2025 News Feed
Pennington Biomedical Awarded Renewal of NIH-funded Center to Advance Metabolic Disease Research and Train Future Scientists
Following a competitive review process, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for Pennington Biomedical’s Metabolic Basis of Disease Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) was renewed for an additional five years. This Phase II renewal builds on the momentum achieved since the center’s establishment in 2020, enabling continued support for young scientists who are focused on the mechanisms through which nutrition and metabolism contribute to health.
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Grip Strength Identified as Simple Method for Identifying Individuals at Risk for Obesity-related Complications
People with obesity who also have high muscle mass may be less likely to have obesity-related organ damage. This observation was described in the study “Handgrip Strength and Trajectories of Preclinical Obesity Progression: A Multistate Model Analysis Using the UK Biobank,” which was published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Dr. Yun Shen and Dr. Gang Hu of Pennington Biomedical Research Center, along with international colleagues, recently explored the association between grip strength and preclinical obesity progression.
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Pennington Biomedical Hosts NIDDK Clinical Methods for Nutrition & Obesity Research Course for Postdoctoral Fellows
From Oct. 6-9, Pennington Biomedical Research Center hosted the NIDDK Clinical Methods for Nutrition and Obesity Research Course, an intensive four-day training program designed to equip postdoctoral fellows, advanced doctoral students, and early career investigators with hands-on expertise in state-of-the-art methods for clinical research in obesity, metabolism and nutrition.
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Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' FNCE 2025 Features Pennington Biomedical Abstracts
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo 2025 is taking place in Nashville Oct. 11-14, and features abstracts from Pennington Biomedical researchers. Dr. Catherine Champagne, Dr. Jacob Mey and Cathy Carmichael, RD, are in attendance at this conference, with nearly 20 Pennington Biomedical faculty and researchers represented in conference research presentations.
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2025 Childhood Obesity Conference Welcomes More than 100 Physicians and Health Care Professionals
The 2025 Childhood Obesity Conference, "Be the Reason Kids Greaux Healthy," was held on Oct. 2 and 3, at the C.B. Pennington Jr. Conference Center. Presented by Greaux Healthy, the event welcomed more than 100 health care professionals, educators, advocates and community leaders to the campus to hear from leading local researchers on the latest developments, topics and research trends in childhood obesity prevention.
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Precision Prevention, Diagnostics and Treatment of Obesity: Pipedream or Reality?
A new report led by researchers at Pennington Biomedical Research Center underscores the growing potential of precision medicine to transform how obesity is prevented, diagnosed and treated, while also illuminating key gaps and challenges that must be addressed. Published in September in Obesity, the paper, “Precision Prevention, Diagnostics and Treatment of Obesity,” synthesizes the proceedings of a recent Pennington-Louisiana Nutrition Obesity Research Center, or NORC, scientific workshop that was convened to review current evidence on tailoring obesity interventions to individual biology, environment, behavior and social factors.
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Severe Obesity Associated with Reduced Prevalence of Recommended Cancer Screenings
In a recent cross-sectional study, researchers from Pennington Biomedical Research Center found that severe obesity is associated with a lower rate of cancer screenings. In their paper published in JAMA Network Open, “Obesity Severity and Cancer Screening in US Adults,” the researchers analyzed de-identified data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to reach these findings.
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Pennington Biomedical Invites Health Care Providers to Childhood Obesity Conference “Be the Reason Kids Greaux Healthy,” Oct. 2-3
Pennington Biomedical is proud to host the 2025 Childhood Obesity Conference, presented by the Greaux Health initiative, on Oct. 3 at its C.B. Pennington, Jr. Conference Center. Guests are also invited to a pre-conference Motivational Interviewing Workshop on Thursday, Oct. 2.
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Pennington Biomedical Sets the Standard in Nutrition Research
When "Doc" Pennington pledged $125 million to establish the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, his ambitious vision was unequivocal: “This should be the biggest and best nutrition research center in the country.” Four decades later, that bold aspiration has not only been realized – it has been surpassed on a global scale. Pennington Biomedical now stands as one of the world's most influential and scientifically productive nutrition research institutions. As the nation observes National Food is Medicine Day on September 14, the pioneering work of Pennington Biomedical researchers takes on heightened significance. Their investigations into the critical role of nutrition in preventing and managing chronic diseases, while promoting optimal health across populations, have fundamentally advanced our understanding of food as therapeutic intervention.
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Dr. Steven Heymsfield Named LSU Boyd Professor – LSU’s Highest Faculty Honor
Pennington Biomedical Research Center is proud to announce that Dr. Steven B. Heymsfield, Professor of Metabolism and Body Composition, has been named a Boyd Professor of Louisiana State University – the highest faculty rank and honor awarded within the LSU System. The Boyd Professorship is reserved for faculty whose outstanding achievements and international reputations bring significant prestige to LSU. Dr. Heymsfield joins an elite group of scholars recognized for advancing knowledge and transforming their fields.
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