April 2017

Genetic Risk Factors for Some Diseases Tied to Uric Acid We once thought of circulating uric acid levels as mainly a biomarker of kidney disease (or a very rich diet), but research over the past decade suggests that higher than normal levels of uric acid can, in fact,...

Genetic Risk Factors for Some Diseases Tied to Uric Acid

April 1, 2017 • We once thought of circulating uric acid levels as mainly a biomarker of kidney disease (or a very rich diet), but research over the past decade suggests that higher than normal levels of uric acid can, in fact, be a cause of some cardiovascular or chronic kidney diseases. Uric acid levels are strongly influenced by a person’s genetics and diet, so understanding genetic risk factors will help to […]

February 2017

Breast Cancer Subtype Important in Deciding Impact of Folate It is generally known that folate (vitamin B9) is important in early pregnancy to prevent neural tube defects in babies, because folate is needed by rapidly dividing cells (e.g., those of a developing...

January 2017

What We’re Learning about Mom’s Nutrition and Alcohol Dr. Phil May’s research group at the NRI studies the prevalence of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) in humans. The recent addition to the NRI faculty of Dr. Susan Smith now provides an avenue...

Renowned Scientist Joins Nutrition Research Institute

November 30, 2016 • Susan Sumner, PhD joins the UNC Nutrition Research Institute (NRI) on December 1, 2016, as a Professor of metabolomicsNutrition. Dr. Sumner is working to make personalized medicine a reality through metabolomics. Metabolomics involves measuring thousands of metabolites in cells, tissues, and biological fluids.

December 2015

It’s #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to celebrating generosity and to giving to a cause you care about. Please consider a gift to the Nutrition Research Institute.   Healthy Brain Function Tied to Nutrition A variety of research on babies and their...

Mom’s Diet Can Affect Development of Next Two Generations

November 17, 2016 • Nutritional deficiencies during pregnancy can have lasting effects across generations that impact development not only of children, but also of grandchildren. These heritable effects are linked to epigenetic changes that affect gene expression but not DNA sequence. At the NRI, we seek to understand how nutrition affects health and why different people respond differently to the same nutrients.

November 2015

November 1, 2015 • In this edition of our monthly e-news learn why researchers say no drinking when pregnant, is life expectancy a good measure of health and congratulate Dr. Hursting on his latest award.