Research
We usually think of food as energy and raw materials, but nutrients are far more. They shape, guide, and instruct all aspects of biology, from the first to the last cell of us. They protect our health or promote disease. And some can even directly talk to our genes.
The goals of our research program are to decode the secret conversation between nutrients and biology, decipher how it influences our bodies down to the molecular level, and define how it impacts wellness and disease.
Our research program is organized into four pillars:
Characterize the roles of nutrients in biological processes
Understand their effects on physiological systems
Determine the consequences for disease
Seize opportunities to protect & enhance human health
Thus far, we have discovered:
That nutrients and their metabolic byproducts can manipulate genetic switches, either increasing or decreasing the production of genes.
These changes directly impact cellular function, particularly in the brain, and over time, enhance or destabilize the delicate biological balance that safeguards our health.
READ
Nutrigenomics: How Food Can Talk to Your Genes
The Conversation, March 2022
Sugar, one of the food components added to 70% of all grocery store products, can also tinker with genetic switches.
We found that sugar’s break down products silence genes crucial for the proper functioning of taste cells in the mouth. As a result, the more sugar animals consume, the less they can sense sweetness. And since taste is so important for food choice, these diet-induced alterations in the taste system change what and how much animals eat.
READ
Training your Tastebuds for Health
The Conversation, June 2023
The tongue isn’t the only organ desensitized by sugar overload. The brain regions that regulate eating are similarly affected.
The more sugar an animal consumes, the more it will eat. Over time, the excess calories turn into fat, and that excess fat leads to cardiometabolic disease. This dysfunction extends beyond metabolism: we also found that disruptions in the dopaminergic system impair the ability to form food memories, which we know are important for satiety.
READ
Food for Thought: How Diet Influences the Brain
The Conversation, August 2022
But it’s not all doom and gloom. We’ve discovered that many of these negative effects can be reversed when animals return to a low-sugar diet.
This is especially significant for taste buds: it suggests that when foods with less sugar are available, one can quickly recalibrate their ability to sense sweetness accurately and may come to enjoy these lower-sugar options just as much as the old, sugar-laden versions. Our research thus supports the idea that taste buds and brains can be “trained” for health. While we may not go from the couch to running a 5K overnight, our brains can adapt to a healthier diet by paying attention to what we eat—looking at food labels and staying mindful are two effective ways to do that.
WATCH
Real Ag: Bittersweet
PBS, November 2023
Most importantly, our work highlights that not all calories are equal. Diet composition plays a crucial role in physiology, health, and disease.
This raises many key questions: What diet should I follow today? Tomorrow? What about expecting mothers, growing children, or seniors? And how do our genes factor in? Could personalized nutrition truly be possible? These are, of course, the questions that our lab is asking and researching today.
WATCH
Nutrigenomics and Personalized Nutrition
Bloomberg Quick Take, September 2022