Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Weight Bias In Pre-Professional Health Students, Heather A. Wemhoener

Doctoral Dissertations

Weight bias includes negative attitudes or judgements towards people in larger bodies. It is associated with poor health outcomes. Weight bias is highly common in the United States, and pre-professional health students are known to exhibit it. Given its impact, finding effective interventions to reduce weight bias is important. The first paper reviewed literature on existing interventions for weight bias reduction. The search revealed three main intervention types: targeting attributions, increasing empathy, and targeting social consensus. Interventions, regardless of strategy, yielded mixed results for weight bias reduction, and, in some cases, increased bias. The second paper tested a novel intervention …

Micronutrients, Inflammation And Depression Among Women Of Reproductive Age From The National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey 2005-2008, Joycelyn M. Faraj

Doctoral Dissertations

Depression is the leading cause of disease burden among women. Recent evidence indicates that inflammation is associated with depression, and factors that contribute to inflammation can be addressed through nutritional and lifestyle interventions. Vitamins B₆ and D have been linked with depression and have established roles in inflammation, yet their associations with depression in the presence of low-grade inflammation remain unknown. The purpose of this research was to investigate how high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), a biomarker of inflammation, contributes to different dimensions of depression and to determine to what degree inflammation affects the association between vitamins B_{6 …}

The Evaluation Of Select Lifestyle Behavior Modification Following Participation In A Comprehensive Weight Management Clinic, Jennifer L. Bowling

Doctoral Dissertations

Over the last decades, obesity in the United States has reached epidemic proportion. Obesity rates have nearly doubled since 1960 when 43% of the United States population was overweight or obese and 1% was extremely obese. In 2012, approximately 69% of the US population was overweight or obese while 6.3% were extremely obese. Obesity rates are expected to progressively increase; therefore, interventions and guidelines are imperative in order to reduce the long term health risks of the Nation and to reduce overall health care costs (National Institute of Health [NIH], 2012).

Obesity increases morbidity resulting from associated hypertension, cardiovascular disease, …

Investigation Of Zyflamend On Ampk Signaling And Potential Interactions Of Its Components, Yi Zhao

Doctoral Dissertations

The reductionist approach contributes greatly to our understanding of anticancer properties of phytonutrients, but in vitro studies demand concentrations that are 100-1000 times higher than achievable in humans, producing results with little physiologic relevance, resulting in disappointing outcomes in clinical trials. However, maintaining these bioactives in the presence of other compounds originally derived from the food/extract of origin may synergistically lower the bioactive dose so translatability becomes feasible. The first objective of this study was to determine if bioefficacy of phytonutrients can be enhanced when used in combination at doses that are ineffective when used in isolation. In this project, …

Nutritional Adequacy And Performance Of Raw Food Diets In Kittens, Beth Alair Hamper

Doctoral Dissertations

Feeding raw food diets to domestic cats is controversial. The objective of this study was to determine if raw feline diets were nutritionally adequate for kittens and whether they enhance immune function, reduce oxidative stress and improve digestibility. Twenty-four 9-week-old kittens underwent a 10-week growth feeding trial with two raw diet groups and one control group (commercial heat-processed canned diet) of eight kittens each. Anthropomorphic measurements, feed efficiency, oxidative stress, and blood biomarkers for innate and humoral immune function were evaluated. Additionally, 6 kittens and 4 adults participated in a 14 day digestibility trial using a 3 x 3 latin …