**FY 2008 Annual Report for National Program 107 Human Nutrition**

The Human Nutrition National Program (NP 107) addresses high-priority
problems of national importance, as outlined in Strategic Goal 5 of the
[ARS Strategic Plan for
FY2006-2011](http://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/00000000/ARSStrategicPlan2006-2011.pdf):
improve the Nation's nutrition and health. Specifically, this program
contributes to Objective 5.2: promote healthier eating habits and
lifestyles. The goal of NP 107 is to define the role of food and its
components in maintaining health throughout the life cycle. During this
cycle there has been increased emphasis on obesity prevention research.

 

This past year represents the final full year of our 5-year research
cycle. There are seven research components in the current program:

-   Composition of Foods

-   Bioavailability of Nutrients and Food Components

-   Nutrition Monitoring

-   Nutrient Requirements

-   Health Promoting Properties of Plant and Animal Foods

-   Relationship between Diet, Genetics, Lifestyle, and the Prevention
    of Obesity and Disease

-   Health Promoting Intervention Strategies for Targeted Populations

The next research cycle, summarized in the [2009-2013 Action
Plan](http://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Program/107/NP107ActionPlan2009-2013Final-webversion.pdf),
contains four research components. This change primarily reflects
increased emphasis on obesity prevention research with a decreased focus
on trace minerals without proven public health significance.

 

Selected accomplishments completed during FY2008 are listed below. Links
to publicly available documentation are provided after each finding.

 

[Soy-based infant formula not found to impair brain
development]{.underline}. Soy infant formula contains phytoestrogens --
chemicals with structures similar to estrogen -- and has been banned in
several countries based on concerns that these compounds pose a
developmental risk to infants. In the first well-controlled,
longitudinal study to examine this issue, scientists at the ARS Center
in Little Rock, Arkansas, found that resting brain electrical activity,
a measure of brain development, did not differ between infants fed
milk-based or soy-based formula during their first six months of life,
the period during which phytoestrogen exposure from soy formula would be
highest. These findings will help reduce parental and food industry
concerns regarding the use of soy infant formula.

Publication: Jing H, Pivik RT, Gilchrist JM, Badger TM. [No difference
indicated in electroencephalographic power spectral analysis in 3- and
6-month-old infants fed soy- or milk-based
formula.](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18336646?ordinalpos=8&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum)
Matern Child Nutr. 2008, 4:136-145.

[Low vitamin D levels shown to increase risk for heart
disease.]{.underline} A growing body of evidence suggests that vitamin D
may adversely affect the cardiovascular system, but data from
longitudinal studies are lacking. In one such study, scientists at the
ARS Center in Boston, Massachusetts, followed 1,739 people for about 5
years and found that hypertensive individuals who were vitamin D
deficient had a two-fold higher incidence of negative cardiovascular
events than those who were not deficient. However, this effect was not
found in those without hypertension. With vitamin D deficiency prevalent
among Americans, these findings have broad public health implications.

Publication: Wang TJ, Pencina MJ, Booth SL, Jacques PF, Ingelsson E,
Lanier K, Benjamin EJ, D\'Agostino RB, Wolf M, Vasan RS. [Vitamin D
deficiency and risk of cardiovascular
disease.](http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/117/4/503)
Circulation. 2008; 117:503-511.

[Porcine immunology and nutrition database expanded]{.underline}.
Scientists at the Beltsville, Maryland, laboratory released a major
upgrade to the Porcine Immunology and Nutrition Database that included
characterization of approximately 100 new real time polymerase chain
reaction (PCR) assays and offered twice the content available
previously. The database, accessed about 400 times per month, is
routinely used by approximately 45 laboratories worldwide, including ARS
scientists working in three National Programs (Food Safety, Human
Nutrition, and Animal Health,). Moreover, the database is referenced in
at least 10 manuscripts and is used as an information resource by
several reagent vendors, including AbD Serotec and Biolegend. The
upgrade will greatly enhance the ability to do genomics-based biology
research in swine.

Available on the Web: [Porcine Immunology and Nutrition
Database](http://199.133.11.115/fmi/iwp/cgi?-db=PINdb&-loadframes)

[Health-promoting compounds in foods and dietary supplements
reported.]{.underline} Researchers in Beltsville, Maryland, developed a
standardized profiling method that was used to identify 37 phenolic
compounds in 17 varieties of beans and 62 phenolic compounds in Ginkgo
biloba, one of the most widely used herbal products. Many of these
compounds were reported for the first time, and they will aid
researchers in developing consistent preparations and standards of
identity as well as in studying the health benefits of foods and
supplements.

Publications: Lin LZ, Chen P, Ozcan M, Harnly JM. [Chromatographic
profiles and identification of new phenolic components of Ginkgo biloba
leaves and selected
products.](http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf800488x) J Agric Food
Chem. 2008, 56:6671-6679.

Luthria DL, Mukhopadhyay S, Robbins RJ, Finley JW, Banuelos GS, Harnly
JM. [UV spectral fingerprinting and analysis of variance-principal
component analysis: a useful tool for characterizing sources of variance
in plant materials.](http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf0734572) J
Agric Food Chem. 2008, 56:5457-5462.

[New MyPyramid developed for older adults.]{.underline} Scientists from
the ARS center in Boston, Massachusetts, updated the Food Guide Pyramid
for Older Adults to reflect the new USDA food pyramid and the 2005
Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Emphases for older Americans include
physical activity, adequate water intake, and possible use of dietary
supplements for a few less consumed nutrients such as vitamins B12 and
D. The new pyramid was released on the Web and in print in an academic
nutrition journal.

Available on the Web: [MyPyramid for Older
Adults](http://nutrition.tufts.edu/1197972031385/Nutrition-Page-nl2w_1198058402614.html)

Publication: Lichtenstein AH, Rasmussen H, Yu WW, Epstein SR, Russell
RM. [Modified MyPyramid for Older
Adults.](http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/abstract/138/1/5?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&author1=rasmussen+h&andorexactfulltext=and&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&sortspec=relevance&resourcetype=HWCIT)
J Nutr. 2008; 138:5-11.

[Dietary carbohydrates linked to health.]{.underline} Several studies on
dietary carbohydrates and health were conducted by scientists in Boston,
Massachusetts. One found that the variability of the glycemic index
(blood sugar response to a fixed amount of carbohydrate from different
foods) within and between individuals was on the order of 40 percent, a
degree of variability too great to be of use in making dietary
recommendations. Another study at this location found that age-related
macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness among the elderly,
is increased by about 10 percent by consumption of high amounts of
refined carbohydrates.

Publications: Vega-López S, Ausman LM, Griffith JL, Lichtenstein AH.
[Interindividual variability and intra-individual reproducibility of
glycemic index values for commercial white
bread](http://care.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/content/full/30/6/1412).
Diabetes Care. 2007; 30:1412-1417.

Chiu CJ, Milton RC, Klein R, Gensler G, Taylor A. [Dietary carbohydrate
and the progression of age-related macular degeneration: a prospective
study from the Age-Related Eye Disease
Study.](http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/86/4/1210) Am J Clin Nutr.
2007;86:1210-1218.

[Sleep deprivation linked to obesity and diabetes.]{.underline}
Researchers at the ARS Center in Houston, Texas, discovered that animals
with a disrupted circadian clock, or daily sleep cycle, at the fat cell
level became heavier and gained more body fat on a normal diet than
animals without this mutation. When challenged with a high fat diet, the
mutant animals not only gained more weight than animals with normal
sleep patterns but also became insulin resistant, a physiological change
that is a precursor to diabetes. This information contributes to an
understanding of why alterations in the internal biological clock of
people, such as those caused by working the night shift or experiencing
other sleep disruptions, may result in greater risk for developing
obesity and diabetes.

[Berries and nuts identified as important to healthy brain
aging.]{.underline} Until recently, it was believed that brain cells
(neurons) were lost throughout the lifespan and not replaced, but now it
is known that new neurons can be made, although this rate slows with
aging. ARS scientists in Boston, Massachusetts, found that supplementing
the diets of animals with strawberries increased the rate of new neuron
growth in a brain region important to memory function. Additionally, the
researchers demonstrated that a diet supplemented with walnut oil
preserved cell membrane function in an area of the brain that is
associated with short-term memory and spatial navigation. These findings
show the importance of including whole berries and nuts in the diet for
healthy brain aging.

Publication: Shukitt-Hale B, Carey AN, Jenkins D, Rabin BM, Joseph JA.
[Beneficial effects of fruit extracts on neuronal function and behavior
in a rodent model of accelerated
aging.](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16837106?ordinalpos=26&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum)
Neurobiol Aging. 2007;28:1187-1194.

[Whole grain consumption shown to lower dietary iron
absorption.]{.underline} The 2005 *Dietary Guidelines for Americans*
emphasized increased consumption of whole grains, which contain phytic
acid, a known inhibitor of iron absorption. ARS scientists in Grand
Forks, North Dakota, found that women consuming diets designed to meet
these dietary recommendations were about one-third less efficient in
absorbing iron from the diet. Because iron deficiency continues to be a
problem for children and women of child-bearing age in the United
States, this new information will be valuable for future revisions of
the *Dietary Guidelines*.

[Access to healthy diets limited by cost]{.underline}. A diet containing
recommended amounts of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains is believed
to be associated with better weight maintenance and health outcomes. ARS
scientists in Davis, California, conducted a study of 112 low-income
households that purchased and prepared their own food. The researchers
found that diet cost was inversely related to diet quality and that the
diets these households could afford had more calories per unit weight,
more total fat and saturated fat, and less vitamin C and A than
recommended. Based on these findings, diet cost appears to be a barrier
to eating a healthy diet in the United States, particularly for
consumers in the low income brackets.