Nutrition is never this or that, right or wrong, healthy or unhealthy, good or bad, but it can be a buffer
Regan L. Bailey, PhD, MPH, RD Professor of Behavioral Science & Social Medicine; Director, ICON- Health
From left to right: Regan Bailey, Patrick Stover, Bruce Y. Lee, Herman Pontzer visit is co-sponsored by the Department of Anthropology.
Pontzer was a keynote speaker at this summer’ s Marabou Conference in Stockholm, Sweden, in which 40 of the leading nutrition researchers from around the world gathered to discuss nutrition and aging. FSU’ s ICON-Health was well-represented: Bailey presented the closing keynote address and Stover, as Marabou’ s scientific advisor, was a facilitator and led panel discussions.
Bailey’ s presentation touched on number of topics, including the difference between a person’ s chronological age and biological age, and how nutrition can affect the biological age – for good or for ill. She also discussed how micronutrient intake can affect one of the hallmarks of aging – epigenetic aging – which is the study of how your behaviors and environment can affect the way your genes work. Unlike genetic changes that alter the DNA sequence, epigenetic modifications do not change your underlying code. Instead, they act as chemical“ switches” that modulate specific genes based on environment or past experience.
“ We need consistent frameworks and measurement tools for research, in order to make evidenced-based recommendations for precision nutrition plans as the population ages,” Bailey said.“ The goal is to keep the biological age below the chronological age, and epigenetics can provide intermediate measurements that will allow us to fine-tune nutrition plans.”
Ahead of these events, ICON- Health will launch a new book club featuring the groundbreaking work of both Pontzer and Lee, diving deep into their insights on nutrition and using their findings as a springboard for lively brainstorming sessions on how to collectively move the needle on public health. The book club will be open to all members of the ICON-Health community. Check the website at icon. fsu. edu for updates on events and activities.
The first two speakers were curated and recommended by an advisory panel selected from among ICON- Health’ s many interdisciplinary
partners across campus. The ICON-Health Eminent Scholar Seminar Series Committee plays a vital role in curating engaging, timely and impactful seminar presentations that highlight the mission of ICON-Health.
Michelle Kazmer, Ph. D., dean of the College of Communication and Information, is a committee member.
“ This is such an amazing time to be involved in nutrition research, which has long been a focus of research conducted throughout our college – by faculty in the Schools of Communication, Communication Science and Disorders, and Information alike,” she said.“ As the intersection of all communication and information disciplines continues to open doors to understanding, we learn that effective nutrition can solve many public health issues.
“ I am grateful for ICON-Health and inspired by the researchers creating these solutions.”
More information can be found online at icon. fsu. edu
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