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Bionutrition - Phone: (409) 772-1773

Bionutrition supports the research effort in essentially two different ways:

1. Well-controlled feeding studies:
   The Metabolic Kitchen is staffed from 6:45 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. with personnel experienced in providing all five types of research diets) estimated, weighted, controlled-nutrient, constant, and metabolic balance). Diets are planned using Nutrition Data System for Research (NDSR), developed by the University of Minnesota, and Pronutra, a software application designed specifically for clinical research through a small business grant funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH).

A dining room across from the Metabolic Kitchen enables dietary staff to observe ambulatory inpatient research subjects or outpatient subjects who dine on site. If the goals for the study can be achieved with the subjects dining off site, research quality meals can be provided for those outpatients. However, it is strongly advised that outpatient research subjects eat at least one meal/day on site.

2. Estimating the dietary intake of free-living subjects:
   There has been a tremendous increase in requests for GCRC support of outpatient services. The GCRC has NDSR for the analysis of 24-hour dietary recalls and 3-day food intake records. Availability of food frequency questionnaires has been limited to that which the individual investigators obtained through commercial services.

Astrid Inniss, PhD, RD, LD, Bionutrition Manager/Research Dietitian joined the GCRC September 2004. She is responsible for the daily operations of the GCRC Metabolic Kitchen and the NASA FARU Metabolic Kitchen. She is also responsible for the planning and critiquing of methodology used in all GCRC studies with dietary parameters. She also assists in the collecting, analyzing, collating and interpreting and reporting all dietary data for GCRC protocols. Her additional duties involve maintaining nutrition databases and recommending purchase of nutrition software applications.

Kathy Loughran, BS, Dietary Supervisor, joined the GCRC, February 2005. She assists in the supervision of the NASA FARU and ensures that day-to-day operations in the Metabolic Kitchen are met. She is responsible for the data entry of dietary intake for the NASA subjects and reports directly to the Bionutrition  Manager.

Sandra Walker

(Since 2002)

Margaret Bernard

(Since 2005)

Merlina Llorente

(Since 2005)

J. Eric Hodge

(Since 2006)

Joseph Luna

(Since 2008)