Master of Science / Department of Hospitality Management and Dietetics / Kevin Sauer / Registered Dietitians (RDs) attribute the success of their careers to a variety of factors, including formal education, influential mentors, specific skill sets, flexibility, and even having a supportive spouse. RDs with strong management skills are increasingly in demand in order to coordinate nutrition care and services in a cost effective manner. Clinical Nutrition Managers (CNMs) specifically coordinate medical nutrition therapy across the continuum of patient care. To aid in the career development of CNMs, research is necessary to determine the factors that have positive and negative effects on their career paths. This study examined intrinsic and extrinsic factors that impact the career paths of CNMs in addition to perceived career satisfaction. A five-part online survey was disseminated to members of the Clinical Nutrition Management Dietetic Practice Group (CNM DPG). CNMs were also defined as RDs who coordinate medical nutrition therapy and who manage personnel, finances, or both. Results (n=146) of both quantitative and qualitative analyses identified key intrinsic factors that demonstrated a positive effect on CNMs’ career paths including self-motivation, communication skills, teamwork, and leadership skills. The study also examined CNMs’ perceptions about the extrinsic factors on their career paths. Support from upper-level management and administration was identified as a crucial factor in career advancement. Having support from family was shown to be a positive influence, while many CNMs also reported that family needs and expectations, unforeseen life circumstances, and the economic climate had limited their career paths. Social service motivation had a slightly positive influence on career paths. Perceptions about career satisfaction indicated that CNMs were moderately satisfied with overall career success but less satisfied with income and career ladders. This study serves as an important precursor to future research which could explore CNMs’ perceptions regarding pay equity as well as the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that are more critical at various junctures in their career paths. Results from the study also help to fill an existing gap in the dietetics and career path literature and will also assist the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and others in developing strategies to foster the career development of CNMs.

Master of Science / Food Science / Fadi Aramouni / Little in vivo research on glycemic index (GI) values or the digestive impact of sorghum based food products currently exists. Because sorghum is a gluten-free grain, its utilization in the United States is growing, especially in baking applications. Information on how sorghum affects blood sugar levels would be beneficial as new products emerge because glycemic effect has an impact on human health and in controlling diabetes. The objective of this study was to determine the GI of a sorghum muffin, and compare this value to the GI of muffins made from commonly consumed grains in the United States. The effects of particle size and damaged starch on GI were also studied. GI values were determined for muffins made from white sorghum, corn, brown rice, whole wheat, and all-purpose flours. All muffin formulations were composed of flour, water, baking powder and salt. To determine the GI, weighed portions of muffin containing 20g of available carbohydrates were eaten on separate occasions by eight healthy volunteers (ages 18-40) after an overnight fast (10 hours). Each muffin was administered twice. Two capillary blood samples were taken at 0 (fasting), 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 minutes after consumption and averaged. Blood glucose curves were constructed from mean blood glucose values. The GI was calculated by dividing the incremental area under the curve for the test food (muffin) by that for the standard (20g dextrose drink) and multiplying by 100. The GI for the muffins was calculated as the mean from the respective average GIs of the 8 volunteers. The data indicated that sorghum flour milled at particle size < 400 um resulted in the lowest GI of 32 ± 16.8. These findings should assist in development of lower GI sorghum foods.

Master of Science / Food Science Institute / Weiqun Wang / Anthocyanins, a sub-class of flavonoids, are natural pigments derived from phenylpropanoid pathway. Most tomato cultivars found in nature have very low content of anthocyanins, but dark purple tomatoes by ectopic co-expression of two transcription factors Delila (Del) and Rosea1 (Ros1) from snapdragon and chalcone isomerase (CHI) from onion accumulated high levels of anthocyanins. This study is to identify and quantitate anthocyanins in these transgenic tomato lines. Seven anthocyanins including two new anthocyanins [malvidin-3-(p-coumaroyl)-rutinoside-5-glucoside and malvidin-3- (feruloyl) -rutinoside-5-glucoside] have been identified in transgenic lines by HPLC-MS. The top two anthocyanins are petunidin 3-(trans-coumaroyl)-rutinoside- 5-glucoside and delphinidin 3-(trans-coumaroyl)-rutinoside-5-glucoside that contribute for 85% of total anthocyanins in whole fruit. Comparing with undetectable anthocyanins in the wild type, Del/Ros1-expressing tomatoes contain total anthocyanins at 4.95±0.42 g/kg dry matter in whole fruit, 5.09±0.62 g/kg dry matter in peel, and 5.56±0.29 g/kg dry matter in flesh, while CHI×Del/Ros1-coexpressing tomatoes have 9.61±0.71 g/kg dry matter in whole fruit, 29.9±1.64 g/kg dry matter in peel, and 8.65±0.39 g/kg dry matter in flesh. No anthocyanins are detectable in the seeds of each line tested. Enrichment of tomato fruit with new and high anthocyanins may provide potential health-promoting benefits.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Human Nutrition / Weiqun Wang / Body weight control via increasing exercise and/or decreasing calorie intake has been linked to a reduced cancer risk in animal models. However, the underlying mechanisms are not clear. This study assessed the impact of exercise with or without limited dietary calorie intake on the overview profiling of phospholipids and gene expression in the skin tissues of weight controlled-mice. Mice were randomly assigned to three groups: ad libitum-fed sedentary control, ad libitum-fed treadmill exercise at 13.4 m/min for 60 min/d, 5 d/wk (Ex+AL), and exercise but pair-fed with the sedentary control (Ex+PF). After 10 wks, Ex+PF but not Ex+AL mice demonstrated a significant decrease in both body weight and percentage of body fat when compared to the sedentary controls. Among 338 phospholipids measured in the skin samples by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, most classes of phosphatidylinositol (PI), phosphatidylcholine-containing lipids with ether linkage (ePC), and some lysophosphatidylcholine (lysoPC) significantly decreased in Ex+PF mice when compared to the controls. Furthermore, some species of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) containing omega-3 18:0-22:6 fatty acyl combinations increased significantly in Ex+PF mice. A total of 25 significantly-changed phospholipids were distinguishable between diet and exercise treatments by discriminant analysis. The reduced PI in Ex+PF mice was observed concomitantly with a significant reduction of PI3K protein expression. Among the 45,101 probe sets tested in skin tissues, expression of 839 genes was significantly changed by exercise with or without limited dietary calorie intake. The genes with impacted expression were involved in oxidative stress, inflammatory response, lipolysis, protein synthesis, and signaling pathway. Up-regulated expression of genes involved in elongation of long chain fatty acids in Ex+PF but not Ex+AL mice appears to partially account for increased level of 18:0-22:5PC/PE and 18:0-22:6 PC/PE. Taken together, these data indicate that controlling body weight via exercise with limited dietary calorie intake rather than exercise alone significantly modified phospholipid and gene expression profiles. The altered profiles may be associated with cancer preventive mechanisms; in particular, reduced PI and PI-related PI3K expression and altered expression of genes involved in protein kinase activity and lipid metabolism may prevent cancer.

Master of Science / Department of Human Nutrition / Mark D. Haub / BACKGROUND: Dietary supplements are increasing in popularity; individuals are looking beyond traditional methods of calorie restriction and exercise to improve health. Calcium is a critical nutrient for bone metabolism that has also been shown to enhance weight loss effects secondary to diet. PURPOSE: To determine whether eight months of calcium supplementation, in a liquid, shelf-stable form, increases bone mineral density or decreases body weight and/or body fat in free-living young adult women. METHODS: Volunteer subjects (n=42) were randomly assigned to a supplement group receiving 1,125 mg Ca2+/day (CA-BEV) or to a free-living control group (CON), which did not receive the supplement. At baseline and after the 8-month intervention (POST), dietary intake was assessed using 3-day diet records. Total body composition (body fat percentage, %FatTB; abdominal percentage fat, %FatAb; fat mass, FM; non-bone fat-free mass, FFM) and bone mineral density (lumbar spine and femoral neck; BMD) were measured via dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. Subjects also completed a sub-maximal treadmill exercise test to estimate respiratory fitness at baseline and POST. RESULTS: At POST, the CA-BEV group's calcium intake (1,868[plus or minus]941 mg/d) was significantly greater than (p<0.05) the CON group (867[plus or minus]405 mg/d) and the calcium:protein ratio of the CA-BEV group (29.5[plus or minus]17.1 mg/g) was greater than (p<0.05) the CON group (12.9 ±6.2 mg/g). Those differences in calcium did not lead to predicted differences (p<0.05) between groups for BMD, body weight, %FatTB, %FatAB, FM or FFM. CONCLUSION: Our findings do not support the hypothesis that increasing calcium intake increases BMD or decreases body weight or body fat in healthy young women over an 8-month period despite a nearly two-fold increase in calcium intake.

Master of Science / Department of Human Nutrition / Brian Lindshield / 5α-reductase 1 (5αR1) and 5α-reductase 2 (5αR2) convert testosterone into the more potent androgen, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), that is responsible for regulating prostate growth and proliferation. 5αR2 is the main isoenzyme in normal prostate tissue, however prostate tumors have increased 5αR1 and decreased or unchanged 5αR2 expression. Previously, finasteride (5αR2 inhibitor) treatment begun 3 weeks after tumor implantation had no effect on Dunning R3327-H rat prostate tumor growth. We believe the tumor compensated for finasteride treatment by increasing tumor 5αR1 activity to produce dihydrotestosterone to stimulate its growth. We hypothesize that finasteride treatment would not significantly alter tumor growth even if begun before tumor implantation, while dutasteride (dual 5αR1 & 5αR2 inhibitor) treatment would decrease tumor growth regardless if treatment is begun before or after tumor implantation. Sixty, 8-week old male nude mice were randomized to Control, Pre-Finasteride, Post-Finasteride, Pre-Dutasteride and Post-Dutasteride diet groups (all diets contained 83.3 mg drug/kg diet). Pre groups began their treatment diets 1-2 weeks prior to tumor implantation, while post groups began their treatment diets 3 weeks after tumor implantation. Tumors were implanted by subcutaneous injection of 1 x 10⁵ WPE1-NA22 human prostate cancer cells in Matrigel™ and allowed to grow for 22 weeks. Tumor areas, body weights, and feed intakes were measured weekly. At study conclusion, prostate and seminal vesicle weights were significantly decreased in all treatment groups versus the control. Dutasteride intake also significantly reduced seminal vesicle weights compared to finasteride intake. There were no significant differences in final tumor areas or tumor weights between groups, likely due to poor tumor growth. In follow-up studies, proliferation of WPE1-NA22 prostate cancer cells, and its parent line RWPE-1 prostate epithelial cells, were unaltered by treatment with testosterone, DHT, or the synthetic androgen mibolerone, suggesting that these cell lines are not androgen-sensitive. Thus, the lack of response to androgen treatment by WPE1-NA22 prostate cancer cells may explain the inadequate tumor growth observed.

Master of Public Health / Human Nutrition / Sandra B. Procter / Background: Engaging community has become a fundamental approach to improving health outcomes in resource-limited settings. Community coalitions, comprised of resident activists that mobilize to improve local conditions, are frequently utilized as partners for community-engaged research. However, there is limited research that documents how these partnerships affect the coalitions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of researcher-coalition collaboration in the pilot year of a four-year intervention program targeting childhood obesity in rural, low-income communities. Methods: Twelve pre-established community coalitions from seven states were selected to partner with academic researchers in a quasi-experimental study, and then assigned to either the control (n=6) or intervention (n=6) group. Both study arms received funding and access to a menu of evidence-based tools, but the intervention groups were also provided a trained community coach. Member survey data from a Coalition Self-Assessment Survey (CSAS) tool was completed at baseline and at one-year follow-up. Results: CSAS data were analyzed to identify factors related to coalition function and efficacy, and significant changes in both experimental groups were identified. Change in measures of membership recruitment, coalition capacity and coalition communication were unique to the intervention group. Problems for participation were alleviated significantly on all measures in the control group. Comparison of the study groups at follow-up demonstrated that greater research involvement positively impacted membership recruitment and coalition action plan. Conclusion: The data suggest that coalitions with a higher degree of partnership interaction may be more successful in addressing problems impacting their communities.

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.