Stable isotope analysis of human tissue can provide information about diet independent of artifactual remains. Food is broken down and used in the synthesis of body tissue, so the isotopic composition of hair keratin reflects the isotopic composition of foods consumed. Therefore, the analysis of hair can provide a window into broad dietary practices, and this view can supplement the information that is inferred from artifacts such as hunting tools and hearths. This project details the use of historic Plains Indians hair as a sample material for carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis. A minimum specimen size of a 2-cm (l00- 150 μg) segment of a strand was established. This indicates that small hair fragments found in archeological excavations can be informative. It also allowed the testing of up to 12 sequential segments from strands up to 24 cm long. Since hair grows about 1 cm per month, a 24-cm strand provided about a 2-yr record of isotopes and diet. The isotopic variations along some strands were as high as 0.49‰ for δ¹⁵N and 1.05‰ for δ¹³C, exceeding the background analytical uncertainty of 0.22‰ for δ¹⁵N and 0.2l‰ for δ¹³C. Differences between individuals and between population groups also exceeded this background level, validating the use of this isotope technique in discriminating isotopic differences between hairs and between people. No isotopic differences were found between males and females, and no isotopic differences were found based on the age of the individual. This suggests that there are no physiological differences by gender or age affecting isotope metabolism, which means that should a study find an isotopic difference between men and women, it would reflect dietary differences, not physiological ones. Isotope testing produced distinct isotope profiles (δ¹⁵N vs. δ¹³C) for two cultural groups, the Lower Brule reservation Sioux of 1892 and the reservation Blackfoot of 1892 and 1935. The resultant dietary profiles indicate a higher consumption of meat by the Blackfoot and a higher consumption of corn by the Lower Brule. The two groups of Blackfoot fit into the same profile despite the passage of several decades. This raises the possibility that stable isotope analysis can also be used to identify members of the same cultural population. / Graduation date: 2003

Case control studies have shown that a high consumption of fish, olive oil, and cooked vegetables is associated with a decreased risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA). These foods have a central position in the traditional Cretan Mediterranean diet, and it has been suggested that dietary factors contribute to the low prevalence of RA in Mediterranean countries. The overall aim of this thesis was to examine whether a modified Cretan Mediterranean diet can reduce signs and symptoms of RA. This was investigated in a three-month dietary intervention trial in which 51 patients with well controlled, although active RA of at least two years duration took part. A further aim was to study the compliance with the experimental and control diets used in the study, and to validate the diet history interview method used to assess the dietary intake. The validation was carried out by means of biological markers of dietary intake. From baseline to the end of the study the group that had adopted the Cretan Mediterranean diet (MD group; n=26) obtained a reduction in disease activity, improved physical function, and improved vitality, while no changes was seen in the control diet group (CD group; n=25). According to the dietary assessments, the intake frequencies of antioxidant-rich food items increased in the MD group. This group also had a significantly higher intake of vitamin E, vitamin C and selenium compared to the CD group. Despite the reported increase in the consumption frequencies of antioxidant-rich foods, the plasma levels of carotenoids, vitamin C, lipid adjusted tocopherols, uric acid and urine malondialdehyde, a marker of oxidative stress, were unchanged at the end of the study. The plasma levels of retinol, vitamin C and uric acid were, however, correlated to indices of disease activity. Changes in the reported consumption of food groups with relevance to the fat intake were also observed in the MD group, including an increased intake of fish, shellfish and poultry, and a decreased intake of meat and high fat dairy products. As a result, the total fat intake was lower in the MD group compared to the CD group. Furthermore, in the MD group a slightly higher percentage of the energy intake was derived from polyunsaturated fatty acids and a lower percentage from saturated fatty acids. This group also had a lower ratio of n-6:n-3 fatty acids. A corresponding change in the relation between n-6 and n-3 fatty acids was also observed in s-phospholipids. The validation of the diet history interview method showed that the diet history interview could capture the dietary intake fairly well. The validity of the reported dietary intake did not differ between the MD and the CD group, which indicates that the dietary assessment was not biased by the dietary intervention.

In the middle of the 1990s many adolescents became vegetarians. There was concern among adults about whether these new young vegetarians got enough energy and nutrients from their dietary intake. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the prevalence of young vegetarians, the food and lifestyle habits, dietary intake and nutritional status of vegetarian and omnivorous adolescents. The prevalence of adolescents eating a vegetarian school lunch in 124 Swedish secondary schools was investigated by interviewing matrons. Information about prevalence of vegetarians, food and lifestyle habits, of 2041 15-year old students from Umeå, Stockholm and Bergen, was obtained by a questionnaire. The dietary intake and nutritional status of thirty 16-20 year-old vegans were compared with thirty age, sex and height matched omnivores. Five percent of the adolescents (16-20 years) in Sweden were found to eat vegetarian food at school lunch. In Umeå there was a significantly higher prevalence (15.6%) of 15-year-old vegetarians compared with Stockholm (4.8%) and Bergen (3.8%). It was also found that more females than males (15 years old) chose a vegetarian dietary regime. Even though the female vegetarians consumed vegetables significantly more often than the omnivores, the intake (32 times/month) was not as often as might be expected of a vegetarian population. The male vegetarians reported eating vegetables not even once a day (25 times/month). No difference in the consumption frequency of fruits/berries, alcoholic beverages, sweets/chocolates and fast foods was seen between vegetarians and omnivores. However, female vegetarians more often than female omnivores consumed dietary supplements. Furthermore, lifestyle characteristics of vegetarians were similar those of omnivores regarding exercise, use of alcohol and smoking habits. No significant difference in validity of reported energy expenditure or energy and protein intakes was found between vegans and omnivores. Young vegans (16-20 year-olds) were seen to have a higher calculated intake of vegetables, legumes, and dietary supplements and a lower intake of ice creams, cakes/cookies, and candies/chocolate than omnivores. The dietary intake was below the average requirements of riboflavin for 73% of the vegans, vitamin B12 for all vegans, vitamin D for 43% of the vegans, calcium for 77% of the vegans and selenium for all vegans and 43% of the omnivores. If intake of supplements was included the intake of e.g. calcium and selenium was still lower than the average requirements for 67% and 73% of the vegans respectively. Low iron stores were as prevalent among vegans as among omnivores (20% and 23% with low stores) and three vegans had low vitamin B12 concentrations in blood. The findings imply that food and lifestyle habits of young vegetarians are different than what previous studies of vegetarians have shown. There is a need for future research of the long-term health effects of being vegetarian.

No description available.

Glycemic intake influences the rise in blood glucose concentration following consumption of a carbohydrate containing meal, known as the postprandial glycemic response. The glycemic response is a result of both the type and amount of carbohydrate foods consumed and is commonly measured as the glycemic index (GI) or glycemic load (GL), where the GI is a ranking in comparison to glucose and the GL is an absolute value encompassing both the GI and amount of carbohydrate consumed. Evidence from controlled trials in rat models suggests that glycemic intake has a role in development of insulin resistance, however trials and observational studies of humans have produced conflicting results. As insulin resistance is a precursor to type 2 diabetes mellitus, lifestyle factors that could prevent development of this condition have important public health implications. Previous observational studies have used food frequency questionnaires to assess usual diet, which could have resulted in a lack of precision in assessment of individual serve sizes, and have been limited to daily measures of glycemic intake. Daily measures do not take fluctuations in glycemic intake on a per meal basis into account, which may be a more relevant measure for investigation in relation to disease outcomes. This PhD research was conducted in a group of Brisbane women aged 42 to 81 years participating in the multidisciplinary Brisbane Longitudinal Assessment of Ageing in Women (LAW study). Older women may be at particular risk of insulin resistance due to age, hormonal changes, and increases in abdominal obesity associated with menopause, and the LAW study provided an ideal opportunity to study the relationship between diet and insulin resistance. Using the diet history tool, we aimed to assess the glycemic intake of the population and hypothesised that daily GI and daily GL would be significantly positively associated with increased odds of insulin resistant status. We also hypothesised that a new glycemic measure representing peaks in GL at different meals would be a stronger predictor of insulin resistant status than daily measures, and that a specially designed questionnaire would be an accurate and repeatable dietary tool for assessment of glycemic intake. To address these hypotheses, we conducted a series of studies. To assess glycemic intake, information on usual diet was obtained by detailed diet history interview and analysed using Foodworks and the Australian Food and Nutrient (AUSNUT) database, combined with a customised GI database. Mean ± SD intakes were 55.6 ± 4.4% for daily GI and 115 ± 25 for daily GL (n=470), with intake higher amoung younger participants. Bread was the largest contributor to intakes of daily GI and GL (17.1% and 20.8%, respectively), followed by fruit (15.5% and 14.2%, respectively). To determine whether daily GI and GL were significantly associated with insulin resistance, the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA) was used to assess insulin resistant status. Daily GL was significantly higher in subjects who were insulin resistant compared to those who were not (134 ± 33 versus 114 ± 24 respectively, P<0.001) (n=329); the odds of subjects in the highest tertile of GL intake being insulin resistant were 12.7 times higher when compared with the lowest tertile of GL (95% CI 1.6-100.1, P=0.02). Daily GI was not significantly different in subjects who were insulin resistant compared to those who were not (56.0 ± 3.3% versus 55.7 ± 4.5%, P=0.69). To evaluate whether a new glycemic measure representing fluctuations in daily glycemic intake would be a stronger predictor of insulin resistant status than other glycemic intake measures, the GL peak score was developed to express in a single value the magnitude of GL peaks during an average day. Although a significant relationship was seen between insulin resistant status and GL peak score (Nagelkerke’s R2=0.568, P=0.039), other glycemic intake measures of daily GL (R2=0.671, P<0.001) and daily GL per megajoule (R2=0.674, P<0.001) were stronger predictors of insulin resistant status. To develop an accurate and repeatable self-administered tool for assessment of glycemic intake, two sub-samples of women (n=44 for the validation study and n=52 for the reproducibility study) completed a semi-quantitative questionnaire that contained 23 food groupings selected to include the top 100 carbohydrate foods consumed by the study population. While there were significant correlations between the glycemic intake questionnaire and the diet history for GL (r=0.54, P<0.01), carbohydrate (r=0.57, P<0.01) and GI (r=0.40, P<0.01), Bland-Altman plots showed an unacceptable difference between individual intakes in 34% of subjects for daily GL and carbohydrate, and 41% for daily GI. Reproducibility results showed significant correlations for daily GL (r=0.73, P<0.001), carbohydrate (r=0.76, P<0.001) and daily GI (r=0.64, P<0.001), but an unacceptable difference between individual intakes in 25% of subjects for daily GL and carbohydrate, and 27% for daily GI. In summary, our findings show that a significant association was observed between daily glycemic load and insulin resistant status in a group of older women, using a diet history interview to obtain precise estimation of individual carbohydrate intake. Both the type and quantity of carbohydrate are important to consider when investigating relationships between diet and insulin resistance, although our results suggest the association is more closely related to overall daily glycemic intake than individual meal intake variations. A dietary tool that permits precise estimation of carbohydrate intake is essential when evaluating possible associations between glycemic intake and individual risk of chronic diseases such as insulin resistance. Our results also suggest that studies using questionnaires to estimate glycemic intake should state degree of agreement as well as correlation coefficients when evaluating validity, as imprecise estimates of carbohydrate at an individual level may have contributed to the conflicting findings reported in previous studies.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2002. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 267-283). Also available on the Internet.

The aim of this thesis was to reconstruct dietary choices for Neolithic populations in Anatolia and Poland using stable isotope analysis, and to examine the extent to which local environmental factors in these regions affected the isotope values recorded from skeletal collagen. In total 278 new δ13C and δ15N values were obtained from human and animal bone collagen for this project (161 from the site of Oslonki 1, 59 from Barçin Höyük, and 58 from the site of Aktopraklik). From an environmental perspective, the multi-level statistical modelling highlighted a clear relationship with δ13C and δ15N and moisture availability, which was most evident through the proxy of mean annual precipitation (MAP). The modelling highlighted a 0.4‰ decrease in d13C for every 100mm decrease of MAP, and a 0.5‰ decrease in d15N for every 100mm decrease between sites. The δ13C and δ15N values for the North-West Anatolian sites are the first dietary isotopic studies for the Neolithic period in the region. The values are largely commensurate with the dietary isotope studies from Neolithic sites located on the Central Anatolian plateau, with the caveat that the North-West sites perhaps had a greater reliance on herbivore protein (instead of plant protein) than their plateau counterparts. The dietary reconstruction of Oslonki 1 uncovered a rather unexpected outcome - namely that status exerted a degree of control over human diet. If this is indeed true it will be the earliest evidence in Europe of a distinct relationship between the socioeconomic status and diet of an individual.

Ma thèse se concentre sur la question de la transformation de la pratique du banquet classique face, d’une part, à la nouvelle situation sociopolitique découlant de l’installation des royaumes dits successeurs et de la dissolution des structures politiques classiques ;et d’autre part, face à l’intensification de ce que l’on appelle communément la « christianisation » du monde romain. Mes recherches concernent le monde romain occidental (Gaule, Italie et Espagne) à partir du moment où le discours ascétique oriental se diffuse massivement en occident dans la seconde moitié du IVe siècle, mettant fin à ce que Robert Markus appelle le « christianisme antique ». La question principale de ma thèse concerne le discours chrétien et ascétique qui porte sur les questions alimentaires et les réponses données par les groupes sociaux dont l’usage du banquet classique est suffisamment documenté. En l’occurrence les aristocrates (en ce compris les évêques), les communautés cénobitiques et le mouvement anachorétique. La seconde question abordée dans mes recherches est celle posée par la présence « barbare » et l’image du mangeur barbare en ces siècles de transition socioculturelle. Le terminus ante quem de mes recherches se situe à la fin du VIe siècle, en un monde romain désormais indubitablement transformé.<p><p><p> <p>La mia tesi si incentra sulla questione della trasformazione della pratica classica del banchetto nel confronto, da una parte con la nuova situazione sociale e politica dovuta all’insediamento dei regni post-romani, e, dall’altra, con l’intensificazione della cosiddetta “cristianizzazione” del mondo romano. La tesi riguarda lo spazio romano occidentale (cioè Gallia, Italia, Spagna) a partire dal momento in cui si diffonde la grande moda dell’ascetismo orientale dalla seconda metà del IV secolo. La questione principale della tesi, che occupa i capitoli tre e quattro, riguarda il discorso cristiano e ascetico sull’alimentazione e poi le risposte date dai gruppi sociali il cui uso del banchetto è documentato a sufficienza, in fatti specie gli aristocratici, il mondo monastico, e gli eremiti. I due primi capitoli riguardano, rispettivamente, la pratica del banchetto classico nella tarda antichità e la questione della presenza “barbara” e dell’immagine del mangiatore barbaro in quei secoli. La conclusione della tesi si colloca alla fine del VI secolo, in un momento in cui il mondo romano è indubbiamente trasformato.<p><p><p>My doctoral thesis concentrates on the question of the transformation of the classical banquet through the encounter with, on the one hand, the new sociopolitical situation due to the migration and installation of the new successor kingdoms ;and on the other hand, with the intensification of the Christianization of the Roman world. My research focuses on the Western Roman world (Gaul, Italy and Spain) from the moment in which the eastern ascetic discourse spreads widely in the West in the second half of the 4th century, causing what Robert Markus calls “The end of Ancient Christianity”. The main question of my thesis regards the Christian and ascetic discourse on food practices and the answers given by the social groups who’s uses of the banquet is documented enough. In this case, the aristocrats (within which the bishops), the monastic communities and the hermits. The second question taken into consideration in my thesis is the one presented by the “barbarian” presence and the literary image of the barbarian eater in these centuries of socio cultural transformation. The terminus ante quem of my research is placed at the end of the 6th century, in a undoubtly transformed Roman world. / Doctorat en Histoire, art et archéologie / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Cette étude entend rechercher les traces d'une culture gastronomique du vin dans la littérature italienne sur la période à cheval entre l'époque médiévale et les Temps modernes. La littérature, lorsqu'on lui applique une critique appropriée, est en mesure de fournir à l'historien des informations ponctuelles sur la culture du vin. Elle permet également de mettre en lumière le regard porté par les hommes sur cet objet chargé de significations. Dans le cadre de cette étude, la gastronomie ne sera pas considérée comme une notion vague, voire anecdotique mais comme un phénomène culturel qui place l'homme en relation avec les différentes réalités alimentaires, sensorielles et hédoniques. <p>À quoi tient la qualité d'un vin ?Cette question simple présente l'avantage d'ouvrir une large perspective de recherche historique et anthropologique. Pister les critères de qualité d'un vin pour les hommes d'une autre culture et d'un autre temps c'est aussi comprendre la manière dont ils ont cherché à représenter cet objet. Ce système de représentation révèle la pensée et l'imaginaire des hommes, en même temps qu'il dévoile les valeurs, les identités et les structures socio-économiques d'une société. <p> / Doctorat en Histoire, art et archéologie / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished