Ms Yvonne Chua, honours research student at the Australasian Research Institute.
In 2004 Avondale College of Higher Education, Sydney Adventist Hospital, and Sanitarium Health and Wellbeing jointly established the Australasian Research Institute (ARI) to coordinate health-related research in partnership with researchers in universities and other research organisations.
The ARI operates from offices in Avondale’s Faculty of Nursing and Health at the Sydney Adventist Hospital, and Avondale staff have made a significant contribution to ARI’s research projects.
‘We seek to contribute via research to health and wellbeing in the community,’ said ARI’s Executive Director, Dr Ross Grant.
One collaborative project involving Avondale staff has been the ARI-sponsored research on teen health, investigating relationships between nutrition and teen lifestyle behaviours, including the possible impact of a vegetable-rich diet on adolescent health. The researchers found that cognitive function tends to be higher in adolescents who regularly eat a vegetarian diet.¹ The contribution of differences in socioeconomic status to these observed differences in cognitive function is being investigated. The study also compared the use of brain-power supplements by vegetarian and non-vegetarian adolescents. Significantly more of the vegetarian adolescents used vitamin B12 supplements. There were no significant differences between the vegetarians and non-vegetarians in regular use of a range of other nutrients and herbs promoted by health food shops to enhance cognitive function.
At a time when adolescent obesity is an increasing problem, the research on teen health showed that students on a vegetable-rich diet also had lower body mass index. One surprising finding was that regular consumption of nuts (irrespective of vegetarian status) is linked to lower body mass index, possibly through promotion of the osmotin receptor signalling (though this proposed mechanism needs to be verified).
Further research on adolescent females only showed that girls who routinely diet develop a biochemical profile indicative of chronic under-nutrition.² These young dieters had lower blood haemoglobin and lower calcium and alkaline phosphatase levels, suggesting lower bone mineralisation and risk of osteoporosis in older age. Results of these teen health studies have been published in refereed journals and reported in conference presentations.
Avondale staff are currently involved in collaborative research sponsored by the ARI exploring possible relationships between brain biology, food and adolescents’ moods. The study is seeking to identify neurobiological correlates to depression in adolescents. One preliminary finding is that levels of the omega-3 fats for many of the adolescents are lower than is desirable. Low omega-3 is a known risk factor for the development of depression and other psycho-neural disorders.
Avondale staff are also involved with ARI investigating the use of caffeine and energy drinks in over 3000 adolescents. The study is significant because caffeine intake tends to heighten stress and anxiety, which in turn tends to promote depression.
Avondale staff are involved in two ARI-sponsored research projects relating to diabetes. One study is investigating levels in vegetarian and non-vegetarian adults of the protein molecule adipocytokine, high levels of which tend to protect against diabetes. A second study is researching relationships between insulin resistance and childhood diabetes.
A team including three Avondale staff members has published research assisted by an ARI grant on levels of psychological distress suffered by spouses and parents of people with severe traumatic brain injury. An Avondale project on the therapeutic value of creative writing workshops for cancer patients (see the autumn 2010 issue of Reflections) was also assisted by an ARI grant, as were all the research projects described in this article.
Grants are approved and projects monitored by a research advisory committee of twelve members, comprising six university researchers, two directors of centres for medical research, and four researchers from Avondale College of Higher Education and Sydney Adventist Hospital.
ARI is able to assist researchers by facilitating access to the healthcare, social development, and nutrition resources of Adventist universities and healthcare institutions internationally. ARI also conducts research for commercial bodies, including clinical efficacy studies and clinical therapeutic trials.
1 Grant R , Bilgin A, Zeuschner C, Guy T, Pearce R, Hokin B, Ashton J. The Relative Impact of a Vegetable-Rich Diet on Key Markers of Health in a Cohort of Australian Adolescents. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2008;17(1):107-115.
2 Guest J, Bilgin A, Pearce R, Baines S, Zeuschner C, Morris M, Grant C, Grant R. Evidence for Under Nutrition in Adolescent Females using Routine Dieting Practices. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2010;19(4): 526-533.
Caption: Ms Yvonne Chua, honours research student at the Australasian Research Institute.