Human and Clinical Nutrition Commons^™

Examining The Effects Of Oral Contraceptive Use On Thermoregulation, Whitley C. Atkins

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the effects of combined (estradiol and progestin) monophasic oral contraceptive pill (OCP) use on thermoregulation. Further, we sought to evaluate OCP use on acute rehydration post-exercise in the heat using recommended rehydration guidelines. Methods: Twelve healthy, aerobically trained (VO2peak = 47.8 ± 4.7 mL/kg/min), long term female oral contraceptive users completed a familiarization trial and two experimental days separated by ≥ 7 days. The two experimental trials were identical except for the hormone dosing phase. One trial was completed during the third week of active pill dosing (ACT) and one during …

The Effects Of Time Restricted Feeding On Markers Of Type 2 Diabetes, Brooke Martin

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Type 2 diabetes is one of the fastest growing chronic diseases in the country, comprising 10% of the American population. Obesity rates are at an all-time high and greatly increase risk factors for developing diabetes. Insulin resistance is the main feature of type 2 diabetes and causes management of the disease to be extremely difficult. Currently there are different possible treatments for type 2 diabetes including medication and dieting. However, diets involving fasting, though high in popularity, do not have a lot of evidence regarding their ability to prevent the development of type 2 diabetes.

Time restricted feeding (TRF) is …

The Effects Of A Plant-Based Diet With Eggs On The Parameters Of Metabolic Syndrome, Insulin Resistance, And Dietary Choline And Carotenoids, Lindsey Huang

Honors Scholar Theses

Objective: Plant-based (PB) diets have been shown to positively affect the parameters of Metabolic Syndrome (MetS). The addition of eggs, which are rich in choline and carotenoids, could also complement the beneficial effects of PB diets by increasing HDL-C and improving the other parameters of MetS. Methods: Twenty-four subjects with MetS completed this 13-week randomized, controlled, crossover clinical trial. Following a 2-week run-in period where subjects followed a lacto-vegetarian diet, subjects were randomly allocated to consume 70g of spinach with either 2 whole eggs or the equivalent amount of egg substitute. At the end of 4 weeks, subjects underwent a …

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) …

The Effect Of Cortisol On Abdominal Fat, Zach Guerrieo

Senior Honors Projects

ZACHARY GUERRIEO (Biological Sciences)

The effect of cortisol on abdominal fat accumulation

Sponsor: Brietta Oaks (Nutrition)

Cortisol is the stress hormone of the body, it increases sugars in the bloodstream, enhances the brain's use of glucose, and increases the availability of substances to repair tissues. A healthy person has a daily slope of cortisol where it is high when they wake up and then decreases throughout the day. Cortisol, however, can be high throughout the day for people who live stressful or unhealthy lives. There have been conversations that high cortisol can cause fat gain specifically in the abdominal area. …

Efficacy Of Multivitamin-Mineral Supplementation On Measures Of Anxiety, Depression, Self-Esteem, Dysregulation, And Perceived Stress In Young Adults, Courtney Gorden

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mental health in the United States is at an all-time low with 21% of adults 18+ suffering from depression or anxiety. When compared with other categories, emerging adults (18-25 years old) have the highest prevalence of mental health disorders at 30%. Young adults face an inordinate amount of stress given the COVID-19 pandemic, being in a unique developmental stage, experiencing new relationships, and transitioning from high school to their professional lives. Vitamins and minerals have roles in neurobiochemistry and have been investigated for effects on mental health with mixed results. Few studies factor in the unique emerging adult developmental stage …

Inflammaging: Inflammatory Biomarkers Associated With Nutrition, Metabolism And Muscle Tissue Oxygenation Relative To Sarcopenic Status In Older Adults, Marni Elise Shoemaker

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine if we can differentiate inflammaging between sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic older adults by exploring if there are differences between biomarkers of inflammation and nutritional status in older adults with distinct differences in skeletal muscle mass, strength, and function, metabolic flexibility, and muscle tissue oxygenation. Twenty-one non-sarcopenic (mean±standard deviation, age = 73.1±6.2 yrs, n=5 males, n=5 females) and sarcopenic (age = 81.2±10.5 yrs, n=6 males, n=5 females) were categorized based on muscle mass and strength criteria according to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People. Body composition, handgrip and leg extension strength, …

Eat Well, Be Well: Basic Needs Initiative's Online Hub For Nutrition Education, Misha Moseley

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Basic Needs Initiative at California State University, Monterey Bay is a department that provides students with food, housing, and wellness resources. Over half of the university's students experience food insecurity, and over 85% use non-academic resources to learn about nutrition. This project adds a dietary health section to the department’s website to increase students’ access to nutrition education. It addresses the micro-level agency problem that too few students eat a healthy, balanced diet. Unhealthy eating is a risk factor for food insecurity, so the project indirectly addresses the macro-level health problem that too many college students in California experience food …

Small Extracellular Vesicles In Milk Cross The Blood-Brain Barrier In Murine Cerebral Cortex Endothelial Cells And Promote Dendritic Complexity In The Hippocampus And Brain Function In C57bl/6j Mice, Fang Zhou, Pearl Ebea, Ezra Mutai, Haichuan Wang, Sonal Sukreet, Shya Navazesh, Haluk Dogan, Wenhao Li, Juan Cui, Peng Ji, Denise M.O. Ramirez, Janos Zempleni

Nutrition and Health Sciences -- Faculty Publications

Human milk contains large amounts of small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) and their microRNA cargos, whereas infant formulas contain only trace amounts of sEVs and microRNAs. We assessed the transport of sEVs across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and sEV accumulation in distinct regions of the brain in brain endothelial cells and suckling mice. We further assessed sEV-dependent gene expression profiles and effects on the dendritic complexity of hippocampal granule cells and phenotypes of EV depletion in neonate, juvenile and adult mice. The transfer of sEVs across the BBB was assessed by using fluorophore-labeled bovine sEVs in brain endothelial bEnd.3 monolayers and …

The Impact Of Dietary Protein Supplementation As Part Of A Time Restricted Feeding Eating Pattern On Sleep, Mood, And Body Composition In Adults With Overweight Or Obesity, Rebecca L. Bowie

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Obesity in the United States continues to increase, and effective, long-term weight loss strategies are limited. Time restricted feeding (TRF) is a dietary intervention that has potential to serve as an effective long-term weight loss strategy, however more data is needed to establish the effectiveness of a TRF eating pattern on obesity and its related health outcomes. To our knowledge, manipulation of macronutrient composition during TRF intervention and the effect of TRF on sleep and mood have not been studied. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the effect of protein supplementation during TRF on mood, sleep, and …

Assessing Nutritional Health Knowledge In Sharing Clinic Patients With Diabetes, Minden Huntrods

Capstone Experience

Effective diabetes prevention and management relies on nutritional behaviors, thus a basic level of health knowledge is important for patients with diabetes and their caregivers in their quest to acquire acute glycemic control and minimize negative health outcomes (Ley et al., 2014). The purpose of this study was to assess the nutrition-related health knowledge of patients living with diabetes who are seen at the UNMC Sharing Clinic by use of a verbal questionnaire. This nutritional health knowledge assessment was a quantitative, prospective, survey-based study utilizing descriptive statistics. Approximately 86% of patients were proficient in food group and nutritious foods knowledge …

Does A Hypertrophying Muscle Fibre Reprogramme Its Metabolism Similar To A Cancer Cell?, Henning Wackerhage, Ivan J. Vechetti, Philipp Baumert, Sebastian Gehlert, Lore Becker, Richard T. Jaspers, Martin Hrabě De Angelis

Nutrition and Health Sciences -- Faculty Publications

In 1924, Otto Warburg asked “How does the metabolism of a growing tissue differ from that of a non-growing tissue?” Currently, we know that proliferating healthy and cancer cells reprogramme their metabolism. This typically includes increased glucose uptake, glycolytic flux and lactate synthesis. A key function of this reprogramming is to channel glycolytic intermediates and other metabolites into anabolic reactions such as nucleotide-RNA/DNA synthesis, amino acid-protein synthesis and the synthesis of, for example, acetyl and methyl groups for epigenetic modification. In this review, we discuss evidence that a hypertrophying muscle similarly takes up more glucose and reprogrammes its metabolism to …

Examining The Perspectives And Experiences Of Nutrition Educators Working With Clients In Substance Use Recovery Settings, Cora Teets, Paula Plonski, Omolola Adedokun, Heather Norman-Burgdolf

Dietetics and Human Nutrition Faculty Publications

Substance use disorder (SUD) is one of the most detrimental health, social, and economic problems in the United States. Limited studies suggest providing tailored nutrition education during SUD treatment correlates with positive recovery outcomes. The University of Kentucky Nutrition Education Program conducted two focus group sessions to explore and determine educators’ instructional and programmatic needs who deliver nutrition education to clients in substance use recovery throughout Kentucky. The study team identified four emerging themes and several subthemes related to Nutrition Education Program educators working with clientele in recovery. The four emerging themes included: (1) current experiences working with the audience, …

Unifying Multi-State Efforts Through A Nationally Coordinated Extension Diabetes Program, Laura Balis, Shari Gallup, Heather Norman-Burgdolf, Julie Buck, Pam Daniels, Dan Remley, Lisa Graves, Margaret Jenkins, Gayle Price

Dietetics and Human Nutrition Faculty Publications

The Cooperative Extension System translates research to practice and “brings the University to the people” throughout the U.S. However, the system suffers from program duplication and is challenged to scale-out effective programs. One program, Dining with Diabetes (DWD), stands out for its dissemination to multiple states. DWD is a community-based program aimed at improving diabetes management, nutrition, and physical activity behaviors. DWD was coordinated through a national working group and implemented by state Extension systems. A pragmatic, quasi-experimental study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the national coordination model and the overall impact of DWD. Four states reported data …

A Targeted Nutrition Protocol For The Prevention And Treatment Of Depression: A Systematic Review Of The Evidence, Nicole Koci, Camilla A. Mirkin

Department of Nutrition Student Projects

Rates of depression have been rising steadily over the last several decades with more than 264 million people affected, making it one of the top three burdens globally. The pandemic has brought on a greater risk of depression. Forty-two percent of individuals surveyed in December 2020 by the US Census Bureau reported depressive symptoms. Many factors, including poor diet quality, play a role in the development of depression during traumatic events like the pandemic. A low-quality dietary pattern has been associated with obesity, low-grade chronic inflammation, dysbiosis, increased cortisol levels and monoamine neurotransmitter deficiency. Among others, these factors have been …

Plant Wise, Sophia Llamas

Honors Projects

Conceptually, Plant Wise is the key to bridging the gap between preconceived ideas about vegan and vegetarianism and successfully integrating plant-based foods into your everyday life. Physically, Plant Wise is a self-educational, interactive booklet chock-full of activities intended for users to complete at their own pace. Inside this 56-page booklet, there are recipes, doodling spaces, weekly check sheets, activities to do with friends and family, challenges, and so much more. Plant Wise utilizes these activities and journaling opportunities throughout as a self-reflective vehicle to give users an experience to reflect on, which aids in the retention of what’s been learned …

Evaluation Of Nutrition Intervention In The Senior Population, Stephanie K. Fonseca

Department of Nutrition Student Projects

Average life expectancy has steadily increased with each passing year and is estimated to continue increasing in years to come. Reports show that the number of people aged 65 or older has increased from 6% of the population in the 1960’s, to 12% in the year 2000, to 16% of the total population in 2015.¹ This number is expected to increase to almost 20% of the population by the year 2050.¹ Striving towards healthy aging can help the growing senior population to live the best possible life in their later years. Nutrition education is one area of learning …

“Many People Have No Idea”: A Qualitative Analysis Of Healthcare Barriers Among Yazidi Refugees In The Midwestern United States, Falah Rashoka, Megan S. Kelley, Jeong‑Kyun Choi, Marc A. Garcia, Weiwen Chai, Hazim N. Rashawka

Nutrition and Health Sciences -- Faculty Publications

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has shed new light on inequities in healthcare access faced by immigrant and refugee communities. To address ongoing disparities, there is an urgent need for ecological approaches to better understand the barriers that hinder and resources that facilitate access to healthcare. This study investigates barriers to healthcare system access faced by Yazidi refugees in the Midwestern United States.

Methods: Informed by the Interpretative Phenomenological Approach, three focus group meetings with a community advisory board were conducted between September 2019 and January 2020. The nine-member focus group included social workers, healthcare providers, and members of …

Influence Of Acute Water Ingestion And Prolonged Standing On Raw Bioimpedance And Subsequent Body Fluid And Composition Estimates, Grant M. Tinsley, Matthew T. Stratton, Patrick S. Harty, Abegale D. Williams, Sarah J. White, Christian Rodriguez, Jacob R. Dellinger, Baylor A. Johnson, Robert W. Smith, Eric T. Trexler

Nutrition and Health Sciences -- Faculty Publications

This study evaluated the influence of acute water ingestion and maintaining an upright posture on raw bioimpedance and subsequent estimates of body fluids and composition. Twenty healthy adults participated in a randomized crossover study. In both conditions, an overnight food and fluid fast was followed by an initial multi-frequency bioimpedance assessment (InBody 770). Participants then ingested 11 mL/kg of water (water condition) or did not (control condition) during a 5-minute period. Thereafter, bioimpedance assessments were performed every 10 minutes for one hour with participants remaining upright throughout. Linear mixed effects models were used to examine the influence of condition and …

Shinetagantsi: Un Caso De La Alimentación Materna E Infantil Y Medicina Intercultural Durante Lactancia En La Comunidad Nativa De Palotoa Teparo, Layne Scopano

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Con un enfoque antropológico, esta investigación analiza las percepciones del cuidado desde los sistemas médicos occidentales y la medicina tradicional de las madres de la comunidad nativa de Palotoa Teparo en la Amazonía peruana en lo que respecta a la nutrición durante la lactancia. Los resultados de este estudio, obtenidos a través de entrevistas semiestructuradas y observación directa e indirecta, permiten describir el estado nutricional de las madres de Palotoa Teparo durante la lactancia y su relación con la nutrición infantil, señalar las prácticas de salud, tanto occidental como tradicional, relevantes para el estado nutricional de las madres y los …