Human and Clinical Nutrition Commons^™

Plant-Based Diets And Metabolic Syndrome: Evaluating The Influence Of Diet Quality, Lydia Mcgrath

Honors Scholar Theses

Background: Diet plays a critical role in the prevention and treatment of metabolic syndrome (MetS). Plant-based diets (PBDs) have demonstrated a broad range of health benefits, including a protective effect against MetS. Most research on this topic has focused on PBDs as a whole, without considering the influence of diet quality. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between plant-based diet quality and biomarkers of MetS.

Methods: Data were obtained from a clinical nutrition study at the University of Connecticut. 29 participants with MetS were included. PBD quality was assessed using 2 measures: healthful PBD index (hPDI) …

Programming Heart Disease: Does Poor Maternal Nutrition Alter Expression Of Cardiac Markers Of Proliferation, Hypertrophy, And Fibrosis In Offspring?, Cathy Chun

Honors Scholar Theses

Maternal malnutrition can affect fetal organogenesis, metabolic processes, and factors involved in developmental regulation. Of the many physiological effects poor maternal nutrition can induce in offspring, one of the most important organs affected is the heart. Cardiovascular disease has been associated with poor maternal diet. It also been suggested that hypertension can originate during impaired intrauterine growth and development. Hypertension can trigger hypertensive heart disease and is associated with numerous heart complications. We hypothesized that poor maternal nutrition would alter critical growth factors associated with normal heart development, specifically, insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, IGF-2, transforming growth factor (TGF)β, and connective …