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.
Teen Cognition Improves with Choline
February 1, 2016 • The Zeisel laboratory at the UNC Nutrition Research Institute (NRI) is well known for defining the importance of the nutrient choline in infant brain development. They discovered that choline in mother’s diet during pregnancy is extremely important for optimal brain development in her baby. But, is this the only time in life that choline can improve brain function? Could teenagers eat extra choline to help their school performance?
Green Smoothie
January 28, 2016 • Green Smoothie recipe designed by Chef Mark Allison, Dole Food Company.
Folate – friend or foe?
January 28, 2016 • Cereal, pasta, bread, cookies – what do they have in common? The answer is “folic acid,” a synthesized form of a naturally occurring B vitamin called folate. Folate occurs naturally in some foods such as green leafy vegetables, avocados, red meat and lentils. Almost any processed food made with flour has folic acid.
Potato, Spinach and Thyme Soup
January 4, 2016 • Potato, Spinach and Thyme Soup recipe designed by Chef Mark Allison, Dole Food Company.
Mother's Diet Impacts Development of Baby's Brain
January 2, 2016 • Children of mothers whose diet during pregnancy was deficient in the essential nutrient choline have lower performance on cognitive tests. Cognition is rooted in the brain’s cortex, but a direct link between maternal dietary choline levels and cortical development in offspring had not been demonstrated. Experimental evidence of this link, and identification of a physiological mechanism, would greatly enhance our understanding of the importance of proper nutrition during pregnancy.
Effects of Inadequate Hydration on Kidney Disease
December 21, 2015 • While drinking at least eight glasses of water a day may not be necessary under normal conditions, maintaining adequate hydration, especially during physical exertion in warm weather, is essential for optimal health.
ACLY and ACC1 Regulate Hypoxia-Induced Apoptosis by Modulating ETV4 via α-ketoglutarate
“ACLY and ACC1 Regulate Hypoxia-Induced Apoptosis by Modulating ETV4 via α-ketoglutarate”. Keenan MM, Liu B, Tang X, Jianli Wu J, Cyr D, Robert D, RD, Olga Ilkayeva O, Huang Z, Susan K. Murphy SK, Joseph Lucas J, Deborah M. Muoio DM, Kim SY Jen-Tsan Chi JT (2015). PLoS Genet, 11(10).
Comprehensive profiling of amino acid response uncovers unique methionine-deprived response dependent on intact creatine biosynthesis
“Comprehensive profiling of amino acid response uncovers unique methionine-deprived response dependent on intact creatine biosynthesis”. Tang X, Keenan MM, Wu J, Lin CA, Dubois L, Thompson JW, Freedland SJ, Murphy SK, Chi JT (2015). PLoS Genet. 11(4).
Acidosis induces reprogramming of cellular metabolism to mitigate oxidative stress
“Acidosis induces reprogramming of cellular metabolism to mitigate oxidative stress”. LaMonte GM, Tang X, Chen LY, Wu J, Ding CK, Keenan MM, Sangokoya C, Kung HN, Ilkayeva O, Boros LG, Newgard CB and Chi JT (2013). Cancer & Metabolism, 1(1): 23.