Journal of Food and Nutritional Sciences Research

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Nutritional Sciences

scholarly journals Bridging Disciplines with a New and Interactive Online Course: Drug & Nutrient Interactions

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 604-604
Author(s):  
Sara Police ◽  
Jessie Hoffman,
Keyword(s):  
Student Engagement ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Instructional Designers ◽  
Due Dates ◽  
Nutrient Interactions ◽  
University Of Kentucky ◽  
Student Cohorts ◽  
Graduate Certificate ◽  
Nutritional Sciences

Abstract Objectives The purpose of this project was to design, develop and implement an online two-credit course, Drug & Nutrient Interactions, as an elective for a new online Graduate Certificate in Applied Nutrition and Culinary Medicine at the University of Kentucky. Methods Drug & Nutrient Interactions was designed to meet the needs of select student cohorts: undergraduate Pharmacology minors, graduate students enrolled in the Masters in Nutritional Sciences program, and online graduate certificate students. Faculty within the Dept. of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences and the Division of Clinical Nutrition were consulted to identify curricular gaps and to avoid redundancy across programs. Instructional designers were consulted to identify evidence-based best practices in online course design and teaching. Results Content of the Drug and Nutrient Interactions course is structured within four thematic modules: 1. Introduction to Pharmacology and Food & Drug Interactions, 2. Exploring Drug-Nutrient Interactions, 3. Genes, Bugs & Time, and 4. Current and Future Directions in Nutrition & Pharmacology. Each module is three to four weeks in duration, to span a 14-week semester. Each week, students’ tasks include reading, watching, writing, and reviewing content related to the student learning objectives. Methods to promote student engagement with the content recur week-to-week, to ensure consistency for students’ experience. An eBook was written by the instructors to provide a current and interdisciplinary review of the intersections of nutritional sciences and pharmacology in the course. In lieu of proctored online exams, module-level assignments assess students’ achievement of learning outcomes. Drug & Nutrient Interactions launched in fall 2019 with nine students enrolling and completing the course. Course analytics track student engagement by logging page views and participation. Increasing students’ page views and participation align with due dates for module assignments. Therefore - in spring 2020, deadlines were shifted to a weekly timeline to foster consistent engagement. Conclusions Instructors should explore various methods to foster student-content, student-student and student-instructor engagement in an online learning environment. Funding Sources This course project was funded by a UK Online award & an Alternative Textbook grant.

scholarly journals Objective Biomarkers for Total Added Sugar Intake – Are We on a Wild Goose Chase?

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1429-1436
Author(s):  
Jimmy Chun Yu Louie
Keyword(s):  
Human Physiology ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Dietary Assessment ◽  
Added Sugar ◽  
Added Sugars ◽  
Sugar Intake ◽  
Adverse Health Outcomes ◽  
Dietary Assessment Methods ◽  
Nutritional Sciences ◽  
Wild Goose

ABSTRACT Misreporting of added sugar intake has been the major criticism of studies linking high added sugar consumption to adverse health outcomes. Despite the advancement in dietary assessment methodologies, the bias introduced by self-reporting can never be completely eliminated. The search for an objective biomarker for total added sugar intake has therefore been a topic of interest. In this article, the reasons this search may be a wild goose chase will be outlined and discussed. The limitations and inability of the 2 candidate biomarkers, namely urinary sucrose and fructose and δ¹³C isotope, which are based on the 2 only possible ways (i.e., difference in metabolism and plant sources) to identify added sugar based on current knowledge in human physiology and food and nutritional sciences, are discussed in detail. Validation studies have shown that these 2 candidate biomarkers are unlikely to be suitable for use as a predictive or calibration biomarker for total added sugar intake. Unless advancement in our understanding in human physiology and food and nutritional sciences leads to new potential ways to distinguish between naturally occurring and added sugars, it is extremely unlikely that any accurate objective added sugar biomarker could be found. It may be time to stop the futile effort in searching for such a biomarker, and resources may be better spent on further improving and innovating dietary assessment methods to minimize the bias introduced by self-reporting.

scholarly journals Effect of Natural Vs. Synthetic α-tocopherol on Neurogenesis-Related Genes in Cerebella of Juvenile α-tocopherol Transfer Protein-Null Mice

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 1060-1060
Author(s):  
Katherine Ranard ◽  
Matthew Kuchan ◽  
John Erdman
Keyword(s):  
Brain Development ◽  
Synaptic Function ◽  
Department Of Agriculture ◽  
Transfer Protein ◽  
Funding Sources ◽  
Food And Agriculture ◽  
Early Life Exposure ◽  
Expression Of Genes ◽  
Grant Program ◽  
Nutritional Sciences

Abstract Objectives Vitamin E (α-tocopherol, α-T) restriction during brain development alters the expression of neurogenesis-related genes in cerebella of juvenile α-tocopherol transfer protein-null (Ttpa−/−) mice. Synthetic α-T (SYN), compared to natural α-T (NAT), downregulates cerebellar myelin genes in adolescent Ttpa−/− mice. We studied how early-life exposure to SYN or NAT affects the expression of neurogenesis-related genes in juvenile Ttpa−/− mice. Methods Male and female Ttpa+/+ and Ttpa−/− mice were nursed by Ttpa+/−dams fed AIN-93G-based diets containing either SYN (∼816 mg α-T/kg diet) or NAT (∼600 mg α-T/kg diet). Homogenized brain tissues from 21 day old weanlings (n = 9/group) were used to measure total α-T concentrations via HPLC-PDA. The expression of genes critical for brain development (Rora, Shh), myelination (Plp1, Cntnap1, Mbp, Mobp, Nr1h3), and synaptic function (Cplx1, Necab1, Prkcg) were measured in the cerebellum via real-time qPCR. Results α-T concentrations were significantly lower in brains of Ttpa−/− mice (17.7 nmol/g) compared to Ttpa+/+ mice (37.5 nmol/g) (P < 0.001). Exposure to SYN vs. NAT resulted in similar total α-T brain levels within each genotype (Ttpa−/−: 19.8 vs. 15.6 nmol/g; Ttpa+/+: 42.5 vs. 32.6 nmol/g). Consistent with previous studies, Necab1 was significantly downregulated in Ttpa−/− mice (P < 0.05). The other selected neurogenesis-related genes were similarly expressed between all groups, regardless of genotype or dietary α-T source. Conclusions Brain α-T concentrations at weaning depended on the presence of Ttpa. α-T source did not modulate the selected neurogenesis genes, possibly because the natural and synthetic α-T diets each provided sufficient total α-T during development. Funding Sources Abbott Nutrition through the Center for Nutrition, Learning, and Memory (CNLM), Division of Nutritional Sciences Vision 20/20 Grant Program, and Division of Nutritional Sciences Margin of Excellence Research Program (all through the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign). KMR was supported by the AFRI NIFA Predoctoral Fellowships Grant Program (2019–67,011-29,514) from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

scholarly journals Health Priming Reduces Food Intake (P08-010-19)

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Levitsky
Keyword(s):  
Food Intake ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Career Services ◽  
The Other ◽  
College Health ◽  
Cornell University ◽  
Funding Sources ◽  
College Career ◽  
Day Of The Week ◽  
Nutritional Sciences

Abstract Objectives To determine if primating participants with health messages affect snacking behavior. Methods Eighty-two undergraduate students participated in two 20 minute “Focus Groups” to discuss general health or college career services. Each session occurred on the same day of the week spaced one week apart. A bowl of chocolate was pre-weighed and set before them and the amount of chocolate participants ate was recorded after each focus group. The first week, half the subjects discussed overall college health and the other half of the subjects discussed college career services. The same subjects returned the following week and the conditions were reversed. Results The Results indicated that when the participants discussed health topics the consumption of the snack was significantly less than when they discussed career services. Conclusions These data complement other data from our laboratory indicating the powerful effect of verbal primes on eating behavior. Funding Sources Funds were provided by the Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University. Supporting Tables, Images and/or Graphs

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