Improved Diet Quality in Elite and Entry-Level Military Women Compared With Civilian-Matched Counterparts.

Background: Dietary intake is a modifiable factor linked to short-term and long-term health. The Healthy Eating Index (HEI) is an objective measure to assess diet quality and population-level comparisons, like military to civilian.

Objectives: This study aimed to characterize diet quality of early-career and mid-career female soldiers compared with that of age-matches and sex-matched civilians and to link indicators of cardiometabolic disease risk to dietary outcomes and health status.

Load carriage exercise increases calcium absorption and retention in healthy young women.

Aerobic exercise reduces circulating ionized Ca (iCa) and increases parathyroid hormone (PTH), but the cause and consequences on Ca handling are unknown. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of strenuous exercise on Ca kinetics using dual stable Ca isotopes. Twenty-one healthy women (26.

Sex Does Not Affect Changes in Body Composition and Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I During US Army Basic Combat Training.

Roberts, BM, Staab, JS, Caldwell, AR, Sczuroski, CE, Staab, JE, Lutz, LJ, Reynoso, M, Geddis, AV, Taylor, KM, Guerriere, KI, Walker, LA, Hughes, JM, and Foulis, SA. Sex does not affect changes in body composition and insulin-like growth factor-I during US Army basic combat training. J Strength Cond Res 38(6): e304-e309, 2024-Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-I) has been implicated as a biomarker of health and body composition.

Load carriage aerobic exercise stimulates a transient rise in biochemical markers of bone formation and resorption.

Exercise can be both anabolic and catabolic for bone tissue. The temporal response of both bone formation and resorption following an acute bout of exercise is not well described. We assayed biochemical markers of bone and calcium metabolism for up to 3 days after military-relevant exercise.

A Food-Based Intervention in a Military Dining Facility Improves Blood Fatty Acid Profile.

Enhancing dietary omega-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids (n-3 HUFA) intake may confer neuroprotection, brain resiliency, improve wound healing and promote cardiovascular health. This study determined the efficacy of substituting a few common foods (chicken meat, chicken sausage, eggs, salad dressings, pasta sauces, cooking oil, mayonnaise, and peanut butter) lower in omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-6 PUFA) and higher in n-3 HUFA in a dining facility on blood fatty acid profile. An eight-week prospective, between-subjects ( = 77), repeated measures, parallel-arm trial was conducted.

Breakfast Skipping Is Associated with Vitamin D Deficiency among Young Adults entering Initial Military Training.

Background: Vitamin D deficiency (VDD), defined as serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels < 20 ng/mL [to convert 25[OH]D ng/mL to nmol/L, multiply by 2.5]) is prevalent in young adults and has been associated with adverse health outcomes, including stress fracture during periods of increased physical activity such as military training. Foods commonly consumed at breakfast provide an important source of vitamin D, yet breakfast skipping is common among young adults.

Randomized trial of a novel lifestyle intervention compared with the Diabetes Prevention Program for weight loss in adult dependents of military service members.

Background: Lifestyle interventions are the first-line treatment for obesity, but participant weight loss is typically low.

Objectives: We evaluated the efficacy of an alternative lifestyle intervention [Healthy Weight for Living (HWL)] compared with a modified Diabetes Prevention Program (m-DPP). HWL was based on a revised health behavior change model emphasizing hunger management and the development of healthy food preferences.

Self-reported eating behaviors of military recruits are associated with body mass index at military accession and change during initial military training.

Eating behaviors such as eating fast and ignoring internal satiety cues are associated with overweight/obesity, and may be influenced by environmental factors. This study examined changes in those behaviors, and associations between those behaviors and BMI, cardiometabolic biomarkers, and diet quality in military recruits before and during initial military training (IMT), an environment wherein access to food is restricted. Eating rate and reliance on internal satiety cues were self-reported, and BMI, body fat, cardiometabolic biomarkers, and diet quality were measured in 1389 Army, Air Force and Marine recruits (45% female, mean ± SEM BMI = 24.

Higher Protein Density Diets Are Associated With Greater Diet Quality and Micronutrient Intake in Healthy Young Adults.

This study characterized habitual dietary protein intake in healthy young adults entering military service and explored whether diet protein density is associated with diet quality and micronutrient intake. An FFQ was used to estimate habitual dietary intake and calculate HEI scores in 276 males [mean(SD), age:21.1y(3.

Calcium and vitamin D supplementation and bone health in Marine recruits: Effect of season.

Stress fractures are common overuse injuries caused by repetitive bone loading. These fractures are of particular concern for military recruits and athletes resulting in attrition in up to 60% of recruits that sustain a fracture. Army and Navy recruits supplemented with daily calcium and vitamin D (Ca + D) demonstrated improved bone strength and reduced stress fractures.

A dietary pattern rich in calcium, potassium, and protein is associated with tibia bone mineral content and strength in young adults entering initial military training.

Background: Stress fracture risk is elevated during initial military training (IMT), particularly in lower-extremity bones such as the tibia. Although the etiology of stress fractures is multifactorial, lower bone strength increases risk.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess, through the use of peripheral quantitative computed tomography, whether adherence to a dietary pattern rich in calcium, potassium, and protein before IMT is positively associated with bone indexes in young adults entering IMT.

Serum and Erythrocyte Biomarkers of Nutrient Status Correlate with Short-Term Α-Carotene, Β-Carotene, Folate, and Vegetable Intakes Estimated by Food Frequency Questionnaire in Military Recruits.

Objective: Food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) estimate habitual dietary intake and require evaluation in populations of interest in order to determine accuracy. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine agreement between circulating biomarkers and FFQ estimated dietary intake in a military population consuming all meals in a dining facility over 12 weeks.

Methods: 2014 Block FFQs were administered and fasted blood samples were drawn to assess nutritional biomarkers at the end of a 12-week training period in male (n = 141) and female (n = 125) Marine recruits undergoing initial military training.

Dietary Intake in Relation to Military Dietary Reference Values During Army Basic Combat Training; a Multi-center, Cross-sectional Study.

Introduction: The military dietary reference intakes (MDRIs), outlined in Army Regulation 40-25, OPNAVINST 10110.1/MCO10110.49, AFI 44-141, establish standards intended to meet the nutrient requirements of Warfighters.

Adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans Is Associated with Psychological Resilience in Young Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: The 2010 Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2010), a measure of diet quality, is used to quantify adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Better HEI scores have been associated with positive health outcomes; however, the relationship between diet quality and psychological resilience, a mental health attribute for coping with adversity, has not been assessed.

Objective: The objective of the present study was to assess the relationship between diet quality and psychological resilience, and the relationship between resilience and demographics, anthropometrics, socioeconomic status, and health behavior.

Association Between Single Gene Polymorphisms and Bone Biomarkers and Response to Calcium and Vitamin D Supplementation in Young Adults Undergoing Military Training.

Initial military training (IMT) is associated with increased stress fracture risk. In prior studies, supplemental calcium (Ca) and vitamin D provided daily throughout IMT reduced stress fracture incidence, suppressed parathyroid hormone (PTH), and improved measures of bone health compared with placebo. Data were analyzed from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to determine whether single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in Ca and vitamin D-related genes were associated with circulating biomarkers of bone metabolism in young adults entering IMT, and whether responses to Ca and vitamin D supplementation were modulated by genotype.

Cardiometabolic Health in Submariners Returning from a 3-Month Patrol.

Confined space, limited exercise equipment, rotating shift work and reduced sleep may affect cardiometabolic health in submariners. To test this hypothesis, 53 male U.S.

Consumption of a calcium and vitamin D-fortified food product does not affect iron status during initial military training: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Ca/vitamin D supplementation maintains bone health and decreases stress fracture risk during initial military training (IMT); however, there is evidence that Ca may negatively affect the absorption of other critical micronutrients, particularly Fe. The objective of this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was to determine whether providing 2000 mg/d Ca and 25 µg/d vitamin D in a fortified food product during 9 weeks of military training affects Fe status in young adults. Male (n 98) and female (n 54) volunteers enrolled in US Army basic combat training (BCT) were randomised to receive a snack bar with Ca/vitamin D (n 75) or placebo (snack bar without Ca/vitamin D; n 77) and were instructed to consume 2 snack bars/d between meals throughout the training course.

Effects of basic combat training on iron status in male and female soldiers: a comparative study.

Objective: Iron is an essential micronutrient known to affect physical and cognitive performance. Studies indicate a significant reduction in iron status in female Soldiers immediately following military training, although the comparative effects of military training on iron status between male and female Soldiers have not been examined. The objective of this study was to compare the longitudinal effects of US Army basic combat training (BCT) on iron status indicators in a group of male and female Soldiers.

Calcium and vitamin D supplementation maintains parathyroid hormone and improves bone density during initial military training: a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial.

Calcium and vitamin D are essential nutrients for bone health. Periods of activity with repetitive mechanical loading, such as military training, may result in increases in parathyroid hormone (PTH), a key regulator of Ca metabolism, and may be linked to the development of stress fractures. Previous studies indicate that consumption of a Ca and vitamin D supplement may reduce stress fracture risk in female military personnel during initial military training, but circulating markers of Ca and bone metabolism and measures of bone density and strength have not been determined.

The efficacy of vitamin D supplementation during a prolonged submarine patrol.

Submariners spend prolonged periods submerged without sunlight exposure and may benefit from vitamin D supplementation to maintain vitamin D status. The primary objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of daily vitamin D supplementation on maintenance of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) during a 3-month submarine patrol. Submariners were randomly divided into three groups: placebo (n = 16), 1,000 IU/day (n = 20), or 2,000 IU/day (n = 17).

Assessment of dietary intake using the healthy eating index during military training.

Objective: The objectives of this study were to use the healthy eating index (HEI) as a tool to characterize diet quality in Soldiers (n=135) during basic combat training (BCT), and to assess the effects of BCT on diet quality by comparing HEI scores before and after the training period.

Methods: HEI scores were calculated from a 110-item semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. Soldiers were then divided into tertiles (high, medium, and low) of diet quality based upon HEI scores at the start of BCT.

Electronically induced ferromagnetic transitions in Sm5Ge4-type magnetoresponsive phases.

The correlation between magnetic and structural transitions in Gd(5)Si(x)Ge(4-x) hampers the studies of valence electron concentration (VEC) effects on magnetism. Such studies require decoupling of the VEC-driven changes in the magnetic behavior and crystal structure. The designed compounds, Gd(5)GaSb(3) and Gd(5)GaBi(3), adopt the same Sm(5)Ge(4)-type structure as Gd(5)Ge(4) while the VEC increases from 31  e(-)/formula in Gd(5)Ge(4) to 33  e(-)/formula in Gd(5)GaPn(3) (Pn: pnictide atoms).

Vitamin D status, dietary intake, and bone turnover in female Soldiers during military training: a longitudinal study.

Background: Vitamin D is an essential nutrient for maintaining bone health, to include protecting against stress fracture during periods of rapid bone turnover. The objective of this longitudinal, observational study was to assess vitamin D status, biomarkers of bone turnover, and vitamin D and calcium intake in female Soldiers (n = 91) during US Army basic combat training (BCT).

Methods: Anthropometric, biological and dietary intake data were collected at wk 0, 3, 6, and 9 of the 10 wk BCT course.

Cardiometabolic risk in US Army recruits and the effects of basic combat training.

Background: Cardiometabolic disease risk in US military recruits and the effects of military training have not been determined. This study examined lifestyle factors and biomarkers associated with cardiometabolic risk in US Army recruits (209; 118 male, 91 female, 23 ± 5 yr) before, during, and after basic combat training (BCT).

Methodology/principal Findings: Anthropometrics; fasting total (TC), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol; triglycerides (TG); glucose; and insulin were measured at baseline and every 3 wks during the 10 wk BCT course.