Current Projects

Investigate the intra-individual reproducibility (within the same individual, when repeatedly measured) and inter-individual variability (among individuals) of glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL, product of the GI value of a food and its carbohydrate content) value determinations for individual foods and food combinations.
Assess the relative predictive value of using plasma concentrations of selected nutrient biomarkers of food intake determined in plasma either alone or in combination to selected food intake data derived from food frequency questionnaires on incidence of coronary heart disease or myocardial infarct using samples derived from the Women's Health Initiative.
Assess the relationship of measures of cholesterol homeostasis to incidence of cardiovascular disease and carotid stenosis in case and matched control subjects.
Establish adult normal ranges for phytosterol, cholestanol and cholesterol precursor levels using samples collected from the Framingham Offspring Study.
Determine the effect of dietary fatty acids on genes involved in the metabolism of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in Golden Syrian Hamsters.
Investigate the relationship between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids on genes involved in lipoprotein metabolism in LDL receptor knockout mice.
Determine the effect of different ratios of omega-6 PUFA to EPA+DHA on atherosclerotic lesion formation and inflammatory factors in LDL receptor knockout mice.
Evaluate the role of systematic evidence based reviews in establishing U.S. dietary guidance.

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For more information about the Cardiovascular Health Laboratory, please visit the USDA, Agricultural Research Service.

Taking the "Strong Women" Message to Heart
For Tufts' Miriam Nelson and Alice Lichtenstein, writing a book that provides women with accessible, applicable information on heart disease was both a professional and personal mission.

Modified Pyramid
Thanks to the work of Tufts Nutrition faculty Robert Russell, Alice Lichtenstein and Helen Rasmussen, the Modified Food Pyramid for Older Adults is now available to the public.

Scholar with national impact named to Gershoff Chair
Lichtenstein named the first recipient of the Stanley N. Gershoff Chair of Nutrition Science and Policy at the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy

Sacrificing Food In The Name Of Nutrition
It takes dedicated researchers and disciplined volunteers to fuel nutrition studies, which lead to important discoveries about food and health.

Soy Puzzle
This 'wonder food' may be more hype than help

Volunteer for Research Studies
Glycemic Index - Variability Among Individuals
Purpose: To determine whether people have different blood sugar responses to the same food