Research Interests 

My research program and expertise span from molecular to human trials and aim to identify nutritional strategies to prevent and treat cardio-metabolic disorders. Our overall goal is to better understand the mechanisms by which a certain diet, functional food, dietary supplement, or bioactive compound prevents and/or improves disease conditions and evaluate their safety and effectiveness in clinical trials.  

High consumption of fruits and vegetables is associated with a lower incidence of chronic diseases including cardiometabolic diseases. This fact has been partially attributed to the high polyphenol content of these foods. Polyphenols are secondary metabolites of plants in response to exposure to environmental stresses such as sunlight, extreme temperatures, salinity, alkalinity, drought or flooding, soil compaction, injury, pollutants, and pesticides and provide plants with resistance against pathogens. Polyphenols not only contribute to the sensory quality (taste, color, and flavor) of plant foods but also have a myriad of health benefits.

We currently use animal models of hypertension including angiotensin II, obesity such as high-fat, high-sucrose diet, to investigate the protective role of plant-based foods, especially berries, in cardio-metabolic parameters including endothelial function, blood pressure, cardiac function, insulin resistance, body composition, bone and muscle quality. We also seek to determine the mechanisms by which these bioactive compounds exert their effects with a focus on inflammation, oxidative stress, and intestinal dysbiosis, which are all augmented in these conditions.  

Additionally, we have recently received funding to confirm our findings in human trials. We will assess the effectiveness of daily consumption of wild blueberries and peanuts on the macro- and microvasculature, intestinal microbiota, and cognitive function in individuals with high blood pressure and prediabetes.

Current Projects 

• Impact of Peanuts on Cardiometabolic, Cognitive, and Intestinal Health in Prediabetes Among Racially Diverse Populations
• Effects of wild blueberries on heart, brain, and gut health in Non-Hispanic Black and Non-Hispanic White adults with high blood pressure
• Wild Blueberry for gut, brain, and cardiometabolic health in female adults with prediabetes
• Impact of wild blueberry consumption on cardiometabolic, cognitive, and gut health in mice consuming a high-fat, high-sucrose, high-salt diet 
• Evaluation of polyphenol content and antioxidant properties of berry-derived exosome-like nanoparticles
• Comparison of polyphenol and glucosinolate content, and antioxidant capacity of hydroponic- and soil-grown kale
• Effects of baru nut on palmitate-induced inflammation and oxidative stress in vascular smooth muscle cells
• Assessing biochemical and physiological effects of vaping CBD oil in young adults 

Current Grant Funding 

 

 

 

Past Grant Funding