ICON-Health is uniquely positioned to become a national and global leader in research, education, outreach and public engagement that focuses on food and nutrition as the solution to human health
The evolutionary advantages that helped humans survive when calories were scarce have proven maladaptive in a world with energy-dense food that can be ordered without leaving the couch. Obesity and chronic disease in the United States directly contribute to premature death, diminished quality of life and trillions of dollars in healthcare costs.
A new Florida State University research center, the Institute for Connecting Nutrition and Health, or ICON-Health, is pioneering a comprehensive approach to tackle diet-related chronic diseases through multidisciplinary nutrition research.
The institute is engaging faculty expertise across virtually all FSU colleges and programs and leveraging FSU Health and partnering medical centers to lead research with a laser focus on improving public health and economic prosperity.
"ICON-Health sets the foundation for where we're heading in nutrition and health outcomes, lowering chronic disease and improving life for millions of people," said FSU Vice President for Research Stacey S. Patterson. "FSU has an opportunity to bring together brilliant researchers from a variety of disciplines to work on problems that will move nutritional science forward."
The institute is led by National Academy of Medicine member Regan Bailey, a professor in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine, and National Academy of Science member Patrick Stover, a professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences, both at the FSU College of Medicine.
Bailey and Stover introduced the center to fellow researchers and clinical partners during an FSU Discovery Days event Monday at the Dunlap Champions Club.
"Is there anyone here who hasn't eaten in the past three days?" Bailey asked the audience at the beginning of her talk. No hands went up, highlighting her point - food is an environmental factor that most people interact with multiple times every day. Its impact on health is immense, which makes the opportunity for improving outcomes great as well.
Bailey is a nutritional epidemiologist who focuses on promoting health through food across the lifespan. Her research team's work has identified nutrition risk in specific population subgroups, including effects of disease states. Her research has guided food fortification policies and dietary supplement development to address nutrient gaps, while bringing greater precision in establishing nutrition needs.
"Through research and education, we are hoping to reduce the burden of chronic disease on people and lower their economic impact," Bailey said. "There's a commitment from FSU leadership to bring nutrition to the forefront. That is what is going to catalyze all these different relationships and collaborations across campus. That's our goal at ICON-Health, to connect disparate researchers with common goals, so we can leverage opportunities and research dollars to make the most impact."
Stover studies fundamental biochemical, genetic and epigenetic mechanisms that underlie the relationships between nutrition and health, and the role of food fortification and nutrient supplements in preventing and managing human pathologies such as developmental anomalies, nerve damage and cancer.
His research has helped to uncover how folate, a B-vitamin, affects critical biological processes such as DNA synthesis, expression and repair, and how genetic differences among individuals, as well as chronic diseases, alter nutrient needs to promote health.
"ICON-Health is an institute established to address some of the most pressing societal problems that are facing our nation and the world," Stover said. "There's an opportunity to do innovative science around interesting problems where we have real knowledge gaps. We're addressing one of the most pressing problems facing our society, which is how do we make food the solution to human health?"
The work is crucial. Many Americans are suffering from diet-related chronic diseases because of a disconnect between the food we eat and our individual biology and physiology.
"We need to address this problem," Stover said. "It's one of the most pressing problems facing virtually every single American."
Following introductions from Bailey and Stover, faculty from various FSU colleges spoke about their research and how it connects to nutrition during a lightning round of short presentations. Presenters came from the College of Medicine, Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, College of Law, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Communication and Information, and the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, highlighting the many ways nutrition touches people's lives.
"FSU developed ICON-Health because providing healthy nutrition is an interdisciplinary problem," Patterson said. "It can't be solved by one group, one department, or even one university. The opportunity for ICON-Health to collaborate with researchers at FSU and across the country is paramount."
Lightning-round talks included presentations on health law, the role of the gut microbiome in intestinal and neurocognitive health and more.
"From these lightning talks, we saw how complex nutrition is - from cells to societies - that's why we all need to work together to advance this mission," Bailey said.
Visit the ICON-Health website to learn more about the institute and how you can partner on future research.
