Aaron Nguyen
Author: Aaron Nguyen | Major: Food Science | Semester: Fall 2022
My name is Aaron Nguyen and I am studying food science with a minor in human nutrition. I have been conducting my project under Dr. Jamie Baum’s human nutrition lab. Dr. Baum’s lab focuses on the role of dietary protein in regulation of muscle activity and other functions of the body. The goal of my research is to determine the relationship between protein intake and bone density.
As an athlete growing up, health and nutrition has always been an important part of my life. This passion led me to pursue a career in food science while also choosing to minor in nutrition. When looking for a mentor, Dr. Baum’s research caught my eye. Protein has been discussed extensively in mainstream media for its role in muscle building and health. As a former athlete, I also carefully monitored my own protein intake. I wanted the opportunity to further study the other effects of protein on the body in a research setting and decided to work in Dr. Baum’s lab. In one of my nutrition classes, I learned about the connection between protein intake and bone health. It stuck with me and played a role in choosing my project topic.
When I started working in Dr. Baum’s lab, there was an existing study called TRIMM, which stands for Time Restricted feeding Intervention for Muscle and Metabolic health. Time restricted feeding is an eating pattern where you eat only during a specific time window and fast for the rest of the day. Time restricted feeding may lead to health and metabolic benefits. For the TRIMM study, participants are asked to eat during an 8 hour period. The feeding intervention lasts for 12 weeks. Before starting and after finishing the intervention, the participants have their body composition measured using a DXA scan (dual x-ray absorptiometry). The DXA measures the patient’s bone, muscle, and fat. For bone, the two values that are measured are bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC). Working in my project with the existing study was seamless. DXA scans were already a part of the study, and bone values were already recorded. Because TRIMM is an ongoing study, I have access to data from the last year to use for my project. I will analyze the bone values of the participants from before and after undergoing their feeding interventions and see if there is any correlation between dietary protein intake and bone health.
This semester I started working with Sydney, another undergraduate student working in Dr. Baum’s lab. She has been a big help in organizing the lab and assisted me in other tasks around the lab, including how to record food logs. It was interesting to learn about the other projects that were being worked on in the lab, including how protein intake affects sleep and mood.
The Honors College Research Grant has helped the lab and me to run TRIMM by providing funding for equipment used in the study. Following the academic research process has been rewarding and is an experience that will be helpful in my future career. Next semester, I will finish my data analysis and prepare for my thesis defense.