Department of Nutrition
Current Research
There are three signature areas of research in Nutrition:
1) obesity, energy balance and chronic disease (Drs. Brown, Lovelady, McIntosh,
Morrison);
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download a Dept. of Nutrition Research brochure here)
2) bioactive food component effects on cell function and prevention of disease processes (Drs. Erikson, Jia, Kipp, Loo, McIntosh, Morrison, Taylor, Zhan); and
3) nutrition risks and needs of underserved/limited resource populations (Drs. Dharod, Haldeman, Savoca, Taylor)
Current studies include:
Nutrition education to lower risk of hypertension in young African American men
Regulation of fat cell differentiation and metabolism
Nutrient-gene regulation of bone metabolism
Chemical and metabolic profiling of bioactive food components
The contributions of diet, sex differences and aging to leptin resistance and obesity
Food insecurity and health outcomes among immigrants and refugee populations
Micronutrients and brain development and functionNutrient needs during lactation and exercise
Nutritional risk and education needs of older adults
Nutrition interventions for low-income, diverse families
Molecular mechanisms mediating hyperplastic obesity and cancer
Cellular/molecular functions of phytochemicals in chronic disease prevention
Nutritional factors in pathogenesis and treatment of alcoholic liver disease.
Research Facilities and Equipment
Department research facilities include modern nutrition science laboratories, The Dickson/Harris Teeter Cellular and Molecular Nutrition Laboratory, and The Cemala Foundation Human Nutrition Research Laboratories. State of the art laboratory equipment including Applied Biosystems 7500 FAST PCR System, Nanodrop and Beckman spectrophotometers, flow cytometer, radioisotope detection units, microtiter plate readers, luminometer, an imaging system, high-speed and ultracentrifuges, standard cell culture and molecular biology equipment, and inverted and direct light microscopes with fluorescent capabilities. The Human Nutrition Research Labs include anthropometric equipment available for field research, exercise testing equipment, a phlebotomy and anthropometric measurement room, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometer (DEXA) bone density unit, and Nutrition Data System for Research software for dietary intake analysis. Computer facilities are conveniently located in multiple campus computer centers. The library collection and support personnel enhance the research environment.
The laboratory facilities of the UNCG Center for Research Excellence in Bioactive Food Components at the North Carolina Research Campus include a state-of-the-art Metabolomic profiling platform featuring an Agilent HPLC TOFMS system and a Leco GC-TOFMS system (Agilent 7890N gas chromotography coupled with Pegasus HT time-of-flight mass spectrometer). The lab also contains two HPLC systems; Buchi Sepacore preparative chromatography; an Applied Biosystems 7500 real-time PCR system; laminar flow hoods and cell culture incubators; low speed, superspeed, and ultracentrifuges; a Labconco freeze dry system; a Buchi mini spray dryer B-290; two Millipore Milli-Q Element water purification systems; a light inverted microscope; and a Kodak image station 4000R.
Departmental Research Staff
Paula Cooney
Robin Hopkins, Ph.D.