Research Overview

Dr. Badger is the Director of the Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center (ACNC) and principal investigator for the Dietary Factors Research Project within the ACNC. This research focuses on the long-term health consequences of early nutrition and diet, specifically the prevention of adult diseases such as breast, prostate, or colon cancer. Although soy-based infant formulas have been on the market for nearly half a century, few long-term studies have been conducted.

One of the most important environmental components in people’s lives is diet. Therefore, several ACHRI investigators are working together in the areas of nutrition. For years, Drs. Thomas Badger Professor of Gastroenterology and Nutrition in the Department of Pediatrics) and Martin Ronis (Professor of Pediatrics) have been funded by the National Institutes of Health to study the effects of alcohol on specific metabolic systems and on hormones regulating growth and reproduction. Most recently, they have concentrated on hormonally regulated metabolic enzymes that are involved in intermediary metabolism and drug efficacy during development. They have developed several model systems to study such areas as alcohol effects on pregnant women and fetuses. These studies are related to women’s health issues, child development, and long-term health consequences.

Key Publications

*To find publications by this author, please visit Pubmed Central, a National Institutes of Health-operated site for electronic distribution of life sciences research reports.