News
Our research not only influences the scientific community, but the general public as well. We strive to share our discoveries with everyone. Read some of our latest articles on what is happening at the Nutrition Research Institute.
NIH Grant To Study Gene Mutation Associated with Rare Disease
March 22, 2019 – Sergey A. Krupenko, PhD, professor of nutrition at the UNC Nutrition Research Institute (NRI), has been awarded a $2.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health for his research project, “Regulation of Mitochondrial Function by Folate...
Personalized nutrition: A diet for every individual?
February 25, 2019 –Emily started gaining weight when she was in her 30’s, after having two kids and dealing with a stressful job. Her weight gain led to increased blood pressure and higher cholesterol levels. When she visited her doctor, the doctor advised that she change her diet to help her lose weight and improve her cardiovascular health. Emily knew following a diet was difficult, and it took a few false starts for her to follow one consistently.
If Food Is Our Medicine, Why Aren’t We All Healthy?
February 25, 2019 – If you missed February’s Appetite for Life presentation by Mary Ann Lila, PhD, you can catch up. Watch the entire program on video now. The live presentation took place at Forty-Six in Kannapolis on Tuesday, February 12, 2019.
February Faculty Focus: Carol L. Cheatham, PhD
February 11, 2019 – That Carol L. Cheatham, PhD was a scientist was clear to her family early on. At the age of 8 growing up on a farm in rural Wyoming, Cheatham conducted observational studies following the many farm cats around to find out (and diligently record in her notebook) where they would give birth. Once that got boring, she started trying to predict where the litters would be born based on her observations from the previous years.
Celebrating and Preparing in A Milestone Year
January 25, 2019 – As we at the NRI celebrate our tenth anniversary year, we are also taking measures to secure our longevity. Our world-class research facility on the North Carolina Research Campus opened in 2008 with the most advanced equipment, instrumentation, and laboratories available. Now, as we enter a second decade, administrators are evaluating our building, systems, and staffing to ensure that our scientists have the best infrastructure to allow them to continue their quest for new precision nutrition discoveries.
June 2019
The DNA Diet: Knowing How Your Genes Can Help You Fit Into Your Jeans May 20, 2019 – How are we expected to make healthy choices about food when the headlines are so confusing? We all suffer whiplash when we read butter is bad, then butter is good; when red meat is...
The Choices I.C.A.N. Make
January 25, 2019 – Pregnant women are often consumed by dietary choices such as finding a great prenatal vitamin, eating foods that will promote fetal growth, and doing everything they can to protect their pregnancy. After delivery, however, the mother’s preoccupation with her diet often pauses for four to six months. The Cheatham Nutrition & Cognition Lab is turning this type of thinking on its head with the belief that what women eat while breastfeeding greatly impacts their breastmilk and ultimately, their children’s development.
January Faculty Focus: Philip May, PhD
January 11, 2019 – “I’ve been called ‘tenacious’,” says Philip A. May, PhD, with a hint of humor. It’s an understatement for the man who relentlessly pursues data that shed light on important public health issues across the United States and around the globe. May, professor of nutrition at the UNC Nutrition Research Institute (NRI) and in the Department of Nutrition at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at UNC-Chapel Hill, has been a demographer and epidemiologist for the better part of 50 years. He calls his style of research “shoe-leather” epidemiology, meaning that he gathers information for studies by getting out in the field and immersing himself in communities to really know the people in his studies. For nearly 30 of those years, May’s focus has been on learning about the often-dire effects and alarmingly high prevalence of fetal alcohol exposure.
Women’s Health, Preconception Nutrition, and the Right to Choose
December 16, 2018 – If you’ve ever been around a pregnant woman, you’ve probably heard her mention something about food cravings. Or she’s mentioned that she won’t drink coffee or eat Oreos because they are “bad for the baby.” Food is a hot topic during pregnancy because of how it can drastically affect the developing baby. But how many times have you heard a woman mention that she is eating healthier because she is going to try to get pregnant?