2025 News Feed
Dr. Adithya Hari Joins Pennington Biomedical as Physician/Nuclear Oncologist, Adds to Center’s Strategic Expansion of Cancer Metabolism Program
Pennington Biomedical Research Center is pleased to announce the arrival of Dr. Adithya Hari, MD, as Assistant Professor and Physician/Nuclear Oncologist in the Division of Clinical Science, effective April 21. Dr. Hari’s recruitment represents a strategic expansion of Pennington Biomedical’s research capacity in cancer metabolism and nuclear medicine and was a collaborative effort involving Pennington Biomedical partners Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, Louisiana Cancer Research Center, and LSU Health New Orleans.
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Long-Term Benefits of Lifestyle and Metformin Interventions in Reducing Type 2 Diabetes Over 21 Years in the U.S. Diabetes Prevention Program Study
The U.S. Diabetes Prevention Program, or DPP, reported on April 28 the 21-year follow-up of this randomized clinical trial showing that the original intensive lifestyle intervention reduced the development of diabetes by 24% and metformin reduced diabetes development by 17%. The DPP had previously showed that after the first 3 years of study, the intensive lifestyle, aimed at moderate weight loss and increased physical activity, and the medication metformin reduced the onset of type 2 diabetes by 58% and 31%, respectively, compared with a placebo medicine. All participants were adults at high risk of developing diabetes.
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United States Sees Disproportionate Increase in Body Mass Index Rates of More Than 60
In the past 20 years, the average rate of obesity among adults in the United States has risen by approximately 30 percent, but the rate of those with the most severe forms of obesity, or those with a body mass index, or BMI, of more than 60 kg/m2, increased by 210 percent. In a recently published research letter in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet: Diabetes & Endocrinology, researchers from Pennington Biomedical analyzed national health data from 2001 through 2023, and discovered the alarming increase in the numbers of patients with the most severe forms of obesity.
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Pennington Biomedical Research Center Investigates Tirzepatide's Role in Weight Loss and Metabolic Health
Researchers at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center conducted a first-of-its-kind study to provide insights into the mechanisms of action of tirzepatide – a drug known as Zepbound™ – on weight loss with respect to energy expenditure, fat oxidation and calorie intake. The study, “Tirzepatide did not impact metabolic adaptation in people with obesity, but increased fat oxidation,” published in Cell Metabolism, showed that tirzepatide decreased participants’ calorie intake at lunch/dinner by reducing appetite while increasing fat oxidation, thus helping participants to lose weight. However, the drug did not decrease the slowing down of their metabolic rate usually observed with weight loss.
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Pennington Biomedical's 2025 Bray Obesity Symposium to Offer On-Demand Continuing Education for Physicians
The 2025 Bray Obesity Symposium welcomes all health physicians and researchers interested in the latest in metabolic health to register for the on-demand online offerings. The online-only content is available to access upon registration, and the symposium has been designated by the American Board of Obesity Medicine, or ABOM, as a Group One Primary Medicine Continuing Medical Education partner.
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The Metabolic Demands of Nursing Drive Hormonal Adaptations in Mothers
Nursing poses major metabolic demands on mothers, to which they respond by eating more and saving energy to sustain milk production. There are significant hormonal changes during lactation, but how they lead to metabolic adaptations in nursing mothers remained unclear. In this study, which appeared in Nature Metabolism, leading researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and Pennington Biomedical Research Center uncovered a mechanism that connects prolactin, estrogen, the brain and metabolic adaptations during lactation.
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Dr. Catherine Champagne Selected Named an Excellence in Nutrition Fellow
The American Society for Nutrition, or ASN, announced the first awardees of the Excellence in Nutrition Fellows of the American Society for Nutrition, or FASN, recognizing 55 distinguished members for their ongoing contributions to the field and sustained engagement in the nutrition community. Included among the honorees is Dr. Catherine Champagne, Professor of Dietary Assessment and Nutrition Counseling and Nutritional Epidemiology.
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Pennington Biomedical Researchers Uncover Role of Hormone in Influencing Food Preferences
We know eating a balanced diet is essential for good health, but what actually drives our food preferences? How the brain listens to what’s going on in the body and how this connection affects dietary preferences is the focus of much of the work of Christopher Morrison and fellow researchers at Pennington Biomedical Research Center.
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Dr. Leanne Redman Honored with the E. V. McCollum Award from the American Society for Nutrition
The American Society for Nutrition, or ASN, and the ASN Foundation announced the distinguished recipients of the 2025 National Scientific Achievement Awards today. Recognizing outstanding contributions and pioneering advancements in the field of nutrition, these awards serve as a testament to excellence and innovation.
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The "Science of Eating" Series: Metabolic Myths
As part of Pennington Biomedical’s Science of Eating series, Associate Professor of Clinical Science, Dr. Ursula White, recently led an informative discussion to debunk some common myths and explain the science behind the misperceptions.
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