PhD Student Explores How Diet Shapes Metabolic Health Through Protein Networks

Soyoung Lee, a third-year PhD student in the Biochemical and Medical Nutrition (BMN) track at the Friedman School, is advancing our understanding of how diet influences obesity and metabolic disease—by looking beyond individual molecules to the complex biological systems that connect nutrition to health.

At the center of Lee’s current work is a proteomics-based study examining how diet quality is reflected in patterns of proteins circulating in the blood. Instead of analyzing proteins one at a time, she identified protein networks—groups of proteins that show coordinated patterns of expression across individuals.

“We found that distinct patterns across specific protein networks were associated diet quality,” she explained.

Diet quality was assessed using the DASH score, a widely used measure based on adherence to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension eating pattern. Higher DASH scores—reflecting diets rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and lower in sodium—were associated with distinct protein network profiles. Importantly, several of these networks were also linked to body mass index (BMI) and to future risk of fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes.

A systems-level view of nutrition and disease

Most previous studies in this area have focused on identifying individual proteins associated with diet or disease risk. In contrast, this work shows that protein networks may better capture the biological complexity underlying cardiometabolic conditions.

This network-based approach could have important implications for future research and clinical care. Protein networks may help identify people at higher risk for metabolic disease even when traditional clinical markers appear normal. The findings also support the idea that combining dietary data with molecular and genetic information could improve how researchers predict disease risk and understand its biological roots.

A global path to precision nutrition

Lee’s interest in precision nutrition began while earning both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Korea, followed by work at a research and development center focused on probiotics. Her experience in R&D played a pivotal role in her decision to pursue a PhD.

“I realized that this wasn’t the environment I wanted to stay in,” she said. “The focus was often on short-term profit rather than long-term scientific understanding.”

She also became increasingly aware of how much remains unknown in areas like probiotics research. “It made me think about how important it is to study the biology first before trying to make a product,” she explained. “I want my work to contribute to meaningful impact, not just commercial outcomes.”

That realization led her to doctoral training, where she could deepen her expertise in omics data—such as proteomics and genetics—and apply it to nutrition science. In addition to her current project, she is also involved in research using genetic data and is particularly interested in analyzing omics data from randomized controlled trials.

“I really love what I’m doing now,” she said. “My ultimate goal is to contribute to the field of precision nutrition.”

Looking ahead

After completing her PhD, Lee hopes to pursue a postdoctoral position and continue conducting research long-term. While she remains open to different career formats—whether as a professor or a full-time researcher—her ambitions are firmly rooted in advancing nutrition science.

“It doesn’t matter what my title is,” she said. “What matters is that I can keep doing research and contribute to precision nutrition for the rest of my life.”