Comparative Nutrition Commons^™

The Environmental And Health Costs Of Alternative Diets: A Comparative Study Of The U.S. Diet Relative To The French, Japanese, Mediterranean, And Nordic Diets, Sarah Rehkamp

Dissertations and Theses in Agricultural Economics

This thesis contributes to the literature on sustainable consumption by using scenario analysis to evaluate the environmental and health costs of the U.S. diet relative to the French, Japanese, Mediterranean, and Nordic diets, identified in the literature as healthier diets. As a first step in estimating environmental costs, the energy efficiencies of each diet are calculated by decomposing each of the diets into their respective components. Then, the dietary efficiencies are translated into CO₂ emissions. As a first step in estimating health costs, a pooled cross-section time-series dataset is used to find the association between BMI and five countries, …

Detection Of Pahs In Commercial And Wild Caught Fish Oil Using Scanning Fluorescence Spectroscopy, Edwin Antonio Pena

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The DeepWater Horizon (DWH) oil spill contaminated a large area in the Gulf of Mexico in summer 2010. It is likely that many aquatic species in the Gulf were affected by the spill. Crude oil contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs). Some PAHs are carcinogenic to fish and humans. The purpose of this project was to develop menhaden fish oil as a biomonitoring tool for crude oil contaminants such as PAHs using scanning fluorescence spectroscopy (SFS). Menhaden (Genus Brevoortia) is one of the most ecologically and economically important marine fish species along the Atlantic and Gulf coast; however, it is …

Books And Bruschetta: An Investigation Of The College Students’ Diet, Corie Lee Adamucci

Honors Capstone Projects - All

This project identifies the main issues seen in the dietary habits of college-aged young adults through a comprehensive literature review of studies on the topic. Roughly half of the research articles were obtained through Dr. Tanya Horacek, an associate professor in SU’s Department of Public Health, Food Studies, and Nutrition, who has done research on the college diet and factors that affect the college diet. Other studies were obtained via scholarly journals including, but not limited to the Journal of American College Health, the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, and the Journal of Exercise Physiology. Major problems in college …

Exploring The Relationship Between Emotional Brain Training, Stress, Depression, Food Addiction, And Weight, Bailey Regina Adams

Theses and Dissertations--Dietetics and Human Nutrition

Obesity is a complex issue; stress, depression, and food addiction, are several psychological conditions that can accompany an obesity diagnosis. Emotional Brain Training (EBT) was evaluated as a new approach to these conditions. Stress, depression, food addiction, and weight were assessed at baseline, after a seven week active intervention, and after a seven week no contact period. The final sample consisted of 26 obese adults. At seven week assessments, EBT participants experienced significant weight loss (p-value = 0.05) and decreased perceived stress (p-value = 0.035). Food addiction also decreased from 50% to 8.3% (or one participant). At fourteen week assessments, …

Impact Of Nutrition On Cognition And Its Association With Blood And Brain Alzheimer Disease Related Biomarkers, Samantha Gardener

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common form of senile dementia, currently affects over 35 million people worldwide. While there is no cure or effective treatment, early intervention programs hold considerable promise. Following particular dietary patterns represents one potential intervention strategy accessible to all.

Results from previous studies investigating the association of diet, cognition and biomarkers of AD are inconsistent: Positive results have been reported (1-7), whilst others have shown no associations. Prior to this thesis, no study has assessed the relationship of four dietary patterns to cognition, blood-based and neuroimaging biomarkers of AD in a large highly-characterised ageing cohort. Participants …

Exercise Participation During Weight Loss On A High Protein – Low Carbohydrate Diet Plan In Females Aged 15-25 Years, Margaret Mobley-Meulman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Weight gain due to poor diet and lack of exercise is responsible for over 300,000 deaths each year (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2010). Obese adults have an increased risk for serious health conditions including high blood pressure and cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, respiratory problems, and certain cancers (National Cancer Institute, 2012). Participation in exercise can help control weight, strengthen muscles and bones, and reduce the incidence of cardiac events, stroke, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, colon and breast cancers, osteoporotic fractures, gallbladder disease, obesity, depression, anxiety, and delay mortality …

Investigating Obesity Risk-Reduction Behaviours And Psychosocial Factors In Chinese Americans, Yeon Bai, Doreen Liou, Kathleen D. Bauer

Department of Nutrition and Food Studies Scholarship and Creative Works

AIM: The purpose of this research was to examine the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors related to obesity risk reduction in Chinese Americans.

METHODS: A questionnaire was administered to a convenience sample of 300 US-born and foreign-born Chinese Americans residing in the New York metropolitan area, ranging from 18 to 40 years of age. Obesity risk reduction behaviors and psychosocial variables derived from the Theory of Planned Behaviour and Health Belief Model were measured. Acculturation was assessed using a modified Suinn-Lew Asian Self-Identity Acculturation Scale. Frequency distributions were delineated and stepwise regression analyses were analyzed for different acculturation groups.

RESULTS: 65% …

A Literature Review Of The Health Effects Of A Plant Based Diet Versus An Animal Based Diet, James Cote

Senior Honors Theses

Health and nutrition can mean a myriad of things to many people in today’s culture. The majority of the time people are unaware of the proper nutrients their body needs and how to get them from food. This thesis will seek to expose the health benefits that are associated with consuming a raw plant-based die, offering a more profound and encompassing view on nutrition. Investigating further into today’s most common diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, obesity, cancer and autoimmune disorders, it will seek to discover and answer why we have so many health issues. This thesis will discuss the …

Dead People Don’T Eat: Food Governmentenomics And Conflicts-Of-Interest In The Usda And Fda, Gabriela Steier

Gabriela Steier

Conflicts of interest permeate the governance of the federal advisory committees that issue recommendations to consumer protection agencies, such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and, therefore, American consumers need a federal solution to protect their health from biased recommendations. In order to promote a business-friendly food pyramid, agribusinesses and food industrialists lobby for dietary guidelines to adapt the dietary guidelines illustrated by the food pyramid to boos their sales. The resulting guidelines cause great damage to public health, environmental pollution, and loss of democratic freedoms. As a result, the FDA …

Efecto De La Utilización De Cal Viva Como Aditivo Sobre Los Parámetros De Fermentación Y La Calidad Nutricional En El Ensilaje De Pasto Kikuyo Pennisetum Clandestinum, Papa Solanum Tuberosum Y Arveja Pisum Sativum, Diana Marcela Suarez Perez, Juan Camilo Zarate

Zootecnia

No abstract provided.

Rats Acquire Stronger Preference For Flavors Consumed Towards The End Of A High-Fat Meal, Kevin P. Myers

Faculty Journal Articles

Rats learn to prefer flavors associated with postingestive effects of nutrients. The physiological signals underlying this postingestive reward are unknown. We have previously shown that rats readily learn to prefer a flavor that was consumed early in a multi-flavored meal when glucose is infused intragastrically (IG), suggesting rapid postingestive reward onset. The present experiments investigate the timing of postingestive fat reward, by providing distinctive flavors in the first and second halves of meals accompanied by IG fat infusion. Learning stronger preference for the earlier or later flavor would indicate when the rewarding postingestive effects are sensed. Rats consumed sweetened, calorically-dilute …

Impact Of Nutritional Status On The Somatotropic Axis And Ghrelin In Phocid Seals, Rachael Dailey

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Metabolic hormones and their axes, including the target tissues and receptors, regulate the tissue specific utilization of nutrients with in the body. The purpose of this research was to understand the hormonal control of complex nutrient partitioning mechanisms involved in young, growing animals. Specifically, this involved the investigation of metabolic hormones and the regulation of growth in two common species of phocids (true seals): harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) and Northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) pups. This longitudinal study examines young phocids from nutritional nadir through realimentation (realimentation) to investigate how metabolic hormones involved in both food intake and nutrient partitioning …

Eating Behaviors Of Older Adults Participating In Government-Sponsored Programs With Different Demographic Backgrounds, Yeon Bai, Shahla M. Wunderlich, Joseph Brusca, Johnson-Austin Marti, Michelle O'Malley

Department of Nutrition and Food Studies Scholarship and Creative Works

The purpose of this study was to determine the food behaviors of nutritionally high-risk seniors as a function of their racial background, gender, marital status, and education level. A total of 69 seniors were identified to be at high nutritional risk using the Nutrition Screening Initiative (NSI) checklist. A supplemental questionnaire (SQ) was created to examine the risk factors in relation to the participant’s demographic background. Key results indicated that Asians practiced healthy food behaviors and women were more likely to eat alone (p≤0.05). Married participants (90.9%) were most likely to consume 2 meals or more each day. College educated …

Variations In Carotenoids In Plasma From Jersey Cows At An Organic Dairy Compared To A Conventional Dairy Over Time, Jillian M. Smith

Honors Theses and Capstones

Interest in organic milk is increasing. By USDA Certified Organic standards, animals must be fed on pasture for a minimum of 120 days. Research indicates that various factors such as diet impact the nutritional quality and composition of milk. The objective of this study was to understand how feeding practices affected bovine plasma carotenoid concentrations over time. Plasma samples were collected from 9 cows fed on pasture at an organic dairy and from 9 cows fed total mixed ration (TMR) at a conventional dairy. Components were extracted from the plasma and separated via High Performance Liquid Chromatography. Results showed that …

The Effects Of Slow Release Urea On Nitrogen Metabolism In Cattle, Vaughn B. Holder

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

The objective of this research was to investigate the effects of slow release urea on N metabolism in cattle. The ruminal behavior of Optigen®II and the effect of basal diet on the in situ degradability of urea and Optigen®II were evaluated. The effect of slow release urea and its interaction with degradable intake protein (DIP) level in the diet on N retention and excretion was evaluated utilizing 8 Holstein steers in a 4 x 4 Latin square experiment. In addition, the effect of slow release urea and DIP level on ruminal and systemic urea kinetics was evaluated using stable isotope …

Inadequate Feeding Of Infant And Young Children In India: Lack Of Nutritional Information Or Food Affordability?, Nisha Malhotra

Nisha Malhotra

Why does child malnutrition persist in India? Amongst the fastest growing economies over the last two decades, India has struggled to make progress in the health of its children. In this article the author argues that the reason malnutrition persists is not limited to poverty or inadequate access to food; but that a lack of nutritional knowledge amongst families plays a very important role.

Scientific Abstract Objective: Despite a rapidly growing economy and rising income levels in India, improvements in child malnutrition have lagged. Data from the most recent National Family Health Survey reveal that the infant and young child …

Cost-Effectiveness Model For Youth Efnep Programs: What Do We Measure And How Do We Do It?, Elena Serrano, Mary Mcferren, Michael Lambur, Michael Ellerbock, Kathy Hosig, Nancy K. Franz, Marilyn Townsend, Susan Baker, Peter Muennig, George Davis

Nancy K. Franz

The Youth Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) is one of the United States Department of Agriculture's hallmark nutrition education programs for limited-resource youth. The objective of this study was to gather opinions from experts in EFNEP and related content areas to identify costs, effects (impacts), and related instruments to develop a cost-effectiveness model (instrument) for youth EFNEP, which does not exist. A cost-effectiveness model determines the economic or financial cost of producing an impact. The findings highlight several challenges in identifying inputs through consensus and provide a roadmap for the creation of a model that can be adopted …

Intake, Apparent Digestibility, And Digesta Passage In Leopard Tortoises (Geochelone Pardalis) Fed A Complete, Extruded Feed, Laura Evelyn Lickel

Master's Theses

The influence of feeding juvenile female leopard tortoises (Geochelone pardalis, n=18) a commercially available, complete, extruded feed three (3) or seven days (7) per week on dry matter and digestible energy intake, apparent digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, gross energy and fiber fractions, animal body weight and measurements, digesta transit time, rate of passage, and indigestible fill was evaluated. Both feeding frequencies are commonly practiced with captive tortoises. When fed 7 compared to 3 days per week, dry matter and digestible energy intake was greater. Tortoises gained more g BW, but not when adjusted per kg initial …

A Multidisciplinary Approach To Food Safety Evaluation: Hummus Spoilage And Microbial Analysis Of Kitchen Surfaces In Residential Child Care Institutions (Rcci) In Massachusetts, U.S.A., Elsina E. Hagan

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Food borne illnesses continues to be a public health challenge in the United States (U.S.); an estimated 9.4 million incident cases occurred in 2011. In view of this challenge we conducted two food safety studies; 1) related to product formulation (hummus spoilage challenge study) and 2) evaluating the microbial safety of domestic kitchen surfaces in Residential Child Care Institutions (RCCI pilot study).

Hummus is of Mediterranean origin but is currently eaten globally. This challenge study evaluates a variety of industrial hummus formulations (four in total, differing in pH and/or addition of a preservative (natamycin). Two batches were setup: batch 1; …

The Differences Between A Sample Of Syracuse University Male And Female Students On A Variety Of Health Parameters, Stephanie Foltzer

Honors Capstone Projects - All

My Honors Capstone Project is entitled “The Differences Between a Sample of Syracuse University Male and Female Students on a Variety of Health Parameters.” In the fall of 2007, Dr. Tanya Horacek, as part of a larger project involving several universities, collected extensive nutrition- and health-related data from Syracuse University students. Dr. Horacek allowed me to access this data and analyze it for significant differences between male and female students.

I chose to work with this data for my Capstone Project because it is a common belief that the college years are a time of accelerated weight gain and because …