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 Alexandra 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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‘My younger self could never have dreamed of this’ , article Date: Aug 02, 2023
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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 ItemKnowable Magazine: What can we do about ultraprocessed foods? , redirect Date: Sep 20, 2023
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