These will be reviewed in class and posted on Blackboard. First you will select and read three recent articles on a human nutrition topic of your choice from professional peer-reviewed journals. Professional peer-reviewed journals in nutrition, nursing, kinesiology, science (biology, chemistry, physiology), and medicine are examples of acceptable sources. All articles must be from 2008 or later. It is strongly recommended that you use NVCC Library databases (such as Academic Search Complete, Proquest, CINAHL, etc-) to find these articles.

Nutrition Topic Ideas: any essential nutrient (a vitamin or mineral, or a carbohydrate, protein, or fat), a health risk (or risks) of poor vitamin D status, calcium & bone health, folate & pregnancy, diet and cancer risk, diet & blood pressure, health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, pros and cons of vegetarianism (or meat eating), organic foods and nutrition, health effects of sugar, health effects of caffeine (or coffee), health benefits of nut consumption, the Mediterranean Diet, DASH Diet, diet and dementia risk, health benefits of a phytochemical (find one to write about), health effects of a sweetener (pick one), health effects of dietary fiber, health effects of probiotics, energy metabolism, vitamin D and stress fractures, Creatine supplements for athletes, female athlete triad, energy drinks, effects of breakfast consumption for children, obesity prevention in children, nutrition requirements of athletes (such as body builders or endurance athletes), and many more! Find a nutrition topic that interests you!

This project will be completed in two parts:

Part 1: Expanded Bibliography (15 pts.): Write an expanded bibliography for your 3 main paper references. These references must be about the human nutrition topic that will be the focus of your research paper. Your 3 main references must be from 2008 or later, and they must be from professional peer-reviewed journals in nutrition, nursing, allied health, kinesiology, medicine, or science (biology, chemistry, physiology, etc-). The expanded bibliography will list your reference citations in MLA or APA format; each citation will be followed by a brief explanation of what your article is about and why it is a good reference for your paper. You will get more guidelines for this in class and on Blackboard. If your expanded bibliography includes a reference that does not meet the guidelines for this assignment, your instructor will notify you by email when she grades your bibliography.

Part II: Short Research Paper (85 pts.). Write a short paper (3+ pages of writing) about your three references. Your paper should explain & discuss the major points of each reference. For research articles, discuss the research design, major findings, and major conclusions. Include your own evaluation of the information in these articles: What, in your opinion, is the significance of the information or findings in your 3 articles?