Browsing by Subject "plant-based"

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    Cow’s milk is an important source of iodine for prenatal health and switching to plant-based milk can lead to iodine insufficiencies
    (2024-04-10) Lundquist, Hallie M
    Iodine insufficiencies are common among many populations, particularly pregnant women. One of the main functions of iodine is making thyroid hormone. The two main hormones that iodine influences are triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4). Thyroid hormone impacts the metabolism of most tissues. For the average adult, the Recommended Dietary Allowance, RDA, for iodine is 150 mcg. During certain stages of life, such as pregnancy, lactation, and infancy, the importance of iodine is even greater as it supports brain, bone, and organ development. The RDA for iodine during pregnancy is 220 mcg and, while breastfeeding, the RDA is 290 mcg. Consuming enough iodine in the diet during pregnancy helps support fetal neurodevelopment. Iodine is found in several food sources such as seafood and iodized salt, however, dairy products are one of the major sources of iodine in American diets. It is important to note that only bovine milk products are rich in this mineral. One cup of milk provides 39% and 57% of the daily iodine needs for average adult woman and pregnant woman, respectively. As the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) recommends limiting sodium intake, which includes iodized salt, dairy may be an especially important source of iodine. However, according to the United States Department of Agriculture, about 90% of the U.S. population does not meet the dairy recommendations presented in the DGA. In recent years, plant-based diets have received a lot of attention. A market for plant-based milk alternatives has grown and includes a variety of options such as almond, soy, and oat milk. Plant-based milks do not naturally contain iodine and are typically not fortified with iodine. Women of childbearing age who drink plant-based milks instead of cow’s milk have lower urinary iodine concentrations than women who consume cow’s milk. This review will focus on the importance of iodine in the diet to support prenatal health, lactation, and infant health.
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    Evaluation of Phosphorus Content Among Plant- and Animal-Based Protein Products: Implications for Dietary Recommendations in Chronic Kidney Disease
    (2022-05) Fons, Alexandria
    Kidney function is imperative for human health, especially due to its unique physiologic role in waste regulation. However, approximately 15% of American adults experience diminishing kidney function, which causes substances such as phosphorus (P) to accumulate in the blood, leading to cardiac and skeletal abnormalities. One primary treatment to mitigate elevated serum P levels is to restrict P consumption in the diet. However, this is a largely unsuccessful endeavor due to the ubiquitous nature of P in the food supply, lack of transparency of P content in foods, association of P with protein-rich sources, and economic barriers to acquiring and preparing low P foods. One proposed method for addressing these concerns is transitioning the focus away from P-restricted diets to adopting plant-based eating patterns. However, widespread interest in plant-based eating has generated an emerging industry of ultra-processed plant-based meat alternatives which have unknown health consequences, and it remains unclear whether these products would be beneficial for patients with chronic kidney disease. Therefore, the study described in this thesis sought to investigate the P content of plant- and animal-based protein products through laboratory analysis and exploration of a nutrient database. Laboratory analysis included preparation of food products, freeze drying, ashing, and measurement of mineral content via ICP-OES. Results from this research revealed wide variation in P content and P-to-protein ratios among products in addition to an underestimation of P content of foods in a nutrient database. Further, examining these products illuminated the immense use of phosphorus additives in the food supply and the great discrepancy of cost between plant and animal protein products. The work discussed in this thesis provides foundational knowledge on new-to-market plant protein products, which supplies the groundwork for future research on mineral analysis, bioaccessibility, and bioavailability of food products to ultimately understand the connection between consumption of these foods and the effect on serum P and health outcomes to modify and strengthen dietary recommendations for chronic kidney disease.