Filtering by
- Member of: Theses and Dissertations
Subjects and Methods: Forty-five sedentary overweight and obese adult participants with a waist circumference greater than 32 inches for women and 37 inches for men were randomly assigned to one of two groups, the vinegar group (VIN, n=21) or the control group (CON, n=24), and instructed to consume either two tablespoons of liquid red wine vinegar (3.6g acetic acid) or a control pill (0.0225g acetic acid) twice daily at the beginning of a meal for 8 weeks. Participants were also instructed to maintain normal diet and physical activity levels. Anthropometric measures, dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans, blood samples, and 24-hour dietary recalls were collected at baseline and at end of trial. A compliance calendar was provided for daily tracking of vinegar supplementation.
Results: Compliance to vinegar supplementation averaged 92.7 ±13.3% among the VIN group and 89.1 ±18.9% among the CON group. There were no statistically significant differences in anthropometric measurements between baseline and week 8: weight (P=0.694), BMI (P=0.879), and waist circumference (P=0.871). Similarly, DXA scan data did not show significant changes in visceral fat (P=0.339) or total fat (P=0.294) between baseline and week 8. The VIN group had significant reductions in fasting glucose (P=0.003), fasting insulin (P <0.001), and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance scores (P <0.001) after treatment.
Conclusions: These data do not support the findings from previous studies that indicated a link between vinegar supplementation and increased fat metabolism, specifically visceral fat reduction.
On average, children from low socioeconomic backgrounds tend to eat around half of their fruit and vegetable intake from the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). If it weren’t for this national program, the majority of these children would not come close to achieving the recommended intake for fruits and vegetables (FV), which can be defined as one to two cups of fruits daily and one to three cups of vegetables daily. The reasons for such a statement are puzzling; the prices for FV have stayed relatively the same over time. In addition, the increase in frozen and canned FV are not only relatively inexpensive, but their packaging helps increase the lifespan of the product. Why then are children, especially in families from low socioeconomic settings, not meeting these daily requirements? After reading many articles, I have concluded that one of the main factors is finance. It can be costly, in terms of time as well as financially, to buy fresh products and take time out of the day to prepare a meal, especially when fast-food restaurants can provide a cheap and satisfying meal in a fraction of the time. Another factor influencing the lack of FV consumption in children is time; many parents have long work hours and perhaps do not have enough time in their day to prepare complex and nutritious meals. Lastly, another factor that must be considered is the possibility of living in a food desert: an area in which there is limited access to nutritious foods within half a mile walking distance. It is because of these reasons that I would like to discuss different ways to help children reach the recommended daily value for FV intake in more detail.
The purpose of this study was to conduct a qualitative investigation to provide a baseline understanding of the typical experiences of food insecure college students and their understanding of what it means to be food insecure. Because of the stigma that is associated with food insecurity and emergency food resources, it may be difficult for students to discuss these topics openly with university administration or even with each other. For this reason, an asynchronous remote community allowed students to share their experiences anonymously. The narrative data collected in this study is meant to share the stories of students who live with the reality of food insecurity every day.