Progress 10/01/17 to 09/30/18
Outputs
Target Audience:Target audiences were primarily focused on females of reproductive age or those who influence females of reproductive age. These efforts included both undergraduate and graduate university students in three courses, as well as females seen for nutrition counseling. Two presentations were made to college and university health professionals and one graduate student poster presentation at the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources Student Symposium reached students and faculty alike. Other Outreach activities included community talks to retirees and YWCA groups. Changes/Problems:The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) does not contain data for Mn nor the other heavy metals more frequently found in the 7500+foods. Due to the increasing research studies reporting associations between manganese exposure and neurologic symptoms in infants and children, there is a growing need for Mn data. Without adequate Mn information in the food data used by NHANES, potential causes of health issues may too easily be overlooked. This oversight may delay corrective actions needed in the prevention of developmental problem related to the autism spectrum. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project trained two graduate students in basic food composition lab analyses and database evaluation. It helped to train these students in using data mining software and in overall practical presentation of results. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Outreach was accomplished through handouts and presentations to students at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Pacific Coast College Health Association professionals and one-on-one individual counseling at the University Health Services at Manoa. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We plan to complete the following: 1. Chemical analyses of most commonly consumed high manganese foods; 2. Make available an updated Mn database, based on literature and analyses; 3. To evaluate potential Mn intake of the NHANES population, we will input Mn data for NHANES food codes and run model analyses; 4. Publish results both in scientific journals but also make this information available via popular media.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The trace element manganese is both an essential nutrient and a potential neurotoxin when consumed in excess over time. Evaluation of manganese (Mn) data from both lab analyses and international food databases indicates that high Mn foods are almost exclusively plant-based, with many containing 10-50 times the Mn found in foods from animal sources. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) is designed to continuously/repeatedly assess the health and nutritional status of adults in America. The NHANES dataset, however, does not include Mn as part of its nutrient database. Therefore, to better understand how high Mn foods are presented to the public, we explored the potential influence of the increasingly popular Internet marketing term of "Superfood." This term seems to be generically used to assist individuals in choosing healthier food options. Our study looked at which foods would be found in a common search and the relative frequency that a consumer would see any particular "Superfood" on Internet websites. On a single day, the Google search engine was used to search the term "superfood list." Data were obtained from the top 50 sites. Foods were then categorized into modified USDA and culinary food groups. A list consisting of 1215 "superfoods" was downloaded representing 385 unique foods. Sites recommended from 0 to 127 foods. Plant sources represented more than 90% of the unique foods, animal sources represented about 9%. Regardless of the Internet site focus or author credentials, Internet sites significantly promoted higher Mn foods within food groups. The results of this study indicate that those making food choices based on the "superfood" concept may be unknowingly consuming excess Mn and potentially adversely affecting long-term health. Adding Mn to the database used to evaluate What We Eat in America (WWEIA) would provide a better evaluation of potential Mn risks to the overall public.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Titchenal, C.A. and Dobbs, J. 2017. Plant-based Diets Potential Strengths, Weaknesses and Toxicities. 2017 Pacific Coast College Health Association Annual Meeting. Striking Gold, Mastering Emerging Trends in College Health, October 11-14, 2017, Reno, Nevada.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Dobbs, J. and Titchenal, C.A. 2017. Growing Campus Food Insecurity Has Substantial Physical and Mental Health Implications. 2017 Pacific Coast College Health Association Annual Meeting. Striking Gold, Mastering Emerging Trends in College Health, October 11-14, 2017, Reno, Nevada.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Valdez, D.K., Titchenal, C.A., and Dobbs, J. 2018. Potential of Internet Influence on Superfood Choices. 2018 CTAHR-COE Student Research Symposium. University of Hawaii. Honolulu, Hawaii.
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Progress 10/01/16 to 09/30/17
Outputs
Target Audience:Target audiences reached this year include university classroom instruction and outreach activities including newspaper audience, Hawaii State Farm Fair visitors (families), Outreach community talks to retirees and YWCA groups. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser is Hawaii's major newspaper and is ranked 12th out of the 15 largest daily newspapers in the United States. The combined daily print and online digital circulation exceed 152,000 copies. Additionally, nutrition researchers and health professionals were reached via one oral presentation and one graduate student poster presentation at the 2016 Hawaii Public Health Conference (Oct. 13). Changes/Problems:Databases from around the world were combined into a JMP data mining application. A memory chip malfunction required that the data be re-entered to assure data integrity. This issue delayed the identification and chemical analyses of foods that will now be done in 2018. Michael Dunn (co-PI) retired, but has continued to be part of the discussion regarding potentially toxic levels of dietary manganese. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project trained one graduate and one undergraduate student in the many challenges related to working with multicultural food composition databases and data mining software applications. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Outreach vehicles included Hawaii State Farm Fair demonstrations and handouts, the University of Hawaii at Manoa Health Services individual counseling, presentations for health professionals at the Hawaii Public Health Conference, community presentations, and publication of Honolulu Star-Advertiser newspaper articles. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We plan to continue adding published manganese data to our database, as well as chemically analyzed manganese data from commonly consumed local cultural foods. The database will be made available to other researchers through published data and in excel file format.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Fifty food composition databases were examined for manganese data. Thirty percent of these databases listed manganese but often only for a small subset of foods. Many national databases glean data from other published databases, including the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. Additional data were also collected to determine the percent of food values that were based on one or two food samples or were imputed. Where this information was available, data indicated that most data represents only a few chemically analyzed samples and may not be representative of individual foods. Sample diets of commonly consumed high manganese foods also were evaluated regarding potential manganese toxicity in children. Because potentially toxic levels of manganese are much lower for young children, exceeding the DRI upper limits for manganese set by the Institute of Medicine Food and Nutrition Board is relatively easy.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Dobbs, J.C. and Titchenal, C.A. 2016. Critical Importance of Balancing Public Health Nutrition Messages with Nutrition Science. Hawaii Public Health Conference, October 13, 2016. Honolulu, HI.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
LeMoon, T., Titchenal, C.A., Dunn, M.A., and Dobbs, J. 2016. Manganese Toxicity from Healthy Diets. Hawaii Public Health Conference, October 13, 2016. Honolulu, HI. (Poster)
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Progress 10/01/15 to 09/30/16
Outputs
Target Audience:Target audiences reached this year include: university classroom instruction and outreach activities including newspaper audience, Hawaii State Farm Fair visitors (families), university students, staff and faculty. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser is Hawaii's major newspaper and is ranked 12th out of the 15 largest daily newspapers in the U.S. Combined daily print and online digital circulation exceeds 152,000 copies. Also nutrition researchers and health professionals were reached via one graduate student presentation at our college student research symposium and by an oral presentation at a western states regional conference. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Even with Internet access, few students today understand how to find nutrient composition information. This project has allowed for training of graduate students and undergraduate students in finding nutrient databases and pertinent references from around the world. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Main vehicles for outreach included: Hawaii State Farm Fair demonstrations and handouts, university dorm presentations, University of Hawaii at Manoa Health Services individual counseling, and a Honolulu Star-Advertiser Health Options newspaper column. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We plan to 1) substantially increase the literature nutrient database regarding manganese content of foods and 2) obtain funding to do mineral analysis of commonly consumed processed foods as well as locally produced foods that are potentially high in manganese.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Databases and literature containing food composition data on manganese is fairly extensive. Development of a mineral database has been started with foods from the Total Diet Study included as well as six additional databases and research literature.Most resources do not contain manganese values for processed foods that are commonly consumed today. Many of these processed foods contain ingredients that likely contain high levels of manganese, as well as aluminum, another neurotoxic mineral.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Dobbs, J., LeMoon, T., Dunn, M.A., and Titchenal, C.A. 2016. Identifying Groups at Greatest Risk for Potential Manganese Toxicity from Healthy Diets Regional Health Disparities in the Mountain West. Mountain West CTR-IN Third Annual Meeting June 6 - 8, 2016.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
LeMoon T., Titchenal C.A., Dunn, M.A., and Dobbs, J. 2016 Manganese Toxicity from Healthy Diets. CTAHR-COE Student Research Symposium. University of Hawaii.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Titchenal, C.A., Dobbs, J.C. 2016. Too much of a healthy diet can lead to severe problems. Honolulu Star-Advertiser newspaper, April 26, 2016.
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