Natalia Krupenko, PhD

Associate Professor of Nutrition

Natalia Krupenko, PhD, Associate Professor of Nutrition, joined the UNC Nutrition Research Institute in April 2014. Dr. Krupenko’s research is focused on the role of folate (vitamin B9) in promoting health and preventing disease in humans. Folate deficiency has been connected with increased risk for neural tube defects, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Recently, however, concerns have been raised regarding the adverse effects of over-supplementation with the vitamin. Dr. Krupenko’s goal is to determine the best ways to utilize health-protective properties of folate and prevent the possibility of its adverse effects in humans. Dr. Krupenko’s work is covered in 35 peer-reviewed publications in high impact journals and numerous presentations at national and international conferences and meetings. Dr. Krupenko earned her doctorate degree in bioorganic chemistry from the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Byelorussian Academy of Sciences, in Minsk, Belarus.  She was a recipient of the Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship in Population Sciences and served on the faculty of the Medical University of South Carolina. Currently, in addition to her role at the NRI, Dr. Krupenko holds her appointment as an Associate Professor with the Department of Nutrition at the Gillings School of Global Public Health, UNC-Chapel Hill.

In the News

Folate is Essential, But Don’t Overdo It

Folate is a water-soluble vitamin, naturally found in many foods. Folate helps to make DNA and RNA and is involved in metabolism of amino acids. It is needed to produce healthy red blood cells and plays a key role in removing homocysteine, a molecule that can exert...

NRI expertise makes news

The UNC Nutrition Research Institute is an internationally recognized center that conducts innovative basic and translational science studying how individual differences in requirements and responses to diet affect our nutritional needs. Using cutting-edge tools in...