From Baton Rouge to Better Health

April 2, 2026 · Baton Rouge, LA

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How LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center extends beyond Louisiana, contributing to groundbreaking discoveries in nutrition and metabolic health

At Pennington Biomedical, more than 500, nurses, dietitians, biologists and other specialists spend their days asking ever-evolving questions about nutrition and metabolic health. The research conducted in the lab is part of the Center’s larger mission to better understand the root causes of chronic conditions like obesity, diabetes and heart disease. But the work, and its impact, doesn’t stop there. 

Health doesn’t happen in a silo, and neither does impactful, solutions-based research. Research conducted on Pennington Biomedical’s campus has contributed to over 8,000 published studies and 470,000 citations in other research publications—reflecting a far-flung legacy of influencing breakthroughs made by scientists across the globe. In addition, the Center partners with more than 330 research collaborators around the world, ranging from academic institutions to agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH). 

“The real impact of our work here is in what comes next. It’s in developing treatments that work, or even better, programs that prevent these conditions from occurring in the first place,” said Dr. Jennifer Rood, Interim Senior Vice Chancellor and Executive Director, Pennington Biomedical Research Center.

For example, Pennington Biomedical’s researchers are currently working with the NIH on two of the largest studies to date addressing the subjects of metabolic health and nutrition. Considered landmark efforts, the Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium study (MoTrPAC) and the Nutrition for Precision Health study (NPH) challenge the widely held notions that exercise and nutrition, respectively, are one-size-fits-all health solutions.

“Through the MoTrPAC study, we’re mapping how physical activity affects the body at a molecular level,” said Dr. Rood. “We’re learning why some people respond to exercise differently than others.” The findings will help scientists develop highly individualized, results-based solutions for patients in the form of exercise prescriptions, precisely matched to their physiology, lifestyle and risk factors.

“The study will lay the foundation for a new era of biomedical research,” said Dr. Eric Ravussin, LSU Boyd Professor and director of Pennington Biomedical’s Human Translational Physiology Laboratory. As one of the principal investigators of the study, Dr. Ravussin joins researchers at 11 clinical sites nationwide in evaluating the effects of different forms of exercise on aerobic function, muscular strength and body composition in more than 2,000 study participants.

The NPH study, which is still open for participant enrollment at 14 research sites nationwide, will also contribute to the growing body of knowledge around individualized metabolic treatment, but from the angle of nutrition.

“Food lies at the epicenter of health and disease,” said Dr. Ravussin. “But clinical nutrition is still limited to a one-size-fits-all-approach that far too often fails a large segment of the population.”

The NPH study, which will gather and analyze data from more than 8,000 participants nationwide, will consider how factors such as genes, lifestyle, health history, gut microbiome and social determinants of health might impact the way an individual’s body metabolizes certain foods.

“Nutrition for Precision Health brings us a step closer to precision medicine,” said Dr. Ravussin. “The study will generate a massive dataset, a wealth of biospecimens and the algorithms that will lead to personalized dietary prescriptions that can promote health, prevent heart attacks or strokes, and importantly, address health disparities.”

By contributing its resources and expertise to these large-scale, collaborative, solutions-focused studies, Pennington Biomedical is conducting research that is consequential not only to the health of individuals in Baton Rouge, but around the world.

By joining a clinical trial at Pennington Biomedical Research Center, you can be a part of the solution. You’ll not only gain access to cutting-edge research and expert care, you’ll also be helping scientists to develop better treatments for people in your family, community and beyond.

The Nutrition for Precision Health study is currently enrolling participants. To learn more about this study and other studies currently open, visit  pbrc.edu/clinicaltrials.

Story originally appeared in Country Roads Magazine