DiFeliceantonio Lab
THE DIFELICEANTONIO LAB
The modern diet is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. We know what we should be eating, but lack the ability to promote change. Led by principal investigator Alex DiFeliceantonio, Ph.D., our lab seeks to understand the basic mechanisms of food choice. We approach this issue in two ways. One, we seek to isolate properties of foods in our modern food environment to evaluate their effect on physiology, brain function, and brain-physiology interaction. Second, we seek to understand how individual differences in response to these food properties can confer risk or benefit for disease outcomes.
Our lab learns about why we eat what we eat, and how it affects our bodies and our brains. Are you interested in joining one of our research studies? Just complete our screening survey to find out if you're eligible.
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What overrides the brain’s satiety signals and promotes overeating? , article Date: Apr 08, 2025 - -
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2025 Seale Innovation Fund grants fuel health innovation , article Date: Feb 25, 2025 -
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Article ItemFralin Biomedical Research Institute appoints interim directors for research centers focused on addiction recovery and health behaviors , article
A team of four researchers will continue to advance the extensive work underway at the Addiction Recovery Research Center and Center for Health Behaviors Research.
Date: Oct 18, 2024 - -
Article ItemSummer students share findings at Fralin Biomedical Research Institute symposium , article
During the programs at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, high school and university undergraduate students tackle research questions in the biomedical and health sciences.
Date: Sep 26, 2024 - -
Article ItemVirginia Tech scientists develop tool for brain and behavioral studies involving ultra-processed foods, which make up the bulk of our diet , article
Alexandra DiFeliceantonio and her team at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute created a set of images to help researchers and dietitians identify processing levels of foods.
Date: May 30, 2024 - -
Article ItemCommunity tunes in to learn about ‘The Craving Brain: Food and Drugs’ during Brain School , article
Nearly 200 people packed into the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC during Brain Awareness Week activities in March for exhibits, tours, talks, brain-healthy food and programming around brain science and its role in helping people lead healthier lives.
Date: Mar 21, 2024 - -
Article Item11th annual Brain School digs into mysteries of the brain, emerging science behind weight-loss drugs , article
Researchers invite the community to the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute to share in their passion for science during an interactive brain awareness event, including presentations and panel discussion on “The Craving Brain: Food and Drugs.”
Date: Mar 01, 2024 - -
Article ItemBuzz kill: Virginia Tech researchers find drugs used to treat Type 2 diabetes reduce alcohol cravings, use in individuals with obesity , article
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute study analyzed social media posts and self-reported experiences among patients who use drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro.
Date: Jan 05, 2024 - -
Article ItemResearch into ultra-processed food’s effect on young adults’ eating behavior gets support from Gaskins fellowship , article
Emma Leslie, a translational biology, medicine and health doctoral student, is focusing on people aged 18 to 25 because ultra-processed foods make up the bulk of their diets.
Date: Nov 30, 2023 - -
Article ItemInternational team of scientists says identifying some foods as addictive could stimulate research, shift attitudes , article
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute scientist joins colleagues from three continents in calling for a global rethink of food choices as a way to improve human health.
Date: Oct 10, 2023 - -
Article Item‘The real deal’: Students thrive and grow in summer hands-on research experiences , article
This was the seventh summer of programs aimed at engaging and training the next generation of scientists. This year, 34 students from colleges in Virginia, North Carolina, and as far away as California, and from five area high schools, participated in summer undergraduate research fellowship programs at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC.
Date: Sep 20, 2023 - -
Article ItemResearchers hope to uncover the underlying mechanisms of why ultra-processed foods are so rewarding – and so overconsumed , article
A new grant will help Alexandra DiFeliceantonio, a Fralin Biomedical Research Institute assistant professor, uncover the allure of highly processed foods, which make up 58 percent of calories consumed in the United States.
Date: Mar 29, 2023 - -
Article ItemThree National Institutes of Health grants fund study on the effects of ultra-processed foods on the human body , article
The Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise received three grants totaling more than $1.2 million to study ultra-processed foods.
Date: Dec 08, 2022 - -
Article ItemHighly processed foods can share the addictive qualities of tobacco, researchers say , article
Foods such as sugary soft drinks, baked goods, chips, burgers, and fries can cause compulsive consumption, have mood-altering effects, and trigger strong urges, according to scientists from the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC and the University of Michigan.
Date: Nov 09, 2022 - -
Article ItemFralin Biomedical Research Institute expands Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program , article
More than 30 undergraduate and high school students worked behind the curtain of biomedical research this summer at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC.
Date: Aug 16, 2022 - -
Article ItemiTHRIV funds efforts to combat obesity, understand self-harm, and reduce waste by Virginia Tech scientists and partners , article
The integrated Translational Health Research Institute of Virginia awarded $200,000 in pilot funds to five multi-institutional research projects at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, Virginia Tech, Inova Health System, and Carilion Clinic.
Date: Nov 19, 2021 - -
Article ItemFralin Biomedical Research Institute scientists to present virtual Brain School lectures for March’s Brain Awareness Week , article
Four brain scientists at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC will share extraordinary insights and emerging concepts about the brain in one-hour interactive programs.
Date: Mar 09, 2021 - -
Article ItemiTHRIV announces incoming 2020 scholars program cohort , article
iTHRIV, the Clinical and Translational Science Award partnership between Virginia Tech, the University of Virginia, Carilion Clinic, and Inova Health System has announced its fourth class of scholars.
Date: Jun 17, 2020 - -
Article ItemNew Fralin Biomedical Research Institute faculty member studies how junk food induces dopamine release in the brain , article
Why is eating unhealthy food such a hard habit to break? Alexandra DiFeliceantonio, a new faculty member at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, studies how modern high-fat, high-carb foods might be tricking the brain into intensifying reward and pleasure signals.
Date: Mar 31, 2020 -
Recent Media Coverage
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Redirect ItemNew York Times: Are Ultraprocessed Foods Addictive? , redirect Date: Mar 06, 2025 -
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Redirect ItemNational Geographic: How sugar and fat affect your brain , redirect Date: Dec 30, 2024 -
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Redirect ItemNewser: Ozempic Appears Effective Against Alcohol Addiction , redirect Date: Nov 13, 2024 -
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Redirect ItemNBC: Ozempic and Wegovy may help curb alcohol addiction, study suggests , redirect Date: Nov 13, 2024 -
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Redirect ItemNew York Times: This Is Your Body on Sugar , redirect Date: Oct 30, 2024 -
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