Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Evaluation Of The Shelf-Stability Of A High-Carotenoid Breakfast Food And Its Impact On Skin Carotenoid Levels, Dawn L. Reed

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Carotenoids are pigments found throughout nature in a large variety of plants including fruits and vegetables (F/V). Carotenoids provide much of the color we see in nature but are perhaps most noticeable in plants with yellow, orange, or red flesh. Carotenoids are antioxidants that serve as a protection against harmful ultraviolet radiation and other free radical producing processes in the body and in plant tissues. Once consumed, carotenoids are deposited in the skin, particularly in fatty tissue. Raman resonance spectroscopy (RRS) can be used to quantify skin carotenoid levels and has been proven a good indicator of F/V consumption. A …

The Role Of Farmers' Market Incentives On The Fruit And Vegetable Intake And Food Security Status Of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participants, Mateja R. Savoie Roskos

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Public health professionals in the United States are implementing various interventions in effort to improve dietary intake in low-income individuals. One intervention strategy that has gained attention over the past several years is providing financial incentives for federal nutrition assistance users when they purchase fruit and vegetables at local farmers' markets. The overall objective of the research studies included in this dissertation were to develop, implement, and evaluate farmers' market incentive programs in Utah in effort to determine if this intervention increases fruit and vegetable intake and improves food security status among low-income individuals.

The first study conducted in the …

Effects Of A Flavonoid-Rich Diet On Gut Microbiota Composition And Production Of Trimethylamine In Human Subjects, Justin S. Bell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The prevalence of cardiovascular disease is a major public health concern worldwide. It has been theorized that diets rich in fruits and vegetables may be protective against the development of cardiovascular disease mainly through their high content of flavonoids. Flavonoids were thought to influence traditional risk factors of cardiovascular disease such as blood pressure, lipid profile, and systemic inflammation. Recent clinical studies have shown that this may not be the case. The production of trimethylamine oxide (TMAO) by the gut microbiota from dietary sources of choline has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events. The objectives of this …

Identifying And Reducing Risk Of The Female Athlete Triad In Division I Athletes, Jennifer Day

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Physically active females, or female athletes, are at risk for the condition known as the female athlete triad (Triad). The Triad is made up of three components that are distinctly separate, but intertwined: consuming inadequate energy for how much they are exercising, poor bone health, and problems with their menstrual periods. When female athletes don’t consume enough energy for how much they exercise, there can be hormonal imbalances, causing the body to conserve energy from some important functions including menstruation, and increased bone turnover resulting in a higher risk of stress fractures and early osteoporosis. Female athletes at risk for …