Penn State Nutritional Sciences

People should incorporate healthy foods they like into a diet they can maintain, according to Kristina Petersen, who contributed to the new dietary recommendations from the American Heart Association.

Learn more in this recent Q&A with Petersen: https://www.psu.edu/news/health-and-human-development/story/qa-what-new-american-heart-association-dietary-recommendations

June’s student spotlight recognizes Faith Wittman, a May 2026 alumna of nutritional sciences who helped lead the Student Nutrition Association’s award-winning Bake-A-THON in support of THON

Working alongside the Baking Club and Culinary Medicine Club, students baked more than 3,000 cookies for THON dancers during the 72-hour dance marathon while building community through a shared mission of service.

We applaud Faith in her role in supporting this year's Bake-A-THON and can't wait to see what her future has in store for her!

Undergraduate student Cara Morrison’s research experience is helping prepare her for a future as a physician assistant.

By strengthening her ability to think critically and evaluate scientific evidence, she’s building skills that directly translate into patient-centered care.

Opportunities like these position our nutritional sciences students for success in healthcare and beyond.

What if blood sugar levels below the gestational diabetes threshold still matter?

A new study from Alison Gernand and Amrita Arcot found that elevated glucose during pregnancy, even without a gestational diabetes diagnosis, may be linked to poorer birth outcomes.

Find out what this could mean for maternal and infant health: https://www.psu.edu/news/health-and-human-development/story/elevated-blood-sugar-levels-during-pregnancy-may-result-poorer

The newly released dietary recommendations from the American Heart Association do not feature many changes because the research evidence about what is heart-healthy has been clear and consistent, according to researcher Kristina Petersen.

Learn more in this recent Q&A with Petersen:

Q&A: What is in the new American Heart Association dietary recommendations? | Penn State University Diet is the most effective way to reduce the risk of heart disease, according to Kristina Petersen, associate professor of nutritional sciences, who contributed to the new dietary recommendations from the American Heart Association.

Feon Cheng, a doctoral alumna of Penn State Nutritional Sciences, is helping advance nutrition science through her work in epidemiology at the Avocado Nutrition Center.

She analyzes large datasets to better understand how diet influences health, helping translate research into practical insights for healthcare professionals and researchers.

Read more about Cheng’s work at the link in the comments ⬇️

Many pregnant women are aware of the risks of gestational diabetes, but high blood sugar may affect a pregnancy, even if the mother does not have gestational diabetes.

See the specifics of what our researchers Alison Gernand and Amrita Arcot discovered in their recent study.

Elevated blood sugar levels during pregnancy may result in poorer birth outcomes | Penn State University Higher blood sugar levels may lead to negative outcomes for a baby, even when the mother is not diagnosed with gestational diabetes, according to a new study from Penn State researchers.

Undergraduate research builds more than knowledge, it also builds essential skills.

Through her lab experience, junior Cara Morrison has developed strengths in collaboration, problem-solving, and scientific inquiry while working alongside peers and mentor Travis Masterson.

Experiences like this underscore the impact of mentorship and hands-on learning in student success.

Join us in congratulating Rita Castro on receiving the University's Opportunity Grant Award for 2026–27!

The grant will support her project, “Sustaining Preclinical Research and Undergraduate Mentorship through Strategic Time Release and Laboratory Support.”

We are excited to see the impact of Castro’s work on both research and student success. https://bit.ly/42lQixB