Human milk consumption (being breastfed) during infancy is thought to give a slight cognitive advantage throughout early childhood compared to formula, independent of maternal education and intelligence scores. However, there are relatively few studies on the impact of diet on the structure and function of the developing infant brain. A recently published systematic review from […]
ACNC News
Dietary Modification of Platelet Activation
The correlation between obesity and cardiovascular disease (CVD) has long been understood – and with CVD comes increased risk of heart attack or stroke, occurring when platelets in the blood form clots that block blood flow. Less is known on the impact of an obesogenic diet on platelet activation or function. ACNC Investigators aimed to […]
ACNC Breezes National Nutrition Conference
The Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Research Center is hosting a symposium at the American Society for Nutrition’s 2024 conference, titled, “ACNC: 30 Years of Advancing Nutrition Science Research for Maternal and Child Health” on July 2nd in Chicago. Throughout the conference, several ACNC faculty and staff will join the greater nutrition community to present innovative research at this […]
Meet the Trainee: Dr. Hailemariam “Haile” Abrha Assress
Upon entering Addis Ababa University (AAU) in Ethiopia, Hailemariam “Haile” Abrha Assress had hopes of becoming a pharmacist. After graduating with distinction near the top of his class in 2007, Haile stayed on as a Graduate assistant. He completed his master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry in 2011 and continued to work for another five years […]
Food Insecurity and Allergic Diseases: A Call to Collective Action
Over 10% of Americans are food insecure – uncertain of their access to adequate food. Food insecurity is a key social determinate of health, known to negatively affect nutrition and health outcomes. To allergy and immunology patients who may have to adhere to specific diets, the impact of food insecurity can complicate medical care. Prominent […]
The Nourish Pilot: Does What Mom Eats Change What is in Her Breast Milk?
Breast milk provides the nutrients babies need – as well as additional components, like hormones and signaling factors, that strengthen their immune system to fight infections and support gut development. Breast milk from mothers with excessive weight has been associated with increased concentrations of signaling compounds (hormones, proinflammatory cytokines, and oligosaccharides) compared to breast milk […]
Preclinical Highlight: Phenolic acids prevent sex-steroid deficiency-induced bone loss and bone marrow adipogenesis in mice
Bioactives in the plants we eat can be further digested by the gut microbiome – that is, the bacteria in our guts. Phenolic acids such as hippuric acid (HA) and 3-(3-hydroxyphenyl) propionic acid (3-3-PPA) can be produced from microbiome digestion of polyphenols, a class of bioactives. HA and 3-3-PPA have been shown to promote bone […]
Does How One Remembers Being Fed As a Child Influence How One Feeds Children?
Children’s eating behaviors develop with influence from parent feeding styles, practices, and beliefs. Researchers examining childhood eating behaviors including ACNC faculty Taren Swindle, are interested in how classroom feeding practices employed by early education staff, who also interact with children during mealtimes, associate with their own childhood experiences. To examine how classroom feeding practices are […]
Effects of Short-term Supervised Exercise Training on Liver Fat in Adolescents with Obesity
Center investigators Drs. Eva C. Diaz, Xiawei Ou, Elisabet Børsheim, were part of a team that recently published results from a 4-week RCT examining the effects of short-term supervised exercise training on liver fat in adolescents with obesity. The supervised exercise [high-intensity interval training (HIIT)] had beneficial effects on markers of cardiometabolic health, and after limiting analysis […]
Association Between Adiposity During Pregnancy and Offspring’s Physical Activity – Modified by Offspring Sex
Maternal obesity during pregnancy increases risk of obesity and disease in the offspring across the lifespan. Animal models indicate that children born to mothers with obesity are less physically active -however, such studies in humans are complex requiring long follow-ups. Investigators at the ACNC analyzed data from The Glowing Study to evaluate the association between […]