Appetite For Life – Thursday, January 16, 2020: “Genes and individual response to nutrients in bone health,” was presented by Saroja Voruganti, PhD, Associate Professor of Nutrition, UNC Nutrition Research Institute. Studies have shown that obesity and diabetes weaken bones and increase the risk for fractures. Poor bone health can also result from smoking, consuming alcohol, and taking certain medications, and is more prevalent in older females who are Caucasian or Asian and are less physically active than average. However, it is also known that people with specific genetic variants are more prone to bone weakness and may suffer bone loss at a younger age. The crux of Dr. Voruganti’s precision nutrition research is in understanding how diet and food can help strengthen the bones, especially in those who are more prone to bone loss.
View PowerPoint presentation. View video.
Appetite For Life – Wednesday, February 19, 2020: “The Food and Nutrition Myths that Never Fade Away: Time to Debunk Them,” presented by Cecilia Kwan, PhD, postdoctoral research associate, Smith Lab, UNC Nutrition Research Institute. As we become more health conscious, we are eager to find ways to eat and live healthily. We chat with friends about their eating habits. We scroll through social media posts looking for trending diets. We search the internet for our favorite celebrity’s meal plan. Very soon, we find ourselves overwhelmed with conflicting information and opinions. “Should I avoid fat because it will make me fat?” “Do I need supplements after I work out?” “Are eggs really that bad?” Deciding which information to trust and which to question is not easy. In this talk, we will demystify some of these common myths about foods, nutrition and health, and take a closer look at what the science really says about them. Let’s say goodbye to these myths and embrace the true science of healthy eating! View video. View PowerPoint presentation.
Appetite For Life with a Twist – Wednesday, September 16, 2020 “Nutrition Risks for COVID-19” was presented via Zoom by Martin Kohlmeier, MD, PhD. As Covid-19 continues to spread throughout the US, a number of scientists favor the hypothesis that vitamin D deficiency provides an opening for infections with many respiratory viruses including SARS-CoV-2, based on observations in the US and elsewhere around the globe. It is well understood that several factors increase the risk that individuals are deficient in vitamin D: old age, obesity, dark skin tone, and common genetic variants. The currently available evidence is already leaning toward the view that prevention of severe vitamin D deficiency slows SARS-CoV-2 transmission. In this premiere of Appetite for Life with a Twist, the NRI’s online series of science-based free, public presentations, Martin Kohlmeier, MD, PhD, will explain how vitamin D works, what happens to bodies when they are deficient in this nutrient, and what it takes to avoid deficiency. Quarantini Recipe Program Handout View video
Appetite For Life with a Twist @ Johnson & Wales University – Wednesday, October 21, 2020 “Immunity Boosting Recipes” was presented via Zoom. In collaboration with Johnson & Wales University, we were pleased to present this very special online event. Chef Megan Lambert, MS, RD, from Johnson & Wales and Sarah Hreyo, MAS, from the NRI, will come together to demonstrate delicious, healthy cooking while sharing tips for consuming a balanced, nutrition diet with particular focus on immunity boosting. Recipes Nutrition Notes Program video
Appetite For Life with a Twist – November 18, 2020 “The Gillings School of Global Public Health’s COVID-19 Research Response” was presented via Zoom by Penny Gordon-Larsen, PhD, Associate Dean for Research in the Gillings School of Global Public Health and Professor in the Department of Nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Gordon-Larsen became the Gilling School’s Associate Dean for Research in September 2018. In this role, she leads a schoolwide research program of approximately $200 million in research funding each year. She provides intellectual and strategic leadership and vision for research programs and for supporting and enhancing the School’s research enterprise. Dr. Gordon-Larsen is instrumental in the leadership of COVID-19 research response at the Gillings School. Program video
