnographic research, this dissertation explores the …


Interaction Of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles (Nps) With Food Components And Mechanistic Studies Of Adverse Effects Induced By Titanium Dioxide Nps, Xiaoqiong Cao Jul 2018

Interaction Of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles (Nps) With Food Components And Mechanistic Studies Of Adverse Effects Induced By Titanium Dioxide Nps, Xiaoqiong Cao

Doctoral Dissertations

Many food products contain engineered inorganic nanoparticles (NPs), such as titanium dioxide (TiO2) NPs as a part of food additive, due to both unintentional and intentional additions. There has been increasing concern about the health risks associated with foodborne inorganic NPs. However, the detailed understanding of the biological fate and potential adverse effects of foodborne TiO2 NPs is not available despite a limited number of published toxicity studies on TiO2 NPs. The purpose of this thesis was to characterize the interactions of TiO2 NPs and food components including dietary flavonoids and dietary proteins, …


A Living Model For Obesity And Aging Research: Caenorhabditis Elegans, Peiyi Shen Mar 2018

A Living Model For Obesity And Aging Research: Caenorhabditis Elegans, Peiyi Shen

Doctoral Dissertations

Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) is a free-living nematode that has been extensively utilized as an animal model for the research involving aging and neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer and Parkinson, etc. Compared with the traditional animal models, this nematode possesses many benefits, such as small body size, short lifespan, complete sequenced genome and more than 65% of the genes associated with human diseases. All these characteristics enable this organism to be an ideal living system for obesity and aging studies. Piceatannol is a natural stilbene with many beneficial effects, such as anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-atherogenic activities, however, its role on …


Effects Of Permethrin, A Pyrethroid Insecticide, On Glucose And Lipid Metabolism, Xiao Xiao Jul 2017

Effects Of Permethrin, A Pyrethroid Insecticide, On Glucose And Lipid Metabolism, Xiao Xiao

Doctoral Dissertations

Over the last few decades, the decline of using organochlorine and organophosphorus insecticides has partially contributed to the rising utilization of newer synthetic insecticides, which are considered as less harmful and more environmental friendly than the older generation of insecticides. Pyrethroid insecticides are one of the newer insecticide classes reported with better biodegradability and low mammalian toxicity without sacrificing its insecticidal efficacy. Permethrin is one of the most widely used pyrethroid insecticides with structural similarity with natural pyrethrin insecticide from the flowers of Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium. Since its introduction in the 1970’s, permethrin has been extensively used in medicine, military, …


Gestational Diabetes, Infant Feeding Practices, And Early Indicators Of Obesity Risk In A Sample Of Mother-Infant Dyads In The U.S., Kimberly N. Doughty Nov 2015

Gestational Diabetes, Infant Feeding Practices, And Early Indicators Of Obesity Risk In A Sample Of Mother-Infant Dyads In The U.S., Kimberly N. Doughty

Doctoral Dissertations

Research suggests that the trajectory to obesity and its associated metabolic disorders begins early in life. Prenatal exposure to maternal gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is associated with increased risk, while breastfeeding is associated with reduced risk. Breastfeeding may influence obesity risk by preventing rapid postnatal weight gain. Mothers with gestational diabetes may not breastfeed as intensely as healthy mothers, potentially exacerbating the risk to their infants. We conducted three distinct investigations related to gestational diabetes, breastfeeding, and infant weight gain. All used data from the U.S. Infant Feeding Practices Study II. Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate associations between …


Effects Of Conjugated Linoleic Acid (Cla) On Skeletal Muscle Metabolism, Yoo Kim Nov 2015

Effects Of Conjugated Linoleic Acid (Cla) On Skeletal Muscle Metabolism, Yoo Kim

Doctoral Dissertations

Although it is well known that increased physical activity can help reduce incidences of obesity, physical activity can be influenced by complex issues, making it difficult to use universal means to control obesity. Recent discoveries of the effects of exercise at the cellular level opened up the unique opportunity to develop compounds with ‘exercise-like’ effects. In fact, CLA has been shown to promote voluntary activity and endurance capacity in mice. Thus, the purpose of these studies is to determine the mechanisms of conjugated linoleic acid on muscle metabolism via the modulation of biochemical events including mitochondrial biogenesis and the alternation …


The Investigation Of Rhodiola Crenulata Root Extract Effects On Obesity Associated Inflammation And The Antineoplastic Mechanism In Breast Cancer Cells, Lotfi M. Bassa Nov 2015

The Investigation Of Rhodiola Crenulata Root Extract Effects On Obesity Associated Inflammation And The Antineoplastic Mechanism In Breast Cancer Cells, Lotfi M. Bassa

Doctoral Dissertations

Obesity and breast cancer are two disease models that directly affect the United States population, as more than 35% of the adult population is obese [8], and more than 200,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in the United States per year [34]. Several diseases are associated with obesity including, cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, increased inflammation and increased cancer risk [9,10]. Therefore it essential to understand the risks associated with obesity as well as to investigate possible preventive and/or therapeutic treatment strategies. Rhodiola crenulata is a Tibetan plant that has been used in Eastern traditional medicine to relieve depression, …


Empirical Studies On The Effectiveness Of Soda Taxes To Curb Obesity, Francesca Colantuoni Aug 2014

Empirical Studies On The Effectiveness Of Soda Taxes To Curb Obesity, Francesca Colantuoni

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation presents a series of empirical studies to evaluate the effectiveness of soda taxes to curb the obesity epidemic. Chapter 1 describes the extent and severity of the obesity problem in the U.S., and discusses the policy interventions that have been proposed or enacted with the intent to fight obesity (e.g., sales taxes). Chapter 2 contains a study on the effect of two tax events on soda consumption: a 5.5% sales tax on soft drinks imposed in Maine in 1991, and a 5% sales tax on soft drinks levied in Ohio in 2003. We investigate this question by using …