Research in Nutrition

A requirement in the Nutrition major program is for all 4th year students to participate in research. Research it so important as it enables the discovery of novel ideas and can impact the entire population especially when these novel ideas result in ways to prevent or treat disease. It has been shown that those who do research in their undergrad are more likely to do research as professionals. So the purpose of this course is not only to give us the skills and knowledge to do research but it is also to promote research in our professional careers and give us a greater understanding and appreciation of the research that is being done. In preparing to start a research program it is critical to review the literature before hand to see what research is currently out there as well as to see what gaps there are in the literature. In doing a literature review many journal articles are looked at and it is crucial to pick out important information quickly. For good advice on how to do this you can review Kaustav's lecture on reading scientific articles. 


My research project is:

Image from: Gallant-Sova K, Jungwirth T, Okrusko V, Salon M, Sung M, & Wattar N (2011, December). Estimating choline intake of women in the APrON (Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition) cohort before and during pregnancy. [PowerPoint]. Nutrition 400. University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. 

Choline is a non-essential nutrient because our bodies can make it, however we can not produce enough to meet our needs (Zeisel, 2006). An Adequate Intake (AI) of 425 mg/day is set by Health Canada; that means that if an individual consumes 425mg of choline per day that is enough to maintain health (National Academies Press, 1998). But how can we assess the amount of choline people are consuming? Most diet analysis is done through computer programs such as Food Processor SLQ, however these programs do not contain information on choline. Currently the best information on the choline content of foods is the USDA choline database. This database was developed by analyzing foods commonly consumed in southern USA for their choline content. The problem with this is that in Alberta many different foods are commonly consumed than those in souther USA. For this reason the database lacks applicability to other geographical reasons which makes it difficult to assess choline intake. So the first step in our research project is to update the database to include foods that are commonly consumed in Alberta. We are currently in the process of doing that. Once we have completed the database we will analyze food records of women in the Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition (APrON) study.


The APrON study is a cohort study looking at pregnancy outcomes and their relationship to nutrition. It is currently the largest cohort study of pregnant women in the world. All women in the APrON study completed food records which we will be using to assess their choline intake with information from our updated database. This research is important because it will hopefully give some insight into the role that choline plays in pregnancy and fetal development and can lead to further research on the specific mechanisms of choline action. 


This research project along with all other 4th year research projects will be presented as posters at the Annual Nutrition Symposium on April 4, 2012. Poster presentation take place 9am-12pm in the Dinwoodie Lounge in SUB. Everyone is welcome to attend and learn about some current research in nutrition. Refreshments and snacks are provided. Hope to see everyone there! 


References:

Dietary Reference Intakes for Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, and Choline. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press, 1998.

Zeisel, SH. Choline: Critical Role During Fetal Development and Dietary Requirements in Adults. Annu Rev Nutr. 2006 ; 26: 229–250.

Check out my FaceBook page!

Facebook pages can be a great way to get information out to a large amount of people. It is quick and easy to post information which can be accessed by everyone. That's why I have started a FaceBook page!

Image on page from: http://www.themagazine.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/apples-ca.jpg

The purpose of this page is to provide a space where ALES 204 students can find reliable nutrition information and ask questions. On my FaceBook page you will find current and possibly controversial nutrition topics discussed. You will also be able to ask questions and can expect a valid and truthful answer. Be warned though, some questions will not have a solid, concrete answers! Many aspects of nutrition are not black and white. There can be a lot of in-betweens, exceptions, grey area, and long-winded answers to simple questions that you may have thought would get a yes or no answer. All of the information posted on the page will be accurate and from reliable sources. I will do my best to answer all questions to the best of my ability. Check out my page here and like page and share it with your friends. To find other FaceBook pages that might be useful look at Jen's blog and Erika's blog as they are also creating FaceBook pages.

FaceBook pages such as ones similar to mine can be a great way to advance careers and businesses. Not only is it free advertising, but it's a good way for prospective clients to get some information about services you have to offer and areas of specialization or expertise. For me personally, I hope that one day I will be able to use FaceBook as part of a private practice in nutrition to gain new clients and disperse reliable nutrition information. It can be a place for people to ask quick questions if they don't have time to have a full appointment; it can also be a place for people to post their questions they wish to be addressed in an appointment. Others may have the same questions that have already been asked so it can also be a way to find reliable information about specific topics. Relevant links and articles will also be posted in the page so that people can research further into topics of their interests. See more about how FaceBook can be used for businesses here.

Introduction

I'm currently in my 4th year in the Nutrition major program with a goal of becoming a Registered Dietitian (RD). Dietitians are nutrition professionals that are registered under a provincial regulatory board. Dietitians can work in a variety of settings including but not limited to clinical, private practice, food service management and policy development. To learn more about the role of a dietitian or how to become a dietitian check out the Dietitians of Canada website.

Communication plays a very important role in nutrition and nutrition education. Nutrition information can be found every from the news, commercials on the radio and TV, magazines, from friends and family, and from health care practitioners to name a few. A major problem today is mixed messaging. The classic example is butter vs. margarine.

Image from http://blogs.canoe.ca/healthierhappierwiser/health/guest-blogger-butter-vs-margarine/

It seems like one day people are told that butter is better than margarine and the next they are being told the opposite. This leads to people not listening to nutrition information and just choosing whatever they like best. Furthermore anyone can give nutrition information and when people are receiving it they need to decide whether it is coming form a credible source or not. 

A possible was to combat these 2 issues are health care professionals using social media to deliver consistent messaging. Since social media is so popular it has the potential to deliver reliable information from a credible to source to a large amount of the population. Currently there are quite a few blogs written by RD's about health and nutrition. Take a look at a few: A Girl and Her Carrot, A Bite of Wellness Wisdom, Healthy and Happy Hour. 

Looking forward to a fun semester of blogging! Check you another nutrition students blog here!