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Louisiana Center for Health Equity Summit is Back in Person for 2023 with Impressive Lineup of Keynote Speakers
The Louisiana Center for Health Equity is committed to advancing health equity and well-being for all Louisianans. LCHE works to eliminate health disparities that are a result of multiple disadvantages. After conducting the summit virtually, the past few years due to COVID-19, the summit is back in person.
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Dr. John Kirwan Selected for National Committee on Reducing Diet-Related Chronic Disease
The Texas A&M Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture (IHA) and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs' Center on Global Food and Agriculture (Chicago Council) announced members for the three committees that will work with The Responsive Agriculture Task Force to develop a national roadmap for responsive agriculture solutions, and Pennington Biomedical Executive Director Dr. John Kirwan will serve on the Committee on Reducing Diet-Related Chronic Disease.
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RURAL Heart and Lung Study Heads to Assumption and Franklin Parishes
Population health has long been evaluated based on region, comparing the health of residents of urban areas to those in rural areas. But what about comparisons between those in lower-risk rural areas versus those in higher-risk areas? Residents of two Louisiana parishes will soon be able to play a major role in a first of its kind study evaluating the causes behind health disparities.
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NIH Grant to Fund Network of Data Warehouses for Baton Rouge Health Research Institutions
The National Institutes of Health has awarded the Louisiana Clinical & Translational Science Center, or LA CaTS, a grant of nearly $1.3 million to support the efforts of in-state healthcare institutions to share health data for research purposes across a common structure.
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National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month: Experts Available to Speak on Childhood Obesity Research Efforts and Programs
September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month in the United States, as recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Pennington Biomedical Research Center is at the forefront of researching treatments for obesity, diabetes and other obesity-related chronic diseases, and that is especially true for the work being done to combat childhood obesity.
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Healthy Adults Needed for Study on How Intermittent Fasting and Weight Loss Affect Aging
Studies have shown that intermittent fasting can help people lose weight and may be easier to follow than counting calories to lose weight, such as traditional calorie restriction. Exciting new research in animals suggests that intermittent fasting slows aging and helps animals live longer.
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TOS Recognizes National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month in September
New guidelines for the treatment of childhood obesity published by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in 2023 assert early identification and management are critical to addressing the disease. Moreover, the guidelines endorse the significant advances in evidence-based approaches, including intensive lifestyle modifications, anti-obesity medications, and metabolic and bariatric surgery.
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August 2023 Publications
The following are recent publications by the researchers at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center.
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Gestational Weight Gain Increased in Louisiana During the Pandemic
Louisiana women who gave birth during the COVID-19 pandemic were 3 to 7 percent more likely to exceed the recommended weight gain levels than those who gave birth prior to the pandemic. Research from Pennington Biomedical Research Center and Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge showed that instances of non-optimal gestational weight gain, or GWG, were seen in more than 45 percent of pregnant women during the peak of the pandemic, whereas only 42 percent experienced non-optimal gain in the year preceding the pandemic.
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Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation to Kick Off Annual Fund for Excellence with “A Taste of Pennington Biomedical” on Sept. 28
On Sept. 28, the Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation will officially kick off its Annual Fund for Excellence. To celebrate the beginning of this year’s annual fund campaign, the foundation is hosting “A Taste of Pennington Biomedical,” an event offering an “inside look” at what makes the Pennington Biomedical Research Center so special.
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Pennington Biomedical Research Scores August Cover of Diabetes Magazine
A recent study by the Pennington Biomedical Research Center has earned the front cover of Diabetes, a leading journal for metabolic research, treatment, and prevention. Labeled “The Paper of the Month,” the study, “GDF15 Mediates the Effect of Skeletal Muscle Contraction on Glucose-Stimulated Insulin Secretion,” identified a new connection between exercise and improved management of type 2 diabetes.
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Louisiana Obesity Society Holds Inaugural Conference in New Orleans
The Louisiana Obesity Society hosted its inaugural conference, in conjunction with the Louisiana Chapter of American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, on Aug. 12 in New Orleans. Physicians, psychologists, advanced practice providers, dietitians, and others committed to treating and preventing obesity in Louisiana came together to formally launch the Louisiana Obesity Society and participate in the conference.
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Louisiana Obesity Society to Host Inaugural Conference on Aug. 12 in New Orleans
Physicians, psychologists, advanced practice providers, dietitians, and others who are committed to treating and preventing obesity in Louisiana have come together to formally launch the Louisiana Obesity Society, a new statewide professional organization. The Louisiana Obesity Society will be hosting its inaugural annual conference in conjunction with the Louisiana Chapter of American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery on Saturday, Aug. 12, at the Renaissance New Orleans Arts Warehouse District Hotel in New Orleans.
Learn MorePennington Biomedical’s Prachi Singh Secures $3.7 Million Grant to Study Reduced Sleep and Intermittent Fasting
While we typically wouldn’t give a second thought to that midnight snack, a shortened sleep cycle and the resulting extended eating duration can contribute to higher cardiovascular risk. Dr. Prachi Singh of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge has been awarded a $3.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to look into this further to pursue the benefits of time-restricted eating for short sleepers.
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July 2023 Publications
The following are recent publications by the researchers at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center.
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Registration Opens for Pennington Biomedical’s 2023 Men’s Health Summit
The 2023 Men’s Health Summit at Pennington Biomedical Research Center returns Saturday, Aug. 26, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Themed “Empowering Men to Live Healthier Lives,” the free health and wellness event is open to all men over the age of 18 in the greater Baton Rouge area.
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Improving Health and Performance in the Military
The Pennington Biomedical Research Center is helping to improve performance in our country's military by studying calorie expenditure during training missions and in combat, and how to minimize the loss of muscle mass in soldiers who must perform at an extremely high level and under harsh conditions.
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Summer Belongs to Blueberries: Celebrate National Blueberry Month with Pennington Biomedical Dietitians
Since 1974, July has been observed as National Blueberry Month in honor of one of nature’s top superfoods. But what exactly makes blueberries so beneficial?
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Participants Sought for Study to Help Correct Iron Deficiency Among Women
The presence of iron in blood is crucial for the transport of oxygen throughout the body. Without enough iron, iron deficiency, or the more severe form, iron deficiency anemia develops, resulting in symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, headaches, dizziness, and pale skin. More than 1-in-5 premenopausal women in the United States are iron deficient. A study now underway at Pennington Biomedical Research Center, and led by Dr. Stephen Hennigar, is exploring dietary strategies to improve iron status in this population.
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Giving Children the Best Chance at a Healthy Life
One in five children have obesity in the U.S., and even more are considered overweight. Dr. Amanda Staiano, associate professor at Pennington Biomedical Research Center and director of the Pediatric Obesity and Health Behavior Laboratory, believes childhood obesity is at the top of the list for public health issues of this century because children with obesity are much more likely to develop heart disease, diabetes, asthma, sleep problems and other issues.
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