2026 News Feed
Researchers Offer New Perspective on How Protein Restriction May Promote Healthy Aging and Longevity
A new perspective from LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center proposes a new way of understanding how dietary protein restriction may promote healthy aging and extend lifespan: through a coordinated physiological response that connects cellular nutrient sensing with hormones, the brain and changes throughout the body.
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Dr. Peter Katzmarzyk Named an LSU Boyd Professor, One of the LSU System’s Highest Honors
The LSU Board of Supervisors unanimously voted on Sept. 4 to name Dr. Aaron Sheehan-Dean, Dr. James Garand, and Dr. Peter Katzmarzyk as Boyd Professors. The Boyd Professorship, established by the LSU Board of Supervisors in 1953, is the most distinguished and highest professorial rank awarded by LSU. The honor recognizes faculty members who bring honor and prestige to the university through national and as appropriate, international recognition for outstanding achievements.
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Dr. Emily Flanagan Awarded Up to $3.55 Million NIH Grant to Study Infant Energy Balance and Early-Life Growth
Dr. Emily Flanagan, Assistant Professor and Director of the Developmental Physiology Laboratory at LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center, has been awarded a prestigious National Institutes of Health R01 grant totaling up to $3.55 million to investigate how energy intake and expenditure influence infant growth during the first year of life.
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Researchers Find Peroxisomes Help Protect Insulin and Maintain Beta Cell Health
Researchers at LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center have identified a previously underappreciated role for tiny structures inside cells called peroxisomes in protecting insulin and maintaining the health and maturity of insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells.
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Study Finds Extreme Obesity Common Among Bariatric Surgery Patients, Should Not Preclude Treatment
Patients with extreme obesity are more common among those undergoing metabolic and bariatric surgery than previously recognized, and although they face a greater burden of certain health conditions and surgical complications, their overall surgical risk remains relatively low, according to a new study led by researchers at LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center.
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2026 Childhood Obesity Conference: “Be the Reason Kids Greaux Healthy” to be held Sept. 24
LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center will host its 2026 Childhood Obesity Conference, “Be the Reason Kids Greaux Healthy,” on Sept. 24 at the C.B. Pennington, Jr. Conference Center. The conference, presented by the Greaux Healthy initiative, will bring together health care professionals, researchers, educators and community leaders to explore strategies for preventing and treating childhood obesity. Registration is now available online.
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Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation Announces 2027 The Answer Gala will be held March 20; Sponsorship Opportunities Now Available
The Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation has announced its signature fundraising event, The Answer, will return on Saturday, March 20, 2027, at L'Auberge Casino & Hotel. One of Baton Rouge's premier charitable events, the annual gala brings together community leaders, philanthropists and supporters for an unforgettable evening dedicated to advancing life-changing work at Pennington Biomedical Research Center.
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Researchers Examine Unanticipated Benefits of GLP-1 Medications
GLP-1 receptor agonists and dual agonists have transformed the treatment of obesity and other metabolic diseases, and a new editorial co-authored by Dr. Steven Heymsfield of LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center and Dr. Adam Gilden of the University of Colorado examines what scientists are learning as these medications reach millions of people.
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Pennington Biomedical and Minnesota HealthSolutions Awarded NIH Grant to Develop Digital Driving Safety Platform for Teens with ADHD
Dr. Jeffrey Keller, Hibernia National Bank/Edward G. Schleider Endowed Chair at LSU's Pennington Biomedical Research Center, and Sara Seifert, president of Minnesota HealthSolutions, have received a new National Institutes of Health Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award to develop an innovative digital health platform that will help parents support teenagers with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as they learn to drive. Teen drivers with ADHD represent one of the highest risk groups for motor vehicle crashes.
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New Approach to Obesity Classification Could Better Guide Treatment Decisions
A new approach to defining obesity could help physicians better determine which patients need more intensive treatment by focusing on the effects of excess adiposity on organs and tissues rather than relying primarily on whether a person meets a set of metabolic risk thresholds.
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