Thesis (M.S.) in Food Science and Human Nutrition--University of Maine, 2009. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 43-47).

Försäljare av detoxpreparat hävdar att kroppens reningsmekanismer i vårt moderna samhälle inte längre räcker till och behöver hjälp på vägen, företrädesvis i form av påstått utrensande örtblandningar. Vissa förespråkar även tarmsköljningar och joniserande fotbad. Syftet med den här studien är att kartlägga floran av detoxprodukter i form av kosttillskott: vilka typer det finns, vilka ingredienser som ingår och vilka påståenden som görs. Påståendena har klassificerats efter testbarhet och trovärdigheten har bedömts genom sökningar i PubMed och Web of Science. Några av de testbara påståendena verkar helt sakna evidens, något påstående lutar sig mot studier behäftade med problematiska brister medan vissa påståenden förtjänar vidare studier, då de bygger på studier med preliminärt lovande resultat. Det går inte att utesluta en framtid för evidensbaserade detoxdieter, lika lite som det går att säga att detoxdieter av idag håller vad de lovar. Det krävs fler kliniska, placebokontrollerade studier och en tydligare skiljelinje mellan det som är ren bluff och det som är seriös forskning. Konsumenter bör vara medvetna om bristen på evidens och riskerna som finns, exempelvis i form av kontaminerade produkter och risk för interaktioner med läkemedel. / Sellers of detox preparations argue that in our modern society, the body's purification mechanisms are no longer sufficient and need a little help, preferably in the form of alleged cleansing herbal formulas. Some also advocate colonic irrigation and ionizing foot baths. The purpose of this study is to survey the flora of detox products in the form of nutritional supplements: what types there are, what ingredients are included and which claims are made. The claims have been classified for testability and reliability was assessed through searches in PubMed and Web of Science. Some of the testable assertions seem to completely lack evidence, other claims lean on studies that suffer from problematic deficiencies, while some claims deserve further study since they find support from studies with promising preliminary results. You cannot rule out a future for evidence-based detox diets, no more than you can to say that detox diets today keep their promises. More clinical, placebo-controlled studies are required and a clearer dividing line between what is pure bluff and what is serious research. Consumers should be aware of the lack of evidence and the risks that exist, for example in the form of contaminated products and the potential risk of interactions with medicines.

Adopting more sustainable consumption habits has been identified as a necessary step in the progression towards a sustainable society. In the area of sustainable consumption, personal food behaviour represents a strong leverage point. University students have been identified as a strategic audience; habits established during this transformative period can track forward into later life. This study seeks to identify the barriers inhibiting students from eating more sustainably. Perceived benefits of eating more sustainably, student food preferences, and student definitions of sustainable food are also identified. Focus groups, surveys, and interviews were carried out at universities in Europe, North America and Australia. Results show that perceived cost of sustainable food and a lack of knowledge, time and availability were ubiquitous barriers preventing students from adopting more sustainable eating habits. In addition to gathering the perceptions of others, the authors’ understanding of the challenges and benefits of eating more sustainably was augmented by a month-long self-study. Results from the self-study show that it is feasible to eat more sustainably without incurring additional costs. Recommendations informed by the focus groups, surveys, interviews and self-study are made to help students overcome the barriers to eating more sustainably.

About 1,600,000 ha of desert mule deer range in Mexico are currently altered with vegetation clear-cutting and establishment of buffelgrass pastures. Consequently, the availability of resources as cover and forage from scrub vegetation has been reduced for mule deer. No previous research has been conducted to investigate how desert mule deer respond to those alterations. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to examine movements of mule deer, evaluate their home range sizes and determine habitat use, and analyze their diets in areas of central and western Sonora, Mexico. The approach involved the use of radiotelemetry techniques and GIS programs to calculate home range sizes, examine selection of vegetation associations, and identify the specific components of habitat that distinguished the characteristics of selected sites by desert mule deer. I used the microhistological technique to determine botanical components of desert mule deer diets, and compare diets of desert mule deer and cattle in habitat with buffelgrass pastures. Diet analyses included spatial and temporal comparisons of diversity and similarity indices. Sizes of home ranges were larger in the more arid environments of western Sonora (27.3 km2) than in central Sonora (14.5 km2). Desert mule deer used altered habitat differently than use areas without buffelgrass, however, there was no difference in the size of home ranges of mule deer from inside buffelgrass areas and the size of home ranges of deer in native scrub vegetation. Thermal cover, ground cover, and percent of gravel in the ground were the variables that distinguished locations selected by desert mule deer. Desert mule deer selected xeroriparian vegetation and sites closer to water sources. Water sources may have influenced mule deer to stay in buffelgrass areas despite the lack of cover and forage from shrubs and trees. For diets of mule deer, I identified 96 plant species, 69 of which have not previously been reported as forage for this herbivore. Desert mule deer and cattle shared 45 forage species from central Sonora. However, biological overlap of diets occurred only for spring. Results from these studies provide information to understand ecological relationships of desert mule deer on altered habitats.

Variations in predator diets is important in ecology to help us understand their top-down effects on the ecosystem. In predator diets, their fatty acid signatures reflect the proportions of prey consumed. Since fatty acid signatures are compositional and often longer than the sample size, a standard MANOVA test is unsuitable. Here, non-parametric MANOVA techniques are developed to test for differences in fatty acid signatures among locations, years, and seasons which infer differences in diets. Simulations show that the test has good power and appropriate type I error rates. The tests developed were applied to data on Greenland Sharks to test for differences in diets between individuals from Cumberland Sound, Canada, versus those from Svalbard, Norway and whether there is a yearly and/or seasonal effect on the diets. Diet compositions were found to vary between the locations, seasons and years, possibly caused by differing prey species distributions, migrations, and climate change.

Despite inconsistent results in the literature, high protein diets are being promoted for the management of metabolic syndrome parameters primarily due to their proposed favorable effects on weight loss. Therefore, lean and fa/fa Zucker rats were given normal and high protein diets with varying protein sources for 12 weeks. A high protein diet with a mixture of animal and plant protein sources was the most effective for improving metabolic syndrome parameters, specifically insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis. A high protein soy diet was the second most effective diet, while a high protein casein diet demonstrated no benefits compared to the other two high protein diets and minimal benefits compared to a normal protein casein diet. Interestingly, high protein diets did not affect body weight regardless of protein source. These findings suggest that the source of protein within a high protein diet is critical for improving metabolic syndrome parameters and that improvements can be observed independent of weight loss.

Methylglyoxal (MG) is a reactive dicarbonyl compound mainly formed during glucose and fructose metabolism. Diabetic patients have increased plasma levels of MG. Our laboratory has shown that treatment with MG induces insulin resistance and type II diabetes in male Sprague-Dawley rats. However, the increases in endogenous MG level attained in different organs and its contribution to the pathogenesis of diabetes following the administration of either high glucose or high fructose diet have not been addressed. The present study aims to investigate whether the harmful effects induced by increased consumption of glucose and/or fructose is linked to increased MG generation. In vitro studies have suggested that L-arginine is an effective MG scavenger. Accordingly, another goal is to determine whether L-arginine pretreatment would scavenge MG under in vivo setting and reduce the harmful effects of hyperglycemia. MG and reduced glutathione (GSH) levels were determined in plasma and urine and in different organs of male Sprague-Dawley rats after 12 weeks of treatment with either high fructose or high glucose diet. GSH plays an important role in the degradation of MG and bears an inverse relationship with the levels of MG. The key results obtained suggest that both diets significantly increased blood pressure and plasma MG levels. A high fructose but not a high glucose diet, increased the plasma total cholesterol, triglycerides levels and total cholesterol/HDL ratio in parallel with the increases in MG and GSH levels in the liver. Increased MG levels seen in both aorta and mesenteric artery induced by high glucose or fructose diet was attenuated by pretreatment with L-arginine. These findings suggest that elevated MG level induced by treatment with high carbohydrate diets in both conduit (aorta) and resistance type (mesneteric artery) vessels may be linked to endothelial dysfunction seen in hyerglycemic/diabetic states. High glucose but not high fructose diet significantly increased MG levels in the pancreas. This observation is consistent with the well-known glucotoxicity caused by hyperglycemia in the pancreas. Taken together, these data provide the first evidence that elevated MG levels in certain organs/tissues following consumption of high fructose and/or glucose diet(s) may play a critical role in contributing to the metabolic abnormalities and the endothelial dysfunction that precedes the onset of macro and microvascular complications in either hyperglycemic and/or type II diabetic states. Interestingly, quenching of elevated MG levels in tissues by pretreamtent with L-arginine overcomes MG-induced vascular damage and endothelial dysfunction caused by high fructose and high glucose diet regimens.

Since 1993, diet and fitness promoter Susan Powter has gained significant prominence with her passionate message of health and wellness. This study used fantasy theme analysis to examine Powter's view of reality and her ability to persuade her audience. The analysis revealed a coherent vision, "Stop the Insanity!," within which Powter and other dieters are viewed as heroes. Additionally, the diet and fitness industries are viewed as conspiring villains who starve dieters and exclude the unfit from exercise programs. Powter differentiates herself from these villains by promoting herself as an uneducated but sincere speaker who does not starve or exclude people. Rather, she can identify with dieters because she has experienced their pain and frustration. Because anything is better than the "starvation" and "exclusion" promoted by the diet and fitness experts, Powter's program cannot help but succeed in the eyes of those who share her vision of reality. / Department of Speech Communication

This study determined outcomes of a low-carbohydrate (CHO) and moderate-CHO diet on weight loss, ketone production, and urinary calcium excretion in a convenience sample of 14 (ages 18-26, m=2, f=12) overweight students at a midwestern college for one month in a two-week, cross over study design. Results showed significant weight loss in subjects over time (p< .01). However, no significant difference between diet groups over time for weight loss was shown. Outcome of urine ketone production remained unaffected over time and between groups over time. A significant difference was noted in urinary calcium excretion within subjects over time (p=.035), yet not between groups over time. These findings suggest that weight loss may be due to a decrease in water and lean body mass from glycogen mobilization. Ketone production was unaffected possibly due to non-compliance with diet recommendations and small sample size of the study. Urinary calcium excretion increases may be attributed to higher protein intakes in participants on the modified-CHO diets, possibly allowing for a negative calcium balance in the body leading to premature osteoporosis. / Department of Family and Consumer Sciences

Thesis (M.A.) - Carleton University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 121-129). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.