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- All Subjects: Nutrition
- Genre: Masters Thesis
- Creators: Arizona State University
Description
The medicinal use of vinegar dates to ancient times, and empirical evidence has mounted over the past several decades supporting health benefits from vinegar ingestion, including reductions in blood glucose, blood pressure, and blood cholesterol. Additionally, although clinical trial data are mixed, there are several reports demonstrating reductions in body mass and fat mass with daily vinegar ingestion. This blinded, randomized placebo-controlled trial examined the impact of daily vinegar ingestion on anthropometric measures in healthy young adults recruited from a campus population. Participants (n=28; aged 25.8±7.0 y; body mass index [BMI] > 23 kg/m2) were stratified by age, sex, and BMI and randomly assigned to the liquid [VIN] or pill [CON] groups. VIN participants diluted 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar (750 mg acetic acid; Pompeian Inc.) in 8-12 ounces of water to drink with food at mealtime twice daily. CON participants consumed 1 vinegar pill daily (22.5 mg acetic acid; Spring Valley). All participants provided written consent for this IRB approved trial. The study lasted four weeks, and anthropometric measurements were conducted in a fasted state at weeks 0 and 4. Study adherence varied slightly (90±17% and 100±14% for VIN and CON respectively, p=0.029); hence, adherence was controlled for in all analyses. Changes in BMI (-0.1±0.5 and +0.1±0.3 kg/m2, p=0.127) and body weight (-0.3±1.4 and +0.1±1.1 kg, p=0.158) did not differ significantly between VIN and CON groups, respectively. However, both waist circumference and percent body fat were reduced significantly for VIN participants in comparison to CON participants (-0.5±1.3 vs. +0.6±2.4 cm [p=0.026]and -0.4±0.7 vs. +0.3±1.0% [p=0.045]. Although the observed differences between groups are modest, the study was short in duration and this protocol did not apply energy restriction or exercise interventions, suggesting a possible benefit of vinegar ingestion on adiposity.
ContributorsMeyer, Lexie Rae (Author) / Johnston, Carol (Thesis advisor) / Alexon, Christy (Committee member) / Grant, Shauna (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024
Description
Nutritional supplement use by high school student athletes may pose risks of consuming prohibited or banned substances that can result in suspension of athletic participation. Currently, there is no peer-reviewed published data that exists on the use of supplements and use of third-party tested supplements for this population. When looking at supplement use, the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) can be utilized. This model was designed to determine if the intention of completing a behavior is based on three different constructs which include attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control. A pre- and post- test questionnaire was used to determine the effect of an educational intervention that was designed and developed. A total of 106 high school student athletes, ranging from 14-19 years of age from a private high school in the western US were included in the analysis of the study. The intention to use a good basic diet and intention to use nutritional supplements were both predicted by attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control and both resulted in a significant regression equation (p < .001). There was 95.3% (n=101) of athletes that reported use of at least one supplement in the last 12 months with reporting on average eight supplements ranging from 0-31 supplements. In conclusion, almost all high school student athletes reported using at least one nutritional supplement in the last 12 months, while roughly one-fourth consistently reported to use third-party tested nutritional supplements. The TPB based supplement education program resulted in the intention to change supplement behavior toward using safe third-party tested supplements more frequently at a group level.
ContributorsMorton, Lindsay (Author) / Wardenaar, Floris (Thesis advisor) / Wharton, Christopher (Committee member) / Levinson, Simin (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024
Description
Grains are a major dietary staple in many cultures and countries. Corn can be consumed as either a fruit, vegetable, or grain. In the case of the Corn and Heart Health Study (CHS), the effect of corn flour was examined. The study used three varieties of corn flour (whole grain, refined, and a refined plus bran blend), provided by the North American Millers Association (NAMA), to examine the effectiveness of corn flour on lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol as well as its effects on the diversity of the gut microbiome. The objective of this analysis was to determine the magnitude of change between pre- and post- intervention serum blood samples and the changes in alpha (within-sample) diversity in the gut microbiome. The study utilized a randomized-single blinded, crossover model. The study was 16 weeks long, with three 4-week long treatment periods with two-week washout periods in between. During each treatment period blood samples, stool samples, a diet record, and questionnaires were collected from participants. Two blood samples were collected at the beginning and end of each treatment period to account for potential day to day changes on LDL cholesterol. For the purpose of this study, the results of blood and fecal analysis were used to determine the effectiveness of the intervention. Fecal analysis using the Shannon Index showed that there was no significant difference in the within-sample microbiome diversity by corn flour type (H=2.86, p=0.72). Pre-treatment plasma LDL levels were subtracted from post-treatment levels and analyzed using a general linear model that controlled for sequence, period and a nested (ID[sequence]) variable to account for the within-person crossover design. This showed that the bran-enriched flour had the highest mean reduction in LDL cholesterol while the refined and whole grain flour resulted in increases in LDL cholesterol. The change in LDL cholesterol for bran-enriched flour was significantly different from the refined flour (Mean Difference of -14.97 mg/dL; P=.041). The results of this study indicate that refined corn flour enriched with bran could be a recommended addition to the diet to prevent cardiovascular disease and reduce LDL cholesterol in individuals who are at low risk.
ContributorsHarris, Michelle Lynn (Author) / Whisner, Corrie (Thesis advisor) / Grant, Shauna (Committee member) / Mayol-Kreiser, Sandra (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024
Description
Hydration status serves as an essential pillar of human health. Adequate hydration reduces cardiovascular strain, improves the body's ability to thermoregulate, stabilizes mood, and may reduce the risk of physiologic diseases like that of diabetes and urolithiasis. While many studies have shown the importance of adequate fluid intake on hydration status, very few have investigated the influence of dietary food moisture on hydration status. This study collected daily food diaries, daily fluid diaries, and spot urine samples over a 24hr period from 694 participants in Northwest Arkansas participating in the HYBISKUS study. Fluid and food diaries were logged in NDSR and analyzed using JMP while combined spot urine samples were analyzed using a freezing point depression osmometer to retrieve 24hr urine osmolality. Urine osmolality data was extracted from 24hr urine samples and used as the hydration status biomarker for study participants. The average contributions of water from fluids and foods in participants was 79.3 ±9.6% and 20.7 ±9.5% respectively. This study found that dietary food moisture has a significant effect on hydration status in adults with no specific macronutrient groups take precedence over any others in regard to dietary food moisture contributions. These results suggest that there are legitmate reasons to consider dietary food moisture intake when water intake recommendations are made for adults attempting to optimize health or prepare for physical exercise.
ContributorsKleinschmidt, Hunter (Author) / Kavouras, Stavros SK (Thesis advisor) / Sweazea, Karen KS (Committee member) / Katsanos, Christos CK (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
Objectives. To determine the association between parental level of acculturation using the Anglo Orientation Subscale (AOS) and the Mexican Orientation Subscale (MOS) derived from the Acculturating Rating Scale for Mexican Americans-II (ARSMA II) and their likelihood of serving green salad, vegetables, fruit, 100% fruit juice, and sugar-sweetened beverages during family meals. Methods. A sample of Hispanic parents of 6th, 7th, or 8th-grade adolescents (n=447; 39.8±6.8 years; 89.7% female) enrolled in a parenting intervention promoting healthy nutrition and substance use prevention. Parents completed baseline surveys to self-report whether they had family meals or not, acculturation-related questions, and the frequency with which they serve green salad, vegetables, fruit, 100% fruit juice, and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) during family meals. Associations between parental acculturation level and their likelihood of serving green salad, vegetables, fruit, 100% fruit juice and sugar-sweetened beverages during meal times were assessed with Spearman’s rank correlations. Results. There was a positive correlation between a higher level of acculturation on the Mexican Orientation Subscale (MOS) scale and the frequency of serving SSB during family meals (p=.006). There was a positive correlation between a higher level of acculturation on the Anglo Orientation Subscale (AOS) with the frequency of parents serving green salad (p=<.001), vegetables (p=<.001), and 100% fruit juice (p=.025) during family meals. Conclusion. Findings suggest that a higher Mexican orientation is associated with serving more sugar-sweetened beverages, and a higher Anglo orientation is associated with serving more green salad, vegetables, and 100% fruit juice to adolescents during family meals. Further research is needed to understand how the association of parental acculturation, home food environment, family meals, and socioeconomic status impact what they serve during family meals to their adolescents. A better understanding of what is served would help develop more evidence-based interventions that could help improve adolescents’ diet, which could help curb down obesity prevalence.
ContributorsOdell, Sandra P (Author) / Vega-Lopez, Sonia (Thesis advisor) / Ayers, Stephanie (Committee member) / Bruening, Meg (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
College students are a niche of young adults, characterized by abnormal sleeping habits and inactive lifestyles. Many students entering college are as young as 18 years old and graduate by 22 years old, a window of time in which their bones are still accruing mineral. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to determine whether sleep patterns and physical activity observed in college students (N= 52) 18-25 years old at Arizona State University influenced bone biomarkers, osteocalcin (OC) and N-terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen (NTX-1) concentrations. Students completed various dietary and health history questionnaires including the International Physical Activity Questionnaire short form. Students wore an actigraphy watch for 7 consecutive nights to record sleep events including total sleep time, sleep onset latency and wake after sleep onset. Total sleep time had a significant, negative correlation with OC (r = -0.298, p-value =0.036) while sleep onset latency had a significant, positive correlation with NTX-1 serum concentration (r = 0.293, p-value = 0.037). Despite correlational findings, only sleep percent was found to be significant (beta coefficient = 0.271 p-value = 0.788) among all the sleep components assessed, after adjusting for gender, race, BMI and calcium intake in multivariate regression models. Physical activity alone was not associated with either bone biomarker. Physical activity*sleep onset latency interactions were significantly correlated with osteocalcin (r = 0.308, p-value =0.006) and NTX-1 (r = 0.286, p-value = 0.042) serum concentrations. Sleep percent*physical activity interactions were significantly correlated with osteocalcin (r = 0.280, p-value = 0.049) but not with NTX-1 serum concentrations. Interaction effects were no longer significant after adjusting for covariates in the regression models. While sleep percent was a significant component in the regression model for NTX-1, it was not clinically significant. Overall, sleep patterns and physical activity did not explain OC and NTX-1 serum concentrations in college students 18-25 years old. Future studies may need to consider objective physical activity devices including accelerometers to measure activity levels. At this time, college students should review sleep and physical activity recommendations to ensure optimal healthy habits are practiced.
ContributorsMahmood, Tara Nabil (Author) / Whisner, Corrie (Thesis advisor) / Dickinson, Jared (Committee member) / Petrov, Megan (Committee member) / Adams, Marc (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
Purpose: Although numerous studies exist regarding the health impact of the Special, Supplemental Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) on their participants’, limited studies have examined how participation in one federal nutrition assistance program, may impact participation or perceived benefit of the other. This study aimed to examine how SNAP participation may impact weight-related pregnancy outcomes and participation of pregnant WIC participants. Methods: The present study is a cross-sectional, secondary data analysis of data available from the Arizona Department of Health Services. A total of 35,659 pregnant woman participated in the Arizona WIC program during 2018 and were included in the study. Pregnant participants were assigned to Group WIC or Group WIC+SNAP respectively. Data was aggregated to the clinic level and clinics with less than 10 pregnant participants were combined for a total of 101 clinics included in the analysis. Weight-related pregnancy outcomes measures included average pre-pregnancy weight, average gestational weight gain, BMI class, and delivery weight. Participation indicator outcomes included average number of visits during pregnancy, timing of first prenatal and postnatal WIC appointment, and entry into WIC within the first trimester. Race, ethnicity, language, and education were also analyzed.
Results: This study found average pre-pregnancy weight was statistically significant for women in group SNAP+WIC weighing 2.8 kg more than women in group WIC(p<0.001). Group WIC had a lower delivery weight average (p<0.001) and a higher amount of women beginning pregnancy with a normal BMI (p=0.004). Group WIC participants were statistically more likely to not enroll in WIC during the first trimester compared with Group WIC+SNAP (p=0.049). Group WIC was more likely to enroll in the 8th (p=0.045) and 9th month (p=0.009) of pregnancy and attend their first postpartum visit 6 months after delivery (p=0.007) as compared to Group WIC+SNAP.
Conclusions: This study found that pregnant WIC participants, not enrolled in SNAP have a lower pre-pregnancy weight and are more likely not to enroll within the first trimester. Future research should focus on individualized characteristics of WIC participants to further improve prenatal and postnatal support.
ContributorsStolworthy, Alexandra (Author) / Bruening, Meg (Thesis advisor) / Wadhera, Devina (Committee member) / Whisner, Corrie (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
Background: Studies have addressed food insecurity (FI) and fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption; however, not many have looked at the relationship between FI and FV consumption of caregivers with children. Researchers have not extensively evaluated if locale (urban and rural) plays a role in FV consumption. This cross-sectional study investigates the relationship between FI and consumption of FVs in caregivers and whether this relationship varies by locale. Methods: Caregivers with children completed baseline surveys as part of the Nutrition Incentive programs from the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) were included in analyses (n=3455; mean age= 33 ±0.12 years, 53.8% female). Caregivers reported their intake using the Dietary Screener Questionnaire (DSQ). The USDA 6-item food security screening module was used to assess food insecurity. Zip codes and Rural-Urban Continuum Codes (RUCC) were used to identify locale. Mixed linear models adjusted for sociodemographics (age, sex, race, and ethnicity), and clustered at the site level were used to assess the relationship between FV consumption and FI. Locale was examined as an interaction and was found to be not statistically significant, was included as a confounder in the models. Sensitivity analyses were conducted examining all FVs, FVs without potatoes included, FVs without juice included, and FVs without potatoes or juice. Results did not vary greatly, the aggregate FV variable is reported on below.
Results: The mean FV consumption was 4.83 +/- 0.060 servings. The prevalence of FI was 78.7%. FI was reported at 92.9% of urban households and 7.1% of rural households. The mixed linear model indicated that there was a significant relationship between FI and participant’s FV consumption (β=-0.51., 95% CI: -0.81, -0.22). This study found a relationship between FV consumption and locale only.
Conclusion: Caregivers’ FV consumption was significantly related to FI status; however, locale was not associated with their FV consumption. Research should further investigate the relationship between locale and FV consumption with consideration in the adolescent aged population, as these findings may be limited given the relatively small proportion of families living in rural settings.
ContributorsNieforth, Julia (Author) / Bruening, Meg (Thesis advisor) / Fricke, Hollyanne (Committee member) / Parks, Courtney (Committee member) / Ojinnaka, Chinedum (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program provide nutritious meals to school-age children. USDA’s Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is designed to extend the reach of these programs by allowing schools in low-income areas to provide free school meals to all students at no cost to families. CEP has been shown to increase school meal participation, nutritional intake, academic achievement, and attendance in previous research studies. This study aims to examine the impact of long-term CEP participation on student weight outcomes. Nurse-measured height and weight data for school years 2013-14 to 2019-20 were collected from 141 K-12 public schools in four low-income cities. School-level prevalence of obesity was calculated from students’ heights and weights using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention protocol. CEP participation for each school year was obtained from the state Department of Education. Schools in the sample began participating in CEP at different times yielding varying numbers of years of CEP exposure over the study period. Multivariable analyses examined the relationship between school CEP exposure and the prevalence of obesity, controlling for school-level covariates. Multivariable analyses showed that for every additional year of CEP participation, the school-level prevalence of obesity was 0.4% lower (p=0.018). The regression-adjusted obesity prevalence for schools that never participated in CEP was 28.0%, while the obesity prevalence for schools with 6 years of CEP participation was 25.4%. The lower prevalence of obesity in CEP-participating schools was primarily driven by elementary schools. These results suggest that the benefits of CEP participation can cumulate over time, significantly reducing school-level obesity prevalence over time.
ContributorsDykstra, Tatum Nicole (Author) / Ohri-Vachaspati, Punam (Thesis advisor) / Acciai, Francesco (Committee member) / McCoy, Maureen (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024