Signature Research Areas

The Department of Nutrition Science is a vital contributor of research linking nutrition to disease prevention. The department concentrates its research into these Signature Areas which help us plan for the future, direct resources, and shape future faculty hires.

Metabolism and Obesity

Food choice and energy expenditure are multifaceted. Departmental expertise in both areas is being integrated in discovery, learning, and engagement efforts to develop the knowledge and resources necessary for optimal health.

Minerals, Vitamin D, and Bone Health

Collaboration between researchers in the Department of Nutrition Science, the Indiana University School of Medicine, and Eli Lilly has put Indiana at the core of skeletal research. The department employs a full range of approaches to the study of calcium metabolism and requirements, vitamin D, and bone. These approaches include clinical trials, education interventions to change behavior, animal models, and molecular and genomic investigations of mechanisms.

Food, Ingestive Behavior, and Population Nutrition

Carcinogenesis and Cancer Prevention

Carcinogenesis and cancer prevention research is an emerging Signature Area within the department. Active projects include exploring the relationship of green tea, vitamin D, fiber, and antioxidants to cancer. Several Nutrition Science faculty are involved in projects at the multidisciplinary Purdue University Center for Cancer Research.