The drug finasteride, also known as Propecia or Proscar, treats male pattern baldness and enlarged prostate in millions of men worldwide. But a new University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign study suggests the drug may also provide a surprising and life-saving benefit: lowering cholesterol and cutting the overall risk of cardiovascular disease. 

 Zeynep Madak Erdogan, Cancer Center at Illinois (CCIL) Associate Director for Education and Sylvia D. Stroup Scholar of Nutrition and Cancer, received the prestigious 2024 Michael B. Kastan Award for Research Excellence given by the American Association for Cancer Research’s (AACR) Molecular Cancer Research (MCR) journal.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Scientists have found a way to boost ethanol production via yeast fermentation, a standard method for converting plant sugars into biofuels. Their approach, detailed in the journal Nature Communications, relies on careful timing and a tight division of labor among synthetic yeast strains to yield more ethanol per unit of plant sugars than previous approaches have achieved. 

Scientists in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed a portable, self-powered ultraviolet-C device called the Tribo-sanitizer that can inactivate two of the bacteria responsible for many foodborne illnesses and deaths.

In honor of National Cookie Day, Alyssa Deolitsis reflects on kickstarting her own business with help from her degree.

Since 1973, food industry professionals have bolstered their skills and furthered their careers through the Master of Science in Food Science (MSFS) program in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition (FSHN), part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — New research found the most common form of breast cancer presents differing metabolic signatures in the blood of African American women with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer compared with non-Hispanic white women. The scientists also identified a protein – negative elongation factor complex E – that was linked with higher mortality rates among African American women with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. 

URBANA, Ill. — Love it or hate it, broccoli is chock-full of health-promoting chemicals linked to heart health, cancer prevention, immune function, weight management, and more. However,  some people are less efficient than others at unlocking those chemical benefits. A research team at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign suggests gut microbe communities may be responsible for the variation.

URBANA, Ill. — A student team from the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition (FSHN) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign took second place in the Institute for Food Technologist’s (IFT) Student Association & Mars Product Development Competition in July. Their winning product was “Churroats,” a churro made from upcycled oat pulp.