About

Karen Beathard, PhD, RDN, LD, FAND, is an instructional professor in the Department of Nutrition at Texas A&M University, where she manages the ACEND DPD Program. She holds a B.S. in Food Science Technology from Texas A&M University, an M.S. in Nutritional Science from Texas Woman's University, and a Ph.D. in Nutrition from Texas A&M University. Dr. Beathard has applied industry experience in food service management, clinical dietetics, and private consultation. She is a registered dietitian nutritionist and is actively involved in professional organizations such as the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Texas Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and others, serving in leadership roles including Texas Academy Strategic Alliance Chair and co-advisor for the Texas Student Dietetic Association. Her professional contributions include managing educational programs, mentoring students, and participating in research teams. She has received numerous honors for her teaching and service, including the 2023 Association of Former Student College Distinguished Teaching Award and the 2018 NDEP Western Central Region Outstanding Dietetic Educator Award.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Psychology
• Computer Science
• Gerontology
• Biology
• Biochemistry
• Pathology
• Nursing
• Physical therapy
• Psychiatry
• Family medicine
• Internal medicine
• Physiology
• Medical education
• Cognitive psychology
• Applied psychology
• Food science

Selected publications

• Nutrition, lifestyle, and cognitive performance in esport athletes

  Frontiers in Nutrition · 2023 · 57 citations

  • Computer Science
  • Psychology
  • Computer Science

  Introduction: Electronic sports, termed esports, is a growing athletic activity in which high levels of attention and cognitive performance are required. With its increasing popularity and competitiveness, interest in strategies to improve performance have emerged. Improving esports athlete performance, namely cognitive endurance, and resilience, may lie in nutritional or lifestyle factors. The Nutrition, Vision, and Cognition in Sport Studies (IONSport) investigated nutritional and behavioral factors that can influence cognition via 3-dimensional multiple objects tracking test (3DMOT) via Neurotracker X (NTx) software. The purpose of this study was to characterize the lifestyle of high level esports athletes with detailed nutrition, sleep, and physical activity assessments, and their association to gaming related cognitive performance. Methods: 103 male and 16 elite female esports athletes aged 16 to 35 years old completed surveys, food records, and cognitive testing sessions over 10 days. Participants were instructed to maintain their normal dietary and lifestyle habits. Results: = 0.018) differences between the two groups with those who consumed the recommended amount of protein or more performing significantly better on NTx over the 18 sessions than those that did not consume enough protein. Those who consumed the recommended intakes for riboflavin, phosphorous, vitamin B12, and selenium performed significantly better over the 18 core NTx sessions than those that did not meet the recommended amounts. Discussion: The need for a nutrition intervention that is rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals is warranted in this population.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The impact of nutrition on visual cognitive performance in the nutrition, vision, and cognition in sport study

  Frontiers in Nutrition · 2023 · 7 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Medicine
  • Physiology
  • Gerontology

  Introduction: The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of nutritional intake on visual perceptual-cognitive performance (VCP) in young healthy adults. Methods: CORE (NT) 3-Dimensional (3-D) software program (15 training sessions) over a 15-day period. Food logs and extensive lifestyle measures including body composition, cardiovascular health, sleep and exercise patterns, and general readiness to perform were collected. Mean intake from 10 food logs collected over the 15 days were analyzed using Nutribase software. Statistical analyses were performed in SPSS using repeated measures ANOVA including significant covariates when appropriate. Results: = 0.009), more than 2,000 μg/day lutein/zeaxanthin or more than 1.8 mg/ day vitamin B2 performed significantly better on VCP than those who consumed less than those amounts, respectively. Discussion: VCP is an important dimension of cognitive function and in the present study is influenced by higher carbohydrate, lutein/ zeaxanthin, and vitamin B2 dietary intake while high protein consumption and the female sex negatively impacted VCP.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Evidence-Based Practice Competencies among Nutrition Professionals and Students: A Systematic Review

  medRxiv · 2023-08-07

  reviewOpen accessCorresponding

  ABSTRACT Background Evidence-based practice (EBP) promotes shared decision-making between clinicians and patients and has been widely adopted by various health professions including nutrition & dietetics, medicine and nursing. Objective To determine evidence-based practice (EBP) competencies among nutrition professionals and students reported in the literature. Design Systematic review. Data sources Medline, Embase, CINAHL, ERIC, CENTRAL, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global, BIOSIS Citation Index, and ClinicalTrials.gov up to March 2023. Eligibility criteria for study selection Eligible primary studies had to objectively or subjectively document the assessment of at least one of six predefined core EBP competencies, including formulating structured clinical questions, searching the literature for best evidence, and assessing studies for methodological quality, magnitude (size) of effects, certainty of evidence for effects, and determining the clinical applicability of study results based on patient values and preferences. Data extraction and synthesis Two reviewers independently screened articles and extracted data, including the reporting quality for eligible studies. Results were not amenable to meta-analysis and were thus summarized for each EBP competency. Results We identified 12 eligible cross-sectional survey studies, comprised of 1065 participants, primarily registered dietitians, across six countries, with the majority assessed in the United States (n=470). The reporting quality of the survey studies was poor overall, with 43% of items not reported and 22% of items partially reported. Only one study (8%) explicitly used an objective questionnaire to assess EBP competencies. The proportion of studies reporting on each competency were: 17% on the formulation of clinical questions, 83% on searching the literature, 75% on methodological quality or critical appraisal, 58% on interpreting statistical results, and 75% on applying study results. In general, the six competencies were incompletely defined or reported (e.g., it was unclear what ‘applicability’ and ‘critical appraisal’ referred to, and what study designs were appraised by the participants). Two core competencies, the magnitude (size) of effects and the certainty of evidence for effects, were not assessed. Conclusions Among 12 included articles the overall quality of study reports was poor, and when EBP competencies were reported they were predominantly self-perceived assessments as opposed to objective assessments. No studies reported on competencies in assessing magnitude of effect or certainty of evidence, skills that are essential for optimizing clinical nutrition decision-making. Systematic review registration PROSPERO CRD42022311916.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Evidence-Based Practice Competencies among Nutrition Professionals and Students: A Systematic Review

  Journal of Nutrition · 2023 · 8 citations

  • Medicine
  • Family medicine
  • Medical education
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Nutrition, Vision, and Cognition in Sport: E-Sport Gaming Athletes

  Current Developments in Nutrition · 2022-06-01 · 4 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Esports, a competitive athletic activity in which high levels of attention and cognitive performance are required, is growing across the globe. Improving Esport athlete performance, namely cognitive endurance and resilience may lie in nutritional strategies. Dairy products have been hypothesized to improve cognitive performance due to their high-quality proteins and associated bioactive peptides, lipids, electrolyte composition, vitamin D, and gut microbiota modulations with fermented dairy products. Rather than individual nutrients, dairy's balanced food matrix may contribute to improved cognition though investigations of dairy's link to Esports and cognitive performance is lacking. The Nutrition, Vision, and Cognition in Sport Studies investigate nutritional and behavioral factors that can influence cognition in 3-dimensional multiple objects tracking test (3DMOT) via NeuroTracker X software. It was hypothesized that Esport Athletes would not consume recommended dairy servings and dairy consumption would be positively associated with cognitive performance, focus and stamina as well as gaming rank/status. Professional, elite, and experienced male and female gamers (16–36-years old) completed 10 food records and completed 20 NeuroTracker X sessions over a period of 8 days. Participants were instructed to maintain their normal eating patterns throughout the duration of the study. Physical activity and sleep data were recorded via activity trackers. Preliminary surveys were also completed regarding sleep, activity, depression risk/index, and gaming rank and status. The average amount of dairy servings consumed per day was 0.41 servings (cup equivalents). This is below the recommended 3 cups per day. Average NeuroTracker Score for participants was 1.62. Of our 57 participants, 51% play video games daily and 33% play these games for 4 hours or less per day. 60% of participants are considered professional gamers as they play for an Esports team. The average age of the participants is 23. The correlation between dairy intake with NeuroTracker performance was not significant (p > 0.05). Esport athletes did not consume the recommended number of dairy servings, however this did not appear to impair their NeuroTracker performance. This work is funded by Dairy MAX.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A Mentoring Program Builds the Bridge with Nutrition Students and Healthcare Professionals.

  PubMed · 2022-01-01

  articleSenior author

  Mentoring is an effective strategy to help train and guide emerging professionals to be successful in their careers and to stay abreast as evidence-based recommendations are continuously evolving. Experiential learning opportunities can help students to gain knowledge and improve skillsets. The RD Mentorship Program was established to enhance professional development and knowledge by connecting nutrition students (NS) and registered dietitians (RD). This program used social exchange theory and Kolb's experiential learning theory to evaluate the impact. RD (n=238) and NS (n=302) across Texas and Florida participated in a 1-year, project-based mentoring program from 2016 to 2020. This program collected qualitative and quantitative data in this pre-post program design. While the sheer number of participants over the three academic years was a strength of the program, there were also some valuable lessons learned. Most participants rated their experience as satisfied to highly satisfied (6.7-8.7/10). Five key themes emerged from program evaluation: mutuality, opportunity, career development, diversity and inclusion and barrier. Mentorship, both virtually and in-person, can offer unique "hands-on" learning opportunities that bridge the gap between students and healthcare practitioners. The RD Mentorship Program models how mentorships can successfully be applied in diverse health professions.

  Publisher

• Associations of Monounsaturated Fats to Visual Cognitive Performance Training in Older Adults

  Current Developments in Nutrition · 2021-06-01 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  High levels of visual cognitive performance (VCP) are required for complex daily activities including driving and participating in sports. Many cognitive tests use simple measures of social cognition or memory that lack the dynamic complexity needed for daily living. Healthy fats including mono- and polyunsaturated fats have been shown to improve cognition and brain health due to the need for fatty acids for neurotransmitter production and myelin sheath insulation. The effects of specific fats on specific cognitive functions is still poorly understood. The Nutrition, Vision, and Cognition in Health Study (IONHealth) investigates nutritional and behavioral factors that influence cognition in 3-dimensional multiple objects tracking test (3DMOT). It was hypothesized that monounsaturated fats would affect cognitive performance. 104 men and women adults age 50–75 years recorded 15 food logs and completed 15 training sessions (Neurotracker) during 10 lab visits over 15 days. Food logs were used to represent typical eating patterns for each individual and means over 15 days were used for analyses. Monounsaturated fat intake was significantly associated to VCP, however, this affect was not distinct from overall fat intake where higher fat intake (114.7, 99.8, 71.8, 62.9 g/day mean) was significantly associated (P < 0.01) to higher VCP (1.10, 1.04, 0.89, 0.79 speed threshold mean, respectively). Increased total fat intake may have a positive effect on brain function, even with higher saturated fat and lower unsaturated fat intake. Egg Nutrition Council.

  PublisherDOI

• The Association of Dietary Iron on Visual Cognitive Performance and Training in the IONSport Study

  Current Developments in Nutrition · 2021-06-01

  articleOpen access

  Visual cognitive performance (VCP) is an important factor in high-speed interactions with the environment such as sports or driving, however, the testing, training and determination of factors that influence this ability has been elusive. Iron intake from heme sources has been shown to prevent altered metabolic processes, reductions in protein and neurotransmitter synthesis, and cognitive abilities and neural functions. The purpose of this study is to determine whether chronic dietary iron intake explain the large difference in VCP and training responses between healthy individuals. Men and women age 18–35 completed 15 visual cognitive training sessions (Neurotracker) in 10 visits to the laboratory. On the days of training, all food intake was documented (Nutribase) along with measures of body composition, blood pressure, hydration status, sleep patterns, and recent exercise. Mean nutritional intakes were calculated for the 10 days of food records. Total daily intakes of iron were also calculated for each of the 10 days of food records. Iron intake was significantly associated to VCP (P < 0.001) in women (N = 52) but not men (N = 36). VCP improved progressively with dietary iron intake in women from low (iron: 8.2 ± 1.2 mg/day, VCP: 1.38 ± 0.22, N = 24), medium (iron: 13.4 ± 1.3 mg/day, VCP = 1.59 ± 0.38, N = 21) to high (20.9 ± 3.8 mg/day, VCP = 1.86 ± 0.33, N = 7) in which all groups were all significantly different from each other (P < 0.05). These results suggest that intakes of iron at or above the RDA may be essential to optimize VCP. National Cattlemen's Beef Association.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The Impact of Egg Consumption on Visual Cognitive Performance in the Nutrition, Vision, and Cognition in Health: Egg (IONHealth-Egg) Study

  Current Developments in Nutrition · 2021-06-01

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of the nutrients in eggs, specifically in the yolk, on the visual cognitive performance (VCP) in generally healthy older individuals. METHODS: Ninety-nine generally healthy men (36) and women (63) aged 50 to 75 years were assigned randomly to one of five dietary treatment groups: four egg whites; two whole regular eggs; two whole omega-3-fortified eggs; four egg yolks; and a no-egg control. Subjects were asked to maintain their usual dietary intake including the treatment modifications daily for 30 d. VCP was measured using the NeuroTracker™ CORE (NT) 3-Dimensional (3-D) software program (15 training sessions) during the final 2 wk of the study. Extensive secondary information including body composition, cardiovascular measures, sleep and exercise patterns, and general readiness to perform were also collected. Participants recorded food intake during the first 2 wk of treatment and each day they trained on the NT. Food logs were analyzed using Nutribase software. Statistical analyses were performed in SPSS using repeated measures ANOVA including significant covariates when appropriate. RESULTS: The dietary intervention was successful at creating distinct dietary intake differences for choline, lutein, omega-3 fatty acids and cholesterol (P < 0.01) between groups and improving VSP in all groups (+37%, P < 0.01). Additionally, men had significantly higher VSP (NTmean = 1.02 ± 0.33) than women (0.88 ± 0.27, P = 0.02), however, no dietary intervention differences were significant (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Dietary and cognitive interventions were successful at altering dietary intake and improving cognitive performance respectively but no egg consumption pattern was superior in improving cognitive response. FUNDING SOURCES: Egg Nutrition Center

  PublisherDOI

• Randomized Trial of the Effect of Daily Beef or Vegetable Protein on Visual Cognitive Performance Training in Young Adult Females

  Current Developments in Nutrition · 2021-06-01

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Visual cognitive performance (VCP) is an important factor in high-speed interactions with the environment such as sports or driving, however, the testing, training and determination of factors that influence this ability are scarce. The purpose of the Nutrition, Vision and Cognition in Sport Studies (IONSport) is to determine the nutritional factors that explain large variance in VCP and training responses. The objective of this study is to determine if daily beef or vegetable protein consumption affect VCP training responses. Thirty-seven women (age 18–35 years) were randomized to either one serving of beef (90% lean ground sirloin, 3 oz) or one serving of vegetable protein (Morningstar prime veggie burgers, 3 oz) per day for 30 days. These foods were equivalent in serving size, calories, protein and fat but distinct in micronutrients. At the end of the dietary intervention, they performed 15 visual cognitive training sessions (Neurotracker) in 10 visits to the laboratory. On the days of training, all food intake was documented for 18 days (Three prior to starting, five from day zero to 15 and 10 from day 15–30). Mean nutritional intakes were calculated for the 15 days of food records during the intervention. Both groups significantly (P < 0.001) improved VCP from baseline (1.33 ± 0.33) to the end of training (1.62 ± 0.32), however, the improvement in the beef group was significantly higher (beef Δ = 0.36, veggie Δ = 0.19). These results suggest that 30 days of daily beef intake is associated with better improvements in VCP as compared to a vegetable protein source. National Cattleman's Beef Association.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Steven E. Riechman

  23 shared

• Nicos Georghiades

  Texas A&M University

  18 shared

• Stephen B. Smith

  Mitchell Institute

  9 shared

• Aaron J. Riviere

  Texas A&M University

  9 shared

• Caroline Sullivan

  Texas A&M University

  9 shared

• Jenna B. Goulart

  6 shared

• Marisa Cuevas

  Texas A&M University

  5 shared

• Susanne Talcott

  Mitchell Institute

  5 shared

Awards & honors

• 2023 Association of Former Student College Distinguished Tea…
• 2018 NDEP Western Central Region Outstanding Dietetic Educat…
• 2017 Egg Nutrition Center Young Investigator Award
• 2015 College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Critical Think…
• 2015 College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Dean’s Outstan…