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March 24, 2005 NDSU Instructor Studies Eating Habits Fish and fruit juice may be among the foods that put on the pounds, an instructor in North Dakota State University’s Health, Nutrition and Exercise Sciences Department found. Assistant professor Ardith Brunt had 256 students in introductory general education nutrition classes complete a 42-item diet variety questionnaire at the beginning of the fall 2003 and 2004 semesters. The questionnaire identified the foods each student consumed in the previous three days. The students ranged in age from 18 to 56. They provided Brunt with their heights and weights, and she used those figures to calculate their body mass index. From that, she determined that about 35 percent of the students were overweight, 10 percent were obese and 6.5 percent were underweight. She said the obese students tended to be older, male upperclassmen who reported they were on a diet. The questionnaires indicated that:
Brunt’s findings on fruit juice mirror results from the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recent research. CDC researchers said that while fruit juice has vitamins, it’s not as good for people as fresh fruit. New U.S. dietary guidelines also suggest that people consume whole fruit instead of juice. Brunt’s research turned up some unexpected results as well. One of them was on fish. Nutritionists have been urging people to include more fish in their diets. The American Heart Association recommends eating fish at least twice a week. “I was really surprised to see the obese students consume more fish,” she said. “However, the survey only showed what they consumed, not how it was prepared. Preparation can make a big difference in the amount of calories consumed. “Also, the underweight students ate many more fruits and vegetables, compared with any other weight group,” she said. “But they also had more treats than the other groups, too.” Brunt conducted another study on the impact of taking a general education nutrition class on students’ diets. She had 165 students complete the diet variety questionnaire at the beginning of the fall 2003 semester. Ninety-six students took a follow-up survey at the end of the class. The students, especially women, reported drinking more milk. The students also indicated they ate more fruits, grains and meats as a result of what they learned in class. “This shows that taking a nutrition class can make a difference in making healthful food choices,” she said. “Making healthful food choices early on in your college life likely will help you make good choices later in life. These will lead to better health and, hopefully, less risk for obesity and chronic disease.” ### Source:
Ardith Brunt, (701) 231-7475, ardith.brunt@ndsu.edu |
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