Robin Tucker

Michigan State University | MSU · Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition

A substantial proportion of the population does not achieve the recommended amount of sleep. Previous work demonstrates that sleep alterations perturb energy balance by disrupting appetite hormones, increasing energy intake, and decreasing physical activity. This study explored the influence of sleep duration on taste perception as well as effects...

Identifying factors contributing to weight gain is critical if the obesity problem is to be adequately addressed. Nutritively sweetened beverage consumption trends closely parallel recent obesity prevalence data. This chapter reviews evidence for and against beverages as drivers of weight gain and also proposes possible mechanisms of action by whic...

The chemical senses are intimately tied to nutrition. Appetitive and flavor sensations are components of multiple inter-related mechanisms that influence energy and nutrient balance. Hunger promotes the initiation of feeding, satiation influences its termination, and satiety affects the inter-meal interval whereas sensory factors guide food choice....

Sleep problems are associated with increased risk of obesity. Multiple mechanisms have been identified to support this relationship, including changes in sensory processing and food choice. Taste researchers have recently begun to explore whether changes in taste occur as a result of short‐term or long‐term sleep habits. A systematic review was con...

This paper explores the impact of COVID-19 on higher education, emphasising the shift to remote learning and its consequences on student experiences. The study, conducted through an internet-based survey in seven countries, reveals challenges faced by 1392 university students. Findings include a decline in motivation, concerns about instruction mod...

Sleep issues are pervasive, and treatment can be difficult to access, if available at all. The purpose of this study was to test whether the delivery modality (online vs. in person) of the SLeep Education for Everyone Program (SLEEP) influenced programmatic outcomes. A total of 60 participants completed the study, 28 in the online group and 32 in t...

Eating behaviors are a set of cognitive processes that influence dietary decision making and, thus, overall health. Some of the most studied eating behaviors are those characterized by the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire-18 (TFEQ). The TFEQ examines three eating behaviors: emotional eating (EE), uncontrolled eating (UE), and restrained eating (RE...

(1) Background: Sleep may be a factor that influences the taste–dietary intake relationship. The effect of sleep on salt taste measures has not been adequately studied, and no standardized methodology has been developed for measuring salt taste preference. (2) Methods: A sweet taste forced-choice paired-comparison test was adapted and validated to...

Ripple Effects Mapping (REM) is a qualitative data analysis approach that combines mind mapping with inductive analysis to condense data obtained from group interviews. One benefit of REM is the ability to identify unintended outcomes, or "ripples" of the intervention of interest. Ripples are visually represented by a mind map created during the RE...

Stressful events can significantly impact health behaviors of tertiary students in various ways. Many studies reported adverse alterations in health behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is limited knowledge about students from sub-Saharan African countries. Therefore, this study aimed to assess effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on...

Objective Community-delivered sleep education interventions have been demonstrated to be effective in improving sleep outcomes, but whether these benefits persist once the program ends is not well characterized. This study sought to determine whether the previously reported positive effects attributed to the SLeep Education for Elders Program (SLEE...

Diet impacts human gut microbial composition. Phytochemicals in cayenne pepper (CP), such as capsaicin, have anti-inflammatory properties and alter bacterial growth in vitro. However, the evidence that CP impacts the human microbiota and intestinal inflammation in free-living adults is lacking. Thus, the objective of this randomized cross-over stud...

The COVID-19 pandemic led to suspension of in-person learning at many higher education institutions (HEIs) in March 2020. In response, HEIs transitioned most courses to online formats immediately and continued this mode of instruction through the 2020-2021 academic year. In fall 2021, numerous HEIs resumed in-person courses and some hybrid courses,...

Individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD) experience physiological changes that likely impair salt taste function and perception. Sodium restriction is a cornerstone of CKD management but dietary sodium plays an important role in food enjoyment and may interfere with compliance to this intervention. Therefore, confirming that taste deficits are...

We thank Kuo et al. for their comments [...]

Background: Obesity is a growing epidemic among university students, and the high levels of stress reported by this population could contribute to this issue. Singular relationships between perceived stress; engagement in restrained, uncontrolled, and emotional eating; sleep; dietary risk; and body mass index (BMI) have been reported in the curren...

Current literature has identified relationships among sleep, nutrition, and diet-related chronic diseases; however, knowledge about how sleep influences diet-related diseases is lacking in dietetics practice. This narrative review briefly explains sleep physiology and outlines the relationships between sleep duration and quality and common nutritio...

Background: The prevalence of mental health concerns among university students in the United States (U.S.) continues to increase, while current treatments, including medication and counseling, present shortcomings. Higher dairy and calcium intakes are associated with protective effects on mental health; however, previous studies have focused on in...

Media use has been linked to sleep disturbance, but the results are inconsistent. This study explores moderating conditions. A media diary study with 58 free‐living adults measured the time spent with media before bed, the location of use, and multitasking. Electroencephalography (EEG) captured bedtime, total sleep time, and the percent of time spe...

Background Stress and mental health outcomes are negatively correlated among university students throughout the world. Reports of differences in stress perception by gender exist, but there is limited data on students from sub-Saharan African countries. This study describes the burden of perceived and financial stress; characterizes mood and degree...

There is a growing body of literature that links chronotype to certain undesirable eating behaviors. However, the relationship between chronotype and dietary intake is poorly characterized among adults in the United States (U.S.). This cross-sectional study examined the associations among chronotype, snacking habits, dietary intake and quality, and...

Diet therapy for diabetes involves controlling carbohydrate intake in order to manage blood glucose concentrations. Simple carbohydrates, like sucrose, quickly and potently raise blood glucose when ingested, and are typically perceived as sweet. Sweetness is innately pleasurable and contributes to the positive hedonic evaluation of foods and bevera...

Objective: This study explored how COVID-related mental health and well-being varied between undergraduate and graduate students. Relationships with physical health behaviors were also examined. Participants: Undergraduate (n = 897) and graduate (n = 314) students were recruited from three US universities between mid-April and late-May 2020. Method...

Objectives To identify the impact of cayenne pepper on the diversity of the gut microbiome and inflammatory biomarkers in the stool of adults with overweight or obesity. Methods 31 individuals participated. All participants had a BMI > 25. Most participants were female (64.5%) and averaged 28 ± 8 years of age. Participants consumed two 250 mL serv...

Objectives Higher financial stress (FS) is associated with undesirable dietary behaviors. However, the relationships are not well characterized among higher education students, and investigations into why these relationships exist are lacking. As FS influences sleep while sleep influences dietary behaviors, sleep may serve as a mediator in these re...

Objectives There is a growing body of literature that links a person's preferred time for activities and sleep cycle, or chronotype, to eating behaviors and the risk of becoming overweight or obese. However, the relationships among chronotype, snacking behavior, diet quality, and food cravings are poorly characterized among US adults. This cross-se...

Purpose Sleep problems pose serious public health concerns, and evidence suggests that the problem is worsening. Both sufficient sleep quantity and quality are needed for optimal health, particularly among older adults, but access to sleep care can be difficult. This study examined the efficacy of a six-week sleep behavior change program designed f...

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic worsened financial stress for higher education students in the U.S. Financial stress is associated with poor dietary behaviors; however, factors that might influence this relationship are not well characterized. The present cross-sectional study investigated the associations between financial stress...

Aim The aim of this systematic review was to characterise and synthesise the literature that explores the effects of macronutrient manipulation on sleep outcomes in order to provide dietary recommendations for sleep improvement. Methods Intervention studies that evaluated the effects of macronutrient manipulations on sleep were identified using fo...

Objectives: To characterize the health behaviors and outcomes of first-year international students (FYIS) studying in the U.S. Participants and methods: Three different cohorts of FYIS from a large midwestern university in the U.S. completed three laboratory visits between August and March. The study began in 2017 and ended in March 2020. Anthropo...

As insufficient sleep and obesity become more widespread, finding strategies to overcome changes in appetite and food cravings after sleep reduction is imperative. This study examined the effects of a high-protein (HP) and high-carbohydrate (HC) breakfast on appetitive sensations, food cravings, and dietary intake after nights of habitual (HS) and...

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has increased the already high levels of stress that higher education students experience. Stress influences health behaviors, including those related to dietary behaviors, alcohol, and sleep; yet the effects of stress can be mitigated by resilience. To date, past research studying the c...

Health behaviors of higher education students can be negatively influenced by stressful events. The global COVID-19 pandemic presents a unique opportunity to characterize and compare health behaviors across multiple countries and to examine how these behaviors are shaped by the pandemic experience. Undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in un...

Salt is commonly used in food processing and as a flavour enhancer. Dietary salt intake often exceeds the recommended levels and high intake is associated with several health concerns such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer. A systematic review of the literature was conducted to examine if individuals’ salt taste fu...

Sweetness is a universally appreciated taste sensation that drives the intake of many foods and beverages. Public health organizations have made recommendations to limit nutritive sweeteners added to products due to their potential contribution to chronic disease risk. Low calorie sweeteners are increasingly consumed to mitigate these risks with va...

High levels of perceived stress and anxiety among university students are a global concern and are known to negatively influence sleep. However, few studies have explored how stress response styles, like psychological resilience and rumination, might alter these relationships. Using validated tools, perceived stress, anxiety, stress response styles...

The human gut microbiome has been classified into three distinct enterotypes (Bacteroides, Prevotella, and Ruminococcus). The relationship between probiotics and gut enterotype is not yet clear. Cayenne pepper is effective in vitro as a prebiotic for Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli, so cayenne ingestion with probiotics may lead to more profound gut...

Oral microbiome dysbiosis has been associated with various local and systemic human diseases such as dental caries, periodontal disease, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. Bacterial composition may be affected by age, oral health, diet, and geography, although information about the natural variation found in the general public is still lacking. I...

It is currently unclear whether changes in sweet taste perception of model systems after sleep curtailment extend to complex food matrices. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to use a novel solid oat-based food (crisps) and oat-based beverage stimulus sweetened with sucralose to assess changes in taste perception after sleep curtail...

Introduction Measurements of chemosensory function within specific regions of the tongue can yield important information about the sensitivity of lingual areas to chemosensory stimuli and may identify possible nerve damage. A novel regional chemosensory test that uses thin edible circles was developed for human testing. Methods Edible circles plac...

Short sleep duration increases preferences for high-carbohydrate and high-fat foods. It is unclear if insufficient sleep-induced changes in food preference are mediated by changes in taste perception and if these changes are related to sweetener type (sucrose or sucralose) or sweet liking phenotype. The primary objective of this study was to determ...

Objective: This study aimed to determine the effects of concurrent and prior media use on dietary intake and dietary compensation over 3 days in a free-living population. Methods: Participants recorded food intake and media use for a 3-day period. The US Department of Agriculture multiple-pass method was used to ensure completeness of food recor...

Objectives: To determine if the oral microbiota is associated with body mass index (BMI) in adults. To determine if sweet taste liking measures are associated with the composition of the oral microbiota in either adults or children. Methods: Participants ages 8 + years were recruited from visitors to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. Partic...

This study examined the effects of one night of sleep curtailment on hunger, food cravings, food reward, and portion size selection. Women who reported habitually sleeping 7–9 h per night, were aged 18–55, were not obese, and had no sleep disorders were recruited. Sleep conditions in this randomized crossover study consisted of a normal night (NN)...

There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that sleep influences chemosensory perception. Males and females differ in neural responses to chemosensory function as well as average sleep duration, suggesting the possibility of sex differences regarding relationships between sleep and chemosensory perception. Therefore, the primary objective of th...

Taste is frequently cited as an important factor in food choice, and while a number of studies have attempted to identify relationships between taste function and dietary intake, a systematic review of these studies has been lacking. This review identified studies that examined associations between taste function or taste perception and dietary int...

Bitter taste is aversive to humans, and many oral medications exhibit a bitter taste. Bitter taste can be suppressed by the use of inhibitors or by masking agents such as sucralose. Another approach is to encapsulate bitter tasting compounds in order to delay their release. This delayed release can permit the prior release of bitter masking agents....

Supplemental Figure 1: the overall perceived chemosensory intensity and taste quality responses of edible taste strips with no microspheres as a function of time after the strips dissolved (formulation 1). These results indicated that mean taste intensity was in the moderate range and was nearly constant for the first thirty seconds after the strip...

For university students, alterations in sleep and diet quality are common, and the propensity for weight gain is well established. The role of sleep duration during periods of rapid weight gain is understudied. This study explored the relationships between sleep duration, diet patterns, and body composition in first-year university students. Data c...

This study compared body composition measurements in lean female athletes. The primary objective was to compare the accuracy of percent body fat (%BF) determined by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), air-displacement plethysmography (ADP), and underwater weighing (UWW) in female Division I cheerleaders (n = 10 bases, 6 back-spots, and 12 flyer...

Studies demonstrate that first-year university students are at high risk for weight gain. These reports typically rely on self-selected participants. The purpose of this study was to explore if students who chose to participate in a health-based research study had more desirable health measures and behaviors than students who completed health asses...

Little is known about the relationship between sleep and chemosensation. The purpose of this study was to characterize the relationship between chemosensory function and sleep duration, quality and architecture. A total of 56 non-obese (BMI<30 kg/m2) female participants who denied having diagnosed sleep disorders completed testing. Sleep was measur...

Different patterns of sweet liking exist. For some, liking increases as concentration increases up to a point at which it typically plateaus. These individuals are referred to as sweet likers. How sweet likers' beverage intake, especially sugar sweetened beverage intake, differs from sweet dislikers' beverage intake is not well characterized. A tot...

The human body associates sensory cues with metabolic consequences. Exposure to sweet-tasting sugars - even in the absence of ingestion - triggers physiological responses that are associated with carbohydrate digestion, absorption and metabolism. These responses include the release of insulin and incretin hormones, which work to reduce blood glucos...

Dietary fats serve multiple essential roles in human health but may also contribute to acute and chronic health complications. Thus, understanding mechanisms that influence fat ingestion are critical. All sensory systems may contribute relevant cues to fat detection, with the most recent evidence supporting a role for the sense of taste. Taste dete...

Given the increasing evidence that supports the ability of humans to taste non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), recent studies have sought to determine if relationships exist between oral sensitivity to NEFA (measured as thresholds), food intake and obesity. Published findings suggest there is either no association or an inverse association. A system...

PRISMA Checklist. (DOCX)

Excluded studies based on full-text reading. *Taste sensitivity was determined by assessing whether or not the participant could detect NEFA at a specific concentration. (DOCX)

The Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT), including timed push-ups, sit-ups, and run, assesses physical performance for the Army. Percent body fat is estimated using height and circumference measurements. The objectives of the study were to (a) compare the accuracy of height and circumference measurements to other, more accepted, body fat assessment m...

Aim: Research conducted by dietitians is encouraged by national and international organisations, yet research output remains low. The attitudes towards and experiences with research and research methods course work of students and practitioners in Australia and the United States were examined. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conduct...

Background: Higher protein intake has been implicated in weight management because of its appetitive properties. However, the effects of protein intake on appetitive sensations such as fullness have not been systematically assessed. Meta-analysis is a useful technique to evaluate evidence of an intervention's effect on testable outcomes, but it al...

Background The general population is not compliant with national dietary recommendations for promoting health and reducing chronic disease risk. While rising obesity rates suggest that the majority of the population is overconsuming, many individuals affected with either acute or chronic diseases struggle to maintain adequate dietary intake and are...

Findings from studies examining interactions between fat taste and dietary fat intake or body weight are mixed. A convenience sample of 735 visitors to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science ≥8 years old rated the taste intensity of edible taste strips impregnated with varying concentrations (%v/v) of linoleic acid (LA) (blank = 0.0, low = 0.06, med...

Introduction Capsaicin, the major pungent component of hot peppers, promotes negative energy balance; however, many individuals avoid capsaicin-containing foods due to pungency. Capsiate, a capsaicin analog found in CH-19 sweet peppers, is a non-pungent alternative that promotes negative energy balance when consumed as an encapsulated supplement. N...

The Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT), consisting of timed sit‐ups, push‐ups, and run, is the Army's method for measuring physical performance. The Army uses height and circumference measurements (HCM) to calculate percent body fat (%BF). Study objectives were to: 1) determine relationships between APFT results and %BF and 2) compare accuracy of bo...

Spicy foods containing capsaicin, the pungent compound in hot peppers, have been reported to promote negative energy balance. A non‐pungent alternative is capsiate, contained in CH‐19 sweet peppers. This study's purpose was to compare effects of capsaicin and capsiate consumed orally as part of a traditional meal. Subjects (n=11M, 13F; aged 25.2±10...