Part I: Assignment Instructions

FSHN 428

Writing ForThe Lay Press Assignment

Spring 2015

Part 2. (Due Date 2/27/15) NUTRITION ARTICLE - OUTLINE AND LIST OF

RESOURCES

Select a sufficiently focused topic relating to general nutrition upon which to write an

interesting nutrition article for the newspaper. Topics may be selected according to your interest

but may NOT include clinical nutrition (Congestive Heart Failure, Cancer Treatment, Diabetes,

Renal Disease, etc; will not work for the general public. In other words, NOT “Medical

Nutrition therapy" topics). However, new issues relating to foods and prevention of heart disease

or cancer are acceptable.

Determine and list your SOCO and major points you want to communicate. (single over-riding

communication objective) with 3-5 key points, develop objective, intro, body, summary

Develop an Outline of the concepts and information you will present in your article for the lay

press. Turn in your SOCO, list of major points and tentative outline.

Obtain at least 3 recent (past 2-3 years) original research articles from the primary literature

(refereed journal articles) that deal with your topic, in humans. You may obtain a review article

(those are very helpful) or a Cochrane meta-analysis (these are also very helpful) BUT you need

to have 3 original research studies for this assignment.

Provide the complete citation for the article using the reference format for the Journal of the

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (see below for an example)

ex: Bagguma-Nibasheka M, Brenna JT, Nathanielsz W. Delay of preterm delivery in sheep

by omega-3 long chain polyunsaturates. Biol of Reprod. 1999; 60: 698-701.

Include the HONOR PLEDGE: “I have not given, used, or received any unauthorized assistance

on this assignment.”

Part 3. (Due Date 3/13/15) WRITTEN ARTICLE FOR THE LAY PRESS

Write a feature newspaper article (2 SINGLE SPACED TYPEWRITTEN PAGES) using

your outline and according to the principles discussed in class. Remember, this is not a

scientific article. You will be using the evidence you obtained from your research and

information you learned in your classes to support your position, but are not quoting directly.

You are preparing this article to be read and understood by the public at large.

Include the HONOR PLEDGE: “I have not given, used, or received any unauthorized assistance

on this assignment.”

Part II: My Assignment Work

A Cup of Green Tea

Imagine a cold winter’s day where the weather outside is frigid and the snow seems to

never stop falling. On days like these, you have to find a way to stay warm, and one of the best

ways to accomplish this is to make yourself a steaming, hot drink. If you could have your choice

of any hot drink, what would you choose? Coffee? Hot chocolate? After reading this article,

you may want to consider making yourself a cup of hot green tea on the next cold winter’s day.

According to both past and recent studies, green tea is associated with multiple health benefits.

Benefits associated with drinking green tea are widespread and drinking green tea may improve

your body’s health in ways you never would have guessed. From brain function to stress to

digestion, the possible advantages of drinking green tea reach far and wide.

To begin, green tea may improve brain function and short-term memory. One study

showed that drinking green tea may protect brain function from declining. Elderly individuals

who drank green tea for three months had improved brain function test scores after the green tea

treatment along with improved short-term memory scores. The study suggests that the

substances that make up green tea may function similarly to the way medications for

Alzheimer’s do and produce an actual protective effect on the brain. From the results of this

study, it certainly seems that something in green tea may be working with the brain to help it

function at its best (1). So, the next time you seem to have trouble remembering where you put

that notebook or your keys, try having a cup of green tea and see if it helps you find them.

In addition, green tea may help to relieve stress and anxiety. In a study where subjects

were given stressful tests, stress levels after the test were lower for subjects who drank green tea

before the test. Subjects who had green tea before the test were also able to finish more test

problems than those who did not have green tea before the test. According to the study,

substances in green tea may relieve anxiety. This lower anxiety could help with focus and

improve productivity, leading to the extra problems finished by those who drank green tea (2).

Whenever your next stressful situation appears and you cannot seem to concentrate on a task no

matter how hard you try, have a cup of green tea and see if the tension leaves and your focus

returns.

Besides improving brain function and relieving stress, drinking green tea may help with

the function of the body’s digestive system. According to one study, drinking green tea was

associated with an increase in gut bacteria. How do digestion and gut bacteria relate? Bacteria

in the gut help with absorption of nutrients from our food, a process in digestion. Without these

bacteria, the body is not able to get all of the nutrients it needs from the food we eat. This harms

the overall function and health of the body, so these bacteria are very important. According to

the study just mentioned, substances in green tea may feed bacteria in the gut, helping them to

grow and aid digestion (3). If you have problems with digestion, try drinking a cup of green tea

each day and you may see some benefits.

If you are not convinced of the benefits that green tea may offer by now, here are some

final health outcomes green tea may improve. Green tea may have the ability to reduce the risk

of chronic diseases such as type II diabetes and heart disease. Drinking green tea may reduce the

risk of developing type II diabetes because studies show that it is associated with lower blood

sugar levels and better weight maintenance. High blood sugar levels and excess weight are risk

factors for type II diabetes (4). In addition, one study showed that green tea may reduce blood

levels of fats from the diet. High blood levels of diet fats increase the risk for heart disease (1).

If you want to reduce your risk of chronic disease, drinking a cup of green tea each day may help.

The possible health benefits of green tea are numerous, from improving how your brain

works, to strengthening memory, to lowering stress and helping with focus, to helping the

digestive system function at its best. Finally, drinking green tea may reduce risk of developing

chronic diseases such as type II diabetes and heart disease. Adding green tea to your diet

certainly has potential to improve your overall health and quality of life. Try drinking a cup of

green tea each day, or even every other day, and you may find that it does more than just keep

you warm on a cold day.

Sources:

1. Hiroshi Y, Kazuki I, Norikata T, et. al. Green tea consumption affects cognitive

dysfunction in the elderly. Nutrients. 2014; 6(10): 4032-4042.

2. Murao S, Nakamura Y, Yoto A, et. al. Intake of green tea inhibited increase of salivary

chromogranin A after mental task stress loads. J Physiol Anthropol. 2014; 33(1): np.

3. Hisada T, Jin J, Touyama M, et. al. Effects of green tea consumption on human fecal

microbiota with special reference to Bifidobacterium species. Microbio and Immunol.

2012; 56(11): 729-739.

4. Cooper, R. Green tea and theanine: health benefits. Internat J. Food Sc. Hum. Nutr.

2012; 63(S1): 90-97.