The placenta, a temporary organ that supports a baby’s development during pregnancy, is crucial to fetal growth and development, supplying nutrients and oxygen, removing waste, and producing signaling factors. Exposures during pregnancy, like Mom’s environment and her physiology, can affect placental health, which in turn could have consequences for her baby’s health. A team of […]
Nutrition Research
Dietary fiber structure matters, maybe more than gut bacterial community
Eating different kinds of dietary fiber affects our microbiota, the bacteria that live in our guts, which can in turn affect our overall health. How these dietary fibers, found in fruits, vegetables, and grains, help beneficial gut bacteria grow and how these fibers break down into other bioactive metabolites that benefit the body is an […]
ACNC Investigator, Dr. Aline Andres is elected to the National Academy of Medicine
One of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine, Aline Andres, Ph.D., RD, professor of pediatrics, was elected to the National Academy of Medicine, recognized for her global leadership defining how exposures during pregnancy and lactation affect maternal-child outcomes. Dr. Andres and been instrumental in driving several of the ACNC’s rigorously conducted […]
Reviewing a role for polyphenols in breastmilk for healthy infant development
Polyphenols are a broad class of plant bioactive molecules found in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Existing and emerging evidence links healthy dietary patterns to maternal and child health benefits, and many healthy dietary patterns are high in polyphenol-containing foods. There is increasing interest in dietary bioactives such as polyphenols in breastmilk, their bioactivity and […]
Breast milk vs. formula may affect gut health and bone growth
Breast milk is widely considered the best source of nutrition for babies — and one reason for that might be that it influences microbes, or bacteria, in a baby’s gut. These microbes are important for breaking down what we eat into key nutrients that help babies grow and develop. Carbohydrates in breast milk can be […]
Exposure to certain environmental contaminants during pregnancy is associated with mom’s heart and metabolic health
Environmental contaminants are chemicals around us that are naturally occurring or man-made—they can build up in the body over time and disrupt hormones. One group of widespread environmental contaminants, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) can cross from a pregnant woman to her baby through the placenta. While pollution from PFAS has been reported in central […]
Unraveling Adipose Tissue Dysfunction Due to Excessive Weight Using Three Research Approaches
A recent paper from the ACNC investigates how maternal weight and diet before and during pregnancy may have an impact on fat development and the metabolic health of her offspring. Postdoctoral Fellow Henry Paz and Assistant Professor Umesh Wankhade used data collected from multiple scientific research models: a cell culture model that examined fat cells […]
ACNC Announces New Director
Dr. Colin Kay, Ph.D. joined the ACNC in 2023 as Professor of Developmental Nutrition in the Department of Pediatrics and served as Director of Precision Health Research, Arkansas Children’s Research Institute (ACRI) and Scientific Director of the Metabolomics and Analytical Chemistry Research Core. Prior to joining the ACNC, Kay served as Distinguished Professor in the Plants […]
Exploring the Path of Dietary Bioactives
One study conducted by Dr. Colin Kay and colleagues examined how a class of bioactives found in blueberries are absorbed, metabolized, and excreted by our bodies after they are eaten. Investigators were particularly interested if processing the whole blueberries (i.e. food processing) would change how the bioactives were metabolized. Fresh blueberries were therefore compared to […]
Kids Can Get Moving to Improve Balance
Balance is essential for children to develop motor skills, prevent falls, and effectively perform various daily activities. However, what influences balance in children is not well understood. To explore this, researchers at the ACNC measured balance, body composition, physical fitness, and daily physical activity in 219 school-aged children (ages 7-11). Balance was evaluated using a […]