Our Built-In “Antioxidant” System

October 1, 2015 • Antioxidants have been in the popular press for more than 20 years and, while many people may not understand what exactly antioxidants do, they have the right idea that consuming foods known to contain high levels of the compounds is better than not consuming them. In its simplest form, an antioxidant is a compound that can be consumed or that the body makes to defend against damaging effects of free radicals, highly reactive molecules that can damage cells and tissues. We are exposed to free radicals through everyday living.

Impact Report 2014-15

Steve H. Zeisel, institute director, addressing faculty and staff in his lab. In the past year scientists at the Nutrition Research Institute have made significant advances in our understanding of the roles genetics and nutrition play in determining our individual susceptibility and resistance to disease. This is our bold mission: to discover the mechanisms by which diet can prevent or lessen the negative effects of chronic diseases and aging, and improve human development, even prior to concep

Researcher Returns to Familiar Ground for Groundbreaking Work

September 17, 2015 • The following has been reprinted from the Charlotte Observer.
Growing up in Kannapolis, Summer Goodson knew that the mammoth Cannon Mills textile complex was the lifeblood of the community.
Members of her family worked in the plant for 70 years before Pillowtex shuttered the facility in 2003. Little did Goodson know that she would carry on her family’s legacy by one day working in some of the same buildings. But instead of spinning cotton into fiber, Goodson is turning research into medical advancements aimed at helping treat male infertility.