As the global population continues to increase, the demand for livestock production also rises. This has led to growing interest in efficient approaches to enhance animal growth and development. Phytonutrients are considered a promising alternative to synthetic compounds to improve animal growth performance. The objective of the study was to examine the effects of varying doses of phytonutrient supplementation on pig growth and metabolism. Thirty-two crossbred pigs (approximately 2 months of age, 17.7 kg± 0.82 kg) were randomly assigned to one of four phytonutrient groups (Control: 0 ppm; 1: 62.5 ppm; 2: 125 ppm; 3: 250 ppm) fed ad libitum for 28 days. Body weight was recorded on days -5, -1, 0, 7, 14, 21, and 28. Feed intake was recorded daily, and body composition measured by dual x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) was obtained on days -1, 14, and 28. Pigs increased (P<0.0001) in body weight, irrespective of treatment (P≤0.0535). Control pigs had greater average daily gain (ADG) when compared with other diets (P<0.001). Treatment 3 had the highest (P<0.05) feed:gain when compared with other treatments. Lean percentage of body weight decreased (P<0.0001) while fat mass increased (P<0.0001) over the duration of the study. Overall, supplementation of this phytonutrient blend did not show significant improvement to the growth of the pigs. / Master of Science / As the global population grows, there is increasing pressure to enhance livestock production efficiently. One potential solution is using phytonutrients, natural compounds found in plants, as an alternative to synthetic additives to enhance animal growth. This study explored how different doses of a phytonutrient supplement affects the growth and metabolism of growing pigs. Thirty-two crossbred pigs, approximately two months of age, were assigned to one of four treatment groups (Control: 0 ppm; 1: 62.5 ppm; 2: 125 ppm; 3: 250 ppm) over a 28-day period. Body weight, food intake, and body composition were all measured at various points throughout the study. While pigs did gain weight overall, there was no significant benefit from the phytonutrient supplementation in terms of growth improvement. Notably, pigs on the highest dose had the highest feed to gain ratio (F:G). Additionally, pigs receiving no additional supplement had the highest average daily gain in weight. Overall, phytonutrient supplementation did not lead to noticeable gains in growth performance. The outcome of this study highlights the need for further investigation into alternative growth enhancers in livestock production.

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Faculty of Health Sciences School of Physiotherapy 9605675x lindsayharris912@hotmail.com / Coaches and athletes are continually searching for ways to gain the "competitive edge" and improve athletic performance. Ergogenic substances and procedures are used routinely at almost all competitive levels. Creatine has become one of the most popular nutritional supplements among athletes in recent times. There is evidence suggesting that there are side effects of creatine supplementation. These include renal stress/failure, muscle injury and cramping. While creatine supplementation has the potential to be a safe and effective nutritional aid, these potential side effects may lead to long term problems in athletes. The aim of the study was to determine whether creatine supplementation is associated with injury defined as cramping and muscle strains. This was done using a questionnaire. A questionnaire was developed to consist of three sections determining the player’s training program, incidence of injury and use of creatine supplementation, if any. A pilot study was conducted to establish the validity and reliability of the questionnaire, estimate the time for data collection and identify any unanticipated problems. First team rugby players between the ages of 16 and 19 selected from six competitively recognized rugby schools within the Gauteng Province were included in the study. Consent was obtained from the headmasters of the relevant schools, coaches, and parents/guardians. Questionnaires were completed with the researcher present to explain any part of the questionnaire, which the players did not understand. Data were analyzed using the odds ratio from a logistic regression. The results reveal that no association exists between creatine supplementation and muscle injury in the form of cramping and muscle strains. The subjects were not aware of creatine supplementation recommendations and as a result it was being taken inconsistently and haphazardly.

Background: Although efforts to reduce iron deficiency during pregnancy have been made, programmes often struggle with their participants’ compliance and effectiveness is low. Nevertheless, there is only little information about determinants of compliance. The aim of this thesis is to investigate which factors contribute to women’s compliance to iron supplementation during pregnancy in rural Bangladesh. Methods: Secondary analysis of data collected within a randomized trial in Matlab, Bangladesh (MINIMat trial). 4436 pregnant women were assigned to six micronutrient supplementation groups. Questionnaires were administered and anthropometric measurements were taken. Compliance was measured using the eDEM® counting device which recorded every time a pill bottle was opened. Results: In linear regression maternal age, socio economic status (SES) and education showed a positive association with compliance (p&lt;0.001). Parity showed a negative association (p=0.045). Knowledge of effects of iron supplementation and perception of importance of iron supplementation were not significantly associated with compliance. Experiencing positive effects of iron supplementation was related to higher compliance to iron supplementation, while experiencing nausea was related to lower compliance to iron supplementation (p&lt;0.001). Dislike of the tablets (p&lt;0.001) and other reasons that were not specifically mentioned (p=0.015) were significantly associated with a decrease in compliance. Conclusion: Pregnant women’s compliance to iron supplementation was determined by different factors. Educating women about anaemia, iron deficiency and iron supplementation should not be the only strategy to achieve high compliance. Development of supplements that cause fewer side effects should be considered and more research investigating determinants of compliance should be performed.

Quercetin is a flavonoid found in commonly consumed fruits and vegetables that has exhibited powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in rodents and in vitro. In humans, the ergogenic effects of antioxidant supplementation on exercise performance and adaptations are still equivocal and need to be further investigated. A powerful antioxidant such as quercetin may inhibit the high levels of oxidative stress associated with the high volume and intensity of exercise training seen with trained individuals. There have been equivocal findings thus far regarding the ergogenic effect of either acute or chronic supplementation of quercetin on exercise performance. PURPOSE: To determine the effect of 28 days of daily quercetin supplementation on cycling time trial performance and the associated exercise performance variables. METHODS: Thirteen trained cyclists (VO2peak 58.8 ± 3.9 ml/kg/min) were recruited for this study from the University of Texas at Austin and the local Austin, Texas community and participated in this placebo controlled, randomized, crossover designed study. After initial assessment of baseline data (VO2peak, lactate threshold, and two familiarization time trials), participants began daily supplementation of either an antioxidant supplement containing vitamins and quercetin (Q-VIT: 1000mg quercetin, 820mg Vitamin C, 40mg Vitamin B3) or the same vitamin supplement without quercetin (VIT: 820mg Vitamin C, 40mg Vitamin B3). A simulated time trial using an electromagnetically braked cycle ergometer in which subjects had to complete a set amount of work (kJ) as fast as possible was performed on the last day of supplementation. Measured performance variables included: time to completion, average power output, average oxygen consumption (VO2), Respiratory Exchange Ratio (RER), gross mechanical efficiency (GE), heart rate (HR), and rating of perceived exertion (RPE). RESULTS: Quercetin had no effect on HR, RER, power output, or RPE. There was also no difference in time to complete the time trial between treatments. However, an approximately ~2% higher, but not significantly different, VO2 during Q-VIT supplementation significantly lowered the GE compared to VIT (Q-VIT: 20.49 ± 0.26 % and 19.94 ± 0.33 %; VIT: 20.9 ± 0.24 % and 20.37 ± 0.33 %; p < .01) at 15 and 30 min respectively. CONCLUSION: Chronic supplementation for 28 days with a quercetin based antioxidant supplement lowered cycling gross efficiency in well trained cyclists, but it did not affect performance time. The results of the current study suggest that chronic supplementation with quercetin does not influence aerobic exercise performance in well trained athletes. / text

The purpose of this study was to determine if a buffered creatine monohydrate (KA) that has been purported to promote greater creatine retention and training adaptations with fewer side effects at lower doses is more efficacious than creatine monohydrate (CrM) supplementation in resistance-trained individuals. In a double-blind manner, 36 resistance-trained participants (20.2±2 years, 181±7 cm, 82.1±12 kg, and 14.7±5 % body fat) were randomly assigned to supplement their diet with CrM or KA at two different dosages. Muscle biopsies from the vastus lateralis, fasting blood samples, body weight, DEXA determined body composition, and Wingate Anaerobic Capacity (WAC) tests were performed at 0, 7, and 28-days while 1RM strength tests were performed at 0 and 28-days. Data were analyzed by a repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and are presented as mean ± SD changes from baseline after 7 and 28-days, respectively. Muscle free creatine content obtained in a subgroup of 25 participants increased in all groups over time (p=0.03) after 7 and 28-days, respectively, with no significant differences among groups (p=0.46). Although some significant time effects were observed, no significant group x time interactions (p>0.05) were observed in changes in body mass, fat free mass, fat mass, percent body fat, or total body water; bench press and leg press 1RM strength; WAC mean power, peak power, or total work; serum blood lipids, markers of catabolism and bone status, and serum electrolyte status; or, whole blood markers of lymphocytes and red cells. Neither manufacturers recommended doses (1.5 g/d) or KA with equivalent loading (20 g/d for 7-days) and maintenance doses (5 g/d for 21-days) of CrM promoted greater changes in muscle creatine content, body composition, strength, or anaerobic capacity than CrM (20 g/d for 7-days, 5 g/d for 21-days). There was no evidence that supplementing the diet with a buffered form of creatine resulted in fewer side effects than CrM. These findings do not support claims that consuming a buffered form of creatine is a more efficacious and/or safer form of creatine to consume than creatine monohydrate.

Coral reefs are complex ecosystems that provide several ecological, environmental, and economic services. However, climate change has heavily threatened these ecosystems, particularly due to increasing sea surface temperature. Innovative solutions to improve coral tolerance to climate change are therefore urgently needed. Vitamin and trace element supplements can improve the fitness of several animals (e.g., fish and crustaceans) in aquaculture systems, and could represent an alternative treatment to improve coral health and growth in coral nurseries. Here, we tested whether the supplementation of vitamins B6, B12, and zinc could boost coral growth, and health. For this purpose, fragments (n=10) of colonies of five Acropora hemprichii were collected from the central Red Sea were treated with B6, B12, zinc, and a combination of these supplements for 21 days. Coral fragments were collected before and after the experiment. Calcification and oxygen metabolism (respiration, photosynthesis) were measured, while symbiont density, chlorophyll, total protein, and carbohydrate were quantified in the lab. Our data showed that corals’ symbionts density, chlorophyll c2, net productivity, and total protein were significantly increased due to zinc supplementation when compared to control colonies. In addition, the multi-treatment also increased the corals’ total proteins. In contrast, none of the other treatments showed a significant effect on the tested coral’s physiological traits. The results of this study may provide data to support alternative approaches to improve coral growth for restoration efforts.

Skeletal muscle stem cells, known as satellite cells (SC), are essential for skeletal muscle regeneration/repair and have been linked to muscle hypertrophy in humans. There is a consensus within the literature that SC activate and proliferate in response to external stimuli, such as mechanical damage or exercise. However, the effect of nutritional supplementation in conjunction with exercise on SC function is not fully understood. This may, in part, be due to varying responses of individuals to specific nutritional ingredients. Therefore, this study examined the efficacy of a multicomponent supplement containing whey protein isolate, leucine, creatine monohydrate, calcium citrate, and vitamin D, all of which have independently been shown to confer beneficial effects to skeletal muscle mass or function. Accordingly, when considering individual variability, a multicomponent nutritional strategy, when combined with resistance exercise, may be more likely to produce an augmented response compared to isolated supplements. Healthy, young males and females (18-26 y; ± 0.55) were randomly assigned to a multi-ingredient supplement (MIS)(n=13, 7M) or collagen peptide (CP)(n = 13, 6M) group. Participants performed a whole-body linear resistance-training program 4 times a week for 10-weeks. Skeletal muscle biopsies were obtained from the vastus lateralis pre and post 10 weeks of resistance training. Additionally, biopsies were obtained following an acute bout of damaging eccentric exercise prior to and following the 10 weeks of training. Thus, this design provided a resting and an acute damage response (48-hours post damage) before and after 10-weeks of resistance exercise and supplementation. Training resulted in an 83% and 40% increase in the basal SC population for mixed fibres in the MIS and CP group (P < 0.05), respectively, with no group differences. No effect of time or group was found for acute SC proliferation. However, when collapsing groups, a 635% increase was observed in the relative delta SC activation following 10 weeks (P < 0.05). Also, similar increases were observed in both groups for myonuclear accretion and myonuclear domain (P < 0.05). The MIS group had a 16% larger increase in type II CSA compared to the CP group (P < 0.05). Irrespective of supplementation, our findings suggest 10-weeks of resistance exercise is capable of increasing the basal SC population, SC activation, myonuclear accretion, and myonuclear domain. Furthermore, consuming a MIS lead to superior increases in type II CSA, compared to the CP group. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / Skeletal muscle stem cells, known as satellite cells (SC), are essential for skeletal muscle regeneration/repair and have been linked to muscle hypertrophy in humans. SC activate and proliferate in response to external stimuli, such as mechanical damage or exercise. However, the effect of nutritional supplementation in conjunction with exercise on SC biology is not fully understood. This may, in part, be due to varying responses by individuals to specific nutritional ingredients. In this regard, multi-ingredient supplementation (MIS) has been implemented with the intention of eliciting a maximal adaptive response across all participants. Therefore, this study examined the efficacy of a multicomponent supplement containing whey protein isolate, leucine, creatine monohydrate, calcium citrate, and vitamin D, all of which have independently been shown to confer beneficial effects for skeletal muscle mass or function. Our findings suggest 10-weeks of resistance exercise is capable of increasing the basal SC population, SC activation, myonuclear accretion, and myonuclear domain. Nutritional Supplementation had no further effect. Importantly, however, consuming a MIS lead to greater increases in type II CSA, when compared to a control supplement.