UNC to host free nutrition lecture series at NCRC

KANNAPOLIS — The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will host a free nutrition seminar series at the N.C. Research Campus.

The Appetite for Life Academy, hosted by the UNC Nutrition Research Institute in Kannapolis, brings the latest scientific research down to earth in educational, interactive community programs.

Attendees will meet leading experts as they present their research in engaging sessions designed to help people eat better and live healthier lives.

Seminars are held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays from Feb. 7 to March 6, with the exception of Monday, Feb. 13, in the meeting room of the David H. Murdock Core Laboratory Building, 201 N. Main St.

Sessions are free and open to the public, but seats are limited and registration is required. If you can’t attend in person, join the webcast at uncnri.org/webcast .

Register online at www.uncnri.org/appetite_form.asp .

As a new feature of the Appetite for Life series, the Nutrition Research Institute will have a tasting station at each seminar featuring healthy, local foods. The stations will range from salsa to sweet potato crackers and will feature local vendors.

Seminars include:

• Feb. 7

“Diet and the Risk of Cancer”

Dr. Steven Zeisel, Nutrition Research Institute director

Gain insights into how diet affects your health — what you eat may help determine if you live a long, healthy life, and reduce your risk for diseases like cancer. Zeisel, international leader in nutrition research, leads the field of nutritional individuality. He specializes in how the nutrient choline impacts brain development and cognition.

• Monday Feb. 13

“Gut Microbes: a Trillion Tiny Friends for Life”

Dr. Melanie Spencer

Learn how the many microbes in your GI tract influence everything from your immunity to nutrition absorption rate, as well as their critical role in your health. Having earned a doctorate in bioinformatics, Spencer, now at the NRI, explores the role of bacteria in nutrition and human metabolism.

• Feb. 21

“The Prevalence of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD)”

Dr. Philip May

Did you know that up to 5 percent of children in the U.S. may suffer from cognitive and behavioral problems caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol? May will explain FASD and how the mother’s drinking patterns and other factors may lead to different outcomes in children.

May, NRI Research Professor and leading expert in FASD, works to fully define the disorder, helping to decrease the overall percentage of impacted children.

• Feb. 28

“Obesity: It’s Not Easy Being Lean”

Dr. Andrew Swick

Ever wonder why you can’t keep those extra pounds off? Swick’s research unravels why it is difficult for some to lose and maintain a reduced weight as well as potential causes of obesity, including your environment and the importance of energy balance. Swick, director of obesity and eating disorders at the NRI, is an expert on how the gut controls food intake and the regulation of energy expenditure.

• March 6

“Why Diets Don’t Work: Myths, Mysteries, & Truths”

Dr. Karen Corbin

Fact or fiction: There is an ideal diet that will maintain your optimal health. Learn how nutrients, genetics, and other factors can make your ideal diet less of a mystery. At the NRI, Corbin, a registered dietitian and research assistant professor, investigates the role of nutrition and genetic components in obesity and fatty liver disease.