Browsing by Author "Parnell, Jill A."

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    Evaluation of Dietary Supplement Usage, Dietary Intakes, and Nutrition Knowledge in Clinical and Athletic Populations
    (2022-06-27) Madden, Robyn F.; Shearer, Jane; Parnell, Jill A.; Reimer, Raylene; Legg, David.
    Background: Nutrition is a broad scientific discipline under which dietary supplements fall. Dietary supplements can be defined as dietary ingredients intended to achieve a specific health and/or performance outcome. Utilization of dietary supplements differs between clinical and athletic populations; therefore, understanding the types, frequency, and reasons for use is pivotal to avoiding over- or under supplementing. Moreover, assessing dietary intakes and dietary patterns alongside dietary supplements helps ensure nutritional needs are being met. While the consumption of dietary supplements continues to increase, investigation of use, reasons for use, and evidence-based knowledge in support of these products, among many athletic and clinical populations, is lacking. Objective: This dissertation explores numerous nutritional concepts pertaining to para athletes, athletes with a spinal cord injury, and patients with mitochondrial disease. The specific objectives of this thesis are: 1) evaluate dietary intakes and supplement use in Canadian para athletes, 2) investigate dietary supplement use and reasons for use among Canadian wheelchair rugby athletes, 3) assess baseline sports nutrition knowledge levels of athletes with spinal cord injuries and coaches of para sport, and 4) explore dietary supplement use and dietary patterns followed in patients with mitochondrial disease. Methods: Four survey-based, cross-sectional studies were conducted to explore the above objectives. Specifically, 1) dietary intakes and supplement use were assessed in Canadian para athletes using three-day food records and a dietary supplement questionnaire; 2) dietary supplement use and reasons for use among Canadian wheelchair rugby athletes were collected via a dietary supplement questionnaire; 3) the Nutrition for Sport Knowledge Questionnaire was administered to assess knowledge levels among athletes with spinal cord injuries and coaches of para sport, and 4) dietary supplement use and dietary pattern information were evaluated among patients with mitochondrial disease using an electronic survey. Results: The primary findings from our study objectives were: 1) Canadian para athletes have several micronutrient inadequacies and uninformed use of specific supplements; 2) Canadian wheelchair rugby athletes highly utilize dietary supplements notably for medical and performance purposes; 3) athletes with spinal cord injuries and coaches of para sport demonstrated low-to-moderate sports nutrition knowledge across six nutrition categories, and 4) patients with mitochondrial disease relied heavily on a wide variety of dietary supplements while following specific dietary patterns for clinical symptom management.Conclusion: Our results provide evidence that dietary supplements are highly sought-after products across both clinical and athletic populations. Specifically, types and frequency of dietary supplements are implemented for a variety of reasons, depending on desired outcomes within each individual population. We also demonstrated the need for the development of dietary intake recommendations and evidence-based trials to better understand the effects of specific supplements on athletic performance and clinical disease management. Lastly, it is evident that nutrition knowledge is lacking in para athletic populations, highlighting the need for nutrition education.
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    Evaluation of yellow pea fibre supplementation on weight loss and the gut microbiota: a randomized controlled trial
    (BioMed Central, 2014-04-08) Lambert, Jennifer E.; Parnell, Jill A.; Han, Jay; Sturzenegger, Troy; Paul, Heather A.; Vogel, Hans J.; Reimer, Raylene A.
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    Gut microbiota manipulation with prebiotics in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a randomized controlled trial protocol
    (BMC Gastroenterology, 2015-12-03) Lambert, Jennifer E.; Parnell, Jill A.; Eksteen, Bertus; Raman, Maitreyi; Bomhof, Marc R.; Rioux, Kevin P.; Madsen, Karen L.; Reimer, Raylene A.
    Background Evidence for the role of the gut microbiome in the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is emerging. Strategies to manipulate the gut microbiota towards a healthier community structure are actively being investigated. Based on their ability to favorably modulate the gut microbiota, prebiotics may provide an inexpensive yet effective dietary treatment for NAFLD. Additionally, prebiotics have established benefits for glucose control and potentially weight control, both advantageous in managing fatty liver disease. Our objective is to evaluate the effects of prebiotic supplementation, adjunct to those achieved with diet-induced weight loss, on heptic injury and liver fat, the gut microbiota, inflammation, glucose tolerance, and satiety in patients with NAFLD. Methods/design In a double blind, placebo controlled, parallel group study, adults (BMI ā‰„25) with confirmed NAFLD will be randomized to either a 16 g/d prebiotic supplemented group or isocaloric placebo group for 24 weeks (nā€‰=ā€‰30/group). All participants will receive individualized dietary counseling sessions with a registered dietitian to achieve 10 % weight loss. Primary outcome measures include change in hepatic injury (fibrosis and inflammation) and liver fat. Secondary outcomes include change in body composition, appetite and dietary adherence, glycemic and insulinemic responses and inflammatory cytokines. Mechanisms related to prebiotic-induced changes in gut microbiota (shot-gun sequencing) and their metabolic by-products (volatile organic compounds) and de novo lipogenesis (using deuterium incorporation) will also be investigated. Discussion There are currently no medications or surgical procedures approved for the treatment of NAFLD and weight loss via lifestyle modification remains the cornerstone of current care recommendations. Given that prebiotics target multiple metabolic impairments associated with NAFLD, investigating their ability to modulate the gut microbiota and hepatic health in patients with NAFLD is warranted.