Publication Date

2021

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Lukaszuk, Judith M.

Degree Name

M.S. (Master of Science)

Legacy Department

School of Health Studies

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of inulin, in the form of fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), on anxiety symptoms in college students. With a prevalence of 40 million adults in the United States, or 18.1% of the population, anxiety is the most common mental illness in the United States. Previous studies have viewed gut microbiota and its potential link to anxiety both in humans and in mice. However, no previous studies viewed college students. Thirteen subjects were assigned to receive either 4.9 g per day of inulin as a treatment (TX) or no supplement as a control (CON) for 28 days. Both TX and CON groups were given the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item Scale (GAD-7) on day 1 and day 28. Both groups were also given a 3-day food log at the beginning of the experiment and otherwise maintained their regular diet. Results showed a statistically significant decrease in median GAD-7 scores from both groups (p= 0.017, r=.637 and p= 0.042, r=.587 for the TX and CON group, respectively. However, when comparing the GAD-7 scores between groups, no statistically significant results were found. In conclusion, FOS supplementation may not alleviate anxiety symptoms in college students.

Extent

49 pages

Language

eng

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

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