Fighting Vitamin D Deficiency May Lower Risk of Contracting COVID-19 Especially among Common High-risk Groups
May 30, 2020 – Vitamin D deficiency impedes good immune function and has been shown to contribute to the seasonal increase of viral respiratory infections, possibly including COVID-19. A combination of factors makes it likely that individuals are deficient in vitamin D: old age, obesity, dark skin tone, and common genetic variants. The risk is even greater for those living in high latitudes, where vitamin D deficiency is extremely common in winter and spring because of low levels of sunlight, according to a new review article by Martin Kohlmeier, MD, PhD, published in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health. Read more.
Precision Nutrition Considered in NIH Strategic Plan
May 30, 2020 – Recognition of the importance of Precision Nutrition can be seen in several recent funding initiatives announced by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIH is the major funding source for biomedical research in the US, and its funding priorities reflect what it perceives to be health issues of major concern. In this regard, it is notable that NIH established the Nutrition Research Task Force in 2016 to coordinate and accelerate nutrition research. Read more.
NRI’s Kohlmeier Receives Prestigious Award from ASN
May 30, 2020 – The American Society for Nutrition (ASN) and the ASN Foundation, in announcing the 2020 recipients of its scientific achievement awards (senior investigator category), have named Martin Kohlmeier, MD, PhD, the recipient of their Excellence in Nutrition Education Award supported by the Nestlé Nutrition Institute.
Kohlmeier, professor and director of the Human Research Core and Nutrigenetics Laboratory at the Nutrition Research Institute (NRI), also holds appointments in the UNC School of Medicine and the Gillings School of Global Public Health. He is a visiting fellow at Wolfson College, Cambridge University, England, and editor-in-chief of BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health. Read more.
Myth or Fact? When You Eat is as Important as What You Eat
May 30, 2020 – Many people are concerned with maintaining a healthy weight and look for special food rules to help guide them. But sometimes these rules turn out to be more myth than fact. When to eat is one of them. You might hear “don’t snack right before bed”, or “eat only between the hours of 11 AM and 7 PM.” Is the time we eat really important when it comes to things like gaining weight and staying healthy? Read more.
Summer Update: Appetite for Life
May 30, 2020 – Each summer, we look forward to welcoming our community members to the NRI for our Appetite for Life Summer Tour Series. We won’t be offering tours of the NRI building this summer, but watch your inboxes and social media for new ways to learn about what we do and to get “insider” peeks at the NRI. We look forward to reconnecting in new ways with all of our friends.
