Research

Much of the research carried out at the Friedman School is conducted at one of the three research centers within or closely affiliated with the school: The Feinstein International Center, The Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, and the John Hancock Center for Physical Activity and Nutrition . As cited by University Science Indicators via Thomson Scientific, Tufts University is ranked 3rd in average citations per paper in Food Science/Nutrition (2002-06)¹ and 3rd in Public Healthy & Health-Care Science (1999-2003)² among the top 100 federally funded U.S. universities.

Affiliated Centers

Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging

Scientists at the HNRCA examine how nutrition plays a major role in the prevention of the major chronic degenerative conditions associated with aging.

John Hancock Center for Physical Activity and Nutrition

The goal of JHCPAN is to develop sound exercise and nutrition programs, influence public policy, and promote physical activity nationally and internationally.

Feinstein International Center

The Feinstein International Center carries out research on the politics and policy of aiding the vulnerable, on protection and rights in crisis situations, and on the restoration of lives and livelihoods  for those marginalized communities caught up in humanitarian and nutritional crises around the world.

Ongoing Projects/Studies

Shape Up Somerville

Shape Up Somerville: Eat Smart. Play Hard. was a community-based obesity prevention research study that aimed to influence the health of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders in Somerville, MA by changing the environment of their schools, homes, and community to promote increased physical activity and healthy eating.

New Entry Sustainable Farming Project

Learn about the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project, a partnership effort designed to help recent immigrants with backgrounds in agriculture to establish themselves as commercial farmers in New England.

Positive Deviance Initiative

Positive Deviance (PD) is a development approach that is based on the premise that solutions to community problems already exist within the community. The positive deviance approach thus differs from traditional "needs based" or problem-solving approaches in that it does not focus primarily on identification of needs and the external inputs necessary to meet those needs or solve problems.

The BONES Project

The BONES Project was a research intervention designed to promote bone health in early elementary school children who were participating in after-school programs.

Nutrition Talk: Friedman Internet Radio

The Friedman Nutrition Internet Radio Program is a one-hour broadcast that presents food news and science to use. The goal of the program is to passionately advance the well being of people worldwide by communicating key nutrition topics through the use of internet-radio technology. The program is developed and run by Friedman students.

Growing Stronger

The Growing Stronger project is a collaborative effort between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Hancock Center. Growing Stronger is a strength training program for older adults, available online and in a printed version.

Tufts Longitudinal Health Study

TLHS will provide the foundation and framework to build new health initiatives designed to change and enhance the existing culture and environment at Tufts.

Papers & Research Interests

Modified MyPyramid for Older Adults

Tufts' researchers updated the USDA's food pyramid, MyPyramid, tailoring the guide for older adults and their specific nutrient needs.

Nutrient Quality of Food Aid - A Scientific Review

The United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) Food for Peace program has awarded grant of approximately US$1.5 million to Tufts University's Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy to examine the nutritional needs of beneficiary populations across the developing world, and the nutrition quality of commodities currently available to meet those needs.

Academic Papers

View papers and reports from our centers. The following is a list of recently published work.

• Curcumin inhibits adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and angiogenesis and obesity in C57/BL mice. Ejaz A, Wu D, Kwan P, Meydani M. J Nutr. 2009 May;139(5):919-25. Epub 2009 Mar 18.
• Golden Rice is an effective source of vitamin A. Tang G, Qin J, Dolnikowski GG, Russell RM, Grusak MA. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Apr 15. [Epub ahead of print]
• The Development of the Mediterranean-Style Dietary Pattern Score and Its Application to the American Diet in the Framingham Offspring Cohort. Rumawas ME, Dwyer JT, McKeown NM, Meigs JB, Rogers G, Jacques PF. J Nutr. 2009 Apr 8. [Epub ahead of print]
• Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Modulate the Effect of TCF7L2 Gene Variants on Postprandial Lipemia. Warodomwichit D, Arnett DK, Kabagambe EK, Tsai MY, Hixson JE, Straka RJ, Province M, An P, Lai CQ, Borecki I, Ordovas JM. J Nutr. 2009 Jan 13. [Epub ahead of print]
• Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin d is associated with markers of the insulin resistant phenotype in nondiabetic adults. Liu E, Meigs JB, Pittas AG, McKeown NM, Economos CD, Booth SL, Jacques PF. J Nutr. 2009 Feb;139(2):329-34. Epub 2008 Dec 23.

Working Papers in Food Policy and Applied Nutrition

This working paper series publishes the work of faculty and students in the Food Policy and Applied Nutrition (FPAN) program. The content may have already been presented at conferences or workshops but will not yet have been published in peer-reviewed journals.

Directed Study Projects from Agriculture, Food and Environment

Students in the Agriculture, Food and Environment (AFE) program are required to take a one credit directed study as part of the two year master training. Recent examples include:

• Analyzing Green Payments - analyzing the effectiveness of green payments to sustainable farming practices
• Healthy Lands, Healthy People - a study focusing on the feasibility of alternative greens raised on Native American reservations
• Immigrant Farmers in History - a comparison project that looked at how programs enabled newly arrived immigrants become farmers from the early 1900 to a project today.

1 http://in-cites.com/research/2007/september_3_2007-1.html
2 http://in-cites.com/research/2004/december_13_2004-2.html