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.
In 2011, Dr. Badger was named Co-director of ACHRI's Childhood Obesity Prevention Research Program.
RECENT Publications
Ronis, M.J.J., Badeaux, J., Chen, Y. and Badger, T.M. Dietary rice protein isolate improves lipid and glucose homeostasis in rats fed high fat/high cholesterol diets. Exp. Biol. Med. 235: 1102-1113, 2010.
Chen, J-R., Lazarenko, O.P., Blackburn, M.L., Badger, T.M. and Ronis, M.J. A role for ethanol-induced oxidative stress in controlling lineage commitment of mesenchymal stromal cells through inhibition of Wnt/beta catenin signaling. J. Bone Min. Res. 25: 1117-1127, 2010.
Ronis MJJ, Korourian S, Blackburn M, Badeaux J and Badger TM, The role of ethanol metabolism in development of alcoholic steatohepatitis in the rat, Alcohol 44: 157-169, 2010.
Chen J-R, Lazarenko OP, Blackburn ML, Badeaux JV, Badger TM and Ronis MJJ. Infant Formula Promotes Bone Growth in Neonatal Piglets via Effects on BMP Signaling, J. Nutr. 139: 1839-1847, 2009.
Ronis M.J.J., Badger, T.M., Chen, Y. and Badeaux J, Dietary soy protein isolate attenuates metabolic syndrome in rats via effects on PPAR, LXR and SREBP-1c signaling, J. Nutr. 139: 1431-1438, 2009.
Singhal R., Shankar K., Badger T.M. and Ronis M.J.J. Soy protein isolate mediated hepatic gene expression differs from that of 17b-estradiol in female rats, J. Endocrinol. 202: 143-154, 2009.
Gilchrist JM., Moore MB., Andres A., Estroff JA., Badger TM. Ultrasonographic Patterns of Reproductive Organs in Infants Fed Soy Formula: Comparisons to Infants Fed Breast Milk and Milk Formula. J Pediatrics 2009 156:215-220.
Badger TM., Gilchrist JM., Pivik RT., Andres A., Shankar K., Chen JR., Ronis MJ. The Health Implications of Soy Infant Formula. Am J Clin Nutr 2009 89(5):1668S-1672S.
Chen J-R, Lazarenko OP, Haley RL, Blackburn ML, Badger T.M. and Ronis M.J.J. Ethanol impairs estrogen receptor signaling and activates senescence pathways in osteoblasts. Protection by estradiol. J. Bone Min. Res. 24: 221-230, 2009.
Singhal R., Badger T.M. and Ronis M.J.J. Estrogenic status modulates the effects of soy on hepatic responses to 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA), Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 234:89-97, 2009.
*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.
