Research Biologist
Biography
Dr. Casperson received the B.S. degree in Exercise and Human Performance from the University of Houston, and the Ph.D. in Cell Biology from the University of Texas Medical School, where she studied how nutrition, specifically amino acids, and exercise independently and synergistically contribute to the maintenance of skeletal muscle mass. She joined the staff at the Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center as a postdoctoral research fellow in nutrition and obesity. In November 2014, she became a Research Biologist in the Center's Healthy Body Weight Research Unit.
Research Interests
My research aims to optimize nutritional strategies that promote attaining a healthy body weight and maintaining weight control. My research focuses primarily on the relationship between meal macronutrient composition (fat, carbohydrate, protein), dietary intake patterns, and energy metabolism. Small changes in meal composition and timing can make a big difference in how the body uses the foods we eat for energy. Utilizing whole-room calorimetry, we can precisely measure changes in energy metabolism in response to different foods, meal composition and meal timing. My research also examines how the foods comprised in meals and/or snacks may disrupt homeostatic regulation of food intake. Utilizing cutting edge technologies, we can understand the impact of the different foods and food components we eat on eating behavior.
Research Accomplishments
- Established the negative impact consuming a sugar-sweetened beverage has on energy metabolism. Consuming a sugar-sweetened beverage with a meal decreases fat utilization and diet-induced thermogenesis. Moreover, when paired with a protein-rich meal, fat utilization and diet-induced thermogenesis are further decreased by at least 40%.
- Demonstrated the impact of beverage choice during a meal has on snacking decisions. Using an operant choice paradigm, we showed that consuming a non-nutritive sweetened (diet) drink with lunch increases the wanting of a sugary snack food 4 hours later.
- Demonstrated that changing the macronutrient composition of the meal influences snacking decisions differently in women and men. Using an operant choice paradigm, we found that consuming of a high-protein meal decreases the wanting of savory (i.e., chips) snack foods in women but not men. There was no difference between the women and men in the wanting of sugary snack foods.
- Established that daily protein intake patterns affects skeletal muscle protein synthesis. Evenly distributing dietary protein across meals (30g for breakfast, 30g for lunch and 30g for dinner) stimulates the skeletal muscle synthetic response to a greater extent than a more typical intake pattern of consuming most of the protein at the evening meal.
- Established that increasing the leucine content of each meal enhances the anabolic stimulus of a mixed nutrient meal in older adults.
- Demonstrated that during endurance exercise: 1) amino acid exchange increases, stimulating muscle protein synthesis without an age-related resistance to the anabolic effects of exogenous amino acids, however, following an acute bout of endurance exercise the anabolic effect of exogenous amino acids is reduced in aged muscle, although this does not manifest as noticeable changes in overall net protein balance, and 2) the molecular events underlying these changes are marked by increases in the activation of proteins involved in muscle hypertrophy signaling, and decreases in muscle atrophy signaling.
Curriculum Vitae (PDF)
Dietary and Physical Activity Guidance for Weight Loss and Maintenance In-House Appropriated (D) Accession Number:435947 Clinical Research Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement (S) Accession Number:438433
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- Sensitivity of pressure-mediated reflection spectroscopy to detect dose-dependent changes in skin carotenoids: A randomized controlled trial-(Peer Reviewed Journal)
- Biochemical validation of a self-administered carotenoid intake screener to assess carotenoid intake in non-obese adults
-(Peer Reviewed Journal)
Casperson, S.L., Scheett, A., Palmer, D.G., Jahns, L., Hess, J.M., Roemmich, J.N. 2023. Biochemical validation of a self-administered carotenoid intake screener to assess carotenoid intake in non-obese adults. Current Developments in Nutrition. 7(2):1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2022.100024. - Effect of maternal High Fat diet with vegetable substitution on fetal brain transcriptome
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Larson, K.J., Bundy, A.N., Kuntz, T.M., Hur, J., Yeater, K.M., Casperson, S.L., Brunelle, D.C., Roemmich, J.N. 2022. Effect of maternal High Fat diet with vegetable substitution on fetal brain transcriptome. Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnutbio.2022.109088. - Seasonal changes in midlife women’s percentage body fat: A 1-year cohort study
-(Peer Reviewed Journal)
Nelson, A.M., Casperson, S.L., Jahns, L., Palmer, D., Roemmich, J.N. 2022. Seasonal changes in midlife women’s percentage body fat: A 1-year cohort study. Journal of Aging Research & Lifestyle. 11:20-25. https://doi.org/10.14283/jarlife.2022.4. - Eat veggies, be happy! Consumption of Dietary Guidelines for Americans types and amounts of vegetables increases subjective happiness: A randomized controlled trial
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De Leon, A., Jahns, L., Roemmich, J.N., Casperson, S.L. 2021. Eat veggies, be happy! Consumption of Dietary Guidelines for Americans types and amounts of vegetables increases subjective happiness: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 122:1355-1362. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2021.11.009. - Incorporating the dietary guidelines for Americans vegetable recommendations into the diet alters dietary intake patterns of other foods and improves diet quality in overweight adults and adults with overweight and obesity
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Casperson, S.L., Jahns, L., Duke, S.E., Nelson, A.M., Appleton, K.M., Larson, K.J., Roemmich, J.N. 2022. Incorporating the dietary guidelines for Americans vegetable recommendations into the diet alters dietary intake patterns of other foods and improves diet quality in overweight adults and adults with overweight and obesity. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2022.03.008. - Postnatal exercise protects offspring from high-fat diet-induced reductions in subcutaneous adipocyte beiging in C57Bl6/J Mice
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Larson, K.J., Bundy, A.N., Lance, E.B., Casperson, S.L., Darland, D.C., Roemmich, J.N. 2021. Postnatal exercise protects offspring from high-fat diet-induced reductions in subcutaneous adipocyte beiging in C57Bl6/J Mice. Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnutbio.2021.108853. - Dietary fat chain length, saturation, and PUFA source acutely affect diet-induced thermogenesis but not satiey in adults in a randomized, crossover trail
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Rust, B., Raatz, S., Casperson, S.L., Duke, S.E., Picklo, M.J. 2021. Dietary fat chain length, saturation, and PUFA source acutely affect diet-induced thermogenesis but not satiey in adults in a randomized, crossover trail. Nutrients. 13(8). Article 2615. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13082615. - Consumption of a variety of vegetables to meet dietary guidelines for Americans’ recommendations does not induce sensitization of vegetable reinforcement among adults with overweight and obesity: a randomized controlled trial
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Casperson, S.L., Jahns, L., Temple, J.L., Appleton, K., Roemmich, J.N. 2021. Consumption of a variety of vegetables to meet dietary guidelines for Americans’ recommendations does not induce sensitization of vegetable reinforcement among adults with overweight and obesity: a randomized controlled trial. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 151:1665-1672. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxab049. - Identification of barriers to adherence to a weight loss diet in women using the nominal group technique
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De Leon, A., Roemmich, J.N., Casperson, S.L. 2020. Identification of barriers to adherence to a weight loss diet in women using the nominal group technique. Obesity. 12:3750. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12123750. - Impact of beef consumption on saturated fat intake in the United States adult population: Insights from modeling the influences of bovine genetics and nutrition
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Casperson, S.L., Conrad, Z., Raatz, S., Derner, J.D., Roemmich, J.N., Jahns, L.A., Picklo, M.J. 2020. Impact of beef consumption on saturated fat intake in the United States adult population: Insights from modeling the influences of bovine genetics and nutrition. Meat Science. 169. Article e108225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2020.108225. - Current progress in the Agricultural Research Service Beef Grand Challenge: A large-scale genetics by environment by management evaluation project
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Kuehn, L.A., Casperson, S.L., Derner, J.D., Gunter, S.A., Hay, E., Moffet, C., Neel, J.P., Picklo, M.J., Petersen, M.K., Roemmich, J.N., Turner, K.E., Waterman, R.C., Wheeler, T.L., Boggess, M.V. 2020. Current progress in the Agricultural Research Service Beef Grand Challenge: A large-scale genetics by environment by management evaluation project [abstract]. Journal of Animal Science. 98(Supplement 4):13-14. https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaa278.025. - Liking and acceptability of whole grains increases with a six-week exposure but preferences for foods varying in taste and fat content are not altered: a randomized controlled trial
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De Leon, A., Burnett, D.J., Rust, B.M., Casperson, S.L., Horn, W.F., Keim, N.L. 2020. Liking and acceptability of whole grains increases with a six-week exposure but preferences for foods varying in taste and fat content are not altered: a randomized controlled trial. Current Developments in Nutrition. 4(3). https://doi.org/10.1093/cdn/nzaa023. - Barriers and Facilitators to Following the Dietary Guidelines for Vegetable Intake: Follow-up of an Intervention to Increase Vegetable Intake
-(Peer Reviewed Journal)
De Leon, A., Jahns, L.A., Casperson, S.L. 2020. Barriers and facilitators to following the dietary guidelines for vegetable intake: Follow-up of an intervention to increase vegetable intake. Food Quality and Preference. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2020.103903. - Daily Protein Intake and Distribution of Daily Protein Consumed Decreases Odds for Functional Disability in Older Americans
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McGrath, R., Stastny, S., Casperson, S.L., Jahns, L.A., Roemmich, J.N., Hackney, K. 2019. Daily protein intake and distribution of daily protein consumed decreases odds for functional disability in older Americans. Journal of Aging and Health. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0898264319881864. - Increasing chocolate’s sugar content enhances its psychoactive effects and intake
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Casperson, S.L., Lanza, L., Albajri, E., Nasser, J. 2019. Increasing chocolate’s sugar content enhances its psychoactive effects and intake. Nutrients. 11(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11030596. - Decreasing the consumption of foods with added sugars increases their reinforcing value: A potential barrier for dietary behavior change
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Flack, K.D., Casperson, S.L., Jahns, L.A., Roemmich, J.N. 2019. Decreasing the consumption of foods with added sugars increases their reinforcing value: A potential barrier for dietary behavior change. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2018.12.016. - Impact of dietary protein and gender on food reinforcement
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Casperson, S.L., Roemmich, J.N. 2017. Impact of dietary protein and gender on food reinforcement. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu9090957. - Postprandial energy metabolism and substrate oxidation in response to the inclusion of a sugar- or non-nutritive sweetened beverage with meals differing in protein content
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Casperson, S.L., Hall, C.B., Roemmich, J.N. 2017. Postprandial energy metabolism and substrate oxidation in response to the inclusion of a sugar- or non-nutritive sweetened beverage with meals differing in protein content. Biomed Central (BMC) Nutrition. 3:49. - The relative reinforcing value of sweet versus savory snack foods after consumption of sugar- or non-nutritive-sweetened beverages
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Casperson, S.L., Johnson, L., Roemmich, J.N. 2017. The relative reinforcing value of sweet versus savory snack foods after consumption of sugar- or non-nutritive-sweetened beverages. Appetite. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2017.01.028. - Sex differences in snack food reinforcement in response to increasing dietary protein-(Abstract Only)
Casperson, S.L., Johnson, L., Roemmich, J.N. 2017. Sex differences in snack food reinforcement in response to increasing dietary protein [abstract]. Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Conference. 31:652.15. - Reducing added sugar intake increases the relative reinforcing value of high-sugar foods-(Abstract Only)
Flack, K.D., Casperson, S.L., Jahns, L.A., Roemmich, J.N., Johnson, L. 2017. Reducing added sugar intake increases the relative reinforcing value of high-sugar foods [abstract]. Journal of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. 31:311.3. - The reinforcing value of vegetables does not increase with repeated exposure during a randomized controlled provided vegetable intervention among overweight and obese adults-(Abstract Only)
Jahns, L.A., Johnson, L.K., Temple, J., Keim, N.L., Casperson, S.L., Roemmich, J.N. 2017. The reinforcing value of vegetables does not increase with repeated exposure during a randomized controlled provided vegetable intervention among overweight and obese adults [abstract]. Journal of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. 31:794.4. - The relative reinforcing value of snack foods in response to consumption of sugar- or non-nutritive-sweetened beverages-(Abstract Only)
Casperson, S.L., Johnson, L., Roemmich, J.N. 2016. The relative reinforcing value of snack foods in response to consumption of sugar- or non-nutritive-sweetened beverages [abstract]. Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Conference, April 1-6, 2016, San Diego, California. 30:418.2. - A mobile phone food record app to digitally capture dietary intake for adolescents in a free-living environment: Usability study
-(Peer Reviewed Journal)
Casperson, S.L., Sieling, J., Moon, J., Johnson, L.K., Roemmich, J.N., Whigham Grendell, L.D. 2015. A mobile phone food record app to digitally capture dietary intake for adolescents in a free-living environment: Usability study. Journal of Medical Internet Research. 3(1):e30. - Calculation of total meal d13C from individual food d13C.-(Abstract Only)
Casperson, S.L., Scholler, D.A., Johnson, L.K., Whigham Grendell, L.D. 2014. Calculation of total meal d13C from individual food d13C.. Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Conference. 28:813.2. - Usability of mobile phone food records to assess dietary intake in adolescents-(Abstract Only)
Casperson, S.L., Reineke, J.E., Sieling, J., Moon, J., Roemmich, J.N., Whigham Grendell, L.D. 2013. Usability of mobile phone food records to assess dietary intake in adolescents. Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Conference. 27:230.2.
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