Dr. Laurel Wentz, Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutrition and Health Care Management, received a BCHS summer research award to work in the Human Performance Lab at the North Carolina Research Campus. She spent a total of 10 weeks as visiting faculty collaborating in the Human Performance Lab (HPL) directed by Dr. David Nieman, Professor of Health and Exercise Science.
Wentz is a co-investigator with Nieman on a grant sponsored by Standard Process to conduct a cross-sectional comparison of inflammation biomarkers with healthy adults compared to individuals with metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Nieman and Wentz expect to begin data collection early this fall. Additionally, Nieman and Wentz submitted an $851,390 military grant proposal through the UNC-GA to use novel proteins markers obtained from finger-prick blood samples to monitor training distress and poor immune function in warfighters and athletes. The purpose of this study is to determine if these blood-based protein markers can serve as indicators of overtraining in elite Special Operations Forces.
Wentz has also been involved in two ongoing studies directed by Nieman and sponsored by Reoxcyn examining the benefits of flavonoids that are currently in data collection:
A Randomized, Cross-over Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Acute Effects of Mixed Flavonoid and Caffeine Ingestion on Energy Expenditure and Fat Oxidation in Health Adult Women.
Influence of Mixed Flavonoid Supplementation on Exercise-Induced Susceptibility to Viral Infection and Oxinflammation in Cyclists.
When asked about the impact this research experience will have on her students Wentz replied, “This has been a great opportunity to share research experience in teaching. For example, I teach nutrition assessment to dietetics students and in the HPL, we are using novel assessment methods, beyond what is used clinically, to measure proteins and inflammatory markers that I can discuss in my courses. I can also share my experiences engaging with the NCRC faculty, staff and interns.”
NCRC
