Mélanie Guirette awarded the Jean Hankin Nutritional Epidemiology Research Grant

The grant is awarded through the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation  and is given to provide financial support to a doctoral student working on a dissertation in the area of nutritional epidemiology.

Mélanie Guirette is a Ph.D. candidate in Nutrition Data Science and Epidemiology at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy (FSNSP at Tufts University). She earned her MS in Biochemical and Molecular Nutrition at the FSNSP, and completed her Dietetic Internship at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. Mélanie’s research interests include understanding the interaction between genetic variation and carbohydrate quality in relation to cardiometabolic risk, as well as utilizing targeted metabolomics to study associations between carbohydrate quality and cardiometabolic risk.

Having been exposed to a variety of culinary preferences in a culturally diverse household while growing up, Melanie developed an interest in the role of food in our diets. Beyond being flavorful and appetizing, she recognized that food serves essential purposes like nourishing, energizing, and healing. Motivated by a passion for improving others' health, she began her career by encompassing both nutrition research and dietetics. Her work as a dietitian, particularly counseling the Hispanic/Latino population dealing with type 2 diabetes, has been exceptionally gratifying and instrumental in shaping her research goals.

Grant Proposal 

Melanie's proposed study, titled "Metabolomic Signature of Dietary Fiber Consumption and Cardiometabolic Risk among US Adults," delves into the emerging field of nutrition metabolomics. This area of research explores how metabolites, influenced by the gut microbiota and the body's digestion of food, affect overall health. The focus of the research lies in identifying specific metabolites associated with dietary fiber intake and investigating their potential correlations with the risk of developing heart disease or diabetes.

Utilizing data collected from a comprehensive study involving thousands of individuals tracked over several years, the research aims to shed light on the effects of high-fiber diets on disease risk. By understanding the metabolic benefits associated with dietary fiber, the study seeks to pave the way for tailored dietary recommendations based on individual metabolism—a significant stride towards the field of precision nutrition.