Associations between Avocado Consumption and Diet Quality, Dietary Intake, Measures of Obesity and Body Composition in Adolescents: The Teen Food and Development Study.

Avocado is a nutrient-rich food that has been shown to benefit the health and diet quality of adults. In this paper, we examined if habitual intake of avocado among adolescents is associated with their diet quality, food and nutrient intake, and measures of obesity and body composition. Participants aged 12-18 years old ( = 534) from selected public and Adventist middle-high schools reported their dietary intake in a web-based food frequency questionnaire (FFQ); anthropometrics were measured during school visits.

Dietetics students' perceptions of classroom-based learning activities.

Background: The Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics requires that undergraduate dietetics courses utilize a variety of educational approaches to facilitate learning. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate undergraduate nutrition students' perceptions of 16 classroom-based learning activities before and after taking an upper-level nutrition course.

Methods: A survey was completed by students before and after taking an upper-level nutrition course, Methods in Nutrition Education, at a single university in the southwest region of the United States in fall 2016 and 2017.

Animal Protein Intake Is Associated with General Adiposity in Adolescents: The Teen Food and Development Study.

Protein plays a crucial role in the growth and development of adolescents. However, being a secondary energy source, protein's role in obesity has been sidelined. We examined whether intake of protein (total, animal, plant), branched-chain (BCAAs), and sulfur-containing (SCAAs) amino acids are associated with general body and central obesity and body composition in a cross-sectional study among healthy adolescents.

Nutrition Education and Body Mass Index in Grades K-12: A Systematic Review.

Background: Overweight and obese body mass index (BMI) status affects an increasing number of children in the United States. The school setting has been identified as a focus area to implement obesity prevention programs.

Methods: A database search of PubMed, Education Search Complete, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) was conducted for peer-reviewed articles published between January 2005 and December 2015 pertaining to programs offered in the school setting to grades K-12 in the United States with a nutrition education component and measured BMI percentile or BMI z-score as an outcome.

Soy isoflavone consumption and age at pubarche in adolescent males.

Purpose: Isoflavones have estrogenic properties that may adversely affect pubertal development of boys. We examined if soy isoflavone consumption is associated with age at pubarche (first onset of pubic hair) in a male population with a wide range of soy intake.

Methods: Boys aged 12-18 years (n = 248) who attended schools around Adventist universities in Southern California and Michigan self-reported their age at pubarche.

Dietary Intake Among Opioid- and Alcohol-Using Pregnant Women.

Background: Substance abuse in nonpregnant adults has been associated with increased intake in calories and decreased intake of nutrient-dense foods; however, studies examining dietary intake in opioid-using and alcohol-using pregnant women are lacking.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate dietary intake in opioid-using pregnant women with or without concurrent light-to-moderate alcohol use as compared to abstaining controls.

Methods: This prospective birth cohort included 102 pregnant women classified into four study groups: controls (n = 27), medication-assisted treatment (MAT; n = 26), alcohol (ALC; n = 22), and concurrent use of both substances (MAT + ALC; n = 27).

Effects of Walnut Consumption on Mood in Young Adults-A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Walnuts contain a number of potentially neuroprotective compounds like vitamin E, folate, melatonin, several antioxidative polyphenols and significant amounts of ω-3 fatty acids. The present study sought to determine the effect of walnuts on mood in healthy volunteers. Sixty-four college students were randomly assigned to two treatment sequences in a crossover fashion: walnut-placebo or placebo-walnut.

Gender differences in exercise dependence and eating disorders in young adults: a path analysis of a conceptual model.

The purpose of our study was to study the prevalence of exercise dependence (EXD) among college students and to investigate the role of EXD and gender on exercise behavior and eating disorders. Excessive exercise can become an addiction known as exercise dependence. In our population of 517 college students, 3.

Is soy intake related to age at onset of menarche? A cross-sectional study among adolescents with a wide range of soy food consumption.

Background: Early onset of menarche may negatively influence the future health of adolescent girls. Several factors affect the timing of menarche but it is not clear if soy foods consumption around pubertal years plays a role; thus, we examined its relation to age at onset of menarche (AOM) in a high soy-consuming population.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study on 339 girls ages 12-18 years attending middle and high schools near two Seventh-day Adventist universities in California and Michigan using a web-based dietary questionnaire and physical development tool.

Cognition: the new frontier for nuts and berries.

The inclusion of nuts in the diet is associated with a decreased risk of coronary artery disease, hypertension, gallstones, diabetes, cancer, metabolic syndrome, and visceral obesity. Frequent consumption of berries seems to be associated with improved cardiovascular and cancer outcomes, improved immune function, and decreased recurrence of urinary tract infections; the consumption of nuts and berries is associated with reduction in oxidative damage, inflammation, vascular reactivity, and platelet aggregation, and improvement in immune functions. However, only recently have the effects of nut and berry consumption on the brain, different neural systems, and cognition been studied.

Food safety attitudes in college students: a structural equation modeling analysis of a conceptual model.

College students are one of the most at-risk population groups for food poisoning, due to risky food safety behaviors. Using the Likert Scale, undergraduate students were asked to participate in a Food Safety Survey which was completed by 499 students ages 18-25. Data was analyzed using SPSS and AMOS statistical software.

Effects of walnut consumption on cognitive performance in young adults.

Walnuts contain a number of potentially neuroprotective compounds like vitamin E, folate, melatonin, several antioxidative polyphenols and significant amounts of n-3 α-linolenic fatty acid. The present study sought to determine the effect of walnuts on verbal and non-verbal reasoning, memory and mood. A total of sixty-four college students were randomly assigned to two treatment sequences in a crossover fashion: walnuts-placebo or placebo-walnuts.

Trends in body fat, body mass index and physical fitness among male and female college students.

There have been many publications in recent years reporting on the quantity of physical activity among college students using indirect indicators such as steps walked per day or time spent on physical activities. The purpose of this study was to describe the trends of physical fitness related to BMI and body fat among university students between 1996 and 2008. The results showed a significant decline in the average fitness levels measured as an estimation of VO(2max) for male and female students (p < 0.

Beliefs and attitudes toward vegetarian lifestyle across generations.

The objective of the study was to examine whether reasons to adopt vegetarian lifestyle differ significantly among generations. Using a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), we identified that 4% of the participants were vegans, 25% lacto-ovo-vegetarians, 4% pesco-vegetarians and 67% non-vegetarian. Younger people significantly agreed more with the moral reason and with the environmental reason.

Association among health habits, risk factors, and all-cause mortality in a black California population.

We evaluated dietary and other risk factors in a black California cohort. Baseline data were gathered in 1974 and 1976, and mortality follow-up continued through 1985. A study census questionnaire was returned from 3,299 subjects who lived in a household containing at least one Seventh-Day Adventist.