How Research Studies Help

Release Date:  03/11/2022

Episode Number: 027

Episode Title: How Research Studies Help

Episode Synopsis:

-What is “metabolism”?

-How metabolism relates to nutrition needs in general (i.e., energy balance) and how this may be impacted in different types of cancer.

-Breast-cancer specific metabolism and nutrition needs during/after treatment (could maybe touch on prevention, but that is not my forte)… general guidelines, some “newer/novel” dietary approaches (intermittent fasting, keto, etc.)

- a brief discussion on research study design and how to know if you’re getting reliable information would tie nicely into the topic of some of the newer dietary patterns because we’re just not there yet in terms of recommendations – there’s certainly promise, though!

Episode Guests:

Dr. Sarah Purcell 

received her B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition, respectively, at Florida State University. She continued her research at the University of Alberta, where she earned her Ph.D. in Nutrition and Metabolism. There, she investigated energy expenditure (calories burned) in relation to body composition (muscle and fat), dietary intake, and current nutrition recommendations among individuals with active cancer. Sarah completed her NIH-funded postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Colorado - Anschutz. Her research in Colorado investigated relationships among appetite, body composition, physical activity, and energy metabolism and how exercise may impact these variables in people with obesity or previous cancer. Dr. Purcell recently started a new position as Assistant Professor of Nutrition at the University of British Columbia – Okanagan, where she will continue to investigate nutrition and metabolism in different contexts. 

Dr. Purcell is passionate about exploring human physiology as it pertains to nutrition and exercise because it is an ever-growing field with great potential to positively impact health and longevity. Sarah’s love of nutrition and exercise translates to her personal life; in her free time, she enjoys training for triathlons and marathons, traveling, hiking, doing yoga, painting, eating, and spending time with her husband, Chase, and chihuahua, Bitsy.

Here are some of the general resources:

American Institute of Cancer Research Heal Well Guide: https://prod-io.livestrong.org/sites/default/files/rs/images-email/pdfs/livestrong-fertility/Meals-to-Heal-Heal-Well-Nutrition-Guide.pdf

American Cancer Society Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines: https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.3322/caac.21142

Summary on energy balance from Precision Nutrition: https://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-energy-balance

Caveat is that this is not a government/research source and they do try and sell nutrition certifications, BUT the site generally has legitimate scientific writers and led by a bona fide PhD in exercise and nutrition.