CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Although studies suggest that many cancer patients experience food insecurity, few oncology dietitians routinely ask them if they are having problems affording or obtaining food, new research has found.

Despite awareness that many cancer patients are food insecure, most of the 41 registered dietitian nutritionists interviewed by researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign said they did not use a validated tool to screen patients for it.

URBANA, Ill. – It’s 6 a.m., and Nick Tarleton is on a bus with 20 or so university students. They’ve just left Oak Brook, Illinois, and they’re headed to their first stop of the day on their behind-the-scenes tour of the food and beverage processing industry in the Chicago area.

Tarleton calls out, “What are you most excited to see today?” Inevitably, someone answers back, “How do you have so much energy?!”

URBANA, Ill. – Committed chocoholics, be warned. A health-robbing heavy metal, cadmium, lurks in the velvety recesses of your favorite indulgence.

Yong-Su Jin, a professor of food science and human nutrition, is among the five University of Illinois professors who have been named University Scholars in recognition of their excellence in teaching, scholarship and service.

URBANA, Ill. – Fruit and vegetable consumption is an important part of a healthy diet. But low-income families face unique obstacles to healthy eating, including higher cost of fresh foods and limited resources for cooking. 

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Exposure to PFAS – a class of synthetic chemicals utilized in food wrappers, nonstick cookware and other products – reprograms the metabolism of benign and malignant human prostate cells to a more energy efficient state that enables the cells to proliferate at three times the rate of nonexposed cells, a new study in mice found. However, consuming a high-fat diet significantly accelerated development of tumors in the PFAS-exposed mice, the scientists said.

URBANA, Ill. ­– Dried snack foods such as apple chips are a convenient alternative to fresh fruit, providing longer shelf life and easier storage. Consumers increasingly demand product variety, so companies coat such snack foods with fruit and vegetable powders to enhance taste and sensory appeal.

URBANA, Ill. – You may not think of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) if you’re aiming for a medical career. But health education is, in fact, a major part of the curriculum in ACES’ Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition (FSHN) where students can pursue a pre-health track through the human nutrition concentration.

URBANA, Ill. – Postmenopausal women have increased risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease due to loss of estrogen from metabolic changes. A high-fat diet further exacerbates the disease, which can progress to cirrhosis and liver failure. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is an effective treatment, but it carries increased risk of breast cancer, uterine cancers, and cardiovascular disease.

URBANA, Ill. – A University of Illinois research team plans to develop a food education curriculum for low-income families, focusing on food management and cooking strategies for better nutrition and less waste. The project is part of a $15 million, five-year grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) that brings together partners from 14 institutions in the first national academic research network on wasted food.