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Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Human Nutrition / Weiqun Wang / Weight control via dietary caloric restriction and/or exercise has been demonstrated for cancer prevention. However, the underlying mechanisms are not clear. Previous studies in our lab showed that IGF-1 and IGF-1-dependent signaling were reduced by weight control. To confirm the requirement of IGF-1 reduction for cancer prevention, we restored IGF-1 in the exercised mice, which partially reversed the reduction of TPA-induced PI3K expression and PI3K-related 38:4 PI substrate. To explore the overall mechanistic impact, we further studied the effect of weight control on the profiles of lipid, gene and protein expression in TPA treated skin tissues. The mice were randomly assigned into 4 groups: ad libitum-fed sedentary control (control), ad libitum-fed exercise (AL+Exe), exercise but pair-fed at the amount of control (PF+Exe), and 20% of dietary calorie restriction (DCR). At the end of 10 weeks, the mice were treated with TPA topically for two hours. The body weights were significantly reduced in DCR and PF+Exe but not AL+Exe mice when compared with the control. Plasma and skin tissue triacylglycerides were significantly decreased in PF+Exe and DCR groups but not AL+Exe. Similar impact was found for the diacylglyceride profile in both plasma and skin tissue accordingly. Using Affymetrix microarray, 784, 223, and 152 probe sets were respectively found significantly changed by DCR, PF+Exe, and AL+Exe. PF+Exe and DCR showed similar impact on signaling pathways-related gene expression as analyzed by GenMAPP. Of the total 86 proteins identified by 2D-DIGE proteomics, 20 proteins were significantly changed by DCR. Overall, our results showed weight control via DCR or pair-fed exercise rather than exercise with ad libitum feeding significantly reduced body weight and body fat, resulting in reduction of IGF-1 and IGF-1-induced signaling such as PI3K and PI-related pathway. The overall impact upon lipid profiling and gene and protein expression by weight loss suggests many other mechanistic targets. Although we could not ambitiously clarify all the changes were related to anticancer mechanisms in the scope of this study, understanding of the relationship between weight control and TPA-induced skin cancer risk as well as IGF-1-dependent signaling pathways may reveal intrinsic mechanisms and provide novel approaches to prevent cancer in the future studies.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Human Nutrition / Valentina M. Remig / The frequency of dietary supplement use has increased in recent years, especially among older adults. National studies estimated 60-65% of older adults were using at least one dietary supplement, typically a multi-vitamin, multi-mineral (MVMM) supplement. Dietary supplement use has been reported to improve the micronutrient intakes of older adults. The current research study focused on the use of dietary supplements, dietary intakes, and impact of vitamin/mineral (VM) supplements on the nutrient intakes of older Kansans. Volunteer subjects, 60+ years of age, were recruited from 35 senior centers across Kansas. Subjects completed a questionnaire asking for demographic information, current health status, and dietary supplement use. Dietary supplement use was verified for 319 subjects. Two subsequent 24-hour diet recalls were completed by 312 subjects. The sample population was primarily white, non-Hispanic females. Nearly 86% of participants used at least one dietary supplement; most commonly MVMM, calcium, vitamin D, and fish oil. Dietary intake analyses compared intakes of dietary supplement (DS) users to non-dietary supplement (NDS) users. DS subjects consumed significantly higher dietary intakes of carbohydrate, fiber, vitamin A, and zinc than NDS subjects. The NDS group consumed undesirably higher intakes of total fat, saturated fat, and sodium. These results support previous findings that DS users consume healthier diets. The impact of VM supplement use on micronutrient intake compared only the intakes of subjects using VM supplements (n=263) to the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI). Subjects were most likely to have inadequate dietary intakes of vitamin D, calcium, vitamin E, and magnesium. All micronutrient intakes were improved with the inclusion of VM supplements; most improved were vitamin E, folic acid, vitamin D, vitamin B6, and calcium. Despite supplementation, nearly half of subjects still exhibited low intakes of vitamin D, calcium, and magnesium. Supplementation did not consistently exceed the Tolerable Upper Limit established by the DRIs for most nutrients. In conclusion, dietary supplement use was very common in the sample population, DS subjects had generally healthier diets, and VM supplement use improved micronutrient intake without contributing to concern for toxicity.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Human Nutrition / Mark D. Haub / Background: Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a growing sport that places competitors into specific weight classes to level the competition field. Athletes “cut weight” to compete in a weight class lower than their “walk around” weight. Techniques for cutting weight include dehydration, starvation and exercise in hot environments jeopardizing health and performance. Higher-protein diets (HPD) have been shown to improve weight loss by increasing satiety, thermogenesis, decreasing total energy intake, and maintain lean mass during periods of energy deficiency, such as weight loss. Research regarding the impact of HPD on performance is limited and conflicting. Specific Aims: The central hypothesis for this study was: HPD diets will elicit greater weight loss and enhance body composition compare to tradition low-fat diets in non-obese, active individuals. The three specific aims of this study are: 1) examine the effects of HPD on weight loss, 2) evaluate the impact of HPD of athletic performance, and 3) determine the effectiveness of HPD for accelerated weight loss. Methods: Military personnel participating in the Combatives program were recruited. Participants were assigned a HPD (40% CHO, 30% PRO, 30% fat), traditional low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet (65% CHO, 15% PRO, 20% fat), or an ad libitum diet for 12-day to 6-weeks depending on their training program. Fields tests for pre- and post-intervention measures of performance included: vertical jump and leg power index to measure explosive power, 600 meter shuttle run for anaerobic capacity and 1.5 mile run for aerobic capacity. Pre- and post-intervention of weight and body composition were determined using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. Diet analysis software was used to determine nutrient intakes during the study. SPSS statistical software was used to determine descriptive statistics, paired t-tests, Pearson’s Correlations and one-way ANOVA. Results & Conclusions: Due to the unanticipated high rate of dropout, statistical significance was difficult to determine, however, there was a trend for the HPD to elicit fat-free mass retention and it not negatively impact performance. Discrepancies in energy and nutrient intake made dietary comparison difficult. Future studies with larger samples and greater dietary control are needed to further evaluate the research goals of this study.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Human Nutrition / Edgar Chambers IV / Food consumption continues to be an area of focus for nutrition, health, and consumer research. Eating adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables, appropriate levels of dairy products, increasing whole grains, and switching to lean meat and fish all are associated with managing weight and reducing the risk of chronic diseases including cancer, diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Research has shown that food consumption rates vary across segments of the U.S. population depending on several socio-demographics including race/ethnicity, gender, and age. The purpose of this research was to examine consumption of various foods including fruits and vegetables, dairy products, selected types of grain and starchy vegetable foods, and meat and legume products based on race and ethnicity, age, and gender using 24-hour recall dietary data from survey years 2003-2006 of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and the United States Department of Agriculture. The 2003-2006 NHANES 24-hour dietary recall data, known as What We Eat In America, were used for analysis of food consumption. Two non-consecutive days of 24-hour dietary recall and demographic information were analyzed to assess consumption patterns of participants who: 1) were at least two years of age, 2) had complete and satisfactory dietary recall data, and 3) were members of a selected racial/ethnic group. The sample size was 17, 885 males and females: 4,994 African Americans (non-Hispanic); 7,525 Whites (non- Hispanic); and 5,366 Hispanics (Mexican American and other Hispanics). Individual Foods Files (IFF), containing foods coded for each individual, were accessed via the NHANES website to use for the consumption comparison analysis. There were food files for each of the two recall days of each survey year, 2003-2004 and 2005-2006. These findings indicate that there are racial/ethnic, age, and gender differences in the consumption of various foods. Fruits, vegetables, and dairy products were only consumed by 70-80% of the sample populations. Only 18-42% of the respondents reported eating whole grain breads, legumes, nuts, and seeds. However, meat and meat product consumption was reported by more than 75% of the sample. African Americans consumed fewer fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and dairy products compared to Whites and Hispanics. African Americans had a tendency to consume culturally relevant items such as greens, sweet potatoes, grits, and chicken. Children consumed more French fries, frankfurters, peanut butter, macaroni and cheese, and hamburgers than adults. Consumption rates among males and females depended on race/ethnicity. However, within a racial/ethnic group, gender consumption differences were minimal. This research demonstrates that the types of foods eaten for all groups of food products vary by racial and ethnic population, and age or gender subgroups. African Americans' fruit and vegetable consumption trends are distinct in many cases. This research serves as a current baseline for future research exploring the relationship of dietary intake and race and ethnicity. Given that African Americans have higher incidences of chronic diseases, there is a need to continue to develop culturally sensitive dietary counseling and intervention programs. Furthermore, this study highlights areas of opportunities to expand research involving African Americans from a sensory, business and promotional perspective capitalizing on the diversity of food habits.