Nutrition Commons^™

Nutritional Status Of Children Living Within Institution-Based Care: A Retrospective Analysis With Funnel Plots And Control Charts For Programme Monitoring, Emily Delacey, Evan Hilberg, Elizabeth Allen, Michael Quiring, Cally J. Tann, Nora Ellen Groce, James Vilus, Ethan A. Bergman, Merzel Demasu-Ay, Hang T. Dam, Marko Kerac

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of Education and Professional Studies

Objectives The aim of this study is to fill a key information gap on the nutrition-related epidemiology of orphaned and vulnerable children living within institution-based care (IBC) across six countries.

Design A retrospective analysis with Shewhart control charts and funnel plots to explore intersite and over time variations in nutritional status.

Setting We conducted a retrospective analysis of records from Holt International’s Child Nutrition Programme from 35 sites in six countries; Mongolia, India, Ethiopia, Vietnam, China and the Philippines.

Participants Deidentified health records from Holt International’s online nutrition screening database included records from 2926 children, 0–18 years old. Data were …

Descriptive Study Of A Healthy Weight Management Program For Overweight Or Obese Children And Youth, Chad Roberts, Pam Kasyan-Howe, Kristin Domville, Lisa Schubert

Fall 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

The rise in obesity among children and youth in the last 20 years is a public health concern. The prevalence of childhood obesity has multiplied worldwide in the last four decades (“The Heavy Burden of Obesity and the Economics of Prevention,” 2019). Obesity is a complex chronic disease in which abnormal or excessive accumulation of body fat impairs health (Wharton et al., 2020). Childhood obesity can profoundly affect children's physical health, social and emotional well-being, and self-esteem (Rankin et al., 2016 & Purnell et al., 2018). The problem is a lack of an occupation-based evaluation tool utilized to link occupational …

Mechanical Overload-Induced Muscle-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Promote Adipose Tissue Lipolysis, Ivan J. Vechetti Jr, Bailey D. Peck, Yuan Wen, R Grace Walton, Taylor R. Valentino, Alexander P. Alimov, Cory M. Dungan, Douglas W. Van Pelt, Ferdinand Von Walden, Bjorn Alkner, Charlotte A. Peterson, John J. Mccarthy

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

How regular physical activity is able to improve health remains poorly understood. The release of factors from skeletal muscle following exercise has been proposed as a possible mechanism mediating such systemic benefits. We describe a mechanism wherein skeletal muscle, in response to a hypertrophic stimulus induced by mechanical overload (MOV), released extracellular vesicles (EVs) containing muscle-specific miR-1 that were preferentially taken up by epidydimal white adipose tissue (eWAT). In eWAT, miR-1 promoted adrenergic signaling and lipolysis by targeting Tfap2α, a known repressor of Adrβ3 expression. Inhibiting EV release prevented the MOV-induced increase in eWAT miR-1 abundance and expression of …

Breastfeeding Media Coverage And Beliefs During The Covid-19 Pandemic In Mexico: Implications For Breastfeeding Equity, Mireya Vilar-Compte, P. Gaitán‐Rossi, E. C. Rhodes, V. Cruz‐Villalba, R. Pérez‐Escamilla

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Background: Because breastfeeding offers short- and long- term health benefits to mothers and children, breastfeeding promotion and support is a public health priority. Evidence shows that SARS-CoV-2 is not likely to be transmitted via breastmilk. Moreover, antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 are thought to be contained in breastmilk of mothers with history of COVID-19 infection or vaccination. WHO recommends direct breastfeeding as the preferred infant feeding option during the COVID-19 pandemic, even among women with COVID-19; but conflicting practices have been adopted, which could widen existing inequities in breastfeeding. This study aims to describe how information about breastfeeding was communicated in Mexican …

Dissonance Between Christian Beliefs And Eating Habits In The South, Karli Dianne Stringer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to initiate understanding of how obesity in the South is still so prevalent even though the majority of inhabitants subscribe to a faith that discourages unhealthy lifestyles. Furthermore, the information presented in this research sought to fill the knowledge gap for communicators and educators concerning the dissonance between Christianity in the South and the unhealthy eating habits of Southerners. Grounded in the Cognitive Dissonance Theory, this study comprised of a semi-structured interview route in which Protestant evangelical Christians in the South (N = 11) participated in a descriptive study conducted by a committee …

Divergent Selection For Water Conversion Ratio In Broiler Populations, Joseph Hiltz

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Water scarcity is a global reality and with the anticipated population growth, freshwater resources will be further strained to meet both human needs and agriculture applications. To ensure a water sustainable and food secure future, all aspects of agriculture must become more efficient. Two strategies were explored. The potential of improving water efficiency in broilers was examined. The first strategy was to develop a more efficient and accurate method for measuring water consumption/inputs in agriculture. To date, water measuring technology has lacked the necessary sophistication to assure accuracy and repeatability of low flow water usage.

After establishing a low flow …

Four Weeks Of 16:8 Time-Restricted Feeding On Stress, Sleep, Quality Of Life, Hunger Level, And Body Composition In Healthy Adults: A Pilot Study On Wellness Optimization, Gurinder Bains, Everett Lohman, Michael Moh, Noha Daher, Lee Berk

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: Sustainable methods of dietary lifestyle changes are essential to long term weight loss maintenance and enhancement in overall health and wellness. A novel modified alternative method to caloric restriction is Time-Restricted Feeding (TRF), a sub-type of Intermittent Fasting. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the effect of four weeks of TRF (without caloric deficit) on body composition, stress levels, sleep quality, hunger level, and quality of life.

Methods: Sixteen participants, 9 males and 7 females, mean age 34.0 ± 11.7 years, completed the four-week protocol. Fasting program was 16 hours from the time of …

Examining Eating Attitudes And Behaviors In Collegiate Athletes, The Association Between Orthorexia Nervosa And Eating Disorders, Nancy A. Uriegas, Zachary K. Winkelmann, Kelly Pritchett, Toni M. Torres-Mcgehee

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of Education and Professional Studies

Purpose: Orthorexia nervosa (Orthorexia) is an eating attitude and behavior associated with a fixation on healthy eating, while eating disorders (EDs) are clinically diagnosed psychiatric disorders associated with marked disturbances in eating that may cause impairment to psychosocial and physical health. The purpose of this study was to examine risk for Orthorexia and EDs in student-athletes across sex and sport type and determine the association between the two.

Methods: Student-athletes (n = 1,090; age: 19.6 ± 1.4 years; females = 756; males = 334) completed a survey including demographics, the ORTO-15 test (values), the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26; >20 …

Evidence Of Myomir Regulation Of The Pentose Phosphate Pathway During Mechanical Load-Induced Hypertrophy, Taylor Valentino, Vandre C. Figueiredo, C. Brooks Mobley, John J. Mccarthy, Ivan Jose Vechetti Jr

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Many of the molecular and cellular mechanisms discovered to regulate skeletal muscle hypertrophy were first identified using the rodent synergist ablation model. This model reveals the intrinsic capability and necessary pathways of skeletal muscle growth in response to mechanical overload (MOV). Reminiscent of the rapid cellular growth observed with cancer, we hypothesized that in response to MOV, skeletal muscle would undergo metabolic programming to sustain increased demands to support hypertrophy. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed the gene expression of specific metabolic pathways taken from transcriptomic microarray data of a MOV time course. We found an upregulation of genes involved …

Qupath Digital Immunohistochemical Analysis Of Placental Tissue, Ashley L. Hein, Maheswari Mukherjee, Geoffrey A. Talmon, Sathish Kumar Natarajan, Tara M. Nordgren, Elizabeth Lyden, Corrine K. Hanson, Jesse L. Cox, Annelisse Santiago‑Pintado, Mariam A. Molani, Matthew Van Ormer, Maranda Thompson, Melissa K. Thoene, Aunum Akhter, Ann Anderson‑Berry, Ana G. Yuil-Valdes

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background: QuPath is an open‑source digital image analyzer notable for its user‑friendly design, cross‑platform compatibility, and customizable functionality. Since it was first released in 2016, at least 624 publications have reported its use, and it has been applied in a wide spectrum of settings. However, there are currently limited reports of its use in placental tissue. Here, we present the use of QuPath to quantify staining of G‑protein coupled receptor 18 (GPR18), the receptor for the pro‑resolving lipid mediator Resolvin D2, in placental tissue. Methods: Whole slide images of vascular smooth muscle (VSM) and extravillous trophoblast (EVT) cells stained …

Clock Time Of First Eating Episode And Prospective Risk Of All-Cause Mortality In Us Adults, Ashima K. Kant, Barry I. Graubard

Publications and Research

Background: There is increasing recognition that morning or evening preference is associated with time of eating, metabolic health, and morbidity. However, few studies have examined the association of time of eating with mortality.

Objective: To examine the association of time of first recalled ingestive episode with prospective risk of all-cause mortality.

Design: We used mortality-linked data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) conducted in 1988-1994 and 1999-2014 (n=34609; age >40 y). Quartiles (Q1-Q4) of clock time of first eating episode self-reported in the baseline 24-h dietary recall was the exposure. Follow-up time from date of NHANES examination …

Output Consistency Scale To Standardize Ostomate Output Description In Clinical Practice And Studies, Lisa Whisenhunt, Linda Xu, Fan Yang, Jacques Izard

Food for Health: Publications

Stool descriptors have become popular due to the large diffusion of the Bristol Stool Form Scale (BSFS) via clinical studies, clinical trials, and social media. The applications have been numerous and centered around standardization of terminology that can be used by health care professionals and patients alike, as well as individuals interested in their wellness and the associated partners in the wellness industry. For a portion of the population, the digestive content is rerouted to an external manufactured pouch or bag, making the use of the BSFS visual descriptors of stool difficult. From day one post-resection surgery, ostomates are challenged …

Multiple Sclerosis And Its Symptom Management Through Supplementation And Dietary Planning, Lindsey J. Davis

Selected Honors Theses

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune, neuroinflammatory disorder that is characterized by the breakdown of myelinated axons in the Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems. It is a potentially debilitating autoimmune disease that affects almost 1 million people in the United States, and nearly 2.5 million people worldwide. The precise etiology of MS is still being researched, but much progress has been made towards understanding the molecular mechanisms and impactful ways to treat this disease. While there is still no cure, new treatment plans are constantly being orchestrated in effort to alleviate the burden that MS carries. Combination treatment plans have …

The Prevalence Of Weak Handgrip Strength In Ambulatory Oncology Patients And Its Relationship With Quality Of Life, Niamh O'Callaghan, Aoibheann O Sullivan, Catherine Mchugh Prof., Laura Keaver Miss

SURE Journal: Science Undergraduate Research Experience Journal

Muscle strength as a proxy for muscle function has emerged as a predictor of nutritional status in both clinical as well as epidemiological studies. Hand grip strength (HGS) is a reliable non-invasive test of muscle strength. Dynapenia (weak strength) is independently associated with loss of physical functionality, quality of life (QoL) characteristics and reduced survival. The first aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of dynapenia using handgrip strength (HGS) in ambulatory oncology patients and if this had an impact on quality of life (QoL). This prospective cross-sectional study was conducted in the oncology day ward and outpatient …

Exercise Is Medicine: Health And Fitness At The U Of A And Beyond, Erin Howie Hickey

Seminars

Dr. Howie Hickey will discuss the latest research on the benefits of physical activity for physical and mental health, from COVID-19 to depression, including what the science can say about the optimal dose and intensity. She will share recent data collected by the Exercise is Medicine team on physical activity, fitness and wellness in the University of Arkansas community and discuss future directions and opportunities.

The Importance Of Exercise And Nutrition In Early Life, Elisabet Borsheim

Seminars

Dr. Børsheim will present her research on the important of exercise and nutrition in early life. In her presentation Dr. Børsheim will focus on childhood obesity and show that this can increase risk for later life metabolic dysfunction. She will discuss if physical fitness can attenuate negative effects of obesity in children and if there are critical windows of development where physical activity is of specific importance. Finally, she will present data on impact on early physical activity and nutrition on response to exercise later in life.

Therapeutic Potential Of Garlic Chive-Derived Vesicle-Like Nanoparticles In Nlrp3 Inflammasome-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases, Baolong Liu, Xingzhi Li, Han Yu, Xuan Shi, You Zhou, Sophie Alvarez, Michael J. Naldrett, Stephen D. Kachman, Seung-Hyun Ro, Xinghui Sun, Soonkyu Chung, Lili Jing, Jiujiu Yu

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Aberrant activation of the nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich repeat related (NLR) family, pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome drives the development of many complex inflammatory diseases, such as obesity, Alzheimer’s disease, and atherosclerosis. However, no medications specifically targeting the NLRP3 inflammasome have become clinically available. Therefore, we aim to identify new inhibitors of the NLRP3 inflammasome in this study. Methods: Vesicle-like nanoparticles (VLNs) were extracted from garlic chives and other Allium vegetables and their effects on the NLRP3 inflammasome were evaluated in primary macrophages. After garlic chive-derived VLNs (GC-VLNs) were found to exhibit potent anti-NLRP3 inflammasome activity in cell culture, …

Associations Of Dietary Lipid-Soluble Micronutrients With Hepatic Steatosis Among Adults In The United States, Weiwen Chai, Sarah Eaton, Heather E. Rasmussen, Meng Hua Tao

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Lipid-soluble micronutrients may be beneficial to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease due to their important roles in metabolism and maintaining tissue functions. Utilizing 2017–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, this study examined the potential overall and race/ethnicity-specific (black, Hispanic and white) associations of dietary lipid-soluble micronutrients (α-tocopherol, retinol, vitamin D, β-carotene and total carotenoids) with hepatic steatosis. The analysis included 4376 adults (1037 blacks, 981 Hispanics, 1549 whites) aged ≥20 years who completed the transient elastography examination with dietary data available. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were estimated using logistic regressions. The age-adjusted prevalence of steatosis was …

Measuring Palatability As A Linear Combination Of Nutrient Levels In Food Items, Jeffrey S. Young

Faculty & Staff Research and Creative Activity

It well known that palatability and nutritional quality of foods and/or diets are viewed as being in tension with one another. While there exist multiple measures of healthiness, there are no such measures for tastiness. This gap limits the degree to which researchers can investigate this tension and its implications for dietary behavior and hence public health and nutrition policy. The scope of future work concerning the dietary behavior of Americans would expand greatly if researchers better understood consumers’ willingness to eat certain foods, which matters as much as recommending those foods for them to eat in the first place. …

Skeletal Muscle Cell Growth Alters The Lipid Composition Of Extracellular Vesicles, Taylor R. Valentino, Blake D. Rule, C Brooks Mobley, Mariana Nikolova-Karakashian, Ivan Jose Vechetti Jr

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

We sought to characterize the lipid profile of skeletal muscle cell-derived Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) to determine if a hypertrophic stimulus would affect the lipid composition of C2C12 myotube-derived EVs. Analyses included C2C12 murine myoblasts differentiated into myotubes and treated with Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) for 24 h to induce hypertrophic growth. EVs were isolated from cell culture media, quantified using Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA) and analyzed using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). EVs were homogenized and lipids extracted for quantification by Mass Spectrometry followed by downstream lipid class enrichment and lipid chain analysis. IGF-1 treatment elicited an increase in CD63 …

Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder Prevalent Among Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Emily Yelencich, Emily Truong, Adrianne M. Widaman, Giselle Pignotti, Liu Yang, Yejoo Jeon, Andrew T. Weber, Rishabh Shah, Janelle Smith, Jenny S. Sauk, Berkeley N. Limketkai

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Background & Aims
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients alter their dietary behaviors to reduce disease-related symptoms, avoid feared food triggers, and control inflammation. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), evaluate risk factors, and examine the association with risk of malnutrition in patients with IBD.
Methods
This cross-sectional study recruited adult patients with IBD from an ambulatory clinic. ARFID risk was measured using the Nine-Item ARFID Screen. Nutritional risk was measured with the Patient Generated-Subjective Global Assessment. Logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association between clinical characteristics and a positive ARFID risk …

The Correlation Between Dietary Intake, Stress, Food Insecurity, Physical Activity, Sleep, And Screen Time In College Students During Covid-19, Mariana Alves Olguin

Theses & Dissertations

College students with high stress levels are more likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors, which may negatively impact their health. During COVID-19, college student’s lives were disrupted on multiple levels. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between dietary intake, perceived stress, food insecurity, sleep, screen time, and physical activity among college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. College students at the University of the Incarnate Word (N=154) completed an online survey to assess dietary choices (Dietary Screener Questionnaires (DSQ) in the NHANES 2009-10: DSQ), food insecurity (6-item Short Form of the US Household Food Security Survey), stress …

Sars-Cov-2 Concentrations In A Wastewater Collection System Indicated Potential Covid-19 Hotspots At The Zip Code Level, Renys E. Barrios, Chin Lim, Megan S. Kelley, Xu Li

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Wastewater based epidemiology (WBE) has been successfully applied for SARS-CoV-2 surveillance at the city and building levels. However, sampling at the city level does not provide sufficient spatial granularity to identify COVID-19 hotspots, while data from building-level sampling are too narrow in scope for broader public health application. The objective of this study was to examine the feasibility of using wastewater from wastewater collection systems (WCSs) to monitor COVID-19 hotspots at the zip code level. In this study, 24-hr composite wastewater samples were collected from five manholes and two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in the City of Lincoln, Nebraska. By …

The Impact Of Processing On The Content And Composition Of Bovine Milk Extracellular Vesicles, Anna Colella

Food Science (MS) Theses

Bovine milk (BM)-based formula is an alternative for many newborns who do not consume human milk. BM contains extracellular vesicles (EVs), bioactive compounds involved in intercellular communication which regulate critical developmental processes in early life. It was hypothesized that the industrial processing of raw BM affected the content and composition of BM EVs. It is critical to understand how industrial processing affects EVs in BM since changes in the content and composition may attenuate the functions of these bioactive compounds in human health. EVs from raw BM were isolated and characterized in accordance with the Minimal Information for Studies of …

Comparison Of Animal Versus Plant-Based Protein Supplementation To Nitrogen Balance In Female College Students, Adeline Maykish

Master's Theses

Plant-based diets have become popular in the past 10 years, with approximately 11% of Americans self-identifying as vegan or vegetarian, and many others trying to reduce meat consumption. Due to this increasing interest, the plant-based food market has exploded with several novel innovative products serving as alternatives to animal-based products. One such example is almond protein powder, a fairly new protein supplement created as an alternative to whey protein. A number of studies have compared animal-based protein supplementation, such as whey to plant-based supplementation, such as soy, on muscle protein synthesis and skeletal muscle preservation. Due to the novelty of …

Ruminant Milk-Derived Extracellular Vesicles: A Nutritional And Therapeutic Opportunity?, Siew Ling Ong, Cherie Blenkiron, Stephen Haines, Alejandra Acevedo-Fani, Juliana A.S. Leite, Janos Zempleni, Rachel C. Anderson, Mark J. Mccann

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Milk has been shown to contain a specific fraction of extracellular particles that are reported to resist digestion and are purposefully packaged with lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids to exert specific biological effects. These findings suggest that these particles may have a role in the quality of infant nutrition, particularly in the early phase of life when many of the foundations of an infant’s potential for health and overall wellness are established. However, much of the current research focuses on human or cow milk only, and there is a knowledge gap in how milk from other species, which may be …

Life Cycle Assessment Of Packaging Systems For Enteral Nutrition Products: Multilayer Pouch And High-Density Polyethylene Bottle, Martina Krueger, Benedikt Kauertz, Claudia Mayer

Journal of Applied Packaging Research

Environmental performance of alternative packaging options for a given product application increasingly comes into awareness, both at the end consumer level as well as in the field of business-to-business communication. The purpose of the study presented here is to examine the environmental performance of a multilayer pouch for packing of enteral nutrition products. To achieve this, a life cycle assessment has been conducted. As an attributional full cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment it compares environmental impacts of a comparable lighter multilayer pouch vs. two different comparable heavier high-density polyethylene bottles (covering the weight range of high-density polyethylene bottles on global markets …

Menu Engineering And Dietary Behavior Impact On Young Adults’ Kilocalorie Choice, Christine Bergman, Yuan Tian, Andrew Moreo, Carola Raab

Hospitality Faculty Research

The obesity pandemic is associated with increased consumption of restaurant food. Labeling of menus is an intervention used to provide consumers with kilocalorie (calorie) information in hopes of them making healthier food choices. This study evaluated the relationship between young adults’ calorie choices on restaurant menus and menu design, dietary behaviors, and demographic characteristics. A 3 (fast-casual restaurants) × 4 (menu-designs based on menu engineering theories) between-subjects (n = 480, 18–24-year olds) experimental design was used. The relationship between the participants’ calorie choices (high versus low) and menu design, stage of change, gender, race, educational level and weight status was …

Dfend Wrap Up, Jamie Baum, Erin Howie

Diet, Food, Exercise, and Nutrition (D-FEND)

This is an overview of DFEND from the beginning and what was learned and shared.

Effects Of A Cooking And Gardening Nutrition Intervention In Food Insecure College Students, Alison K. Macchi

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As higher education becomes more attainable to all populations, college students from low-income backgrounds are at an increased risk of food insecurity due to the financial burdens that come with the transition to college. Food insecurity on U.S. college campuses ranges up to 59%, quadrupling the average national household food insecurity rate of 14%. In college students, food insecurity is correlated with unhealthy eating, alcohol use, and mental health issues.

The aim of this study was to develop and examine the feasibility and promise of a Social Cognitive Theory based, urban gardening, cooking and nutrition education intervention on health behavior …