Rachel C Brown

• PhD
• Professor (Associate) at University of Otago

Purpose: Almonds are nutrient-rich, providing a healthier alternative to many snack foods. Studies report health benefits with regular almond consumption without adverse weight gain. However, most interventions have been relatively short or have included additional dietary advice. Taking a pragmatic approach, we compared consumption of almonds ver...

Introduction: Interrupting sedentary time during the day reduces postprandial glycemia (a risk factor for cardio-metabolic disease). However, it is not known if benefits exist for postprandial glucose, insulin and triglyceride responses in the evening, and if these benefits differ by BMI category. Methods: In a randomized crossover study, 30 par...

Objectives The aim of this study was to develop and validate a questionnaire which assesses knowledge of signs and symptoms of relative energy deficiency in sport (REDS) among healthcare professionals and physically active individuals. Design Cross-Sectional Study. Methods The questionnaire was created in two phases: item development and item val...

Objectives Given almonds are rich in unsaturated fat, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients, they may provide health benefits over other common snack foods. Many studies report health benefits with regular almond consumption, with no evidence for adverse effects on body weight. However, most interventions have been relatively short and longer stud...

Habitual nut consumption is associated with reduced risk of chronic diseases; however, consumption levels in Australia are below recommendations. This study examined perceptions and knowledge regarding nut consumption among Australian healthcare professionals and their provision of nut consumption recommendations. A cross-sectional online survey of...

The health benefits of nuts reported throughout the literature are extensive and well established for reducing the risk of, and managing several chronic conditions including, but not limited to cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and cognition. Despite their comparable nutritional profile, seeds are often not...

Despite being rich sources of monounsaturated fat and a number of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients, hazelnuts have received less attention than some other nut types. A qualitative systematic review was carried out to determine the effects of hazelnut consumption on acceptance and markers of cardiometabolic health, including blood lipids and l...

This study aimed to describe the intake and food sources of macronutrients in vegetarian and non-vegetarian adolescent females. Cross-sectional data was collected between February and September 2019. Adolescent females, aged 15 to 18 years old, were recruited throughout New Zealand. Intakes were assessed via two 24-h diet recalls, adjusted to repre...

Consuming nuts may have advantages over other snack foods for health and body-weight regulation. Suggested mechanisms include increased satiety and lower glycaemia. We used an acute randomised crossover trial to assess glycaemic and appetite responses to consuming two isocaloric snacks (providing 10% of participants' total energy requirements or 10...

Dietary guidelines recommend consuming 30 g of nuts per day to reduce the risk of chronic disease. A ‘handful’ is commonly used to guide consumers. Research is lacking on how this translates into actual gram amounts. This study quantified the grams of nuts represented by different portion size measures, including a ‘handful’ and ‘30 g serving’ amon...

Although excess visceral fat (VAT) is associated with numerous cardio-metabolic risk factors, measurement of this fat depot has historically been difficult. Recent dual X-ray absorptiometry approaches have provided an accessible estimate of VAT that has shown acceptable validity against gold standard methods. The aims of this study were to (i) eval...

Although the beneficial effects of nuts on cardiometabolic diseases have been well established, little is known about the effects of nuts on age-related diseases. Given that age-related diseases share many biological pathways with cardiometabolic diseases, it is plausible that diets rich in nuts might be beneficial in ameliorating age-related condi...

In 2014, there was an outbreak of beriberi on Kuria, a remote atoll in Kiribati, a small Pacific Island nation. A thiamine‐poor diet consisting mainly of rice, sugar, and small amounts of fortified flour was likely to blame. We aimed to design a food fortification strategy to improve thiamine intakes in Kuria. We surveyed all 104 households on Kuri...

Habitual nut intake is associated with a range of health benefits; however, population consumption data suggests that most individuals do not meet current recommendations for nut intake. The literature has highlighted a range of barriers and facilitators to nut consumption, which should be considered when designing strategies to promote nut intake....

Claims in the lay literature suggest soaking nuts enhances mineral bioavailability. Research on legumes and grains indicate soaking reduces phytate levels, however, there is no evidence to support or refute these claims for nuts. We assessed the effects of different soaking regimes on phytate and mineral concentrations of whole and chopped almonds,...

Background: Intermittent fasting (IF) and Paleolithic (Paleo) diets produce weight loss in controlled trials, but minimal evidence exists regarding long-term efficacy under free-living conditions without intense dietetic support. Objectives: This exploratory, observational analysis examined adherence, dietary intake, weight loss, and metabolic o...

Dietary choices during pregnancy and lactation are important for the expecting women and her offspring’s health. [...]

BACKGROUND Anecdotally, vegetarian eating patterns seem to be increasing in parallel with growing concerns about environmental sustainability. While this pattern of eating is widely believed to be associated with benefits for the planet and individual health, it may increase the risk of inadequate intakes and nutrient deficiency if not planned care...

Background Anecdotally, vegetarian eating patterns seem to be increasing in parallel with growing concerns about environmental sustainability. While this pattern of eating is widely believed to be associated with benefits for the planet and individual health, it may increase the risk of inadequate intakes and nutrient deficiency if not planned care...

Preseason in rugby union is a period of intensive training where players undergo conditioning to prepare for the competitive season. In some cases, this includes modifying body composition through weight gain or fat loss. This study aimed to describe the macronutrient intakes of professional rugby union players during pre-season training. It was hy...

Coconut oil is being heavily promoted as a healthy oil, with benefits that include support of heart health. To assess the merits of this claim, the literature on the effect of coconut consumption on cardiovascular risk factors and outcomes in humans was reviewed. Twenty-one research papers were identified for inclusion in the review: 8 clinical tri...

Background: Despite the well-documented health benefits of nuts, consumption at the population level remains low. Understanding motivators of and deterrents to consuming nuts among the general public may inform the development of initiatives to improve levels of consumption [...]

The annual conference and scientific [...]

The annual conference and scientific [...]

Since 2001, Childfund Kenya has supplied micronutrient fortified school meals to preschoolers from two tribes (Kamba and Maasai) attending Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres in Emali, S.E. Kenya. Lack of information on the micronutrient status of the preschoolers prompted a cross‐sectional assessment of micronutrient (iron, zinc, selenium, v...

Purpose: Recommendations to soak nuts prior to consumption to reduce phytate concentrations and improve gastrointestinal tolerance have received much attention in the popular press. This is despite no supporting scientific evidence for the practice. There is also a lack of information about how soaking nuts might affect consumer acceptability. Thi...

The proportion of adults aged over 60 years in the world is expected to reach 20% by the year 2050. Ageing is associated with several physiological changes that increase the risk of malnutrition among this population. Malnutrition is characterized by deficiencies or insufficiencies of macro- and micronutrients. Malnutrition has detrimental effects...

Objectives While tracking progress is one of the strongest predictors of success in healthy eating and physical activity interventions, it is uncertain whether it matters which behavior (diet, activity or weight) is being tracked. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of four different monitoring strategies on weight loss, body c...

Background “Hunger training” aims to teach people to eat according to their appetite rather than in response to their environment or emotions. As many overweight adults have a blunted sense of hunger and satiety, blood glucose measurement provides an objective indicator of hunger and a guide for when one should eat. While hunger training has been s...

The proportion of adults aged over 60 years in the world is expected to reach 20% by the year 2050. Ageing is associated with several physiological changes that increase the risk of malnutrition among this population. Malnutrition is characterized by deficiencies or insufficiencies of macro- and micronutrients. Malnutrition has detrimental effects...

Background Nut consumption at the population level remains low despite the well-documented benefits of their consumption, including their cardioprotective effects. Studies have suggested that advice from health professionals may be a means to increase nut consumption levels. Understanding how nuts are perceived by the public and health professional...

Background: Consumption of high-dose folic acid supplements is common throughout pregnancy and lactation in several countries, including Canada, Brazil, and the United States, and may lead to high levels of circulating unmetabolized folic acid. Objective: The objective of the study was to characterize serum and whole-blood folate forms in Canadi...

Black, K, Slater, J, Brown, RC, and Cooke, R. Low energy availability, plasma lipids, and hormonal profiles of recreational athletes. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2018-It has been postulated that low energy availability (LEA) impacts bone health, hormonal concentrations, and cardiovascular function. This study describes the lipid levels, hor...

Purpose: Although high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and moderate-intensity continuous exercise have comparable health outcomes in the laboratory setting, effectiveness studies in real-world environments are lacking. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of an unsupervised HIIT programme in overweight/obese adults over 12 m...

Objectives Although monitoring is considered a key component of effective behaviour change, the development of apps has allowed consumers to constantly evaluate their own diet, with little examination of what this might mean for eating behavior. The aim of this study was to investigate whether self‐monitoring of diet using the app MyFitnessPal or d...

Objective Despite evidence linking regular nut consumption with reduced chronic disease risk, population-level intakes remain low. Research suggests nut-promoting advice from doctors facilitates regular nut consumption. However, there is no information on current nut recommendation practices of health professionals. The aim of the present study was...

Monitoring blood glucose prior to eating can teach individuals to eat only when truly hungry, but how adherence to ‘hunger training’ influences weight loss and eating behaviour is uncertain. This exploratory, secondary analysis from a larger randomized controlled trial examined five indices of adherence to ‘hunger training’, chosen a priori, to exa...

Regular nut consumption is associated with reduced risk factors for chronic disease; however, most population-based studies lack consideration of effect modification by dietary pattern. The UK Women’s Cohort Study (UKWCS) provides an ideal opportunity to examine relationships between nut consumption and chronic disease risk factors in a large sampl...

There is limited information on the risk of eating disorders and body image of elite male athletes. However, research suggests there are some athletes who have poor body image and they may be at increased risk of developing eating disorders. Therefore, the current study investigated risk of eating disorders, body image, and the relationship with ag...

Objective Despite considerable evidence supporting the health benefits of regular nut consumption, nut intakes remain lower than recommended among many populations. Understanding how the general population perceives nuts could inform strategies to promote regular nut consumption and increase intakes among the general public. Design Cross-sectional...

Predictive equations to estimate resting metabolic rate (RMR) are often used in dietary counseling and by online apps to set energy intake goals for weight loss. It is critical to know whether such equations are appropriate for those susceptible to obesity. We measured RMR by indirect calorimetry after an overnight fast in 26 obesity susceptible (O...

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of various monitoring strategies on weight loss, body composition, blood markers, exercise, and psychosocial indices in adults with overweight and obesity following a 12-month weight loss program. Methods: Two hundred fifty adults with BMI ≥ 27 were randomized to brief, monthly, individual consults, dail...

We would like to submit the following as a correction to our recently published Special Issue on the annual conference and scientific meeting of the Nutrition Society of New Zealand, 2016 [1]. [...]

Purpose: Previous studies have reported improvements in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors with the consumption of raw nuts. However, around one-third of nuts consumed are roasted and salted. Thus, it is important to determine whether roasting and salting nuts affect the health benefits observed with raw nuts. This study aimed to compare th...

Purpose: Regular nut consumption reduces cardiovascular disease risk, partly from improvements to dietary quality. Examining how individuals make dietary changes when consuming nuts may reveal key behavioural eating patterns beneficial for the development of dietary interventions. We examined the effects of nuts in comparison with other energy-den...

The annual conference and scientific meeting of the Nutrition Society of New Zealand took place in Christchurch, New Zealand from 8–9 December 2016.[...]

Despite their nutritional value, population-level nut consumption remains low. Studies suggest that individuals would eat more nuts on their doctor’s advice, making health professionals potentially important for promoting nut consumption. This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the perceptions and knowledge of nuts and the predictors of nut pro...

Research on the health of female athletes has developed substantially over the past 50 years. This review aims to provide an overview of this research and identify directions for future work. While early cross-sectional studies focused primarily on menstruation, research has progressed to now encompass hormonal changes, bone health and lipid profil...

Objective To estimate the folate status of New Zealand women of childbearing age following the introduction, in 2010, of a new voluntary folic acid fortification of bread programme. Design The 2011 Folate and Women’s Health Survey was a cross-sectional survey of women aged 18–44 years carried out in 2011. The survey used a stratified random sampli...

Objective: To describe trends in serum cholesterol and dietary fat intakes for New Zealand adults between 1989 and 2008/09. Methods: Serum total cholesterol concentrations and dietary fat intakes were analysed for 9,346 New Zealanders aged 15-98 years (52% women) who participated in three national surveys in 1989, 1997 and 2008/09. Results: Po...

Low energy availability (LEA) describes the disruption in normal physiological function existent when insufficient energy intake is combined with exercise. To conserve energy a range of endocrine adaptations occur, impairing health and athletic performance. The prevalence of LEA has not been fully established especially among recreational exerciser...

A limited number of studies have examined associations between nut consumption and nutrient intakes or diet quality. None has investigated these associations in the Southern Hemisphere. The purpose of this study was to examine associations between nut consumption and nutrient intakes among adult New Zealanders. Data from the 24-h recalls of 4721 pa...

Nut consumption has been associated with improvements in risk factors for chronic disease in populations within North America, Europe and Iran. This relationship has not been investigated in New Zealand (NZ). The associations between nut consumption and cardiometabolic risk factors among New Zealanders were examined. Data from the 24-h diet recalls...

Purpose: Consuming 30 g of nuts/day is recommended to reduce chronic disease. However, nut consumption appears far from ideal among several populations. A potential strategy to increase consumption is to add nuts to a staple, for example, bread. Whether the health benefits and acceptability of nuts persist in this form is currently unknown. Thus,...

Background: Physical activity plays a critical role in health, including for effective weight maintenance, but adherence to guidelines is often poor. Similarly, although debate continues over whether a "best" diet exists for weight control, meta-analyses suggest little difference in outcomes between diets differing markedly in macronutrient compos...

"Hunger training", which aims to teach people to eat only when blood glucose is below a set target, appears promising as a weight loss strategy. As the ability of participants to adhere to the rigorous protocol has been insufficiently described, we sought to determine the feasibility of hunger training, in terms of retention in the study, adherence...

In some cases, zinc deficiency has been associated with increased risk for anemia while a growing body of evidence suggests that vitamin D also plays a role in anemia, although the mechanism is unknown. This study investigated the association of serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) with hemoglobin (Hb) levels and anemia, and tested whether zinc status...

Observational research on professional athletes from the USA suggests differences may exist in sweat sodium loss based on ethnic differences. The New Zealand (NZ) sporting population is mainly of European or Māori/Pacific Island origin. Therefore, this study aimed to describe the fluid-electrolyte balance of athletes by ethnicity. A total of 20 Māo...

Aims Studies reporting reductions in heart disease risk with regular nut consumption comprise populations largely of European descent. Whether the healthful effects of nuts extend to other ethnic groups is largely unknown. This study compared the effects of consuming 30 g/d of hazelnuts on risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and acceptanc...

Regular nut consumption is inversely associated with cardiovascular disease risk. No study has compared the effects of regular consumption of different types and forms of nuts on acceptance, which is a crucial determinant of long-term compliance to consume nuts regularly. This study examined the effects of different types and forms of raw, unpeeled...

Regular nut consumption is associated with reduced CVD risk. Insight into nut consumption patterns provides important information to help design strategies to encourage intake. The present study aimed to describe nut consumption in terms of the percentage of consumers, mean grams eaten among the population and nut consumers, and to identify the pre...

Chewing gum alleviates symptoms of gastro-esophageal reflux (GER) following a refluxogenic meal. GutsyGumtm, a chewing gum developed to alleviate the symptoms of GER contains calcium carbonate, with a proprietary blend of licorice extract, papain, and apple cider vinegar (GiGs®). The efficacy of GutsyGumtm was determined in alleviating the symptoms...

An alternative approach in determining cause, treatment, and prevention of obesity is to study those who appear resistant to the obesogenic environment. We examined appetite responses in 33 obesity resistant individuals (ORI) versus 28 obesity susceptible individuals (OSI). Fingerprick blood samples to measure ghrelin, total peptide YY (PYY), lepti...

Abstract Current hydration guidelines are designed to address the fine balance between minimising dehydration while reducing the risk of hyponatremia. During prolonged cycling events small discrepancies between drinking behaviour and fluid requirements may be detrimental to health and performance. The present study aimed to investigate the hydratio...

AimThe aims of this study were to examine total food expenditure and the types of food purchased in food-insecure households with children, to compare these by severity of food insecurity (moderate or low food security) and furthermore to estimate food expenditure as a percentage of net household income. Methods The study was conducted in Dunedin,...

National data on the blood folate status of New Zealand adults is lacking. The objective of this study was to describe the blood folate status and examine the predictors of blood folate status in a national sample of adults from New Zealand, a country with voluntary folic acid fortification. The 2008/09 New Zealand Adult Nutrition Survey was a nati...

The attenuation of the number and severity of infections is of importance to athletes. Probiotics use has increased over recent years with beneficial effects believed to include improvements in immune function. Research has focused on their effectiveness for reducing the number, duration and severity of infections amongst endurance athletes. At pre...

Regular nut consumption may improve markers of inflammation and endothelial dysfunction. The quantity of nuts required to achieve these health benefits without compromising body weight and acceptance is unknown. This study compared the effects of incorporating hazelnuts at 2 different doses with a diet without nuts on inflammatory markers, cell adh...

The purpose of this study was to compare fluid balance between a resistance and aerobic training session, in elite rugby players. It is hypothesised that resistance exercise will result in a higher prevalence of over-drinking whereas during the aerobic session under-drinking will be more prevalent.As with previous fluid balance studies, this was an...

Blood sodium concentration of tetraplegics during exercise has not been investigated. This study aimed to measure blood sodium changes in relation to fluid intakes and thermal comfort in tetraplegics during wheelchair rugby training. Twelve international male wheelchair rugby players volunteered, and measures were taken during 2 training sessions....

Serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D concentrations were measured, using LC‐tandem mass spectrometry, in 3009 individuals, 15 y or over, participating in the 2008/09 New Zealand Adult Nutrition Survey. Mean serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D concentration was 61 nmol/L (95%CI, 59 to 63 nmol/L) and was highest in Jan, at 79 nmol/L (71, 86), and lowest in Sep, at 47 nmo...

Dietary guidelines for the treatment of type 2 diabetes advocate the regular consumption of nuts and seeds. Key lipid abnormalities associated with diabetes include raised LDL-C, VLDL-C, and TAG concentrations and decreased concentrations of HDL-C. The fatty acid profiles of nuts and seeds differ and may potentially influence lipid outcomes in peop...

This position statement summarises the key findings and recommendations from the Heart Foundation’s ‘Nuts and Heart Health Evidence Paper’. KEY FINDINGS Frequent nut consumption appears to play a protective role in prevention of cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, and sudden death. Clinical studies suggest this i...

Objectives: Financial constraint is the underpinning determinant of household food insecurity; however, there has been little research examining the impact that increasing the ‘money available’ to food-insecure households could have on food purchasing. The main objective of the present study was to examine the effect of additional money (in the fo...

Food intolerance is becoming increasingly prevalent, and increasing numbers of athletes have celiac disease. This poses challenges as dietary recommendations for exercise are largely based on gluten-containing carbohydrate-rich foods. The K4 cycle race covers 384 km around the Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand. Lack of sleep, darkness, and temperat...

The sensory attributes of foods may have an important influence on intake because of sensory-specific satiety (SSS). Foods with high SSS may aid in body weight maintenance as a result of termination of consumption before metabolic satiety. No studies have investigated whether long-term exposure to a food might change SSS or how this affects food in...

Folic acid consumed peri‐conceptionally reduces the risk of neural tube defect‐affected pregnancies. The objective of this research was to assess the folate status of a nationally representative sample of New Zealand adults, 15 y or older, prior to the introduction of mandatory folic acid fortification of bread scheduled for 2012. Serum and red blo...

Recent evidence suggests regular nut consumption may have beneficial effects on cardiovascular disease risk factors that go beyond their cholesterol‐lowering properties, e.g. a reduction in inflammation. Inflammation is more pronounced amongst overweight and obese populations. Current guidelines in New Zealand recommend the daily consumption of 30g...

Endurance events>10 hr are becoming increasingly popular but provide numerous physiological challenges, several of which can be attenuated with optimal nutritional intakes. Previous studies in ultraendurance races have reported large energy deficits during events. The authors therefore aimed to assess nutritional intakes in relation to performance...

Two milk-based beverages delivering twice the average daily antioxidant intake were formulated, based on synergistic combinations of fruit and vegetable extracts, and containing vitamin C (1.00 mg/ml) for shelf stability. Smokers (n = 42) consumed prototype milk A, B or non-supplemented milk (no extracts or vitamin C; 200 ml) twice daily for 6 week...

Glycemic index (GI) testing is normally based on individual foods, whereas GIs for meals or diets are based on a formula using a weighted sum of the constituents. The accuracy with which the formula can predict a meal or diet GI is questionable. Our objective was to compare the GI of meals, obtained by using the formula and by using both measured f...