Associations Between Health Status, Training Level, Motivations for Exercise, and Supplement Use Among Recreational Runners.

Dietary supplement use continues to increase, with athlete use surpassing non-athlete utilization. Most research has been conducted on dietary supplement use in elite or collegiate-level athletes. This study investigated supplement use in adult recreational runners and determined relationships between supplement use and participants' training volume, motivations for exercise, self-reported health status, and reasons for using dietary supplements. Participants (n = 283) were recruited for this cross-sectional study via a convenience sampling method. Participants completed an electronic questionnaire using Likert-scale response options. Correlations between the aggregate variables of health status, training level, exercise motivation, reasons for using supplements, and supplement use were calculated using bivariate Pearson correlation analysis. There was a positive correlation between the variables exercise motivation and supplement use (r = 0.267, n = 276, p = 0.01), and between variables influencing reasons for using dietary supplements and reported supplement use was also found (r = 0.425, n = 276, p = 0.01). There was no correlation between health status and supplement use (r = 0.043, n = 275, p = 0.476), or between training level and supplement use (r = 0.00, n = 275, p = 0.994). This study demonstrated a positive correlation between runners' supplement use and motivations for exercising and reasons for consuming supplements. A significant relationship was not found between supplement use and participants' health status or supplement use and runners' training volume. This finding contrasts with previous research in supplement use in the athlete population, which largely reports increased dietary supplement use with increased training volume.

Goal orientation, motivational climate, and exercise as predictors of eating disorder risk factors among college students.

Objectives: This study examined how goal orientation, motivational climate, and exercise could be used to predict college students' eating disorder symptomology. Participants: Recruited in February 2017, the participants included 275 college-aged students from a university in the southeastern United States. Methods: Using achievement goal theory as the framework to conceptualize motivations behind eating disorder behaviors, each participant filled out questionnaires related to goal mindsets, perceptions of the social climate in the university recreation center, and exercise habits. Data were analyzed using multiple regression analyses, with R coefficients being used to evaluate prediction models. Results: The results of the study suggested that goal orientation and ego-involving climate were the only significant predictors of eating disorder symptomology, accounting for 3.4% of the total variance. Conclusions: This study provided preliminary evidence of the importance of studying achievement goal theory-related variables that contribute to our understanding of eating disorder symptomology in the collegiate population.

Examining the effects of different teaching strategies on metacognition and academic performance.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of different metacognitive interventions on knowledge and regulation of cognition, as well as academic performance (i.e., exam and final grades) in three sections of an undergraduate human anatomy and physiology course. All targeted classes were randomly assigned to one of three groups (reflection practice, passive acquisition of knowledge, and collaborative learning), and the interventions were implemented after exam 1. A pre- and posttest survey was administered during the semester (during week 2 and after exam 2), and exam and final course grades were collected at the end of the semester. The final sample included 129 students. A significant interaction of group and time was observed for knowledge of cognition: it increased in the reflection practice group, did not change in the collaborative learning group, and it decreased in the passive acquisition of knowledge. The interventions did not produce any significant interactions or main effects on regulation of cognition, exam scores, or final grades. Along with more research on metacognition in physiology education contexts, it is recommended to further examine the ways in which such data can be collected, as self-report measures only tell part of the story.

The Effects of Beetroot Juice on VO2max and Blood Pressure during Submaximal Exercise.

Beetroot juice (BR) has been shown to reduce blood pressure (BP) at rest and improve several performance parameters during exercise. However, the effect of BR on BP during submaximal exercise has not been investigated and its effects on VO2max are inconclusive. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of BR on VO2max and BP during submaximal exercise. 20 healthy, recreationally trained volunteers (age 21.8±2.35 years, weight 75.10±10.62 kg, height 177.4±6.39 cm) participated in this study, which had a double-blind placebo controlled randomized crossover design. Participants supplemented with either 237 ml servings of placebo or 70 ml BR servings (nitrate concentration of 6.4 mmol/day) for 7 days. Participants completed a ramp treadmill protocol to determine VO2max. BP was taken at 70% max heart rate calculated using the Karvonen method. There was no significant change in VO2max after BR supplementation (51.07±6.12 ml/kg/min) versus placebo (50.46±6.06 ml/kg/min), t(19)=1.41, p=0.17. There was no significant change in either systolic BP after BR supplementation (180.65±23.37 mm Hg) versus placebo (177.65±22.07 mm Hg), t(19)=0.49, p=0.63, or in diastolic BP after BR (92.90±18.89 mm Hg) versus placebo (90.75±17.73 mm Hg), t(19)=0.51, p=0.62. BR did not affect VO2max, nor did it affect BP during submaximal exercise.

Changes in energy expenditure associated with ingestion of high protein, high fat versus high protein, low fat meals among underweight, normal weight, and overweight females.

BACKGROUND: Metabolic rate is known to rise above basal levels after eating, especially following protein consumption. Yet, this postprandial rise in metabolism appears to vary among individuals. This study examined changes in energy expenditure in response to ingestion of a high protein, high fat (HPHF) meal versus an isocaloric high protein, low fat (HPLF) meal in underweight, normal weight, or overweight females (n = 21) aged 19-28 years. METHODS: Energy expenditure, measured using indirect calorimetry, was assessed before and every 30 minutes for 3.5 hours following consumption of the meals on two separate occasions. Height and weight were measured using standard techniques. Body composition was measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis. RESULTS: Significant positive correlations were found between body mass index (BMI) and baseline metabolic rate (MR) (r = 0.539; p = 0.017), between body weight and baseline MR (r = 0.567; p = 0.011), between BMI and average total change in MR (r = 0.591; p = 0.008), and between body weight and average total change in MR (r = 0.464; p = 0.045). Metabolic rate (kcal/min) was significantly higher in the overweight group than the normal weight group, which was significantly higher than the underweight group across all times and treatments. However, when metabolic rate was expressed per kg fat free mass (ffm), no significant difference was found in postprandial energy expenditure between the overweight and normal groups. Changes in MR (kcal/min and kcal/min/kg ffm) from the baseline rate did not significantly differ in the underweight (n = 3) or in the overweight subjects (n = 5) following consumption of either meal at any time. Changes in MR (kcal/min and kcal/min/kg ffm) from baseline were significantly higher in normal weight subjects (n = 11) across all times following consumption of the HPHF meal versus the HPLF meal. CONCLUSION: There is no diet-induced thermogenic advantage between the HPHF and HPLF meals in overweight and underweight subjects. In contrast, in normal weight subjects, ingestion of a HPHF meal significantly increases MR (69.3 kcal/3.5 hr) versus consumption of a HPLF meal and provides a short-term metabolic advantage.