Low Urinary Iodine Concentration Is Associated with Increased Risk for Elevated Plasma Glucose in Females: An Analysis of NHANES 2011-12.

Iodine intake in the US has declined in recent years. Iodine insufficiency increases the risk for inadequate thyroid hormone production and there is growing evidence that sub-clinical hypothyroidism may be disruptive to metabolic health, including insulin resistance (IR). We investigated the association between urinary iodine concentrations (UIC), a measurement of iodine status, and IR in adults.

Maternal vitamin D deficiency and developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD).

Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that is metabolized in the body to generate an active metabolite (1,25(OH)2D) with hormone-like activity and highly diverse roles in cellular function. Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is a prevalent but easily preventable nutritional disturbance. Emerging evidence demonstrates the importance of sufficient vitamin D concentrations during fetal life with deficiencies leading to long-term effects into adulthood.

Molybdenum.

Molybdenum, a trace element essential for micro-organisms, plants, and animals, was discovered in 1778 by a Swedish chemist named Karl Scheele. Initially mistaken for lead, molybdenum was named after the Greek work molybdos, meaning lead-like. In the 1930s, it was recognized that ingestion of forage with high amounts of molybdenum by cattle caused a debilitating condition.

Time Course of Vitamin D Depletion and Repletion in Reproductive-age Female C57BL/6 Mice.

The use of animal models in vitamin D deficiency (VDD) research, particularly in regard to maternal deficits, has increased dramatically, yet these studies may be confounded due to ill-conceived experimental timelines. We conducted 2 experiments to (1) characterize the time course of VDD induction and repletion and (2) explore the long-term consequences of VDD on calcium homeostasis and body composition in reproductive-age female mice. Eight-week-old female C57BL/6 mice were randomized to receive either a vitamin D sufficient (VDS) or VDD diet; serum was collected weekly.

vitamin D deficiency predisposes offspring to long-term adverse adipose tissue effects.

The fetal period represents an important window of susceptibility for later obesity and metabolic disease. Maternal vitamin D deficiency (VDD) during pregnancy is a global concern that may have long-lasting consequences on offspring metabolic health. We sought to determine whether a VDD environment affects fetal adipose tissue development and offspring metabolic disease predisposition in adulthood.

Maternal vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy affects expression of adipogenic-regulating genes peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) and vitamin D receptor (VDR) in lean male mice offspring.

Purpose: Maternal vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy is a widespread issue that may have long-lasting consequences on offspring adiposity. We sought to determine how maternal vitamin D deficiency during the perinatal period would affect offspring adipose tissue development and gene expression.

Methods: Female C57BL/6 J mice were fed either a vitamin D deficient (VDD) or control diet from 4 weeks before pregnancy (periconception) until 7 days postparturition.

Associations between cytokines, endocrine stress response, and gastrointestinal symptoms in autism spectrum disorder.

Many children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have significant gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, but the etiology is currently unknown. Some individuals with ASD show altered reactivity to stress and altered immune markers relative to typically-developing individuals, particularly stress-responsive cytokines including tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6). Acute and chronic stress is associated with the onset and exacerbation of GI symptoms in those without ASD.

Vitamin D insufficiency and insulin resistance in obese adolescents.

Obese adolescents represent a particularly vulnerable group for vitamin D deficiency which appears to have negative consequences on insulin resistance and glucose homeostasis. Poor vitamin D status is also associated with future risk of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome in the obese. The biological mechanisms by which vitamin D influences glycemic control in obesity are not well understood, but are thought to involve enhancement of peripheral/hepatic uptake of glucose, attenuation of inflammation and/or regulation of insulin synthesis/secretion by pancreatic β cells.

Vitamin D deficiency & childhood obesity: a tale of two epidemics.

Obesity and vitamin D deficiency represent two of the most wide-spread health concerns in the United States, especially among children. There is a well-established inverse relationship between vitamin D status and obesity; however, it is unknown as to whether vitamin D deficiency contributes to, or is a consequence of obesity. Based on available research, the positive effects of correcting hypovitaminosis D in obesity seem to be primarily related to its action on glycemic control.

Correcting vitamin D insufficiency improves insulin sensitivity in obese adolescents: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Obese adolescents are at a greater risk of vitamin D deficiency because vitamin D is thought to be sequestered by excess adipose tissue. Poor vitamin D status has been associated with a higher prevalence of the metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, or both in adults and adolescents.

Objective: The objective was to determine in obese adolescents the efficacy and safety of 4000 IU vitamin D3/d and whether subsequent increased circulating concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] are associated with improved markers of insulin sensitivity and resistance and reduced inflammation.

Vitamin d status is not associated with outcomes of experimentally-induced muscle weakness and pain in young, healthy volunteers.

Vitamin D receptors have been identified in skeletal muscle; and symptoms of vitamin D deficiency include muscle weakness and pain. Moreover, increased serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations have been associated with improved muscle function. To further clarify the importance of vitamin D to muscle, we examined the association between vitamin D status and exercise-induced muscle pain and weakness in healthy people.

Effects of soy isoflavone consumption on bone structure and milk mineral concentration in a rat model of lactation-associated bone loss.

Background: Like menopause, during complete lactation, circulating estrogen concentrations are markedly reduced, resulting in amplified bone resorption.

Aim Of Study: To investigate the effects of soy isoflavones, common dietary components used to mitigate the bone loss of menopause, on the bone loss associated with lactation.

Methods: Lactating rats were randomized to one of four diets supplemented with different levels of soy isoflavones (0, 2, 4, 8 mg aglycone isoflavone/g protein).

Serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha concentrations are negatively correlated with serum 25(OH)D concentrations in healthy women.

Background: Circulating 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25 (OH)D), an accurate measure of vitamin D status, is markedly greater in individuals with increased exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) light via sunlight or the use of artificial UV light. Aside from the known relationship between vitamin D and bone, vitamin D has also been implicated in immune function and inflammation. Furthermore, a mass of evidence is accumulating that vitamin D deficiency could lead to immune malfunction.

Lack of skeletal effect of soy isoflavones in intact growing, female rats may be explained by constant serum estrogenic activity despite reduced serum estradiol.

Background/aims: Scarce data exist on the effects of soy isoflavones (IF) on bone during peripuberty, a known 'window of opportunity' for bone consolidation. Our aim was to determine the skeletal, reproductive, and serum estradiol (E(2))/estrogenic activity response of consuming naturally-occurring soy protein-associated IF during peripuberty.

Methods: Weanling (approximately 3 weeks old), female rats were placed on one of four nutritionally-complete dietary regimens in which protein (200 g/kg diet) was provided as casein or soy protein isolates containing either 0.

Short-term effectiveness of an outcomes research training curriculum within a coordinated program.

The fourth edition of the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education Standards of Education mandated outcomes research training. Our objective was to determine the short-term effectiveness (<5 years) of the outcomes research training curriculum in the Coordinated Program in Dietetics (CP) at the University of Missouri-Columbia, which exceeds these minimum standards. Toward this end, a survey tool was administered to University of Missouri-Columbia CP graduates before the implementation of the fourth edition of Standards of Education and to University of Missouri-Columbia CP graduates with two semesters of outcomes research training; graduates of two other CPs from different universities from the same years were also surveyed.

Use of an outcomes research collaborative training curriculum to enhance entry-level dietitians' and established professionals' self-reported understanding of research.

This project pilot tests a unique outcomes research training curriculum that prepares entry-level dietitians (goal 1) and provides established dietetics professionals with the resources to successfully execute an outcomes research plan (goal 2). The learning objectives for each goal were met via lectures and assignments in two courses, one taught in the fall and one in the winter semester of the second (senior) year of the Coordinated Program at the University of Missouri. At their respective healthcare facilities, registered dietitian (RD) preceptors along with the students progressed through all stages of the research process, from proposal development to data presentation.

Lack of multidisciplinary collaboration is a barrier to outcomes research.

Objectives: To identify and describe methods of collaboration used by dietitians to conduct outcomes research and to identify perceived barriers to participation in outcomes research.

Design: A questionnaire was mailed to dietitians to obtain descriptive information about outcomes research involvement. Details of collaborative research experiences were collected in follow-up telephone interviews.