Tom Brenna

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James Thomas Brenna (born October 15, 1959) is an American scientist specializing in analytical chemistry, mass spectrometry, and in human nutrition and foods, specifically fats. He is a professor of Pediatrics and chemistry at Dell Medical School, having previously been a professor of human nutrition, chemistry, chemical biology and food science at Cornell University. [1]

Contents

Career

Floyd Landis trials

Brenna was the key expert witness in the action of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) against 2006 Tour de France first place finisher Floyd Landis, adjudicated in a hearing of the Tribunal Arbitral du Sport/Court for Arbitration in Sport held in Malibu, California. He testified to the accuracy of Carbon Isotope Ratio (CIR) tests conducted by the French Antidoping laboratory at Châtenay-Malabry. [2] [3] Landis conducted a high profile, multimillion dollar defense but lost the 2007 original hearing [4] with the decision relying for technical opinion on Brenna’s testimony. [5] Landis later lost a 2008 de novo case before the American Arbitration Association also relying on Brenna’s testimony [6] and was stripped of his title. Years later Landis revealed he was doping and filed a whistle-blower lawsuit under the federal False Claims Act against Lance Armstrong that was settled with multimillion dollar payments by Armstrong. [7]

DHA in Infant Formula

Brenna visited the FDA infant formula team in late 2001 to encourage omega-3 DHA to be included in infant formula. A few weeks later the FDA issued its “no questions” letter accepting this suggestion and citing his work. [8]

Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee

Brenna was a member of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee advising on the 2015 U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans. [9] He was one of four members of the Food Sustainability and Safety subcommittee whose work on sustainability was excluded from consideration by an act of Congress. [10]

Coconut oil

Comments in the New York Times about the healthfulness of coconut oil in late 2015 [11] [12] were covered in 200+ newspapers globally. Brenna opined that 21st-century virgin coconut oil does not cause heart disease but that earlier coconut oils may cause heart disease due to process contaminants. [13]

Vegetarian gene

In 2016 he was co-lead of a team that discovered an insertion-deletion polymorphism, rs66698963, is under positive selective pressure depending on whether ancestral diets were primarily animal/seafood-based or plant-based. [14] [15] [16] Global news widely reported that it would lead to potentially greater risk of disease, [17] though this was corrected later. [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fat</span> Esters of fatty acid or triglycerides

In nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Food pyramid (nutrition)</span> Visual representation of optimal servings from basic groups

A food pyramid is a representation of the optimal number of servings to be eaten each day from each of the basic food groups. The first pyramid was published in Sweden in 1974. The 1992 pyramid introduced by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) was called the "Food Guide Pyramid" or "Eating Right Pyramid". It was updated in 2005 to "MyPyramid", and then it was replaced by "MyPlate" in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coconut oil</span> Edible oil derived from coconut

Coconut oil is an edible oil derived from the kernels, meat, and milk of the coconut palm fruit. Coconut oil is a white solid fat below around 25 °C (77 °F), and a clear thin liquid oil at higher temperatures. Unrefined varieties have a distinct coconut aroma. Coconut oil is used as a food oil, and in industrial applications for cosmetics and detergent production. The oil is rich in medium-chain fatty acids.

A saturated fat is a type of fat in which the fatty acid chains have all single bonds between the carbon atoms. A fat known as a glyceride is made of two kinds of smaller molecules: a short glycerol backbone and fatty acids that each contain a long linear or branched chain of carbon (C) atoms. Along the chain, some carbon atoms are linked by single bonds (-C-C-) and others are linked by double bonds (-C=C-). A double bond along the carbon chain can react with a pair of hydrogen atoms to change into a single -C-C- bond, with each H atom now bonded to one of the two C atoms. Glyceride fats without any carbon chain double bonds are called saturated because they are "saturated with" hydrogen atoms, having no double bonds available to react with more hydrogen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mediterranean diet</span> Diet inspired by the Mediterranean region

The Mediterranean diet is a concept first invented in 1975 by the American biologist Ancel Keys and chemist Margaret Keys. The diet took inspiration from the supposed eating habits and traditional food typical of Crete, much of the rest of Greece, and southern Italy, and formulated in the early 1960s. It is distinct from Mediterranean cuisine, which covers the actual cuisines of the Mediterranean countries, and from the Atlantic diet of northwestern Spain and Portugal. While inspired by a specific time and place, the "Mediterranean diet" was later refined based on the results of multiple scientific studies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weston A. Price Foundation</span> Organization

The Weston A. Price Foundation (WAPF), co-founded in 1999 by Sally Fallon (Morell) and nutritionist Mary G. Enig, is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to "restoring nutrient-dense foods to the American diet through education, research and activism".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diet (nutrition)</span> Sum of food consumed by an organism

In nutrition, diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism. The word diet often implies the use of specific intake of nutrition for health or weight-management reasons. Although humans are omnivores, each culture and each person holds some food preferences or some food taboos. This may be due to personal tastes or ethical reasons. Individual dietary choices may be more or less healthy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plant-based diet</span> Diet consisting mostly or entirely of plant-based foods

A plant-based diet is a diet consisting mostly or entirely of plant-based foods. Plant-based diets encompass a wide range of dietary patterns that contain low amounts of animal products and high amounts of fiber-rich plant products such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. They do not need to be vegan or vegetarian, but are defined in terms of low frequency of animal food consumption.

Fish oil is oil derived from the tissues of oily fish. Fish oils contain the omega−3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), precursors of certain eicosanoids that are known to reduce inflammation in the body and improve hypertriglyceridemia. There has been a great deal of controversy in the 21st century about the role of fish oil in cardiovascular disease, with recent meta-analyses reaching different conclusions about its potential impact.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vegetarian nutrition</span> Nutritional and human health aspects of vegetarian diets

Vegetarian nutrition is the set of health-related challenges and advantages of vegetarian diets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cat food</span> Food for consumption by cats

Cat food is food specifically formulated and designed for consumption by cats. As obligate carnivores, cats have specific requirements for their dietary nutrients, namely nutrients found only in meat or synthesized, such as taurine and Vitamin A. Certain nutrients, including many vitamins and amino acids, are degraded by the temperatures, pressures and chemical treatments used during manufacture, and hence must be added after manufacture to avoid nutritional deficiency. Cat food is typically sold as dry kibble, or as wet food in cans and pouches.

Nutraceutical is a marketing term used to imply a pharmaceutical effect from a compound or food product that has not been scientifically confirmed or approved to have clinical benefits. In the United States, nutraceuticals are considered and regulated as a subset of foods by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Healthy diet</span> Type of diet

A healthy diet is a diet that maintains or improves overall health. A healthy diet provides the body with essential nutrition: fluid, macronutrients such as protein, micronutrients such as vitamins, and adequate fibre and food energy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Docosahexaenoic acid</span> Chemical compound

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is an omega−3 fatty acid that is an important component of the human brain, cerebral cortex, skin, and retina. It is given the fatty acid notation 22:6(n−3). It can be synthesized from alpha-linolenic acid or obtained directly from maternal milk (breast milk), fatty fish, fish oil, or algae oil. The consumption of DHA (e.g., from fatty fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel and sardines) contributes to numerous physiological benefits, including cognition. As a component of neuronal membranes, the function of DHA is to support neuronal conduction and to allow the optimal functioning of neuronal membrane proteins (such as receptors and enzymes).

A diabetic diet is a diet that is used by people with diabetes mellitus or high blood sugar to minimize symptoms and dangerous complications of long-term elevations in blood sugar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary G. Enig</span> American nutritionist (1931–2014)

Mary Gertrude Enig was a nutritionist and researcher known for her unconventional positions on the role saturated fats play in diet and health. She disputed the medical consensus that diets high in saturated fats contribute to development of heart disease, while she advocated for a low-carbohydrate high-fat diet, rich in animal fats and coconut oil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lacto-ovo vegetarianism</span> Vegetarian diet allowing eggs and dairy

Lacto-ovo vegetarianism or ovo-lacto vegetarianism is a type of vegetarianism which forbids animal flesh but allows the consumption of animal products such as dairy and eggs. Unlike pescetarianism, it does not include fish or other seafood. A typical ovo-lacto vegetarian diet may include fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, meat substitutes, nuts, seeds, soy, cheese, milk, yogurt and eggs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vegan nutrition</span> Nutritional and human health aspects of vegan diets

Vegan nutrition refers to the nutritional and human health aspects of vegan diets. A well-planned vegan diet is suitable to meet all recommendations for nutrients in every stage of human life. Vegan diets tend to be higher in dietary fiber, magnesium, folic acid, vitamin C, vitamin E, and phytochemicals; and lower in calories, saturated fat, iron, cholesterol, long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, calcium, zinc, and vitamin B12.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vegetarian and vegan dog diet</span> Adequate meat-free or animal-free nutrition

As in the human practice of veganism, vegan dog foods are those formulated with the exclusion of ingredients that contain or were processed with any part of an animal, or any animal byproduct. Vegan dog food may incorporate the use of fruits, vegetables, cereals, legumes including soya, nuts, vegetable oils, as well as any other non-animal based foods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trans fat</span> Type of unsaturated fat

Trans fat, also called trans-unsaturated fatty acids, or trans fatty acids, is a type of unsaturated fat that occurs in foods. Small amounts of trans fats occur naturally, but large amounts are found in some processed foods. Since consumption of trans fats is unhealthy, artificial trans fats are highly regulated or banned in many nations. However, they are still widely consumed in developing nations, resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths each year. The World Health Organization (WHO) had set a goal to make the world free from industrially produced trans fat by the end of 2023. The goal was not met, and the WHO announced another goal "for accelerated action till 2025 to complete this effort" along with associated support on 1 February 2024.

References

  1. ↑ "Tom Brenna, Ph.D." Dell Medical School. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  2. ↑ Expert Testifies in Landis Doping Case. By EDDIE PELLS. The Washington Post. Wednesday, May 23, 2007; 2:52 PM
  3. ↑ Griffiths, Rajendrani Mukhopadhyay and Jennifer (2007-12-01). "The science behind Floyd Landis's guilty verdict". Analytical Chemistry. 79 (23): 8823–8825. doi:10.1021/ac0719960. ISSN   0003-2700.
  4. ↑ "Doping: Arbitrators find Floyd Landis guilty of doping, The Associated Press has learned". The New York Times. 2007-09-20. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  5. ↑ The North American Court of Arbitration for Sport/AAA Panel. Arbitration Award, Case No: 30 190 00847 06. September 21, 2007.
  6. ↑ Hiltzik, Michael A. (2008-07-01). "Sports court upholds Landis' doping charges". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  7. ↑ Hart, Matt (2018-04-19). "The Man Who Brought Down Lance Armstrong". The Atlantic. ISSN   2151-9463 . Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  8. ↑ GRAS Notice No. GRN 000080, Dec 11, 2001, FDA to Mead John Nutritionals.
  9. ↑ Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/Scientific-Report-of-the-2015-Dietary-Guidelines-Advisory-Committee.pdf
  10. ↑ New Dietary Guidelines Will Not Include Sustainability Goal. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/10/06/446369955/new-dietary-guidelines-will-not-include-sustainability-goal
  11. ↑ Rabin, Roni Caryn (2015-12-24). "Ask Well: Is Coconut Oil a Healthy Fat?". Well. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  12. ↑ Rabin, Roni Caryn; Egan, Sophie (2018-08-21). "Is Coconut Oil Good or Bad for You?". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  13. ↑ Liu et al., Food Chem Toxicol. 2019 May;127:135-142. Glycerol derived process contaminants in refined coconut oil induce cholesterol synthesis in HepG2 cells. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2019.03.005.
  14. ↑ Kothapalli, Kumar S. D.; Ye, Kaixiong; Gadgil, Maithili S.; Carlson, Susan E.; O’Brien, Kimberly O.; Zhang, Ji Yao; Park, Hui Gyu; Ojukwu, Kinsley; Zou, James; Hyon, Stephanie S.; Joshi, Kalpana S.; Gu, Zhenglong; Keinan, Alon; Brenna, J.Thomas (2016). "Positive Selection on a Regulatory Insertion–Deletion Polymorphism in FADS2 Influences Apparent Endogenous Synthesis of Arachidonic Acid". Molecular Biology and Evolution. 33 (7): 1726–1739. doi:10.1093/molbev/msw049. ISSN   0737-4038. PMC   4915354 . PMID   27188529.
  15. ↑ "Are we what we eat?". ScienceDaily. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  16. ↑ Nield, David (2016-03-30). "A Vegetarian Diet Could Cause Long-Term Genetic Changes". ScienceAlert. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  17. ↑ "Vegetarian Diet Not So Healthy After All; Could Make Indians More Prone To Heart Disease!". IndiaTimes. 2016-04-11. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  18. ↑ "Vegetarian diet does NOT increase cancer risk: Researchers clarify". The Indian Express. 2016-04-06. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
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