Master of Science / Department of Human Nutrition / Mark Haub / Sports nutrition is a blossoming profession and continues to grow. Within the daily functions of a sports nutrition department, working as a sports dietitian is more than providing food and hydration sources. Sports nutrition includes educating athletes about the benefits of food and teaching them life-long skills such as, cooking and grocery shopping that they may use for the rest of their lives. Being successful in the sports nutrition profession requires excellent communication, organization, dedication, and hard work. Nutrition can help an athlete in creating an advantage for improving performance and recovery. Within sports nutrition, sports dietitians are being called on to provide appropriate education for athletes. The purpose of this review is to examine the various aspects of a sports nutrition department and the skills necessary for a sports dietitian to be successful at the Division I Collegiate level. This review will cover the regulatory, financial, staffing, athlete, environmental, and technological aspects of sports nutrition. The following review may be beneficial for those who are interested in pursuing sports nutrition as a career, as it aims to elucidate expectations regarding the day to day job requirements.

Elevated levels of uremic retention solutes (URS), breakdown products of protein digestion, are associated with an increase in overall mortality, cardiovascular risk, and chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression. Increased levels of the URS Indoxyl sulfate (IS), p-cresol sulfate (PCS), and Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) have been observed in patients with late stages of kidney disease (1-3). URS are formed via bacterial fermentation in the colon and are removed by urinary excretion, a task easily accomplished by healthy kidneys. However, in individuals with CKD, kidney function declines, resulting in decreased removal and subsequent accumulation of URS in the serum. However, few studies have evaluated URS in pre-dialysis CKD patients or have controlled for diet. Only one cross-sectional study evaluated levels of TMAO in both serum and urine of non-dialysis CKD patients compared with healthy adults (1), and no studies have examined all three of these URS while controlling dietary intake. Thus, in this secondary analysis, we aimed to determine serum and urine levels of IS, TMAO, and PCS in patients with moderate CKD compared with matched healthy adults who participated in a one-week controlled feeding study. Participants included patients with CKD (N=7) and healthy controls (N=7) matched for age, sex, and race. Participants consumed a diet controlled for macronutrients, fiber, phosphorus, calcium, potassium, and sodium for one week. Fasting serum and urine samples were collected at the end of the week. IS, PCS, and TMAO were quantified using LC-MS. Paired comparisons were used to determine differences between the groups and associations were examined with Pearson’s correlations. Results show that fasting serum URS were higher in CKD compared with controls (p<0.05). Urine URS tended to be higher in CKD patients, with IS reaching significance. Overall, kidney function (eGFR) was inversely related to each serum URS (p<0.05) and urine URS. However, when the relationship between eGFR and URS was evaluated within groups, strong inverse relationships only persisted in the CKD group. There were strong relationships among the serum and urine metabolites, and higher levels of serum URS corresponded with higher levels of the respective urine URS. When evaluated by group, these relationships remained strong in the CKD group, and slightly weakened in the control group. In conclusion, we have found that serum levels of URS are significantly elevated when compared with healthy adults even in early to moderate stages of CKD. Increased intestinal URS production via intestinal microbiome and altered liver function remain potential confounding variables in elevated serum URS levels over simply reduced excretion. Therapeutics, such as modified dietary protein intake or pre/pro/synbiotics, aimed at reducing URS production in the gut, may have the potential to reduce overall serum URS levels. Larger, longer studies evaluating diurnal serum URS and 24-hour urine URS excretion are needed to better understand URS retention and production in moderate chronic kidney disease patients.

No description available.

Background: Since the invention of Gatorade, the sports nutrition market has expanded rapidly. While the market has expanded, a way to catalogue these sports nutrition supplements (SNSs) has not followed. This lack of centralized information creates a problem for dietitians and other health professionals who need to make informed recommendations for their clients using SNSs. Objective: The objective of this project is to assess the need for a SNS formulary and develop a formulary based on need. Method: The need for the formulary was assessed by creating and distributing a survey to dietitians and other health professionals who subscribe to the Nutrition Care Manual or Sports Nutrition Care Manual (SNCM). After the responses were collected, supplement categories and product manufacturers were identified for inclusion. Data collection began by visiting manufacturers' web pages and recording nutrition information into a standardized form provided by the web developers at the SNCM. These completed forms were then sent to the Online Publishing Manager at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. This information was then published into a formulary accessible through the SNCM. Results: The survey yielded 111 respondents. The respondents indicated a personal (71%) and client (64%) need for a sports nutrition formulary. The respondents also indicated that they are very likely (51%) or somewhat likely (40%) to use a sports nutrition formulary if it were created. Based on these responses, a formulary was created and published through the SNCM. Conclusion: Version 1.0 of the Sports Nutrition Formulary was published to the SNCM on April 15th, 2013. This formulary offers the ability for dietitians and other health professionals to make the most informed, up to date decision regarding the best SNS for their client.

Dietary protein is required to support recovery and adaptation following exercise training. While prior research demonstrates that many athletes meet total daily protein needs, intake seems to be predominantly skewed toward the evening meal. An even distribution of protein doses throughout the course of a day is theorized to confer greater skeletal muscle anabolism compared to a skewed pattern of intake. Protein quality is also an important dietary consideration for athletes, with the amino acid leucine being the primary driver of the postprandial anabolic response. The present thesis investigates the protein consumption characteristics among a selected cohort of NCAA Division 1 collegiate soccer players and evaluates differences between male and female athletes. Athletes were instructed to complete 3-day food diaries, which were subsequently analyzed and compared to nutrition guidelines for soccer players. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner explained 81.4% of total daily dietary protein intake. Most athletes (77.8%) ingested optimum amounts of protein at dinner, but not at breakfast (11.1%) or lunch (47.2%). In addition, statistically significant sex-based differences in daily dietary protein intake, meal-specific protein amounts, and protein quality measures were detected. Findings indicate suboptimal dietary protein intake practices among the collegiate athletes.

In recent studies, caloric intakes among female distance runners were reported to be insufficient to support training intensities. To study energy intake and expenditure in female collegiate distance runners, ten members of the Virginia Tech cross-country team were utilized as subjects. / Master of Science

Although physical fitness is regarded as a determinant of combat readiness, more than two-thirds of American military personnel are considered overweight or obese. While the U.S. Army recognizes nutrition as a priority with the development of the Performance Triad, nutrition education in the U.S. Navy remains retroactive, targeting only weight management and neglecting the role of nutrition in performance enhancement. There is limited data regarding the nutrition knowledge of the U.S. Navy population, a key factor in designing nutrition-focused programs, partially due to the lack of an appropriate assessment tool. The purpose of this study was two-fold: 1) validate an 86-item modified Nutrition for Sport Knowledge Questionnaire (M- NSKQ) using 15 Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDN) from across the country, and 2) assess sports nutrition knowledge, nutrition practices, and performance on physical fitness assessments (PFA) from a sample of 102 midshipmen in the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) at Virginia Tech. The M-NSKQ assesses nutritional knowledge regarding weight management, macronutrients, micronutrients, hydration, nutrient timing, supplementation, and alcohol. The mean M-NSKQ score for RDNs was 84%, and questions with less than 50% correct responses were modified. Although no significant associations were found between M-NSKQ scores and PFAs for midshipmen, the mean M-NSKQ score was only 51%, and less than 10% met the daily recommendations for fruit, vegetables, grains, and dairy. Specific areas for improvement are discussed. These results highlight the need for nutrition education that is designed to address the gaps in knowledge and poor nutrition practices identified within this naval population. / M. S.

No description available.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Human Nutrition / Mark D. Haub / Maximizing performance and results in competitive events is something that all athletes strive to achieve. Nutritional strategies have been developed to best optimize the likelihood of success in competitive events. While dietary protein was classically believed to be the key macronutrient in exercise performance, overwhelming evidence now supports the role of maximizing carbohydrate intake and availability in endurance performance. The role of carbohydrate intake prior to, during and after endurance exercise has been heavily studied and relevant literature will be discussed herein. This paper consists of three chapters and a summary related to carbohydrate intake and performance outcomes in endurance sports. While nutritional status surrounding the endurance events is discussed, this paper focuses on the ergogenic and metabolic effects of carbohydrates during the endurance bout. Chapter one serves as a literature review of carbohydrate administration during endurance exercise. Types of carbohydrates, their role as substrates in liver and skeletal muscle during exercise, and their effects on endurance performance are discussed. The role of carbohydrate on central factors of fatigue and motor output also are covered. Chapter two addresses the role of multiple carbohydrate supplements on cycling performance. The role of these supplements on blood glucose, insulin, lactate, and IGFBP-1 also are discussed. Chapter three addresses the effect of nutritional status prior to exercise on the ability of a carbohydrate mouth rinse to impart a performance enhancing effect. There were no treatment effects (p>0.05) of the type carbohydrate ingested, compared with placebo, on selected metabolic and performance outcomes. Likewise, there was no ergogenic effect of mouth rinsing, in the fasted or fed state, in moderately trained endurance cyclists.

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1985 W54 / Master of Science