An Overview of the RD Mentorship Program

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics highlights the need for more mentorship opportunities for Registered Dietitian (RDs) in their 2017 Strategic Plan. There are a limited number of published structured programs that facilitate relationships between practicing dietitians and dietetics students (DS). The purpose of the RD Mentorship Program is to determine the impact of a project-based mentoring experience on self-perceptions of mentoring and professional advancement. The RD Mentorship Program partners RDs with DS to work on specific nutrition-related projects. Partnerships are required to meet at least once per month to work on their project. After piloting the program for several years, the program launched state-wide in Texas and Florida for 2019-2020. Currently, there are 178 RDs and 202 DS which includes a 15% attrition rate from the start. At baseline, 23% of RDs currently had a student working with them, and 62% of RDs reported being confident in their mentoring ability. As for DS, 44% had worked with an RD before at baseline and 57% reported confidence in their mentee abilities. In the mid-program evaluation survey (n=110), a majority of participants (53%) said they found the program very useful or extremely useful, and 86% of the participants said they would be interested in participating in the program in the future. It is hoped that the RD Mentorship Program will strengthen the working knowledge of students and be an innovative approach to building the bridge between student and practitioner, fulfilling part of the Academy’s Strategic Plan

NUTRITION, VISION, AND COGNITION IN HEALTH: EGG (IONHEALTH-EGG) STUDY

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of the nutrients in eggs, specifically in the yolk, on the visual cognitive performance (VCP) in generally healthy older individuals. METHODS: One hundred six generally healthy men (40) and women (66) aged 50 to 75 years were randomly assigned to one of five dietary treatment groups: four egg whites (EW); two whole regular eggs (WE); two whole Omega-3 FA fortified eggs (O3E); four egg yolks (EY); and a no-egg control (NEC). Subjects maintained their usual dietary intake including the treatment modifications daily for 30 days. VCP was measured using the NeuroTracker™ CORE (NT) 3-Dimensional (3-D) software program (15 training sessions) during the final 2 weeks of the study. Participants recorded daily food intake during the first 2 weeks of treatment and each day they trained on the NT. Food logs were analyzed using Nutribase software. Statistical analyses were performed in SPSS using the paired sample t test, the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), repeated measures ANOVA, ANCOVA and multiple regression. RESULTS: The dietary intervention successfully created distinct dietary intake differences for choline, lutein, omega-3 fatty acids and cholesterol (P0.10). There were significant increases in Lutein ((P=0.02), Zeaxanthin (P=0.004) and L + Z (P=0.006) in the WE treatment group only. CONCLUSION: Dietary and cognitive interventions were successful at altering dietary intake, significantly improving serum lutein and zeaxanthin in the whole egg treatment group and improving VCP among all treatment groups with limited impact on lipid levels. No egg consumption pattern was superior in improving cognitive responses

Nutrition, lifestyle, and cognitive performance in esport athletes

IntroductionElectronic sports, termed esports, is a growing athletic activity in which high levels of attention and cognitive performance are required. With its increasing popularity and competitiveness, interest in strategies to improve performance have emerged. Improving esports athlete performance, namely cognitive endurance, and resilience, may lie in nutritional or lifestyle factors. The Nutrition, Vision, and Cognition in Sport Studies (IONSport) investigated nutritional and behavioral factors that can influence cognition via 3-dimensional multiple objects tracking test (3DMOT) via Neurotracker X (NTx) software. The purpose of this study was to characterize the lifestyle of high level esports athletes with detailed nutrition, sleep, and physical activity assessments, and their association to gaming related cognitive performance.Methods103 male and 16 elite female esports athletes aged 16 to 35 years old completed surveys, food records, and cognitive testing sessions over 10 days. Participants were instructed to maintain their normal dietary and lifestyle habits.ResultsThere were positive significant associations between average NTx scores and the following nutrients: magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, sodium, zinc, selenium, thiamin, niacin, vitamins B6 and B12, folate, cholesterol, saturated, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated fats, omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, and choline. Majority of participants did not meet recommended dietary allowances (RDAs) for these micronutrients nor the recommended intakes for dairy, fruit, and vegetables. There was a significant (p = 0.003) positive (r = 0.272) association between total vegetable intake and average NTx score. There was a significant negative association (p = 0.015) with our final sustain session, which measured cognitive resilience, and the Stanford Sleepiness Scale score. Repeated measures analysis was done with these groups over the 18 core NTx sessions. There were significant (p = 0.018) differences between the two groups with those who consumed the recommended amount of protein or more performing significantly better on NTx over the 18 sessions than those that did not consume enough protein. Those who consumed the recommended intakes for riboflavin, phosphorous, vitamin B12, and selenium performed significantly better over the 18 core NTx sessions than those that did not meet the recommended amounts.DiscussionThe need for a nutrition intervention that is rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals is warranted in this population