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The body is capable of regulating hunger in several ways. Some of these hunger regulation methods are innate, such as genetics, and some, such as the responses to stress and to the smell of food, are innate but can be affected by body conditions such as BMI and physical activity. Further, some hunger regulation methods stem from learned behaviors originating from cultural pressures or parenting styles. These latter regulation methods for hunger can be grouped into the categories: emotion, environment, and physical. The factors that regulate hunger can also influence the incidence of disordered eating, such as eating in the absence of hunger (EAH). Eating in the absence of hunger can occur in one of two scenarios, continuous EAH or beginning EAH. College students are at a particularly high risk for EAH and weight gain due to stress, social pressures, and the constant availability of energy dense and nutrient poor food options. The purpose of this study is to validate a modified EAH-C survey in college students and to discover which of the three latent factors (emotion, environment, physical) best predicts continual and beginning EAH. To do so, a modified EAH-C survey, with additional demographic components, was administered to students at a major southwest university. This survey contained two questions, one each for continuing and beginning EAH, regarding 14 factors related to emotional, physical, or environmental reasons that may trigger EAH. The results from this study revealed that the continual and beginning EAH surveys displayed good internal consistency reliability. We found that for beginning and continuing EAH, although emotion is the strongest predictor of EAH, all three latent factors are significant predictors of EAH. In addition, we found that environmental factors had the greatest influence on an individual's likelihood to continue to eat in the absence of hunger. Due to statistical abnormalities and differing numbers of factors in each category, we were unable to determine which of the three factors exerted the greatest influence on an individual's likelihood to begin eating in the absence of hunger. These results can be utilized to develop educational tools aimed at reducing EAH in college students, and ultimately reducing the likelihood for unhealthy weight gain and health complications related to obesity.
ContributorsGoett, Taylor (Author) / Johnston, Carol (Thesis advisor) / Lee, Chong (Committee member) / Lespron, Christy (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
ABSTRACT The hormone leptin is an important regulator of body weight and energy balance, while nitric oxide (NO) produced in the blood vessels is beneficial for preventing disease-induced impaired vasodilation and hypertension. Elevations in the free radical superoxide can result in impaired vasodilation through scavenging of NO. Omega 3 is a polyunsaturated fatty acid that is beneficial at reducing body weight and in lowering many cardiovascular risk factors like atherosclerosis. The present study was designed to examine the change in plasma concentrations of leptin, nitric oxide, and the antioxidant superoxide dismutase in addition to examining the association between leptin and NO in healthy normal weight adult female subjects before and following omega 3 intakes. Participants were randomly assigned to either a fish oil group (600 mg per day) or a control group (1000 mg of coconut oil per day) for 8 weeks. Results showed no significant difference in the percent change of leptin over the 8 week supplementation period for either group (15.3±31.9 for fish oil group, 7.83±27 for control group; p=0.763). The percent change in NO was similarly not significantly altered in either group (-1.97±22 decline in fish oil group, 11.8±53.9 in control group; p=0.960). Likewise, the percent change in superoxide dismutase for each group was not significant following 8 weeks of supplementation (fish oil group: 11.94±20.94; control group: 11.8±53.9; p=0.362). The Pearson correlation co-efficient comparing the percent change of both leptin and NO was r2= -0.251 demonstrating a mildly negative, albeit insignificant, relationship between these factors. Together, these findings suggest that daily supplementation with 600 mg omega 3 in healthy females is not beneficial for improving these cardiovascular risk markers. Future studies in this area should include male subjects as well as overweight subjects with larger doses of fish oil that are equivalent to three or more servings per week. The importance of gender cannot be underestimated since estrogen has protective effects in the vasculature of females that may have masked any further protective effects of the fish oil. In addition, overweight individuals are often leptin-resistant and develop impaired vasodilation resulting from superoxide-mediated scavenging of nitric oxide. Therefore, the reported antioxidant and weight loss properties of omega 3 supplementation may greatly benefit overweight individuals.
ContributorsAlanbagy, Samer (Author) / Sweazea, Karen (Thesis advisor) / Johnston, Carol (Committee member) / Shepard, Christina (Committee member) / Lespron, Christy (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
Description
ABSTRACT
Asthma is a high-stress, chronic medical condition; 1 in 12 adults in the United States combat the bronchoconstriction from asthma. However, there are very few strong studies indicating any alternative therapy for asthmatics, particularly following a cold incidence. Vitamin C has been proven to be effective for other high-stress populations, but the asthmatic population has not yet been trialed. This study examined the effectiveness of vitamin C supplementation during the cold season on cold incidence and asthmatic symptoms. Asthmatics, otherwise-healthy, who were non-smokers and non-athletes between the ages of 18 and 55 with low plasma vitamin C concentrations were separated by anthropometrics and vitamin C status into two groups: either vitamin C (500 mg vitamin C capsule consumed twice per day) or control (placebo capsule consumed twice per day). Subjects were instructed to complete the Wisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Survey-21 and a short asthma symptoms questionnaire daily along with a shortened vitamin C Food Frequency Questionnaire and physical activity questionnaire weekly for eight weeks. Blood samples were drawn at Week 0 (baseline), Week 4, and Week 8. Compliance was monitored through a calendar check sheet. The vitamin C levels of both groups increased from Week 0 to Week 4, but decreased in the vitamin C group at Week 8. The vitamin C group had a 19% decrease in plasma histamine while the control group had a 53% increase in plasma histamine at the end of the trial, but this was not statistically significant (p>0.05). Total symptoms recorded from WURSS-21 were 129.3±120.7 for the vitamin C and 271.0±293.9, but the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.724). Total asthma symptoms also slightly varied between the groups, but again was not statistically significant (p=0.154). These results were hindered by the low number of subjects recruited. Continued research in this study approach is necessary to definitively reject or accept the potential role of vitamin C in asthma and cold care.
Asthma is a high-stress, chronic medical condition; 1 in 12 adults in the United States combat the bronchoconstriction from asthma. However, there are very few strong studies indicating any alternative therapy for asthmatics, particularly following a cold incidence. Vitamin C has been proven to be effective for other high-stress populations, but the asthmatic population has not yet been trialed. This study examined the effectiveness of vitamin C supplementation during the cold season on cold incidence and asthmatic symptoms. Asthmatics, otherwise-healthy, who were non-smokers and non-athletes between the ages of 18 and 55 with low plasma vitamin C concentrations were separated by anthropometrics and vitamin C status into two groups: either vitamin C (500 mg vitamin C capsule consumed twice per day) or control (placebo capsule consumed twice per day). Subjects were instructed to complete the Wisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Survey-21 and a short asthma symptoms questionnaire daily along with a shortened vitamin C Food Frequency Questionnaire and physical activity questionnaire weekly for eight weeks. Blood samples were drawn at Week 0 (baseline), Week 4, and Week 8. Compliance was monitored through a calendar check sheet. The vitamin C levels of both groups increased from Week 0 to Week 4, but decreased in the vitamin C group at Week 8. The vitamin C group had a 19% decrease in plasma histamine while the control group had a 53% increase in plasma histamine at the end of the trial, but this was not statistically significant (p>0.05). Total symptoms recorded from WURSS-21 were 129.3±120.7 for the vitamin C and 271.0±293.9, but the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.724). Total asthma symptoms also slightly varied between the groups, but again was not statistically significant (p=0.154). These results were hindered by the low number of subjects recruited. Continued research in this study approach is necessary to definitively reject or accept the potential role of vitamin C in asthma and cold care.
ContributorsEarhart, Kathryn Michelle (Author) / Johnston, Carol (Thesis advisor) / Sweazea, Karen (Committee member) / Lespron, Christy (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
Description
Despite recent strides for awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension, prevalence remains high with estimates suggesting one third of Americans have hypertension. The hypotensive effects of potassium and magnesium have been known and administered in a clinical setting for nearly a century. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of taking a potassium/magnesium supplement to help reduce blood pressure in individuals with mildly-moderately elevated blood pressure. In this randomized, controlled crossover trial, potassium and magnesium supplementation was explored among healthy adults with mildly elevated blood pressure in Phoenix, Arizona. Subjects (n = 12) were randomly assigned to ingest either the treatment chewy bar (217 mg potassium/day; 70.8 mg magnesium/day) or a placebo chewy bar for four weeks. For the subsequent four weeks, subjects ingested the other corresponding chewy bar. Systolic (SBP), diastolic (DBP), and average blood pressure values were not significantly different between the two groups (p = 0.645, p = 0.464 and p = 0.939, respectively). Baseline mean blood pressure was 121.0/75.7 mm Hg. The 12 subjects (8 females, 4 males) had a mean age of 29.3 years old and a mean BMI of 26.2. After four weeks, the treatment group had a slightly higher SBP (118.3 ± 13.3 mm Hg) than the control group (116.5 ± 17.8 mm Hg); however, DBP was lower in the treatment group (71.7 ± 12.4 mm Hg) than the control group (73.0 ± 10.0 mm Hg). In conclusion, daily supplementation of potassium and magnesium (217.2 mg/day and 70.8 mg/day, respectively) did not significantly lower blood pressure in adults with mildly-moderately elevated blood pressure.
ContributorsPawloski, Jason (Author) / Johnston, Carol (Thesis advisor) / Vega-Lopez, Sonia (Committee member) / Lespron, Christy (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
Description
To date, there have not been any studies in a human population that explore the potential of vinegar ingestion in reducing visceral fat, a common yet serious metabolic disease risk factor. However, previous research in animal models exhibit promising findings, showing that vinegar is effective at reducing visceral fat. This is thought to be due to the activation of AMPK (adenosine monophosphate protein kinase) by acetic acid, the active ingredient in vinegar. The purpose of this study was to identify if this potentially groundbreaking relationship exists in human subjects. Healthy, nonsmoking, sedentary adults between the ages 18-45 y and a waist circumference measurement greater than or equal to 33 inches for women and 38 inches for men were recruited for this study. Twenty-three participants completed this 8-week, parallel arm, randomized control trial that tested the efficacy of red wine vinegar consumption (2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, twice per day, before a meal; providing 3.6 g acetic acid) against a placebo (1 apple cider vinegar pill, twice per day, before a meal; providing 0.0225 g acetic acid) for 8 weeks. Participants were randomized into either the vinegar (VIN) or control (CON) group after being stratified by age, gender, waist circumference, and weight. Results found that the VIN group experienced a 2% decrease in visceral fat (cm3, quantified by a DXA scan), but this change did not differ significantly from that of the CON group (p=0.256). The VIN group also experienced a slight decrease in insulin compared to the CON group, but this change was not significantly different than the control change (p=0.125). However, the change in HOMA-IR trended downward in the VIN group (-16%) as compared to the CON group (+9%) (p=0.079) with a large effect size, 0.153. Other parameters did not show statistically significant results between the groups. Further research is indicated in order to examine the potential of vinegar to reduce visceral fat.
ContributorsBaker, Olivia (Author) / Johnston, Carol (Thesis advisor) / Mayol-Kreiser, Sandra (Committee member) / Lespron, Christy (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
Epidemiological studies have identified obesity as a risk factor for numerous chronic diseases such as adult onset diabetes, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia. In both humans and laboratory animals, high-fat diets have been shown to cause obesity. Increases in dietary fat lead to increased energy consumption and, consequently, significant increases in body fat content. CD36 has been implicated in fat perception, preference, and increased consumption, but it is yet to be tested using a behavior paradigm. To study the effect of CD36 on fat taste transmission and fat consumption, four CD36 knockout (experimental) mice and four Black 6 wildtype (control) mice underwent 20 days of fat preference and perception testing. Both groups of mice were exposed to foods with progressively increasing fat content (10%, 12.5%, 15% 17.5%, 20%, 45%) in order to assess the effect of CD36 on fat preference. Afterward, the mice were subjected to an aversive conditioning protocol designed to test the effect of CD36 on fat taste perception; development of a conditioned taste aversion was indicative of ability to taste fat. Especially, knockout mice exhibited diminished preference for and reduced consumption of fat during preference testing and were unable to identify fat taste as the conditioned stimulus during aversive conditioning. A repeated measures ANOVA with Bonferroni correction revealed a significant main effect of group on fat consumption, energy intake, and weight. Linear regression revealed CD36 status to account for a majority of observed variance in fat consumption across both phases of the experiment. These results implicate CD36 in fat taste perception and preference and add to the growing body of evidence suggesting fat as a primary taste.
ContributorsJasbi, Paniz (Author) / Johnston, Carol (Thesis advisor) / Lespron, Christy (Committee member) / Wadhera, Devina (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
ABSTRACT
Many natural interventions have been effective at lowering postprandial glucose concentrations (PPG) in research trials and, theoretically, should have favorable effects on the prevention and management of T2DM. Natural interventions include vinegar, nuts and exercise. Green tea has been demonstrated to also possessing antiglycemic effects. Thus, green tea, and its most abundant catechin EGCG, are being consumed for its potential health benefits in cancer prevention and in its inhibitory effects on α-amylase. Many studies have found EGCG to inhibit α-amylase an enzyme needed in the breakdown of carbohydrates (CHO). Other studies have looked at EGCG and its potential for lowering PPG concentrations due to its inhibitory effects on α-amylase in both mice and humans. Yet there is no research on Matcha tea specifically. Matcha tea is green tea in powder form; hence, it is consumed in its entirety unlike traditional teas which are steeped in bags. The purpose of this study was to determine whether Macha tea impacts PPG concentrations in healthy adults. Twelve subjects completed this randomized controlled, single blinded, crossover study. On three separate occasions the twelve subjects consumed a bagel and jam with either water, Lipton green tea, or Macha tea. Fasting blood glucose was taken upon their arrival. Once the tea or water and bagel with jam were consumed PPG concentrations were measured every 30 minutes until 120 minutes were reached. Results showed no statistically significant effects on PPG concentrations in either test groups (p=.960). However, this study did not measure EGCG levels in the tea provided. Therefore, further research should be done with known EGCG amounts to see its effects on PPG concentrations to fully rule out its potential.
Many natural interventions have been effective at lowering postprandial glucose concentrations (PPG) in research trials and, theoretically, should have favorable effects on the prevention and management of T2DM. Natural interventions include vinegar, nuts and exercise. Green tea has been demonstrated to also possessing antiglycemic effects. Thus, green tea, and its most abundant catechin EGCG, are being consumed for its potential health benefits in cancer prevention and in its inhibitory effects on α-amylase. Many studies have found EGCG to inhibit α-amylase an enzyme needed in the breakdown of carbohydrates (CHO). Other studies have looked at EGCG and its potential for lowering PPG concentrations due to its inhibitory effects on α-amylase in both mice and humans. Yet there is no research on Matcha tea specifically. Matcha tea is green tea in powder form; hence, it is consumed in its entirety unlike traditional teas which are steeped in bags. The purpose of this study was to determine whether Macha tea impacts PPG concentrations in healthy adults. Twelve subjects completed this randomized controlled, single blinded, crossover study. On three separate occasions the twelve subjects consumed a bagel and jam with either water, Lipton green tea, or Macha tea. Fasting blood glucose was taken upon their arrival. Once the tea or water and bagel with jam were consumed PPG concentrations were measured every 30 minutes until 120 minutes were reached. Results showed no statistically significant effects on PPG concentrations in either test groups (p=.960). However, this study did not measure EGCG levels in the tea provided. Therefore, further research should be done with known EGCG amounts to see its effects on PPG concentrations to fully rule out its potential.
ContributorsRomash, Roni (Author) / Johnston, Carol (Thesis advisor) / Dixon, Kathleen (Committee member) / Lespron, Christy (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
The inherent risk in testing drugs has been hotly debated since the government first started regulating the drug industry in the early 1900s. Who can assume the risks associated with trying new pharmaceuticals is unclear when looked at through society's lens. In the mid twentieth century, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published several guidance documents encouraging researchers to exclude women from early clinical drug research. The motivation to publish those documents and the subsequent guidance documents in which the FDA and other regulatory offices established their standpoints on women in drug research may have been connected to current events at the time. The problem of whether women should be involved in drug research is a question of who can assume risk and who is responsible for disseminating what specific kinds of information. The problem tends to be framed as one that juxtaposes the health of women and fetuses and sets their health as in opposition. That opposition, coupled with the inherent uncertainty in testing drugs, provides for a complex set of issues surrounding consent and access to information.
ContributorsMeek, Caroline Jane (Author) / Maienschein, Jane (Thesis director) / Brian, Jennifer (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Social-emotional learning (SEL) methods are beginning to receive global attention in primary school education, yet the dominant emphasis on implementing these curricula is in high-income, urbanized areas. Consequently, the unique features of developing and integrating such methods in middle- or low-income rural areas are unclear. Past studies suggest that students exposed to SEL programs show an increase in academic performance, improved ability to cope with stress, and better attitudes about themselves, others, and school, but these curricula are designed with an urban focus. The purpose of this study was to conduct a needs-based analysis to investigate components specific to a SEL curriculum contextualized to rural primary schools. A promising organization committed to rural educational development is Barefoot College, located in Tilonia, Rajasthan, India. In partnership with Barefoot, we designed an ethnographic study to identify and describe what teachers and school leaders consider the highest needs related to their students' social and emotional education. To do so, we interviewed 14 teachers and school leaders individually or in a focus group to explore their present understanding of “social-emotional learning” and the perception of their students’ social and emotional intelligence. Analysis of this data uncovered common themes among classroom behaviors and prevalent opportunities to address social and emotional well-being among students. These themes translated into the three overarching topics and eight sub-topics explored throughout the curriculum, and these opportunities guided the creation of the 21 modules within it. Through a design-based research methodology, we developed a 40-hour curriculum by implementing its various modules within seven Barefoot classrooms alongside continuous reiteration based on teacher feedback and participant observation. Through this process, we found that student engagement increased during contextualized SEL lessons as opposed to traditional methods. In addition, we found that teachers and students preferred and performed better with an activities-based approach. These findings suggest that rural educators must employ particular teaching strategies when addressing SEL, including localized content and an experiential-learning approach. Teachers reported that as their approach to SEL shifted, they began to unlock the potential to build self-aware, globally-minded students. This study concludes that social and emotional education cannot be treated in a generalized manner, as curriculum development is central to the teaching-learning process.
ContributorsBucker, Delaney Sue (Author) / Carrese, Susan (Thesis director) / Barab, Sasha (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor, Contributor) / School of Civic & Economic Thought and Leadership (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
As of 2019, 30 US states have adopted abortion-specific informed consent laws that require state health departments to develop and disseminate written informational materials to patients seeking an abortion. Abortion is the only medical procedure for which states dictate the content of informed consent counseling. State abortion counseling materials have been criticized for containing inaccurate and misleading information, but overall, informed consent laws for abortion do not often receive national attention. The objective of this project was to determine the importance of informed consent laws to achieving the larger goal of dismantling the right to abortion. I found that informed consent counseling materials in most states contain a full timeline of fetal development, along with information about the risks of abortion, the risks of childbirth, and alternatives to abortion. In addition, informed consent laws for abortion are based on model legislation called the “Women’s Right to Know Act” developed by Americans United for Life (AUL). AUL calls itself the legal architect of the pro-life movement and works to pass laws at the state level that incrementally restrict abortion access so that it gradually becomes more difficult to exercise the right to abortion established by Roe v. Wade. The “Women’s Right to Know Act” is part of a larger package of model legislation called the “Women’s Protection Project,” a cluster of laws that place restrictions on abortion providers, purportedly to protect women, but actually to decrease abortion access. “Women’s Right to Know” counseling laws do not directly deny access to abortion, but they do reinforce key ideas important to the anti-abortion movement, like the concept of fetal personhood, distrust in medical professionals, the belief that pregnant people cannot be fully autonomous individuals, and the belief that abortion is not an ordinary medical procedure and requires special government oversight. “Women’s Right to Know” laws use the language of informed consent and the purported goal of protecting women to legitimize those ideas, and in doing so, they significantly undermine the right to abortion. The threat to abortion rights posed by laws like the “Women’s Right to Know” laws indicates the need to reevaluate and strengthen our ethical defense of the right to abortion.
ContributorsVenkatraman, Richa (Author) / Maienschein, Jane (Thesis director) / Brian, Jennifer (Thesis director) / Abboud, Carolina (Committee member) / Historical, Philosophical & Religious Studies (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05