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{WIN Webinar Series} Gender Disparity in Nutritional Science Research: A Case Study with Omega-3s

In medical science, historically, white males have been portrayed predominantly in textbooks and learning materials (1). This speaks to both gender and ethnic disparities in the sciences. Moving into nutritional science, in both rodent and human studies, many randomized controlled trials focus on males instead of both males and females to avoid confounding factors related to hormonal fluctuations and the menstrual cycle (2,3). Taking a step further, lipid biology indicates that fatty acid levels fluctuate over the menstrual cycle, adding an additional layer of consideration into these studies. Given the historical bias and the biological differences, to date there are more fundamental nutritional science studies conducted in men compared to women. The Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3s (GOED) uses their Clinical Study Database to dive deeper into this topic.

References
1 - https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081015132108.htm
2 - Mumford SL, Dasharathy S, Pollack AZ, and Schisterman EF. Variations in lipid levels according to menstrual cycle phase: clinical implications. Clinical lipidology 6: 225-234, 2011.
3 - Zucker I, and Beery AK. Males still dominate animal studies. Nature 465: 690-690, 2010.

Feb 23, 2023 10:00 AM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)