Abstract
Excellent research designs are essential for efficiently and accurately answering nutrition-related questions, the answers to which in turn are used in policy making. Such policy would include advice from the perspective of health about what foods people should eat, what foods industry should supply, and whether some compounds should be consumed as dietary supplements. Areas of inquiry range from molecular mechanisms in cells, animals, and humans; to descriptions of what population groups eat; to effects of food and nutrient intake on clinical outcomes and intermediate variables; and to behaviors, policies, and cost structures that influence food preparation and consumption.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Willett W. Nutritional epidemiology. New York: Oxford University Press; 1998.
Boushey C, Harris J, Bruemmer B, Archer S, Van Horn L. Publishing nutrition research: a review of study design, statistical analysis, and other key elements of manuscript preparation, Part 1. J Am Diet Assoc. 2006;106:89–96.
Boushey C, Harris J, Bruemmer B, Archer S. Publishing nutrition research: a review of sampling, sample size, statistical analysis, and other key elements of manuscript preparation, Part 4. J Am Diet Assoc. 2008;108:679–88.
Harris J, Boushey C, Bruemmer B, Archer S. Publishing nutrition research: a review of nonparametric methods, Part 3. J Am Diet Assoc. 2008;108:1488–96.
Harris J, Gleason P, Sheean P, Boushey C, Beto J, Bruemmer B. An introduction to qualitative research for food and nutrition professionals. J Am Diet Assoc. 2009;109:80–90.
Bruemmer B, Harris J, Gleason P, Boushey C, Sheean P, Van Horn L. Publishing nutrition research: a review of epidemiological methods. J Am Diet Assoc. 2009;109:1728–37.
Gleason PM, Harris JE, Sheean PM, Boushey CJ, Bruemmer B. Publishing nutrition research: validity, reliability, and diagnostic test assessment in nutrition-related research. J Am Diet Assoc. 2010;110:409–19.
Hill AB. The environment and disease: association or causation? Proc R Soc Med. 1965;58:295–300.
Cutler GJ, Flood A, Hannan P, Neumark-Sztainer D. Major patterns of dietary intake in adolescents and their stability over time. J Nutr. 2009;139:323–8.
Prentice RL. Dietary assessment and the reliability of nutritional epidemiology research reports. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2010;102:583–5.
Neuhouser ML, Tinker L, Shaw PA, et al. Use of recovery biomarkers to calibrate nutrient consumption self-reports in the Women’s Health Initiative. Am J Epidemiol. 2008;167:1247–59.
Beaton GH, Milner J, McGuire V, Feather TE, Little JA. Source of variance in 24-hour dietary recall data: implications for nutrition study design and interpretation. Carbohydrate sources, vitamins, and minerals. Am J Clin Nutr. 1983;37:986–95.
Friedman GD, Cutter GR, Donahue RP, Hughes GH, Hulley SB, Jacobs Jr DR, et al. CARDIA: study design, recruitment, and some characteristics of the examined subjects. J Clin Epidemiol. 1988;41:1105–16.
Bild DE, Bluemke DA, Burke GL, et al. Multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis: objectives and design. Am J Epidemiol. 2002;156:871–81.
Stringhini S, Sabia S, Shipley M, et al. Association of socioeconomic position with health behaviors and mortality. JAMA. 2010;303:1159–66.
Sinha R, Cross AJ, Graubard BI, Leitzmann MF, Schatzkin A. Meat intake and mortality: a prospective study of over half a million people. Arch Intern Med. 2009;169:562–71.
Willett WC. Fruits, vegetables, and cancer prevention: turmoil in the produce section. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2010;102:510–1.
Riboli E, Norat T. Epidemiologic evidence of the protective effect of fruit and vegetables on cancer risk. Am J Clin Nutr. 2003;78(3 Suppl):559S–69.
Boffetta P, Couto E, Wichmann J, et al. Fruit and vegetable intake and overall cancer risk in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). J Natl Cancer Inst. 2010;102:529–37.
Hung HC, Joshipura KJ, Jiang R, et al. Fruit and vegetable intake and risk of major chronic disease. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2004;96:1577–84.
Siscovick DS, Weiss NS, Fletcher RH, Lasky T. The incidence of primary cardiac arrest during vigorous exercise. N Engl J Med. 1984;311:874–7.
Jacobs Jr DR, McGovern PG, Blackburn H. The US decline in stroke mortality: what does ecological analysis tell us? Am J Public Health. 1992;82:1596–9.
Armstrong B, Doll R. Environmental factors and cancer incidence and mortality in different countries, with special reference to dietary practices. Int J Cancer. 1975;15:617–31.
Giovannucci E, Liu Y, Rimm EB, et al. Prospective study of predictors of vitamin D status and cancer incidence and mortality in men. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2006;98:451–9.
Elliott P, Stamler J, Nichols R, et al., for the Intersalt Cooperative Research Group. Intersalt revisited: further analyses of 24 hour sodium excretion and blood pressure within and across populations. BMJ. 1996;312:1249–53.
De Wals P, Tairou F, Van Allen MI, et al. Reduction in neural-tube defects after folic acid fortification in Canada. N Engl J Med. 2007;357:135–42.
Taylor R, Morrell S, Mamoon H, Wain G, Ross J. Decline in cervical cancer incidence and mortality in New South Wales in relation to control activities (Australia). Cancer Causes Control. 2006;17:299–306.
Roberts S, Temple NJ. Medical research: a bettor’s guide. Am J Prev Med. 2002;23:231–2.
Temple NJ. Medical research: a complex problem. In: Temple NJ, Burkitt DB, editors. Western diseases: their dietary prevention and reversibility. Totowa, NJ: Humana Press; 1994. p. 419–36.
Temple NJ. Nutrition and disease: challenges of research design. Nutrition. 2002;18:343–7.
Kish L. Statistical design for research. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley; 2004.
Kromhout D, Geleijnse JM, Menotti A, Jacobs DR. The confusion about dietary fatty acids recommendations for CHD prevention. Br J Nutr. 2011;106:627–32.
Snitz BE, O’Meara ES, Carlson MC, et al. Ginkgo biloba for preventing cognitive decline in older adults: a randomized trial. JAMA. 2009;302:2663–70.
Seshadri N, Robinson K. Homocysteine, B vitamins, and coronary artery disease. Med Clin North Am. 2000;84:215–37.
Chao CL, Tsai HH, Lee CM, et al. The graded effect of hyperhomocysteinemia on the severity and extent of coronary atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis. 1999;147:379–86.
Stubbs PJ, Al-Obaidi MK, Conroy RM, et al. Effect of plasma homocysteine concentration on early and late events in patients with acute coronary syndromes. Circulation. 2000;102:605–10.
Bazzano LA, Reynolds K, Holder KN, He J. Effect of folic acid supplementation on risk of cardiovascular diseases: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. JAMA. 2006;296:2720–6.
Albert CM, Cook NR, Gaziano JM, et al. Effect of folic acid and B vitamins on risk of cardiovascular events and total mortality among women at high risk for cardiovascular disease: a randomized trial. JAMA. 2008;299:2027–36.
Armitage JM, Bowman L, Clarke RJ, et al. Study of the Effectiveness of Additional Reductions in Cholesterol and Homocysteine (SEARCH) Collaborative Group. Effects of homocysteine-lowering with folic acid plus vitamin B12 vs placebo on mortality and major morbidity in myocardial infarction survivors: a randomized trial. JAMA. 2010;303:2486–94.
Czeizel AE, Dudás I. Prevention of the first occurrence of neural-tube defects by periconceptional vitamin supplementation. N Engl J Med. 1992;327:1832–5.
He FJ, MacGregor GA. A comprehensive review on salt and health and current experience of worldwide salt reduction programmes. J Hum Hypertens. 2009;23:363–84.
Sacks FM, Svetkey LP, Vollmer WM, et al., for the DASH-Sodium Collaborative Research Group. Effects on blood pressure of reduced dietary sodium and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet. DASH-Sodium Collaborative Research Group. N Engl J Med. 2001;344:3–10.
Knekt P, Ritz J, Pereira MA, et al. Antioxidant vitamins and coronary heart disease risk: a pooled analysis of 9 cohorts. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004;80:1508–20.
Princen HM, van Duyvenvoorde W, Buytenhek R, et al. Supplementation with low doses of vitamin E protects LDL from lipid peroxidation in men and women. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 1995;15:325–33.
Mente A, de Koning L, Shannon HS, Anand SS. A systematic review of the evidence supporting a causal link between dietary factors and coronary heart disease. Arch Intern Med. 2009;169:659–69.
Temple NJ, Basu TK. Role of beta-carotene in the prevention of cancer—a review. Nutr Res. 1988;8:685–701.
Panayiotidis M, Collins AR. Ex vivo assessment of lymphocyte antioxidant status using the comet assay. Free Radic Res. 1997;27:533–7.
Duthie SJ, Ma A, Ross MA, Collins AR. Antioxidant supplementation decreases oxidative DNA damage in human lymphocytes. Cancer Res. 1996;56:1291–5.
Druesne-Pecollo N, Latino-Martel P, Norat T, et al. Beta-carotene supplementation and cancer risk: a systematic review and metaanalysis of randomized controlled trials. Int J Cancer. 2010;127:172–84.
Hollman PC, Cassidy A, Comte B, et al. The biological relevance of direct antioxidant effects of polyphenols for cardiovascular health in humans is not established. J Nutr. 2011;141:989S–1009.
Fraser J. Conflict of interest: a major problem in medical research. In: Temple NJ, Thompson A, editors. Excessive medical spending: facing the challenge. Oxford: Radcliffe Publishing; 2007. p. 20–35.
Kassirer JP. On the take: how medicine’s complicity with big business can endanger your health. New York: Oxford University Press; 2005.
Lesser LI, Ebbeling CB, Goozner M, Wypij D, Ludwig DS. Relationship between funding source and conclusion among nutrition-related scientific articles. PLoS Med. 2007;4:e5.
Levine J, Gussow JD, Hastings D, Eccher A. Authors’ financial relationships with the food and beverage industry and their published positions on the fat substitute olestra. Am J Public Health. 2003;93:664–9.
Rowe S, Alexander N, Clydesdale FM, et al. Funding food science and nutrition research: financial conflicts and scientific integrity. J Nutr. 2009;139:1051–3.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Jacobs, D.R., Temple, N.J. (2012). Methods in Nutrition Research. In: Temple, N., Wilson, T., Jacobs, Jr., D. (eds) Nutritional Health. Nutrition and Health. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-894-8_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-894-8_1
Published:
Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ
Print ISBN: 978-1-61779-893-1
Online ISBN: 978-1-61779-894-8
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)