xt7vdn3zwv0n https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7vdn3zwv0n/data/mets.xml University of Kentucky. Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies Kentucky University of Kentucky. Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies 1988 volumes. Call Number: LD2762.9 .K38c. Accession Number: 2018ua049 journals LD2762.9 .K38c English Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies  Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection University of Kentucky Odyssey Magazine Research -- Kentucky -- Periodicals Education -- Research -- Periodicals Research -- Kentucky Odyssey: The Magazine of University of Kentucky Research, Spring 1988 text images Odyssey: The Magazine of University of Kentucky Research, Spring 1988 1988 1988 2026 true xt7vdn3zwv0n section xt7vdn3zwv0n  

V1" ” 7 ‘ "’T"""" —’“”T "‘ M ' ’ T”"_"'" "h ’T'" 7
WINTER ‘ A MAGAZINE OF UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY RESEARCH ° 1988

i

I ‘

 

, MAKING ISLANDS OF ICE IN THE ARCTIC

  

 

W

\1.-\n-\M‘JFUF |"J HGITY \‘0 KEY“ K N} CH r "w

 

he University of Kentucky, the Commonwealth's gradur
ate education and research institution, exists to provide oppor/
tunities for the education, personal growth and development of
individuals and to contribute to the improvement of society.

With this mission as its premise, one goal of the University is
to conduct programs of basic and applied research which sup,
port graduate and professional education, provide for the
advancement of knowledge, and seek solutions to the acute
problems of societs'.

The Unit‘ersity’s research mission also acts as a magnet for
attracting top graduate students who want to participate in
nationally competitive research projects. This research expert?
ence can offer them a significant advantage in their education
while laying the foundation for future research and develop!
ment. ODYSSEY Magazine, through articles about various
research projects and graduate education programs, reflects the
breadth of the University's search for new knowledge and the
myriad of research endeavors underway. The progress that the
University has made toward achieving its research mission and
securing the extramural funds required to support these types of
endeavors would have been impossible without the talents and
dedication of our researchers.

The goal of ODYSSEY Magazine is to offer the reader
the opportunits‘ to share in some of the excitement, curiosity
and creatit‘its‘ evident in the research underway at the Univer'
sits of Kentucky,

 

  

ODYSSEY

 

olume VI No 1

   

1 Uié‘iiéér'si
Margaret ,1. King Library « North
Universrfiy of Kentucky"

CONTENTS Lexington, Kentucky «£305

7‘ Makin Islands of Ice in the Arctic , 2
/ ,_ \ g as

\. w/ I Fido’s Food: A New Weapon Against Heart Disease pg. 5

Fido’s Food, pg. 5

 

   

 

 

Advancing by Degrees pg. 13

 

a The Super Power of Superconductivity pg. 21

 

Inspiration Point pg. 28

 

 

The Super Power

of Superconductivity, Pg. 31 Can Plgeons Plan Ahead? pg. 32

 

Country Places, Forgotten Spaces: Images of Japan and Kentucky pg. 37

 

Research Briefs pg. 44

 

 

Research Briefs, pg. 44

ODYSSEY is a magazine published by the University of Kentucky Research Foundation under the auspices
of the Vice Chancellor for Research and the Dean of the Graduate School. Each issue of ODYSSEY describes
only a few of the many University of Kentucky research projects underway in a variety of areas.

Requests for permission to reprint material and readers‘ comments regarding ODYSSEY are welcome and
should be sent to the Editor, University of Kentucky Research Foundation, University of Kentucky, Lexing—
ton 4030670037, Phone 606—237—8297.

The publication of ODYSSEY is not financed by state’appropriated funds.

Editor: Susan H. Donohew. Asst. Editor: Jeff Worley. Designer: Shear & Shear. Publications Asst.:
Sharon J Turner Contributing Writers: Lissa Atkins Maria Braden. Printing: UK Printing Services.
Typesetting: Maury Boyd&Ass0ciates. Credits: photos on pp 2,4, 3, (,9,IO,14 13,16 17, 20, 27., 23, 30,
11 by Ken Goad, photos on pp. 9, 16, 18, 19, 7.1, 22, 23 26, 21,:8, 34 by Bill \Vells, photos on pp 33, 36 by
Mike Oppenheim; photos on pp 2, 8 by John Mitchell, photos on pp. 24, 23 byL arry Rice; photo on p 6 by
The Image \X’orks, front and back cover photos courtesy of the Amoco Corporation

Cover: The genesis of Mars Island: At temperatures averaging below — 20 C, pump units spray seawater ZOO
feet into the air, where the water droplets freeze to form ice crystals. Photograph courtesy of the Amoco
Corporation. Article on page Z.

 

 

 

  

ODYSSEY 2

 

  

In early January of 1986 engineers began
flooding the ice pack five miles northeast of
Cape Halkett to a thickness of four feet to sup,
port ice’spraying equipment. At temperatures
averaging below ~20 C, seawater was then
pumped from beneath the ice sheet and
sprayed 200 feet into the air, where the water
droplets froze to form ice crystals.

As the spraying continued, a mass was built
up that depressed the ice sheet until it
grounded on the seabed. Four pump units
worked around the clock, logging 892 hours of
pumping time and spraying 266,000,000 gale
lons of seawater in 46 days. The result was
Mars Island, 50—feet thick—half of this mass
below sea level—and 950 feet in diameter.

The hard stable island surface supported the
drilling equipment and 60 workers. Oil explo~
ration began in February and continued until
mideApril when the island started to break up;
by midJuly the island had melted.

In the construction of these man—made dril—
ling platforms, a major engineering concern
has been the creep settlement of the ice
islands. Since ice deforms, or creeps, continu—
ously even under a fixed load, an ice island
constantly moves downward during its work
ing life because of its own weight and the load
it supports.

The engineering problem of creep settlement
has intrigued Dr. Chi«Sing Man, an assistant
professor of mathematics at the University of
Kentucky, who became interested in rheology,
the science dealing with deformation and flow
of matter, during his studies ten years ago at
Johns Hopkins University. Man, a native of
Hong Kong who holds advanced degrees in
mechanics and mathematics, is currently
working on the problem of creep settlement of
the sprayed—ice islands.

“Because of the short working life of an ice—
island (approximately two months) and the
relatively consistent level of stress on the
island—the weight of the men and equipment,
and the fairly uniform weather conditions—it
seems likely that the main cause of settlement
is primary creep of ice,H says Man. “Primary,"
he explains, refers to the initial period of decel—
erating creep.

Man is currently at work on two new constiv
tutive equations, models which describe the
material and are independent of the geometric
configurations, for the primary and secondary

 

creep of ice. His objective is to study and com—
pare the mathematical properties exhibited by
these two models in some typical flow
problems.

“To a rheologist any object that deforms
‘flows'; even rock flows if looked at in geologi—
cal time,” Man says. “This study will reveal
whether my equations have reasonable flow
properties and will provide information for
discovering which of the two is the better
model."

Man’s equations are based on creep charac‘
teristics of ice which are determined by field
tests and laboratory experiments. In the labo’
ratory a triaxial creep test, for example, mea
sures the shortening of a sample of ice under
pressure. A bar of ice, three to five inches
long, is enclosed by a latex membrane and
inserted into a bath of hydraulic fluid in a cyl—
inder made of Perspex, a hard transparent
material. Because the sample must be kept at a
temperature below freezing, a fluid such as kerz
osene or silicone whose freezing point is sub;
stantially lower than the testing temperature
must be used. The ice is compressed by a
piston—like stainless steel ram so that research«
ers can determine how ice behaves under dif—
ferent stress levels.

The pressures exerted on the ice in a triaxial
experiment are roughly analogous to those
exerted on manzmade ice»islands. The lateral
force of the fluid used in the laboratory test is
similar to the stress caused by Arctic sea
water; the downward pressure applied to the
ice sample corresponds to the pressure of the
drilling equipment and men on the island.

“Unfortunately, there’s a problem with
treating the lab specimen as if it were the ice
island," Man admits. "For an ice island in the
Arctic, there is a substantial change in temper-
ature within the ice of the island. For
instance, at the top of the island, which is
exposed to the Arctic air, the mean tempera—
ture will be about «30 C; at the bottom, which
sits on the sea floor, the temperature will be
about «2 C.H

Man is supplementing information gathered
from triaxial experiments with data collected
from pressuremeter tests. This procedure
involves boring a hole into the sprayed ice and
then easing a measuring cell down to various
depths in order to determine the creep behav»
ior of the ice at different points. The testing

 

 

our pump units

worked around the
clock, logging 892
hours of pumping
time and spraying
266,000,000 gallons
of seawater over 46

days. The result was
Mars Island.

 

    

Chi—Sing Man, Mathematics

continued on page 4

3 ODYSSEY

 

     
  
   
 

 
 
  
 

 

   
  

 

  
 

 
    
        
           

 

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Mars Island was constructed
five miles northeast of Cape
Halkett (magnified area).

ODYSSEY 4

probe of the pressuremeter is a cylindrical rub—
ber membrane. During testing the membrane
is inflated, and changes in borehole radius
over time are measured.

A third source of data comes from field set,
tlement observations. Amoco engineers work—
ing on Mars Island monitored rig settlements
and overall island settlement throughout the
working life of the island.

Why are petroleum companies such as
Amoco and Sohio interested in creating work
platforms with such short life spans? ”Cost
effectiveness is the main reason," Man says.
“The cost of an island at this site was less than
one’third of the estimated cost of a gravel
island, or $10 million versus $35 million.H

In discussing the effectiveness of sprayed/ice
islands, Dr. RD. Goff, frontier technology
manager for Standard Oil, states that spray ice
has successfully demonstrated its usefulness as
an offshore drilling structure. “However, more
material creep data is required. Creep behav—
ior and performance is currently interpreted
from field and laboratory data and not by
constitutive equations and numerical analy~
sis,” Goff says.

Although there is an established engineering
equation—Glen’s flow lawiwhich deals with
the deformation of ice, this equation is not

 

 

 

comprehensive enough. Man explains that
“Glen’s flow law is not adequate for the prob—
lems faced by these engineers because it can
describe only secondary creep, the stage of
almost steady creep which comes after the ini~
tial decelerating stage. The rate of primary
creep, on the other hand, is important since
the working life of the island is so short that
secondary creep may not be attained."

Man stresses the point that his research will
not make Glen's flow law obsolete; his equa~
tions will simply modify an established and
useful mathematical formula.

When his studies are completed, the mathe~
matical theorems, theoretical developments
and general conclusions will be published. As
for the specific findings which pertain to Mars
island, Man will send his results to the Uni~
versity of Manitoba, where he is involved in
collaborative research. Petroleum companies
such as Amoco will then be able to use Man’s
equations when the next sprayed’ice island is
built.

“If a new constitutive equation is established
for the flow of ice, its significance will go
beyond the problem of creep settlement of
man—made islands. It will have an impact on
glaciology—on stress effects in glacier flow and
on Arctic engineering," Man says. I

 

 

 Against

 

 

FIDO’S FOOD:

A New Weapon .
Heart Disease

 

henever Dr. James Anderson, chief

of endocrinology, sees a cat or dog,

he feels a little guilty. Although his
research on nutrition has meant tremendous
progress toward understanding and control’
ling cardiovascular disease, it has also forever
changed what these pets are fed.

Anderson has been studying the effect of
fiber on serum cholesterol levels—the primary
risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD)—
since the mid~1970s. Knowing that oatmeal
effectively lowers serum cholesterol levels,
Anderson decided to test oat bran on himself.
However, he soon discovered he couldn't find
it in any grocery stores. 50 he called the
Quaker Oats Company and was told that oat
bran wasn’t available there either. Not satis—
fied with that answer, Anderson called back.

”I said, ‘You've got to know something.
says Anderson. “They checked again and
informed me that oat bran was a by—product
of milling oats and that it was being put into
pet food.

”They reluctantly agreed to send me a 100,
pound drum,"

That year, 1977, Anderson says he “got reliv
gion" and began supplementing his diet with
the oat bran. Anderson knew his blood cho~
lesterol level was 285 milligrams per deciliter
(mg/d1), a dangerous level inherited from his
mother, but had done nothing about it. After
five weeks of eating 100 grams of oat bran a
day, Anderson found his cholesterol dropped
to 175 mg/dl. In 1981, Anderson published
his first paper on his oat bran findings;
Quaker Oats had a new product and pets no
longer had oat bran in their food.

”There is a lot of competition now between
manufacturers of oat bran,” says Anderson.
”Millions of people are eating it. Recently,
Quaker Oats has saturated the print media
about reasons to eat oat flour and bran. One
reason they list is that it lowers blood choles’
terol.

”Our work is what really got them into this.
Now, though, when I see a cat or dog, I feel a
little guilty, because they're not getting their
oat bran anymore. Now that bran is so popua
lar, the Quaker Oats company obviously finds
it more profitable to sell bran to humans at
51.30 a box.H

From a human perspective, the animals’ sac’
rifice is worth it. Anderson's work has been so

In

 

 

Anderson’s research has established oat bran as an effec—
tive weapon against cholesterol build-up. As a result of
Anderson’s findings, the Quaker Oats Company began to
manufacture a new product.

successful that UK was one of five schools
nationwide to receive a $959,000 multi—year
grant from the National Institutes of Health
(the universities of Alabama, Oregon, Har»
yard, and Vanderbilt also received funding).
With the additional support of $50,000 from
other sources, such as the Quaker Oats Com~
pany, four UK principal investigators are
exploring different aspects of the fiber~CVD
question: Drs. Anderson and Gordon Guth—
rie, medicine/endocrinology; Geza Bruckner,
clinical nutrition; and Thomas Garrity,
behavioral science.

It is research that will affect millions of peov
ple. Cardiovascular disease is the number one
cause of death in Kentucky and the nation.
Every year nearly 1,000,000 Americans die
from CVD at an estimated cost of $83 billion.
In Kentucky, it will be responsible for the
death of about 49 percent of those who die
this year. Another six million Americans suf—
fer from symptoms of the disease, such as
chest pain, angina, and shortness of breath
when walking too fast.

 

(manual on page (7

 

S ODYSSEY

 

  

The temptation

 

Just over a vear into their projects, the pro

 

fessors are specificallv researching the role of
fiher on different risks of CVD. The principal
project, a threezvear studv, is comparing the
effects on serum lipid levels of two diets that
are similar except that one calls for suhstan—
tiallv more filter. The other three projects, all

 

two—vear studies, examine filier's role in reduo
i ing cholesterol levels and in treating hvpertetv

 

ODYSSEY t

 

 

sion, and fiher's effect in comhination with
fish oil on several risk factors of CVD.

The studies are large, involving a numher of
UK people. \X'orking with the four principal
investigators are five UK professors: Norman
Gilinslx'v, medicine; Ralph Miller, medicine;
Daniel R. Richardson, phvsiologv and hio—
phvsics; Harllev McKean, statistics; and Peter
Oeltgen, pathologv. Approximatelv 30 others,
including nurses, registered dieticians, gradu—
ate students and various coordinators, are also
part of the team.

Two Diets Put to the Test

(lirdiovascular disease is a complex prohlem
influenced hv a numl‘er of factors including
smoking, hvpertension, ohesitv, and familial
historv of CVD. However, scientists agree
that the underlving process of CVD is athero/
sclerosis, or hardening of the arteries.
Through this process, plaques of lipids, choles—
terol and scar tissue are deposited on the
arterv walls. (iraduallv thev hecome more nar—
row until a hloclx‘age results and there is death
of tissue. Because cholesterol is the predomi—
nant element in plaques, the leading risk fac—
tor for CVD is excessive levels of cholesterol.

Studving the effect of two diets on serum
lipid levels, particularlv cholesterol amounts, is
the aim of the principal part of the project.
Directed hv Drs. Anderson and (iarritv, the
threewear studv is cotnparing the American
Heart Association's diet, the one most widelv
recommended to patients with heart disease,
to a highrcarhohvdrate, high—fiher (HCFl diet
created hv Anderson.

According to Anderson. there are ahout 30
30 million Americans trving to follow the
AHA diet, which is verv similar to his diet.
Both recomtiiend that people ohtain 33 per
cent of their dav's calories from carhohvdrates,
13 percent from fat, and 30 percent from pro—
tein, while consuming no more than :00 milli~
grams of cholesterol per 1000 calories. The
onlv difference is in the amount of fiher l‘L'k"
ommended: the AHA diet suggests 1'3 grams
per 3000 calories while the HCF regime calls
for 30 grams. (Two oat hran muffins would
provide ahout nine grams of fiherl.

continual mi page N

 

  

Going After Hypertension With Fiber

 

 

n addition to cholesterol, high

blood pressure is considered a

major risk factor for CVD. Not
only does it cause additional stress to
the arteries and heart, high blood
pressure also contributes to the build;
up of the deposits of plaques on the
arteries.

Hypertension affects over 60 mil—
lion people. Extremely elevated levels
can cause kidney and heart failure
and cerebral hemorrhage from the
bursting of arteries. People who are
mildly hypertensive have twice the
risk of having a stroke or heart attack
than those who have normal blood
pressure.

“There are some theories about the
effect of hypertension on CVD," says
Dr. Guthrie. “But no one is sure of
the exact mechanism.”

Guthrie’s project is examining ways
to reduce hypertension with dietary
fiber. In particular, he is watching the
influence of fiber on insulin and insu«
lin’s effect on blood pressure.

“A high—fiber diet seems to lower a
person’s blood pressure," says Guthr
rie. “The hypothesis, a relatively new
one, is that it does this through its ef—
feet on insulin.”

Produced and stored in the pancre~
as, the hormone insulin is released
when high glucose levels are present
in the blood. Its major function is to
metabolize glucose by enabling many
cells to absorb it.

Insulin also promotes the synthesis
of proteins and the synthesis and
breakdown of triglycerides in fat. An
other function of insulin is to allow
the body to retain salt and, thus, wa—
ter as the insulin circulates through
the kidneys.

“Studies have demonstrated that
insulin is a potent sodium—retaining
hormone in the kidney," says Guth—
rie. ”The relationship between sodi'
um and hypertension is an intimate
one. Many scientists feel that of the
people who have high blood pressure.
one out of four or five are salt sensi'
tive. This means that if they restrict

 

   

a

Gordon Guthrie, Medicine/Endocrinology

their salt intake, there’s a lowering of
their blood pressure.”

Fiber’s role in this mechanism is
one of improving the body’s sensitiv—
ity to insulin. According to Ander»
son, his high-carbohydrate, high—fiber
diet enables two’thirds of his patients
with adult«onset diabetes to stop their
insulin shots. Their bodies have be«
come sensitive enough to their own
levels of insulin to eliminate the need
for more.

Guthrie’s hypothesis is that while
fiber enables the body’s tissues to sure
vive with less insulin, the kidney does
not respond this way. The proportion
of salt retained by the kidney is still
in direct ratio to the amount of insu'
lin present. Thus, fiber means that
less insulin is needed for glucose ab;
sorption; if lower levels of the hor‘
mone are present in the blood, less
sodium is retained in the kidney.

Guthrie says that lower levels of in—
sulin have a second effect: less insulin
means less blood vessel constriction, a
condition which is also a factor in
high blood pressure.

To determine the influence of fiber
on hypertension, 20 men and won»
en, ages 21760 and considered mildly
hypertensive, are adhering to both

 

 

the HCF (Anderson’s) and the AHA
(American Heart Association’s) diets
for two months. Similar in composi—
tion, the diets differ only in the
amounts of fiber prescribed; the
AHA suggests 15 grams while the
HCF provides 50 grams.

Before starting the diet program,
the participants are being monitored
for one month. Every two weeks,
they have a blood pressure test.
These baseline measurements will be
used for comparison purposes.

Because changes in blood pressure
are typically slow and subtle, Guthrie
is monitoring the participants' blood
pressure in two ways. First, after start!
ing on the diets, they have a check—up
every two weeks. Second, at the end
of the second month of following the
diets, the participants will stay for
three days in the Clinical Research
Center, a metabolic ward at the Uni—
versity Medical Center. While there,
each will have a 24~hour blood pres
sure profile compiled, with readings
taken every IS minutes.

Blood pressure goes through a fairly
wide range of changes during the day,
says Guthrie. HIt's low when one
sleeps and rises during meals and cer~
tain activities. The Z4’hour profile
will enable us to see if it’s lower
round—the‘clock."

Additional tests are also made so
that the researchers have a complete
profile on each patient. ”\Ve're trying
to look at all aspects of blood pres;
sure," says Guthrie. “This will be in
formation for a later study." I

 

TUIWSSEY

 

 

  

ODYSSEY 8

 

 

However, that one variation is the reason
for the differences in effectiveness. According
to Anderson, available data indicate the AHA
type diet lowered serum cholesterol concentra—
tions at the most by 7.4 percent, reducing risk
for CVD by less than 20 percent. In contrast,
preliminary studies by Anderson and other
researchers indicate that nutrition interven~
tion with diets generous in dietary fiber low—
ered serum cholesterol by 15—20 percent with a
risk reduction of about 40 percent.

“Our research is persuasive,” says Ander’
son. “However, it’s not to the point where
there are enough data to persuade the AHA,
which is a very conservative group. This
match—up is what intrigued the NIH and the
reason they gave us the money. I think the
study will show that the high'fiber diet is
clearly more effective than the one from

the AHA.“

Fiber: the cure

 

 

Testing the diets are 180 men and women,
ages 30—50, from Lexington and the surround—
ing area. Randomly separated into three
groups of 60, these participants are basically
healthy, except for elevated levels of choles~
terol*between 200300 milligrams per decili~
ter. This range is considered undesirable, but
not serious enough to require immediate drug
intervention.

For two years, the participants are eating a
prescribed diet. One group is following the
AHA diet, one the HCF, and one is consum—
ing whatever they want. This last group is
functioning as a control factor for the pur—
poses of comparing results.

A Change in Attitude

One such participant is Tony Burgett, 42,
an RN at the Veterans Administration hospi—
tal. In the AHA group, Burgett has been
following the diet since May. For him, the

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

decision to participate and commit that much
time was easy: it could save his life.

“My father and all his brothers and sisters
have real bad heart disease," says Burgett. “I
knew there was a strong genetic possibility for
my having heart problems."

This is the first time Burgett has ever done
anything about his possible heart disease prob—
lem. Tested for cholesterol and other lipid lew
els about four years ago, Burgett was told he
had normal levels. However, when tested for
this project, Burgett found his cholesterol was
at 364 milligrams per deciliter, a range consid4
ered undesirably high. This test result con~
cerned him because Burgett knew that higher
levels of cholesterol means higher risk for
heart disease. His experience as a health care
professional made him aware of the long—term
effects of an unhealthy diet.

Yet, like many other people, Burgett experi’
enced no symptoms of heart disease, nor had
any major illnesses or health problems.
According to him that’s one reason why it’s
difficult to be persuaded about the seriousness
of high cholesterol levels.

“Often times, the thinking is that I don't
feel bad so I'm not sick," says Burgett. “It’s
hard realizing that the best way to fight this is
not by taking pills but by not eating certain
foods, foods that I love.”

For Burgett, this meant giving up fried
foods, snacks like ice cream and chocolate.
and most dairy products, including his all—time
favorite eggs benedict.

“I love eggs benedict, but it’s like eating
nothing but a big bowl of cholesterol," says
Burgett. “They're so bad for you."

Other changes for Burgett include thinking
about where he can go out to eat instead of
just going on the spur of the moment, some”
thing he's likely to do since he’s typically very
busy. In fact, his entire attitude toward food
has changed. Now be closely reads labels and
checks ingredients of foods. One principle he
follows is that the more easily a food can be

continued on page 10

 

 

Thomas Garrity, Behavioral Science

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

consumed, except for eating something raw,
the more likely it has lots of fat and sugar in it.
For Burgett, this includes fast foods, dough—
nuts, soft drinks, and various other snacks.
“Food can’t be a casual thing," says Burgett.
“I’ve had to change completely. I grew up in
Kansas where you ate eggs and drank a big
glass of whole milk before you did anything.”

One Day at a Time

To help Burgett and the other participants
in the AHA and HCF groups to understand
ways to modify their diets, they went through
a ten—week education course started last May.
Taught for one hour a week, the training
emphasized the practical matter of how to fol«
low the diets rather than any theoretical con«
siderations about cardiovascular disease. The
participants learned to read labels on food
packages, distinguish between the types of fats
and to cook with low—fat methods. They also
received instruction on ways to add fiber to
their diet, to eat healthy meals at restaurants,
and to keep a record of what they consume.

Also during the ten weeks, the group
attended small biweekly meetings to do exer'
cises that tested their understanding of the
lectures and to check their blood cholesterol
levels. In addition, the participants met indi~
vidually with a dietician for 30 minutes each
week to set dietary goals and discuss ways to
achieve them.

Sticking with a new diet isn’t easy, no mat—
ter how motivated you are, admits Burgett. He
says he’s done pretty well but has eaten eggs
benedict and some other things he knows bet—
ter than to eat. For him, one problem is his
working environment.

“There are so many things that clutter up
your diet, like birthdays,” says Burgett.
“Where I work, there are lots of them which
means cakes, ice cream, doughnuts—lots of
cholesterol, fats, etc. Someone will say ‘Oh
here, have some,’ and the next thing I know
I’m eating it and then I remember that what
I’m eating is basically lard.”

This problem with dietary change is one
that Garrity confirms and the reason he devel—
oped the education program. High compliance

ODYSSEY 10

 

 

 

 

Dr. Anderson talks with Rev. Walter Taylor, one of the
participants in a study to determine the effect of fiber on
bile acid concentration.

 

 

  

is essential for the researchers to study the
effectiveness of the diets. Because the partici’
pants are at home, not in an environment
controlled by the researchers, the results are
reflective only of how well the group follow
their diet. Thus, a second important aim of
this study is determining whether an equally
high level of dietary compliance can be
achieved by the HCF and AHA diets. This
task won't be easy because the long—term fol~
lowing of a preventative or therapeutic regi‘
men is notoriously poor.

“For the last thirty years in medical behav~
ioral research literature, all sorts of compliance
has been looked at," says Garrity. ”For long,
term, difficult dietary changes, compliance has
been as low as 2:) percent. To address this,
we've incorporated a number of supports for
the patients. \X’e've tried to set it up to give
the two diets the best possible chance to
succeed."

The payoff for Burgett has been quick and
encouraging. Like all the participants in the
HCF and AHA groups, Burgett is having his
cholesterol and other lipids measured again
several times during the study. His first rer
measurement showed a new cholesterol level
of 215 mg.

“lt's gotten easier with time," says Burgett.
Hlt becomes like second nature. The philoso'
phy I‘ve adopted is one day at a time. You
can’t step out too far and say I will do this for
ever because then you're only setting yourself
up to disappoint yourself. Some days it’s har