Environment and Nutrition
Beginning at conception, environmental factors in health can accumulate over a lifetime and be from sources as broad as geographic location and economic status to specific external sources including physical activity, occupation, risky behaviors and diet. But some of these factors, especially in terms of diet are highly modifiable.
Important research is now being conducted on this concept of the “exposome,” as an environmental complement to the human genome. NRI researchers are learning how diet and other environmental exposures interact with disease and affect responses to treatment.
Publications
Environment and Nutrition Publications
2020
Precision (Personalized) Nutrition: Understanding Metabolic Heterogeneity. Zeisel S
Perspective: Dietary Biomarkers of Intake and Exposure-Exploration with Omics Approaches. Zeisel S
2019
Obesity and Cancer Metabolism: A Perspective on Interacting Tumor-Intrinsic and Extrinsic Factors. Hursting S
When less may be more: calorie restriction and response to cancer therapy. Hursting S
Energy balance and obesity: what are the main drivers? Hursting S
Metabolic Reprogramming by Folate Restriction Leads to a Less Aggressive Cancer Phenotype. Krupenko S
Early-Life Predictors of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. May P
Alcohol’s Dysregulation of Maternal-Fetal IL-6 and p-STAT3 Is a Function of Maternal Iron Status. Smith S
2018
Energy balance and gastrointestinal cancer: risk, interventions, outcomes and mechanisms. Hursting S
Research Strategies for Nutritional and Physical Activity Epidemiology and Cancer Prevention. Hursting S
2017
Metabolic Reprogramming by Folate Restriction Leads to a Less Aggressive Cancer Phenotype. Krupenko S
Contribution of Dietary Supplements to Nutritional Adequacy in Various Adult Age Groups. Zeisel S
2016
CerS6 Is a Novel Transcriptional Target of p53 Protein Activated by Non-genotoxic Stress. Krupenko N
Abnormal Eating Behaviors Are Common in Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. Smith S
Impact of a western diet on the ovarian and serum metabolome. Sumner S
Metabolomics enables precision medicine: “A White Paper, Community Perspective”. Sumner S
Related News
NRI Congratulates First-time First-Authors
December 12, 2019 – Agatha Christie once said, “the first time you do a thing is always exciting.” Well, we’ve had a lot of excitement at the Nutrition Research Institute recently! Two members of the Smith Lab are celebrating becoming first-time first-authors of scientific journal publications.
Choline: The forgotten vital nutrient we’re not getting enough of
November 14, 2019 – Eating a plant-based diet? You may be low on choline. Standard nutritional advice to cut down on meat and dairy may be stopping us getting enough of an essential nutrient named choline. Should we be worried?
If food is medicine, why isn’t it taught at medical schools?
November 14, 2019 – Students in medical schools across the country spend less than 1 percent of lecture time learning about diet. Earlier this year, Mount Sinai, the biggest hospital network in New York City, invested in a meal delivery service. Though it seemed like an unusual move at the time, the network’s decision makes sense if you consider the intrinsic relationship between food and health—a connection underscored by countless other recent examples of healthcare initiatives that harness diet as a tool to improve well-being.
Saroja Voruganti, PhD, Promoted to Associate Professor of Nutrition
October 22, 2019 – Saroja Voruganti, PhD, was recently promoted to the rank of Associate Professor in the Department of Nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Nutrition Research Institute (NRI) Director Steven Zeisel, MD, PhD, announced the promotion with great pleasure, acknowledging the significance of this accomplishment and the impact of Dr. Voruganti’s research: “Dr Voruganti is a leading scientist in the area of how our genes affect our nutritional needs, and her promotion by the university recognizes these important contributions.”
AFL@JWU Nutrition Notes – October 15, 2019
October 15, 2019 – Chef Megan Lambert, MS, RD, Senior Instructor in College of Culinary Arts at Johnson & Wales University, Charlotte, prepared Healthy Fall soups & Stews recipes while Sarah Hreyo of the UNC Nutrition Research Institute, shared nutrition information on each recipe. The nutrition notes from the October 15, 2019 Appetite For Life @ Johnson & Wales University program are available here to help you better understand the nutrition and health benefits of each recipe.
AFL@JWU Recipes – October 15, 2019
October 15, 2019 – Chef Megan Lambert, MS, RD, Senior Instructor in College of Culinary Arts at Johnson & Wales University, Charlotte, prepared Healthy Fall Soups & Stews recipes while Sarah Hreyo of the UNC Nutrition Research Institute, shared nutrition information on each recipe. The recipes from the October 15, 2019 Appetite For Life @ Johnson & Wales University program are available here for your cooking enjoyment!