Studies of Berries and Health

Restricted (Penn State Only)
- Author:
- Zhang, Li
- Graduate Program:
- Epidemiology (PhD)
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- October 17, 2022
- Committee Members:
- Penny Kris-Etherton, Outside Unit & Field Member
Vernon Chinchilli, Major Field Member
Joshua Muscat, Co-Chair & Dissertation Advisor
John Richie, Co-Chair & Dissertation Advisor
Duanping Liao, Professor in Charge/Director of Graduate Studies - Keywords:
- Berries
Flavonoids
Mortality
Sleep
Diet Quality
Allostatic Load
Stress
Cardiovascular Risk Factor
Overall Health
Nutritional Epidemiology - Abstract:
- Berries are perceived as health-promoting fruits due to their rich nutrients that are known to mitigate disease risk; however, little is known about the impact of berry intake on general health and all-cause mortality. A paucity of quality data in observational studies further indicates that associations of berry consumption and health and all-cause mortality are particularly understudied. Major methodological challenges contributing to the understudied associations include infrequent berry consumption and food frequency questionnaires that fail to separate berries from other fruit or specify the berry types and the amount consumed. Fortunately, we can study the roles of berries played in health (including mortality risk) using nationally representative samples in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) with linked mortality data. Most importantly, the validated 24-hour food recalls in NHANES include berry-specific information, facilitating the study of the health outcomes, including all-cause mortality, associated with berry intake in the entire adult American population. We examined the relationship between berry intake and mortality risk as well as separate morbidities including allostatic load and sleep. We further determine whether berry intake is associated with diet quality to ascertain whether potential effects of berries are due to berry itself or the diet. Further, the postulated associations can help construct a tangible and viable diet strategy incorporating berries to benefit many adult Americans, especially in the post-pandemic era heightened by stress and health concerns.