Research and Outreach Bone & Body Composition Laboratory Research

 

• About Us
• Staff
• Research
• Bone & Body Composition Assessment
• Papers, Abstracts & Presentations
• Zinc & Bone Study
• GAP Vitamin D Trial

Research

GAP Vitamin D Trial

OVERALL GOAL: to examine the effects of vitamin D supplementation on bone health & growth in early pubertal children

1. 12-week longitudinal, double-blind, placebo controlled study
2. Two-site study (The University of Georgia & Purdue University)
3. Participants: 320 children: 9-12 year old girls & 10-13 year old boys
4. Bone biomarkers, body composition, physical activity and dietary intakes assessed at baseline, 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-weeks of supplementation
5. Funded by NIH

Zinc & Bone Study

OVERALL GOAL: to examine the effects of zinc supplementation on bone turnover in early pubertal children

1. 4 week longitudinal, double blind, placebo controlled study
2. Participants: 160 female children, aged 9-11 years
3. Bone biomarkers, physical activity and dietary intakes assessed at baseline and after 4 weeks of supplementation
4. Funded by NIH

Health & Bone Study

OVERALL GOAL:  to examine the relationship between body composition and bone strength in late-adolescent females

1. Cross sectional study
2. Participants: 160 non-Hispanic White and Black females, aged 18-19 years
3. Bone geometry, bone densitometry, metabolic parameters, serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, physical activity and dietary intakes assessed

UGA Childhood Bone Study

OVERALL GOAL: to examine the long-term effects of exercise, nutrition and body composition on bone health in young girls

1. Longitudinal study (began in Fall 1997)
2. Participants: 202 young girls aged 4-8 years who had no or limited involvement in organized physical activity
3. Bone mineral content, body composition, serum bone biomarkers and vitamin D, physical activity, and dietary intakes assessed annually
4. Funded by NICHD

Fighting Overweight/Osteoporosis in College Using Soy (FOCUS)

OVERALL GOAL: to examine the effect of soy isoflavones on weight gain attenuation and bone healthy on female college freshmen.

1. 16-week longitudinal, double blind, placebo controlled study (began in Fall 2005)
2. Participants: 120 female college freshmen aged 18-19 years
3. Body composition, blood biomarkers, physical activity, and dietary intake measured every 8-weeks
4. Funded by UGARF and The University of Georgia College of Family and Consumer Sciences

Osteoporosis Prevention Using Soy (OPUS)

OVERALL GOAL: to determine the efficacy and safety of soy isoflavone supplementation on bone mineral density in postmenopausal women

1. Two year longitudinal, double blind, placebo controlled study (began in 2002)
2. Three-site study (The University of Georgia, Baylor College of Medicine, University of California, Davis)
3. Participants: 400 healthy postmenopausal women who were not taking estrogen or hormone replacement therapy
4. Bone mineral density, bone biomarkers, physical activity, and dietary intakes assessed annually
5. Mammograhic density is currently being assessed to determine the safety of soy isoflavones
6. Funded by USDA and NIH

Policy Leadership for Active Youth (PLAY)

PLAY is a three-year policy research initiative to identify strategies to increase physical activity, decrease sedentary behaviors and prevent childhood overweight. Partners include the Georgia State University Institute of Public Health, The University of Georgia, the Medical College of Georgia, and the Georgia Center for Obesity and Related Disorders. Funded by Healthcare Georgia Foundation.