Tara Rogers interviews teen athletes to find relationships between diet, exercise and bone density. (2006)

        Childhood and adolescence is the critical period of bone development in order to achieve peak bone mass, which is needed to prevent osteoporosis later in life. In the U.S., 10 million individuals already have the disease and 34 million more have low bone mass, placing them at increased risk for osteoporosis. Bone development is affected by dietary calcium and physical activity.

        Tara Rogers ran cross-country in high school and participated in figure skating and dance activities. “Being an athlete myself, I can identify with the demands athletics place on an individual. My research is identifying populations at a greater risk for osteoporosis in order to design intervention programs to reduce this risk across the life span. In the Division I am able to participate in interdisciplinary research that combines Dr. Chapman-Novakofski's expertise in behavioral determinants of dietary habits of groups of people with Dr. Evans' knowledge of body composition, bone health and physical activity.

        “We're assessing the diet and exercise routines and habits of teenaged swimmers and soccer players and comparing them with non-athletes. In an interview, I ask teens to recall what they ate for the past 24 hours as well as the

quantities of the calcium-rich foods they eat. In addition, we are assessing the girls' bone mineral content by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, or DXA. My research is unique, as there are few studies looking at the combination of diet and exercise with athletes. At this time there are no studies assessing young female athletes that load their bones in different ways and the loading effect on different bone sites of the body.

        I believe that athletes may be more receptive to advice about diet because it may help them improve their performance. I plan to complete the Graduate Dietetic Internship along with my M.S. degree, so when I'm a registered dietitian, I'll be able to offer that advice.”

TV advertises a diet of junk food to children. Research of Dr. Kristen Harrison (2006)

       Research led by U of I professor Kristen Harrison is the first to explore the nutritional composition of foods advertised to children using Nutrition Facts labeling. The study notes that 78 percent of the candy, sweets, soft drinks and fast foods advertised during TV programs watched most by children ages 6 to 11 are nutrient-poor, high-sugar foods.

       The study concluded that a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet of foods in the child-audience ads would exceed the recommended daily value for sodium and provide nearly a cup of sugar. Although it is difficult to know how many children are actually eating a diet like that, the reality is that this is the nutritional composition being marketed to kids and their families.

       Other findings showed that: snack-time eating in TV advertising was depicted more often than breakfast, lunch and dinner combined; there was little representation of fruits and vegetables, dairy foods, meats, poultry and fish; child actors' body size was unrelated to their eating behavior; and most ads featured no health-related messages.

SUZANNE PELLETIER works to change human behavior through education, research, and outreach. (2002)

       “My research focuses on functional foods for heart health. Functional foods are foods that provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition, such as preventing diseases like cardiovascular disease and cancer, lowering cholesterol, and preventing osteoporosis.

       Specifically, I do outreach and education programs for cardiac rehabilitation patients at two community hospitals. Working with my advisor, Clare Hasler, l am researching the effects of education on consumer attitudes and changes in consumption frequency for eight specific functional foods that have been scientifically demonstrated to prevent cardiovascular disease.

       My role as liaison between researchers in the Nutritional Sciences Division and the public has been very rewarding. Graduate school at the U of I has been

long-term project from start to finish, run education programs in the community, and really take ownership of a specific area of expertise.

        The Nutritional Sciences Division pro­vides a unique interdisciplinary experience because nutrition impacts so many different disciplines. It allows you to learn about the science of nutrition from different perspectives. Although most students and professors in the Division are involved in different areas of research, there is a strong sense of community and motivation to excel.”