URBANA, Ill. — The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has been at the forefront of nutritional science research and education for over 100 years. In a new paper, Illinois nutrition professors and former directors of the Division of Nutritional Sciences John Erdman and Sharon Donovan trace the illustrious history and significant impacts that the U. of I. has had on human and animal health.

“In the beginning, nutrition was taught in two different departments from totally different perspectives. One area was for large production animals, and the other started off as home economics and then evolved into food and nutrition. Those two units taught completely different audiences, but both were focusing on nutrition,” Erdman said.

A multi-disciplinary approach 

The first courses in food and dietetics were offered in 1874, and a specific curriculum in those disciplines was created 100 years ago, eventually consolidating into the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition in 1995. On the animal nutrition side, livestock feeding courses began in 1868, and the Department of Animal Husbandry was established in 1901, eventually becoming the Department of Animal Sciences in 1985. Both departments are part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at U. of I.

Today, nutrition research spans multiple units and colleges within the U. of I. in a multidisciplinary environment that fosters unique collaborations and contributions through the Division of Nutritional Sciences, established in 1968 as an innovative graduate research and teaching program to educate transformative leaders in nutrition. DNS now includes 70 faculty members from 19 departments.

“DNS provides a central focus for nutrition research, bringing together researchers from food science, animal science, veterinary medicine, medicine, kinesiology, biochemistry, microbiology, engineering, and more,” Donovan said.

Major contributions to the field  

In the paper, Erdman and Donovan highlight numerous contributions to nutritional science over the years.   

Illinois scientists W.C. Rose and Herbert E. Carter established the concept of essential versus non-essential amino acids and Rose discovered threonine, the last of the nine essential amino acids that the body cannot synthesize and must gain from food. This work led the way in determining amino acid requirements for humans. 

Later in the 20th century, animal sciences professor David Baker evaluated amino acid metabolism and requirements in livestock and developed the “ideal protein” concept for swine and poultry diets that is used worldwide today.

Illinois researchers have studied the role of minerals in nutrition — determining the nutrient content of fresh and cooked fruits and vegetables and the impact of diet on the immune system for both humans and animals.

“The term functional food was coined at Illinois, referring to foods that have other benefits in addition to essential nutrients. For example, bioactive components such as carotenoids — yellow, orange, and red pigments — are important for eye health, and potentially, for reducing the risk of certain cancers and cardiovascular disease,” Erdman said.  

Work on bioactive compounds continues today, as well as research on the human gut microbiome and the nutritional regulation of microbiome structure and function.

The Cancer Center at Illinois facilitates innovative studies in cancer research and the influence of food components on cancer. The Center for Nutrition, Learning and Memory was established to promote nutritional neuroscience. While the CNLM is no longer active, research focusing on the effect of nutrition on brain and cognitive health continues through other programs. 

Child nutrition is another important focus area, facilitated by collaboration with the Child Development Lab and the STRONG Kids program, a multidisciplinary, longitudinal research project that follows a group of families and children to provide unique insights into how individual biology interacts with the family environment to promote healthy eating.

Major grant-funded program highlights

A major grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture funds the Illinois Transdisciplinary Obesity Prevention Program, which provides doctoral students with the opportunity to pursue transdisciplinary work. 

“While they work with researchers who bring their own expertise, the goal is to think about the problems in a broader sense — we train students who go on to become very impactful because they combine knowledge from different areas,” Donovan said.

Donovan also serves as director of the Personalized Nutrition Initiative, a campus-wide initiative that funds research projects focused on optimizing human health through individually tailored approaches.

Expanding educational opportunities through Online Programs

This semester, Donovan spearheaded the launch of the first-ever personalized nutrition course offered through the open, online platform Coursera. It will be followed with courses on food regulations and nutrition policy. Now, students will be able to combine coursework to obtain a newly created graduate certificate: Food Regulations, Nutrition Policy, and Personalized Nutrition, which focuses on personalized nutrition trends and prepares students with a comprehensive understanding of the regulatory landscape, nutrition policies, and individualized dietary responses. This program is designed for professionals aiming to deepen their expertise in food regulations and nutrition science.

To learn more about Illinois nutrition research and studies, visit the Division of Nutritional Sciences. To support DNS, CDL, or other ACES programs, contact the Office of Advancement. 

Editor's notes:

John Erdman is a professor emeritus in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition and the Division of Nutritional Sciences. He is an adjunct faculty of the Beckman Institute.

Sharon Donovan is the Melissa M. Noel Endowed Professor in Nutrition and Health in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition and the Division of Nutritional Sciences. She is also a professor in the Carle Illinois College of Medicine.  

The paper, “Nutritional Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,” is published in Nutrition Today [DOI: 10.1097/NT.0000000000000683].

Sources: 

John Erdman, jwerdman@illinois.edu; Sharon Donovan, sdonovan@illinois.edu