Free Public Presentation
Registration Required–Sign Up Today
The NRI’s popular public event series, Appetite for Life, continues on Tuesday, March 10 with a free presentation by Patrick Stover, Ph.D., on Keeping a Hungry World Healthy: Our Changing Food Supply. The program is at 7 PM in the D.H. Murdock Research Institute at 150 Research Campus Drive, Annapolis, and will be simultaneously webcast. Click here for instructions on how to attend virtually. Or click here to register.
In April, NRI Scientist, Natalia Krupenko, Ph.D. will discuss the relationship of vitamins and a healthy diet. And we are excited to announce that acclaimed nutrition scientist, Bruce Ames, Ph.D. form the University of California at Berkley will join us on May 20 sharing his life’s work in his presentation, The Longevity Diet. Read more about these Appetite for Life programs and sign up today.
Research We’re Reading
From the desk of: Mihai Niculescu, M.D., Ph.D.
…”How to override your bad genes with food.” “Can exercise Override Bad Genes?” “Good Nutrition Can Overcome Bad Genes”…
We are bombarded by media with these kinds of messages. The main theme, of course, is that many of us may have “bad” genes that would put us at risk of a certain poor health outcome unless we eat less of “this” and more of “that.” Knowing myself as a bearer of several such genetic variations, I almost feel, at times, guilty that I am harboring such “bad” genes, albeit without my consent.
Here is why such thinking is wrong, and why the paper I have read recently is a good example of how the public should understand what nutrigenomics is, and why there are no such things as “bad” or “good” genes when it comes to nutrition (except for very few documented cases). Read more.
NRI Scientist Achieves New Role
Natalia Surzenko, Ph.D., studies the connections between nutrients and brain and eye development. Her work in this area has been as Research Scientist in the Zeisel lab since joining the NRI in 2013. In recognition of the excellence she brings to her research, Dr. Surzenko has been promoted to Research Assistant Professor.
While she will remain a part of the Zeisel lab, she will now also conduct her own research. Currently she is working on a collaborative project with a nutrition industry partner. For this project Dr. Surzenko designed a multi-component screening platform to identify bioactive molecules present in human breast milk that may affect brain and eye development. In addition to collaborative projects with industry partners, Dr. Surzenko also plans to expand current research in the Zeisel Lab related to the role of choline in brain and eye development into new directions. Read more.
Join A Clinical Research Study
You are the reason we are searching for nutritionally based answers to pressing health issues. If you’d like to help us reach our goals, consider joining a clinical trial. Here are two current studies seeking participants.
- Yoga Study: The Cheatham Nutrition and Cognition Laboratory is inviting individuals who are ages 30 to 39, and have either never taken a yoga class or have consistently practiced yoga at least 3-5 times a week for at least 5 years. This study aims to look at the differences in electrical activity in the brain when couple with some simple computer tasks. Learn more.
- Child’s Diet and Brain Development Study: If your child is 7 to 12 years of age (or will turn 7 soon), you are invited to participate in a research study. We are interested in how children’s diets affect their brains. Learn more.
