This area focuses on the metabolism of nutrients and bioactive food materials to elucidate mechanisms of action using genomics, sequencing, biomarker, and big data tools and analyses for health promotion, disease prevention, and survivorship.

Faculty researching this area

Jaume Amengual

Assistant Professor

Nutrition and cardiovascular disease: Investigates the mechanisms of how carotenoids, lipids, and their metabolites interact to mediate atherosclerosis; studies structure and function of vitamin A to mitigate metabolic disease progression, primarily cardiovascular disease.

Jaume's Illinois Experts Research Output

Hong Chen

Associate Professor

Nutrigenomics and epigenetics: nutrient regulation of epigenetic modifications during human development and carcinogenesis.

Hong's Illinois Experts Research Output

Elvira de Mejia

Professor

Bioactive peptides and proteins in foods with health benefits focusing on reduction of inflammation, markers of type-2 diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular risk; functional properties of food components especially flavonoids in ethnic teas, herbs and berries.

Elvira's Illinois Experts Research Output

Sharon Donovan 

Professor

Pediatric Nutrition: human milk and neonatal intestinal development. Development of the microbiome and host-microbe interactions. Childhood obesity prevention. Determinants of picky eating and strategies to develop healthy eating habits.

Sharon's Illinois Experts Research Output

John Erdman Jr.

Professor Emeritus

Bioactive Food Components and Carotenoids: dietary and non-dietary factors affecting absorption, utilization, and bioavailability of carotenoids; carotenoids and prostate cancer; soy and health; lutein and brain function.

John's Illinois Experts Research Output

William Helferich 

Professor

Nutritional toxicology: food safety and toxicology; effect of natural chemicals present in foods on chronic diseases such as breast cancer.

William's Illinois Experts Research Output

Hannah D. Holscher

Associate Professor

Nutrition and the microbiome: dietary manipulation of the microbiome for disease prevention and treatment; clinical nutrition; host-microbe interactions; big data and bioinformatics. 

Hannah's Illinois Experts Research Output

Elizabeth Jeffery 

Professor Emerita

Nutritional toxicology and functional foods: anticarcinogenic and anti-inflammatory effects of non-nutritive dietary components, including isothiocyanates and indoles from broccoli.

Elizabeth's Illinois Experts Research Output

Zeynep Madak-Erdogan

Associate Professor

Nutrition, genomics, transcriptomics, cistromics, epigenetics, metabolomics, biomarker discovery, biosensors, molecular and physiological effects of phytochemicals present in food and natural and synthetic estrogens to resiliency to chronic diseases like metabolic syndrome and breast cancer, post-menopausal women’s health.

Zeynep's Illinois Experts Research Output

Manabu Nakamura 

Associate Professor

Biochemical and Molecular Nutrition: function and metabolism of essential fatty acids in reproduction, inflammation and chronic diseases; transcriptional regulation of macronutrient metabolism; dietary weight loss and prevention of obesity.

Manabu's Illinois Experts Research Output

Yuan-Xiang Pan

Associate Professor

Nutrigenomics and epigenetics: nutrient-gene interaction and chronic diseases.

Yuan-Xiang's Illinois Experts Research Output